“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Without the determination of the inner ego, cohesion of identity would be impossible. The self as you know it is many things, and contains many more vestibules and rooms than you now imagine. Even the outer ego contains multitudinous chambers and interconnections of which you are unaware.

The boundaries, limitations, extent and vistas of the self are merely arbitrary. In a very true sense each self is infinite, unbounded, connected in a most intimate way to all other things in the universe on your plane; and through the inner senses and the inner ego connected also in a most intimate way to the unknown and unseen inner universe.

Here we run into something that will be difficult for me to explain to you. Any particular self theoretically could expand his consciousness to contain the universe and everything in it. The closed-in, solitary, isolated self of which you are so proud is, as I have said, an arbitrary formation, containing the core of identity; and you seem to prefer, psychically speaking, to stay at home.

Because of the basic simplicity of the elements in your universe, and for other reasons already mentioned, there is no real boundary neither chemical, electrical or even psychic, between the self and what is usually considered not self.

Chemically in particular, the dependence of the physical body and the self to the planetary environment is obvious. It is known to your scientists that the chemical relationship between the personal physical self, and the chemical environment of the not-self is intimately connected.

Man, staying within the core of his arbitrarily designated selfhood, can in truth be compared to early physical man, cowering within his cave. You have learned to venture forth into the physical universe. You have not learned to venture forth from an arbitrarily designated selfhood, into an extended environment that knows no space or time. Such a possibility, such a future development in no way involves a denial of self, a dissolving or sweeping away of self, an annihilation of self. Many cavemen doubtlessly feared for their personal survival when they ventured forth upon the earth in daylight.

This arbitrary limitation set upon the individual self is put upon it by its reliance upon the outer senses, as a method of perceiving reality. The outer senses are excellent tools of perception for limited circumstances. However, man has relied upon them so long, and with such cringing dependence, that now they threaten to hamper his own growth and development.

The expanding self, ideally, would reach out beyond the arbitrary boundaries it has placed upon itself. Again, there just is not any particular boundary between what is self and what is not self. There are gradations, and that is all. The skin is as much, if not more, a necessary connective as it is a boundary.

The isolated self, as you know it, can indeed be well compared to man’s early caves. In terms of value fulfillment the species expanded its potential tremendously when it left the caves; and so will man also experience the fulfillment of still unglimpsed potentialities when he walks forth from the cave of the arbitrarily limited self.

I shouldn’t have to say this. The image is truly astounding and ludicrous. However, as your expanding universe does not expand in space, so your expanded self will not grow in space to amazing proportions of pounds and tons.

When you realize that the self has no boundaries, then you can begin to make progress. Since consciousness to begin with does not exist in space, then there is no reason why the consciousness cannot so expand beyond its set limitations, and theoretically continue to do so. Such an expansion would give excellent impetus and value experience to those basic components, the cells and molecules, experience that would be retained and utilized. When so-called space travel becomes truly popular, truly practical, it will come along these lines.

The self will truly utilize the atoms and molecules; the consciousness will travel by this method. The particular physical body will then be known for what it is: a cooperative psychic gestalt, a psychio-physical structure formed together by the inner ego, utilizing atoms and molecules that are in themselves living and conscious.

We will be deliberate for a moment to get this material through, since I know it is difficult for you. I want to make these points to lead up to the main one. Consciousness comes first, and forms the physical body in ways that I have described. Nevertheless there are no real boundaries that separate self from nonself.

Now. Space travel, when it occurs, will utilize expansion of self. Your idea of death is based upon your dependence upon the outer senses. You will learn that it is possible, through no physical act (and underline that, through no physical act), to relinquish the physical body, expand the self, using atoms and molecules as stepping stones to a given destination, and reforming the physical body at the other end.

The point of difficulty is your panicky and protective huddling within the core of a limited self, and your fear to set aside the endless doors between self and what seems to be not self, that you yourself have erected.

In the beginning entry to your plane requires a simple energy unit, a sperm, a simple but potent capsule that contains all the future potentiality. After entry into your plane, the self or identity, the consciousness, without any physical act, can leave the physical body, expand, travel through the medium of atoms and molecules, and completely reassemble.

I mentioned space travel because I know that you are interested in it, but this is only one example, and a spectacular one to catch your interest, of the advantages of extension of self.

Your scientists will very soon discover that the self has no real boundaries, but they will not think of the implications involved, on their own, for quite a while.

Part of the limitations set upon the self are cultural, and vary according to civilizations, but the basic cause is the absolute reliance upon the outer senses—

This extension of self will occur in some degree before any really effective brotherhood of man is accomplished. This is unfortunate but true. The self begins learning its arbitrary limitations at the same time that it tries expansion in childhood. If the cultural limitations were lifted this would at least be of some benefit.

I have endeavored to add an extra perspective this evening to the session, as far as sensations for both you and Ruburt are concerned. The extension or expansion of self momentarily and initially involves a slight expansion of tissue. I believe that you both have experienced this at various times, to varying degrees.

There is a temporary and initial, barely perceivable enlargement, a deep pulsing in the manner of a beating forth of cells and molecules—actually a sort of pulsation resulting in a minute but definite enlargement of tissue. You experience this in slow motion. Completed, the process would represent what would appear to be a propulsion of consciousness or self from the tissues.

Now. Since the identity-consciousness is composed of the combined and cooperating generalized consciousness of all the body’s atoms and molecules, and the consciousness of the inner ego, these molecular consciousnesses that once or initially found expression in forming their physical construction, no longer do so; but are competent to do so again when the self-consciousness so demands.

(Self- Thursday, 5/21, 9:30 PM: Few instances of my thrilling sensation.

(Self- Friday 5/22, 9:30 PM: Few instances of my sensation after the suggestion to myself that I felt light. This is coming to be a dependable effect at such times. I seem now to be able to know in advance when the sensation will manifest itself during such experiments.

(Self- Saturday, 5/23: Missed.

(Self- Sunday 5/24, 9:45 PM: We had spent the day driving about the countryside. Now in the desired state I had several short experiences where I was gliding along different highways, up and down hills, around curves, etc. Do not recall being in a car, or that Jane was with me. Very pleasant.

(Self- Monday 5/25: Missed.