“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

I am particularly concerned, you see, with this matter of projection, simply because your own abilities will rather swiftly lead you along in that direction. Therefore whatever information I can give you will be of great practical benefit. I do not want either of you traveling about unless you know what you are doing.

You are familiar, all of you, with subconscious fabrications as they exist in the nightmare condition. Now on occasion when you are projecting from a dream point, you will meet such subconscious images. Your ordinary standards of reality mean absolutely nothing when you leave the physical system, therefore you will encounter, simultaneously perhaps, images that are subconsciously formed; quite valid images that belong in another dimension; constructions created by others within another system; and for any control at all, you must learn how to distinguish one from the other.

Without such recognition however an encounter could be unpleasant. You have little control, and I am speaking here now all evening, of projections and their circumstances—you will have little control over the constructions of others. If, for example, during projection travel you encounter a disturbing image, you must first will it to disappear. If it is a subconscious fabrication it will vanish, but if you do not will it to vanish it will remain, and then you must deal with it as a reality.

We are going to take a very simple example here, an imaginary projection, and explain the steps as they will happen, more or less.

Now. We will say that you are attempting a projection from a light trance state. Much of what you have read in your Mr. Fox’s book is quite legitimate.

(Astral Projection, by Oliver Fox. University Books.)

Otherwise, you see, you will expect them, and they will happen for that reason. The method that he gave is quite sufficient as far as the initial stages are concerned. However there is much more involved, in what he calls the pineal doorway projection.

These are my instructions. You may consider this your first lesson. We will go by easy stages, for we do not want you betwixt and between. You may induce a medium trance in whatever way you choose. On occasion this will be spontaneous, as you know. For best results in the beginning it is good to make a projection attempt when you already feel physically drowsy, but pleasantly so. When you have induced the trance state, then begin to examine your own subjective feelings until you find recognition of the inner self.

It may be a rushing upward. Whichever motion you experience there will be a moment where you feel yourself, your identity and consciousness, definitely withdrawing from the physical organism. Before you attempt the projection, however, the suggestion should be given that the physical organism will be well protected and comfortable. Now when you feel the consciousness withdrawing, there are two things you may do. I suggest the first step I shall give you in preference to the second.

The first step is this. Forget the physical body, or what you are to do with it. Will yourself out in a quick motion. There is no need to experience the voice hallucinations mentioned by the author, Fox. If the projection is a success you will instantly lose contact consciously with the physical body. You simply will not be in it.

Now your consciousness will not be in it, but it is hardly lifeless. Its maintenance is being controlled by the consciousness of the individual cells and organs of which we have spoken. I will give you alternate methods of projecting, but I will be concerned now with what you can expect the few moments after you have left the physical body.

(“Connection with a meeting.” As stated, Don took the picture for specific use as an envelope object in the 248th session, due April 4,1966. The projected meeting would thus involve four people; the Wilburs could not attend at the last moment, but Don delivered the object personally on April 4, so there was an actual meeting of three.

You may or may not have the sensation of traveling through the doors or windows. This is dependent upon the particular kind of projection involved. The molecular structure of the projecting self is of a different nature. There is no change in the physical nature of the door, for example. The molecular structure of the traveling self changes.

There is no danger of not returning to the physical body, generally speaking. If in your projection you seem to be flying past treetops, then you are indeed doing so. The physical body is obviously not doing so.

Now I have told you that you may legitimately visit not only the past, present and future as it existed, or will exist in physical terms; but you may also visit realities which never existed in physical terms. In our earliest sessions I emphasized that the intensity regulated the duration of an experience. Now, many events that were only imagined and never took place, physically speaking, many such events still exist. They are simply not a part of your definition of reality. You may therefore visit a museum which was planned in the 16th century, but never built. Such a museum has a reality as real, you see, as the house in which you live. Ordinarily you only perceive physical reality. In projections you may visit other realities such as these also—which you may be tempted to call imaginary, but they are not.

Such information, incidentally, is basic if the last points are to make any sense to you at all. At any time in a projection you may will yourself to return, and you shall.

Now I have been speaking of projection from a trance state. You may of course project from a dream, and not realize that you have done so. Upon awakening you may then be frightened to find the physical body in what amounts to a trance state, while the mind is wide awake. As I believe Ruburt told our small friend, such has been the case on rather frequent occasions with her. (Jane, her eyes open, pointed at Ann Diebler.)

Projection from a dream state is something else again, therefore, and when it is executed successfully then you have a fine example of the self as it changes the focus of its own awareness. Here the critical consciousness is quite apparent, while the body sleeps. Projections occur quite naturally under these conditions. For the development of the whole self however, and for the perfection of such experiences, it is beneficial that such projections be carried out by the conscious wish of the projector. You learn therefore to manipulate your own consciousness in different realities than the ones with which you are usually concerned.

There are strange benefits that can result. Some cases are on record where individuals are suddenly propelled out of the path of danger. This involves instantaneous projection. The fear and panic that could make the body vulnerable is not present, and the body escapes danger precisely because consciousness is not there to cause panic reactions.

More generally however, and quite simply, such projections allow you to practice in dealing with realities that you will meet when you no longer operate within the physical system. The conditions then will not frighten you, for you will be familiar with them.

We will then continue with this at our next session. For if you are to have instructions in projection, then I prefer that I give them to you.