“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Joseph recently had an experience that disturbed him, simply because it was difficult to interpret even in the light of his understanding about the nature of the self. You cannot explore the nature of reality, hoping to discover its unknown aspects, if you insist that those aspects correspond with the known ones. So Joseph allowed himself some freedom — and then was almost scandalized with the results.

When you eat, you must eliminate through your bowels. That resulting matter eventually returns to the earth, where it helps form all other living things. The “dead” matter — the residue of a bird, the sloughed-off cells — these things are not then used by other birds (though they may be occasionally), but by men and women. There is no rule that says your discarded cellular material can be used only by your own species. Yet in your terms any identity, no matter how “minute,” retains itself and its identity through many forms and alliances of organizations.

13. But added a few weeks later: The idea, adopted so enthusiastically by so many class members, didn’t work out after all. Jane and I came to realize that even her students tired of the unending process of writing letters (even about subjects they’re interested in) week after week. “It turned into too much work,” more than one student ruefully admitted. For the flow of letters is constant. Nor, we learned, did some of those who wrote Jane relish receiving a reply from someone else. The result of the experiment was that once more we were thrown back upon our own resources. We do what we can. Our latest attempts to handle the mail are described in the final passages of my Introductory Notes for Volume 1. Seth’s most recent letter to correspondents is presented at the conclusion of those notes.