“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Form is not a characteristic of matter, despite appearances. Matter in itself does not possess durability. It is in itself therefore incapable of either growth or deterioration in your terms.

We may as well carry this further right now, in spite of certain dangers of misinterpretation that could, but I hope will not, result. Matter is, as you know, formed. Matter is the result of molecular composition. An object is composed of matter, this is true. Your outer senses then perceive the matter as particular, differentiated, separate objects.

Study and practice with psychological time will show you the validity and strength of that inner self, so that you will clearly see that it is not completely bound to the so-called objective universe by any means. Matter is not an imprisoning form. It is a means by which consciousness expresses itself within the limits of the physical field.

Objects therefore, are arbitrary designations, divisions that you set up. You perceive portions of the endless sea of molecular constructions. You form portions into separate objects that are actually no more separate or different from the whole sea than is one burst of seaspray from another. That is, one burst of sea spray, while separate for a moment, is like all other sea spray in its basic components and construction.

It can be shown, and we will go into this, that form is not a characteristic of matter. You will have to look elsewhere for durability and form. Your cause and effect theory, again, is responsible here for many distortions, such as the idea that the matter of say, a flower, grows from matter of a seed directly. Such is not the case.

Matter in your field is undifferentiated by nature, so to speak, and it is the complicated human abilities that give it form and meaning. I have mentioned that expectation has much to do with individual constructions, and indeed this cannot be stressed too strongly.

Energy constantly changes. Form is not a characteristic of energy, any more than it is a characteristic of matter. As a rule no form imposed upon energy can long endure. The form cannot long endure. The consciousness behind the form, that imposes the form, does endure; because while energy continually changes and does not retain imposed form, it is in itself conscious, and its consciousness endures.