“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The root assumptions that govern physical reality are indeed valid, but within physical reality alone. They do not apply elsewhere. There is a natural tendency to continue judging inner experience against these root assumptions however. The tendency, with further experience, will fade. This interpretation of inner reality into physical terms is at first automatic, and far beneath conscious levels. Inner experience, you see, must to some extent be colored by the physical system while you exist within it.

The fact that this does occur does show that the systems of perception are not basically biologically a form of overall structure however, but learned secondary responses. It is disturbing to the whole physical system however to break up the strong pattern of perception. Inner stability of response is suddenly swept away. Changes that are not yet known occur within the nervous system under such circumstances, both electromagnetic and chemical.

Ego failure may result. Development of the inner senses is a much more effective method of perceiving other realities, and followed correctly, the ego is not only stronger but more flexible, and consciousness even of physical reality is increased. Such development becomes an unfolding and a natural expansion of the whole personality.

The practice of psychological time will allow you to reach these portions of the self. The ego is not artificially disorganized by such practice. It is simply, for the moment, bypassed. The experience gained does become a part of the physical structure, but there is no massive disorganization of perception, since the ego agrees to step aside momentarily.

It is not bombarded as with drug experiments, and forced to experience chaotic and frightening perceptions that can literally terrify it into complete disorder. Survival in your system is strongly dependent upon the highly specialized, focused, limited but specific organizational qualities of the ego. It should not be rigid but it should not be purposely torn apart, nor weakened.

The root assumptions upon which physical reality is formed represent secure ground to the ego. We always operate with the ego’s consent. It consents to step aside momentarily. It interprets the inner knowledge gained in its own way, true, but it is immeasurably enriched by so doing. Other layers of the self interpret the same inner experiences quite differently.

The ego can exist only within the context of these root assumptions. The primary dream experience is finally woven into a structure composed of these root assumptions, and it is these that you remember. These serve you as basic information, but the information is then put into symbolic form. Objects, you see, are symbols. These objects in dreams are symbols of realities that the ego could not otherwise perceive.

A name with seven letters. An A. Two men and a woman. She wears a hat. Not on the object, but distantly connected with it, an incident in 1946, summer. An implied border.

I am not sure. There is a strong connection with a photograph, but I do not know whether the object itself is a photograph. Dark colors and light colors and shadows. The object I believe came through the mail, whether or not it is a photograph.

(Break at 10:18. Jane was again well dissociated, as she had been all evening, she said. Her voice was not as loud this time but her delivery had been fast, as though she wanted to give the data without thinking about it. She reported no images that she remembered. Her eyes had remained closed.

(Seth helps out with a few connections after break, but in the meantime Jane and I had made our own. We checked up on one we thought correct after the session, and instead of verifying the data ended up confused, as will be explained.

(“Some distant connection with an opera, opera house or music.” This baffled us at first. We missed the actual connection, and Seth helps out later. At this time Jane said one of the abstracts being offered to the doctor reminds her of music. She was going to tell me this before the session, but did not.

(“A disturbance in the afternoon.” Possibly a reference to my invitation to the doctor, on the object, to visit us at any time to see the paintings I offer. I say afternoons or evenings might be best. Technically an afternoon visit on his part would interrupt the working hours of Jane and me, but we would not really call it a disturbance since we want to sell the paintings.

(“Not on the object, but distantly connected with it, an incident in 1946, summer.” We don’t know.

(7th Question: Do you want to name the object? “I am not sure. There is a strong connection with a photograph, but I do not know whether the object itself is a photograph. Dark colors and light colors and shadows.” Thus the visual idea of a painting and a photo are closely related, to Seth. Some distinction is made, either by Seth or Jane, in that a photo is not definitely named as the object. “Dark colors and light colors and shadows” can refer to either a photo or a painting; the description is quite apt for the painting roughly indicated on page 39.

The lace was a very distant and distorted connection. Ruburt was thinking of a lace altar cloth, which was to have led him to a religious connection. I use his associative processes, you see, but this was short-circuited here. (See page 35.)