The Up Vibe: From Pastor to Channel — David Trotter's Journey to the Light of Christ

What does it take for an evangelical pastor to become a channel for Christ consciousness? In a deeply moving episode of The Up Vibe, host Aurora Luna Star sits down with David Trotter — founder of Awaken Media and an emerging channeler — to explore one of the most unexpected spiritual transformations you'll witness.

"I actually grew up in a very conservative Christian evangelical family," Trotter shares early in the conversation. After sensing a call to ministry at 18, he spent over a decade leading churches in Southern California. But beneath the surface of organizational success, something was breaking. "I was trying to fill a void of not enoughness," he admits. "If I could grow that church big enough, help enough people, save enough marriages, then I'll finally be enough."

What Happens When You Step Outside the Script?

The turning point came in 2008 when Trotter hit a wall of burnout and made the difficult decision to transition out of ministry. "Stepping out of that environment allowed me to start asking some questions that I had not been able to ask in that context," he explains, "because if you ask those questions, as a pastor, it puts your job on the line."

What followed was years of what Trotter calls "deconstructing" — beginning with questions about LGBTQ inclusion in the church, then gradually releasing theological beliefs around heaven and hell. "This is not a week-long process. This is months and even years of processing," he reflects. "I'm releasing a whole way of thinking about life."

His path eventually led him to start a podcast for female entrepreneurs, where he encountered guests talking about energy, Reiki, and psychic phenomena. "I thought, 'Man, I think this is satanic. I don't know if I should be talking about this stuff,'" he laughs. "But I really quickly realized, I like these people. These people feel like my tribe."

Then came the sound baths. "That was my gateway drug," Trotter says. At his first breathwork and sound bath session about five years ago, something clicked: "These people actually don't just talk about God. They don't just have a belief system about God, but they are actually seeking to encounter God."

How Does Someone Discover They Can Channel?

Trotter's channeling gift emerged in the most unexpected way. After meeting his partner Mandy, who owned a breathwork studio, he was exposed to mediums and eventually enrolled in 24 weeks of mediumship training. Then came a 10-week channeling course that changed everything.

"Channeling, first and foremost, is about you meeting your unseen friends," his teacher explained. "The purpose is for you to experience unconditional love." Through automatic writing practice, Trotter began connecting with two guides: Elvin, described as "almost like a Keebler elf type being," and Escalon, "much more technological and looked almost like a Transformer."

But the full awakening of his channeling abilities happened at a medicine ceremony two and a half years ago. "I felt this intense rush of power come from outside of me, into me, through me," Trotter recalls. "All of a sudden, this light language comes pouring out of my mouth at a probably level nine volume." What followed was an hour of channeling personalized messages for everyone in the room. "After about the third name, the place erupted in laughter and applause," he remembers with a mix of wonder and embarrassment.

The experience was so sacred that Trotter made a decision: "I can never go to a public medicine ceremony ever again." For months, he couldn't access the channeling without plant medicine. Then, a year ago during a hypnosis session with a regression therapist, "all of a sudden my head starts cranking to the right, and I knew, I start channeling. And it was without medicine."

What Message Does the Light of Christ Want Us to Hear?

Perhaps the most profound aspect of Trotter's journey is what he channels: not just his two guides, but what he calls "the light of Christ" — described as "a collection of multidimensional beings that embody and emit the light of Christ, Christ consciousness."

During one particularly powerful session under hypnosis, Trotter experienced "this intense light begin to just pour on me" and immediately knew it was "the light of Christ." The purpose? "Revealing all that is in your life with no shame, no judgment, no criticism, just for the purpose of you becoming aware of what is going on internally."

His understanding of unconditional love was revolutionized in that moment. "Unconditional love is when I see you in the fullness of your divinity and the fullness of your humanity," he explains. "No judgment, no criticism, no nothing. Just see you and be in the presence and love you in that moment of seeing."

Watch the full episode to witness Trotter's vulnerability as he describes discovering these gifts: "Every time I channel, the feeling is always the same. Super vulnerable and very interested, curious."

At the end of the episode, Aurora invites Trotter to channel live. What emerges is a profound transmission on peace — the very thing humanity is longing for. "There have been conflicts, wars, disagreements that escalate to the point of violence," the channel states. "This is simply an outward manifestation of the inward conflict that you have within yourself."

The message offers a practice: becoming aware of internal conflicts, allowing the light to shine on them without judgment, and asking, "What would it look like to cultivate peace?"

Throughout his journey, Trotter has also built Awaken Media — a platform featuring Awaken Magazine, the Awaken Hearts book series, the Awaken Lifestyle podcast, and the Awaken Lifestyle Expo. His vision is clear: "If I could find a way to amplify their message, promote them, and we could help them get more healing, transformation, awakening out in the world, that's going to do a ton of good for the world."

When Aurora acknowledges the power of his channel, Trotter remains humble: "I am a toddler in this journey." But Aurora pushes back: "You were never the acorn... You wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't for you. The fact that you have reverence for it, the fact that you honor it, and the fact that you're not boasting in extreme amounts of ego around it, that's why the gift continues."

For anyone on their own spiritual journey, feeling like they're "trying to climb up" or that "the spiritual energy can almost make you feel trapped or less than," as Aurora puts it, Trotter's story offers profound hope. From conservative Christianity to channeling Christ consciousness, his path demonstrates that transformation is possible — and that our gifts often arrive in the most unexpected packages.

Watch the complete conversation to experience the full depth of this extraordinary dialogue, including the live channeling transmission that closes the episode with a palpable wave of peace and love.

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