“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

For one thing the self is usually thought of in terms of existence only within one particular time sequence pattern. Its experience however is rooted in the past, as you think of the past. Since there is actually only a spacious present this means that the self is rooted both in the past and in the future, using your terms.

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.

In actuality you see, these separate existences occur simultaneously. It is only the ego who makes the time distinction. The various existences are not perceivable by you, or rather they are not perceivable to the ego. In a basic manner, as you know, the past, present and future exist at once in the spacious present.

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.

Past experience does not cause present experience. You are forming both past, present and future experience simultaneously. Events appear to you however in sequence, therefore it is difficult to explain many matters to you, because they must be given in bits and pieces.

When it is said that certain characteristics from a past life influence or cause present patterns of behavior, such statements, and I have made some of them, are grossly simplified simply to make certain points clear.

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.

If you take The Three Faces of Eve, in which actually four egos were involved, and imagine each of these egos taking over, so to speak, in completely separate existences, in your past, present and future, then you may come somewhat closer to the true nature of reincarnation.

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.