The Human Personality

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 312

The Human Personality

Now.  To arrive at any real understanding of human personality several prerequisites must be met.

For one thing, you are not dealing with one linear self.  The self is indeed multidimensional, and the driving force behind the self does not reside in the ego or in what you refer to as the subconscious.

Any such divisions are of course arbitrary to begin with.  Practically speaking a self can be defined as an energy gestalt whose perceptions are organized under the auspices of apparent identity.

Now I mean this literally.  Reality is on the one hand the product of perception.  On the other hand that which is, is always present as the basis for any perception.  That which is perceives itself, you see.  The unitary self is basically an illusion and yet individuality is no illusion.

Diversity is a necessity even for that which is.  To some extent, that which is must always be lost within itself.  Lost in a multiplicity of numberless selves.  The selves are self-directing units, however.  As you know there are no limitations to any identity.  The limitations are illusions.  And yet the extent to which the illusions are shattered represents on your level the sparks of the expanding consciousness.

Until this is realized your psychology will raise more questions than it answers.  The basis for all experience is depth perception, and value fulfillment.  The self organizes data basically in a manner that psychology has not found.  The organization of such data is not simply the result of preadulthood tendencies, inclinations or experience.  Such tendencies are highly colored by previous existences, by past lives, and this prehistory, existing as the electromagnetic property of the whole self, is the blueprint which is followed by the structure of chromosomes.

That information, you see, will never be found in physical terms.  If such past memories are consciously recovered, as they have been, the closed mind of the academic psychologist will not see what he has, but will suppose the overworked imagination responsible.  A fully developed psychology will not exist until reincarnation is accepted as a fact.

Now, there is an overall personality pattern that is characteristic of each whole self, of which the reincarnated selves each give evidence.  There are particular and unique overall goals and abilities that the whole self strives for through these existences.  Any psychology worthy of the name must take this inner motivation into consideration.

The study of dreams has been held back immeasurably because past-life memories have been stubbornly ignored.  Reincarnational material usually discusses various existences as occurring one before the other.  I emphasize strongly once more that the concept of continuity in terms of time is highly erroneous.

In the spacious present there are no such terms.  Other selves, reincarnated within the physical system as physical creatures, experienced time as you do, as a series of moments strung out one before the other.  Memories in dreams and in the trance state are usually already censored.  As physical creatures alone you cannot remember the future.  Therefore only past lives are recalled.  In the dream state however what would appear to you as future lives are already familiar.  To the inner senses all of these existences are simultaneous.

Now.  Ruburt can learn much by observing his young students.

I told you at one time that birth was a greater shock than death.  Some personalities react strongly against the enforced dependency.  Others embrace it gladly.

The various reincarnated selves can be superficially regarded as portions of a whole crossword puzzle for they are all portions of the whole; and yet they can exist scattered from the whole, although their meaning is then diminished.  In the case of the whole self there is communication between various portions of the self.  Future and past selves mingle.  A thorough understanding of reincarnated existences are of benefit to the conscious present self.  Unexplained tendencies and inclinations then are seen as part of an overall pattern.

The physical brain as you know it is but the camouflage mechanism belonging to the physically oriented self.  In some cases, severe damage is done to the brain, and yet rationality continues.  In these cases the mind behind the brain operates as always.  When the individual is convinced that his activities are completely dependent upon the physical brain, then he is incapacitated almost completely by any injury to it.  The brain itself contains knowledge that comes through the inner senses, and this knowledge would simply not be available to it, if it were dependent upon physical data completely.

The Christian Concept of God

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 311

The Christian Concept of God

Now, there are some philosophical matters that I would like to clear.  Ruburt has been somewhat confused concerning some of these matters.  The conventional Christian concept of God has been in many ways a convenient one, and it carries with it many truths.  It is true, you see, while it is not true.

When you realize that this is a symbol only then you begin to see more and come closer to an understanding, not further away from an understanding.  There is no personal god-individual in Christian terms and yet you do have access to a portion of All That Is, that is highly attuned to you only above all others.

In this respect, you see, there is a personal god, if those are the words you use.  There is a portion of All That Is, that is directed and focused upon every individual consciousness.  A portion of All That Is resides within and is a part of every consciousness.  Every consciousness is therefore cherished and protected individually.  There are automatic electromagnetic connections that exist here.

One portion of All That Is, is instantly aware, for example, of your most insignificant and significant problems – of yours and yours alone.  This portion of overall consciousness is the portion that is individualized within you.

Now there is even something like the idea of a personality god, but hardly in the terms used by theologians.  The personality of God, as it is generally conceived is again a one-dimensional concept based upon man’s small knowledge of his own psychology.

Many of the old ideas of precivilization come closer to anything near the truth.  What you prefer to think of as God is basically and above all, indeed as I have said, an infinite energy gestalt; or pyramid consciousness.  It is aware of itself as being, for example, you, Joseph.  It is aware of itself as what seems to you as your own future and past selves.

It is aware of itself as the smallest seed, both those that grow and those that do not grow.  The personality of this gestalt is beyond comprehension at this point.  It is both demanding and compassionate.  The word, justice, is a human one, always implying punishment.  And it has nothing to do with the God concept.

While there is a portion of All That Is, that is aware of itself as you, for example, a portion that is indeed focused within your existence, whose energy is directed within you, and to whom you can call for help when necessary, there is also an overall god-personality that is aware of itself also as something that is more than the sum of its creations.  This is All That Is, in the deepest sense.

I am trying to make this as simple as possible.  The part of All That Is, that is aware of itself as you, is also aware of itself as something more than you.  This portion that knows itself as you and as more than you is the personal god, you see.  Again: This gestalt, this portion of All That Is, looks out for your interests and may be called upon in a personality manner.  But this portion is only a part, itself, of All That Is.

But, you see, even this overall pyramid gestalt is not static.  All or most concepts of a god deal with a static god and herein lies the main theological difficulties.  The awareness and experience of this overall gestalt constantly change and grow.  Again, there is no static god.  When you say, “This is God”, then God is already something else.  I am using the term God for simplicity’s sake.

All portions of All That Is are constantly changing and enfolding and unfolding.  All That Is, seeking to know itself, constantly creates new versions of itself.  For this seeking itself is a creative activity, and the core of all action.

Consciousness, seeking to know itself, therefore knows you.  You as consciousness, seek to know yourself, and to some extent or other, you become aware of your self as a distinct and individual portion of All That Is.  You not only draw upon this overall energy, but you do so automatically, for your existence is dependent upon it.

The extent of your realization of this fact is the extent of your freedom or vitality, fulfillment and power.  It should not be forgotten, however, that the ego is also a portion of All That Is, a highly specialized portion, enabling the inner self to manipulate and interpret particular conditions.  If the ego considers itself as the only self, then you are cut off to a large degree from the vitality and energy available.

The ego’s false ideas prevent it from accepting this energy, but once the ego is aware of its position as a portion of the self, then it should not be shunted aside, but can take its place.  It is sometimes referred to almost as if it stood entirely outside of basic reality.  It is, of course, within it also.

The ego, as you know it, will not always be necessary, you see, but a type of ego is a basis for individuality and will always be necessary.  An inner ego, of course, that contains various egos that have been or will be a portion of any given self – these egos and any ego organizes experience along various lines and ties experiences together with meaningful pattern.

The inner self or the whole personality consists of many such egos, as you know, but the inner self is also aware of itself as something more than the sum of its parts.  Now this something more than the sum of its parts is a curious phrase, but within it lies a key that can give you some small understanding of what God may be.

Again, the term God is used simply because it is an accepted term for the reality we are discussing.  That which knows itself, which experiences itself within many forms and yet knows itself as something apart from the total of its sums, that left-over, unexplainable remnant you see, can be thought of as original action, original consciousness, prime mover, or consciousness as distinct from its own creations, of which it is also part.

Now, this material is at best difficult to explain verbally.

You are yourself obviously an energy gestalt; as you become more fully conscious of reality your sense of identity will contain larger and larger aspects of reality.

Biologically all human beings, as you know them, have existed as the various cells of which a human image is composed.  This is very difficult to explain clearly.

I do not mean to imply, necessarily, progression here.  Theoretically, you see, you will one day be a fully conscious portion of the personal god to whom you may now pray.  By then, you see, you will be aware of further gestalts.

All portions of All That Is do not recognize themselves consciously as All That Is.  But know themselves mainly as individuals, not as the prime gestalt individual.  When realization is reached at the highest level, then All That Is instantly creates new realities, and to some extent, you see, loses the conscious knowledge of its own identity.

The loss is always temporary and self-generated.  This is quite enough on a difficult subject this evening.

Perceiving Probable Realities, Other Realities, And Survival Personalities

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 310

         

Perceiving Probable Realities, Other Realities, And Survival Personalities

I have a few matters to discuss here.  The probable realities of which I have spoken are separated from your own, not in terms of space but in terms of energy focus.  Survival personalities, as you term them, are not separated from you in space either, but in terms of energy focus.

You do not perceive them physically.  The direction of focus for them has changed.  In the case of probable realities the focus of energy has always been different from your own.  It is quite possible, as you should know, under certain circumstances, to contact survival personalities.  It is highly difficult however for you to contact your own probable personalities.

This is done to some extent in the dream state, but it is not a deliberate contact.  It is a spontaneous coming together.

These probable realities exist within what may be generally termed your own sphere of activity, your own plane.  There are many other realities that are far divorced from your own however.  Every thought, as I have told you, is an action and must seek to fulfill itself.  It is a fragment, therefore.  You are literally surrounded by other realities that you do not perceive consciously.  Some of these are perceived by the inner self, but all are not.

I can perceive much that you do not for example, but I hardly perceive all, and what I do perceive is but a fraction of All That Is.  Survival personalities exist both as they were and as they are.  This is an important point.  What they were still exists, and under certain conditions can be perceived.

What they are now, so to speak, also exists, and as something distinct and different from what they were.  The personality has experienced new realities since death, and is no longer precisely the person that was.  The person that was exists as a sort of psychological unit, however.  The person, the survival person that is, contains all that he was and more.

As his own experiences grow the previous earth experiences become less important and dreamlike, though they can be activated most vividly at any time.  When I speak in terms of continuity here, and before and after, I speak for simplicity’s sake only, since the survival personality that is, always existed, of course.

The psychedelic experience, or any mystical experience, is sometimes apt to put you in touch with what may seem to you to be a future self.  This self of course, again, always existed.  The inner self has the ability to delve beneath all your camouflage data to perceive these other reality systems.  For the fullest development however these perceptions must be made conscious.  Even the ego must become aware of them.

Psychedelic Experience And Our Multidimensional Personality Structure

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 309

Changes To The Ego Through Psychedelic Experiences

Now I will say more concerning the changes worked in the ego as a result of our sessions, and from the psychedelic experience in general.  The ego structure as such remains, of course.  The responsibility of dealing with manipulation within the physical universe remains, but in some respects the nature of this manipulation changes.  It becomes more direct: Physical properties are manipulated more and more on the mental level.

Many actual physical intervening steps are cut out.  The ego becomes more similar to the inner ego than to its old self, comparatively speaking.  This altered ego is aware of large portions of inner reality that were previously denied.  Structurally it remains intact, and yet it has changed chemically, and electromagnetically.  It is able to open up so that inner experience can be received.

In the past, for example, the ego accepted only knowledge that came through the senses through the physical surroundings.  Now it is open to inner data to a large degree.  Granted, certain interpretations must be made.  Nevertheless, once this freedom is achieved, the ego can never return to its former state.

The personality is more integrated, yet through its acceptance of inner data, the ego, to use the term lightly, has expanded.  It has not shrunk.  It is now composed of various elements from the whole personality.  Retaining its own consciousness of reality it can now afford to step out of itself momentarily in order to gain further experience.

Definition Of Ego

I have told you that the ego, generally speaking, is self-conscious action that attempts to set itself apart from action and to consider action as an alien object.  Now this altered ego retains its highly specialized self-consciousness, and yet it can now experience itself as an identity within and as a part of action.

This is a cornerstone for consciousness and for personality development.  It is only a first step, however.  Without it, no further development of consciousness can occur.  This particular step is not attained by all within your system.  You are at this point now.  This state has been called cosmic consciousness, but it is hardly that.

The next step is taken when identity is able to include within itself the intimate knowledge of all incarnations.  Yet in this state, the independence of the various reincarnated selves is not diminished.  Each of these steps of consciousness involves identity with the inner recognition of its whole identity with All That Is.

As each separate identity then seeks to know and experience its other portions then All That Is learns who and what it is.  Action never ceases its own exploration of itself.  All That Is can never know itself completely, since action must always act and each action creates a new unknown.

Action must then travel through itself from every conceivable point, and yet the journey, you see, itself being action, will create new paths.

Now, in dealing with such matters, I have to explain them from the standpoint of psychological structures with which you are familiar.  When your own projections improve and grow more frequent, it is at least possible, with your abilities, that you will come into contact with some different psychological structures, and then I can tell you more.

One thing you should know: action cannot stop.  It is powerless in this respect only.  It cannot destroy itself.  It can change form.  It often changes direction.  It is so many-dimensional that it must experience itself as individuals.  Individuality is a direct result of the overall oneness of this action.  Action is also a direct result of individual identities, for without these psychological dimensions, oneness could not multiply itself.

Our Multidimensional Psychological Structure

Other psychological structures beside your own have their being in realities you will find difficult to comprehend, even though they may be connected with your own, and you knowingly, may be part of them.  What you may term the reality of possibilities is an example.  There are many yous in that system, and each you is related psychologically in a personality structure.  The you that you know is a part of this.  In this system, all the other yous seem to exist in a probable reality.

To any of them, the others would seem to exist in a probable universe.  Yet all of you are psychologically connected.  This is literally endless.  All of you did not have the same parents, for example, and these are portions of probable situations existing in your own parents’ separate lives, as you think of their lives.

In two probable realities, your mother, for example, did not have children.  You do not exist in these.  In some she married but not the man you know as your father.  A psychological connection exists between the first son in that reality, and yourself.

In some probable systems, you and your mother would both exist, do both exist, but as compete strangers, you see.  Now these psychological connections are valid and not merely symbolically so.  This self that you know has also set up and initiated probable realities of its own.  I mean this literally, you see.  I want to make this clear.

Emotional charged feeling immediately sets up what you think of as a tangent.  It is expressed in some reality system.  This is the inner nature of action.  Those inner thoughts or desires, impulses not made physically real in your terms, will be made real within other systems.

Now, the inner self is psychologically influenced by these probable personalities, for they are all psychologically connected and represent a whole personality structure, a whole personality gestalt with which you as you know yourself are utterly unfamiliar.

Your psychologists are dealing with one-dimensional psychology at their best.  In the dream state, the portions of the larger structure sometimes communicate, in highly codified symbols.  It would be highly improbable to imagine that you could decipher these so as to be easily aware of them now.

There is even a certain feedback system that operates here, and yet you must understand that all of these other identities are independent and fully individual.  They exist in codified psychological structures within your personality, as you exist in the same manner within each of their personalities.

They remain latent within you and unexpressed within this system.  You have their abilities, unused.  You remain latent in their personality structures, and your main abilities are unused within their systems.  Yet all of you are a part of one self, you see, in a multidimensional psychological structure.

All action will be expressed.  Now to some degree you have a root nature, then, and many of your dreams will be similar.  You are far from identical with these probable selves, and yet if you had met them you would instantly know that you had found unknown portions of yourself.

Now, these do not represent more highly evolved selves, necessarily at all.  Certain abilities will be more developed in them than in you, but certain of your abilities are more developed than theirs.  In other words, I am not now speaking of portions of yourself that exist in your so-called future.

Each probable self you see also has future selves.  This multidimensional identity is a psychological structure with which we shall be dealing in our discussions.  The term includes the whole self as it consists of the self that you know, probable selves, reincarnated selves, and selves more highly developed that the self that you know.

These make up the basic identity structure of one whole self.  Again, this does not mean that the portions are not independent and individual.  Also, the divisions are arbitrary to a large degree, for they can indeed be carried further, for example, to the entity.

The psychedelic experience then represents a first necessary step, and that is all.