“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

This is extremely difficult, I should imagine. Nevertheless, even when an inner self has sent out a new outer ego upon a new camouflage venture, the previous ego is still afforded an almost unlimited avenue for development. There are many possibilities for it. It can choose to remain what it is, one ego. It will then remain in a somewhat subordinate position to the inner self, but in no more of a subordinate position than it was earlier.

Theoretically such an ego could continue reincarnating indefinitely in such a fashion, always growing and developing, but always dealing with problems of manipulation and physical construction of energy. This then represents one possibility for growth of any particular ego. There are other possibilities—

Now if there is good communication between the self, that is the inner self and the outer ego, then the ego begins to understand what it is, and also to realize that it has greater capacities than it can realize by continued reincarnations, upon one plane.

If the ego is exceptional it may take one of two courses.

It may choose to return to the same plane as a great originator, using knowledge that it receives from the inner self to make lasting and original innovations upon that plane, according to its interests, abilities and capacity. It will therefore become a Buddha, a Christ, a Michelangelo, a hero in one field or another, an ego who changes the physical world completely in untold manners by the mere fact of its existence.

That is one possibility. It is followed by egos who have actually worn out not this energy, which is tremendous, but their desires.

Ruburt and myself were offshoots of the same entity, as I have mentioned. I will mention now that we have chosen the same paths. The difference in time is but a camouflage distortion. The entity was a particularly strong one, and many of its egos have made the decision to turn into entities.

There are certain requirements as you remember that must be met, upon your plane and upon others. Yet an ego, an outer ego, cannot choose to be an entity in any case until its comprehension attains a certain degree. And now, my dear patient Joseph, may I tell you also that you are part of that same entity; and this is one of the main reasons why I am able to communicate with you both.

This holding back is superficial, a direct effect of your present mother’s own personality, as you reacted to it. One of the characteristics that attracted you to Ruburt as Jane was his passionate involvement. From you he needed to learn some discipline, but not to be smothered by it, and this is also extremely important.

It is one thing to isolate part of yourself so that you do not worry or fret about your experiences with the outside world during your working hours. Nevertheless a synthesis must be performed. Shutting yourself off in one direction will result in a shutting yourself off in all directions.

There can be no holding back of commitment, involvement, or ability in one aspect of your lives but it will be reflected in others, that is in other aspects where you want growth. You know I do not mean that you should give your energy to every weird cause, but that you should speak out your opinions, that you should use your abilities in your outside endeavors for your own sake. This in particular Ruburt has blocked.

You see his failing here; see your own. He is good at telling you to expand, and yet he is so frightened of a self no longer undisciplined that he shrinks from using his abilities at the gallery, and this is reinforced by your fear of his doing so, or indeed of showing your own abilities to others. Expansion brings expansion. You cannot truly shrink in one field of endeavor without shrinking in all, particularly if you are creative.