“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The Sinful-Self concept causes you to expect the worst in any given situation. In that light, hopeful expectation seems quite out of place, and unworkable. Without the dictates of the Sinful Self, however, you can begin to sense the contours of the natural self, or the natural person. You can begin to sense your own good natures, in other words, and those basic natures are automatically optimistic.

It is true that the Sinful Self carries with it a group of patterns or reactions; methods of dealing with problems, and so Ruburt’s beliefs along those lines have colored his reactions, his plans, his dealings with you through the years. In the past, however, those methods seemed to make sense: if you believe that the self is sinful or deceptive, then you must indeed set up barriers so that you allow expression while monitoring it very carefully at the same time.

An important point here: You use consciousness—what you think of as rational consciousness—in an unusual manner. Obviously other species use their consciousnesses differently. In a fashion their knowledge is immediately acted upon. This carries with it an exquisite sense of biological and spiritual security. Your kind of consciousness, relatively speaking, involves some intrinsic difficulties, along with spectacular potentials. You are learning how to form reality from your own beliefs. While having at the same time the freedom to choose those beliefs—to choose your mental state in a way that the animals for example do not.