“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

By now I was used to Seth. The sessions, so strange at first, were a familiar part of our lives. There was a lot I didn’t understand—there still is—so I hoped to develop my abilities more fully and to learn more. But I thought that the Seth sessions themselves would more or less remain the same. Looking back now at the earlier material, I can see that I should have known better.

“If you keep these channels open and free, you will get material that is as undistorted as possible,” he said. “Ruburt’s range is an excellent one, and the plane of reality in which I have my existence is far beyond those to which persons in the physical system usually have access. … You and he must see to it that Ruburt does not color his experiences through reading material that is distorted. This [kind of material] has its purposes, and it does do some good, explaining reality in terms that people can understand, for the props and fantasies are familiar ones. There is no necessity for them here, however.” He continued, suggesting that I stay away from books that “deal exclusively with conventional religious subjects, interpreting reality in those limited terms.”

Seth said, “We will make an effort in the future to give you both some direct experience in concepts. These experiments will run along with, and closely follow, the vocalized expression of the concepts involved. They will give you some small glimmering of the unfortunate but necessary loss of meaning that occurs when any concept must be communicated in physical terms. This will be a different kind of in-depth learning, a rather unique and original development that will be as devoid as possible of stereotyped symbols, which are usually almost automatically superimposed on such experiences. Do you understand?”

Seth’s voice continued to get stronger. “I am the Seth that I say that I am, but I am also more. The Seth personality that is part of me is the portion that can most clearly communicate with you. Do you follow me?”

“The Seth portion of me has been intimately connected with you both, and so, in that respect, have I. This is closely related to the definition of a personality energy essence, from which, of course, all personalities spring.”

“There is a peculiar corner within Ruburt’s personality, also deflected into your own, that allows him rather clear access to informational channels most difficult to reach from your system. During this session, and at this moment, the contact is particularly good. There is also access to energy far beyond that which is usually experienced. Ruburt sensed this in the past, and feared to open these channels until he felt himself suitably ready.

“There exists what could almost be compared to a psychological and psychic warp in dimensions, and that corner of Ruburt’s personality is an apex point at which communication and contact can take place.”

Then, to Rob’s surprise, Seth told him to end the session. Rob was to follow the procedure given, recently, to end my trance. (Just lately I had begun going into particularly deep trances compared to earlier ones, and Seth had suggested that Rob call my name three times.) Seth said, “This evening you have reached somewhat beyond the personality by which I usually make myself known to you. Even if I continue to speak, end the trance.”

I shook my head, “Wow. If I ever had any doubts … what-ever’s going on, it’s not coming from me, not from my own personality.” Later in my own notes I wrote, “… tremendous energy seemed to flow through me, with the definite certainty—thank God—that this was coming from beyond me, and was automatically translated into words at my end. I feel this is as significant a development—almost—as the original Seth session. The sense of contact was undeniably there. The feeling I had was that I really was in touch with some all encompassing reality.”

The voice was much softer than usual. Rob had to listen closely to get all the words. “The development in the last session was latent from our first session, but it was a development that could or could not have occurred. Had it not, then many important future developments would have been blocked. The points where the [Seth] voice was loudest and most powerful—these points often represented openings through which the development could occur. For various reasons, however, that method was not used. The energy would have been diverted from the voice in which it had already been built up, you see.”

“I intend to implement this material whenever possible by helping both of you achieve subjective experiences that will fill out the words for you. These will vary according to conditions but are much more possible now, after the sessions’ latest development.

“The Inner Senses, to some extent, will allow you to perceive the reality of inner existence, and in this new development Ruburt is using these in a more effective manner than before. There are some changes in the way connections are made. This gives Ruburt a feeling of strangeness.”

“The Seth personality has been an intermediary and a legitimate one. The information already given to you regarding the nature of personality gestalts should make this development seem a fitting one. Seth is what I am, yet I am more than Seth is. Seth is, however, independent, and continues to develop as I do. In the Spacious Present we both exist.

“While I was the source of the material [in the last sessions], Seth, as you think of him, was at times a silent partner, helping Ruburt make the proper translations, while stepping aside in a personal manner. Earlier [in previous sessions] Seth interpreted material from me so that Ruburt could receive it.

“In the most important way, and in the only basic way, I am Seth, dispensing with certain characteristics which are mine, which I used to contact you. The Seth personality, again, is legitimate and independent and is a part of my identity. Seth is learning as I am.

“Simply as an analogy, you could call me a future Seth, Seth in a ‘higher’ stage of development. This is not to be taken literally, however, since both of us are fully independent and exist simultaneously.

“There are reasons why these particular connections have been made. There are events that unite us and that have served as turning points in the development of our various personalities. In some strange manner, what I am now is linked to what you are.

“There are points of contact having nothing to do with time, as you know it, that are significant to all personalities; origins of new energy that are sometimes brought into existence because of the strong latent psychic capacities within individual selves. At these points, whole conglomerations of new self-units come into being, their origin sparked, as given in the last sentence. They then disperse and go their own ways, but the mutual origin and the strength of that initial psychic birth remain.”

“These [personalities] may develop in entirely different fashions and in various dimensions, but a strong sympathetic attraction exists between them. There is a point of contact where knowledge can be communicated from these various dimensions, and for too many reasons to give you now, Ruburt is in proper coordinates for such communication to take place.

“This communication, while taking place in your time, is nevertheless responsible in other dimensions for what you would call future developments in your own personalities which you can, in turn, contact. I look back on you as the selves from which I sprang, yet I am more than the sum of what you will be when you are finished with the dimensions and times that I have known.

“For I have sprung entirely away from you and would be alien in your terms. That you can even contact me is a most remarkable development. Yet had you not been able to contact me, I would not be what I am.”

“My personality structure is far different—very rewarding to me but unfamiliar to you. … I do not want you to feel that I have taken away a friend. I am also a friend. In many ways I am the same friend. Other portions of me are concerned elsewhere, for I am aware of my own existence in other dimensions and keep track of them and direct my many selves.”

When the session was over, Rob and I sat up talking. “It’s crazy,” I said. “When we have a usual Seth session, I sort of feel Seth take over, though I don’t like that term. With this personality, though, I go somewhere, out of myself, and seem to make contact with it in some nowhere, leaving my body empty. I don’t know how I get there, wherever it is, or how I get back.”

Rob nodded. Both of us felt almost sad, in one way. I think we were afraid that our regular Seth sessions were over, and that the new ones would take their place. “Besides,” Rob said, “what do we call this new personality?” We knew it was meaningless basically, but we felt we needed a name, a label. And how exactly was this new personality different from Seth? What could it do that Seth couldn’t? “I wish it were more masculine or feminine,” I said. “A neuter personality seems so strange.”

“We taught man to speak before the tongue knew syllables. We adopt whatever personality characteristics seem pertinent, for in our own reality we have a bank of complete inner selves, and we are all Seth. We attempt to translate realities into terms that you can comprehend. We change our face and form, but we are always the one. Many of us have not been born in flesh, as I have not been. In one way we have seeded ourselves through endless universes.

“Yet in such a small mass, these intensities contain memories and experiences electromagnetically coiled one within the other through which I can travel—even as I can travel through other selves which I have known and which are a portion of my identity, and yet which are so beautifully unpredetermined, for you do not exist as completed personalities within my memory, but you grow within my memory.

“I told you that Ruburt’s personality acts like a warp in dimensions. In certain coordinates it exists at particular points that serve as entryways. The personality in general is formed from components existing in many realities and is an apex point. A window cannot see through itself, but you can see through a window. So Ruburt’s personality … is transparent in that respect.”

The next session showed us how different this new development could be. It also nearly scared me out of my wits, at least for a few moments. More than this, however, it opened our eyes to new possibilities of experience and demonstrated yet another phenomenon that could occur within the session framework.

Our friend, Phil—the salesman I spoke of earlier—dropped in that evening; we began at 9 P.M. as usual. Seth spoke to Phil about some business matters and answered several questions that had been on Phil’s mind. During our rest period, however, I felt the now familiar pyramid effect, and when we resumed, the other personality began to speak.

The transition from Seth’s deep voice and lively gestures was very startling to Phil, who hadn’t heard the other personality speak before. Now my body was almost puppetlike, and my face was devoid of expression. Just before the voice began to speak, I felt my consciousness drawn up through the invisible pyramid like a draft up a flue. There was no indication that anything else was about to happen, however.

The voice said: “You are like children with a game, and you think that the game is played by everyone. Physical life is not the rule. Identity and consciousness existed long before your earth was formed. You see physical bodies and suppose that any personality must appear in physical terms. Consciousness is the force behind matter, and it forms many other realities besides the physical one. It is only because your own viewpoint is presently so limited that it seems to you that physical reality is the rule and mode of existence.

No one thought anything in particular about that last statement until later that night. The voice continued for a short time and I encountered some difficulty “getting back.” I felt suspended in darkness somewhere far above, but I was also aware that Seth was close by. A few minutes passed. Suddenly Seth came through, loud and clear. The contrast between the two personalities was so marked that even Rob was startled. Seth started to joke. “Now that ‘Big Brother’ has had his say, I will bring our Ruburt back to you.”

When the personality compared physical reality with children’s blocks, he made a remark about individuals returning in our future to peer into physical reality like giants squinting down to watch children play with blocks upon the floor. (As the voice spoke, my eyes were closed, of course, and I don’t remember what the voice said, but have checked Rob’s verbatim notes of the session.) In here someplace, suddenly I saw a giant’s face peer into our living room, its face filling up the entire window.

“When we make contact, his consciousness and personality in concentrated form make a journey—in your terms, like a speck in space—the consciousness reduced to its essence. And from his experience we let him fall back into the physical system. The children’s blocks then became massive by contrast … this was an experience in concepts.”

I started to feel the microscopic nature of our physical universe, comparatively speaking … this is most difficult to put into words. There was a momentary sense of desolation accompanying this—my own, I think. I’m always aware of the pyramid shape above me just before this personality speaks. Usually I “go up through” it. This time, though, at the narrow end far above me I saw the same giant head, peering down at me and the room as through a microscope. If the room and everything in it was going to shrink as realistically as it had expanded earlier—and it was, I could tell—I just wasn’t ready for the experience.

I tried to find my voice to tell Rob I wanted to end the session, but the other personality was using it. Through all of this I use the word “I,” but “I” was so a part of the action that it was difficult to separate myself from it. Now, wanting out, I tried again to use my own voice.

This time I “found myself,” pulled myself together, and found my vocal chords while the other personality paused for a moment. It was just about here that I saw the giant face peering down through the pyramid above me. In the earlier episode, I’d screamed involuntarily. In the second, I found that there were ways of “finding” my own voice, and ending the experience. With Seth such a question never arose. There was no pressure put upon me by the other personality to continue the experience … but I had to learn how to terminate it myself when I wanted to.

I don’t believe the other personality understood that the experience was unpleasant for me, or for that matter, that such terms had any meaning for it. Information was being given in certain terms —period—as far as it was concerned. I don’t even know if it was aware of my reactions.

That session was well over a year ago. Our usual Seth sessions still continue, and only now and then does this other personality speak. We refer to it as Seth Two. Often these sessions involve me in some kind of subjective experience, though now I am learning how to handle myself when this happens. Once during a rest period, for example, Rob wondered what it was like to be nonphysical. When the session resumed, I felt myself seemingly suspended, fully alert and aware—but bodiless—in space. I had no form as far as I knew, but I possessed complete freedom of motion—something like conscious air. This time I wasn’t frightened, realizing that we were getting an answer to Rob’s question. During this experience, the emotionless, lilting, distant voice explained what nonphysical existence was like.

The difference in the two personalities was particularly apparent in a recent ESP class session in which Seth was at his jovial best, showing personal interest in each student. As usual during such times, my face was extremely animated, and Seth’s characteristic gestures were quite noticeable. After speaking to each student individually for a moment, Seth said with a touch of humor: “I come here, I hope, as an ‘endearing’ personality, with characteristics to which you can relate.

The voice had been vibrant and full, booming and loud. Then there was a pause. And for the first time the other personality came through in class. All of Seth’s gestures and mannerisms vanished. Instantly that high, distant, asexual voice began to speak. It is almost musical, without inflection, like single notes. “And that self tells you that there is a reality beyond human reality and experience that cannot be verbal nor translated in human terms. …