Saturday, February 11, 2006

I AM my pilot.

I’ve been quiet for the past week while dealing with “a transmutational step-up” — brought on by a film I recently saw, which threw me into a funk and is still resolving itself within my many worlds. While this resolution is still cooking, I’ll attend to some recent correspondence.

Spiritual aviator E.W. ponders:


“It's like these different aspects are different planets within the Universe of our Self. And then there's some part of ourselves (I don't know which part) that travels around this Universe, sometimes getting caught in the orbits of these planets, while at other times is zipping freely, weightless. This simulate earth self has the strongest gravity in my experience, but I'm not always close enough to get caught in it.

“Could you offer any words on which part of ourselves is that which travels around the Universe of our Self. Is it the same part that is eventually completely freed from this plane and goes on to experience all the other wonderful levels? I ask because there does seem to be a part of me that does kind of travel around, sometimes almost fully
wrapped up in this dense plane, while at other times seemingly free of it, and then at yet other times exploring interesting places somewhere in between.

“It's like there's the self that experiences all these levels and that can get 'trapped' by the density of this earth plane, and then there's the Self that is the source of all experience and doesn't really move around experiencing things itself but is rather exquisitely and eternally blissed out.”

Well, E.W. — it appears that you are not only good at asking questions, but answering them — which shows that this kind of self-examination is quite useful. Although many people are able to do this to some degree, most are not. This, by the way, is, in my experience, the main goal of engaging in psychotherapy — to develop a personal method of aware self-examination — which then opens up one’s experience of one’s universe in such a way that the idea, and indeed the reality, of multiple-selves (and therefore multiple dimensions) emerges.

You report —that is, externalize — your experiences as well, and if these experiences are “what it’s like” then that is also what they are, in your experience. Seth, via Jane Roberts, has a lot to offer about the ego (or simulate self, as we say) and its experience of many simultaneous dimensions — as also experienced by what he seems to call the "higher selves". I have a special affinity for Seth, not only because of his contribution to the awakening of humanity, but because I attended several sessions at the home of Jane Roberts and Bob Butts in the mid-70’s. I wasn’t one of the self-perceived “original disciples” — of which there are a few still roaming and writing around — but just one of a handful of university undergrads who got in a car and drove an hour or so on weekends when we had the chance. Never a joiner, I managed to stay separate from any groupiness, and continue to do so. (1)

There is an overabundance of Seth material on the Internet, including some from former members of that original group, as well as alleged “continued communications” from Seth. It should be clear to the awakened observer that, while perhaps inspired, the “new” or “updated” material is not from Seth, for Seth withdrew from our vibratory geography along with Jane when she transitioned. Bob was not far behind. There were the usual squabbling scramblings amongst the disciples for their supposed inheritance—but Seth, Jane and Bob were truly gone, departed for parts unknown. I've never seen any material claiming contact from them after their transition, although this doesn't mean there wasn't any communication. The fact that no major contribution of alleged “new” Seth material has been published with any marketing success that rivals the original Seth material — including a few small press attempts by certain inner circle-ites — should bring the curtain down on any further implications that Seth is still with us. So it's all historically interesting and maybe even useful and I’m just being an insufferable snob. Actually, Susan Watkin’s stuff is interesting in its own way, and brings back memories of a lot of the crazy 70's fun (and pathological acting out) I witnessed.

The immersion of Seth in our reality was brief, to the point, and lots of fun. Where he is now is anyone’s guess. I highly recommend his works, which were and still are ahead of our time; most people parrot them; a few have quietly grasped them.

Tim’s major contribution to The Risen in the chapter on reincarnation offers a great many suggestions to think about in terms of where our self/selves/Self is, and we use the phrase “worlds within worlds” (with apologies to John Crowley’s Little, Big) to exemplify our own experience — of each other and of our own private worlds. (The word “private” is of importance here, offered to tantalize/catalyze.)

Tim is currently away on one of his “excursions” to such a distant geography that I have no awareness of him at this time. As part of a Risen team, headed by cetacean-like people from another dimension — he has become an explorer of very distant realms — if “distance” is the right concept. His special interest has been in the development of the earthly ego or simulate mind-self and is seeking to understand more by studying other ego-systems which might have developed in other dimensional cultures. (Not all systems of self have developed an ego-mind.) Like us, Seth does not villainize the ego-mind.

Since I cannot engage with him right now to help comment on E.W.’s ponderings, and because my heart is pulled elsewhere, I defer to a few very beautiful and highly resonate quotes from Seth on the ego and the self. They also concur with the Risen experience of continued life after an earthly life, as well as with my contribution of "negation" in terms of how healing can be achieved. Seth does not fuss much with capitalizing self as Self — which may or may not seem congruent with the Risen perception — yet their are integral threads that intermesh. Seth, by the way was not Risen, but Beyond Risen, if there’s any such way to label him/her/it. He contrasts with the Diakka in that, even as individualized self, he is selfless and lives and rejoices in his immortality. His sense of humour is prime evidence of his selfless and compassionate wisdom. (2)

"The ego at any give time in this life is simply the part of the inner self that surfaces in physical reality; a group of characteristics that the inner self uses to solve various problems."

"Each of you exists in other realities and other dimensions, and the self that you call yourself is but a small portion of your entire identity."

"There are no divisions to the self. Those that you experience are illusions. Yet, those illusions are lovely. They are creative. They are valid experiences of reality."

"And regardless of the fact of reincarnation, and regardless of probable selves, the unique self that you now call "yourself" has eternal validity, even though the memories that you cannot now consciously recall will be yours in their entirety. And physical life in a reincarnational self is not some chaos thrust upon you, some evil from which you must shortly hope to escape. It is a particular reality in which you have chosen to know your existence, in which you have chosen to develop yourself; and again, it is indeed a system like no other system--a unique and dear and beloved portion of reality in which you have chosen to flourish for a while. And in denying it, again, you deny the reality of experience."

"In other terms, you will leave this system for others, but there will be a portion of you yet, no matter how many eons pass, that remembers a spring evening and a smell of autumn air And those things will always be with you when you want them. You make your own flesh and your own world, as now en masse you form the evening. These are creations of yours, and of your kind. They are not prisons to be escaped from."

"You have constant contact with the other parts of your whole self, but your ego is so focused upon physical reality and survival within it that you do not hear the inner voices. No individuality is ever lost. It is always in existence."

"There is an inner ego, an inner self which organizes 'unconscious' material. As the outer ego manipulates within the physical environment, so the inner ego or self organizes and manipulates within inner reality."

"You must image that within yourself — for this is the truth — there is a stronger and more powerful self, a larger self. And when the "little" self says, "I am afraid, and I will make excuses," you must imagine the larger self saying, "I am strong. I will not allow the smaller self to make excuses. There is no need for them." You must identify with this larger portion of yourself."

"It is this inner self, out of massive knowledge and the unlimited scope of its consciousness, that forms the physical world and provides the stimuli to keep the outer ego at the job of awareness. The inner self organizes, initiates, projects and controls the transformation of psychic energy into matter and objects."

"The individual inner self, through constant effort of great intensity, cooperates with other
entities like itself to form and maintain the physical reality that you know."

"There are no divisions to the self. Those that you experience are illusions. Yet, those illusions are lovely. They are creative. They are valid experiences of reality."

"You are over concerned, however, about the nature of your own individuality, and afraid to open up to the greater areas of your own being. You are all of your selves at once. The aviator is not swallowed or lost or annihilated or betrayed or forgotten."




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(1) Jane was very prolific and wrote many fine things without Seth. A special favourite of mine is The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher – The Worldview of William James. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1978) — which was channeled through Jane by William James, obviously.
(2) Seth offers ideas about what I will call “the notion of reincarnation” because the way in which he presents the subject clearly (with a twinkle in his eye) indicates that while he respects the popular earthly belief in reincarnation as a concrete and inescapable achievement, he also offers us the chance to reconsider the validity of such beliefs, calling attention to the divine right we each inherit to define anything, including reincarnation, in any way we desire, always emphasizing experience. This mirrors Tim’s quaint and more direct approach of suggesting “it ain’t’ always what it ain’t”.