“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Reincarnation does not imply a recurring time system, nor does it imply an extension of time as it is normally considered. That is, reincarnation does not imply in a basic manner existence in one life after another, in your time of successive moments.

I admit to you reincarnation does seem to have such implications. This is simply because you insist upon considering reincarnation in the light of time theories that are themselves incorrect. You must instead consider reincarnation in the light of what you know of the spacious present.

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.

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.

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.

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.)