Seth on "feminine unpredictability"

[Sena]

This quote from the Personal Sessions provides much food for thought. I don't think anyone will jump to the conclusion that Seth is sexist!:

"The relative (underline that twice) exile of Ruburt's symbolically feminine characteristics is something that neither of you consciously realized. You did this to assure yourselves that these abilities, feminine in both of your minds, would not so get the upper hand that the responsible, and in both of your minds, masculine or dependable aspects of your life would be threatened. All of the time of course these feminine aspects were being used as the intuitive, mystical thresholds of psychic activity. I told you once that Ruburt would not have allowed a feminine counterpart of myself to speak, but neither would you have. You would have been afraid of the "unpredictable" in quotes feminine aspects. Now all of this is highly important. To some extent it was inevitable, considering your backgrounds. The feminine aspects in any case, culturally speaking, were being denied since you did not want children. Reincarnationally this you set ahead of time. If the psychic developments that represented your greatest fulfillment, with all their ramifications in your art and life, had not occurred, then you would have had two children, and continued a reincarnational cycle. There are other aspects here, in that in your last reincarnational life you had somewhat greater freedom within the sexual framework. You can come closer to the ideal identity that gives greater rein within one individual to both male and female characteristics. When the sexual identity is sound, as it is in both of your cases, this means the need for a greater accommodation within the self. A tolerant attitude, an exuberance and freedom, so that the best qualities of each sex can be harmoniously blended while the personality still retains its necessary overall one-sex identification physically." (from "The Personal Sessions: Book One of the Deleted Seth Material: Personal Seth Sessions 11/15/65 - 12/6/71" Session 560, by Jane Roberts, Robert Butts)

Kindle edition: https://amzn.eu/5ZS8Uck

[leidl]

Sena, thank you for an excellent topic, and thank you for following Seth's anti-sexist lead by putting "unpredictability" in quotes in your subject line.   

I'm so glad that the Personal Sessions were shared with the public at some point; kudos to Jane and Rob for sharing this private but helpful material.

Most of us have heard that the now popular idea "you create your own reality" was first popularized by Seth.  I wonder if we could also say that the modern idea that gender is socially constructed was also first popularized by Seth? 

People resist the idea that we all carry some prejudice about gender and race, but seeing Seth point out the gender-related prejudice of Jane and Rob make this an easier pill to swallow.  Our ideas about gender and race are built through thousands of subtle cues from the moment we're born.  When we claim that we are free of biases in these areas, we are probably revealing our own lack of self-awareness, rather than our lack of prejudice. 

I would not claim that we are all sexist and racist, although some social psychologists make that claim. To me, those terms should be reserved for people with an intent to demean.  But it is likely that nearly all of us harbor some gender and racial bias, despite our best efforts.  We know that there are no firm boundaries between our consciousnesses; we know that we create mass events through shared beliefs...chances are we're complicit to some degree in these widespread cultural beliefs.

To call out those who make comments about female hysteria might help a little, but it misses Seth's larger point about beliefs.  If we don't challenge our beliefs, they become self-fulfilling prophecies.  If we say all the right things about gender but harbor a subconscious belief that women are unpredictable, then we are still creating that unpredictability in ourselves if we are women.  And if we are men harboring those beliefs about women, we telepathically send that message to the girls and women in our lives, many of whom will accept it.  (Not because females can't think for themselves, of course, but because personal identity is socially constructed.)

When I've seen lists of names of channeled entities, I've noticed most of the names are male.  I've wondered why that is, since entities have experienced different genders and races.  Limiting cultural beliefs about women are to behind this, it seems. 

Researchers tell us that if students take an online course from a professor they believe is male, they are more likely to rate the person as competent than if they believe the professor was female, even if the presented material is identical.  Seth's comments didn't surprise me a bit, and to be honest, I even find it comforting that Rob and Jane both suffered from the same limiting beliefs that we do.  A few decades have passed since then, and I do think we've made some small progress.  "Small" might be the operative word.

[Sena]

Most of us have heard that the now popular idea "you create your own reality" was first popularized by Seth.  I wonder if we could also say that the modern idea that gender is socially constructed was also first popularized by Seth?

leidl, it is very interesting that Seth invariably referred to Jane as Ruburt. I wonder whether Seth was the first channelled entity to refer to his channeller as one of the opposite sex? My understanding of the Seth teaching is that every personality incarnates as either man or woman in different lives to have the experience of both. I have had a hint in a dream of a previous life as a woman.

If we say all the right things about gender but harbor a subconscious belief that women are unpredictable, then we are still creating that unpredictability in ourselves if we are women.  And if we are men harboring those beliefs about women, we telepathically send that message to the girls and women in our lives, many of whom will accept it.

We should not assume that unpredictability is necessarily to be condemned. Predictability may be seen as conforming to the unwritten rules of a male-dominated society.
I have started watching the TV series "The OA" recommended by Deb. Britt Marling plays a character who clearly behaves in unpredictable ways:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4635282/?ref_=tt_urv

[leidl]

We should not assume that unpredictability is necessarily to be condemned. Predictability may be seen as conforming to the unwritten rules of a male-dominated society.

That's a great insight, Sena.  I tend to see "unpredictable" as a pejorative term meaning erratic, which probably means I drank a little Kool-Aid along the way.  According to the dictionary I just consulted, its meaning is "unforeseeable."  It seems quite natural that if I am living in the moment, free of a script and responding to conditions as they arise, my next move might be unforeseeable. 

Sometimes a word needs to be reclaimed, made clean and true again.

I have a hunch that OA would be a bit disturbing for my taste, but I sure am enjoying Brideshead Revisited, and its flouting of gender norms. 

[Sena]

I have a hunch that OA would be a bit disturbing for my taste, but I sure am enjoying Brideshead Revisited, and its flouting of gender norms. 

Yes, there are some harrowing scenes in OA.