“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now, the ego, the dominant ego, does indeed affect the inner identity, and changes it even as it affects and changes the dominant ego. For we are dealing here after all with an interdependent gestalt. The interworkings of the whole gestalt have never been completely understood.

Because you are obsessed with the idea of time as past, present and future, you are forced to think of reincarnations as strung out one before the other, and indeed we speak of past lives simply because you are used to the time sequence concept. What you have of course, loosely speaking, is something like the developments narrated in The Three Faces of Eve. You have various dominant egos, all part of an inner identity, dominant in various existences. To make the concept understandable to you it is convenient to speak of past and future reincarnations.

A hundred and forty-five B.C., a hundred and forty-five A.D., a thousand years in your past and a thousand years in your present—all exist now. Therefore the past existences are present existences. You exist in other words in several guises or reincarnations, at one time within the spacious present. You simply do not recognize that the so-called past exists now as surely as the so-called future exists now.

Since all events occur at once, there is little to be gained by saying that a past event causes a present event.

The whole self or identity is aware of the experiences of all the egos, and since one identity forms these egos there is bound to be some similarities between them, and characteristics. The material that I have given you on reincarnation in the past is quite valid, particularly for working purposes, but it is a highly simplified version of what actually occurs.

Obviously however this analogy only carries us so far. You will say, “The four egos belonging to Eve all belonged to one physical body, but in the reincarnational process we are faced with the issue of several bodies, each one discarded and experiencing physical death.”

It is interesting to note also that these personalities did alternate, and all were in existence at once, so to speak, even though only one was dominant at a given time. In the same way all so-called past personalities are present in your now, but not dominant. Obviously also any future reincarnations are present for those who have other lives still to live in your terms.

(Once again we could not expect to know enough details about the envelope object to make all the connections. We made those we could, but did not ask Seth to clear up any after break. Instead I requested that he say something about the question I had raised during second break.

(“A cross shape, or something canceled, or wiped out or done. it would seem to be of a dark color. This could signify a death connection but I do not know.” We think this also refers to the death of the priest whom Jane knew in her childhood. The photo of him that Jane received in the mail the other day is actually a halftone reproduction bearing the priest’s portrait and a heavy black border all around. It is a black and white photo. On the back are two crosses in black, one fairly large, plus a prayer and a quotation from St. Alphonsus.

Again, this does not mean that I am a secondary personality. Reincarnation does mean that we are all multiple personalities with an underlying prime identity. I am myself, Ruburt is himself. Or if you prefer, Jane is herself. (Smile.)

Now we may possibly develop into a newer gestalt, for I cannot see all portions—underline all portions—of the spacious present. There are still veils before my eyes. This is a part of the present I do not perceive. If so, it will be one in which identities are completely retained, and there is no question of a dominancy, but of a smooth-working organization.