“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

You are meant to understand the nature of your inner self, and to manifest it outward. As this is done, the exterior circumstances should change for the better as the inner self becomes more aware of its own nature and capabilities. Theoretically, then, in each life you would become stronger, healthier, wealthier, and wiser, but it does not work that way, for many reasons. As mentioned earlier, many personalities adopt different kinds of experiences, focusing upon development in certain specific areas, and ignoring others perhaps for a series of lives.

Abilities cannot be developed following a one-sex line. There must be experiences in motherhood and fatherhood. When you get to the point that you realize you are forming your day-to-day existence and the life that you know, then you can begin to alter your own mental and psychic patterns, and therefore change your daily environment.

(9:25.) This realization, however, should go hand in hand with a deep intuitional knowledge of the capabilities of the inner self. These two factors together can release you from any difficulties that have arisen in past lives. The entire structure of your existence will begin to change with these realizations, and an acceleration of spiritual and psychic growth will develop.

A chronically ill existence, for example, might also be a measure of discipline, enabling you to use deeper abilities that you ignored in a life of good health. The perfectly happy life for example, on the surface, may appear splendid, but it may also be basically shallow and do little to develop the personality.

The point I want to make is that the opportunity for development and knowledge is as present at this moment, in this life, as it will ever be. If you ignore day-by-day opportunities for development now, no one can force you to accept and utilize greater abilities after death, or between lives. The teachers are there in after-death experience, but there are also teachers here in your existence now.

Knowing your reincarnational background, but not knowing the true nature of your present self, is useless. You cannot justify or rationalize present circumstances by saying, “This is because of something I did in a past life,” for within yourself now is the ability to change negative influences. You may have brought negative influences into your life for a given reason, but the reason always has to do with understanding, and understanding removes those influences.

Each individual is not at the same level of achievement even at the end of the reincarnational cycle. Some possess certain qualities that do not find a counterpart within human experience. Physical existence itself has a different effect upon various individuals. Some find it an excellent medium of expression and development. They are suited to it. They have the knack for expressing themselves in physical ways and objectifying inner feelings faithfully. Others find this difficult, and yet these same individuals may do much better in other levels of reality.

Reincarnational goals also vary greatly. I want to stress that reincarnation is a tool used by personalities. They each use it in their own way. Some enjoy female existences, or have greater fondness for male lives. While both must be encountered, there is a great range of choice and activity. Some personalities will have difficulties along certain lines, and develop with relative ease in other ways.