The Nature of Identities and Action

From Volume 3 of Seth's Early Sessions (session 137):


Nature of Identities

"We will further consider this evening the nature of identities. In our earlier discussions concerning the nature of matter, we made it plain that each individual created any given material object, through use of the inner senses, and following certain rules which were mentioned.

"Since any materialization is in effect a mediation between what we may call an ideal which is, by nature, of itself not materialized, and a practical working perceivable symbol of the idea, each materialization must be composed of some camouflage elements. Within the physical field these perceivable symbols are composed of matter, which is a conglomeration of atoms and molecules. Each individual, creating, say, his version of any given chair, uses entirely different atoms and molecules in his subconscious construction of it.

"He sees or perceives only his own construction. A rereading of sessions dealing with the nature of matter will help here. The chair created then by any given individual, and perceived by him, is an identity in that it exists at any given time, without any exact duplication. Basically, for any duplication to appear, the exact atoms and molecules would have to be used, and this is obviously impossible.

"The chair is an identity, and yet at no given moment is it the same chair, for already the atoms and molecules that compose it have changed, and been replaced by others. This process is explained thoroughly also in the mentioned previous sessions.

"(Among others, see the 60th-65th sessions.)

"There are obviously many kinds of identities. Now in our last session I told you that our imaginary sender "A" does not transmit a given thought. He does not even send a exact duplicate. Action, the very action of transmission, alters the nature, the electrical reality of the thought itself. This is an extremely important point.

"Nor does the receiver receive the thought in the same condition. The thought, the original thought, is retained by A. A, however, forms a thought as nearly identical as his possibilities allow it to be. This he transmits to B. But B can't receive the thought in its present condition, for the act of receiving a thought also changes it. He forms a thought as nearly identical as possible, and interprets it."

Action

"Action can never be considered apart from that which is seemingly acted upon, for action becomes a part of structure. Action begins from within, and is a result of inner vitality inherent within all realities. Some action is always present. Action itself is not a thing alone. It is not an identity. Action is a dimension of existence.

"Action is a dimension arising out of existence.

"It cannot be considered separately. It may appear in many guises, due to the nature of the particular reality of which it is part, and it involves much more than motion. Action may be considered also simply as the spontaneous nature of the inner vitality toward various expressive materializations.

"There is no separate outside identity or force, such as "force"; the two words here are being used with different meanings. There is no separate force that causes action All of these points are extremely important, and if I speak slowly it is to insure words as nearly correct as possible. Action is perceivable in some cases, and not in others.

"Action is more like growth than force. It is a by-product of any reality, and a part of all reality. you should be able to see many implications here when you read this material over. Again, action involves more than movement, as you think of movement, for value fulfillment is action. A dream involves action. Not only the action within the dream, but the action of dreaming itself.

"You may here get a glimmering of the connection between certain types of action and distance, as I have mentioned it briefly. There is always action within action, and any reality or any experience is instantaneous action. Motion is the type of action with which your are most familiar, but motion attains its importance within the physical field only because of your particular outer senses. For much action is entirely unperceived by you, particularly on a conscious level.

"The continued existence of your physical body is determined by action, although consciously you are not aware of this most of the time. Action may not seem to be going any place. Action, by its nature, while part of every reality, necessarily changes that reality and forms from it a new reality. This should be obvious.

"There will be much more in this material when you read it, than you may at first realize. Action approximates as nearly as possible that portion of inner vitality or energy which cannot be completely materialized within any camouflage, within any plane. Action itself cannot be directly perceived for this reason. But its effects upon camouflage can often be perceived.

"This material is leading up to some future discussions, and the nature of action will be most important. Action is as valid whether the act is conscious and voluntary, or whether it occurs within a dream or within a thought. It is as much a reality either way. Again, it is not an outside force. It arises from within the inner vitality of which all camouflage is composed. To some degree it is a result of inner vitality's attempt to completely express itself in materializations, and its inability to do so.

"As yet your scientists and physicists have a very limited concept of action. Their laws concerning action and force will only apply within the physical field.

"Action is basically electrical, but within your field only the most obvious forms of electrical action have been perceived. In this one respect your technology has let you down, but the electrical manifestation of which I speak could not even be searched for or anticipated within your physical field, until the reality of man's psychic nature began to make itself known. And it is only now beginning to become apparent.

"Discovery of these other electrical realities will explain much that previously could not be explained. All realities with which you will be concerned, and with which mankind is intimately concerned, are built up electrically. A dream is as valid an electrical reality as a lightning bolt, the difference being that the lightning bolt projects itself into your awareness through the outer senses.

"We shall have to consider, later, colour as it appears in dreams, but this is not the time for such a discussion. Identities exist within dreams also, and here the same nature of identities applies as those given earlier. The laws of action also apply here in the dream reality.

"Action is not affected by time as you know it. Action also takes place within the spacious present. You may, however, only perceive parts of action in your time breakdown. Ideally, psychological time experiences will allow you to perceive action more clearly and directly. The ego attempts to control action by standing apart from it. Any such division is arbitrary, and in no way affects the nature of action itself. All that changes is your perception of it.

"By slowing down his perception of action, man imagines that he lengthens time. This of course is not the case. He merely succeeds in perceiving action as bits and pieces, and fights its flow On the one hand action is indeed simultaneous, yet in it all action is contained, for it occurs within the unlimited spacious present. In dreams action is given more freedom, and allowed to flow in a less hampered fashion.

"The result is an effect of more rather than less time, and in many cases the deepening of perspectives. Action does not occur along any given line or direction exclusively, though you may perceive its motion in only one direction. It is a portion of other dimensions. Here again consideration of dreams in terms of action should make this point fairly clear.

"In dreams also, where no space as you know it exists, you have complete freedom of space. When the ego gives up its hold upon what it considers control of action, then as in dreams almost any action is possible. And when the ego gives up its claim of space in a dream, all space is available.

"Action always involves change.

"Again, it may not involve motion in terms with which you usually refer. There are many kinds of motion, for example, that you do not perceive as motion within the physical field.

"Action tampers with identity, yet were it not for action identity would be impossible. It may, here, sound like a contradiction; but to remain an identity, an identity must completely renew itself, and each renewal is indeed a termination. Yet without the termination no new action on the part of the identity would be possible. And without action no identity can be aware of its own existence.

"Remember here, however, that by action we do not necessarily mean motion as you perceive it. Action is the breath of inner vitality, of which all materializations of any kind are composed. It represents, again, the relationship between unexpressed inner vitality and materialized vitality

"There is always an imbalance here that may of itself be termed action. It cannot be perceived as any one thing, for it is a relationship and a dimension. It can be perceived most directly, and with less distortion, in the dream state. For here it is allowed the freedom of itself. Here you have also the inner vitality that has not been materialized within the realm of material camouflage. You have the tendency of this inner vitality to materialize, and its inability to completely do so. In the dream state the tendency for this vitality to materialize meets with little resistance. Action within actions result, without physical space. Distances appear and are experienced as such. Action is much less limited. Rather, action itself is not less limited, but you can experience action with less limitations, for the ego which erects such limitations lets down its guard.

"I would suggest that this session and the last session be read over most carefully. For again, they will be used as a basis for further material."