Unpredictability and Significances

[Sena]

Seth's teaching on this topic is rather important if one is attempting to create one's own reality consciously.

In contrast to the ideas of classical physics, which claims that the world functions predictably according to the so-called "laws" of physics, Seth emphasizes the unpredictability of physical reality.

"True order and organization, even of biological structure, can be achieved only by granting a basic unpredictability. I am aware that this sounds startling. Basically, however, the motion of any wave or particle or entity is unpredictable — freewheeling and undetermined. Your life structure is a result of that unpredictability. Your psychological structure is also. However, because you are presented with a fairly cohesive picture, in which certain laws seem to apply, you think that the laws come first and physical reality follows. Instead, the cohesive picture is the result of the unpredictable nature that is and must be basic to all energy."
—Unknown Reality 1 Section 1: Session 681 February 11, 1974

At first glance it may appear that such unpredictability would make life chaotic. What prevents life from descending into chaos is the propensity of Consciousness Units for selectivity and significance.

• "("Your world is formed out of the vast unpredictability of consciousness. From it you form your own ideas of significance and of yourself ... You must stop thinking in terms of ordinary progression."

• "On one level the body's very survival is largely determined by the units' propensities for selectivity and significance."

• "This process chooses significances then, again, around which experience is built, and around which "life" is felt."

—UR1 Section 1: Session 684 February 20, 1974

Each of our cells is made up of numerous Consciousness Units. These units select significances which keep our bodies healthy. The human soul is also a Consciousness Unit and can therefore select significances from the vast sea of unpredictability. This is how we are able to consciously create reality.

[Sena]

More on significances from The Nature of the Psyche, Session 788:

"Basically, events have nothing to do with what you
think of as cause and effect. This is perhaps apparent to some degree
when you study dream events, for there the kind of continuity you
are used to, connecting events, largely vanishes.

Instead events are built up, so to speak, from significances. But
let us forget that term for a moment and consider association, with
which you are already familiar, since your stream of consciousness
operates in that fashion. By its very nature each consciousness is a par-
ticular, peculiar, and unique focus of awareness which will experience
any possible realities through its own characteristics.

It also "stamps" or "impresses" the universe with its own imprint.
No portion of the universe is inactive or passive, regardless of its
seeming organization or its seeming lack of organization. Each con-
sciousness, then, impresses the universe in its own fashion. Its very
existence sets up a kind of significance, in whose light the rest of the
universe will be interpreted. The universe knows itself through such
significances. Each consciousness is endowed with creativity of a
multidimensional nature, so that it will seek to create as many possi-
ble realities for itself as it can, using its own significance as a focus to
draw into its experience whatever events are possible for it from the
universe itself. It will then attract events from the universe, even as its
own existence imprints the universe as an event with the indelible
stamp of its own nature.

Put more simply from another viewpoint, each of you as you
know yourselves has certain abilities and characteristics of your own.
You experience reality through the cast of those abilities and charac-
teristics, but you also stamp the universe with that particular imprint
of individuality that is your own, and you attract those events that are
suited to your nature and no other.

Significances fall or happen in certain patterns, and when these
become very obvious they appear as cause and effect. They are
simply heavy-handed significances. Your associative processes and
habits are perhaps the closest examples that can give clues of how
significances operate. Even then, however, associations deal with the
passage of time, and basically significances do not. You might think
of your aunt Sarah, for example, and in a few moments the associa-
tive process might bring you images of periods in the past when you
visited your aunt, of her friends and neighbors, the articles in her
house, and episodes connected with your relationship.

(9:49.) At the same time Aunt Sarah, unbeknown to you, might
pick up a blue vase, one that you had just seen in your mind as belong-
ing on a shelf in her living room. Touching the vase, your aunt Sarah
might think of the person who gave it to her, now on the other side
of the continent. That person, perhaps thinking of buying a present
for someone, might settle upon a vase in a flash of inspiration, or sud-
denly begin humming a song with the name "Sarah" in the title, or
possibly even think of your aunt. If on the other hand any opposing
associations existed anywhere along the line, the "chain" of associa-
tion could be broken. The last lady might consider a vase, for exam-
ple, but reject the idea. Because of the time element, it seems to you
that the first episode caused the others, and that your first association
concerning your aunt brought about the "following" events.

The inner significances, however, the associations, existed all at
once, to be tuned in to at any point of time. They had their reality
basically apart from time, even though they appeared within it."

https://archive.org/stream/RandomSethQuotes2/JaneRobertsNatureofPsyche_djvu.txt

Lynda Madden Dahl's comment on this:

"Said another way, significances are a tool used by consciousness to organize the spacious present, defining from an unpredictable field of action a predictable range of action accessible to it..... significances not only define the larger picture of our potentials in life, but also the day-to-day manifestations...... significances define the framework for what individual consciousness can experience in its present state of being; and it is mental acts by consciousness that point towards the significances within its defined range that resonate with those mental acts, the significances which will become materialized under certain conditions."

[Deb]

This is a really interesting topic, I'm printing it out so I can read it again later.

because you are presented with a fairly cohesive picture, in which certain laws seem to apply, you think that the laws come first and physical reality follows. Instead, the cohesive picture is the result of the unpredictable nature that is and must be basic to all energy.

Now that I think about it, we can only create from unpredictability, in that creation takes place in the field of possibilities, where anything is possible.

My take on the orderliness of life for us is also what physics calls the observer effect or what Seth explains is the product of our unchanging beliefs and expectations which keep us producing similar results which we interpret as consistency. Nice to know about "the propensity of Consciousness Units for selectivity and significance." It reminds me of the benevolence of the universe, all that is, described in the Afterdeath Journal. I'm curious how free will fits in with or affects that process. So would it be safe to say that reality is tailored for us based on our unique abilities, characteristics, beliefs, expectations? I like that idea.

The quote about there not being that continuity in dreams made me stop for a second and realize that yes, that's true and also, why are we so willing to accept the randomness of events in dreams, but not so when we're awake? It's only when we have a lucid dream that some random event triggers the "reality factor." Maybe it's because it's our inner self that dreams, that part of us that is closer to F2 the reality behind our present camouflage.

Really nice in-depth information from Seth, even deeper than usual. Thanks for starting this topic.

Do you know where the Lynda quote came from?

[Sena]

Do you know where the Lynda quote came from?

It is from Living a Safe Universe : A Book for Seth Readers (Book 1)

[Deb]

It is from Living a Safe Universe : A Book for Seth Readers (Book 1)

Thank you!

Interesting timing, this from Lynda on FB this morning:

** The universe, by whatever name and in whatever manifestation, attains its reality through ordered sequences of significances.

** You imprint the universe with your own significance, and using that as a focus you draw from it, or attract, those events that fit your unique purposes and needs.

** Each consciousness uses its own significance as a focus to draw into its experience whatever events are possible for it from the universe itself.

** The inner significances exist all at once, to be tuned in to at any point of time.

[Sena]

** Each consciousness uses its own significance as a focus to draw into its experience whatever events are possible for it from the universe itself.

Deb, yes a very nice summary.It reveals the great potential we have and also our limitations.

[LenKop]

This is a great topic.

I have a few questions, which are yet to be clear in my own mind, but I'll try my best....

Are the significances events, personalities, structures, ideas, or all of the above? For example, is it I who am significant, or is it the situation that is significant? Or both?

Are these significances beyond our belief systems? Does my belief in a significant situation make it more powerful? If I have a great self worth, and i am aware I create my own reality, and I know my life is significant, does this mean i can speed up F1 manifestations by choosing which particular events I make significant?

Or are these significances chosen by deeper parts of the self, and I am along for the ride?

And what of creativity? If the unorganized elements of the universe are imprinted due to how significant they are, and then drawn to us through the various frameworks, what is really being 'created'? It seems that events are being played out, but there's really nothing new happening.

The 'time' aspect is difficult here. Dahl says

The universe, by whatever name and in whatever manifestation, attains its reality through ordered sequences of significances.

but how can the significances be ordered and still arise form unpredictability?

You imprint the universe with your own significance, and using that as a focus you draw from it, or attract, those events that fit your unique purposes and needs.

If this is the case, then does it mean that someone else can imprint the exact same thing as me, and then experience it in exactly the same way?

The inner significances exist all at once, to be tuned in to at any point of time.

If they exist all at once, does this mean that no new significances are made? And what of the earlier 'sequences of significances'?

I'm not criticizing Dahl, as i really like her interpretations, and the space/time problem still arises whenever these kind of topics are discussed, but to me something seems amiss in the whole topic

Instead events are built up, so to speak, from significances.

but then again, and as usual, Seth does add 'so to speak'...

Len

[Sena]

If they exist all at once, does this mean that no new significances are made? And what of the earlier 'sequences of significances'?

I'm not criticizing Dahl, as i really like her interpretations, and the space/time problem still arises whenever these kind of topics are discussed, but to me something seems amiss in the whole topic

Lenkop,
Excellent questions. One thing that needs to be stressed is that Seth is using the work "significance" in a way that is substantially different from any dictionary definition. Lynda Madden Dahl has made a valiant effort to understand the topic, but we must be careful not to take her statements as Gospel truth. We need to keep going back to Seth's original words. So I shall re-post this quote from The Unknown Reality, Vol. 1:

"On one level the body's very survival is largely determined by the units' propensities for selectivity and significance."

What I take from this is that Seth is describing some of the fundamental features of existence. This means that significance is operating at a sub-cellular level, as each cell is made up of numerous Consciousness Units. The soul is also a Consciousness Unit, and thus has "the propensity for selectivity and significance". This is how we create our own reality, co-operating with our cells. The ego, however, is not a Consciousness Unit, and cannot of itself create reality in a constructive way.

[Deb]

For example, is it I who am significant, or is it the situation that is significant? Or both?

My interpretation of this is that my own current reality is created by what I, this consciousness that I am, consider significant—my own priorities, preferences, intentions, the path I choose, etc. So while there is a multitude of probable experiences or events that I could experience, my personal reality is created based on what is important and meaningful to me and me alone in this existence or as Seth says, "suited to your own nature and no other." In another probable reality, another me will have a different experience, suited to that aspect of me and her intentions. So that comes back to us being 100% in control or responsible for our own reality. Which means, with awareness of my thoughts, beliefs, and what is significant to me, comes 100% ability to create my reality or change what I don't like about it. Or, at least, no surprises if I know myself well enough.

I also think the lag time between our intentions and what materializes helps prioritize significances. Since we're learning how to manipulate reality here, my intentions are probably not always consistent. But despite lapses of focus or positive thinking, I don't often derail myself, because my basic overall intentions prevail. Law of averages? That's where significance comes to the rescue—not every little random thought or idea comes to fruition. What we largely focus on does. Significance and the "saving lag time," as Seth puts it, are like training wheels for us.

"(But, I think, in those terms there can be an appreciable lag before an original perception-event takes on any special significance for the concerned person or persons. During that lapse, that first impression is being modified and enhanced within the psyche by subsequent events and understandings; it starts to build up in importance; then, when all of the intuitive-creative "work" has been done, the original perception emerges — or bursts — into consciousness. It's mature now, it makes sense: "Why didn't I see that before?" Something new is known. Those synthesized data are available for fresh conscious decisions."
—UR2 Section 6: Session 736 February 5, 1975

[Sena]

From The Nature of the Psyche, Chapter 9:

"Basically, events are not built one upon the other. They grow
out of each other in a kind of spontaneous expansion, a profusion of
creativity, while the conscious mind chooses which aspects to experi-
ence — and those aspects then become what you call an objective
event."

https://archive.org/stream/RandomSethQuotes2/JaneRobertsNatureofPsyche_djvu.txt