Personal Sessions Books

[Dandelion]

I'm finding the Personal Sessions books especially useful in applying Seth's ideas, although I only have the first 3 books in the series.  I'm a little more than halfway through the third one.  I've had/have many similar issues to the ones Rob and especially Jane had, although the specifics are different, of course.

An example (taken from PS#3, pages 187-194, Session 765 (Deleted Portion) and the next session dated February 9, 1976) would be when Rob had stomach problems that were being caused by two separate situations—one involved paying income taxes and one was connected with whether or not to include some family pictures in the Unknown Reality book.  He resented paying taxes to support national policies that he felt were stupid.  And with the book, he felt the photos would be a great support to the material but worried that the publisher would produce shoddy work or even damage the family photos through carelessness.  Rob had tried to get answers about his stomach problems and these 2 situations using a pendulum but was unsuccessful.

Both were connected to a larger issue:  his dilemma in desiring the ideal but perceiving or fearing (in the case of the photos) an actuality that was in sharp contrast to what he wanted.  It was interesting to see how this one dilemma could be played out in two different areas of his life.  Seth also had different suggestions for both.  The paying taxes problem was one of those "if you understand why it bothers you, it will mostly resolve itself" situations.

The book problem was more complicated and had other issues interwoven into it, such as fear of self-disclosure which was connected with his mother's fears of disclosure and also his desire for perfection, which is not quite the same as desiring the ideal.  Seth advised him to "Do not think in terms of perfection and nonperfection, but of bringing your ideas to life, and of using photographs to express those ideas."

Seth added more about focusing on trying to express the ideal, rather than worrying about distortions or imperfections in the end product (material that would be especially interesting to anyone involved in any type of creative arts).  I'm not going to paraphrase it all because of its subtlety.  I don't think I could do justice to it.

Rob's attempts to understand the book situation on his own seemed to be too narrowly focused on the specific problem which was his "resentment" toward the publisher and what he anticipated they would do to the book and the photos.  (He felt the publisher had treated them badly and he didn't trust them to produce a high quality product.)  He was unable to step back and look at the bigger picture, at the dilemma that was creating both situations.

It's helpful to me to see the kinds of issues they had and how these issues created specific situations, as well as ways to figure out what is causing a problem and what steps can be taken to resolve it.  Much of Seth's advice to them seemed to be aimed toward helping them develop the ability to step back from an immediate problem and see the creative dilemma/conflicting beliefs that were causing it.

[BethAnne]

For someone who has been reading Seth fairly recently.... How has it changed your life?   Did it resonate with your right away when you started reading?    Do you mind me asking your age?  Only, as some one 64 these connections you bring up seem more obvious as you look back over time.

[Dandelion]

Would it surprise you if I said we were born in the same year, BethAnne?  (This morning, I just happened to read one of your posts where you mentioned it.)  I have a feeling that you have some mistaken impressions about me, and looking at what I wrote and the words I chose, I can understand why.  But I'm not sure what I could say that would change the impression I gave.  And it doesn't really matter other than it possibly affecting what we discuss.  So let us move forward and get to know each other.

The one thing I will say is that the specifics, all those complex little details that are intertwined in creating our life here on earth, is my main area of interest, rather than many of the other subjects that Seth talks about, which is why I find the Personal Sessions so useful.  The other topics are interesting on an intellectual level and I enjoy entertaining ideas that are outside of conventional thinking, but it's the subtleties of life that fascinate me.  Life has never appeared simple to me, not even as a child.  But I was also always aware that it was simple for some people.  I just couldn't understand how they were able to simplify everything.

I took a long, slow, roundabout way to get to the Seth books which is why I have only been reading them a few years.  When I was young, I mostly read psychology and self-help books with a few mystical or spiritual books thrown in to the mix.  As I got older, I read a much wider selection of books, including quantum physics and metaphysics.  Before I read any of the Seth books, I read books by Hale Dwoskin, David R. Hawkins, Frank Kinslow, Gay Hendricks, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, etc.  I think the Abraham Hicks books were the ones I read right before I started reading the Seth books.  I got something out of all of them, many pieces to the puzzle, but there was always some missing.

When I read The Nature of Personal Reality, it was like I had just been given a whole pile of really important pieces.  I could actually see the puzzle coming together and the picture was finally starting to make sense to me.  It answered nagging questions I had had for years that other answers never quite satisfied.  The Seth books do not answer all my questions, and there are still many more that I want to pursue.  I also don't necessarily embrace everything Seth says or perhaps I just don't have sufficient interest to dig into those topics deeply enough to understand them.  But I have now read almost all of the Seth books and will probably start rereading ones that focus on my specific areas of interest.

So, finally getting to your questions, yes, it did resonate with me right away.  I was definitely ready for them, having spent a lifetime preparing.  But I can't say that it has specifically changed my life.  Not as yet anyway.  I am perhaps more "me" now, if that makes any sense to you, and I have a certain feeling of clarity that I didn't have before.  Not that life is simple now.  It may even be more complex than I previously realized or imagined but it is more understandable.  What is happening is my perspective is shifting and expanding, which I believe will affect the direction of my life and my future.  I also believe the material has the potential to make major changes in my life and my world, but I'm not sure if I'll chose to do that.  I'm still in transition, digesting the information, and working on finding what is my truth in it all.

[BethAnne]

I have a feeling that you have some mistaken impressions about me,
I don't think so.   
Just looking forward to getting to know you and so I ask questions.  Quite tricky isn't it when all you have are a few sentences?   
I had an internet penpal from Switzerland for years and still chat.  For a long time I didn't know if Sam was a F or M and I just left it for a long time before she revealed herself.  But I liked not defining her by her sex so that I could find out the person she was without my filter.

My reasons for being on the Seth Forum is to develop community and understand how other people use these concepts in their lives.  How is it a practical application for others?  What meaning does it have in their lives?

Just the short time I've been on the forum has been freeing for me having others with the same baseline.  I started reading Seth about 75' when the first book literally fell to my feet at the library.  Which I think had a big influence on my divorce 5 years later!

[Dandelion]

I have a feeling that you have some mistaken impressions about me,
I don't think so.   
Just looking forward to getting to know you and so I ask questions.  Quite tricky isn't it when all you have are a few sentences?

Good.  I just didn't want what I had written to be misleading.  It's so easy for things to get off track on the Internet.  Even people who have met me get some very odd ideas about me, partly because I'm so quiet.  People (myself included) tend to fill in the blanks with their own ideas and assumptions about others and when you're more of an observer than a participator, there are a lot of blanks to fill in.   

I started reading Seth about 75' when the first book literally fell to my feet at the library.

I wish.  I wonder how my life would have been different if that had happened to me.  And maybe it did happen to another probable self. 

[Dandelion]

An afterthought brought on by your comment:

My reasons for being on the Seth Forum is to develop community and understand how other people use these concepts in their lives.  How is it a practical application for others?  What meaning does it have in their lives?

I think the practical application of the Seth material is essential to it expanding beyond those who are already spiritually inclined or are otherwise not satisfied with the status quo.  That's the value of Abraham Hicks and Tony Robbins, etc.  Their focus is on helping people improve their lives.  Everyone wants to improve their life in some way.  And if they follow the techniques and see results, they can come to understand and accept that it's their beliefs that make the difference.  That's sufficient for many people.  That's all they want.  And I think it's enough to eventually change mass consciousness.

It's only those who find that insufficient, who keep asking questions, who insist on knowing the why and how of everything that will be attracted to the depth of the Seth books.  I think what connects all of us here on this forum, regardless of our different perspectives and areas of interest, is a spiritual hunger, a need to push beyond conventional thinking.

[BethAnne]

I like the idea of a probable self reading Seth back in the day.  A fun exercise.  :-)   What were you up to back then?  I was married to a very controlling man and had two kids.  Seth made me realize I had options.  I grew up Christian Science but didn't see it applying beyond the health of a body.
Seth was like a Tech Manual and it explained how to do things.     It makes Life way more interesting!

[BethAnne]

If you are my age, then here is a fun probable self exercise. 
Go to "Discussions...then "Visualizing with Music"....Then reply 28, "Hits of the 60's"

Where does that take you?  You can "talk" to your THEN Self and drop hints.  Or create a Probable Reality that shoots off at that point.
Sometimes I think I've "gone back" and talked to myself and scared myself by doing that.

Then when you get to "The House of the Rising Sun"....meet Eric Burdon's eyes.


So the question is, By doing that do you make a Time Loop?  Do you think EB "got it"?  Are you adding to the energy of the crowd as if you were there?   And is that OK to do??

[Dandelion]

The 70's were my wandering years.  1975 was a particularly active year when it came to moving around to different places, which would have created multiple possibilities for what might have happened if I had read a Seth book back then.  Interestingly enough, a lot of the possibilities that I can imagine are ones that I'm glad didn't happen.  So perhaps I had the option to read one and chose not to.

I had a controlling bully of a father, which made me avoid relationships with those types of men.  We also didn't have a TV for most of my childhood and even when we did get one, we were seldom allowed to watch it.  Plus Rock n Roll music was not played in our house.  After I left home, I spent so much time moving around that I missed out on most of the music scene.  I like the music from the 60's and early 70's because it feels more honest to me than today's more performance-based music, but I don't really connect to that era musically in the same way as others, at least not as part of my past.

[BethAnne]

Do you mind my asking.... did you grow up in a religious home because of restrictions on TV/music?  I worked with a gal who grew up with no TV and it was interesting because she had few cultural references from that time.  Which is neither here nor there, but from a Seth perspective, I feel we "set up" our childhoods.  Looking back, what I thought was harsh now I realize were built in restrictions that pushed me in certain directions.

I'm fascinated by the idea of probable realities.  Which means we still can go in any direction we choose.

For me, music from that time was magical.  There was always music in our home and then all of a sudden, Bam!  The Beatles, the Who, the Stones.  We went from one paradigm to another within 15 years!   

If you moved around a lot where did you start out?  I grew up across the lake from Chicago, but now, even though I travel a lot I always seem to come back to N New Mexico.

[Dandelion]

The main reason we didn't have a TV or much music (or any other type of culture) was because we were very poor for most of my childhood and also lived in the boonies of New England.  Later when we had a little more money as well as more access to things in the outside world, it became an issue of control.

I agree that we set up our childhoods (and even later parts of our lives) to push us in certain directions.  Here's a couple of interesting excerpts from Personal Sessions #3, page 244, where Seth is talking about the challenges that both Rob and Jane chose that shaped their lives.


"You chose challenges, then because despite it all your personalities are the kind that set up such life situations to begin with.  Your abilities would meet some conflict in terms of religious, sexual, and social beliefs.  This conflict would in a certain fashion sharpen the issues."

"Because of your individual and joint intuitive understanding and intellectual discriminations, you were able from an early age to clearly perceive the difficulties of your fellows.  This helped incite stimuli that made you question the entire framework of your civilization.  You were able to do something few people can:  leap intuitively and mentally above your own period—discard intellectually and mentally, and sometimes emotionally, the shortsighted, unfortunate religious, scientific and social beliefs of your fellows."

[BethAnne]

I agree that we set up our childhoodshe  (and even later parts of our lives) to push us in certain directions.
My life made so much more sense once I understood this.   

Seems we both chose "Control" as an issue.  Do you understand why in your life?  (I'm a nosey question asker.  You can tell me to mind my own business.   )

Now I'm the Queen of Freedom.  Nothing holds me down.  Though I don't know if I went far with it!

[Dandelion]

Your questions definitely make me think.  It's a balancing act for me, deciding how much I want to share on the Internet.  But I'm usually more reluctant to share personal info that is unrelated to the topic than share experiences that might reflect my beliefs or feelings about something.  This is ironic because I think beliefs and feelings are far more revealing than general personal details.  So the question to myself is what's behind this, and the answer I came up with is that those details are more connected to the "unsafe" universe, where one has to protect oneself.  (That's what I love about the Seth material.  If you ask the right questions, the answers you get from it make so much sense, and the expanded understanding help you deal with situations.)  Also, as a semi-relevant note, I'm just not very detail-oriented when it comes to people, even when it comes to myself.  I pay more attention to things like personality traits and self-definitions.

Regarding the control issue:  Significant events in my life focused more on the bullying aspect of it—the intimidation and belittlement of others.  I'm more conscious of all the different kinds of bullying behavior than other types of control issues, though I am aware of some of the ways we all attempt to control our environment and others.  However, to me, control issues are actually part of bigger issues involving fear, insecurity, inadequacy, powerlessness, and such.  Control issues are a response to these bigger issues.

[BethAnne]

I've answered this twice and each time I was dropped by my public wifi hotspot.   

I feel we get involved in Control Relationships so we can master Control.  I find as my Sethian Skills get better it requires me to have control over my emotions.

I have a classic narcissistic controlling Taurus mother which I have read is pretty common for Pisces.  She was/is VERY difficult to deal with but it's been like training with martial arts.  Without her I would have ended up a wishy washy bitch!   

[Dandelion]

I've been both wishy washy and flip-floppy.  The wishy washy part is mostly the result of indecisiveness.  I could always see plenty of things I didn't want, but couldn't seem to decide/know what it was that I did want.  This created a strange flip-flop path to my life which has created 4 separate segments so far.  It started out as semi-conventional (childhood), flipped over to semi-unconventional during my wandering years, flopped back to semi-conventional during my married years, and has currently flipped back over to semi-unconventional since my divorce.  I have not been able to fully identify with or commit to either a conventional life or an unconventional one and am trying to find a balance somewhere between the two that allows for the expression of all parts of myself.

[BethAnne]

I'm loving this age because I can be what ever I want.     So you were born in 1952?  Year of the Dragon.  I'm pisces so hard to pin down.  Libra?

[barrie]

I've been both wishy washy and flip-floppy.  The wishy washy part is mostly the result of indecisiveness.  I could always see plenty of things I didn't want, but couldn't seem to decide/know what it was that I did want.  This created a strange flip-flop path to my life which has created 4 separate segments so far.  It started out as semi-conventional (childhood), flipped over to semi-unconventional during my wandering years, flopped back to semi-conventional during my married years, and has currently flipped back over to semi-unconventional since my divorce.  I have not been able to fully identify with or commit to either a conventional life or an unconventional one and am trying to find a balance somewhere between the two that allows for the expression of all parts of myself.

Barrie Responds: Why commit to either one? Forget definitions--I think you have already found the balance. Enjoy it. Don't judge it. Be in the moment and react to the moment and don't let expectations of yourself get in your way. Act as you wish and don't even think if it is conventional or not. That's my opinion.

[Dandelion]

I'm loving this age because I can be what ever I want.

It is a good age.

So you were born in 1952?  Year of the Dragon.  I'm pisces so hard to pin down.  Libra?

I'm not sure how to respond because I don't want to give a superficial social one, but I'm also not into astrology.  Although I can see how it could be useful in helping one understand certain aspects of oneself, it's not something I use in my life.  My inner intuitive self does not like to be categorized and strongly objects to any attempt my outer ego self makes to put me into a category.  This sometimes creates an uneasy standoff between which limiting definitions my inner self is willing to accept and my ego's attempts to understand all the information it gets by organizing it, recognizing patterns, and categorizing everything.  (Poor ego.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.)

To me the most interesting part of your comment was your thought that I might be a Libra.  Although I'm not, "balance" has been one of the major themes in my life.

Barrie Responds: Why commit to either one? Forget definitions--I think you have already found the balance. Enjoy it. Don't judge it. Be in the moment and react to the moment and don't let expectations of yourself get in your way. Act as you wish and don't even think if it is conventional or not. That's my opinion.

I think you've put your finger on the crux of it:  It's not an either/or situation.  It's not even about conventional or unconventional.  It's more about getting the right balance between my inner and outer selves.  Or of finding a way to fulfill the needs of the ego and the needs of the whole self.  It's also an ongoing process of always finding the right balance in the moment.

[barrie]

Quote from: barrie
Barrie Responds: Why commit to either one? Forget definitions--I think you have already found the balance. Enjoy it. Don't judge it. Be in the moment and react to the moment and don't let expectations of yourself get in your way. Act as you wish and don't even think if it is conventional or not. That's my opinion.

I think you've put your finger on the crux of it:  It's not an either/or situation.  It's not even about conventional or unconventional.  It's more about getting the right balance between my inner and outer selves.  Or of finding a way to fulfill the needs of the ego and the needs of the whole self.  It's also an ongoing process of always finding the right balance in the moment.

Barrie Responds: :-)

[Batfan007]

I've been both wishy washy and flip-floppy.  The wishy washy part is mostly the result of indecisiveness.  I could always see plenty of things I didn't want, but couldn't seem to decide/know what it was that I did want.  This created a strange flip-flop path to my life which has created 4 separate segments so far.  It started out as semi-conventional (childhood), flipped over to semi-unconventional during my wandering years, flopped back to semi-conventional during my married years, and has currently flipped back over to semi-unconventional since my divorce.  I have not been able to fully identify with or commit to either a conventional life or an unconventional one and am trying to find a balance somewhere between the two that allows for the expression of all parts of myself.

I feel that many who come here, who are born on this earth into a particular framework, and then pick up the Seth material and reorient themselves into a more wholistic larger framework than the narrow one defined by culture and belief - face these sorts of things.
You are not alone. My whole life so far has been many contrasts, doing many different things. Feeling like I'm failing, or not doing the "right" thing. Which is BS. I've been very successful at doing lots of little different things, and a few big things.
Everything I've done that I didn't like doing, moved me closer to what I do like to do, or how I spend my energy on a daily basis.
All the experiences were essential, particularly the contrasts.

Over and over, the thing again for this time we are living now, the number one skill if you like, is ADAPTABILITY.
The old paradigm thinking is that is you don't do something, pick it and stick with it, then you are of course, a big FAILURE, capital F.
The new thinking however is that we all need to be adaptable to change, and to have diverse skill sets, and life experiences, rather than the sanitized mono-life and experiences that we see on TV.
So to me Dandelion you are very successful at adapting and doing different things, and even more successful at being Uniquely YOU.

[Dandelion]

Thank you, Batfan007.  It has taken me a long time to truly appreciate the value of being me, to realize I have unique qualities and abilities that no one else can express in quite the same way I do, and that being uniquely me is the most valuable contribution I can make.  So now I'm in the process of becoming "more me."

[BethAnne]

I think it's great that Deb has put up this forum.  It's sparked a lot of changes in my life after I came and met people who think along these lines.  Knowing that I am part of a Web of new ideas is exciting.   

[Batfan007]

One thing I love about the internet is connecting with people who share my diverse niche interests.

[BethAnne]

One thing I love about the internet is connecting with people who share my diverse niche interests.

I do too! 
I've moved back to this hamlet for about the 5th time in 35 years.  Each time it was WAY TOO SMALL.  Now I find that I can embrace the wonderful things about this quiet lifestyle because my Mind travels the world.   

[Dandelion]

I'm going to make separate posts for three recent insights I've gotten from the Personal Sessions books because they've been equally important to me.

Reading about the efforts by Jane and Rob to use the material in their own lives has definitely helped me in appreciating how complex the web of one's beliefs can be.  Core beliefs not only provide a basic structure for one's life, but also tend to be connected to other core beliefs, with a whole bunch of supporting beliefs, habits, and personal tendencies all creating a tangled knot that can be really challenging to work on.  So even if you're trying to focus on core beliefs, versus secondary beliefs, you still end up having to work on multiple core beliefs in order to fully resolve issues.  For instance, trusting oneself and self-approval involve too different, but connected core beliefs.  Not only that, one's efforts to understand and change beliefs can make one feel worse (temporarily) and can even create new problems.  But at least I feel like I'm finally making genuine progress, even if it's slower than I might hope.

An interesting point Seth makes, in a somewhat roundabout way, is that sometimes a belief is created and/or maintained to support a natural tendency.  So just because we change that belief (because it's making us feel bad or creating problems) doesn't mean our behavior will radically change.  It simply allows us to make choices based on our current situation and desires, rather than being rigidly made, based on an old belief that's no longer working well.  Of course, along with taking back one's power of choice, one also has to take responsibility for that conscious choice. 

For example, one of the consequences of Jane's physical problems was that it prevented her from going on tour to promote her work.  And it was a justification that others accepted.  But her natural inclination was to not promote her work in conventional ways.  It was, after all, unconventional work.  So even without the "excuse" of her physical condition, she may have chosen not to do a lot of promotion.  The "benefit" she gained of not having to make a decision every single time an opportunity arose and of having an inarguable reason for saying "no" was just one of Jane and Rob's many beliefs that had built up around her physical problems and were supporting it, making it very difficult for them to change the situation.

[Dandelion]

The second insight is about lifestyle.  Although Seth was directing his comments to Jane and Rob's chosen lifestyle, it can also be applied to my situation and probably to some of the other "black sheep of the universe."

In order to fully use their abilities, Jane and Rob had to create a new way of living.  There were no conventional frameworks, nor even unconventional ones, available to them that would satisfy their drive for the value fulfillment of all their abilities.  Not only did they not fit in with their current social environment and "normal" lifestyles, but their experiences and experiments were different from other psychics and any "accepted" avenues for exploring parapsychology.  There was no niche anywhere for them, so they had to create a new one for themselves as they went along. 

In PS#4, Session 10/17/77, Seth explains the drive they had to explore these new areas.

"Your psychic work has given both of your lives an impetus, direction, challenge, and opportunities for accomplishment that in certain terms at least would otherwise be lacking.

Had your goals previous to your psychic experiences been adequate to your natures, and sufficient to you, nothing else would have developed—nor would you have been seeking so avidly answers to the kinds of questions that then and now concern you.

You did not seek goals that could be reached easily by anyone, or even goals that you yourselves could be certain of attaining.  You sought instead questions that would stretch your abilities, and develop them, that would bring out all nuances before unknown to you."

He also said that even though one might "romanticize" the lives of others who chose a "simpler, more overtly physical existence," it wouldn't have satisfied them.  In a different session he told them that the doubts and other problems they were having were caused by conflicts between the new areas and ideas they were exploring and their old perspective and beliefs that were based on Darwinian and Freudian concepts.  So they needed to create a new framework to support their new beliefs.

Nowadays, we have a lot more options, a lot more information to work with, than they did.  And the Seth material in particular has given me some basic tools that have really made a difference.  But it doesn't have all the answers that are right for me.  I can't simply "copy" a set of beliefs or a lifestyle.  I still need to create my own life, something brand new that is uniquely suited to me.  It may not be as radical a departure from the conventional as Jane and Rob's lives were, but the kinds of questions I keep asking require new answers, ones I have to find for myself.  I'm never going to be completely satisfied with other people's answers.

In a practical way, this explains why even after creating a "good" life (as defined by conventional values), I still had an underlying feeling of dissatisfaction, a sense that something was missing.  It also explains not knowing what I really wanted, of not having concrete goals, not finding satisfying work, not being able to settle on anything.  None of the many current options offered by the world were quite right for me, which led to things like job-hopping, moving to many different locations, and exploring different belief systems (religions, philosophies, psychological approaches, scientific theories, etc.)  In some ways, it feels like I frittered my life away, looking for my niche in the world, but perhaps I had to experience all sorts of things that didn't work for me before I could understand that I needed to create something new or at least partially new—a belief structure and lifestyle based on my particular abilities and natural tendencies.

[Dandelion]

My understanding of the third insight is more organic and there are parts I can't seem to find the right words to explain, but I'm hoping some Seth quotes (taken from PS#4, session dated 5/15/78) will convey some of the deeper meanings.  Again, Seth is directing the comments toward Rob and Jane and the material was actually intended to help them understand and deal with their problems with using their time effectively and dealing with all the distractions and interruptions in their life.  But it applies to anyone with an active inner life, whether it's artistic, creative, or introspective.

"The creative artist can be in somewhat of a quandary, according to his beliefs, for he wants to preserve the precious moment, the fleeting thought, the daffodils, the perceived insights.  At the same time he often feels the need to stand apart from life, from the fleeting thoughts, the daffodils, or the insight, so that he will not be lost completely in the moment, but able to form almost a second self with a larger viewpoint, who can then more clearly examine and understand the thought, the moment, or the insight."

(I think the daffodils refer to ones Rob had picked and brought inside for Jane.)

Seth does make a point that not all artists feel the need to examine the moments of creativity or create a second self to examine the creative process.  Some artists simply live and create in the moment.

My thought:  Our culture, back then and now, doesn't encourage or value introspection unless it leads to concrete results that benefit others.  So if one of your strongest abilities is introspection, you seldom get any external approval or validation and in fact, are often criticized for your lack of productive activity.

Seth continues talking about Rob and Jane: 

"You want to examine life, to experience it, and yet in some way find in time a safe dimension apart from time.  What  you want is a second life in life, in which to appreciate and examine life's experience.  The ordinary distractions of life immediately then cause conflict.  On the one hand, they are living, these distractions.  They are life.  On the other hand, they rob you in time of that second life you want, in which to examine your experiences.

Now obviously, if you cut down distractions, or all experiences, there would be little left to enjoy or examine.  You both tried to find a framework in which you could have two lives at once in that regard—and putting those two together is taking some doing.

Since you set yourselves such a course, then you obviously have a certain responsibility to both lives.  They are your creations, after all.  Almost all of Ruburt's difficulty with time, and your own, spring from this basic quandary.  For most people do not try that hard to preserve the living moment, or to understand it, while they are still involved with time's physical package."

This idea of living two lives in one was hugely important to me because I've always felt like I was a low energy person (which I partly blamed on chronic depression) and also that I was very inefficient when it came to using time.  But what I was doing was splitting my energy and time between two different lives.  Not only that, the life I found most interesting and that I valued most was my inner life, the one that constantly examined and tried to understand my other life.  But that observer life wasn't producing visible, concrete results that could be appreciated by others.  It also didn't help that I hadn't found any good tools to help me use my observations to function more effectively (not until I discovered the Seth books).  So my inner life got suppressed and inhibited a lot.

This second self is subjective and timeless (according to Seth).  So the goal is to somehow combine or integrate this timeless self with the self living in time.  It seems to me that this may be what Seth means when he talks about our next step in the expansion of consciousness.

Seth made a number of suggestions to help them with their quandary and I loved the way he worded this part:

"...do not think of schedules, but instead of the flow of timeless energy into time."

A couple other random quotes:

"You have a responsibility to time and timelessness."

"Yard work is not timeless.  It can be a joyful exercise of the body, the natural life being reinforced, and it can also provide feelings of timelessness, so that in that regard your love of timelessness can be combined with your love of the moment."

[LenKop]

Thanks Dandelion.

I haven't read any of the personal sessions, but they sound quite practically helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Len

[Dandelion]

One reason I'm finding them so helpful may be because it's exactly the right time for me to read them.  I've read almost all the other books that are available, and now I'm trying to use the information in very practical ways.  So it's almost like I'm struggling along with Rob and Jane as they try to make changes in their beliefs and their lives.  When I see the problems they had, in spite of being directly helped by Seth, it makes me feel better about my own slow progress.  It also helps me identify things that might be blocking my progress and gives me possible ways to eliminate those blocks.

Seth explains to Rob in Session 11/6/79

"You must realize that I make considerable effort to understand your social mores, and your reactions to them even while I try to clear your minds of them.  Much of this, then, is crystal clear to me, but do not put yourselves down because of their effects upon you.  I do not have them to contend with.

First of all, you understand my message in theoretical terms, but then of course all of that must dribble down into your lives until it becomes more and more practical."

And Rob notes in Session 11/26/79 (which is almost 16 years after the beginning of the sessions)

"I seem to be a slow learner; either that or my accumulated resentments seem to be so deeply ingrained that I should work harder at eradicating old beliefs."

Seth's response was

"In a capsule:  Self-disapproval."

Interestingly, part of his expanded response actually came first, before Rob made the note and before that summary response.

"I want you both to remember that you are learning a new kind of orientation, and ideas directly opposed to those with which you were "innoculated" — so do not blame yourselves for inadequacies.  Do not disapprove of yourselves.  Do not compare yourselves to what you think you should do or be."

[Dandelion]

I've reached the point in The Personal Sessions series that I was NOT looking forward to, and perhaps it would not be too strong a word to say I was dreading it.  The sessions I'm reading now are ones from the middle of 1981 when Rob and Jane were reaching a crisis point with Jane's physical problems.  They were using all their resources and working with Seth (even holding almost daily personal sessions at times) in a last ditch attempt before turning to outside medical help.  The hard part, of course, is knowing how it turned out, but still wanting so very badly for them to succeed, to somehow overcome these challenges.  I am literally feeling their fears and desperation, their frustrations and anger, their hope and despair.  It's a really tough read, even though I'm still learning useful information about applying the concepts.  I'll probably have to slow down my reading of these sessions (and maybe alternate them with reading other Seth material) in order to ensure I process my own emotions.  But I'll still try to finish the series and share any insights that I think might be genuinely helpful to others when it comes to using the concepts in one's own life.

[Batfan007]

The second insight is about lifestyle.  Although Seth was directing his comments to Jane and Rob's chosen lifestyle, it can also be applied to my situation and probably to some of the other "black sheep of the universe."

In order to fully use their abilities, Jane and Rob had to create a new way of living.  There were no conventional frameworks, nor even unconventional ones, available to them that would satisfy their drive for the value fulfillment of all their abilities.  Not only did they not fit in with their current social environment and "normal" lifestyles, but their experiences and experiments were different from other psychics and any "accepted" avenues for exploring parapsychology.  There was no niche anywhere for them, so they had to create a new one for themselves as they went along. 

In PS#4, Session 10/17/77, Seth explains the drive they had to explore these new areas.

"Your psychic work has given both of your lives an impetus, direction, challenge, and opportunities for accomplishment that in certain terms at least would otherwise be lacking.

Had your goals previous to your psychic experiences been adequate to your natures, and sufficient to you, nothing else would have developed—nor would you have been seeking so avidly answers to the kinds of questions that then and now concern you.

You did not seek goals that could be reached easily by anyone, or even goals that you yourselves could be certain of attaining.  You sought instead questions that would stretch your abilities, and develop them, that would bring out all nuances before unknown to you."

He also said that even though one might "romanticize" the lives of others who chose a "simpler, more overtly physical existence," it wouldn't have satisfied them.  In a different session he told them that the doubts and other problems they were having were caused by conflicts between the new areas and ideas they were exploring and their old perspective and beliefs that were based on Darwinian and Freudian concepts.  So they needed to create a new framework to support their new beliefs.

Nowadays, we have a lot more options, a lot more information to work with, than they did.  And the Seth material in particular has given me some basic tools that have really made a difference.  But it doesn't have all the answers that are right for me.  I can't simply "copy" a set of beliefs or a lifestyle.  I still need to create my own life, something brand new that is uniquely suited to me.  It may not be as radical a departure from the conventional as Jane and Rob's lives were, but the kinds of questions I keep asking require new answers, ones I have to find for myself.  I'm never going to be completely satisfied with other people's answers.

In a practical way, this explains why even after creating a "good" life (as defined by conventional values), I still had an underlying feeling of dissatisfaction, a sense that something was missing.  It also explains not knowing what I really wanted, of not having concrete goals, not finding satisfying work, not being able to settle on anything.  None of the many current options offered by the world were quite right for me, which led to things like job-hopping, moving to many different locations, and exploring different belief systems (religions, philosophies, psychological approaches, scientific theories, etc.)  In some ways, it feels like I frittered my life away, looking for my niche in the world, but perhaps I had to experience all sorts of things that didn't work for me before I could understand that I needed to create something new or at least partially new—a belief structure and lifestyle based on my particular abilities and natural tendencies.

There are perhaps, two facets of that longing to be or know or do whatever in life.

One is the constant longing for something unobtainable, and the other side is the longing of constant expansion of self, of new learning, new experiences, as what else do we have in life but experiences?

I think often we mix up this healthy and unhealthy versions of this existential longing for something "more" when the more is just you know more money, more material "stuff" , then it's never truly satisfying, but the desire is for to GIVE and BE more loving, more compassionate, more creative, more giving etc, then it finds a healthy expression that uplifts us and those we encounter in this life.

I don't know who said it, or where I read it, but it's like you take all your skills and your talents and your love, and the best you can do, is to give all that away, each day, to everyone you meet. And some will like it, and some will hate it. But you just do what you do and let go of any need to change people, or have them conform to your view of reality etc.

And I am not saying I am that person. I just drove home from a film, and when someone nearly drove into the side of my car, I honked the horn and yelled swear words out the window. And I have no plan on stopping that behavior. However, at the same time is a part of me that even in silly situations, reminds me that I can choose peace in that moment, rather than anger or unconsious reaction, and sometimes I go with that.

But ultimately, I have no interest in trying to be anything other than who I already am, with all my peculiarities and being "okay" with all of it, with an acceptance and trust of myself in any situation.