Identities and Action Continued and Three Apparent Dilemmas

From Session 138 in Volume 3 of Seth's Early Sessions:


Identities and Action (continued)

"We will continue this evening in our discussion of identities and action.

"Unfoldings continually occur, and all identities, with a few exceptions, contain within them also other identities, not duplicates. Our discussion in the past concerning gestalts should make this point clear. The frameworks and boundaries, the extents and limitations of identities, are not physical.

"(For the material on psychic gestalts, see the 59th, 62nd, 81st, 96th and 128th sessions, among many others.)

"Identities may be termed action which is conscious of itself. For the purposes of our discussion, the terms action and identity must be separated. However basically no such separation exists, for an identity is also a dimension of existence, action within action, an unfolding of action upon itself; and through this interweaving of action with itself, through this reaction, an identity is formed.

"The reality of such an identity exists within the action. The energy of the action, the workings of action within and upon itself, forms identity. There are other causes here that we will consider later. Yet although identity is formed from action, action and identity cannot be separated. you will remember our previous definition of action, for this will make this evening's discussion easier to understand.

"(See the 137th session.)

"Identity then, is action's effect upon itself. Without identities action would be meaningless, for there would be nothing upon which action could act. Action must, therefore, of its very nature, of itself and from its own workings, create identities. Again, action and identity cannot be separated. This applies from the most simple to the most complex.

"Once more, action is not a force outside that acts upon matter. Action is instead, the inside vitality of the inner universe. It is the dilemma between inner vitality's desire and impetus to completely materialize itself, and its inability to completely do so. This was also discussed briefly in sessions dealing with the first appearance of matter within the physical field.

"(See the 60th session, among others, along with the aforementioned material on psychic gestalts, etc. See also the 137th session.)"

Apparent Dilemmas

"Action is therefore a part of all structure. Here again is an apparent dilemma, an exquisite imbalance whose result is consciousness and existence. For consciousness and existence do not exist because of delicate balances, so much as they are made possible by lacks of balances, so richly creative there would be no reality as it is understood to be, if balance were ever maintained.

"I spoke of this second dilemma. The first dilemma is that which exists when inner vitality struggles to completely materialize, though it cannot completely materialize. The reasons for its inability to completely materialize have been given in a previous session, and I will discuss the matter again at a later date.

"(See the 133rd session among others.)

"This first dilemma results in action, and from action's own working upon itself we have seen that identity was formed, and that these two were separable.

"Action, having of itself, and because of its nature, formed identity, now also because of its nature would seem to destroy identity, since action must involve change. And any change would seem to threaten identity.

"It is however a mistaken notion that identity is dependent upon stability. Identity, because of its characteristics, will continually seek stability, while stability is impossible. And this is our second dilemma.

"It is this dilemma, precisely between identity's constant attempts to maintain stability, and action's inherent drive for change, that results in the imbalance, the exquisite creative by-product that is consciousness of self. We have a series of creative strains. Identity must seek stability while action must seek change, yet identity could not exist without change, without action, for it is the result of action, and not apart from it but a part of it.

"Identities are never constant, as you yourselves are not the same consciously or unconsciously from one moment to another. Every action is a termination, as we discussed earlier. And yet without the termination, identity would cease to exist, for consciousness without action would cease to be conscious.

"Consciousness therefore is not a thing in itself. It is a dimension of action. It is an almost miraculous state, made possible by what I choose to call a series of creative dilemmas.

"I will add a word here, only to remind you once more to read those sessions regarding inner vitality and the initial appearance of physical matter, for that discussion will help you with this one.

"It would be fairly easy to understand now how the second dilemma evolved from the first. I have said that the second dilemma resulted in, and constantly results in, consciousness of self. Now, consciousness of self is not the same thing as consciousness of ego self. Consciousness of self is still consciousness directly connected with action.

"Ego consciousness is the result of our third dilemma.

"The ego is a state resulting from the third creative dilemma, which happens when consciousness of self attempts to separate itself from action.

"Since this is obviously impossible, since no consciousness or identity can exist without action, because they are inseparable, we have our third dilemma.

"A note of further explanation here. The difference between consciousness of self as a result of our second dilemma, and ego consciousness as a result of our third dilemma, should be made very clear.

"Consciousness of self involves a consciousness of self within, amid and as a part of action. Ego consciousness, on the other hand, involves a state in which consciousness of self attempts to divorce itself from action, an attempt on the part of consciousness to perceive action as an object. Here we see that ego consciousness, in this attempt, strives to perceive action not only as separate, but to perceive it in such a fashion that it appears to ego that action is not only separate from itself, that is separate from the ego, but that action is initiated by the ego, and a result rather than a cause of ego's own existence.

"These three dilemmas represent three areas of reality within which inner reality, or inner vitality, can experience itself. And here we have also the reason, or one of the reasons why, inner vitality can never achieve complete materialization. The very action involved in vitality's attempt to materialize itself adds to the inner dimension of inner vitality.

"Action basically can never complete itself. Inner vitality, materializing in any form whatsoever, at once multiplies the possibilities of further materialization. At the same time, because inner vitality is self-generating, only a minute fraction of inner vitality is needed to seed a whole universe.

"Inner vitality attempts therefore to materialize itself completely, and yet because of its very nature, with each materialization it increases itself, making the attempt impossible. This is the basic dilemma, from which all types of reality spring. This of course leads us to the necessity for further discussion concerning the nature if inner vitality itself."

(My Note: This is reminiscent of Godel's incompleteness theorem!)

"In line with the statement that action necessarily changes that which it acts upon (which is basically itself), then it follows that the action involved in these sessions changes the nature of the sessions.

"I have spoken often of consciousness also as being merely the direction of focus. Action implies infinite possibilities of focus. Action never happens along a straight line, although at times you may perceive it in such a fashion.

"(Seth-Jane had some material on consciousness and the direction of focus in the 94th session, among others).

"Action exists within action. There are dimensions of action from which all diversity arises. All individuality that seems to be swept away because one action seems to terminate another, such individuality is indeed the result of the dimensions of action."