“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Again, the physical picture would not be necessarily that of a well- developed or balanced personality. Specific creative abilities might be specialized in the same manner. If you looked at these lives as a series of progressions in usual terms, then you would be left with many questions unanswered. Nevertheless the development does occur, but the individuals choose the way in which they prefer this development to take place.

Some will choose progression at an easier rate and in a more balanced manner. They will help keep all the strands of personality working at once, so to speak, and even meet again and again people they have known in other lives. They will work out problems at a rather easy rate, rather than in, say, an explosive way. They will pace themselves as dancers do.

In this time of rest and choosing, all counsel is given. Some personalities do reincarnate before they are advised to, for many reasons. This is usually unfortunate in the short run, for the necessary planning has not taken place. But in the long run great lessons will still be learned from the “error.” There is no time schedule, and yet it is very unusual for an individual to wait for anything over three centuries between lives, for this makes the orientation very difficult, and the emotional ties with earth have become weak.

There are different depths to be probed in reincarnational existences. Some choose to “go all the way.” These personalities specialize in physical existence, and their knowledge of this system is most comprehensive. For these there is a movement through each of your racial types — a requirement that is not laid upon most. There is intensive preoccupation with historical periods. Many of these personalities live comparatively short lives, but very intense ones, and they experience more lives than most other individuals. They return, in other words, in as many historical times as possible, finally helping to shape the world as you know it.

(Not long after these sessions began, several years ago, Seth told Jane and me that the three of us had experienced lives in Denmark in the 1600’s. Ever since then I’ve thought my interest in the art of Western Europe for that same period, embracing the work of Rembrandt and Vermeer, Van Dyke, and Rubens, et al., more than coincidental. I mentioned to Jane now my curiosity as to whether my artistic career had any connection with my Denmark life. I wanted to know my life span then, also.

There will be some more material in this book dwelling specifically upon reincarnation, but here I want to point out that in this time of choosing between lives, many more issues are at stake than a simple matter of proposed rebirth.

They will grow in consciousness and continue their own lines of development on different levels. In one way, we are all thought-forms, and this will be further explained in the material dealing with the god concept. Understand, however, that I do not mean that we lack our own initiative for action, individuality or purpose — and remember also here that you live from the inside out. Then perhaps the statement will have more meaning for you.

(10:57 P.M. Jane’s trance had been deep. We’ve received little information on our past lives, preferring to wait on this endeavor for various personal reasons. We found the data concerning Denmark intriguing. Jane and I ended up unsure, though, as to whether I lived two short lives, or one longer life divided into two spheres of activity.

(This in turn led me to wonder if tonight’s session contradicted one held several years ago, in which Seth stated that I had lived to an old age in the Denmark life. Jane had been my son. Actually there was no contradiction — merely a misinterpretation on our parts. Seth goes into more detail on this in the 595th session, in the Appendix.