“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now I will say more concerning the changes worked in the ego as a result of our sessions, and from the psychedelic experience in general. The ego structure as such remains, of course. The responsibility of dealing with manipulation within the physical universe remains, but in some respects the nature of this manipulation changes. It becomes more direct: Physical properties are manipulated more and more on a mental level.

In the past, for example, the ego accepted only knowledge that came through the senses through the physical surroundings. Now it is open to inner data to a large degree. Granted, certain interpretations must be made. Nevertheless, once this freedom is achieved, the ego can never return to its former state.

The personality is more integrated, yet through its acceptance of inner data, the ego, to use the term lightly, has expanded. It has not shrunk. It is now composed of more various elements from the whole personality. Retaining its own consciousness of reality it can now afford to step out of itself momentarily in order to gain further experience.

I have told you that the ego, generally speaking, is self-conscious action that attempts to set itself apart from action and to consider action as an alien object. Now this altered ego retains its highly specialized self-consciousness, and yet it can now experience itself as an identity within and as a part of action.

This is a cornerstone for consciousness and for personality development. It is only a first step, however. Without it, no further development of consciousness can occur. This particular step is not attained by all within your system. You are at this point now. This state has been called cosmic consciousness, but it is hardly that.

Now, in dealing with such matters, I have to explain them from the standpoint of psychological structures with which you are familiar. When your own projections improve and grow more frequent, it is at least possible, with your abilities, that you will come into contact with some different psychological structures, and then I can tell you more.

In some probable systems, you and your mother would both exist, do both exist, but as complete strangers, you see. Now these psychological connections are valid and not merely symbolically so. This self that you know has also set up and initiated probable realities of its own. I mean this literally, you see. I want to make this clear.

Now, the inner self is psychologically influenced by these probable personalities, for they are all psychologically connected and represent a whole personality structure, a whole personality gestalt with which you as you know yourself are utterly unfamiliar.

Your psychologists are dealing with one-dimensional psychology at their best. In the dream state, the portions of the larger structure sometimes communicate, in highly codified symbols. It would be highly improbable to imagine that you could decipher these so as to be easily aware of them now.

All action will be expressed. Now to some degree you have a root nature, then, and many of your dreams will be similar. You are far from identical with these probable selves, and yet if you met them you would instantly know that you had found unknown portions of yourself.

Now, these do not represent more highly evolved selves, necessarily at all. Certain abilities will be more developed in them than in you, but certain of your abilities are more developed than theirs. In other words, I am not now speaking of portions of yourself that exist in your so-called future.