“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(To resume: Sue Mullin, now Sue Watkins, one of Jane’s ESP class members, left three questions last night for Seth to answer when possible. Here is question one: “When I project my consciousness out of my body, is my astral body pregnant because I am now pregnant physically? Does the astral body carry the astral counterpart of the fetus, or does the astral fetus remain in the physical body within the physical fetus?”)

The fetus does have its own astral form. Now, this astral form belongs to the individual, the personality as it will be in this life. It is not the astral form that existed in a “previous” reincarnation. There are many complicated issues here and I will try to put them simply.

(I now asked Seth: “Can you say a little bit about Sue’s first question, about the astral body of the fetus?” Jane had read Sue’s questions some time earlier, but she didn’t know I was going to ask any of the questions this evening.)

It helps form the new individual, and then it must withdraw. The new self unit must be free and not hampered by the demands that could otherwise be put upon it. The new individual has a deeply buried memory of its past lives, but the personal consciousness of the last reincarnated self must not be superimposed upon this new identity. The new personality, in its small astral body, does visit with other portions of the entire identity. It is even given lessons of a kind, but it is very much its own self.

[...] Here is question 1: When I project while I am pregnant, is my astral body pregnant; i.e., does the astral body carry the astral counterpart of the fetus, or does the astral fetus remain in my physical body, within the physical fetus? Does astral projection remove any necessary energy sustenance from the fetus?

The fetus does have its own astral form. Now, this astral form belongs to the individual, the personality as it will be in this life. It is not the astral form that existed in a previous reincarnation, for example.

[...] You have also been sending thought forms out—and this is different, than an astral image.

(“Can you say a little bit about Sue’s first question, about the astral body of the fetus?” Jane didn’t know I was going to ask this question.)

I was particularly aware of my lower astral legs, hovering above the physical ones, and took great pleasure in wiggling them about, enjoying the marvelous sense of freedom and lightness they possessed. [...] My astral legs felt rubbery, so loose and flexible! I could see that they were light-colored, translucent from the knees down — this without my sitting up in my astral form to see them.

I was still walking very slowly, with my astral eyes slitted to cut down the focus of distractions. [...] I felt it hard and round, perfectly normal in my astral hand. [...] What had I done wrong now? I opened my astral eyes fully and stared down at my hand. [...]

[...] This time I decided to try and get up astrally, just walk around the room and observe the various stages of activity. [...] The second time I succeeded, getting used to the fine distinction between moving the astral body up while leaving the physical one alone. [...]

I found myself then in my astral body above my physical one, but in reversed position. My astral hand with its strange sensations and pulsing light was to the south, over my physical feet. [...]

[...] The astral identity of course is aware of communications from both the inner and outer environment. The astral identity is therefore actually a more complete representation of the whole personality, and its abilities are far-reaching. The inner ego of which we have spoken is the director of this astral identity. [...]

[...] At various times I have spoken concerning the reality of what you refer to as the astral body. [...] The astral body is of this nature. [...]

[...] You can see then that even this astral image is always in motion and never static, and its condition alters the physical self even as the physical self acts upon the astral image.

[...] Therefore this experience, collected within the physical field, is held in codified form by this inner self or astral identity. [...]

(Shortly before session time Jane told me she had the thought that dreams and astral travel, or the astral body, were somehow connected. [...]

[...] What is called the astral body is also composed of some of the same components.

[...] The astral body also has a form. [...]

[...] The same applies to the connection between the astral body and the physical body.

[...] First however imagine your consciousness out of your body in its astral form. Next, feeling that you are in the astral form, tell yourself that from that image you will be able to see the image of the person that you were in your immediately past life.

After you have managed to feel yourself above your body in your astral form, you again tell yourself to see the image of the same past self. [...] When you have succeeded, then still feeling yourself in the astral form, tell yourself that you will next see the image of the life before last: the image of the person you were, then repeat the other steps.

[...] Now when you feel that you have this new image of your past self before you, then imagine that your consciousness is moving from your astral form into this past self. [...]

Then, will yourself to return to your own astral image, then to your physical body. [...]

[...] He must also remind himself however to assist you, and to contact your astral self. If he finds himself astrally awake and sees only your physical body, then you are either on an unconscious astral trip already, or your astral body has not left your physical one. [...]

[...] When astral contact is made, some manipulations may be necessary in order to maintain them, but there is nothing to worry about if you go your separate ways.

[...] but at the same time while I felt this physically I didn’t feel it in my physical knees, but definitely in what I suppose you’d call my astral ones. [...] (don’t know how to explain this either but my ‘astral self’ was thinking this. [...]

[...] Oddly enough, I didn’t mention “astral projection.”

[...] My astral eyes were functioning. [...]

[...] My astral body was in the same approximate position, perhaps six inches above. [...]

[...] My astral legs felt quite rubbery, so loose and flexible were they — and somehow, from my prone position, I could see that they were light-colored and translucent from the knees down!

I have until this point said very little about the so-called astral body. [...]

(Many sessions ago Seth stated he did not like the term, astral body, but said nothing else about it. [...]

You can perhaps now see where this so-called astral body has its origin and purpose. [...]

Now, I will try to make contact with him in his astral excursions. [...]

[...] (Pointing at me.) You have helped Dave Lake on an astral level, during a recent illness of his. [...]

(Jane said she thought the other person I had helped astrally, from high-school days, was dead. [...]

[...] These capsules have also been called astral bodies. [...]

[...] You only recognize the physical materializations, but as mentioned earlier in this book, you send pseudoforms of yourself out from yourself of which you are not aware; and this is completely aside from the existence of astral travel or projection, which is a much more complicated affair.

You appear in astral form in realities that are comparatively more advanced than your own. [...]

(Below, Seth discusses a projection experience of Jane’s on Friday, May 9, that involved her perception of my astral presence in the apartment although I was at work at Artistic Card Company that day.)

[...] If Ruburt knows he is projecting he should try to remember you, and to rouse you astrally. [...]

Now there are, in quotes, “objective” realities that exist, within astral reality itself.

[...] “This must be my astral leg; it’s falling back and forth from the knee; the heel touches my spine, which I can’t do.... [...]

[...] And now, see, I’m talking and these little men are working on my hands, my astral fingers. [...]

[...] Before that they’d worked on my shoulders real fast, shaking my astral shoulders around and around....”

[...] (I think I was in my astral body though.) I knew that I was dreaming, thought to myself that it was very difficult to read such material in the dream state but that I would try in any case. [...]

[...] She was out-of- body often, she said, and on at least one occasion was aware of my own astral presence with her. Jane recalled at least three episodes of astral travel. [...]

[...] The new body is of course not a new body at all, but simply a body not physical in your terms, one that you use in astral projections, one that gives the vitality and strength to the physical body that you know.

[...] Houses are to be entered—astral houses, physical houses, thought-form houses—they are to be entered. [...]

[...] This was not an astral plane, but a lower one.

Then, in my astral body I went flying through the hall, which had a high-domed ceiling. [...]

This does not mean that we do not sometimes leave our bodies and travel in our dream or astral bodies to other physical locations. [...]

[...] This is an astral projection!” They’d never believe me. [...]

[...] We ordered Oliver Fox’s Astral Projection. Astonished, I discovered that my experiences followed his rather closely, even though most of my projections to that date had been spontaneous. [...]

[...] It has been called the astral body. [...]

I realized only later that the cord or cable I’d felt was the astral cord. [...]

[...] (Actually I’d returned to the bedroom, I believe, still in astral form, lost the necessary focus of consciousness and hallucinated.)