“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.

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.

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.

These four personalities existed however in one physical lifetime. Now to an observer whose time concept was still further segmented, and slowed down in comparison to your own, then theoretically within his time system the four personalities would indeed appear to be four separate existences in fact. In the same manner, you see, several manifestations of one identity appear to you to be stretched out in serial form within a successive time framework.

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.

(It was now time for the 60th Dr. Instream experiment. Jane spoke at only a slightly slower pace as she sat with her right hand to her closed eyes. Resume at 10:04.)

(Jane had of course seen the article used as object in this evening’s paper. We had discussed it at supper, and also noted that Peggy Gallagher had written it. As stated the photo of Mrs. Berry was not used in the experimental envelope. This photo was included in another article; the photo was centered above the middle column of the object. At the time I prepared the envelopes I thought of including the photo with Peggy’s article, but decided against it at the last minute.

(“Fairly small. Dark colors and white. Perhaps writing on the back.” This came through in answer to my second question, concerning the shape of the object. The data can fit either the envelope object itself, or the picture of the dead priest referred to above under “cross shape,” etc. I am inclined to think it refers to the latter. The envelope object was folded three times so that it measured about 4 3/4” x 3”. Even with this the photo of the priest measures 3 3/4” x 2 1/2”, or still smaller. Neither the object or the priest’s picture have writing on the back, but both contain printed type. The problem of semantics here, involving printing, writing and lettering, has arisen before.

Now. I am the prime identity that you were part of. And I was myself at one time, so to speak, a part of another prime identity. This development does not always occur, for many reasons. Some fragments of an identity simply do not wish to so develop. In the spacious present you see we are one, yet entirely individual.

In the time framework within which you now exist I can help you, but you cannot help me except by allowing me to help you, you see. In the gestalt which could develop we would be in a position of helping each other more equally. Now through you I affect physical reality, and this is indeed one of my purposes.