From Session 177 of Seth's Early Sessions:
"I may say that Buddhism does indeed come closer in essence to reality than other religions. However, the Buddhists either have not gone far enough, or have gone too far, according to your viewpoint.
"If they have gone too far, then they have been so concerned with inner reality that they have become too tolerant of physical disease and disasters. If they have not gone far enough, then they have not followed through sufficiently so that these physical disasters could truly be suffered without pain.
"They have the knowledge to a very large degree, but they have fallen short. It is one thing to realize that all physical matter is camouflage, and they know this. But this camouflage can be most disastrous if it is not manipulated correctly. You are in no position to ignore it. You are in a position to understand it and to use it.
"It is all very well for monks to utilize astral projection. It is all very well for them to skitter through space as if they were on pogo sticks; their knowledge is fundamental and good. The fact remains that millions of human beings who follow and practice Buddhism are told, as many religions tell their followers, "Better worlds are to come, so ignore this agony, and this hunger, and this pain, and the murder in the streets. Be in ecstasy while your belly bloats." This is not human, and it is far less than godly.
"There is a unity and there is a joy and there is an exaltation in all aspects of life and consciousness. It is not to any religion's benefit that people starve. There is nothing wrong with using spiritual knowledge in practical manners.
"Fulfillment, value fulfillment, implies fulfillment of all abilities and all potentials, including quite physical potentials. The pyramid gestalts of which I have spoken have experiences far beyond those of any human being. Yet they are concerned with the least, with the existence of the least among you.
"The fullest potentialities cannot be developed unless the physical aspects are also developed. Your job is to manipulate as well as you can within the physical universe, and to develop within it religious leaders of any denomination. Any leaders who restrict development along one level for the sake of development along other levels, betray their followers."
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Personality and Its Dreams (2)
From Session 174 of the Seth Early Sessions:
"I cannot stress too strongly the fact that mankind in general is aware of very little outside of physical reality.
"He has managed to organize physical reality because he focuses so intensely within it. His knowledge of other realities is limited however to infrequent glimpses. He perceives bits and pieces of other realities. As long as his perception in this manner is so disorganized and so fragmentary he cannot hope to compose any conception of the total.
"The nearest field of reality outside of the immediately physical one is the area of dreams. This field has been given very little study. It represents in many ways a meeting ground between psychic and physical existence. You realize here that the terms psychic and physical are merely designations used for the sake of convenience
"I have mentioned before that in its own way the dream universe is as permanent as the physical universe. Basically its structure is somewhat the same, in that it is composed of atoms and molecules. These particles however simply exist within a different perspective. The inner logic is much more consistent within the dream universe, and action is permitted greater freedom in several important respects.
"That interrelationship between the waking state and the sleeping state has never been clearly understood. One of the main differences between the waking and sleeping states is merely the almost complete change of focus that is involved. When you are using intellectual methods alone you will necessarily fall short in any study of the dream reality. Man is indeed his intellect, but he is much else besides.
"The intuitions must go hand in hand with the intellect. The intellect is useful in interpreting your data in terms that the ego can understand. The intuitions come close to mankind's source, and it is through the intuitions that information pertaining to the dream reality will come.
"The experience involved in learning to change your own focus of awareness will be most beneficial. It will even add to the beneficial nature of your own dreams. You do not have to sleep to dream. Every individual has had his daydreams, and here you can see more clearly this change of focus. I meant to mention this earlier. Ruburt can request levitation dreams, and he will have them.
"Now. If the basic personality is fairly well balanced, then this existence in the dream reality will reinforce his physical existence. The opposite will also hold true. you are involved in a juggling of realities. The dream reality is simply the nearest reality with which you are concerned outside of your physical preoccupation. It is necessary to see the personality as it operates within both realities if you are interested in viewing the personality as a whole. And even then unless you delve deeply you will fall short.
"Studies of space and distance as they are experienced in dreams will be helpful, and our material will indeed deal with such discussions. For investigation into the nature of space and time as they are experienced within the dream framework, will tell you more about the real nature of space and time than you can ever learn through studying their distorted appearances within physical reality. This will be most important to us.
"In normal memory you recall, obviously, but a slight percentage of your dreams, and usually these are from more surface levels.
"I would suggest that you tell yourselves that you will henceforth be able to remember dreams from the deeper levels of your personality, and you should find that you will be able to do so.
"You can also tell yourselves when you wish that you will give special attention to the nature of time and space, as these appear within your dreams. You will discover then upon awakening that many perceptions concerning time and space within the dream state will remain with you.
"As I mentioned, your psychological time experiences will also help you to investigate the nature of time and space to some degree.
"In this sort of investigation instructions then can be given before sleeping, and a portion of the self will indeed continue to work for you in this manner. You can indeed learn much concerning events; but what we are mainly concerned with here is the stuff of dreams, and the framework within which they have their existence.
"For the framework is the same framework in which you have your physical existence. We will make you investigators even in your sleep; and you can see now how your very investigations are bound to change the nature of your dreams themselves. Only in this case nothing will be lost, and much gained. It is unfortunate that medical men who deal with the mind as a specialty have not thought of some of these connections more thoroughly.
"Many problems could be worked out in the dream state. Dependency feelings that are overwhelming could be given freer and safer expression, if the patient had the suggestion given to him that he would dream of himself in dependent positions. He could then behave in the physical environment with greater confidence. He could to some extent have his cake and eat it too.
"For once more, to the basic personality an experience is important according to its vividness or significance on an intimate basis. The personality does not differentiate between a waking or a sleeping experience in any real manner. This also is not clearly understood. Dream therapy could offer great advantages, but here again it could be dangerous in the hands of unscrupulous or rigid personalities.
"The rigidity of a personality is its downfall. We will have some sessions dealing with dream therapy. Through such therapy actions would be allowed greater spontaneity, and channels would not be clogged by impeding actions to any great degree. Dream therapy would actually involve no more than lending a helping hand to a phenomena that already occurs.
"Both psychological and physical illnesses could be largely avoided in such a manner. Rather harmlessly, aggressive tendencies could also be given freedom. The individual involved would experience the aggressiveness, and yet he would hurt no one. Suggestions could even be given so that he learned to understand his own aggressiveness through watching himself in the dream state.
"This is not as farfetched as it might seem. Much seemingly erratic antisocial behavior could be avoided through such dream therapy. I will even say that crimes of the grossest sort could be prevented. The desired but feared actions would not then gather up toward an explosion. The habitual, overly-aggressive or overly-dependent tendencies would not result in habitual aggressive or dependent behavior, for each individual action would be harmlessly expressed.
"If I may indulge in a fantasy, theoretically you could indeed imagine a massive experiment in dream therapy, where wars were fought by the sleeping and not by the waking nations. We will discuss this whole question very thoroughly, as I have been leading up to it for a while.
"I am not suggesting that you substitute dream reality for your so-called waking reality. I am mainly suggesting that the two can reinforce each other to a larger degree than you recognize. Also it is difficult for you to accept the idea that experience within dreams is as vivid and valid a part of the personality as its waking experience.
"The inner ego is quite capable of dealing with both types of experience, and it is of course to this inner ego that your own suggestions will make sense, and be acted upon.
"There are however many considerations here that must be understood.
"We can only begin to discuss them this evening. They are vital and must not be overlooked. When or if, for example, aggressiveness is the problem, then the preliminary suggestion should include a statement that in the dream the aggression will be harmlessly acted out, and not directed against a particular individual.
"The subconscious is quite capable of handling the situation in such a manner. This may seem like a double censure, but it is in all cases the intangible element, the aggressiveness itself, that is important, and not the person or persons toward whom the individual may decide to vent the aggressiveness.
"When the aggressiveness is released, then there will be no need for a victim. We do not want, in other words, to direct an individual to dream about a situation in which he is attacking a particular individual. There are many reasons for this, both telepathic realities which you do not as yet understand, and guilt patterns which would be unavoidable. This again is vital, and we shall discuss such matters to some degree.
"Again, we are not attempting to substitute dream action for physical action, generally speaking. We are talking about specific problems that may arise that need treatment. As far as general practice is concerned, we will deal with our dreams in a much more positive and constructive manner, along the lines of expectation.
"Problem solving will also come under this classification, where solutions are being sought. In our discussion of dependency and aggression I was speaking of potentially dangerous situations, in which an individual shows signs of being unable to cope with these psychological actions through ordinary methods of adaptation. No one can deny that a war fought by dreaming men, at specified times, would be less harmful than a physical war, to return to my flight of fancy.
"There would still be repercussions, however, though less disastrous, that would be unavoidable. For again, basically the personality does not differentiate between a waking and a sleeping experience. The importance of any experience is judged by the personality according to its personal vividness and significance. It is only the ego who makes other distinctions."
"I cannot stress too strongly the fact that mankind in general is aware of very little outside of physical reality.
"He has managed to organize physical reality because he focuses so intensely within it. His knowledge of other realities is limited however to infrequent glimpses. He perceives bits and pieces of other realities. As long as his perception in this manner is so disorganized and so fragmentary he cannot hope to compose any conception of the total.
"The nearest field of reality outside of the immediately physical one is the area of dreams. This field has been given very little study. It represents in many ways a meeting ground between psychic and physical existence. You realize here that the terms psychic and physical are merely designations used for the sake of convenience
"I have mentioned before that in its own way the dream universe is as permanent as the physical universe. Basically its structure is somewhat the same, in that it is composed of atoms and molecules. These particles however simply exist within a different perspective. The inner logic is much more consistent within the dream universe, and action is permitted greater freedom in several important respects.
"That interrelationship between the waking state and the sleeping state has never been clearly understood. One of the main differences between the waking and sleeping states is merely the almost complete change of focus that is involved. When you are using intellectual methods alone you will necessarily fall short in any study of the dream reality. Man is indeed his intellect, but he is much else besides.
"The intuitions must go hand in hand with the intellect. The intellect is useful in interpreting your data in terms that the ego can understand. The intuitions come close to mankind's source, and it is through the intuitions that information pertaining to the dream reality will come.
"The experience involved in learning to change your own focus of awareness will be most beneficial. It will even add to the beneficial nature of your own dreams. You do not have to sleep to dream. Every individual has had his daydreams, and here you can see more clearly this change of focus. I meant to mention this earlier. Ruburt can request levitation dreams, and he will have them.
"Now. If the basic personality is fairly well balanced, then this existence in the dream reality will reinforce his physical existence. The opposite will also hold true. you are involved in a juggling of realities. The dream reality is simply the nearest reality with which you are concerned outside of your physical preoccupation. It is necessary to see the personality as it operates within both realities if you are interested in viewing the personality as a whole. And even then unless you delve deeply you will fall short.
"Studies of space and distance as they are experienced in dreams will be helpful, and our material will indeed deal with such discussions. For investigation into the nature of space and time as they are experienced within the dream framework, will tell you more about the real nature of space and time than you can ever learn through studying their distorted appearances within physical reality. This will be most important to us.
"In normal memory you recall, obviously, but a slight percentage of your dreams, and usually these are from more surface levels.
"I would suggest that you tell yourselves that you will henceforth be able to remember dreams from the deeper levels of your personality, and you should find that you will be able to do so.
"You can also tell yourselves when you wish that you will give special attention to the nature of time and space, as these appear within your dreams. You will discover then upon awakening that many perceptions concerning time and space within the dream state will remain with you.
"As I mentioned, your psychological time experiences will also help you to investigate the nature of time and space to some degree.
"In this sort of investigation instructions then can be given before sleeping, and a portion of the self will indeed continue to work for you in this manner. You can indeed learn much concerning events; but what we are mainly concerned with here is the stuff of dreams, and the framework within which they have their existence.
"For the framework is the same framework in which you have your physical existence. We will make you investigators even in your sleep; and you can see now how your very investigations are bound to change the nature of your dreams themselves. Only in this case nothing will be lost, and much gained. It is unfortunate that medical men who deal with the mind as a specialty have not thought of some of these connections more thoroughly.
"Many problems could be worked out in the dream state. Dependency feelings that are overwhelming could be given freer and safer expression, if the patient had the suggestion given to him that he would dream of himself in dependent positions. He could then behave in the physical environment with greater confidence. He could to some extent have his cake and eat it too.
"For once more, to the basic personality an experience is important according to its vividness or significance on an intimate basis. The personality does not differentiate between a waking or a sleeping experience in any real manner. This also is not clearly understood. Dream therapy could offer great advantages, but here again it could be dangerous in the hands of unscrupulous or rigid personalities.
"The rigidity of a personality is its downfall. We will have some sessions dealing with dream therapy. Through such therapy actions would be allowed greater spontaneity, and channels would not be clogged by impeding actions to any great degree. Dream therapy would actually involve no more than lending a helping hand to a phenomena that already occurs.
"Both psychological and physical illnesses could be largely avoided in such a manner. Rather harmlessly, aggressive tendencies could also be given freedom. The individual involved would experience the aggressiveness, and yet he would hurt no one. Suggestions could even be given so that he learned to understand his own aggressiveness through watching himself in the dream state.
"This is not as farfetched as it might seem. Much seemingly erratic antisocial behavior could be avoided through such dream therapy. I will even say that crimes of the grossest sort could be prevented. The desired but feared actions would not then gather up toward an explosion. The habitual, overly-aggressive or overly-dependent tendencies would not result in habitual aggressive or dependent behavior, for each individual action would be harmlessly expressed.
"If I may indulge in a fantasy, theoretically you could indeed imagine a massive experiment in dream therapy, where wars were fought by the sleeping and not by the waking nations. We will discuss this whole question very thoroughly, as I have been leading up to it for a while.
"I am not suggesting that you substitute dream reality for your so-called waking reality. I am mainly suggesting that the two can reinforce each other to a larger degree than you recognize. Also it is difficult for you to accept the idea that experience within dreams is as vivid and valid a part of the personality as its waking experience.
"The inner ego is quite capable of dealing with both types of experience, and it is of course to this inner ego that your own suggestions will make sense, and be acted upon.
"There are however many considerations here that must be understood.
"We can only begin to discuss them this evening. They are vital and must not be overlooked. When or if, for example, aggressiveness is the problem, then the preliminary suggestion should include a statement that in the dream the aggression will be harmlessly acted out, and not directed against a particular individual.
"The subconscious is quite capable of handling the situation in such a manner. This may seem like a double censure, but it is in all cases the intangible element, the aggressiveness itself, that is important, and not the person or persons toward whom the individual may decide to vent the aggressiveness.
"When the aggressiveness is released, then there will be no need for a victim. We do not want, in other words, to direct an individual to dream about a situation in which he is attacking a particular individual. There are many reasons for this, both telepathic realities which you do not as yet understand, and guilt patterns which would be unavoidable. This again is vital, and we shall discuss such matters to some degree.
"Again, we are not attempting to substitute dream action for physical action, generally speaking. We are talking about specific problems that may arise that need treatment. As far as general practice is concerned, we will deal with our dreams in a much more positive and constructive manner, along the lines of expectation.
"Problem solving will also come under this classification, where solutions are being sought. In our discussion of dependency and aggression I was speaking of potentially dangerous situations, in which an individual shows signs of being unable to cope with these psychological actions through ordinary methods of adaptation. No one can deny that a war fought by dreaming men, at specified times, would be less harmful than a physical war, to return to my flight of fancy.
"There would still be repercussions, however, though less disastrous, that would be unavoidable. For again, basically the personality does not differentiate between a waking and a sleeping experience. The importance of any experience is judged by the personality according to its personal vividness and significance. It is only the ego who makes other distinctions."
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The Personality and Its Dreams
From Session 173 in Volume 4 of The Early Sessions of the Seth Material:
"I will ... begin a discussion concerning the personality and its relationship to those dreams which it creates.
"We have discussed this subject to some degree. However we have not begun a study in depth. It is now time for us to do so. The personality as you know is composed of energy gestalts. The dreams created by the personality can be considered therefore as a part of the changing personality. We are speaking here in one context only, for we know that the dream universe is also to some extent independent of personality.
"In this particular context however the dream world will be considered in its relationship to the personality. In many ways the dream universe does operate within this context, and is part of the personality framework. As the personality is changed by any experience or any action, so it is changed by its own dreams. Here again we see how energy or action operates within itself. We can even trace the actions and interactions.
"As a personality is molded by his exterior circumstances, so is he also molded by the dreams that he creates, and which help to form his interior or psychic environment. To the whole self there is little differentiation made between actions that are of an exterior nature, and actions that are of an interior nature. While the ego makes these distinctions, the basic core of the personality does not do so.
"A particularly vivid dream is every bit as real to the inner self as a vivid psychological experience that occurs within the waking state. It is important here that we realize that as far as the basic self is concerned no distinctions are made in this respect. The personality creates its dreams; the dreams are then experienced. The experience is indelibly recorded, and then changes the personality, again, in the same manner that any experience would.
"The individual therefore reacts to his interior environment or psychic environment in the same way that he reacts to his physical situation. And as he changes his physical situation through reacting to it, so he changes his interior or psychic situation as he reacts to it.
"It goes without saying that the dream universe is every bit as real to the inner self as the physical universe is to the conscious egotistical self. The physical universe is relatively as unimportant to the inner self as the dream universe appears to be to the egotistical self.
"The core of the self is obviously aware of all realities to some extent. If portions of the self did not coincide then it would be impossible for the whole personality to ever operate as a unit. Here we simply have spirals, so to speak, of ever-moving actions that compose the whole self. But portions of these spirals coincide, and in this analogy the spirals of action not only have those dimensions which you understand, but other dimensions with which you are not yet familiar.
"The designations put upon these units of action are highly artificial, and represent limitations that are quite arbitrary. We mentioned in an earlier session something to this effect, in that you simply perceive a small portion of such action, label it as a unit, can perceive no further, and so suppose that what you see or perceive is all there is to see or perceive.
"The self is limitless. Where your perceptions fail, boundaries seem to appear. This has much to do with your conception of the reality of dreams, for it appears to you that dreams cease when you are no longer aware of them. Another portion of the self however is aware of them.
"On one level the personality does attempt to solve problems through dream construction.
"In many cases these problems are not those belonging to the ego, but to other layers of the self. We spoke in a fairly recent session of illnesses as impeding actions.
"In dreams the personality first attempts to solve many problems, and to give freedom to actions that cannot be adequately expressed within the confines of the physical universe.
"If the personality handles his dream activities capably, then the problem action finds release. When the ego is too rigid, it will even attempt to censor dreams. When the personality in general is too rigid, freedom of action is not entirely permitted even in the dream state.
"When this solution fails the impeding action will then materialize as a physical illness, or as an undesirable psychological condition. The dream experience however is much more richly varied than you suppose. There are ways which we shall discuss that will enable a personality to deal more effectively with the dream situation, and to use it more effectively with the dream situation, and to use it more effectively.
"This is a rather simplified explanation. Consider however a situation in which the personality needs to express dependency, but feels that such an expression is not possible within his waking experience. If he is able to dream in such a manner that he can construct dream dramas in which he plays a dependent part, then the action is satisfied.
"In many instances this is exactly what happens. The individual would not of course as a rule remember such a dream on a conscious level. Psychologically however the experience would be completely valid, and the dependency therefore expressed.
"Dreams can be interpreted as you know from many viewpoints, since their reality exists within various aspects of actuality. The dream experience itself, and I cannot stress this too strongly, is as real as any experience to the basic self. It follows that instructions may be given to the self, so that various problems can be solved within the dream situation.
"The solution may or may not be given to the consciousness. In many instances this would not be necessary. The inner ego of which we have spoken is the director of such unifying activities, and while the inner ego is mainly concerned with inner reality, it is also aware of physical existence.
"The inner ego is indeed the "I" of your dreams, having somewhat the same sort of position within the inner self as the ego itself has to the physical self. Actions however merge within the inner ego. The scope of awareness is more complex. We will at a later time discuss this inner ego in connection with the dream situation and health.
"Dream dramas are not nebulous theater-like productions. Their own dimensions, in their way, are every bit as valid as those of waking life. They are as coherent. They affect the self sometimes to an even greater degree. The dream personalities are indeed fragments, projections of the self, all working out various roles, seeking various experiences, searching for solutions and gratifications.
"These dream personalities or fragments indeed have their own consciousness. They are as unaware, and as aware, of you as you are of them. They exist once you have created them. No action can be withdrawn. It must complete its nature according to the dimensions in which it exists, and so the dream personalities or fragments continue to exist whether or not you are aware of them.
"The inner ego however is to some degree still familiar with their activities. Solutions found by these dream personalities are automatically picked up by the inner ego, and transmitted to the various levels of the self. The dream world changes as the personality changes, so that it is always a part of the mobile personality framework.
"It is always within this framework, but not always does it maintain the same relative position within it. The stability of the personality depends in some degree upon the effectiveness with which it handles and manipulates these dream situations. It is realized that the personality manipulates within the physical universe, but the fact is not generally accepted that similar manipulations must be made within this dream universe.
"Much work has been done in the attempt to interpret dreams. None, or very little, has been done to control dreams, or to control the direction of activity within dreams.
"Upon proper suggestion the personality will work out specific problems in the dream state, as earlier mentioned. If the solution is not clear to the ego, this does not mean that the solution has not been found, necessarily. There may even be instances where it is not only unnecessary but undesirable that the ego be familiar with such a solution.
"This problem-solving aspect of dreams is rather important, and can be utilized with rather impressive practical results. We are merely beginning to scratch the surface here in this discussion, and we will devote a number of sessions to it. We have spoken about the importance of expectation. With practice dream activities can also be directed in this direction.
"(For some material on expectation see the following sessions, among others: 79, 135, 157, 158, 159, 160, 163, 164, 169, in Volumes 2,3, and 4.)
"Dreams do express a personality's basic reality. Negative dreams tend to reinforce the negative aspects of the personality, helping to form vicious circles of unfortunate complications. Upon suggestion dream actions can be turned toward fulfilling constructive expectations, which can themselves effect a definite change for the better in the personality involved.
"I am speaking now of general circumstances, since there are occasions when negative actions seek expression quite legitimately, and without any danger to the personality involved. We will have much more to say concerning these connections between dream actions and the balanced personality. Again, there are many ways in which dreams can be used beneficially, and with deliberation.
... "Do you have any questions?
"("Do you dream?")
"I do dream, but not necessarily while in a sleeping state. I am conscious of these actions that occur within the psychological framework of my personality. Theoretically the human personality can, or could, be conscious of dreams even while he was in a waking state. Practically however this does not appear to be of benefit, nor does it seem to occur.
"The human personality within the physical system cannot juggle realities with any ease."
"I will ... begin a discussion concerning the personality and its relationship to those dreams which it creates.
"We have discussed this subject to some degree. However we have not begun a study in depth. It is now time for us to do so. The personality as you know is composed of energy gestalts. The dreams created by the personality can be considered therefore as a part of the changing personality. We are speaking here in one context only, for we know that the dream universe is also to some extent independent of personality.
"In this particular context however the dream world will be considered in its relationship to the personality. In many ways the dream universe does operate within this context, and is part of the personality framework. As the personality is changed by any experience or any action, so it is changed by its own dreams. Here again we see how energy or action operates within itself. We can even trace the actions and interactions.
"As a personality is molded by his exterior circumstances, so is he also molded by the dreams that he creates, and which help to form his interior or psychic environment. To the whole self there is little differentiation made between actions that are of an exterior nature, and actions that are of an interior nature. While the ego makes these distinctions, the basic core of the personality does not do so.
"A particularly vivid dream is every bit as real to the inner self as a vivid psychological experience that occurs within the waking state. It is important here that we realize that as far as the basic self is concerned no distinctions are made in this respect. The personality creates its dreams; the dreams are then experienced. The experience is indelibly recorded, and then changes the personality, again, in the same manner that any experience would.
"The individual therefore reacts to his interior environment or psychic environment in the same way that he reacts to his physical situation. And as he changes his physical situation through reacting to it, so he changes his interior or psychic situation as he reacts to it.
"It goes without saying that the dream universe is every bit as real to the inner self as the physical universe is to the conscious egotistical self. The physical universe is relatively as unimportant to the inner self as the dream universe appears to be to the egotistical self.
"The core of the self is obviously aware of all realities to some extent. If portions of the self did not coincide then it would be impossible for the whole personality to ever operate as a unit. Here we simply have spirals, so to speak, of ever-moving actions that compose the whole self. But portions of these spirals coincide, and in this analogy the spirals of action not only have those dimensions which you understand, but other dimensions with which you are not yet familiar.
"The designations put upon these units of action are highly artificial, and represent limitations that are quite arbitrary. We mentioned in an earlier session something to this effect, in that you simply perceive a small portion of such action, label it as a unit, can perceive no further, and so suppose that what you see or perceive is all there is to see or perceive.
"The self is limitless. Where your perceptions fail, boundaries seem to appear. This has much to do with your conception of the reality of dreams, for it appears to you that dreams cease when you are no longer aware of them. Another portion of the self however is aware of them.
"On one level the personality does attempt to solve problems through dream construction.
"In many cases these problems are not those belonging to the ego, but to other layers of the self. We spoke in a fairly recent session of illnesses as impeding actions.
"In dreams the personality first attempts to solve many problems, and to give freedom to actions that cannot be adequately expressed within the confines of the physical universe.
"If the personality handles his dream activities capably, then the problem action finds release. When the ego is too rigid, it will even attempt to censor dreams. When the personality in general is too rigid, freedom of action is not entirely permitted even in the dream state.
"When this solution fails the impeding action will then materialize as a physical illness, or as an undesirable psychological condition. The dream experience however is much more richly varied than you suppose. There are ways which we shall discuss that will enable a personality to deal more effectively with the dream situation, and to use it more effectively with the dream situation, and to use it more effectively.
"This is a rather simplified explanation. Consider however a situation in which the personality needs to express dependency, but feels that such an expression is not possible within his waking experience. If he is able to dream in such a manner that he can construct dream dramas in which he plays a dependent part, then the action is satisfied.
"In many instances this is exactly what happens. The individual would not of course as a rule remember such a dream on a conscious level. Psychologically however the experience would be completely valid, and the dependency therefore expressed.
"Dreams can be interpreted as you know from many viewpoints, since their reality exists within various aspects of actuality. The dream experience itself, and I cannot stress this too strongly, is as real as any experience to the basic self. It follows that instructions may be given to the self, so that various problems can be solved within the dream situation.
"The solution may or may not be given to the consciousness. In many instances this would not be necessary. The inner ego of which we have spoken is the director of such unifying activities, and while the inner ego is mainly concerned with inner reality, it is also aware of physical existence.
"The inner ego is indeed the "I" of your dreams, having somewhat the same sort of position within the inner self as the ego itself has to the physical self. Actions however merge within the inner ego. The scope of awareness is more complex. We will at a later time discuss this inner ego in connection with the dream situation and health.
"Dream dramas are not nebulous theater-like productions. Their own dimensions, in their way, are every bit as valid as those of waking life. They are as coherent. They affect the self sometimes to an even greater degree. The dream personalities are indeed fragments, projections of the self, all working out various roles, seeking various experiences, searching for solutions and gratifications.
"These dream personalities or fragments indeed have their own consciousness. They are as unaware, and as aware, of you as you are of them. They exist once you have created them. No action can be withdrawn. It must complete its nature according to the dimensions in which it exists, and so the dream personalities or fragments continue to exist whether or not you are aware of them.
"The inner ego however is to some degree still familiar with their activities. Solutions found by these dream personalities are automatically picked up by the inner ego, and transmitted to the various levels of the self. The dream world changes as the personality changes, so that it is always a part of the mobile personality framework.
"It is always within this framework, but not always does it maintain the same relative position within it. The stability of the personality depends in some degree upon the effectiveness with which it handles and manipulates these dream situations. It is realized that the personality manipulates within the physical universe, but the fact is not generally accepted that similar manipulations must be made within this dream universe.
"Much work has been done in the attempt to interpret dreams. None, or very little, has been done to control dreams, or to control the direction of activity within dreams.
"Upon proper suggestion the personality will work out specific problems in the dream state, as earlier mentioned. If the solution is not clear to the ego, this does not mean that the solution has not been found, necessarily. There may even be instances where it is not only unnecessary but undesirable that the ego be familiar with such a solution.
"This problem-solving aspect of dreams is rather important, and can be utilized with rather impressive practical results. We are merely beginning to scratch the surface here in this discussion, and we will devote a number of sessions to it. We have spoken about the importance of expectation. With practice dream activities can also be directed in this direction.
"(For some material on expectation see the following sessions, among others: 79, 135, 157, 158, 159, 160, 163, 164, 169, in Volumes 2,3, and 4.)
"Dreams do express a personality's basic reality. Negative dreams tend to reinforce the negative aspects of the personality, helping to form vicious circles of unfortunate complications. Upon suggestion dream actions can be turned toward fulfilling constructive expectations, which can themselves effect a definite change for the better in the personality involved.
"I am speaking now of general circumstances, since there are occasions when negative actions seek expression quite legitimately, and without any danger to the personality involved. We will have much more to say concerning these connections between dream actions and the balanced personality. Again, there are many ways in which dreams can be used beneficially, and with deliberation.
... "Do you have any questions?
"("Do you dream?")
"I do dream, but not necessarily while in a sleeping state. I am conscious of these actions that occur within the psychological framework of my personality. Theoretically the human personality can, or could, be conscious of dreams even while he was in a waking state. Practically however this does not appear to be of benefit, nor does it seem to occur.
"The human personality within the physical system cannot juggle realities with any ease."
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Personality As Motion In The Spacious Present
From Sessions 166 and 167 of Seth's Early Sessions:
Session 166
Personality Never Isolated
"... the personality cannot be considered alone, but it must be thought of in its relationship to action and to all those aspects of reality of which it is a part.
"When it accepts an illness as a part of its own self-image, then the illness becomes an actual part of the reality that is the self. The personality must therefore be considered as a biological reality. It must be considered as an electrical reality, as a psychological reality, for any experience is automatically translated into all these systems."
Session 167
Personality As Motion In The Spacious Present
"The personality must always be considered as motion, for no aspects of it are ever still.
"With the exception of the ego, the various parts of the personality do not react to time as a series of moments. All is experienced as present. The child therefore within the adult personality is not dead, nor are his reactions considered, basically, as reactions which are part of a past behaviour pattern; but these reactions exist side by side with adult reactions.
"This should be clearly understood, yet the personality is far from static. But what it was always changes, but that which was is always taken along.
"That which was is constantly taken into what you call the present. The ego may choose to use or not use various reactions It may reject various reactions as a part of the past, for it is the ego alone who is concerned with past, present and future. The ego's denial of a reaction however does not cause the reaction to disappear from within the personality, at least as part of possible pattern reaction.
"Many reactions, many patterns or reactions, are rejected by the ego upon some occasions and accepted upon other occasions, but as a rule such alternate behaviour is annoying to the ego itself. The ego deals with cause and effect, and often denies particular reactions because it decides that they are not effective. The ego is fairly rigid, comparatively speaking. Rationalization is one method by which the ego justifies its acceptance of a reaction which it once rejected as ineffective.
"Such alternative reactions frighten the ego because they seem to injure the ego's self-image. Yet all characteristic reactions, whether denied by the ego or not, are kept for use as alternative actions. In many cases actions unacceptable to the ego may be precisely those actions that are necessary for whole other areas of the personality. When too many actions are restricted by the ego, they may begin to form impulse patterns or groupings of various rejected impulses. These then adhere through attraction, and attempt to find expression regardless of the ego's attempts to restrict expression.
"The ego must act therefore as a director of activity in the personality's relationships with the physical environment. The ego is concerned with purposeful action. However when the ego is too restrictive its conception of purposeful action becomes so narrow that many legitimate and necessary impulses are dammed up, forming these rejected action patterns.
"As the number of rejected impulses grows, more and more energy is of course concentrated in this area, the energy that is inherent within the impulses themselves. This sort of grouping together of rejected impulses will occur mainly when the ego's restrictions are too severe, so hampering that very deep and basic needs of the whole personality are being denied expression. It is therefore for the benefit of the whole personality that these impulses be given expression.
"In many instances the ego then feels a lessening of available energy and a definite shortage of energy may occur, so that the ego finds it more difficult to handle its relationships with the outside environment.
"It feels the concentration of energy that has collected to form the rejected action patterns, and indeed it may feel that this unified rejection pattern is then even an enemy to its own superiority. It may, with more force than ever, attempt to hold back the expression of these impulses, and its fear of them grows.
"The rejected action patterns, however, will find outlet. The nature of the outlet will be the result of the nature of the particular action patterns themselves. The quality of the outlet will depend upon the intensity of these patterns, and the necessity or the degree of necessity, for their expression. Unless some adjustments are made at this point, the ego will have nothing to say with the direction that these patterns may take, simply because it will not accept their legitimacy.
"The strength of the ego of course is also a factor here. If the ego is not a particularly strong one to begin with however, the conflict will seldom reach these proportions. Instead the ego will merely be slightly surprised at behaviour which it does not condone, but eventually will accept because it has been forced to recognize its reality.
"When the ego is a very rigid one however, it will not accept the reality of these rejected patterns so easily, and according to the nature of its rigidity it may restrict so many areas of activity that the inside action, or the inside impetus for expression, almost equally balances the ego force itself.
"As this point is reached the ego obviously becomes more disturbed. In very few cases however does the conflict reach this sort of proportion. A lack of communication between the ego and the inner self is obviously one of the main causes for such difficulties."
Session 166
Personality Never Isolated
"... the personality cannot be considered alone, but it must be thought of in its relationship to action and to all those aspects of reality of which it is a part.
"When it accepts an illness as a part of its own self-image, then the illness becomes an actual part of the reality that is the self. The personality must therefore be considered as a biological reality. It must be considered as an electrical reality, as a psychological reality, for any experience is automatically translated into all these systems."
Session 167
Personality As Motion In The Spacious Present
"The personality must always be considered as motion, for no aspects of it are ever still.
"With the exception of the ego, the various parts of the personality do not react to time as a series of moments. All is experienced as present. The child therefore within the adult personality is not dead, nor are his reactions considered, basically, as reactions which are part of a past behaviour pattern; but these reactions exist side by side with adult reactions.
"This should be clearly understood, yet the personality is far from static. But what it was always changes, but that which was is always taken along.
"That which was is constantly taken into what you call the present. The ego may choose to use or not use various reactions It may reject various reactions as a part of the past, for it is the ego alone who is concerned with past, present and future. The ego's denial of a reaction however does not cause the reaction to disappear from within the personality, at least as part of possible pattern reaction.
"Many reactions, many patterns or reactions, are rejected by the ego upon some occasions and accepted upon other occasions, but as a rule such alternate behaviour is annoying to the ego itself. The ego deals with cause and effect, and often denies particular reactions because it decides that they are not effective. The ego is fairly rigid, comparatively speaking. Rationalization is one method by which the ego justifies its acceptance of a reaction which it once rejected as ineffective.
"Such alternative reactions frighten the ego because they seem to injure the ego's self-image. Yet all characteristic reactions, whether denied by the ego or not, are kept for use as alternative actions. In many cases actions unacceptable to the ego may be precisely those actions that are necessary for whole other areas of the personality. When too many actions are restricted by the ego, they may begin to form impulse patterns or groupings of various rejected impulses. These then adhere through attraction, and attempt to find expression regardless of the ego's attempts to restrict expression.
"The ego must act therefore as a director of activity in the personality's relationships with the physical environment. The ego is concerned with purposeful action. However when the ego is too restrictive its conception of purposeful action becomes so narrow that many legitimate and necessary impulses are dammed up, forming these rejected action patterns.
"As the number of rejected impulses grows, more and more energy is of course concentrated in this area, the energy that is inherent within the impulses themselves. This sort of grouping together of rejected impulses will occur mainly when the ego's restrictions are too severe, so hampering that very deep and basic needs of the whole personality are being denied expression. It is therefore for the benefit of the whole personality that these impulses be given expression.
"In many instances the ego then feels a lessening of available energy and a definite shortage of energy may occur, so that the ego finds it more difficult to handle its relationships with the outside environment.
"It feels the concentration of energy that has collected to form the rejected action patterns, and indeed it may feel that this unified rejection pattern is then even an enemy to its own superiority. It may, with more force than ever, attempt to hold back the expression of these impulses, and its fear of them grows.
"The rejected action patterns, however, will find outlet. The nature of the outlet will be the result of the nature of the particular action patterns themselves. The quality of the outlet will depend upon the intensity of these patterns, and the necessity or the degree of necessity, for their expression. Unless some adjustments are made at this point, the ego will have nothing to say with the direction that these patterns may take, simply because it will not accept their legitimacy.
"The strength of the ego of course is also a factor here. If the ego is not a particularly strong one to begin with however, the conflict will seldom reach these proportions. Instead the ego will merely be slightly surprised at behaviour which it does not condone, but eventually will accept because it has been forced to recognize its reality.
"When the ego is a very rigid one however, it will not accept the reality of these rejected patterns so easily, and according to the nature of its rigidity it may restrict so many areas of activity that the inside action, or the inside impetus for expression, almost equally balances the ego force itself.
"As this point is reached the ego obviously becomes more disturbed. In very few cases however does the conflict reach this sort of proportion. A lack of communication between the ego and the inner self is obviously one of the main causes for such difficulties."
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Human Personality - Action and Ego
From Seth Session 165:
"I would like to continue with our discussion concerning the nature of the human personality in its relationship to action, and in connection with the matter of illness and health in general.
... "It must be thoroughly understood that under no circumstances is the personality a static or motionless construction. It is, instead, a collection of spontaneous actions. Only when it is viewed in this perspective can you begin to understand how it forms its own health. All basic adjustments to the personality, in a basic manner, must come from within, through regroupings of characteristic actions about unifying principles.
"The personality itself exists in many dimensions, as you know, and it has its reality within many other fields than the physical field, and is indeed basically not nearly as allied with the physical field as you may imagine. These unifying principles of which I spoke are themselves main, dominating groups of actions, about which the main energies of the personality group themselves.
"These unifying principles themselves, however, constantly and imperceptibly change. Upon another occasion we will consider the ways in which these unifying principles may shift. In many cases it may appear as if exterior circumstances formed such inner shifts, changing the whole unifying structure of the personality, and shifting the personality into what would appear to be entirely uncharacteristic activities.
"In such a case, however, the shiftings still come from within. The active gestalt of the personality is indeed so complex, the actions that compose it are so intertwined, that only the deep, interior intuitions of the personality involved will ever come close to a complete understanding of the workings of the particular personality system.
"Such understanding simply cannot follow logical lines. The intellect may indeed grasp some of this understanding from the intuitions, but the intellect itself is aware of only minute portions of the whole personality. Again, this is not meant to minimize the value of the intellect. The fact remains that answers sought by a personality can only be found through a traveling within the actions that compose the self. Within our last session, I explained some of the basic psychological heritage that resides within the action makeup of the personality. There is no escaping this heritage, and it is so important that without it the personality system could not be built up.
"I spoke, for example, of the acquiescence of action at certain levels to any kind of stimuli, indiscriminately, whether painful or pleasurable. Without this basic acquiescence, actions would not have been given the freedom to break patterns down and evolve new ones of them. This is not necessarily a more primitive aspect. It is simply a basic characteristic of action at certain levels, and the human personality, with its complicated ego structure, is nevertheless composed of many actions that operate at this level.
"In a most basic manner, a denial of stimuli is a negative action, if any action could be called negative. I do not, of course, speak in human terms, where every stimuli for example should then be followed or sought out indiscriminately. This is not my meaning. I am talking of deeper biological levels, and indeed of levels that are buried within tissue itself.
"The very nature of the ego and of the personality is formed by the ability to choose between actions or stimuli; but life as it is not connected to a highly differentiated ego, rejoices in all stimuli, as sensation, whether it is pleasurable or painful, for these distinctions do not exist in your terms. In the beginning of our sessions I spoke in a general manner, for example, saying that trees and plant life had a consciousness, but not a developed ego system. The tree, therefore, is conscious of the pain connected with, say, the severing of a limb.
"(See the 18th session, in Volume 1.)
"It does not fear destruction however, as the ego does. It still fights for survival, of course; but the consciousness of plant life involves a consciousness of self as it operates within action. It sees or feels itself as a part of continuing action, and because of this inner atomic knowledge it does not fear destruction, basically, knowing that it will be changed into other kinds of action.
"Its identity is within action. To say that its identity and its continuity or sense of continuity is within action, is not too far off, although the word continuity in this instance would be misleading.
"It is only lately that your psychologists have even begun to understand the connection between biology and personality, and they understand it in only the most simple of terms.
"To begin with, not enough is understood about the biological structure, for the nature of the atoms and molecules that form the biological structure is still largely misunderstood, and very little has been done in this field.
"The personality exists in a diffused fashion within the physical system, and it therefore is most basically composed of those biological heritages, and those heritages that are a property of cellular structure, long preceding multicellular existence.
"We have to some extent explained the reality of the personality within the electrical system. We have to some extent explained its basic origin within inner reality. We have explained the fact that the potentialities of the personality and of the self are basically unlimited. But during its alliance within the physical system, it is diffused within the cellular structure, and interrelating actions between the biological system, the electrical system, and the personality structure actually form the reality of the human individual.
"(See the following sessions in Volume 3 for material on the electrical system: 122 to 128, 131, 135, among others, and 162, 164 in Volume 4).
"You cannot probe into the one system without affecting the others. It is basically meaningless to consider the personality as separate from the simultaneous actions of which it is composed. The personality, as you know, has also a reality within the dream universe. It should be obvious that in a most basic and practical manner the personality however is not involved with physical time to any degree. Only a part of the personality, the ego, is so involved. It is obvious of course that the personality system will react to stimuli that seem, to the ego, to be far divorced in time. That is, the personality may react to a stimuli in the present that occurred originally twenty years ago, to the ego's understanding of time.
"But past, present and future as such simply do not have meaning to the other aspects of the personality. The idea and reality of physical time parallels the development of the ego. Consciousness of self, alone, is unaware of your physical time. The physical time idea is a product of the ego's tendency to make finer distinctions in order that it can classify and categorize, and therefore identify and give permanence to its own sensations.
"In most circumstances the arrangement is an excellent working operation. However, when the ego carries its categorizing tendency too far, it may reject whole areas of significant action which has been experienced by the whole personality. It may choose to reject whole areas for various reasons, usually out of a mistaken fear that the actions involved threaten the permanence of itself.
"Such a rejection is definitely an impeding action. It is this rejection on the ego's part that is the basis for so-called neurosis in many cases. The fault is not that a particular action has been buried by the subconscious. The fault is that the ego has refused to accept the action from the subconscious, therefore impeding the natural flow of energy. Naturally, all actions are not recognized by the ego, nor is it necessary in any case.
"It is when significant actions, important to the whole personality, are so rejected that the difficulties arise. It is also true however that these refusals to assimilate action on the ego's part are also an integral part of the characteristics of the personality as a whole action. In each individual, certain categories of action may be habitually denied. As the characteristics of a personality may be somewhat deduced from those actions which the ego accepts, so also much may be learned about any given personality by a study of those actions which the ego habitually denies.
"As a rule, secondary personalities are given their energy as a direct result, so to speak, of a too-rigorous and rejecting ego. In many, though not all instances, such a secondary personality may represent simply the whole personality's quite healthy attempts at expression that have been too long denied. you get a regrouping of unifying principle actions, and a division of energies about two different ego systems.
"It should be obvious that in Ruburt's case no such habitual rejections by his ego have backed up in this manner. The secondary personality, however, is of course a reality in many circumstances. It can be considered as an impeding action in the same manner that an illness can be considered, but its overall value, or detrimental effects must be judged, again, as with an illness, on the overall service or disservice which it performs for the whole personality.
"Without such a secondary regrouping of actions for example, a much more serious open breakage, a deep personality cleavage, might in some cases result. In some cases the secondary personality is, again, an emergency measure that will eventually tide the whole personality over, allow for the expression of actions before their explosion completely disrupts the personality system; and then the secondary personality structure may be dispensed with for all practical purposes, to be recalled however upon another emergency.
"In such a case the secondary personality may represent the best of the available alternatives that can be practically taken by the personality to maintain itself. The impeding action, then, would have a survival value.
"In some cases of course the secondary personality would be a severely impeding one, stealing away the main energies. However, it must be understood that from the whole personality's viewpoint, a strong ego, that is a dependable one, and one that will also allow necessary expression, is a necessity. Therefore from the standpoint of the whole personality, the adoption of a new ego, so to speak, with a more practical grouping of unifying principles, could be the best solution of the previous ego, the previously dominant ego, (if it) had been an incapable one.
"In this case the so-called secondary personality would express the whole personality to better advantage, and actually reinforce its permanence and identity.
"The personality must be understood from all these viewpoints, and it must be understood as an action gestalt.
"The ego must be understood as having certain general necessary characteristics. Again, it must attempt to see itself as apart from action, even though basically the attempt to do so must fail. The attempt however allows the ego to act as a front man, so to speak, an organized and disciplined agent to deal with physical environment for the whole personality.
"A very delicate network of imbalances is here maintained. The ego must not be too rigid, or too much a disciplinarian, or it ceases to speak for the whole personality, and becomes a warden, imprisoning the main expressive urges of the deeper self. It must not on the other hand be composed of too disorganized a system of actions, for in this case it is not capable of maintaining a consistent sense of identify or purpose, and is not strong enough to act in a magnetic manner, that will attract or hold the basic energies of the personality.
"As far as Ruburt's personality structure is concerned, we are extremely fortunate. The ego is secure enough, and strong enough, as an organizing agent, for the basic personality energies, so that it can allow me to communicate without fear that the personality structure will be in any way disrupted.
"Indeed as you may have observed, the personality continues in a rather unruffled fashion, considering the circumstances. This is why valid communications can occur between us, and it is also the reason why such communications rarely occur, generally speaking. In the case of an insecure ego you have two immediate problems, and are involved instantly with difficulties:
"The basic personality would be fearful of such communications, knowing instinctively the weakness of the ego. The ego would be extremely insecure. On the other hand, the personality would almost welcome a strong organizing force, regardless of its source, and could tend to latch onto it as much as possible. A study of secondary personalities is most fascinating, since such a study would give you an excellent idea of the manner in which the ego in general is formed, for it is but a unity of energy under auspices of the strongest actions characteristic within the given personality system.
"These energies are naturally drawn from within the whole personality. What is not generally recognized is the fact that the ego itself constantly changes. It is only when the change is unusually vivid, and definitely perceivable, that you speak of secondary personalities. But the main characteristic drives of any given personality shift continually; for all its attempts in the opposite direction, the ego must change just to exist, and its very permanence is dependent upon its flexibility.
"The ego, then, is as much characterized by those types of action which it habitually denies, as by those types of actions which it habitually accepts. It is not the only organizing aspect of the personality, however. It is simply the organizing aspect of the personality in its dealings with the physical environment. The inner ego is another organizing feature of the personality in its dealings with inner environment."
"I would like to continue with our discussion concerning the nature of the human personality in its relationship to action, and in connection with the matter of illness and health in general.
... "It must be thoroughly understood that under no circumstances is the personality a static or motionless construction. It is, instead, a collection of spontaneous actions. Only when it is viewed in this perspective can you begin to understand how it forms its own health. All basic adjustments to the personality, in a basic manner, must come from within, through regroupings of characteristic actions about unifying principles.
"The personality itself exists in many dimensions, as you know, and it has its reality within many other fields than the physical field, and is indeed basically not nearly as allied with the physical field as you may imagine. These unifying principles of which I spoke are themselves main, dominating groups of actions, about which the main energies of the personality group themselves.
"These unifying principles themselves, however, constantly and imperceptibly change. Upon another occasion we will consider the ways in which these unifying principles may shift. In many cases it may appear as if exterior circumstances formed such inner shifts, changing the whole unifying structure of the personality, and shifting the personality into what would appear to be entirely uncharacteristic activities.
"In such a case, however, the shiftings still come from within. The active gestalt of the personality is indeed so complex, the actions that compose it are so intertwined, that only the deep, interior intuitions of the personality involved will ever come close to a complete understanding of the workings of the particular personality system.
"Such understanding simply cannot follow logical lines. The intellect may indeed grasp some of this understanding from the intuitions, but the intellect itself is aware of only minute portions of the whole personality. Again, this is not meant to minimize the value of the intellect. The fact remains that answers sought by a personality can only be found through a traveling within the actions that compose the self. Within our last session, I explained some of the basic psychological heritage that resides within the action makeup of the personality. There is no escaping this heritage, and it is so important that without it the personality system could not be built up.
"I spoke, for example, of the acquiescence of action at certain levels to any kind of stimuli, indiscriminately, whether painful or pleasurable. Without this basic acquiescence, actions would not have been given the freedom to break patterns down and evolve new ones of them. This is not necessarily a more primitive aspect. It is simply a basic characteristic of action at certain levels, and the human personality, with its complicated ego structure, is nevertheless composed of many actions that operate at this level.
"In a most basic manner, a denial of stimuli is a negative action, if any action could be called negative. I do not, of course, speak in human terms, where every stimuli for example should then be followed or sought out indiscriminately. This is not my meaning. I am talking of deeper biological levels, and indeed of levels that are buried within tissue itself.
"The very nature of the ego and of the personality is formed by the ability to choose between actions or stimuli; but life as it is not connected to a highly differentiated ego, rejoices in all stimuli, as sensation, whether it is pleasurable or painful, for these distinctions do not exist in your terms. In the beginning of our sessions I spoke in a general manner, for example, saying that trees and plant life had a consciousness, but not a developed ego system. The tree, therefore, is conscious of the pain connected with, say, the severing of a limb.
"(See the 18th session, in Volume 1.)
"It does not fear destruction however, as the ego does. It still fights for survival, of course; but the consciousness of plant life involves a consciousness of self as it operates within action. It sees or feels itself as a part of continuing action, and because of this inner atomic knowledge it does not fear destruction, basically, knowing that it will be changed into other kinds of action.
"Its identity is within action. To say that its identity and its continuity or sense of continuity is within action, is not too far off, although the word continuity in this instance would be misleading.
"It is only lately that your psychologists have even begun to understand the connection between biology and personality, and they understand it in only the most simple of terms.
"To begin with, not enough is understood about the biological structure, for the nature of the atoms and molecules that form the biological structure is still largely misunderstood, and very little has been done in this field.
"The personality exists in a diffused fashion within the physical system, and it therefore is most basically composed of those biological heritages, and those heritages that are a property of cellular structure, long preceding multicellular existence.
"We have to some extent explained the reality of the personality within the electrical system. We have to some extent explained its basic origin within inner reality. We have explained the fact that the potentialities of the personality and of the self are basically unlimited. But during its alliance within the physical system, it is diffused within the cellular structure, and interrelating actions between the biological system, the electrical system, and the personality structure actually form the reality of the human individual.
"(See the following sessions in Volume 3 for material on the electrical system: 122 to 128, 131, 135, among others, and 162, 164 in Volume 4).
"You cannot probe into the one system without affecting the others. It is basically meaningless to consider the personality as separate from the simultaneous actions of which it is composed. The personality, as you know, has also a reality within the dream universe. It should be obvious that in a most basic and practical manner the personality however is not involved with physical time to any degree. Only a part of the personality, the ego, is so involved. It is obvious of course that the personality system will react to stimuli that seem, to the ego, to be far divorced in time. That is, the personality may react to a stimuli in the present that occurred originally twenty years ago, to the ego's understanding of time.
"But past, present and future as such simply do not have meaning to the other aspects of the personality. The idea and reality of physical time parallels the development of the ego. Consciousness of self, alone, is unaware of your physical time. The physical time idea is a product of the ego's tendency to make finer distinctions in order that it can classify and categorize, and therefore identify and give permanence to its own sensations.
"In most circumstances the arrangement is an excellent working operation. However, when the ego carries its categorizing tendency too far, it may reject whole areas of significant action which has been experienced by the whole personality. It may choose to reject whole areas for various reasons, usually out of a mistaken fear that the actions involved threaten the permanence of itself.
"Such a rejection is definitely an impeding action. It is this rejection on the ego's part that is the basis for so-called neurosis in many cases. The fault is not that a particular action has been buried by the subconscious. The fault is that the ego has refused to accept the action from the subconscious, therefore impeding the natural flow of energy. Naturally, all actions are not recognized by the ego, nor is it necessary in any case.
"It is when significant actions, important to the whole personality, are so rejected that the difficulties arise. It is also true however that these refusals to assimilate action on the ego's part are also an integral part of the characteristics of the personality as a whole action. In each individual, certain categories of action may be habitually denied. As the characteristics of a personality may be somewhat deduced from those actions which the ego accepts, so also much may be learned about any given personality by a study of those actions which the ego habitually denies.
"As a rule, secondary personalities are given their energy as a direct result, so to speak, of a too-rigorous and rejecting ego. In many, though not all instances, such a secondary personality may represent simply the whole personality's quite healthy attempts at expression that have been too long denied. you get a regrouping of unifying principle actions, and a division of energies about two different ego systems.
"It should be obvious that in Ruburt's case no such habitual rejections by his ego have backed up in this manner. The secondary personality, however, is of course a reality in many circumstances. It can be considered as an impeding action in the same manner that an illness can be considered, but its overall value, or detrimental effects must be judged, again, as with an illness, on the overall service or disservice which it performs for the whole personality.
"Without such a secondary regrouping of actions for example, a much more serious open breakage, a deep personality cleavage, might in some cases result. In some cases the secondary personality is, again, an emergency measure that will eventually tide the whole personality over, allow for the expression of actions before their explosion completely disrupts the personality system; and then the secondary personality structure may be dispensed with for all practical purposes, to be recalled however upon another emergency.
"In such a case the secondary personality may represent the best of the available alternatives that can be practically taken by the personality to maintain itself. The impeding action, then, would have a survival value.
"In some cases of course the secondary personality would be a severely impeding one, stealing away the main energies. However, it must be understood that from the whole personality's viewpoint, a strong ego, that is a dependable one, and one that will also allow necessary expression, is a necessity. Therefore from the standpoint of the whole personality, the adoption of a new ego, so to speak, with a more practical grouping of unifying principles, could be the best solution of the previous ego, the previously dominant ego, (if it) had been an incapable one.
"In this case the so-called secondary personality would express the whole personality to better advantage, and actually reinforce its permanence and identity.
"The personality must be understood from all these viewpoints, and it must be understood as an action gestalt.
"The ego must be understood as having certain general necessary characteristics. Again, it must attempt to see itself as apart from action, even though basically the attempt to do so must fail. The attempt however allows the ego to act as a front man, so to speak, an organized and disciplined agent to deal with physical environment for the whole personality.
"A very delicate network of imbalances is here maintained. The ego must not be too rigid, or too much a disciplinarian, or it ceases to speak for the whole personality, and becomes a warden, imprisoning the main expressive urges of the deeper self. It must not on the other hand be composed of too disorganized a system of actions, for in this case it is not capable of maintaining a consistent sense of identify or purpose, and is not strong enough to act in a magnetic manner, that will attract or hold the basic energies of the personality.
"As far as Ruburt's personality structure is concerned, we are extremely fortunate. The ego is secure enough, and strong enough, as an organizing agent, for the basic personality energies, so that it can allow me to communicate without fear that the personality structure will be in any way disrupted.
"Indeed as you may have observed, the personality continues in a rather unruffled fashion, considering the circumstances. This is why valid communications can occur between us, and it is also the reason why such communications rarely occur, generally speaking. In the case of an insecure ego you have two immediate problems, and are involved instantly with difficulties:
"The basic personality would be fearful of such communications, knowing instinctively the weakness of the ego. The ego would be extremely insecure. On the other hand, the personality would almost welcome a strong organizing force, regardless of its source, and could tend to latch onto it as much as possible. A study of secondary personalities is most fascinating, since such a study would give you an excellent idea of the manner in which the ego in general is formed, for it is but a unity of energy under auspices of the strongest actions characteristic within the given personality system.
"These energies are naturally drawn from within the whole personality. What is not generally recognized is the fact that the ego itself constantly changes. It is only when the change is unusually vivid, and definitely perceivable, that you speak of secondary personalities. But the main characteristic drives of any given personality shift continually; for all its attempts in the opposite direction, the ego must change just to exist, and its very permanence is dependent upon its flexibility.
"The ego, then, is as much characterized by those types of action which it habitually denies, as by those types of actions which it habitually accepts. It is not the only organizing aspect of the personality, however. It is simply the organizing aspect of the personality in its dealings with the physical environment. The inner ego is another organizing feature of the personality in its dealings with inner environment."
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Illness as Impeding Action
From Session 164 of Seth's Early Sessions:
Impeding Actions
"Impeding actions represent actual blockages of energy or of action, dead-end accumulations. In one manner of speaking this does not mean that the action is terminated, however.
"It does mean that action is turned into channels that are not to the best interests of the whole personality. The energies appear concentrated and turn inward, affecting the whole system. They represent offshoots, again not necessarily detrimental in themselves, but only when viewed from the standpoint of the other actions that form the personality framework.
"Such actions naturally possess all the characteristics of action in general, and therefore will seek other methods of materialization and expression. An attempt at discipline will be made. The structure will seem, that is the impeding structure will seem, to maintain itself. The whole personality at any given time, because of its own nature and characteristics, has only a given amount of energy available to it in practical terms, though ideally speaking its energy is not limited.
"However, a certain portion of the energy practically available to it is therefore spent in the maintenance of this impeding action. It is obvious therefore that less energy is available to the personality for actions more beneficial to the personality system as a whole.
"This situation can be serious in varying degrees, according to the impetus and intensity of the original propelling cause behind the impeding action. If the impetus is a powerful one, then the impeding action will be of more serious nature, blocking up large reserves of energy for its own purposes. It obviously becomes part of the personality-psychological structure, the physical structure, the electrical and chemical structure, invading to some extent even the dream universe.
"It is, momentarily, literally accepted by the personality as a part of the self, and here lies its danger. It is not just symbolically accepted, and I am not speaking in symbolic terms. The impeding action, as seen in an illness for example, is quite literally accepted by the personality structure, and by all corresponding systems, as a portion of the self. Once this occurs, a conflict instantly develops. The self does not want to give up a portion of itself, even while that portion may be painful or disadvantageous. There are many psychological reasons behind such a psychological truth.
"For one thing, while pain is unpleasant it is also a method of familiarizing the self against the edges of quickened consciousness. Any heightened sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, has a stimulating effect upon a consciousness to some degree. It is a strong awareness of activity and life. Where the stimulus may be extremely annoying, and humiliatingly unpleasant, certain portions of the psychological framework accept it indiscriminatingly because it is a sensation, and a vivid one. The acquiescence to even painful stimuli is a basic part of the nature of consciousness, and a necessary one.
"Even a quick and automatic rejection or withdrawal from such stimulus is in itself a way by which consciousness knows itself. The ego may attempt to ignore or escape from such experiences, but the basic nature of action itself is the knowing of itself in all aspects; and in a basic manner, in a very basic and deep manner, action does not differentiate between pleasant, painful or enjoyable actions.
"These differentiations come much later and on another level, and in a later evolutionary development. But because the personality is composed of action, the personality also contains within it this characteristic of action, in that it accepts all sensations as expressions of itself, and does not discriminate between stimuli.
"Action accepts all stimuli in an affirmative manner. It is only when action becomes compartmented, so to speak, in the development of highly differentiated consciousness, that such refinement occurs. I am not here saying that unpleasant stimuli will not be felt as unpleasant, and reacted against, by less self-conscious organisms. I am saying that less self-conscious organisms will rejoice even in their automatic reaction against such stimuli, because any stimuli and reaction represents sensation, and sensation is another method by which such action knows and expresses itself.
"On a very basic level, as consciousness with a self (but no conscious "I" exists in the most minute division of consciousness), all action and all sensations and all stimuli are instantly and automatically and joyfully accepted, regardless of their nature. At this level no knowledge of threat exists.
"Action at this level is conscious of itself, but the "I" differentiation is not definite enough to fear destruction or painful stimuli. Here we merely have action knowing itself. And knowing itself, it knows its basic indestructibility, knows its own oneness, and has no fear of destruction, for it is also part of destruction itself, from which further action will evolve.
"The complicated organism which is the human personality with its physical structure, has evolved, along with many other structures, a highly differentiated "I" consciousness, whose very nature is such that it attempts to preserve the apparent boundaries of identity. To do so it chooses between actions, for the very choice, or act of choosing, and ability to do so, represents the nature of identity. But beneath this sophisticated gestalt are the simpler foundations of its being, and indeed the very acceptance of all stimuli without which identity would be impossible.
"Without any acceptance of painful stimuli the structure could never maintain itself, for the atoms and molecules within the structure constantly accept painful stimuli, and suffer even joyfully, their own destruction; being aware of their own separateness within action, and aware of their reality within all action, and not having complicated "I" structures to maintain, there is no reason for them to fear destruction.
"They are aware of themselves as a part of action, and therefore through capsule comprehension, which we have discussed, the simple atoms and molecules are aware of their own basic immortality. All this is basic knowledge, if you would understand why the personality accepts even an impeding action, or pain or illness, as a part of itself, despite the ego's resistance to pain.
"We have yet to discuss pain and pleasure. However the subject will be covered thoroughly, in sessions dealing with the nature of the human personality.
"Now, however, you understand the reason why even an impeding action is literally accepted by the personality as a portion of the self, and why therefore efforts must be made that will coax the personality to give up any portion of itself, if progress is to be made. Once the personality can understand that an illness has been accepted as a portion of the self, then even the ego will be an aid.
"We are also helped here by several characteristics of the personality, in that it is forever changing, and its flexibility will be of benefit. We merely want to change the direction in which it moves, or rather the direction in which some of its energy moves. It must be seen by the personality that the impeding action is a hardship on the part of the whole structure, and that this particular portion of the self is not basic to the original personality structure, but only adopted.
"The longer the impeding action is accepted as a part of the self, the more serious the problem. The impeding action or illness however is not a part of the basic personality structure, or action gestalt, which is composed of action patterns formed since birth. Compared to this truly astounding structure, that is the result of the memory of every atom and molecule, this impeding action is relatively unimportant, and when correct methods are used, it can be dislodged without too much difficulty.
"The peculiar nature of the impeding action or illness has much to do with its persistence. The whole focus of the personality can shift from constructive areas to a concentration of main energies in the area of the impeding action or illness. In such a case the illness actually represents a new unifying system. Now, if the old unifying system of the personality has broken down, the illness, serving as a makeshift, temporary emergency measure, may hold the integrity of the personality intact until a new constructive unifying principle replaces the original.
"In this case the illness could not be called an impeding action, unless it persisted long after its purpose was served. Even then, without knowing all the facts surrounding the personality, you could make no judgment, for the illness could still serve by giving the personality a sense of security, being kept on hand, so to speak, as an ever-present emergency device in case the new unifying principle should fail.
"This discussion will necessarily involve us with the structure of personality, and the nature of what you call suggestibility.
"It is therefore impossible to consider an impeding action, such as an illness, without taking into consideration the particular structure-unifying devices, subconscious and conscious personality tendencies.
"In other words, an action cannot be judged as an impeding one without a thorough knowledge of the other actions that result in the makeup of any given personality. This is extremely important. To overlook this point is to risk the adoption on the part of the personality of a more serious illness.
"Unifying principles are groups of actions about which the whole personality forms itself at any given time. These unifying principles may change, and do change, usually in a relatively smooth fashion, when action is allowed to flow unimpeded.
"When it is not allowed to flow unimpeded, following the patterns or channels for its expression that have been evolved by the personality, then various blockages of energy occur; with such blockups of inhibited action, small blockages occur frequently, and the blockages or impediments themselves must be understood, not as something apart from the personality, but a part of the changing personality,
"Indeed, oftentimes they serve to preserve the integrity of the whole psychological system, and to point out the existence of inner problems. Often they serve temporary functions, leading the personality from other more severe areas of difficulty. I am not here saying that all illness is good. I am saying that illness is a portion of the action of which any personality is composed, and therefore it is purposeful, and cannot be considered as an alien force that attacks the personality from without.
"This is an extremely fascinating area of study, and one that we shall pursue rather vigorously. The whole personality must be led to choose those actions which are of the most benefit to itself as a whole, and its integrity as a unit is determined by its choices in this matter.
"I will at various times use as an example your friend's ulcer, simply because the ulcer represents an excellent example of an impeding action or illness. It must therefore be clearly understood that an impeding illness is a creation of the personality itself. The very effectiveness and nature of the personality, and health of the personality, is dependent upon the manner in which it handles its ability to choose between various kinds of action.
"Without the choice there would be no personality. The exaltations and triumphs of the personality are as much a result of this ability to choose between actions, as are its illnesses and disasters. In almost all cases, impeding actions are the result of a refusal to allow action to flow unhampered in certain directions. It seeks other outlets, and these outlets are caused by fear.
"Now, while it is basically true that the personality is composed of action, and that its very awareness and identity is a result of action, this is not meant to imply any negation of psychological or psychic values, although these are also actions.
Personality As Simultaneous Action
"The personality structure can be studied from many viewpoints. We are now studying it in relation to its basic reality as action. While it may seem that the personality would be a result of a series of actions, this is not basically the case. The personality in actuality is simultaneous action, that is composed of actions within actions. Portions of it are conscious of its awareness as a part of action, and portions of it attempt to stand aside from action.
"This attempt forms the ego, and is itself action. If illness was thrust upon action, or upon the personality from the outside, then the personality would be at the mercy of outside agencies.
"Now, in so far as everything is basically action, the personality is affected by outside agencies, but in a most basic manner it chooses those actions which it will accept or reject.
"An illness can be rejected by the personality. The habit of illness can be rejected. Illness is sometimes in the overall, however, beneficial. A given illness, that is, may be beneficial. When action is allowed to flow freely, then neurotic rejections of action will not occur; and it is neurotic rejections of action that often cause unnecessary illnesses.
Future Discussions On Illness
"For we will be involved here with a definite classification as to when an illness is beneficial and when it is detrimental. This will be most important. An illness is almost always the result of another action that cannot be carried through.
"When the lines to the original action are released and the channels opened to it, the illness will vanish. In some cases however, you see, the thwarted action may be one with disastrous consequences, which the illness may prevent. The personality has a logic of its own. We will be involved for many sessions to come with these problems, for they are of basic value, and practical value.
"We will, then, later discuss the manner in which the difference can be seen between a beneficial illness, and a severely detrimental one. We will see how a temporarily necessary illness can be greatly lessened, and the symptoms minimized, while the illness is still retained as a temporary emergency measure, and then gradually allowed to disappear when its presence becomes unnecessary.
"We will also see how an unnecessary and detrimental illness, that does not serve much purpose, can be dismissed."
Impeding Actions
"Impeding actions represent actual blockages of energy or of action, dead-end accumulations. In one manner of speaking this does not mean that the action is terminated, however.
"It does mean that action is turned into channels that are not to the best interests of the whole personality. The energies appear concentrated and turn inward, affecting the whole system. They represent offshoots, again not necessarily detrimental in themselves, but only when viewed from the standpoint of the other actions that form the personality framework.
"Such actions naturally possess all the characteristics of action in general, and therefore will seek other methods of materialization and expression. An attempt at discipline will be made. The structure will seem, that is the impeding structure will seem, to maintain itself. The whole personality at any given time, because of its own nature and characteristics, has only a given amount of energy available to it in practical terms, though ideally speaking its energy is not limited.
"However, a certain portion of the energy practically available to it is therefore spent in the maintenance of this impeding action. It is obvious therefore that less energy is available to the personality for actions more beneficial to the personality system as a whole.
"This situation can be serious in varying degrees, according to the impetus and intensity of the original propelling cause behind the impeding action. If the impetus is a powerful one, then the impeding action will be of more serious nature, blocking up large reserves of energy for its own purposes. It obviously becomes part of the personality-psychological structure, the physical structure, the electrical and chemical structure, invading to some extent even the dream universe.
"It is, momentarily, literally accepted by the personality as a part of the self, and here lies its danger. It is not just symbolically accepted, and I am not speaking in symbolic terms. The impeding action, as seen in an illness for example, is quite literally accepted by the personality structure, and by all corresponding systems, as a portion of the self. Once this occurs, a conflict instantly develops. The self does not want to give up a portion of itself, even while that portion may be painful or disadvantageous. There are many psychological reasons behind such a psychological truth.
"For one thing, while pain is unpleasant it is also a method of familiarizing the self against the edges of quickened consciousness. Any heightened sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, has a stimulating effect upon a consciousness to some degree. It is a strong awareness of activity and life. Where the stimulus may be extremely annoying, and humiliatingly unpleasant, certain portions of the psychological framework accept it indiscriminatingly because it is a sensation, and a vivid one. The acquiescence to even painful stimuli is a basic part of the nature of consciousness, and a necessary one.
"Even a quick and automatic rejection or withdrawal from such stimulus is in itself a way by which consciousness knows itself. The ego may attempt to ignore or escape from such experiences, but the basic nature of action itself is the knowing of itself in all aspects; and in a basic manner, in a very basic and deep manner, action does not differentiate between pleasant, painful or enjoyable actions.
"These differentiations come much later and on another level, and in a later evolutionary development. But because the personality is composed of action, the personality also contains within it this characteristic of action, in that it accepts all sensations as expressions of itself, and does not discriminate between stimuli.
"Action accepts all stimuli in an affirmative manner. It is only when action becomes compartmented, so to speak, in the development of highly differentiated consciousness, that such refinement occurs. I am not here saying that unpleasant stimuli will not be felt as unpleasant, and reacted against, by less self-conscious organisms. I am saying that less self-conscious organisms will rejoice even in their automatic reaction against such stimuli, because any stimuli and reaction represents sensation, and sensation is another method by which such action knows and expresses itself.
"On a very basic level, as consciousness with a self (but no conscious "I" exists in the most minute division of consciousness), all action and all sensations and all stimuli are instantly and automatically and joyfully accepted, regardless of their nature. At this level no knowledge of threat exists.
"Action at this level is conscious of itself, but the "I" differentiation is not definite enough to fear destruction or painful stimuli. Here we merely have action knowing itself. And knowing itself, it knows its basic indestructibility, knows its own oneness, and has no fear of destruction, for it is also part of destruction itself, from which further action will evolve.
"The complicated organism which is the human personality with its physical structure, has evolved, along with many other structures, a highly differentiated "I" consciousness, whose very nature is such that it attempts to preserve the apparent boundaries of identity. To do so it chooses between actions, for the very choice, or act of choosing, and ability to do so, represents the nature of identity. But beneath this sophisticated gestalt are the simpler foundations of its being, and indeed the very acceptance of all stimuli without which identity would be impossible.
"Without any acceptance of painful stimuli the structure could never maintain itself, for the atoms and molecules within the structure constantly accept painful stimuli, and suffer even joyfully, their own destruction; being aware of their own separateness within action, and aware of their reality within all action, and not having complicated "I" structures to maintain, there is no reason for them to fear destruction.
"They are aware of themselves as a part of action, and therefore through capsule comprehension, which we have discussed, the simple atoms and molecules are aware of their own basic immortality. All this is basic knowledge, if you would understand why the personality accepts even an impeding action, or pain or illness, as a part of itself, despite the ego's resistance to pain.
"We have yet to discuss pain and pleasure. However the subject will be covered thoroughly, in sessions dealing with the nature of the human personality.
"Now, however, you understand the reason why even an impeding action is literally accepted by the personality as a portion of the self, and why therefore efforts must be made that will coax the personality to give up any portion of itself, if progress is to be made. Once the personality can understand that an illness has been accepted as a portion of the self, then even the ego will be an aid.
"We are also helped here by several characteristics of the personality, in that it is forever changing, and its flexibility will be of benefit. We merely want to change the direction in which it moves, or rather the direction in which some of its energy moves. It must be seen by the personality that the impeding action is a hardship on the part of the whole structure, and that this particular portion of the self is not basic to the original personality structure, but only adopted.
"The longer the impeding action is accepted as a part of the self, the more serious the problem. The impeding action or illness however is not a part of the basic personality structure, or action gestalt, which is composed of action patterns formed since birth. Compared to this truly astounding structure, that is the result of the memory of every atom and molecule, this impeding action is relatively unimportant, and when correct methods are used, it can be dislodged without too much difficulty.
"The peculiar nature of the impeding action or illness has much to do with its persistence. The whole focus of the personality can shift from constructive areas to a concentration of main energies in the area of the impeding action or illness. In such a case the illness actually represents a new unifying system. Now, if the old unifying system of the personality has broken down, the illness, serving as a makeshift, temporary emergency measure, may hold the integrity of the personality intact until a new constructive unifying principle replaces the original.
"In this case the illness could not be called an impeding action, unless it persisted long after its purpose was served. Even then, without knowing all the facts surrounding the personality, you could make no judgment, for the illness could still serve by giving the personality a sense of security, being kept on hand, so to speak, as an ever-present emergency device in case the new unifying principle should fail.
"This discussion will necessarily involve us with the structure of personality, and the nature of what you call suggestibility.
"It is therefore impossible to consider an impeding action, such as an illness, without taking into consideration the particular structure-unifying devices, subconscious and conscious personality tendencies.
"In other words, an action cannot be judged as an impeding one without a thorough knowledge of the other actions that result in the makeup of any given personality. This is extremely important. To overlook this point is to risk the adoption on the part of the personality of a more serious illness.
"Unifying principles are groups of actions about which the whole personality forms itself at any given time. These unifying principles may change, and do change, usually in a relatively smooth fashion, when action is allowed to flow unimpeded.
"When it is not allowed to flow unimpeded, following the patterns or channels for its expression that have been evolved by the personality, then various blockages of energy occur; with such blockups of inhibited action, small blockages occur frequently, and the blockages or impediments themselves must be understood, not as something apart from the personality, but a part of the changing personality,
"Indeed, oftentimes they serve to preserve the integrity of the whole psychological system, and to point out the existence of inner problems. Often they serve temporary functions, leading the personality from other more severe areas of difficulty. I am not here saying that all illness is good. I am saying that illness is a portion of the action of which any personality is composed, and therefore it is purposeful, and cannot be considered as an alien force that attacks the personality from without.
"This is an extremely fascinating area of study, and one that we shall pursue rather vigorously. The whole personality must be led to choose those actions which are of the most benefit to itself as a whole, and its integrity as a unit is determined by its choices in this matter.
"I will at various times use as an example your friend's ulcer, simply because the ulcer represents an excellent example of an impeding action or illness. It must therefore be clearly understood that an impeding illness is a creation of the personality itself. The very effectiveness and nature of the personality, and health of the personality, is dependent upon the manner in which it handles its ability to choose between various kinds of action.
"Without the choice there would be no personality. The exaltations and triumphs of the personality are as much a result of this ability to choose between actions, as are its illnesses and disasters. In almost all cases, impeding actions are the result of a refusal to allow action to flow unhampered in certain directions. It seeks other outlets, and these outlets are caused by fear.
"Now, while it is basically true that the personality is composed of action, and that its very awareness and identity is a result of action, this is not meant to imply any negation of psychological or psychic values, although these are also actions.
Personality As Simultaneous Action
"The personality structure can be studied from many viewpoints. We are now studying it in relation to its basic reality as action. While it may seem that the personality would be a result of a series of actions, this is not basically the case. The personality in actuality is simultaneous action, that is composed of actions within actions. Portions of it are conscious of its awareness as a part of action, and portions of it attempt to stand aside from action.
"This attempt forms the ego, and is itself action. If illness was thrust upon action, or upon the personality from the outside, then the personality would be at the mercy of outside agencies.
"Now, in so far as everything is basically action, the personality is affected by outside agencies, but in a most basic manner it chooses those actions which it will accept or reject.
"An illness can be rejected by the personality. The habit of illness can be rejected. Illness is sometimes in the overall, however, beneficial. A given illness, that is, may be beneficial. When action is allowed to flow freely, then neurotic rejections of action will not occur; and it is neurotic rejections of action that often cause unnecessary illnesses.
Future Discussions On Illness
"For we will be involved here with a definite classification as to when an illness is beneficial and when it is detrimental. This will be most important. An illness is almost always the result of another action that cannot be carried through.
"When the lines to the original action are released and the channels opened to it, the illness will vanish. In some cases however, you see, the thwarted action may be one with disastrous consequences, which the illness may prevent. The personality has a logic of its own. We will be involved for many sessions to come with these problems, for they are of basic value, and practical value.
"We will, then, later discuss the manner in which the difference can be seen between a beneficial illness, and a severely detrimental one. We will see how a temporarily necessary illness can be greatly lessened, and the symptoms minimized, while the illness is still retained as a temporary emergency measure, and then gradually allowed to disappear when its presence becomes unnecessary.
"We will also see how an unnecessary and detrimental illness, that does not serve much purpose, can be dismissed."
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Constructive and Impeding Suggestion
From Session 164 of Seth's Early Sessions (Vol 4):
More on Suggestion
"What you call suggestion ... is but a projection into the physical universe of data that operates constantly, as a basis for, and within, action. It is basically a psychic manifestation that gives direction to action, and to the various manifestations which action may take.
"Suggestion is therefore one of the characteristics of action. The term suggestion is a poor one. As it operates within your system, and within the human personality, the word expectation is a much better term. Nevertheless, expectation is only one phrase, for the same kind of inner directive activity is pertinent within all forms of action.
"What you call suggestion then is but a small aspect of a larger directive characteristic that is ever part of action itself. It is indeed in the nature of an impetus, an inner impetus that belongs to action and is not some force separated from action, and acting upon it. This impetus is a natural and spontaneous movement that springs from within action itself. It can even be termed the direction, or the various spontaneous directions, in which action itself moves.
"These directions are not forced upon action by any laws. They are merely the resultant patterns with which energy expresses itself. You are only familiar as a rule with this impetus, or these directions, in rather shallow manners, for the ego prefers not to perceive them. These motions are merely the flow which action takes. What you term negative suggestions are usually impeding actions, or directions of action which impede the main directive inner flow. They operate then in much the same manner as crosscurrents, setting up blockages, and impeding main energies by dividing them in several diverse directions.
"It is important that it be understood that suggestion, as you know it, is but the manifestation of inner flows and inner directions. Without the inward flows and directions, it goes without saying that action would indeed involve itself in chaotic disorders, without constructive patterns or materializations. It would instead entangle itself within the power of its own energy, and be unable to form any long-lasting patterns or frameworks within which fulfillments and fairly permanent constructions could be formed.
"When you speak of negative suggestions, you are actually referring to a situation where such crosscurrents entangle action within itself, and therefore impede the main constructive impetus that unrestricted action allows. Until the energy, once again, becomes disentangled, action will therefore flow also in the crosscurrents, and the main trunk of energy that gives overall integrity and identity to any given unit could therefore be severely threatened.
"On the part of any human personality, therefore, it is extremely important that methods be learned to let action follow its normal directive bent within the personality, therefore avoiding these abortive offshoots that impede main directives and purposes of the unit as a whole.
"The integration of the whole personality as a psychological unit, and as an effective psychic gestalt, is obviously dependent upon the free and unimpeded flow of action. Any impediments here can be most threatening to the integrity of the personality itself, for one aspect of the personality would benefit at the expense of other aspects.
"The personality itself, as you know, is a gestalt of action, and as such it is necessary that the flow of action within it follow the overall directives of the entity and the inner self. When for example the ego is allowed to apply too tightly and too rigorously its inhibitory functions, then this freedom of action within the personality is seriously divided and impeded."
Illness As An Impeding Action
"Now, as far as our discussion is concerned, we have in the past mentioned that there are no exact duplicates in any circumstances. There are however, obviously, patterns which are set up by action, that may be thought of as pathways composed of action, through which action then flows.
"Once such a pathway has been constructed, we have what you may call an action pattern or habit. Therefore, when cross currents of action are constructed, action will continue in those directions unless it is diverted back to other channels. Then the secondary or impeding channel will automatically be closed off. But all action must be withdrawn from it, for as long as the channel remains, then the possibility remains that the impeding action will reoccur.
"There is indeed no hard and fast rule to tell you which actions are basically impeding actions, and which are not. For what may appear an impeding action may indeed turn out to be the burst of a new and constructive direction, which may eventually represent a new and stronger pattern of identity and integrity, that will completely refresh the original unit and add to its vitality and strength.
"The inner self here, through intuitive insight, can usually recognize whether an action is an impeding or a constructive one for the purposes of the personality involved. Even an action which appears blatantly as an impeding action, may temporarily serve as a constructive one. It may then turn into an impeding action.
"An illness, as an impeding action for example, may nevertheless be a constructive action at any given time, in that it may prevent action within the personality from following more destructive actions. When this destructive possibility has passed however, an illness that is still maintained would therefore become a definite impeding action; for any seemingly impeding action cannot be judged alone, but in the context of other action elements of which any given personality is involved.
"It is extremely difficult, but it is possible for the human system to close off, for all practical purposes, a channel that has been used for the flow of such an impeding action. The channel may automatically disappear, but the action itself can never be withdrawn.
"We will discuss what you call suggestion in more practical terms, for your particular uses. Nevertheless it is necessary that its basic nature be understood. The ego simply cannot judge, as a rule, whether an action is a constructive or an impeding one, for the personality as a whole.
"It can judge whether an action is a constructive or an impeding one for itself. Upon many occasions the purposes of the ego coincide with the purposes of the whole personality, but upon many occasions the purposes of the ego do not coincide with the best purposes of the whole personality. And in such cases the ego is not equipped to judge, except for itself.
"It can however be taught a very valuable function here. The first prerequisite is that the ego understand both the nature of its dependence upon the whole personality, and the nature of its peculiar directive abilities in relation with the physical universe. When there is good communication between all areas of the self, and this is a big when, then the judgment of the ego can be trusted to some greater extent.
Choosing Action Through Constructive Suggestion
"Suggestions given by an individual on any kind of conscious basis have to be given with the cooperation of the ego. Many suggestions bypass the ego entirely. Suggestion however, as you think of it, operates both ways. This is not usually understood. Suggestions may come therefore from the physical world, to act upon the personality. Suggestions may also come from within the personality to act upon the physical environment.
"You can indeed to a large measure train yourself to react to constructive rather than impeding suggestions. This merely means that you will, or may to some extent, choose the direction in which action within you will move. This also implies that some part of the personality does the choosing, and is capable of distinguishing a construction suggestion from an impeding one. And here it is necessary that we discuss more thoroughly the nature or characteristics of constructive suggestions versus impeding ones, for one may turn into the other.
"No one portion of the personality should be allowed to block the free flow of energy or action. Impeding actions are easily recognized by their effects, psychological or physical, upon the human system. An illness is the result of an impeding action, generally speaking, but there are exceptions to this case, as others.
"There are indeed methods by which the flow of action can be turned back, away from the impeding channels, and we will discuss that matter in some detail.
"Again, we will have many sessions indeed, dealing with the gestalt that is the human personality, and at that time much of this material will fall into place.
"We are dealing here, again, merely with the various aspects of action. As a personality itself is an action gestalt, within the inner self there is a capsule comprehension of the purposes and intents of the whole personality. These are indeed within the very structure, both psychic and physical, of the personality itself. The ego, on its own as a separate unit, does not have such data, although since it is after all a portion of the whole self, it does have such information available. But when it acts as a unit it does not use such information.
"The information is not closed to it. It simply does not use it, and there are several quite sufficient reasons for this, reasons that have to do with the necessary apart manner in which the ego, when it operates as a separate unit, views the physical universe.
"When the personality is well integrated, then even when it operates as a separate unit the ego still fulfills the basic purposes of the personality as a whole. It is the communication between the very areas of the self which is so important here, as in many other matters. It is possible for the ego to realize its position as but one part of the whole personality, while it still behaves in a directive manner toward physical manipulation.
"This is the ideal circumstance, for when this is the case then the ego listens to the inner self, and then directs its energy outward in a way that is beneficial for the whole gestalt framework. What you call negative suggestions are often judgments of the ego, for suggestion works from the ego to the subconscious, as well as it works the other way around. Such suggestions made by the ego can indeed be caught, and positive or constructive suggestions given to replace them.
"However, automatic responses can also be set up, so that only constructive suggestions are reacted to. In such instances however, the inner self should be allowed to make the judgment ultimately, as to which suggestions are constructive and which are not.
"There are certain manners that are more advantageous than others in the giving of such suggestions, and we will go into these at another session. We may also, indeed, begin at least a partial study of the framework of the personality as it is related to action, for such discussion will follow along well with our material on suggestion.
"It must be understood that the personality is indeed an action within action, and that it is therefore never stationary. Indeed suggestions, being the directions in which action moves, represent the very impetus that constantly changes the action of any given personality. It goes without saying, once more, that all of these designations imply a separation which does not exist in fact, and imply definite boundaries which are not present.
"For all actions merge one into the other, and none are truly independent; and all units merge one into the other, and all boundaries shift, and are arbitrarily chosen. Boundaries are the results of the limitations of perception, for a unit seems to end where perception of it ceases."
More on Suggestion
"What you call suggestion ... is but a projection into the physical universe of data that operates constantly, as a basis for, and within, action. It is basically a psychic manifestation that gives direction to action, and to the various manifestations which action may take.
"Suggestion is therefore one of the characteristics of action. The term suggestion is a poor one. As it operates within your system, and within the human personality, the word expectation is a much better term. Nevertheless, expectation is only one phrase, for the same kind of inner directive activity is pertinent within all forms of action.
"What you call suggestion then is but a small aspect of a larger directive characteristic that is ever part of action itself. It is indeed in the nature of an impetus, an inner impetus that belongs to action and is not some force separated from action, and acting upon it. This impetus is a natural and spontaneous movement that springs from within action itself. It can even be termed the direction, or the various spontaneous directions, in which action itself moves.
"These directions are not forced upon action by any laws. They are merely the resultant patterns with which energy expresses itself. You are only familiar as a rule with this impetus, or these directions, in rather shallow manners, for the ego prefers not to perceive them. These motions are merely the flow which action takes. What you term negative suggestions are usually impeding actions, or directions of action which impede the main directive inner flow. They operate then in much the same manner as crosscurrents, setting up blockages, and impeding main energies by dividing them in several diverse directions.
"It is important that it be understood that suggestion, as you know it, is but the manifestation of inner flows and inner directions. Without the inward flows and directions, it goes without saying that action would indeed involve itself in chaotic disorders, without constructive patterns or materializations. It would instead entangle itself within the power of its own energy, and be unable to form any long-lasting patterns or frameworks within which fulfillments and fairly permanent constructions could be formed.
"When you speak of negative suggestions, you are actually referring to a situation where such crosscurrents entangle action within itself, and therefore impede the main constructive impetus that unrestricted action allows. Until the energy, once again, becomes disentangled, action will therefore flow also in the crosscurrents, and the main trunk of energy that gives overall integrity and identity to any given unit could therefore be severely threatened.
"On the part of any human personality, therefore, it is extremely important that methods be learned to let action follow its normal directive bent within the personality, therefore avoiding these abortive offshoots that impede main directives and purposes of the unit as a whole.
"The integration of the whole personality as a psychological unit, and as an effective psychic gestalt, is obviously dependent upon the free and unimpeded flow of action. Any impediments here can be most threatening to the integrity of the personality itself, for one aspect of the personality would benefit at the expense of other aspects.
"The personality itself, as you know, is a gestalt of action, and as such it is necessary that the flow of action within it follow the overall directives of the entity and the inner self. When for example the ego is allowed to apply too tightly and too rigorously its inhibitory functions, then this freedom of action within the personality is seriously divided and impeded."
Illness As An Impeding Action
"Now, as far as our discussion is concerned, we have in the past mentioned that there are no exact duplicates in any circumstances. There are however, obviously, patterns which are set up by action, that may be thought of as pathways composed of action, through which action then flows.
"Once such a pathway has been constructed, we have what you may call an action pattern or habit. Therefore, when cross currents of action are constructed, action will continue in those directions unless it is diverted back to other channels. Then the secondary or impeding channel will automatically be closed off. But all action must be withdrawn from it, for as long as the channel remains, then the possibility remains that the impeding action will reoccur.
"There is indeed no hard and fast rule to tell you which actions are basically impeding actions, and which are not. For what may appear an impeding action may indeed turn out to be the burst of a new and constructive direction, which may eventually represent a new and stronger pattern of identity and integrity, that will completely refresh the original unit and add to its vitality and strength.
"The inner self here, through intuitive insight, can usually recognize whether an action is an impeding or a constructive one for the purposes of the personality involved. Even an action which appears blatantly as an impeding action, may temporarily serve as a constructive one. It may then turn into an impeding action.
"An illness, as an impeding action for example, may nevertheless be a constructive action at any given time, in that it may prevent action within the personality from following more destructive actions. When this destructive possibility has passed however, an illness that is still maintained would therefore become a definite impeding action; for any seemingly impeding action cannot be judged alone, but in the context of other action elements of which any given personality is involved.
"It is extremely difficult, but it is possible for the human system to close off, for all practical purposes, a channel that has been used for the flow of such an impeding action. The channel may automatically disappear, but the action itself can never be withdrawn.
"We will discuss what you call suggestion in more practical terms, for your particular uses. Nevertheless it is necessary that its basic nature be understood. The ego simply cannot judge, as a rule, whether an action is a constructive or an impeding one, for the personality as a whole.
"It can judge whether an action is a constructive or an impeding one for itself. Upon many occasions the purposes of the ego coincide with the purposes of the whole personality, but upon many occasions the purposes of the ego do not coincide with the best purposes of the whole personality. And in such cases the ego is not equipped to judge, except for itself.
"It can however be taught a very valuable function here. The first prerequisite is that the ego understand both the nature of its dependence upon the whole personality, and the nature of its peculiar directive abilities in relation with the physical universe. When there is good communication between all areas of the self, and this is a big when, then the judgment of the ego can be trusted to some greater extent.
Choosing Action Through Constructive Suggestion
"Suggestions given by an individual on any kind of conscious basis have to be given with the cooperation of the ego. Many suggestions bypass the ego entirely. Suggestion however, as you think of it, operates both ways. This is not usually understood. Suggestions may come therefore from the physical world, to act upon the personality. Suggestions may also come from within the personality to act upon the physical environment.
"You can indeed to a large measure train yourself to react to constructive rather than impeding suggestions. This merely means that you will, or may to some extent, choose the direction in which action within you will move. This also implies that some part of the personality does the choosing, and is capable of distinguishing a construction suggestion from an impeding one. And here it is necessary that we discuss more thoroughly the nature or characteristics of constructive suggestions versus impeding ones, for one may turn into the other.
"No one portion of the personality should be allowed to block the free flow of energy or action. Impeding actions are easily recognized by their effects, psychological or physical, upon the human system. An illness is the result of an impeding action, generally speaking, but there are exceptions to this case, as others.
"There are indeed methods by which the flow of action can be turned back, away from the impeding channels, and we will discuss that matter in some detail.
"Again, we will have many sessions indeed, dealing with the gestalt that is the human personality, and at that time much of this material will fall into place.
"We are dealing here, again, merely with the various aspects of action. As a personality itself is an action gestalt, within the inner self there is a capsule comprehension of the purposes and intents of the whole personality. These are indeed within the very structure, both psychic and physical, of the personality itself. The ego, on its own as a separate unit, does not have such data, although since it is after all a portion of the whole self, it does have such information available. But when it acts as a unit it does not use such information.
"The information is not closed to it. It simply does not use it, and there are several quite sufficient reasons for this, reasons that have to do with the necessary apart manner in which the ego, when it operates as a separate unit, views the physical universe.
"When the personality is well integrated, then even when it operates as a separate unit the ego still fulfills the basic purposes of the personality as a whole. It is the communication between the very areas of the self which is so important here, as in many other matters. It is possible for the ego to realize its position as but one part of the whole personality, while it still behaves in a directive manner toward physical manipulation.
"This is the ideal circumstance, for when this is the case then the ego listens to the inner self, and then directs its energy outward in a way that is beneficial for the whole gestalt framework. What you call negative suggestions are often judgments of the ego, for suggestion works from the ego to the subconscious, as well as it works the other way around. Such suggestions made by the ego can indeed be caught, and positive or constructive suggestions given to replace them.
"However, automatic responses can also be set up, so that only constructive suggestions are reacted to. In such instances however, the inner self should be allowed to make the judgment ultimately, as to which suggestions are constructive and which are not.
"There are certain manners that are more advantageous than others in the giving of such suggestions, and we will go into these at another session. We may also, indeed, begin at least a partial study of the framework of the personality as it is related to action, for such discussion will follow along well with our material on suggestion.
"It must be understood that the personality is indeed an action within action, and that it is therefore never stationary. Indeed suggestions, being the directions in which action moves, represent the very impetus that constantly changes the action of any given personality. It goes without saying, once more, that all of these designations imply a separation which does not exist in fact, and imply definite boundaries which are not present.
"For all actions merge one into the other, and none are truly independent; and all units merge one into the other, and all boundaries shift, and are arbitrarily chosen. Boundaries are the results of the limitations of perception, for a unit seems to end where perception of it ceases."
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