“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Today I looked over a Time-Life book on the ancient civilizations of the Americas—the Aztecs, Incas, Mixtecs, etc, and once more was impressed by their amazing abilities as far as architecture, carving, weaving, astronomy, etc., went. I described what I’d read to Jane, and later she looked at some of the material. We discussed the amazing facts that the American civilizations had existed for centuries concurrently with the European and Far Eastern ones, but with each totally isolated from the other. They might as well have existed on different planets.

(This idea reminded me of one I’ve mentioned rather often to Jane lately about watching the news on TV—a recent habit that it seems we’ll soon dispense with. But I found it at least roughly reminiscent of Seth’s idea of simultaneous time to watch the color broadcasts from different areas of the world each day, and then to mentally hold all of those actions, especially the backgrounds, in mind at once, visualizing them as simultaneous happenings at different places on the planet.

(Then when we watched the news while eating supper at the coffee table, we soon found the mayhem and related misdeeds recited by the newscasters so depressing that we switched channels to an innocuous Mod Squad show several years old—even though those color backgrounds—Nicaragua, Israel, Russia, etc., were still so fascinating. But I saw similarities of course between those various news events happening in far portions of the earth today, and the thought that the American and European civilizations had existed for so long on the same planet, yet completely unknown one to the other.

(I think that at first Jane decided not to have a session tonight, since she asked me if I’d “rather work for an hour.” But she changed her mind, obviously; then at 9:25 she told me she knew what Seth was going to talk about: “The horizontal consciousness.”)

For unnumbered centuries, you had largely self-contained, unique “sophisticated” civilizations, intensified centers, situated in prime natural territories, but completely unknown one to the other, with thousands of miles of wild earth between, that was explored only by the most daring. There are many such remains still buried, and as earth changes occurred, many were hidden completely—and yet may “turn up” once more in the great future, as still other earth transformations happen.

(9:48.) A ruler cannot make his decisions based upon national events only, but he must take international ones into mind, and in a more direct fashion, say, than even 10 years ago. Disasters are no longer localized or contained. The private consciousness is forced to contend with world events in a way that is completely new in historical terms. It is a time of turmoil—but it is a time of turmoil partially because consciousness has been willing to extend itself in that particular fashion.

In past times treacheries in governments or politics or religion were hidden. There are no more today than there ever were—but treachery in your time can seldom remain private. And because of your communications it seems to be everywhere.

There were wars before, and threats and disasters, but people in countries that were safe were not daily confronted with those other realities, so consciousness has taken upon itself this additional opportunity and burden, in that each person, largely speaking, is far more aware of events in other corners of the world—natives in deepest bush country have transistors.

(“This afternoon I was wondering how Jim Poett was making out—not when the article will be published [in the Village Voice], but what he thinks of what he’s doing.”)

I have one point I forgot to make. In certain terms, Ruburt was in contact with your parents the other afternoon. Their images, however, were creative constructions, but the communication itself was valid. Unfortunately, it was also an example of what happens when the official line of consciousness steps into the dream state, as Ruburt realized your father was dead, and at that level then decided he could not be here.

Poett was quite taken with me (amused)—but the story is not earth-shaking, and for a time others have entered in ahead. The affair involved an education for Poett, as he struggled with many concepts, and as he struggled against portions of himself, for he wants to be a journalist even while he has no use for it at the same time.