Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul

«If you believe firmly that your consciousness is locked up somewhere inside your skull and is powerless to escape it, if you feel that your consciousness ends at the boundary of your body, then you sell yourself short, and you will think that I am a delusion. I am no more a delusion than you are.» — Seth, según Roberts, liga el tomarlo por ilusión a creer la consciencia encerrada en el cráneo, y responde igualando su estatuto al del lector; la plana de reclamo reimprime palabra por palabra la apertura del capítulo uno (p. 23), y se ancla en la primera aparición

«I can say this to each of my readers honestly: I am older than you are, at least in terms of age as you think of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, se declara mayor que el lector y acota en la misma frase la escala: la edad tal como el lector la piensa; el pasaje se repite en la p. 23

«I am an energy personality essence, no longer focused in physical matter. As such, I am aware of some truths that many of you seem to have forgotten.» — Seth, según Roberts, se nombra *energy personality essence* ya no enfocada en la materia física, y de ahí deriva la función que se atribuye: recordar lo olvidado, no revelar lo nuevo; el pasaje se repite en la p. 23

«This book was written by a personality called Seth, who speaks of himself as an “energy personality essence” no longer focused in physical form. He has been speaking through me for over seven years now, in twice weekly trance sessions.» — Jane Roberts abre la introducción declarando de quién es el texto y con qué cadencia se produjo: dos sesiones de trance por semana durante más de siete años

«My psychic initiation really began one evening in September, 1963, however, as I sat writing poetry. Suddenly my consciousness left my body, and my mind was barraged by ideas that were astonishing and new to me at the time. On return to my body, I discovered that my hands had produced an automatic script, explaining many of the concepts that I’d been given. The notes were even titled — The Physical Universe as Idea Construction.» — Roberts fecha su propia iniciación en septiembre de 1963 y la describe como salida de la consciencia del cuerpo con escritura automática de vuelta; el guion titulado es el que ella conserva

«Because of that experience, I began doing research into psychic activity, and planned a book on the project. In line with this, my husband, Rob, and I experimented with a Ouija board late in 1963. After the first few sessions, the pointer spelled out messages that claimed to come from a personality called Seth.» — Roberts narra el paso de la investigación al tablero Ouija con su marido a fines de 1963, y que el puntero deletreó mensajes que decían venir de Seth

«Neither Rob or I had any psychic background, and when I began to anticipate the board’s replies, I took it for granted that they were coming from my subconscious. Not long after, however, I felt impelled to say the words aloud, and within a month I was speaking for Seth while in a trance state.» — Roberts consigna su propia hipótesis inicial —que las respuestas venían de su subconsciente— y cómo en un mes pasó a hablar por Seth en trance; la duda está dentro del relato, no fuera

«I do not mean to imply that we have any cornerstone on truth, or give the impression that we wait breathlessly for the undistorted secrets of the ages to gush forth. I do know that each individual has access to intuitional knowledge and can gain glimpses of inner reality. The universe speaks to each of us in this regard.» — Roberts acota su propia pretensión —ni piedra angular de la verdad ni secretos de los siglos— y sostiene a cambio que cada individuo tiene acceso al conocimiento intuitivo

«The book will include a description of the way in which it is being written, and the procedures necessary so that my own ideas can be spoken by Ruburt, or for that matter translated at all, in vocal terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, en el esquema de la sesión 510: el libro incluirá la descripción del modo en que se escribe y de los procedimientos que hacen falta para que sus ideas puedan hablarse por Ruburt

«I do not have a physical body, and yet I will be writing a book. The first chapter will explain how and why.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia la paradoja que da título al capítulo uno y la deja como tarea del libro, no como afirmación suelta (sesión 510)

«At the same time I will make it clear that there is no past, present, or future, and explain that there is no contradiction even though I may speak in terms of past existences.» — Seth, según Roberts, se adelanta a la objeción que su propio esquema provoca: hablará de existencias pasadas negando a la vez que haya pasado, presente y futuro (sesión 510)

«The next chapter will deal with your physical reality as it appears to me and others like me. This chapter will contain some rather fascinating points, for not only do you form the physical reality that you know, but you are also forming other quite valid environments in other realities by your present thoughts, desires and emotions.» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia la tesis que el libro desarrollará: el lector no solo forma la realidad física que conoce, sino otros entornos igual de válidos en otras realidades (sesión 510)

«The next chapter will deal with the eternal validity of dreams as gateways into these other realities, and as open areas through which the “inner self” glimpses the many facets of its experience and communicates with other levels of its reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca los sueños como puertas a otras realidades y como el área por donde el *inner self* se asoma a su propia experiencia (sesión 510)

«I hope to show through the entire book that the reader himself is independent of his physical image, and I hope, myself, to give him some methods that will prove my thesis to him.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el propósito del libro y la prueba que ofrece: no argumento, sino métodos que el lector aplique sobre sí (sesión 510)

«My message to the reader will be: “Basically, you are no more of a physical personality than I am, and in telling you of my reality I tell you of your own.”» — Seth, según Roberts, resume el mensaje del libro en una sola frase, y la simetría que propone es la clave del volumen: hablar de su realidad es hablar de la del lector (sesión 510)

«There will be a chapter on the religions of the world, on the distortions and truths within them; the three Christs; and some data concerning a lost religion, belonging to a people of which you have no information. These people lived on a planet in the same space that your earth now occupies, “before” your planet existed. They destroyed it through their own error, and were reincarnated when your planet was prepared. Their memories became the basis for the birth of religion as you now think of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia el capítulo sobre las religiones, los tres Cristos y una religión perdida de un pueblo anterior a la Tierra que la habría destruido por su propio error (sesión 510)

«There will be a final chapter in which I will ask the reader to close his eyes and become aware of the reality in which I exist, and of his own inner reality. I will give the methods. In this chapter I will invite the reader to use his “inner senses,” to see me in his own way.» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia el capítulo final como ejercicio y no como exposición: cerrar los ojos y usar los *inner senses* para percibirlo (sesión 510)

«While my communications will come exclusively through Ruburt at all times, to protect the integrity of the material, I will invite the reader to become aware of me as a personality, so that he may then realize that communication from other realities is possible, and that he himself is therefore open to perception that is not physical.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propio canal —exclusivamente Ruburt, para proteger la integridad del material— y a la vez invita al lector a percibirlo por su cuenta (sesión 510)

«Now this is my outline for the book, but it contains merely a sketch of my intentions. I am not giving a fuller outline, for I do not want Ruburt to anticipate me.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara por qué el esquema es un boceto: no quiere que Ruburt se le adelante (sesión 510)

«It will be made clear that so-called paranormal communications come from various levels of reality, and that those communications describe the reality in which they exist. So I will describe mine, and others of which I have knowledge.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia el principio que ordena el libro: cada comunicación paranormal describe la realidad desde la que se emite, y él describirá la suya (sesión 510)

«This is the title for our book (smile): Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul.» — Seth, según Roberts, fija el título del libro dentro del propio dictado; la acotación *smile* es de las notas de Butts (sesión 510)

«I am using the term soul, for it will have instant meaning to most readers.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara por qué usa la palabra *soul*: por su significado inmediato para el lector, no por precisión (sesión 510)

«This is not to say that other dimensions do not exist of which I am ignorant. I will dictate the book during our sessions.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone el límite de su propio saber junto al anuncio del método: hay dimensiones que ignora, y el libro se dictará en las sesiones (sesión 510)

«Precisely because I am acquainted with the effort involved in writing a book, I was cautious when Seth spoke of writing his own. Though I knew perfectly well that he could do it, a nagging part of me questioned. “Granted, the Seth material is really significant, but what does Seth know about writing books? About the organization required? Or about directing himself to the public?” Rob kept telling me not to worry about it. Friends and students seemed astonished that of all people, I should have any doubts, but I thought — of all people, who else should have doubts? Here was a stated intent. Could Seth follow through?» — Roberts consigna su propia desconfianza ante el anuncio, con las preguntas tal cual se las hizo: qué sabe Seth de organizar un libro y de dirigirse al público

«Reading the finished book was a delightful experience. As a whole it was completely new to me, though each word had been spoken through my lips, and I had devoted many evenings in trance to its production. This was particularly strange to me since I am a writer myself, used to organizing my own material, keeping track of it, and hovering over it like a mother hen.» — Roberts describe la extrañeza de leer como ajeno un libro que salió por sus propios labios, y la contrasta con su modo de trabajar lo suyo

«I wanted to discover why I felt that Seth’s book was his, as divorced from mine. If both were coming from the same unconscious, then why the subjective differences in my feelings?» — Roberts formula la pregunta que su introducción persigue y que no cierra: si los dos libros salieran del mismo inconsciente, por qué siente distinto uno y otro

«When I’m caught up in inspiration, writing a poem, then I’m “turned on,” excited, filled with a sense of urgency, and discovery. Just before this happens, however, an idea comes out of nowhere, it seems. It is “given.” It simply appears, and from it new creative connections spring.» — Roberts describe su creación consciente como partida de una idea que aparece dada, para tener con qué comparar el trance

«I was not connected in this way with Seth’s book, and had no awareness of the creative processes involved. I went into trance as I do for our regular sessions. Seth dictated the book through me, speaking through my lips. The creative work was so distant from me, that in this respect I could not call the product my own.» — Roberts fija la diferencia que sostiene todo su argumento: no tuvo conciencia del proceso creativo del libro de Seth y por eso no lo llama suyo

«Anyone can say, of course, that in Seth’s book the hidden processes are so separate from my normal consciousness that the final product only seems to come from another personality.» — Roberts enuncia ella misma la objeción contraria —que el producto solo parezca de otra personalidad— antes de responderla

«Despite this, I’m aware of the fact that I was necessary to the production of Seth’s book. He needs my ability with words; even, I think, my turn of mind.» — Roberts declara su parte en la producción: el libro necesita su destreza con las palabras y hasta su giro mental

«Looked at merely as an example of unconscious production, however, Seth’s book clearly shows that organization, discrimination, and reasoning are certainly not qualities of the conscious mind alone, and demonstrates the range and activity of which the inner self is capable.» — Roberts ofrece la lectura mínima —el libro como producción inconsciente— y dice qué se seguiría incluso de ella: que organizar, discriminar y razonar no son solo de la mente consciente

«I do not believe that I could get the equivalent of Seth’s book on my own. The best I could do would be to hit certain high points, perhaps in isolated poems or essays, and they would lack the overall unity, continuity, and organization that Seth has here provided automatically.» — Roberts acota esa misma lectura: lo más que conseguiría por su cuenta serían puntos altos sueltos, sin la unidad y la continuidad del conjunto

«Often I participate in Seth’s great energy and humor, for example, enjoying a sense of emotional richness and encountering Seth’s personality on a very strange level. I feel his mood and vitality clearly, though they are not directed at me, but to whomever Seth is addressing at the moment. I feel them as they pass through me.» — Roberts describe lo que sí experimenta en sesión: humor y energía que no van dirigidos a ella sino a quien Seth habla, y que ella siente al pasar

«As Rob’s notes show, I often have other kinds of experiences, also, while speaking for Seth. Sometimes, for instance, I see inner visions. These may illustrate what Seth is saying, so that I am receiving information in two ways, or they may be completely separate from the script. I’ve had several “out-of-body” experiences also during sessions, when I saw events actually happening some thousands of miles away.» — Roberts remite a las notas de su marido como registro de sus visiones internas y de sus experiencias fuera del cuerpo durante las sesiones

«This book is Seth’s way of demonstrating that human personality is multidimensional, that we exist in many realities at once, that the soul or inner self is not something apart from us, but the very medium in which we exist.» — Roberts enuncia la tesis del volumen en una frase: el alma o *inner self* no está aparte de nosotros sino que es el medio mismo en que existimos

«He emphasizes that “truth” is not found by going from teacher to teacher, church to church, or discipline to discipline, but by looking within the self.» — Roberts consigna dónde coloca Seth la verdad, y la fórmula es una negativa a la cadena de maestros, iglesias y disciplinas

«The intimate knowledge of consciousness, the “secrets of the universe,” are not esoteric truths to be hidden from the people, then. Such information is as natural to man as air, and as available to those who honestly seek it by looking to the source within.» — Roberts niega el carácter esotérico de ese saber: lo declara tan natural al hombre como el aire y disponible para quien lo busque honestamente

«Seth intimates as much in Chapter Four, when he says, “Now the information in this book is being directed to some extent through the inner senses of the woman who is in trance as I write it.» — Roberts cita el capítulo cuatro para apoyar su propia parte en la producción: Seth, según ella, dirige la información por los *inner senses* de la mujer en trance. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 15

«of highly organized inner precision, and of training. [She] could not receive the information from me — it could not be translated nor interpreted — while she was focused intensely in the physical environment.”» — continuación del pasaje anterior en la plana siguiente: el dictado se atribuye a precisión interna organizada y a entrenamiento, y niega que pudiera recibirse con la atención puesta en el entorno físico. El corchete de *[She]* lo pone Roberts al citar

«The whole creative venture may be the initiation of a personality, Seth, who then writes books. Seth may be as much of a creation as his book is.» — Roberts formula la hipótesis que la deja sin arbitrar: que el propio Seth sea una creación tanto como el libro

«If so, this is an excellent instance of multidimensional art, done at such a rich level of unconsciousness that the “artist” is unaware of her own work and as much intrigued by it as anyone else.» — Roberts saca la consecuencia de esa hipótesis y la nombra arte multidimensional: la artista ignoraría su propia obra y quedaría tan intrigada como cualquiera

«But Seth does more than write books. He is a fully developed personality with a variety of interests: writing, teaching, helping others. His sense of humor is quite individualistic and unlike mine. He is shrewd; in his manner more earthy than ethereal. He knows how to explain complex theories simply, in person-to-person contact. Perhaps more important, he is able to relate these ideas to ordinary living.» — Roberts enumera lo que no cabe en la hipótesis de la dramatización: escribir, enseñar, ayudar, un humor propio, una manera terrena de explicar y la capacidad de ligar las ideas a la vida corriente

«Seth also appears frequently in the dreams of my students, giving them instructions that work — either involving methods of using their abilities or of achieving certain goals. Almost all of my students have frequent “class dreams,” also, in which Seth addresses them as a group and initiates dream experiments. Sometimes they see him as he appears in the portrait Rob painted of him. On occasion he speaks through my image, as in normal sessions. I have awakened many times, when such dream sessions were taking place, hearing Seth’s words still lingering in my mind.» — Roberts consigna los testimonios de sus estudiantes: Seth aparece en sus sueños dando instrucciones, y a veces con el rostro del retrato que pintó su marido

«To ascribe all of this activity to a figment of the unconscious seems rather much. (In the same amount of time I’ve published two books, finished another, and begun a fourth. I mention this to show that Seth hasn’t been absorbing any of my own creativity.)» — Roberts objeta la explicación por el inconsciente con una medida: en esos siete años publicó dos libros propios, terminó otro y empezó un cuarto

«Rob and I don’t refer to Seth as a spirit; we dislike the connotations of the term. Actually what we object to is the conventional idea of a spirit, which is an extension of quite limited ideas of human personality, only projected more or less intact into an afterlife.» — el pasaje donde el volumen se separa del vocabulario del que hereda: Roberts rechaza la palabra *spirit* por lo que arrastra —una idea limitada de la personalidad humana proyectada intacta a un más allá—

«You can say that Seth is a dramatization of the unconscious or an independent personality. Personally, I don’t see why the statements have to be contradictory. Seth may be a dramatization playing a very real role — explaining his greater reality in the only terms we can understand. This is my opinion at this time.» — Roberts deja las dos descripciones sin decidir entre ellas, dice por qué no las ve contradictorias y fecha su propia posición: *at this time*

«First of all, to me the term “unconscious” is a poor one, barely hinting at an actual open psychic system, with deep intertwining roots uniting all kinds of consciousness; a network in which we are all connected. Our individuality rises out of it, but also helps form it.» — Roberts objeta el término *unconscious* y propone en su lugar un sistema psíquico abierto con raíces entrelazadas, del que la individualidad sale y al que a la vez forma

«Because of my own experiences, particularly with out-of-body states, I’m convinced that consciousness is not dependent upon physical matter.» — Roberts declara de dónde saca su convicción —sus propias experiencias fuera del cuerpo— y qué sostiene con ella: que la consciencia no depende de la materia física

«Only the most blind egotism, it seems to me, would dare define reality in its own terms or project its own limitations and experience upon the rest of existence.» — Roberts nombra egotismo ciego el definir la realidad en los propios términos, y con eso acota su propia posición además de la ajena

«I accept Seth’s idea of multidimensional personality as described in this book because my experiences, and those of my students seem to confirm it.» — Roberts dice en qué se apoya para aceptar la personalidad multidimensional: su experiencia y la de sus estudiantes, no un argumento

«Rob had told me about the “Speakers”, as Seth calls them in this book — personalities who continually speak to man through the ages, reminding him of inner knowledge so that it is never really forgotten.» — Roberts glosa el término que el libro acuña: los *Speakers* son personalidades que hablan al hombre a lo largo de las edades recordándole un saber interior que así nunca se pierde del todo

«We come together in ways that we do not understand. We’re composed of elements, chemicals, and atoms, and yet we speak and call ourselves by name. We organize about our inner stuff the outer stuff that coagulates into flesh and bone. Our identities or personalities spring from sources we do not know.» — el texto que Roberts escribió para su clase de ESP y que incluye en la introducción, con su comilla propia; el marco es el desconocimiento del origen de la identidad

«I also think that in that open system of consciousness and unlimited source, there is an independent Seth who operates in quite different terms than we do. In what terms? Quite honestly, I don’t know.» — Roberts afirma que hay un Seth independiente operando en términos distintos de los nuestros y corta ahí: la abstención sobre cuáles sean esos términos es su posición declarada

«Perhaps what we are has always waited, hidden in the possibilities of creation, dispersed and unknowing — in the rain and wind that swept across Europe in the thirteenth century — in the heaving mountain ranges — in the clouds that rushed through the skies of other times and places. As dust particles, we may have blown past Greek doorways. We may have been sparked on and off into consciousness and unconsciousness a million times, touched by desire, by yearnings toward creativity and perfection we barely understood.» — el texto de la clase de ESP imagina la identidad dispersa en la lluvia, las montañas y el polvo antes de coagular en carne; Roberts lo llama pieza intuitiva, no doctrina

«And so there may be others now (like Seth), also without images, but knowing — others who have been what we are and more — others who remember what we have forgotten.» — en el mismo texto Roberts sitúa a Seth entre otros sin imagen que recuerdan lo que nosotros olvidamos: es el marco en que dice pensar que Seth existe

«So we give them names who are nameless, as basically we are nameless. And we listen, but usually we try to squeeze their messages into concepts that we can understand, cloaking them in worn stereotyped images.» — Roberts consigna el gesto que a su juicio deforma lo recibido: dar nombre a lo que no lo tiene y meter el mensaje en imágenes estereotipadas

«Learn to hear your own messages, not to distort what you hear or translate it into old alphabets.» — la instrucción con que Roberts cierra el pasaje de su clase: oír el mensaje propio sin traducirlo a alfabetos viejos

«Seth may be leading us out of our usual limitations, into another realm that is ours by right — elemental whether we are in flesh or out of it. He may be the voice of our combined selves, saying, ‘While you are conscious bodies, remember what it was like and will be like to be bodiless, to be freewheeling energy without a name but with a voice that does not need tongue, with a creativity that does not need flesh. We are yourselves, turned inside out.’”» — el cierre del texto de la clase: Roberts propone que Seth sea la voz de nuestros yoes combinados, y pone la frase en boca de esa voz con comilla simple dentro de la suya

«Now: You have heard of ghost hunters. I can quite literally be called a ghost writer, though I do not approve of the term “ghost.” It is true that I am usually not seen in physical terms. I do not like the word “spirit,” either; and yet if your definition of that word implies the idea of a personality without a physical body, then I would have to agree that the description fits me.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo uno rechazando las dos palabras heredadas —*ghost* y *spirit*— y aceptando solo la definición mínima: una personalidad sin cuerpo físico (sesión 511)

«I address an unseen audience. However, I know that my readers exist, and therefore I shall ask each of them, now, to grant me the same privilege.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte la carga: él concede existencia a sus lectores invisibles y les pide la misma cortesía (sesión 511)

«I write this book through the auspices of a woman of whom I have become quite fond. To others it seems strange that I address her as “Ruburt,” and “him,” but the fact is that I have known her in other times and places, by other names. She has been both a man and a woman, and the entire identity who has lived these separate lives can be designated by the name of Ruburt.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el nombre y el género con que la trata: *Ruburt* designa la identidad entera que ha vivido vidas como hombre y como mujer (sesión 511)

«Names are not important, however. My name is Seth. Names are simply designations, symbols; and yet since you must use them, I shall also.» — Seth, según Roberts, se nombra y a la vez rebaja el nombre a designación y símbolo, usados por concesión al lector (sesión 511)

«My readers may suppose that they are physical creatures, bound within physical bodies, imprisoned within bone, flesh, and skin. If you believe that your existence is dependent upon this corporeal image, then you feel in danger of extinction, for no physical form lasts, and no body, however beautiful in youth, retains the same vigor and enchantment in old age. If you identify with your own youth, or beauty, or intellect, or accomplishments, then there is the constant gnawing knowledge that these attributes can and will vanish.» — Seth, según Roberts, deriva el miedo a la extinción de la identificación con el cuerpo, la juventud, la belleza o los logros (sesión 511)

«I am writing this book to assure you that this is not the case. Basically you are no more of a physical being than I am, and I have donned and discarded more bodies than I care to tell. Personalities who do not exist do not write books.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el propósito del libro y ofrece como prueba de su existencia el hecho mismo de escribirlo (sesión 511)

«Consciousness creates form. It is not the other way around. All personalities are not physical. It is only because you are so busily concerned with daily matters that you do not realize that there is a portion of you who knows that its own powers are far superior to those shown by the ordinary self.» — la tesis central del volumen dicha en cuatro palabras por Seth, según Roberts, con su corolario: hay una porción del lector que sabe que sus poderes exceden los del yo ordinario (sesión 511)

«You have each lived other existences, and that knowledge is within you though you are not consciously aware of it. I hope that this book will serve to release the deeply intuitive self within each of my readers, and to bring to the foreground of consciousness whatever particular insights will serve you most.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia el propósito del libro como liberación de un saber ya presente y no como enseñanza nueva (sesión 511)

«We have established what I refer to as a psychological bridge between us — that is, between Ruburt and myself.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra el dispositivo de la comunicación: un puente psicológico, no un canal directo (sesión 511)

«I do not speak through Ruburt as one might through a telephone. Instead there is a psychological extension, a projection of characteristics on both of our parts, and this I use for our communications. Later I will explain how this psychological framework is created and maintained, for it is like a road that must be kept clear of debris.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el símil del teléfono y propone en su lugar una extensión psicológica con proyección de rasgos por ambas partes, que hay que mantener despejada como un camino (sesión 511)

«You would be much better off in reading this book if you asked yourself who you are, rather than asked who I am, for you cannot understand what I am unless you understand the nature of personality and the characteristics of consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, desplaza la pregunta del lector de su identidad a la propia: no se entiende qué es él sin entender la naturaleza de la personalidad (sesión 511)

«I do not speak so much to the part of you that you think of as yourself as to that part of you that you do not know, that you have to some extent denied and to some extent forgotten. That part of you reads this book, [even] as “you” read it.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara a qué parte del lector se dirige: no al yo consciente sino a la desconocida y en parte negada; el corchete de *[even]* es del aparato

«I speak to those who believe in a god, and those who do not, to those who believe that science will find all answers as to the nature of reality, and to those who do not. I hope to give you clues that will enable you to study the nature of reality for yourself as you have never studied it before.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que su libro no se dirige a un público de creyentes ni de científicos, y ofrece pistas para el estudio propio (sesión 511)

«You are not stuck in time like a fly in a closed bottle, whose wings are therefore useless. You cannot trust your physical senses to give you a true picture of reality. They are lovely liars, with such a fantastic tale to tell that you believe it without question. You are sometimes wiser, more creative, and far more knowledgeable when you are dreaming than when you are awake.» — las tres proposiciones que Seth, según Roberts, pide al lector conceder de entrada: no está atrapado en el tiempo, sus sentidos físicos son mentirosos encantadores, y a veces sabe más soñando que despierto (sesión 511)

«What I will tell you has been told before throughout the centuries, and given again when it was forgotten. I hope to clarify many points that have been distorted through the years. And I offer my original interpretation of others, for no knowledge exists in a vacuum, and all information must be interpreted and colored by the personality who holds it and passes it on.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa su material en una repetición de siglos y acota de inmediato su alcance: todo saber lo interpreta y lo colorea la personalidad que lo transmite (sesión 511)

«This is not to say that other realities do not exist. I have been conscious before your earth was formed. To write this book — and in most of my communications with Ruburt — I adopt from my own bank of past personalities those characteristics that seem appropriate.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que adopta para escribir rasgos tomados de su propio banco de personalidades pasadas; el *Seth* que habla es, por su propia cuenta, una composición (sesión 511)

«I am primarily a teacher, but I have not been a man of letters per se. I am primarily a personality with a message: you create the world that you know. You have been given perhaps the most awesome gift of all: the ability to project your thoughts outward into physical form.» — Seth, según Roberts, se define maestro y no literato, y enuncia su mensaje en una línea: el lector crea el mundo que conoce (sesión 511)

«The gift brings a responsibility, and many of you are tempted to congratulate yourselves on the successes of your lives, and blame God, fate, and society for your failures. In like manner, mankind has a tendency to project his own guilt and his own errors upon a father-god image, who it» — Seth, según Roberts, señala el reparto habitual de los créditos: el éxito propio y la culpa a dios, al destino y a la sociedad, proyectada sobre una imagen de padre. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 25

«The fact is that each of you create your own physical reality; and en masse, you create both the glories and the terrors that exist within your earthly experience. Until you realize that you are the creators, you will refuse to accept this responsibility.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende la creación de la realidad a lo colectivo —glorias y terrores— y ata el reconocimiento a la aceptación de la responsabilidad (sesión 511)

«You have grown sophisticated enough to realize that the Devil is a projection of your own psyche, but you have not grown wise enough to learn how to use your creativity constructively.» — Seth, según Roberts, concede que el diablo ya se lee como proyección de la propia psique y acota que el paso siguiente no está dado (sesión 511)

«Most of my readers are familiar with the term, “muscle bound.” As a species you have grown “ego bound” instead, held in a spiritual rigidity, with the intuitive portions of the self either denied or distorted beyond any recognition.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña *ego bound* por analogía con el término del gimnasio para nombrar la rigidez que niega o deforma lo intuitivo (sesión 511)

«I speak through Ruburt twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, in this same large (living) room. The lights are always lit.» — Seth, según Roberts, fija el calendario y el sitio de las sesiones dentro del propio dictado, a pedido de Ruburt de que un escritor ponga la escena (sesión 511)

«There is one other character to be mentioned here: Willy, the cat, a beloved monster who is now sleeping.» — Seth, según Roberts, incorpora al gato de la casa como personaje del libro; la escena doméstica es parte declarada del método (sesión 511)

«The nature of animal consciousness in itself is a highly interesting subject, and one that we will later consider. The cat is aware of my presence, and has on several occasions reacted rather noticeably to it. In this book I hope to show the constant interactions that occur between all units of consciousness, the communication that leaps beyond the barriers of species; and in some of these discussions, we will use Willy as a case in point.» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia la interacción entre todas las unidades de consciencia y la comunicación que salta la barrera de las especies, con el gato como caso (sesión 511)

«Since we have mentioned animals, let me say here that they do possess a kind of consciousness that does not allow them as many freedoms as your own. Yet at the same time, they are not hampered in its use by certain characteristics that often impede the practical potential of human consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, da a los animales una consciencia con menos libertades y a la vez sin los impedimentos que traban la humana (sesión 512)

«Consciousness is a way of perceiving the various dimensions of reality. Consciousness as you know it is highly specialized. The physical senses allow you to perceive the three-dimensional world, and yet by their very nature they can inhibit the perception of other equally valid dimensions.» — Seth, según Roberts, define la consciencia como modo de percibir dimensiones y señala el costo de la especialización: los sentidos físicos que abren el mundo de tres dimensiones cierran los demás (sesión 512)

«You would not think of identifying with one portion of your body and ignoring all other parts, and yet you are doing the same thing (smile) when you imagine that the egotistical self carries the burden of your identity.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara identificarse con el yo egotista a identificarse con una sola parte del cuerpo (sesión 512)

«I am telling you that you are not a cosmic bag of bones and flesh, thrown together through some mixture of chemicals and elements. I am telling you that your consciousness is not some fiery product, formed merely accidentally through the interworkings of chemical components.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega dos veces seguidas la derivación de la consciencia desde la química, y la niega sin argumentar: como declaración (sesión 512)

«Instead, you form the physical body that you know at a deeply unconscious level with great discrimination, miraculous clarity, and intimate unconscious knowledge of each minute cell that composes it. This is not meant symbolically.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la formación del cuerpo a un nivel profundamente inconsciente con conocimiento de cada célula, y cierra la frase negando que sea figura (sesión 512)

«But this seemingly unconscious portion of yourself is far more knowledgeable, and upon its smooth functioning your entire physical existence depends.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte el rango: la porción que parece inconsciente sabe más, y de su funcionamiento depende la existencia física (sesión 512)

«This portion of your identity is quite natively clairvoyant and telepathic, so that you are warned of disasters before they occur, whether or not you consciously accept the message, and all communication takes place long before a word is spoken.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye clarividencia y telepatía nativas a esa porción, con la salvedad de que el aviso llega se acepte o no conscientemente (sesión 512)

«I call this seemingly unconscious the “inner ego,” for it directs inner activities. It correlates information that is perceived not through the physical» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña *inner ego* para lo que dirige la actividad interna y correlaciona lo percibido por canales que no son los sentidos. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 28 (sesión 512)

«senses, but through other inner channels. It is the inner perceiver of reality that exists beyond the three-dimensional. It carries within it the memory of each of your past existences. It looks into subjective dimensions that are literally infinite, and from these subjective dimensions all objective realities flow.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: ese perceptor interno guarda la memoria de las existencias pasadas y mira dimensiones subjetivas de las que, según el dictado, mana toda realidad objetiva (sesión 512)

«The “outer ego” and the inner ego operate together, the one to enable you to manipulate in the world that you know, the other to bring you those delicate inner perceptions without which physical existence could not be maintained.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte las funciones: uno manipula el mundo conocido y el otro trae las percepciones internas sin las cuales no se sostendría la existencia física (sesión 512)

«There is however a portion of you, the deeper identity who forms both the inner ego and the outer ego, who decided that you would be a physical being in this place and in this time. This is the core of your identity, the psychic seed from which you sprang, the multidimensional personality of which you are part.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone por debajo de los dos egos una identidad más honda que decidió el ser físico en este lugar y este tiempo, y la llama semilla psíquica (sesión 512)

«For those of you who wonder where I place the subconscious, as psychologists think of it, you can imagine it as a meeting place, so to speak, between the outer and inner egos. You must understand that there are no real divisions to the self, however, so we speak of various portions only to make the basic idea clear.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa el subconsciente de los psicólogos entre los dos egos y acota de inmediato el esquema: no hay divisiones reales del yo, y las porciones son recurso expositivo (sesión 512)

«You cannot understand yourselves, and you cannot accept my independent existence, until you rid yourself of the notion that personality is a “here and now” attribute of consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone la condición para aceptarlo: abandonar la idea de que la personalidad es un atributo de aquí y ahora (sesión 512)

«I am outside, returning momentarily to a dimension that I know and loved. I am not in your terms a resident, however. While I have a psychic “passport,” there are still some problems of translation, inconveniences of entry that I must contend with.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe su posición con la figura del pasaporte psíquico: visitante con problemas de traducción y molestias de entrada, no residente (sesión 512)

«I hope, quite frankly, to do far more than this. I hope to take you on a tour through the levels of reality that are available to you, and to guide you on a journey through the dimensions of your own psychological structure — to open up whole areas of your own consciousness of which you have been relatively unaware. I hope, therefore, not only to explain the multidimensional aspects of personality, but to give each reader some glimpse of that greater identity that is his own.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia el programa del libro como recorrido guiado por las dimensiones de la propia estructura psicológica del lector (sesión 512)

«The self that you know is but one fragment of your entire identity. These fragment selves are not strung together, however, like beads of a string. They are more like the various skins of an onion, or segments of an orange, all connected through the one vitality and growing out into various realities while springing from the same source.» — Seth, según Roberts, enmienda el símil de las cuentas ensartadas por el de las capas de la cebolla o los gajos de la naranja, para que los fragmentos crezcan de dentro afuera (sesión 512)

«I can tell you, for example, that there is consciousness even within a nail, but few of my readers will take me seriously enough to stop in midsentence, and say good morning or good afternoon to the nearest nail they can find, stuck in a piece of wood.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia la consciencia del clavo y se adelanta con humor a la incredulidad del lector, en vez de argumentarla (sesión 512)

«I am saying, of course, that there is no such thing as dead matter. There is no object that was not formed by consciousness, and each consciousness, regardless of its degree, rejoices in sensation and creativity.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la materia muerta y atribuye a toda consciencia, sea cual sea su grado, gozo en la sensación y en la creación (sesión 512)

«And so while you have a physical address, I may still be able to point out some very strange and miraculous psychic and psychological structures within your own system of reality that you have ignored.» — Seth, según Roberts, ofrece señalar al lector estructuras psíquicas y psicológicas de su propio sistema que este ignora, con el símil del forastero que conoce el Empire State mejor que el vecino (sesión 512)

«Nothing exists — neither rock, mineral, plant, animal, or air — that is not filled with consciousness of its own kind. So you stand amid a constant vital commotion, a gestalt of aware energy» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende la consciencia a roca, mineral, planta, animal y aire, y nombra el conjunto *gestalt of aware energy*; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 30 (sesión 512)

«You can deny, but you cannot change, the facts. The personality is multidimensional, even though many people hide their heads, figuratively speaking, in the sand of three-dimensional existence and pretend there is nothing more.» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra el punto con la imagen de las cabezas metidas en la arena de la existencia tridimensional (sesión 512)

«I do not mean to underestimate the outer ego. You have simply overestimated it. Nor has its true nature been recognized. We will have more to say concerning this point, but for now it is enough to realize that your sense of identity and continuity is not dependent upon the ego.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propia crítica: no subestima el ego externo, lo que objeta es su sobreestimación, y desliga de él la identidad y la continuidad (sesión 512)

«Now at times I will be using the term “camouflage,” referring to the physical world to which the outer ego relates, for physical form is one of the camouflages that reality adopts. The camouflage is real, and yet there is a much greater reality within it — the vitality that gave it form.» — Seth, según Roberts, define *camouflage* para la realidad física y acota que el camuflaje es real: lo que sostiene es que hay más realidad dentro de él (sesión 512)

«The ego is a jealous god, and it wants its interests served. It does not want to admit the reality of any dimensions except those within which it feels comfortable and can understand. It was meant to be an aid but it has been allowed to become a tyrant. Even so, it is much more resilient and eager to learn than is generally supposed. It is not natively as rigid as it seems. Its curiosity can be of great value.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama dios celoso al ego y a la vez le concede resiliencia, ganas de aprender y una curiosidad aprovechable: la figura lleva su propio límite dentro (sesión 512)

«You can adopt artificial limitations through your own ignorance, however. You can identify, for example, with your outer ego alone, and cut yourself off from abilities that are a part of you.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a la ignorancia los límites del yo y pone como caso la identificación exclusiva con el ego externo (sesión 512)

«The fact of this book is proof that the ego does not have the whole kettle of personality to itself, for there is no doubt that it is being produced by some other personality than that of the writer known as Jane Roberts. Since that Jane Roberts has no abilities that are not inherent in the species as a whole, then at the very least it must be admitted that human personality has many more attributes than those usually ascribed to it.» — Seth, según Roberts, ofrece el libro como prueba, y construye el argumento por el mínimo: aunque Roberts no tuviera facultad que la especie no tenga, habría que conceder a la personalidad humana más atributos de los que se le dan (sesión 513)

«Personality is a gestalt of ever-changing perception. It is the part of the identity which perceives. I do not force my perceptions upon the woman through whom I speak, nor is her consciousness blotted out during our communications. Instead there is an expansion of her consciousness and a projection of energy that is directed away from three-dimensional reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, define la personalidad como gestalt de percepción cambiante y niega que la consciencia de la médium se borre: sostiene que se expande y se proyecta lejos de lo tridimensional (sesión 513)

«This concentration away from the physical system may make it appear as if her consciousness is blotted out. Instead, more is added to it. Now from my own field of reality I focus my attention toward the woman, but the words that she speaks — these words upon the pages — are not initially verbal at all.» — Seth, según Roberts, distingue la apariencia del borrado y lo que él sostiene que ocurre, y añade que las palabras impresas no son verbales en origen (sesión 513)

«In the first place, language as you know it is a slow affair: letter by letter strung out to make a word, and words to make a sentence, the result of a linear thought pattern. Language, as you know it, is partially and grammatically the end product of your physical time sequences. You can only focus upon so many things at one time, and your language structure is not given to the communication of intricate, simultaneous experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la lentitud del lenguaje a la secuencia temporal física y de ahí deriva su incapacidad para la experiencia simultánea (sesión 513)

«I am aware of a different kind of experience, not linear, and can focus upon and react to an infinite variety of simultaneous events. Ruburt could not express them, and so they must be leveled out into linear expression if they are to be communicated. This ability to perceive and react to unlimited simultaneous events is a basic characteristic of each whole self or entity. Therefore, I do not claim it as some feat that is exclusively my own.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe su percepción como simultánea y no lineal, y en la misma frase se quita el mérito: la facultad sería de todo yo entero (sesión 513)

«Here I impress certain concepts upon him, with his permission and assent. They are not neutral, in that all knowledge or information bears the stamp of the personality who holds it or passes it on.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propio material dos veces: lo transmite con permiso y no es neutro, porque lleva el sello de quien lo sostiene (sesión 513)

«Ruburt makes his verbal knowledge available for our use, and quite automatically the two of us together cause the various words that will be spoken. Distractions can occur, as any information can be distorted. We are used to working together now, however, and the distortions are very few.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la producción de las palabras como obra de los dos a la vez, y admite distorsión posible aunque la declare escasa por la costumbre (sesión 513)

«Each reader, being presently ensconced within a physical form, I presume (humorously), knows only a small portion of himself — as I mentioned earlier. The entity is the overall identity of which his personality is one» — Seth, según Roberts, define *entity* como la identidad total de la que cada personalidad es una manifestación; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 33 (sesión 513)

«In these communications, therefore, Ruburt’s consciousness expands, and yet focuses in a different dimension, a dimension between his reality and mine, a field relatively free of distraction.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa el lugar de la comunicación en una dimensión intermedia entre la realidad de ella y la suya, libre de distracción (sesión 513)

«I am not, therefore, a product of Ruburt’s subconscious, any more than he is a product of my subconscious mind. Nor am I a secondary personality, cleverly trying to undermine a precarious ego. I have seen to it in fact that all portions of Ruburt’s personality are benefited, and their integrity maintained and honored.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega las dos explicaciones psicológicas de sí mismo —producto del subconsciente y personalidad secundaria— y declara haber cuidado la integridad de todas las porciones de la personalidad de Roberts (sesión 513)

«There is within his personality a rather unique facility that makes our communications possible. I will try to put this as simply as possible: There is within his psyche what amounts to a transparent dimensional warp that serves almost like an open window through which other realities can be perceived, a multidimensional opening that has to some extent escaped being clouded over by the shade of physical focus.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica su acceso por una particularidad de ella: una alabeadura dimensional transparente que funciona como ventana abierta a otras realidades (sesión 513)

«The physical senses usually blind you to these open channels, for they perceive reality only in their own image. To some extent, then, I enter your reality through a psychological warp in your space and time. In a manner of speaking, such an open channel serves much as a pathway between Ruburt’s personality and my own, so that communication is possible between. Such psychological and psychic warps between dimensions of existence are not infrequent. They are merely recognized as such infrequently and utilized even less so.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que esos alabeos psíquicos entre dimensiones no son infrecuentes: lo infrecuente es reconocerlos y usarlos (sesión 513)

«I will try to give you some idea of my own nonphysical existence. Let it serve to remind you that your own basic identity is as nonphysical as my own.» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra el capítulo uno con el uso que da a su propia descripción: recordar al lector que su identidad básica también es no física (sesión 513)

«While my environment differs in rather important respects (humorously) from that of my readers, I can assure you, with ironic understatement, that it is as vivid, varied, and vital as physical existence. It is more pleasurable — though my ideas of pleasure have changed some since I was a physical being — being more rewarding and offering far greater opportunities for creative achievement.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo dos declarando su entorno tan vívido y variado como el físico, y acota que sus ideas de placer han cambiado desde que fue un ser físico (sesión 513)

«My present existence is the most challenging one that I have known, and I have known many, both physical and nonphysical. There is not just one dimension in which nonphysical consciousness resides, any more than there is only one country on your planet or planet within your solar system.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que haya una sola dimensión no física, con el símil de los países y los planetas (sesión 513)

«My environment, now, is not the one in which you will find yourself immediately after death. I cannot help speaking humorously, but you must die many times before you enter this particular plane of existence. (Birth is much more of a shock than death. Sometimes when you die you do not realize it, but birth almost always implies a sharp and sudden recognition. So there is no need to fear death. And I, who have died more times than I care to tell, write this book to tell you so.)» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte el lugar común: el nacimiento sería más brusco que la muerte, porque a veces uno muere sin darse cuenta y nacer casi siempre trae un reconocimiento agudo (sesión 513)

«First of all, you must understand that no objective reality exists but that which is created by consciousness. Consciousness always creates form, and not the other way around. So my environment is a reality of existence created by myself and others like me, and it represents the manifestation of our development.» — Seth, según Roberts, repite la tesis y la aplica a su propio entorno: lo que habita sería manifestación del desarrollo de quienes lo crean (sesión 513)

«We do not use permanent structures. There is not a city or a town, for example, in which I dwell. I do not mean to imply that we are off in empty space. For one thing we do not think of space as you do, and we form whatever particular images we want to surround us.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega ciudades y estructuras permanentes en su entorno y a la vez niega estar en espacio vacío: el espacio no se piensa allí como aquí (sesión 513)

«They are created by our mental patterns, [just] as your own physical reality is created in perfect replica of your inner desires and thoughts.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala la formación de sus imágenes a la del mundo físico del lector, que llama réplica de sus deseos y pensamientos (sesión 513)

«We realize that we form our own reality, and therefore we do so with considerable joy and creative abandon. In my environment you would be highly disoriented, for it would seem to you as if it lacked coherency.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la diferencia a la conciencia del proceso, y advierte que su entorno le parecería incoherente al lector (sesión 513)

«We are aware of the inner laws that govern all “materializations,” however. I can have it night or day, in your terms, as I prefer — or any period, say, of your history. These changing forms would in no way bother my associates, for they would take them as immediate clues as to my mood, feelings, and ideas.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el cambio de escenario como lenguaje: sus asociados leerían el día, la noche o el periodo histórico elegidos como señales de su humor (sesión 513)

«Permanency and stability basically have nothing to do with form, but with the integration of pleasure, purpose, accomplishment, and identity. I “travel” to many other levels of existence in order to fulfill my duties, which are primarily those of a teacher and educator, and I use whatever aids and techniques serve me best within those systems.» — Seth, según Roberts, desliga permanencia y estabilidad de la forma y las ata a la integración de placer, propósito, logro e identidad; y declara sus funciones de maestro y educador (sesión 513)

«I use one portion of myself from many personalities that are available to my identity in these communications, and in this book. In other systems of reality, this particular Seth personality that I, the larger Seth identity adopt here, would not be understood.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que la personalidad que habla en el libro es una porción escogida de una identidad mayor, y que en otros sistemas esa porción no sería comprendida (sesión 513)

«All systems of reality are not physically oriented, you see, and some are entirely unacquainted with physical form. Nor is sex, as you understand it, natural to them. Therefore I would not communicate as a male personality who has lived many physical existences, though this is a legitimate and valid portion of my identity.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propio género: comunicarse como personalidad masculina con vidas físicas es legítimo aquí y no lo sería en sistemas sin sexo ni forma (sesión 513)

«Now: In my home environment I assume whatever shape I please, and it may vary, and does, with the nature of my thoughts. You, however, form your own physical image at an unconscious level in more or less the same manner, but with some important differences.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala su cambio de forma a la formación inconsciente del cuerpo físico del lector, con diferencias que acota en seguida (sesión 513)

«You usually do not realize that your physical body is created by you at each moment as a direct result of your inner conception of what you are, or that it changes in important chemical and electromagnetic ways with the ever-moving pace of your own thought.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el cuerpo recreado a cada momento como resultado de la propia concepción de lo que uno es, con cambios químicos y electromagnéticos (sesión 513)

«Having long ago recognized the dependence of form upon consciousness, we have simply been able to change our forms entirely so that they more faithfully follow each nuance of our inner experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, deriva la plasticidad de la forma del reconocimiento de su dependencia respecto de la consciencia (sesión 513)

«Now: This ability to change form is an inherent characteristic of any consciousness. Only the degree of proficiency and actualization varies. You can see this in your own system, in a slowed-down version, when you observe the changing forms taken by living matter through its “evolutionary” history.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara universal la facultad de cambiar de forma y la ve en cámara lenta en la historia llamada evolutiva; las comillas de *evolutionary* son del impreso (sesión 513)

«Your physical form can lie sleeping and inert upon the bed while your consciousness travels in a dream form to places quite distant. Simultaneously you may create a “thought-form” of yourself, identical in every respect, and this may appear in the room of a friend quite without your conscious awareness. So consciousness is not limited as to the forms it can create at any given time.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la forma de sueño y la *thought-form* idéntica que puede aparecer en el cuarto de un amigo sin que uno lo sepa (sesión 513)

«We communicate telepathically, but then again, telepathy is the basis for your languages, without which their symbolism would be meaningless.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone la telepatía como base del lenguaje humano y no como facultad aparte: sin ella el simbolismo no significaría (sesión 513)

«Because we do communicate in this manner, this does not necessarily mean that we use mental words, for we do not. We communicate instead through what I can only call thermal and electromagnetic images that are capable of supporting much more meaning in one “sequence.”» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que la telepatía sea palabra mental y describe en su lugar imágenes térmicas y electromagnéticas con más carga por secuencia (sesión 513)

«We do feel an equivalent of what you call emotions, though these are not the love or hate or anger that you know. Your feelings can best be described as the three-dimensional materializations of far greater psychological events and experiences that are related to the “inner senses.”» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte la relación habitual: los sentimientos conocidos serían la materialización tridimensional de sucesos psicológicos mayores ligados a los *inner senses* (sesión 513)

«It is far less limited and far more expansive in that we are also aware and responsive to the emotional “climate” as a whole. We are much freer to feel and experience, because we are not so afraid of being swept away by feeling.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la mayor libertad emocional a no temer el arrastre del sentimiento (sesión 513)

«Our identities do not feel threatened, for example, by the strong emotions of another. We are able to travel through emotions in a way that is not now natural to you, and to translate them into other facets of creativity than those with which you are familiar. We do not feel the need to conceal emotions, for we know it is basically impossible and undesirable.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la necesidad de ocultar emociones por dos razones a la vez: sería imposible y no sería deseable (sesión 513)

«We do not know death in your terms. Our existence takes us into many other environments, and we blend (gesture) into these. We follow what rules of form exist within these environments. All of us here are teachers, and we therefore adapt our methods, also, so that they will make sense to personalities with varying ideas of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el tránsito entre entornos como mezcla y sujeción a las reglas de forma de cada uno, con la enseñanza adaptada a cada idea de realidad (sesión 514)

«Consciousness is not dependent upon form, as I have said, and yet it always seeks to create form. We do not exist in any time framework as you know it. Minutes, hours, or years have lost both their meaning and their fascination. We are quite aware of the time situations within other systems, however, and we must take them into account in our communications. Otherwise what we say would not be understood.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara perdido el sentido del tiempo en su sistema y a la vez lo declara necesario para hacerse entender: la concesión es parte de la afirmación (sesión 514)

«There are no real barriers to separate the systems of which I speak. The only separation is brought about by the varying abilities of personalities to perceive and manipulate. You exist in the midst of many other systems of reality, for example, but you do not perceive them. And even when some event intrudes from these systems into your own three-dimensional existence, you are not able to interpret it, for it is distorted by the very fact of entry.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la separación entre sistemas a la capacidad de percibir, y acota que lo que entra desde otro sistema se distorsiona por el hecho mismo de entrar (sesión 514)

«Our work, development, and experience all takes place within what I term the “moment point.” Here, within the moment point, the smallest thought is brought to fruition, the slightest possibility explored, the probabilities thoroughly examined, the least or the most forceful feeling entertained.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña *moment point* como marco de su experiencia psicológica, donde el pensamiento más pequeño llega a fruto y las probabilidades se examinan (sesión 514)

«For example, pretend that I think of you, Joseph. In so doing I immediately experience — and fully — your past, present, and future (in your terms), and all of those strong or determining emotions and motivations that have ruled you. I can travel through those experiences with you, if I choose.» — Seth, según Roberts, ilustra el *moment point* con Butts: pensar en él sería experimentar de golpe su pasado, presente y futuro y las emociones que lo rigieron (sesión 514)

«Now it takes study, development, and experience before an identity can learn to hold its own stability in the face of such constant stimuli; and many of us have gotten lost, even forgetting who we were until we once more awakened to ourselves.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite el extravío como riesgo de su propio estado: muchos se perdieron y olvidaron quiénes eran hasta despertar de nuevo (sesión 514)

«For our “vacations” we visit amid quite simple life forms, and blend with them. To this extent we indulge in relaxation and sleep, for we can spend a century as a tree or as an uncomplicated life form in another reality. We delight our consciousness with the enjoyment of simple existence. We may create, you see, the forest in which we grow.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el descanso como siglo pasado en forma de árbol o de vida simple, con el bosque creado por quien crece en él (sesión 514)

«We can form from ourselves, from our own psychological entireties, other personalities whenever we wish. These, however, must then develop according to their own merit, using the creative abilities inherent in them. They are free to go their own way. We do not do this lightly, however.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a los de su estado la capacidad de formar otras personalidades, que quedan libres y se desarrollan por su mérito; el límite lo pone la última frase (sesión 514)

«In childhood and in the dream state, each personality is aware to some extent of the true freedom that belongs to its own inner consciousness. These abilities of which I speak, therefore, are inherent characteristics of consciousness as a whole and of each personality.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa en la infancia y en el sueño la conciencia de esa libertad, y declara las facultades inherentes a la consciencia entera (sesión 514)

«For example, if a room suddenly appears small and cramped to you, you take it for granted that this change of dimension is imaginative, and that the room has not changed regardless of your feelings.» — Seth, según Roberts, toma la impresión de que un cuarto encoge como percepción intuitiva legítima que el lector racionaliza (sesión 514)

«The fact is that the room under such conditions will have changed quite definitely, and in very major respects, even though the physical dimensions will still measure the same. The entire psychological impact of the room will have altered. Its effect will be felt by others beside yourself. It will attract certain kinds of events rather than others, and it will alter your own psychological structure and hormonal output.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene el cambio del cuarto acotando de inmediato lo que no cambia: las dimensiones físicas medidas siguen iguales (sesión 514)

«instruments would show no physical alteration — since the instruments within such a room would themselves have already altered to the same degree.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: el instrumento no mostraría alteración porque él mismo habría cambiado en la misma medida, lo que coloca la afirmación fuera de comprobación instrumental (sesión 514)

«You are constantly changing the form, the shape, the contour, and the meaning of your physical body and most intimate environment, although you do your best to ignore these constant alterations. On the other hand, we allow them full rein, knowing that we are motivated by an inner stability that can well afford spontaneity and creation, and realizing that spiritual and psychological identity are dependent upon creative change.» — Seth, según Roberts, opone su propio uso de ese cambio al del lector: dejarle rienda suelta apoyado en una estabilidad interna (sesión 514)

«Our environment therefore is composed of exquisite imbalances, where change is allowed full play. Your own time structure misleads you into your ideas of the relative permanency of physical matter, and you close your eyes to the constant alterations within it.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama exquisitos desequilibrios a su entorno y atribuye la impresión de permanencia de la materia a la estructura temporal del lector (sesión 514)

«There are far more various kinds of consciousness than there are physical forms, each with its own patterns of perception, dwelling within its own camouflage system. Yet all of these have inner knowledge of the reality that exists within all camouflage and that composes any reality, by whatever name it is called.» — Seth, según Roberts, multiplica las clases de consciencia por encima de las formas físicas y les da un saber común de lo que hay dentro de todo camuflaje (sesión 514)

«You can learn to change your physical environment, therefore, by learning to change and manipulate your dream environment. You can also suggest specific dreams in which a desired change is seen, and under certain conditions these will then appear in your physical reality. Now often you do this without realizing it.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone la manipulación del entorno onírico como vía para cambiar el físico, con sueños sugeridos que bajo ciertas condiciones aparecerían en la realidad (sesión 514)

«I told our good friend Joseph to underline the word “seem” because your» — el dictado se anota a sí mismo: Seth, según Roberts, manda subrayar una palabra y la instrucción entra impresa al libro. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 40 (sesión 514)

«Consciousness must show itself, however. It cannot unbe. It is not physical, it must therefore show its activation in other ways. In some systems for example, it forms highly integrated mathematical and musical patterns that are themselves stimuli for other universal systems. I am not very well acquainted with these, however, and cannot speak of them with any great familiarity.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña *it cannot unbe* y da como ejemplo sistemas donde la consciencia se manifiesta en patrones matemáticos y musicales; la última frase es el límite que él mismo pone a su saber (sesión 514)

«If I am aware of communicating now through Ruburt, in different ways each of you telepathically communicates to and through other personalities, though with little knowledge of your accomplishment.» — Seth, según Roberts, generaliza su propio caso: cada lector se comunicaría telepáticamente con otras personalidades sin saberlo (sesión 514)

«Whole consciousness adopts various forms. It need not always be within a form. All forms are not physical ones. Some personalities, therefore, have» — Seth, según Roberts, desliga la consciencia entera de la forma y de lo físico; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 41 (sesión 514)

«never been physical. They have evolved along different lines, and their psychological structures would be alien to your own.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: hay personalidades que nunca fueron físicas, evolucionadas por otra línea y con estructuras psicológicas ajenas a la humana (sesión 514)

«My heartiest wishes to you all. A fond good evening. (Amused and emphatic): And this is indeed [a] first and final draft.» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra la sesión respondiendo a la pregunta que Sue Watkins había hecho sobre cuánta corrección exigiría el libro: primer y último borrador. El corchete es del aparato (sesión 514)

«Now: The senses that you use, in a very real manner, create the environment that you perceive. Your physical senses necessitate the perception of a three-dimensional reality. Consciousness is equipped with inner perceptors, however. These are inherent within all consciousness, regardless of its development. These perceptors operate quite independently from those that might be assumed when a given consciousness adopts a specialized form, such as a physical body, in order to operate in a particular system.» — Seth, según Roberts, distingue los sentidos físicos, que crean el entorno percibido, de unos perceptores internos inherentes a toda consciencia (sesión 515)

«You could see, for example, your present living room not only as a conglomeration of permanent-appearing furniture, but switch your focus and see the immense and constant dance of molecules and other particles that compose the various objects.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe lo que verían los sentidos internos en la sala misma donde se dicta: la danza constante de moléculas bajo el mobiliario de apariencia permanente (sesión 515)

«Now all of these possibilities represent a legitimate reality. Yours is no more legitimate than any other, but it is the only one that you perceive.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala en legitimidad todas esas perspectivas y acota la del lector por su exclusividad, no por su falsedad (sesión 515)

«Using the inner senses, we become conscious creators, cocreators. But you are unconscious cocreators whether you know it or not. If our environment seems unstructured to you, it is only because you do not understand the true nature of order, which has nothing to do with permanent form, but only appears to have form from your perspective.» — Seth, según Roberts, opone creadores conscientes e inconscientes y desliga el orden de la forma permanente (sesión 515)

«We experience time, or what you would call its equivalent nature, in terms of intensities of experience — a psychological time with its own peaks and valleys.» — Seth, según Roberts, sustituye la secuencia temporal por intensidades de experiencia, que llama tiempo psicológico (sesión 515)

«Now, I project a portion of my reality as I dictate this book to an undifferentiated level between systems that is relatively clear of camouflage. It is an inactive area, comparatively speaking. If you were thinking in terms of physical reality, then this area could be likened to one immediately above the atmosphere of your earth. However I am speaking of psychological and psychic atmospheres, and this area is sufficiently distant from Ruburt’s physically oriented self so that the communications can be relatively understood.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa el lugar del dictado en un nivel indiferenciado entre sistemas, comparándolo con la franja inmediatamente superior a la atmósfera terrestre (sesión 515)

«It is quite true that your physical senses create the reality that they perceive. A tree is something far different to a microbe, a bird, an insect, and a man who stands beneath it. I am not saying that the tree only appears to be different. It is different.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que el árbol es distinto para el microbio, el pájaro, el insecto y el hombre, y niega expresamente la salida fácil de que solo lo parezca (sesión 515)

«It is not that physical reality is false. It is that the physical picture is simply one of an infinite number of ways of perceiving the various guises through which consciousness expresses itself. The physical senses force you to translate experience into physical perceptions. The inner senses open your range of perception, allow you to interpret experience in a far freer manner and to create new forms and new channels through which you, or any» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propia crítica: la realidad física no es falsa sino una entre infinitas maneras de percibir, y los sentidos internos abren el rango. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 515)

«Consciousness is, among other things, a spontaneous exercise in creativity. You are learning now, in a three-dimensional context, the ways in which your emotional and psychic existence can create varieties of physical form. You manipulate within the psychic environment, and these manipulations are then automatically impressed upon the physical mold.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el aprendizaje en tres dimensiones como manipulación psíquica que se imprime luego en el molde físico (sesión 515)

«The naturally creative aspects are the materializations of the deepest psychic, spiritual, and physical inclinations of the species, set up in your terms eons ago, and a part of the racial bank of psychic knowledge.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la creatividad natural del entorno físico a materializaciones antiquísimas de las inclinaciones de la especie, guardadas en un banco racial de saber psíquico (sesión 515)

«If you paint a picture within three-dimensional existence, then the painting must be on a flat surface, merely hinting at the complete three-dimensional experience that you cannot insert into it. In our environment, however, we could actually create whatever dimensional effects we desired.» — Seth, según Roberts, usa la pintura plana que solo insinúa el volumen para describir por contraste lo que su entorno permitiría (sesión 515)

«All of these abilities are not ours alone. They are your heritage. As you will see later in this book, you exercise your own inner senses, and multidimensional abilities, more frequently than it might seem, in other states of consciousness than the normal, waking one.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara esas facultades herencia del lector y las remite a estados de consciencia distintos del de vigilia (sesión 515)

«Say that your father throughout his lifetime has eight favorite chairs. If your perceptive mechanisms were primarily set up as a result of intuitive association rather than time sequence, then you would perceive all of these chairs at one time; or seeing one, you would be aware of the others.» — Seth, según Roberts, ilustra con las ocho sillas del padre qué se percibiría si la continuidad viniera de la asociación y no de la secuencia temporal (sesión 515)

«So environment is not a separate thing in itself, but the result of perceptive patterns, and these are determined by psychological structure.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del entorno un resultado de los patrones perceptivos y estos de la estructura psicológica (sesión 515)

«you are fascinated with physical reality, and you are in as deep a trance now as the woman is through whom I write this book.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala la atención del lector en lo físico al trance de la médium: es la imagen con que el volumen invierte la rareza (sesión 515)

«All of your attention is focused in a highly specialized way upon one shining, bright point that you call reality. There are other realities all about you, but you ignore their existence, and you blot out all stimuli that come from them. There is a reason for such a trance, as you will discover, but little by little you must wake up. My purpose is to open your inner eyes.» — Seth, según Roberts, concede que hay una razón para ese trance y declara el propósito del libro como despertar gradual (sesión 515)

«My environment includes, of course, those other personalities with whom I come in contact. Communication, perception, and environment can hardly be separated.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata entorno, percepción y comunicación como inseparables, y de ahí pasa al capítulo tres (sesión 518)

«Because we use telepathy we can hide little from each other, even if we wished to. This, I am sure, seems an invasion of privacy to you, and yet I assure you that even now none of your thoughts are hidden, but are known quite clearly to your family and friends — and I may add, unfortunately, to those you consider enemies as well. You are simply not aware of this fact.» — Seth, según Roberts, se adelanta a la objeción por la privacidad y responde extendiendo la transparencia al lector: sus pensamientos ya serían conocidos por familia, amigos y enemigos (sesión 518)

«This does not mean that each of us is like an open book to the other. Quite the contrary. There is such a thing as mental etiquette, mental manners. We are much more aware of our own thoughts than you are. We realize our freedom to choose our thoughts, and we choose them with some discrimination and finesse.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota la transparencia con lo que llama etiqueta mental y con la libertad de elegir los propios pensamientos (sesión 518)

«The power of our thoughts has been made clear to us, through trial and error in other existences. We have discovered that no one can escape the vast creativity of the mental image, or of emotion.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que ese saber vino por ensayo y error en otras existencias, no por revelación (sesión 518)

«This does not mean that we are not spontaneous, or that we must deliberate between one thought or another, in anxious concern that one might be negative or destructive. That, in your terms, is behind us.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota lo anterior negando que la vigilancia sobre el propio pensamiento sea deliberación ansiosa (sesión 518)

«So, when I “meet” another, I may be able to relate to him much better on the basis of a particular past life experience, even though in my “now” we have little in common. We may have known each other, for example, as entirely different people in the fourteenth century, and we may communicate very nicely by discussing those experiences, much as you and your hypothetical childhood friend established rapport by remembering your past.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el trato entre los de su estado por la vía de una vida pasada compartida, con el símil del amigo de infancia (sesión 518)

«As you will see, this analogy is a rather simple one that will do only for now, because past, present, and future do not really exist in those terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, marca su propia analogía como provisional porque pasado, presente y futuro no existirían en esos términos (sesión 518)

«We do not feel the need to hide our emotions or thoughts from others, because all of us by now well recognize the cooperative nature of all consciousness and reality, and our part in it. We are highly motivated. (Humorously): Could spirits be anything else?» — el volumen usa la palabra de la que se ha distanciado, y la usa en broma: Seth, según Roberts, pregunta qué otra cosa podrían ser unos *spirits*. La acotación de humor es de las notas de Butts (sesión 518)

«Simply because we have at our command the full use of our energy, it is not diverted into conflicts. We do not fritter it away, but utilize it for those unique and individual purposes that are a basic part of our psychological experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la disponibilidad de su energía a que no se desvía en conflictos (sesión 518)

«Now, each whole self, or multidimensional personality, has its own purposes, missions, and creative endeavors that are initial and basic parts of itself and that determine those qualities that make it eternally valid and eternally seeking.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone en cada yo entero propósitos y empresas propias que lo hacen eternamente válido y eternamente buscador (sesión 518)

«We also suspect — certainly I do — that the purposes themselves will have surprising results, astounding consequences that we have never realized, and that they will merely lead to new avenues. Realizing this helps us keep a sense of humor.» — Seth, según Roberts, marca como sospecha y no como saber que los propósitos tengan consecuencias imprevistas, y liga esa incertidumbre al sentido del humor (sesión 518)

«When one has been born and has died many times, expecting extinction with each death, and when this experience is followed by the realization that existence still continues, then a sense of the divine comedy enters in.» — Seth, según Roberts, deriva lo que llama comedia divina de haber esperado la extinción en cada muerte y haber seguido existiendo (sesión 518)

«We are beginning to learn the creative joy of play. I believe, for example, that all creativity and consciousness is born in the quality of play, as opposed to work, in the quickened intuitional spontaneity that I see as a constant through all my own existences, and in the experience of those I know.» — Seth, según Roberts, marca como creencia propia —*I believe*— que toda creación y toda consciencia nazcan del juego y no del trabajo (sesión 518)

«I communicate with your dimension, for example, not by willing myself to your level of reality, but by imagining myself there.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el mecanismo de su venida como imaginación y no como voluntad (sesión 518)

«On the one hand you take life too seriously, and on the other, you do not take playful existence seriously enough.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte la censura habitual: el reproche no es tomarse poco en serio la vida, sino poco en serio el juego (sesión 518)

«We play, for example, with the mobility of our consciousness, seeing how “far” one can send it. We are constantly surprised at the products of our own consciousness, of the dimensions of reality through which we can hopscotch. It might seem that we use our consciousness idly in such play, and yet again, the pathways we make continue to exist and can be used by others. We leave messages to any who come by, mental signposts.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el juego con la movilidad de la consciencia y sostiene que los caminos abiertos así quedan para otros, como señales (sesión 518)

«Now, in my work as a teacher I travel into many dimensions of existence, even as a traveling professor might give lectures in various states or countries. Here, however, the resemblance ends, largely, since before I can begin to work I must set up preliminary psychological structures and learn to know my pupils before teaching can even begin.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe su oficio con el símil del profesor visitante y marca dónde se rompe: primero hay que levantar estructuras psicológicas previas (sesión 518)

«I must have a thorough knowledge of the particular system of reality in which my pupil operates, of his or her system of thought, of the symbols that are meaningful. The stability of the pupil’s personality must be correctly gauged by me. The needs of that personality cannot be ignored but must be taken into consideration.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera lo que exige su método: conocer el sistema, el pensamiento y los símbolos del alumno, y medir la estabilidad de su personalidad (sesión 518)

«Often the material I present will initially be given without any sign of my presence, seemingly as a startling revelation. For no matter how carefully I present the material, it is still bound to change past ideas that are strongly a part of the pupil’s personality. What I say is one thing, but the pupil of course is thrust into psychological and psychic behavior and experience that may seem quite alien to him on a conscious level.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que su material suele darse sin señal de quién lo da, como revelación aparente, por el trastorno que produce (sesión 518)

«In your system, for example, and in connection with the woman through whom I now write this book, initial contact on my part was made long before our sessions began. The personality was never consciously aware of the initial meeting. She simply experienced sudden new thoughts, and since she is a poet, these appeared as poetic inspirations.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa el primer contacto con ella mucho antes de las sesiones y por la vía de la poesía, sin conciencia de ella (sesión 518)

«At one time some years ago, at a writers’ conference, she became involved in circumstances that could have led to her psychic development before she was ready. The psychological climate at that time, of those involved, initiated the conditions, and without realizing what she was about our friend [Jane] went into a trance.» — Seth, según Roberts, cuenta un trance anterior en un congreso de escritores, ocurrido según él antes de que ella estuviera lista; el corchete con el nombre es del aparato (sesión 518)

«I had known of her psychic gifts since her childhood, but the insights necessary were channeled through the poetry until the personality attained the necessary background that was needed in this particular case. In the affair just mentioned, therefore, I was informed and saw to it that the episode ended and was not pursued.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara haber intervenido para que aquel episodio terminara, y haber canalizado los avisos por la poesía hasta que ella tuviera el bagaje necesario (sesión 518)

«It was hardly an accidental performance, however. Quite without knowing it, the personality decided to try its wings» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el accidente y atribuye el trance de Milford a una decisión de la propia personalidad (sesión 518)

«While within the systems in which I work there are certain basic similarities, in some dimensions I would not be equipped to be a teacher simply because the basic concepts of experience would be alien to my nature, and the learning processes themselves outside of my own experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone el límite de su propia competencia: en algunas dimensiones no podría enseñar porque los conceptos básicos de la experiencia le serían ajenos (sesión 518)

«Now your ideas of space are highly erroneous. So in my contacts with your sphere of activity, I do not sweep through bright golden skies like some spiritual superman into your physical domain.» — Seth, según Roberts, rechaza la figura del superhombre espiritual que atraviesa cielos dorados para describir su propia entrada (sesión 519)

«Not only is the illusion of space caused by your own physical perceptive mechanisms, but it is also caused by mental patterns that you have accepted — patterns that are adopted by consciousness when it reaches a certain stage of “evolution” within your system.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la ilusión del espacio a dos causas a la vez: el aparato perceptivo y patrones mentales aceptados; las comillas de *evolution* son del impreso (sesión 519)

«When you arrive, or emerge, into physical life, not only is your mind not a blank slate, waiting for the scrolls that experience will write upon it, but you are already equipped with a memory bank far surpassing that of any computer. You face your first day upon the planet with skills and abilities already built in, though they may or may not be used; and they are not merely the result of heredity as you think of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la tabla rasa y la herencia como únicas fuentes, y atribuye al recién nacido un banco de memoria y habilidades ya instaladas (sesión 519)

«You may think of your soul or entity — though only briefly and for the sake of this analogy — as some conscious and living, divinely inspired computer who programs its own existences and lifetimes. But this computer is so highly endowed with creativity that each of the various personalities it programs spring into consciousness and song, and in turn create realities that may have been undreamed of by the computer itself.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone la analogía de la computadora divinamente inspirada que programa sus propias existencias, y la carga con la objeción que la desborda: las personalidades crean realidades no soñadas por ella (sesión 519)

«I must emphasize that I am not saying that the soul or entity is a computer, but only asking you to look at the matter in this light in order to make several points clear.» — Seth, según Roberts, retira expresamente la analogía en cuanto la usa: la pide como luz, no como definición (sesión 519)

«Each personality has within it the ability not only to gain a new type of existence in the environment — in your case in physical reality — but to add creatively to the very quality of its own consciousness, and in so doing to work its way through the specialized system, breaking the barriers of reality as it knows it.» — Seth, según Roberts, da a cada personalidad la capacidad de añadir a la cualidad de su propia consciencia y de romper así las barreras del sistema (sesión 519)

«Your planetary systems exist at once, simultaneously, both in time and in space. The universe that you seem to perceive, either visually or through instruments, appears to be composed of galaxies, stars, and planets, at various distances from you. Basically, however, this is an illusion. Your senses and your very existence as physical creatures program you to perceive the universe in such a way. The universe as you know it is your interpretation of events as they intrude upon your three-dimensional reality. The events are mental.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara ilusoria la disposición de galaxias y distancias y la reduce a la interpretación de sucesos que llama mentales (sesión 519)

«This does not mean that you cannot travel to other planets, for example, within that physical universe, any more than it means that you cannot use tables to hold books, glasses, and oranges (as our coffee table did at that moment), although the table has no solid qualities of its own.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota la afirmación anterior con el símil de la mesa de centro que sostiene libros, vasos y naranjas sin cualidades sólidas propias; la acotación de la mesa real es de las notas de Butts (sesión 519)

«Root assumptions are those built-in ideas of reality of which I spoke — those agreements upon which you base your ideas of existence. Space and time, for example, are root assumptions. Each system of reality has its own set of such agreements.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña *root assumptions* para los acuerdos en que se funda cada sistema, y pone el espacio y el tiempo como los dos primeros (sesión 519)

«When I communicate within your system, I must use and understand the root assumptions upon which it is based. As a teacher it is part of my job to understand and use these, and I have had existences in many such systems as a part of what you may call my basic training; though in your terms my associates and I had other names for them.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que tuvo existencias en muchos sistemas como parte de lo que llama su entrenamiento básico (sesión 519)

«The entity, or the soul, has a far more creative and complicated nature than even your religions have ever granted it.» — Seth, según Roberts, mide el alma contra lo que le han concedido las religiones y la declara más creativa y más complicada (sesión 519)

«Now in my level of existence I am simply aware of the fact, strange as it may seem, that I am not my consciousness. My consciousness is an attribute to be used by me.» — la distinción que el libro sostiene entre alma y consciencia, dicha por Seth según Roberts: la consciencia sería atributo de uso y no la identidad misma (sesión 519)

«When I enter your environment, I turn my consciousness in your direction, therefore. In one way, I translate what I am into an event that you can understand to some extent. In a much more limited manner, any artist does the same thing when he translates what he is, or a portion of it, into a painting. There is at least an evocative analogy there.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara su entrada con el pintor que traduce en cuadro una porción de lo que es, y marca la comparación como evocativa y nada más (sesión 519)

«Now whether or not you realize it, each of you intrudes into other systems of reality in your dream states without the full participation of your normally conscious self. In subjective experience you leave behind physical existence and act, at times, with strong purpose and creative validity within dreams that you forget the instant you awaken.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende al lector lo que dice de sí: en sueños entraría en otros sistemas con propósito y validez creadora, y lo olvidaría al despertar (sesión 519)

«When I contact your reality, therefore, it is as if I were entering one of your dreams. I can be aware of myself as I dictate this book through Jane Roberts, and yet also be aware of myself in my own environment; for I send only a portion of myself here, as you perhaps send out a portion of your consciousness as you write a letter to a friend, and yet are aware of the room in which you sit. I send out much more than you do in a letter, for a portion of my consciousness is now within the entranced woman as I dictate, but the analogy is close enough.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica su presencia parcial con el símil de quien escribe una carta sin dejar de ver el cuarto, y acota la diferencia de grado (sesión 519)

«One large difference between your environment and mine is that you must physically materialize mental acts as physical matter. We understand the reality of mental acts and recognize their brilliant validity. We accept them for what they are, and therefore we are beyond the necessity to materialize them and interpret them in such a rigid manner.» — Seth, según Roberts, cifra la diferencia entre los dos entornos en la necesidad de materializar los actos mentales, que su lado no tendría (sesión 519)

«Now some of you who read this book will immediately and intuitively grasp what I am saying, for you will have already suspected that you are viewing experience through highly distorted, though colorful, figurative lenses.» — Seth, según Roberts, cuenta con lectores que ya sospechan que ven la experiencia por lentes distorsionadas, y a ellos apela antes que a un argumento (sesión 519)

«is an illusion caused by a greater reality. The illusion itself has a purpose and a meaning.» — el límite que el volumen pone a su propia palabra *illusion*: la ilusión vendría de una realidad mayor y tendría propósito y sentido (sesión 519)

«Three-dimensional experience is an invaluable place of training. Your personality as you now know it will indeed persevere, and with its memories, but it is only a part of your entire identity, even as your childhood in this life is an extremely important part of your present personality, though now you are far more than a child.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propia relativización de lo físico: la personalidad del lector persiste con sus memorias, y la comparación es con la infancia dentro de una vida (sesión 519)

«But environments are not objective things, conglomerations of objects that exist independently of you. Instead you form them and they are quite literally extensions of yourself; materialized mental acts that extend outward from your» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la objetividad del entorno y lo declara extensión materializada de actos mentales; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 519)

«I will tell you exactly how you form your environment. I form mine following the same rules, though you end up with physical objects and I do not.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala la regla de formación de los dos entornos y pone la diferencia solo en el producto (sesión 519)

«To your question: The book could be written on consecutive evenings, as well as with our present method. A certain leeway is always left for spontaneity and surprises, so that anything in your experience can be used as an example or as a point about which I can build a discussion that I had already intended in any case.» — la respuesta de Seth, según Roberts, a la pregunta que Butts había dejado escrita: el libro podría dictarse en noches seguidas, y el margen de espontaneidad sirve para usar lo que ocurra como ejemplo (sesión 519)

«Your scientists are finally learning what philosophers have known for centuries — that mind can influence matter. They still have to discover the fact that mind creates and forms matter.» — Seth, según Roberts, marca la distancia entre lo concedido —que la mente influye en la materia— y lo que él sostiene: que la crea y la forma (sesión 520)

«Now your closest environment, physically speaking, is your body. It is not like some manikin-shape in which you are imprisoned, that exists apart from you like a casing.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el cuerpo como maniquí o estuche y lo declara el entorno más cercano (sesión 520)

«Instead your physical form, your corporeal personal environment, is the physical materialization of your own thoughts, emotions, and interpretations.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del cuerpo la materialización de los propios pensamientos, emociones e interpretaciones (sesión 520)

«Quite literally, the “inner self” forms the body by magically transforming thoughts and emotions into physical counterparts. You grow the body. Its condition perfectly mirrors your subjective state at any given time.» — Seth, según Roberts, usa el adverbio *magically* para la transformación de pensamiento en cuerpo, y declara que la condición de este refleja el estado subjetivo (sesión 520)

«Each emotion and thought has its own electromagnetic reality, completely unique. It is highly equipped to combine with certain others, according to the various ranges of intensity that you may include. In a manner of speaking, three-dimensional objects are formed in somewhat the same way that the images you see on your television screen are formed, but with a large difference. And if you are not tuned into that particular frequency, you will not perceive the physical objects at all.» — Seth, según Roberts, da a cada pensamiento y a cada emoción una realidad electromagnética propia y usa el símil de la sintonía televisiva, marcando que hay una gran diferencia (sesión 520)

«Each of you act as transformers, unconsciously, automatically transforming highly sophisticated electromagnetic units into physical objects. You are in the middle of a “matter-concentrated system,” surrounded, so to speak, by weaker areas in which what you would call “pseudomatter” persists. Each thought and emotion spontaneously exists as a simple or complex electromagnetic unit — unperceived, incidentally, as yet by your scientists.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama transformadores a los lectores y nombra *pseudomatter* lo que rodea al sistema concentrado en materia; acota que sus unidades electromagnéticas no están percibidas por la ciencia (sesión 520)

«The intensity determines both the strength and the permanency of the physical image into which the thought or emotion will be materialized. In my own material I am explaining this in depth. Here, I merely want you to understand that the world that you know is the reflection of an inner reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace depender fuerza y permanencia de la imagen física de la intensidad del pensamiento que la materializa (sesión 520)

«You are made basically of the same ingredients as a chair, a stone, a head of lettuce, a bird. In a gigantic cooperative endeavor, all consciousness joins together to make the forms that you perceive.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la formación del mundo como empresa cooperativa de toda consciencia (sesión 520)

«We also realize that permanency of form is an illusion, since all consciousness must be in a state of change. We can be, in your terms, in several places at once because we realize the true mobility of consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, deriva de la movilidad de la consciencia la posibilidad de estar en varios sitios a la vez (sesión 520)

«Now whenever you think emotionally of another person, you send out a counterpart of yourself, beneath the intensity of matter, but a definite form. This form, projecting outward from your own consciousness, completely escapes your egotistical attention.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de cada pensamiento emocional sobre alguien un envío de forma, y marca la diferencia con lo suyo: en la suya va una porción de consciencia que puede comunicarse (sesión 520)

«I have a fourteenth-century study, my favorite, with which I am very pleased, for example. In your physical terms it does not exist, and I know quite well it is my mental production. Yet I enjoy it, and often take a physical form in order to sit at the desk and look out the window at the countryside.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe su gabinete del siglo catorce y declara en la misma frase que sabe bien que es producción mental suya (sesión 520)

«When my associates and I meet, we often translate each other’s thoughts into various shapes and forms out of pure enjoyment in the practice. We have what you might call a game, demanding some expertise, where for our own amusement we see which of us can translate any given thought into the most numerous forms.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe un juego entre sus asociados: traducir un mismo pensamiento al mayor número de formas (sesión 520)

«There are such subtle qualities affecting the nature of all thought, such emotional gradations, that no one is ever identical — (smile) and incidentally, no physical object in your system is an exact duplicate of any other. The atoms and molecules that compose it — any object — have their own identities that color and qualify any object that they form.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la existencia de dos objetos idénticos y lo funda en la identidad propia de átomos y moléculas (sesión 520)

«You accept and perceive and focus upon continuities and similarities as you perceive physical objects of any kind, and in a very important manner you shut out and ignore dissimilarities out of a given field of actuality. Therefore you are very highly discriminating, accepting certain qualities and ignoring others.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la percepción como discriminación activa: aceptar continuidades y cerrar el paso a las desemejanzas (sesión 520)

«Within the flesh, atoms and molecules constantly die and are replaced. The hormones are in a constant state of motion and alteration. Electromagnetic properties of skin and cell continually leap and change, and even reverse themselves. The physical matter that composed your body a moment ago is different in important ways from the matter that forms your body in this instant.» — Seth, según Roberts, lleva el cambio corporal del plazo de siete años al de cada instante (sesión 520)

«Even subjectively you focus upon and indeed manufacture the idea of a relatively stable, relatively permanent conscious self. You stress those ideas and thoughts and attitudes that you recall from “past” experience as your own, completely ignoring those that once were “characteristic” and now are vanished — ignoring the fact also that you cannot hold thought. The thought of a moment before, in your terms, vanishes away.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende la fabricación de permanencia al yo subjetivo, señalando que se retiene lo que se reconoce como propio y se ignora lo que se desvaneció (sesión 520)

«Those that you refuse to acknowledge are precisely those that would give you a much better understanding of the true nature of reality, individual subjectivity, and the physical environment that seems to surround you.» — Seth, según Roberts, señala que los cambios negados son justamente los que darían el entendimiento buscado (sesión 520)

«What happens to a thought when it leaves your conscious mind? It does not simply disappear. You can learn to follow it» — Seth, según Roberts, plantea la pregunta que organiza el resto de la sesión y responde que el pensamiento no desaparece (sesión 520)

«These subjective openings through which thoughts seem to disappear are in fact like psychic warps, connecting the self that you know with other universes of experience — realities where symbols come to life and thoughts are not denied their potential.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama alabeos psíquicos a los huecos por donde el pensamiento parece irse, y los declara conexiones con universos donde los símbolos cobran vida (sesión 520)

«If there is any point where your own consciousness seems to elude you or escape you, or if there is any point where your consciousness seems to end, then these are the points where you have yourselves set up psychological and psychic barriers, and these are precisely those areas that you should explore.» — Seth, según Roberts, convierte el punto donde la consciencia parece acabar en el sitio que hay que explorar, porque ahí estarían las barreras puestas por uno mismo (sesión 520)

«Otherwise you feel as if your consciousness is enclosed within your skull, immobile and constricted, and every lost thought or forgotten memory at least symbolically seems like a small death. And such is not the case.» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra el punto igualando cada olvido a una pequeña muerte simbólica, y niega que sea así (sesión 520)

«Consider your present self as an actor in a play; hardly a new analogy, but a suitable one. The scene is set in the twentieth century. You create the props, the settings, the themes; in fact you write, produce, and act in the entire production — you and every other individual who takes part.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo cuatro con la analogía del actor y marca ella misma que no es nueva; el reparto de papeles incluye escribir y producir la obra (sesión 521)

«You are so focused in your roles, however; so intrigued by the reality that you have created, so entranced by the problems, challenges, hopes, and sorrows of your particular roles that you have forgotten they are of your own creation.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye el olvido del propio papel a la intensidad de la implicación, no al engaño (sesión 521)

«But there are other plays going on simultaneously, in which you also have a part to play. These have their own scenery, their own props. They take place in different periods of time. One may be called “Life in the twelfth century A.D.” One may be called “Life in the eighteenth century,” or “in 500 B.C.,” or “in A.D. 3000.” You also create these plays and act in them. These settings also represent your environment, the environment that surrounds your entire personality.» — Seth, según Roberts, convierte las vidas en obras simultáneas con su propia escenografía y su propio siglo, y las declara entorno de la personalidad entera (sesión 521)

«You do not understand your own multidimensional reality; therefore it seems strange or unbelievable when I tell you that you live many existences at one time. It is difficult for you to imagine being in two places at once, much less in two or more times, or centuries.» — Seth, según Roberts, se hace cargo de la extrañeza de su propia afirmación: cuesta imaginarse en dos sitios, cuánto más en dos siglos (sesión 521)

«Now stated simply, time is not a series of moments. The words that you speak, the acts that you perform, appear to take place in time, as a chair or table appears to take up space. These appearances however are a part of the complicated props that you have set up “beforehand,” and within the play you must accept these as real.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el tiempo sea una sucesión de momentos y llama utilería a su apariencia, acotando que dentro de la obra hay que aceptarla como real (sesión 521)

«This will happen despite the fact that four o’clock in the afternoon has no basic meaning, but is an agreed-upon designation — a gentlemen’s agreement, if you prefer.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama acuerdo entre caballeros a la hora convenida y a la vez reconoce su utilidad para citarse en una esquina (sesión 521)

«Each of you are now involved in a much larger production, in which you all agree on certain basic assumptions that serve as a framework within which the play can occur. The assumptions are that time is a series of moments one after another; that an objective world exists quite independently of your own creation and perception of it; that you are bound within the physical bodies that you have donned; and that you are limited by time and space.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera los supuestos aceptados como marco de la obra: sucesión de momentos, mundo objetivo independiente, atadura al cuerpo y límite de tiempo y espacio (sesión 521)

«Other assumptions accepted for the same reason include the idea that all perception comes through your physical senses; in other words, that all information comes from without, and that no information can come from within.» — Seth, según Roberts, añade el supuesto que a su juicio fuerza la atención hacia la obra: que toda percepción venga de los sentidos físicos y nada de dentro (sesión 521)

«Now these various plays, these creative period pieces represent what you would call reincarnational lives. They all exist basically at one time.» — Seth, según Roberts, identifica las obras simultáneas con lo que el lector llama vidas reencarnadas y las declara existentes a la vez (sesión 521)

«Some, resting between productions, as it were, try to communicate with those who are still taking part; but they themselves are merely in the wings» — el pasaje que acota el valor de las comunicaciones con los muertos: Seth, según Roberts, sitúa a quienes comunican entre bambalinas y con alcance corto de vista (sesión 521)

«The plays seem to be taking place one before the other, and so these communications seem to intensify the false idea that time is a series of moments, passing in a single line from some inconceivable beginning to some equally inconceivable end.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a esas comunicaciones el refuerzo de la idea de un tiempo en línea, que él llama falsa (sesión 521)

«You may smile and think to yourself that it is quite difficult to imagine a Roman senator addressing the multitudes through a microphone, for example; his children, watching his performance on television. But all of this is highly misleading. Progress does not exist in the terms that you consider it to, any more than time does.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el progreso en los términos en que se piensa, con la imagen del senador romano ante un micrófono (sesión 521)

«In each play, both individually and en masse, different problems are set up. Progress can be measured in terms of the particular ways in which those problems were solved or not solved.» — Seth, según Roberts, sustituye el progreso por la medida interna de cada obra: cómo se resolvieron o no los problemas que ella misma plantea (sesión 521)

«Now: Incidentally (humorously), you need not record this. My “now’s,” beginning a sentence, are often simply cues to you, and need not necessarily go along with our script.» — el dictado se corrige a sí mismo: Seth, según Roberts, avisa que sus *now* son señales para el anotador y no van al libro, y la advertencia quedó impresa igualmente (sesión 521)

«Though I use the analogy here of a drama, these “plays” are highly spontaneous affairs in which the actors have full freedom within the play’s framework. And granting these assumptions that have been stated, there are no rehearsals.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propia analogía teatral: dentro del marco hay libertad plena y no hay ensayos (sesión 521)

«This leads you to think in terms of a very limited progress, both in individual terms and in terms of your species as a whole. You think, those of you who have even considered reincarnation, “Well, certainly the race must have progressed from the time of the Middle Ages,” although you greatly fear it has not; or you turn to technological progress and say, “At least we have» — Seth, según Roberts, describe las dos salidas del lector ante la duda del progreso: la Edad Media y el avance tecnológico; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 63 (sesión 521)

«As in any good theatre production, there is an overall theme within each play. The great artists, for example, did not emerge out of a particular time simply because they were born into it, or (because) the conditions were favorable.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que los grandes artistas surjan por haber nacido en una época o por condiciones favorables (sesión 521)

«Periods of renaissance — spiritual, artistic, or psychic — occur because the intense inner focus of those involved in the drama are directed toward those ends. The challenge may be different in each play, but the great themes are beacons to all consciousness. They serve as models.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye los renacimientos al foco interior de quienes participan en la obra y no a las condiciones de la época (sesión 521)

«Progress has nothing to do with time, you see, but with psychic and spiritual focus. Each play is entirely different from any other. It is not correct, therefore, to suppose that your actions in this life are caused by a previous existence, or that you are being punished in this life for crimes in a past one. The lives are simultaneous.» — el pasaje donde el volumen se separa de la reencarnación entendida como castigo o consecuencia: Seth, según Roberts, niega que esta vida se cause en una anterior porque las vidas serían simultáneas (sesión 521)

«The word “result,” you see, automatically infers cause and effect — the cause happening before the effect, and this is simply one small example of the strength of such distortions, and of the inherent difficulties involved with verbal thought, for it always implies a single-line delineation.» — Seth, según Roberts, señala que su propio vocabulario le impone la causa antes del efecto y llama a eso una dificultad inherente al pensamiento verbal (sesión 521)

«It is learning the art of actualization. It has within it infinite sources of creativity, unlimited possibilities of development. But it has yet to learn the means of actualization» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye al yo multidimensional fuentes infinitas de creación y a la vez le niega, por ahora, los medios de actualizarlas (sesión 521)

«Therefore it creates varieties of conditions in which to operate, and sets itself challenges, some doomed to failure in your terms, at least initially, because it must first create the conditions which will bring new creations about. And all of this is done with great spontaneity and unbounded joy.» — Seth, según Roberts, incluye el fracaso dentro del diseño: hay desafíos condenados a fallar porque primero hay que crear las condiciones (sesión 521)

«He is not left, therefore, abandoned within a play that he has forgotten in his own creation. He has knowledge and information that comes to him through» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el abandono del actor y le da una guía interior; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 65 (sesión 521)

«what I call the inner senses. (10:39. Long pause.) He has other sources of information, therefore, than those strictly given within the confines of the production. Each actor knows this instinctively, and there are periods set and allowed for within the play itself in which each actor retires in order to refresh himself. In these he is informed through the inner senses of his other roles, and he realizes that he is far more than the self appearing in any given play.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: los periodos de retiro previstos dentro de la obra, que Seth, según Roberts, hace coincidir con el sueño (sesión 521)

«This does not mean that the play is not real, or that it should not be taken seriously. It does mean playing a role — an important one. Each actor must of himself realize, however, the nature of the production and his part in it. He must actualize himself out of the three-dimensional confines of the play’s setting.» — el límite que el volumen pone a su propia analogía: la obra no deja de ser real ni de merecer seriedad, y cada actor ha de reconocerla por sí mismo (sesión 521)

«The multidimensional self cannot act within three-dimensional reality until it materializes a portion of itself within it. Do you follow me? (“Yes.”) Within this reality, it then brings about all kinds of creativity and development that could not appear otherwise. It must then propel itself from this system however, through another act, another actualization on the part of itself that is three-dimensional.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la encarnación un requisito para actuar aquí y del salir de ella un segundo acto de actualización (sesión 521)

«Now: The meaning of the play is within you, therefore. It is only the conscious portion of you that acts so well, and that is focused so securely within the props of the production.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca el sentido de la obra dentro del propio actor y acota que solo su porción consciente queda atrapada en la utilería (sesión 521)

«The purpose of any given life is available to you, the knowledge beneath the surface of the conscious self you know. All kinds of hints and clues are also available. You have the knowledge of your entire multidimensional personality at your fingertips. When you realize that you do, this knowledge allows you to solve the problems or meet the challenges you have set, quicker, in your terms; and also opens further areas of creativity by which the entire» — Seth, según Roberts, declara disponible el propósito de cada vida bajo el yo consciente; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 66 (sesión 521)

«Your multidimensional personality, your true identity, the real you, is conscious of itself, as itself, in any of these roles.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye consciencia de sí a la personalidad multidimensional en cualquiera de sus papeles (sesión 521)

«which I speak is not a psychological structure completed and done with. It is also in a state of becoming.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el yo multidimensional sea estructura acabada y lo declara en devenir; el troceo reemite el marcador de plana a mitad de la frase, en el límite de chunk, y esta es la mitad que queda del lado de la p. 64 (sesión 521)

«By the very nature of consciousness, it seeks to materialize itself in as many dimensions as possible — to create from itself new levels of awareness, new offshoots. In doing so it creates all reality. Reality, therefore, is always in a state of becoming.» — Seth, según Roberts, funda la creación de la realidad en la tendencia de la consciencia a materializarse en cuantas dimensiones pueda (sesión 522)

«When you think of reincarnation, you suppose a series of progressions. Instead the various lives grow out of what your inner self is. They are not thrust upon you by some outside agency.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la progresión y la agencia externa: las vidas crecerían de lo que el yo interior es (sesión 522)

«Your consciousness then takes many forms, and these forms need not be alike any more, say, than a caterpillar is like a butterfly. The soul or entity has complete freedom of expression. It changes its form to suit its expression, and it forms environments like stage settings, and worlds to suit its purposes.» — Seth, según Roberts, usa la oruga y la mariposa para la disparidad entre formas de una misma consciencia (sesión 522)

«The soul or entity is highly individualized spiritual energy. It forms whatever body you now wear, and is the motive power behind your physical survival, for from it you derive your vitality. Consciousness can never be still, but seeks further creativity.» — la definición del alma que el volumen sostiene, dicha por Seth según Roberts: energía espiritual altamente individualizada, motor de la supervivencia física (sesión 522)

«The abilities of the entity lie within the three-dimensional self. The three-dimensional self, the actor, has access to this information and to these potentials. In learning to use these potentials, in learning to rediscover its relationship with the entity, the three-dimensional self raises still further the level of achievement, comprehension, and creativity. The three-dimensional self becomes more than it knows.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone las facultades de la entidad dentro del yo tridimensional, y hace del redescubrimiento de esa relación el modo de elevar su logro (sesión 522)

«Not only is the entity strengthened, but portions of it, having been actualized in three-dimensional existence, now add to the very quality and nature of that existence. Without this creativity, planetary life in your terms would always be sterile.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que la encarnación devuelva algo a la entidad y no solo a la inversa (sesión 522)

«There are those who appear within these plays fully aware. These personalities willingly take roles, knowing that they are roles, in order to lead the others toward the necessary realization and development. They lead the actors to see beyond the selves and settings they have created. These personalities from other levels of existence oversee the play, so to speak, and appear among the actors. Their purpose is to open up within the three-dimensional selves those psychological doorways that will release the three-dimensional self for further development in another system of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe a quienes toman papel sabiendo que es papel para llevar a los demás al reconocimiento, y ahí se sitúa él mismo sin decirlo (sesión 522)

«Now: You are learning to be cocreators. You are learning to be gods as you now understand the term. You are learning responsibility — the responsibility of any individualized consciousness. You are learning to handle the energy that is yourself, for creative purposes.» — Seth, según Roberts, formula el aprendizaje del lector como aprendizaje de dios y de responsabilidad a la vez (sesión 522)

«You will be bound to those you love and those you hate, though you will learn to release and lose and dissipate the hatred. You will learn to use even hatred creatively and to turn it to the higher ends, to transform it finally into love.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone el uso creativo del odio y su transformación en amor, no su supresión (sesión 522)

«The rocks and stones and mountains and earth are living camouflage, interlocking psychic webs formed by minute consciousnesses that you cannot perceive as such. The atoms and molecules within them have their own consciousness, as do the atoms and molecules with your body.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama camuflaje vivo a rocas, montañas y tierra, tejidos por conciencias diminutas con átomos que se saben como los del cuerpo (sesión 522)

«Within him there are methods of perception that allow him to see through the camouflage settings, to see beyond the stage. He uses these inner senses constantly, though the actor part of himself is so intent upon the play that this escapes him.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que el actor usa sus sentidos internos de continuo y que la atención puesta en la obra se lo oculta (sesión 522)

«In a large manner, the physical senses actually form the physical reality they seem to only perceive. They are themselves part of the» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a los sentidos físicos la formación de lo que parecen solo percibir; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 69 (sesión 522)

«camouflage, but they are like lenses over your natural inner perceptions that force you to “see” an available field of activity as physical matter; and so they can be relied upon only to tell you what is happening in a superficial manner.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: los sentidos físicos como lentes que fuerzan a ver la materia y que solo informan de lo superficial (sesión 522)

«You would be more than disoriented, for example, but quite terrified, if between one moment and the next your familiar environment as you knew it disappeared to be replaced by other sets of data that you were not ready to understand, so much information from the inner senses must be translated in terms that you can comprehend. Such information must somehow make sense to you as three-dimensional selves, in other words.» — Seth, según Roberts, justifica la traducción y la distorsión de lo recibido por el terror que causaría el dato crudo (sesión 522)

«The soul or entity, then, is not the self that reads this book. Your environment is not simply the world about you as you know it, but also consists of past-life environments upon which you are not now focusing. Your real environment is composed of your thoughts and emotions, for from these you form not only this reality but each reality in which you take part.» — Seth, según Roberts, separa el alma del yo lector y declara el entorno real compuesto de pensamientos y emociones (sesión 522)

«Now, pretend that you are on a lighted stage, the stage being the room in which you now sit. Close your eyes and pretend that the lights have gone out, the setting has disappeared and you are alone. Everything is dark. Be quiet. Imagine as vividly as you can the existence of inner senses. For now pretend that they correspond to your physical ones. Clear from your mind all thoughts and worries. Be receptive.» — el primer ejercicio que el libro propone al lector, dictado por Seth según Roberts: apagar la escena, cerrar los ojos y quedarse receptivo (sesión 522)

«Very gently listen, not to physical sounds but to sounds that come through the inner senses. Images may begin to appear. Accept them as sights quite as valid as those you see physically. Pretend that there is an inner world, and that it will be revealed to you as you learn to perceive it with these inner senses.» — continuación del ejercicio: oír y ver por los sentidos internos, aceptando las imágenes como válidas; todo el ejercicio va en modo de fingimiento, con *pretend* repetido (sesión 522)

«Do not judge the whole inner world by the disjointed images that you may at first perceive, or by the sounds that you may at first hear, for you will still be using your inner senses quite imperfectly.» — el límite que el propio ejercicio lleva dentro: no juzgar el mundo interno por las imágenes sueltas del principio (sesión 522)

«So the inner senses are channels that provide communication between various dimensions of existence. Yet even here the information must be distorted to some extent as it is translated into physical terms. Otherwise it would not be perceived at all.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que incluso por los sentidos internos la información ha de distorsionarse al traducirse a términos físicos, so pena de no percibirse (sesión 522)

«Do this simple exercise for a few moments before sleep or in the resting state. It may also be done even in the midst of an ordinary task that does not take all of your attention. You will simply be learning to focus in a new dimension of awareness, taking quick snapshots, as it were, in a strange environment. Remember that you will only be perceiving snatches. Simply accept them, but do not attempt to make any overall judgments or interpretations at this stage. Ten minutes a day to begin with is quite sufficient.» — la dosis y el modo que el ejercicio prescribe: unos minutos antes de dormir o en una tarea que no exija toda la atención, diez minutos al día para empezar (sesión 522)

«Now: I have spent some time emphasizing the fact that each of us forms our own environment, because I want you to realize that the responsibility for your life and your environment is your own.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el propósito de la insistencia del capítulo: que el lector asuma la responsabilidad de su vida y su entorno (sesión 523)

«I have also discussed reincarnation in terms of environment because many schools of thought over-emphasize the effects of reincarnational existences, so that often they explain present-life circumstances as a result of rigid and uncompromising patterns determined in a “past” life. You will feel relatively incompetent to handle present physical reality, to alter your environment, to affect and change your world, if you feel that you are at the mercy of conditions over which you have no control.» — el pasaje donde el volumen objeta a otras escuelas por su nombre genérico: Seth, según Roberts, señala que explicar la vida presente por patrones rígidos de una vida pasada deja al lector incompetente para cambiar su entorno (sesión 523)

«You are not under a sentence placed upon you for original sin, by any childhood events, or by past-life experience. Your life, for example, may be far less fulfilling than you think you would prefer. You may be less when you would be more, but you are not under a pall placed upon your psyche, either by original sin, Freud’s infancy syndromes, or past-life influences.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone en la misma serie el pecado original, los síndromes freudianos de la infancia y las influencias de vidas pasadas, y niega las tres como condena (sesión 523)

«Like a true absent-minded professor, the conscious self forgets all this, however, so when tragedy appears in the script, difficulty or challenges, the conscious self looks for someone or something to blame.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica con la figura del profesor distraído por qué el yo consciente busca culpables ante la tragedia (sesión 523)

«As you read this book, now and then look about you at the room in which you sit. Chairs and tables, the ceilings and the floors, may seem very real and solid — quite permanent — while you by contrast may feel yourself to be highly vulnerable, caught in a moment between birth and extinction.» — Seth, según Roberts, invita al lector a mirar su propio cuarto y contrastar la permanencia aparente de los muebles con su sensación de fragilidad (sesión 523)

«By the end of our book, however, I hope you will realize the eternal validity of your own consciousness, and the impermanence of those physical aspects of your environment, and of your universe, that now seem so secure.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia el propósito del libro con las palabras de su propio subtítulo, y lo cierra con la impermanencia de lo que parece seguro (sesión 523)

«In each life you choose and create your own settings or environments; and in this one you chose your parents and whatever childhood incidents that came within your» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende la elección de cada vida hasta los padres y los sucesos de la infancia; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 73 (sesión 523)

«Chapter Five: As you read the words upon this page, you realize that the information that you are receiving is not an attribute of the letters of the words themselves. The printed line does not contain information. It transmits information.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo cinco con la distinción entre contener y transmitir información, que es la analogía sobre la que montará su tesis de la materia (sesión 523)

«Now in the same way, I am telling you that objects are also symbols that stand for a reality whose meaning the objects, like the letters, transmit. The true information is not in the objects any more than the thought is in the letters or in words. Words are methods of expression. So are physical objects in a different kind of medium.» — la tesis del capítulo cinco: Seth, según Roberts, hace de los objetos símbolos que transmiten una realidad, igual que las letras (sesión 523)

«Physical objects are the result of another kind of expression. You create them as surely as you create words. I do not mean that you create them with your hands alone, or through manufacture. I mean that objects are natural by-products of the evolution of your species, even as words are.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota su propia afirmación: no habla de fabricación manual sino de los objetos como subproducto natural de la evolución de la especie (sesión 523)

«Though you hear the words and recognize their appropriateness, and though they may more or less approximate an expression of your feeling, they are not your feeling, and there must be a gap between your thought and your expression of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca la brecha entre pensamiento y expresión dentro del habla misma, antes de aplicarla a los objetos (sesión 523)

«The familiarity of speech begins to vanish when you realize that you, yourself, when you begin a sentence do not know precisely how you will end it, or even how you form the words. You do not consciously know how you manipulate a staggering pyramid of symbols, picking from them precisely those you need to express a given thought. For that matter, you do not know how you think.» — Seth, según Roberts, objeta la familiaridad del habla con tres ignorancias del propio hablante, la última de las cuales es no saber cómo piensa (sesión 523)

«Since the mechanisms of normal speech are so little known to you on a conscious level, then it is not surprising that you are equally unaware of more complicated tasks that you also perform — such as the constant creation of your physical environment as» — Seth, según Roberts, argumenta de lo menor a lo mayor: si el habla ya escapa a la conciencia, cuánto más la creación del entorno; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 523)

«It is only from this viewpoint that the true nature of physical matter can be understood. It is only by comprehending the nature of this constant translation of thoughts and desires — not into words now, but into physical objects — that you can realize your true independence from circumstance, time, and environment.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la traducción de pensamientos en objetos la condición para comprender la independencia respecto de la circunstancia (sesión 523)

«I am pleased with the beginning of my chapter, for I think I have hit upon an analogy, and a true one, that will release the reader from the artificial bondage of physical form. When he sees it as a method of his own expression, he will realize his own creativeness.» — el dictado comenta su propio oficio: Seth, según Roberts, se declara satisfecho de la analogía hallada y dice qué espera que haga en el lector (sesión 523)

«Now, it is easy to see that you translate feelings into words or bodily expressions and gestures, but not quite as easy to realize that you form your physical body as effortlessly and unselfconsciously as you translate feelings into symbols that become words.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala la formación del cuerpo a la traducción de sentimientos en palabras, por lo irreflexiva (sesión 523)

«You may perhaps argue that the book was manufactured physically, and did not suddenly erupt through Ruburt’s skull, already printed and bound. You in turn had to borrow or purchase the book, so you may think, “Surely, I did not create the book, as I created my words.” But before we are finished we will see that basically speaking, each of you create the book you hold in your hands» — Seth, según Roberts, plantea él mismo la objeción de que el libro se compró o se prestó, y responde extendiendo la creación hasta ese objeto (sesión 523)

«Now, for our book. The peculiar, particular aspects of your physical world are dependent upon your existence and focus within it. The physical universe does not contain physical objects of solidity, width and depth, for example, to those whose existence is not within it.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la solidez, la anchura y la hondura de los objetos a la existencia y el foco del que los percibe (sesión 524)

«Other kinds of consciousness coexist within the same “space” that your world inhabits. They do not perceive your physical objects, for their reality is composed of a different camouflage structure.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace coexistir otras conciencias en el mismo espacio sin percepción mutua, por diferencia de estructura de camuflaje (sesión 524)

«These points are not recognized as such, but they are points of what you could call double reality, containing great energy potential; coordinate points, indeed, where realities merge. There are main coordinate points, pure mathematically, sources of fantastic energy, and subordinate coordinate points, vast in number.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña los *coordinate points* donde las realidades se cruzan y los reparte en principales y subordinados (sesión 524)

«There are four absolute coordinate points that intersect all realities. These coordinate points also act as channels through which energy flows, and as warps or invisible paths from one reality to another. They also act as transformers, and provide much of the generating energy that makes creation continuous in your terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, fija en cuatro los puntos coordenados absolutos y les da tres funciones: canal, alabeo entre realidades y transformador (sesión 524)

«When a thought or emotion attains a certain intensity, it automatically attracts the power of one of these subordinate points, and is therefore highly charged, and in one way magnified, though not in size.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace depender de la intensidad el enganche del pensamiento con un punto subordinado, y acota que la magnificación no es de tamaño (sesión 524)

«These points impinge upon what you call time, as well as space. There are certain points in time and space, therefore, (again in your terms), that are more conducive than others, where both ideas and matter will be more highly charged. Practically speaking, this means that buildings will last longer; in your context, that ideas wedded to form will be relatively eternal. The pyramids, for example, are a case in point.» — Seth, según Roberts, aplica los puntos coordenados a la duración de los edificios y pone las pirámides como caso (sesión 524)

«You have heard the expression before, I am sure, that the environment expresses a particular individual’s personality. I am telling you that this is a literal and not symbolic truth.» — Seth, según Roberts, toma el dicho de que el entorno expresa la personalidad y declara que lo dice al pie de la letra (sesión 523)

«These coordinate points — absolute, main, or subordinate — represent accumulations or traces of pure energy, minute to an extreme if you are thinking in terms of size — smaller than any particle of which your scientists know for example, but composed of pure energy.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe los puntos como acumulaciones mínimas de energía pura, menores que cualquier partícula conocida; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 78 (sesión 524)

«energy must be activated. It is dormant until then — and it cannot be activated physically.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: esa energía está latente y no puede activarse por medios físicos (sesión 524)

«Now: A few clues here that might help you, or mathematicians. There is an ever-so-minute alteration of gravity forces in the neighborhood of all of these points, even of the subordinate ones, and all the so-called physical laws to some extent or another will be found to have a wavering effect in these neighborhoods.» — Seth, según Roberts, ofrece lo que llama pistas para matemáticos: una alteración mínima de la gravedad y un titubeo de las leyes físicas junto a esos puntos (sesión 524)

«There are better places than others to build houses or structures — points where health and vitality are strengthened, where, other things being equal, plants will grow and flourish and where all beneficial conditions seem to meet.» — Seth, según Roberts, da la consecuencia práctica de los puntos subordinados: hay sitios mejores que otros para construir, para la salud y para las plantas (sesión 524)

«Some people can sense such neighborhoods instinctively. They occur within certain angles made by coordinate points. The points obviously are not themselves physical — that is, they are not visible, though they may be mathematically deduced. They are felt, however, as intensified energy.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota que los puntos no son visibles y solo podrían deducirse matemáticamente, aunque se sientan como energía intensificada (sesión 524)

«Since the nature of these angles is not the main topic of my book, it is not possible to explain them thoroughly here.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el límite de lo que va a exponer sobre los ángulos, por no ser asunto del libro (sesión 524)

«In speaking of these angles we will treat them as three-dimensional, though they are of course multidimensional.» — Seth, según Roberts, marca su propia simplificación al tratar como tridimensionales unos ángulos que declara multidimensionales (sesión 524)

«These points are like invisible power plants, in other words, activated when any emotional feeling or thought of sufficient intensity comes into contact. The points themselves intensify whatever activates them in a quite neutral manner.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara neutrales los puntos coordenados: intensifican lo que los activa sin distinguir su naturaleza (sesión 524)

«We are rather slow with this material, since it is new, but mainly because I would like it translated into as precise terms as possible; and without a scientific background on Ruburt’s part, I must use ingenuity.» — el dictado declara su propio límite de vocabulario: Seth, según Roberts, dice que sin formación científica de la médium ha de recurrir al ingenio (sesión 524)

«Now: This is highly simplified, but the subjective experience of any consciousness is automatically expressed as electromagnetic energy units. These exist “beneath” the range of physical matter. They are, if you prefer, incipient particles that have not yet emerged into matter.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña las unidades de energía electromagnética como partículas incipientes por debajo del rango de la materia (sesión 524)

«These units are natural emanations from all kinds of consciousness. They are the invisible formations resulting from reaction to any kind of stimuli. They very seldom exist in isolation, but unite under certain laws. They change both their form and their pulsation. Their relative “duration” depends upon the original intensity behind them — that is, behind the original thought, emotion, stimuli, or reaction that brought them into being.» — Seth, según Roberts, da a esas unidades una duración proporcional a la intensidad de lo que las originó (sesión 524)

«Atoms and molecules and planets and these electromagnetic energy units are simply different manifestations of the same principles that bring the units themselves into being. It is only your relative position, your focus within an apparent space and time, that makes this seem so unlikely.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala átomos, planetas y unidades electromagnéticas como manifestaciones de un mismo principio, y atribuye la extrañeza a la posición del que mira (sesión 524)

«This emergence into matter occurs as a neutral “result” regardless of the nature of any given thought or emotion. Mental images, accompanied by strong emotion, are blueprints therefore upon which a corresponding physical object, or condition or event, will in your terms appear.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama planos a las imágenes mentales con emoción fuerte y declara neutral la emergencia, sea cual sea el contenido (sesión 524)

«Briefly, in your own country, the West Coast, portions of the East Coast, Utah, the Great Lakes, the Chicago area, the Minneapolis area, and some other southwestern areas, are in those neighborhoods of excellent coordinate activity, for the reasons given. Materialization will quickly appear, and potentials therefore for both constructive and destructive elements are high.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra regiones concretas de los Estados Unidos como zonas de actividad coordenada intensa, con potencial alto en los dos sentidos (sesión 525)

«The intensity of a feeling or thought or mental image is, therefore, the important element in determining its subsequent physical materialization. The intensity is the core about which the electromagnetic energy units form. In your terms, the more intense the core, the sooner the physical materialization. This would apply whether the mental image was a fearful one or a joyful one.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la intensidad el núcleo en torno al cual se forman las unidades, sin distinguir entre imagen temida y deseada (sesión 525)

«Now there is a very important problem here: If your turn of mind is highly intense and you think in vivid mental emotional images, these will be swiftly formed into physical events. If you are also of a highly pessimistic nature, given to thoughts and feelings of potential disaster, then these thoughts will be quite faithfully reproduced in experience.» — la consecuencia incómoda que el propio dictado señala como problema: quien piense en imágenes vívidas y en clave pesimista vería reproducido eso mismo (sesión 525)

«These coordinate points themselves activate the behavior of atoms and molecules as, say for example, the sun aids the growth of plants. The coordinates activate the generating behavior of atoms and molecules, and greatly encourage their cooperative abilities; their tendency to swarm, so to speak, into organizations and structural groupings.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara los puntos coordenados con el sol sobre las plantas: activan la conducta cooperativa de átomos y moléculas (sesión 525)

«The coordinate points magnify or intensify the behavior, the latent spontaneity inherent within the properties of physical matter. They act as psychic generators, propelling what is not yet physical into physical form.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama generadores psíquicos a los puntos coordenados y les da por función impulsar a la forma lo que aún no es físico (sesión 525)

«Now, this is not to be a technical book, so this is not the time nor place to discuss thoroughly the action, behavior or effects of these coordinate points; nor of the electromagnetic energy units — those natural emanations of consciousness of which I spoke. I want it known, however, that thoughts and emotions are formed into physical matter by very definite methods and through laws quite valid, though they may be presently unknown.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que el libro no es técnico y a la vez afirma que los métodos existen y son legales aunque hoy se desconozcan (sesión 525)

«let me remind you that these emanations in varying degrees rise from all consciousness, not simply your own. This includes cellular consciousness as well, so that an invisible network of electromagnetic units pervades your entire atmosphere; and upon this webwork and from it, the particles of physical matter are then formed.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende las emanaciones a la consciencia celular y describe una red electromagnética invisible sobre la que se formaría la materia (sesión 525)

«A true understanding of the way in which an idea becomes physical matter would result in a complete revamping of your so-called modern technology, and in buildings, roads, and other structures that would far outlast those you now have. While the psychic reality behind physical matter is ignored, then you cannot use those methods effectively that do exist, nor can you take advantage of them.» — Seth, según Roberts, promete una revisión completa de la tecnología moderna a partir de ese entendimiento, y acota que mientras se ignore lo psíquico los métodos no podrán usarse (sesión 525)

«My first purpose, therefore, is to make you aware of the inner identity of which you are part, and to clear away some of the intellectual and superstitious debris that prevents you from recognizing your own potentialities and freedom.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el primer propósito del libro y nombra lo que hay que apartar: escombros intelectuales y supersticiosos a la vez (sesión 525)

«With the little background given so far, we can at least begin to discuss the subject of this book: The eternal validity of the soul. Even when we are exploring other issues, we will be trying to illustrate the multidimensional aspect of this inner self. There are many misconceptions connected with it, and first of all we shall try to dismiss these.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo seis nombrando el asunto del libro con las palabras del subtítulo y anuncia que empezará por descartar equívocos (sesión 526)

«First of all, a soul is not something that you have. It is what you are. I usually use the term “entity” in preference to the term “soul,” simply because those particular misconceptions are not so connected with the word “entity,” and its connotations are less religious in an organizational sense.» — la corrección que el volumen hace al vocabulario heredado: el alma no se tiene, se es; y Seth, según Roberts, prefiere *entity* por sus connotaciones menos religiosas en sentido de organización (sesión 526)

«The trouble is that you frequently consider the soul or entity as a finished, static “thing” that belongs to you but is not you. The soul or entity — in other words, your most intimate powerful inner identity — is and must be forever changing. It is not, therefore, something like a cherished heirloom. It is alive, responsive, curious. It forms the flesh and the world that you know, and it is in a state of becoming.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el alma sea una reliquia acabada y la declara viva, curiosa y en devenir (sesión 526)

«Now, in the three-dimensional reality in which your ego has its main focus, becoming presupposes arrival, or a destination — an ending to that which has been in a state of becoming. But the soul or entity has its existence basically in other dimensions, and in these, fulfillment is not dependent upon arrivals at any points, spiritual or otherwise.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota la palabra *becoming*: en su sentido no supone llegada ni destino, ni siquiera espiritual (sesión 526)

«You do have access to the inner self, therefore. You are hardly cut off from your own soul or entity. The ego prefers to consider itself the captain at the helm, so to speak, since it is the ego who most directly deals with the sometimes tumultuous seas of physical reality, and it does not want to be distracted from this task.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica la pretensión del ego por su tarea y no por su malicia: se cree capitán porque le toca el mar (sesión 526)

«The soul or entity is not diminished but expanded through reincarnations, through existence and experience in probable realities — something that I will explain later.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte el signo habitual de la reencarnación: no disminuye el alma, la expande (sesión 526)

«It is only because you have a highly limited conception of your own entity that you insist upon its being almost sterile in its singularity. There are millions of cells within your body, but you call your body a unit, and consider it your own. You do form it, from the inside out, and yet you form it from living substance, and each smallest particle has its own living consciousness. There are clumps of matter, and in that respect there are clumps of consciousness, each individual, with their own destiny and abilities and potentials. There are no limitations to your own entity: therefore, how can your entity or soul have boundaries, for boundaries would enclose it and deny it freedom.» — Seth, según Roberts, usa la multiplicidad de células dentro de un cuerpo llamado unidad para negar fronteras a la entidad (sesión 526)

«Each of my readers plays a game in which the egotistical conscious self pretends not to know what the whole self definitely does know. Since the ego is definitely a» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el desconocimiento del yo consciente como un juego de fingir; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 84 (sesión 526)

«part of the whole self, then it must necessarily be basically aware of such knowledge. In its intense focus in physical reality, however, it pretends not to know, until it feels able to utilize the information in physical terms.» — continuación en la plana siguiente: el fingimiento tiene plazo, dura hasta que el ego pueda usar la información en términos físicos (sesión 526)

«Now: Often it seems that the soul is thought of as a precious stone, to be finally presented as a gift to God, or considered as some women used to consider their virginity — something highly prized that must be lost; the losing of it being signified as a fine gift to the receiver. In many philosophies this sort of idea is retained — the soul being returned to a primal giver, or being dissolved in a nebulous state somewhere between being and nonbeing.» — el volumen objeta a dos figuras de otras doctrinas: el alma como joya que se entrega a dios y el alma devuelta a un dador primero o disuelta entre ser y no ser (sesión 526)

«The soul or entity is itself the most highly motivated, most highly energized, and most potent consciousness-unit known in any universe.» — la definición que el volumen da del alma como unidad de consciencia: la más motivada, la más energizada y la más potente de cualquier universo (sesión 526)

«It is energy concentrated to a degree quite unbelievable to you. It contains potentials unlimited, but it must work out its own identity and form its own worlds. It carries within it the burden of all being.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye al alma potenciales ilimitados y a la vez la obligación de trabajar su identidad y formar sus mundos (sesión 526)

«How many of you would want to limit your reality, your entire reality, to the experience you now know? You do this when you imagine that your present self is your entire personality, or insist that your identity be maintained unchanged through an endless eternity.» — Seth, según Roberts, convierte en pregunta la objeción del lector y señala que insistir en un yo inmutable es lo que limitaría su realidad (sesión 526)

«In many ways the soul is an incipient god, and later in this book we will discuss the “god concept.” For now, however, we will simply be concerned with the entity or soul» — Seth, según Roberts, llama al alma un dios incipiente y aplaza el asunto del concepto de dios para más adelante en el libro (sesión 526)

«The soul is, however, first of all creative. It can be discussed from many viewpoints. Its characteristics can be given to some degree, and indeed most of my readers could find out these characteristics for» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el alma creativa ante todo y sus características averiguables por el lector; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 526)

«I hope in this book not only to assure you of the eternal validity of your soul or entity, but to help you sense its vital reality within yourself.» — Seth, según Roberts, distingue asegurar y hacer sentir, y declara que el libro busca lo segundo (sesión 526)

«When you understand to some extent who and what you are, then I can explain more clearly who and what I am. I hope to acquaint you with those deeply creative aspects of your own being, so that you can use these to extend and expand your entire experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte el orden que el lector esperaría: primero el lector se entiende a sí mismo y solo entonces cabe explicar qué es él (sesión 526)

«I wanted to begin this chapter. It always makes Ruburt feel better. It ends the suspense (smiling) as to what the next chapter will be.» — el dictado atiende al estado de la médium: Seth, según Roberts, dice haber abierto el capítulo para acabar con el suspenso que le pesaba a ella (sesión 526)

«Now: Remember in your portrait the sense of play, and a light hand. Otherwise you lose your sparkling colors and end up with a murkiness that you do not intend. Remember that the soul is plain behind the facade that you see — that even the body is in a constant state of almost magical activity, even though as you paint it in its chair, it is physically motionless.» — el dictado se sale del libro para dar consejo de pintura a Butts, y lo hace con la doctrina del volumen dentro: el cuerpo quieto en actividad casi mágica (sesión 526)

«You do this when you imagine that your present self is your entire personality, or insist that your identity be maintained unchanged through an endless eternity. (10:43.) Such an eternity would be dead indeed.» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra el punto declarando muerta una eternidad de identidad inmutable (sesión 526)

«You want the feeling, within that apparent state of motionlessness, of highly accelerated contained activity that cannot be physically expressed — that must radiate from the painting despite the obvious and illusionary appearance of your figure.» — el consejo de pintura continúa y trae la misma doctrina: actividad acelerada contenida bajo la apariencia ilusoria de la figura (sesión 526)

«You are stressing perhaps too strongly the aspects of the chair, as the binding elements that hold your figure more or less stationary. He, of course also creates the chair, as you know, and therefore the limitations.» — el consejo de pintura aplica la doctrina al retratado: la silla que lo sujeta la crea él mismo, y con ella sus limitaciones (sesión 526)

«Many individuals imagine the soul to be an immortalized ego, forgetting that the ego as you know it is only a small portion of the self; so this section of the personality is simply projected onward, ad infinitum» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra el equívoco central que el capítulo combate: el alma pensada como un ego inmortalizado (sesión 527)

«In considering “immortality,” mankind seems to hope for further egotistical development, and yet he objects to the idea that such development might involve change.» — Seth, según Roberts, señala la contradicción que atribuye al deseo de inmortalidad: pedir desarrollo y a la vez objetar el cambio (sesión 527)

«Now personality, even as you know it, constantly changes, and not always in ways that are anticipated — most often, in fact, in unpredictable ways. You insist upon focusing your attention upon the similarities that are woven through your own behavior; and upon these you build a theory that the self follows a pattern that you, instead, have transposed upon it. And the transposed pattern prevents you from seeing the self as it really is.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica la ilusión de un yo constante por la atención selectiva a las semejanzas del propio comportamiento (sesión 527)

«Remember again that you are a soul now. The soul within you, therefore, is now perceiving. Its methods of perception are the same now as they were before your physical birth, and as they will be after your physical death. So basically the inner portion of you, the soul-stuff, will not suddenly change its methods of perception nor its characteristics after physical death.» — el punto que el volumen repite a lo largo del libro: el alma percibe ya, con los mismos métodos de antes del nacimiento y de después de la muerte (sesión 527)

«You can find out what the soul is now, therefore. It is not something waiting for you at your death, nor is it something you must save or redeem, and it is also something that you cannot lose.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega las tres figuras heredadas: el alma esperando en la muerte, el alma que hay que salvar y el alma que se puede perder (sesión 527)

«The term, “to lose or save your soul”, has been grossly misinterpreted and distorted, for it is the part of you that is indeed indestructible.» — el volumen objeta una fórmula religiosa por su nombre: perder o salvar el alma estaría mal interpretado, porque sería la parte indestructible (sesión 527)

«It continues to grow and develop, but its growth and development is highly dependent upon its realization that while it is distinct and individual, it is also but one manifestation of the soul. To the extent that it realizes this, it learns to unfold in creativity, and to use those abilities that lie inherent within it.» — Seth, según Roberts, condiciona el desarrollo de la individualidad a que esta se reconozca manifestación del alma (sesión 527)

«Your own personality as you know it, that portion of you that you consider most precious, most uniquely you, will also never be destroyed or lost. It is a portion of the soul. It will not be gobbled by the soul, nor erased by it, nor» — Seth, según Roberts, asegura la persistencia de la personalidad individual con negaciones sucesivas; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la p. 88 (sesión 527)

«Now unfortunately, it would be much easier simply to tell you that your individuality continues to exist, and let it go at that. While this would make a fairly reasonable parable, it has been told in that particular way before, and there are dangers in the very simplicity of the tale.» — Seth, según Roberts, rechaza la versión simple de la persistencia por peligrosa, reconociendo que ya se ha contado así (sesión 527)

«Your soul therefore — the soul that you are — the soul that you are part of — that soul is a far more creative and miraculous phenomenon than you previously supposed. And when this is not clearly understood, and when the concept is watered down for simplicity’s sake, as mentioned earlier, then the intense vitality of the soul can never be understood.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la incomprensión de la vitalidad del alma a la simplificación de su concepto (sesión 527)

«Your soul, therefore, possesses the wisdom, information, and knowledge that is part of the experience of all these other personalities; and you have within yourselves access to this information, but only if you realize the true nature of your reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara disponible al lector el saber de todas las personalidades del alma, con la condición puesta en la misma frase (sesión 527)

«There is however an inner communication, and the knowledge of one is available to any — not after physical death, but now in your present moment.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa esa comunicación en el momento presente y no después de la muerte (sesión 527)

«Now, there are no closed systems in reality. In your physical system the nature of your perceptions limits your idea of reality to some extent, because you purposely decide to focus within a given “locale.” But basically speaking, consciousness can never be a closed system, and all barriers of such a nature are illusion.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega los sistemas cerrados y llama ilusión a las barreras, aunque concede que el foco en un lugar dado se elige a propósito (sesión 527)

«There are many matters here very difficult to express in words, for you are so afraid for your sense of identity that you resist the idea that the soul, for example, is an open spiritual system, a powerhouse of creativity that shoots out in all directions — and yet this is indeed the case.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la resistencia del lector al miedo por su propia identidad, y opone a la ciudadela el alma como sistema espiritual abierto (sesión 527)

«When you consider the soul, however, you usually think of it in such a light — unchanging, a psychic or spiritual citadel. But citadels not only keep out invaders, they also prevent expansion and development.» — Seth, según Roberts, opone a la figura de la ciudadela espiritual su propio argumento: la muralla que impide la invasión impide también la expansión (sesión 527)

«But you can intuitively discover the nature of the soul or entity, and in many ways intuitive knowledge is superior to any other kind.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara la vía intuitiva superior a la lógica para este asunto, después de enumerar todo lo que exigiría la definición lógica (sesión 527)

«One prerequisite for such an intuitive understanding of the soul is the desire to achieve it. If the desire is strong enough, then you will be automatically led to experiences that will result in vivid, unmistakable subjective knowledge.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone el deseo como único requisito previo y promete experiencias que darían saber subjetivo inequívoco (sesión 527)

«For now, here is one quite effective but simple exercise. Close your eyes after having read this chapter to this point, and try to sense within yourself the source of power from which your own breathing and life forces come. Some of you will do this successfully at your first try. Others may take longer.» — el segundo ejercicio del libro, dictado por Seth según Roberts: buscar dentro la fuente del propio aliento y de la fuerza vital (sesión 527)

«When you feel within yourself this source, then try to sense this power flow outward through your entire physical being, through the fingertips and toes, through the pores of your body, all directions, with yourself as center. Imagine the rays undiminished, reaching then through the foliage and clouds above, through the center of the earth below, extending even to the farthest reaches of the universe.» — continuación del ejercicio: sentir esa fuerza saliendo en todas direcciones con uno mismo como centro, a través del follaje y del centro de la tierra (sesión 527)

«Now I do not mean this to be merely a symbolic exercise, for though it may begin with imagination, it is based upon fact, and emanations from your consciousness and the creativity of your soul do indeed reach outward in that manner.» — Seth, según Roberts, retira el carácter simbólico del ejercicio en cuanto lo propone: empieza en la imaginación pero se apoyaría en un hecho (sesión 527)

«No matter what you have been taught, you must understand, for example, that basically speaking, perceptions are not physical in the way the term is usually used. If you catch yourself perceiving information through other than your physical senses, then you must accept the fact that this is the way perception works.» — Seth, según Roberts, pide al lector que acepte como dato lo que perciba fuera de los sentidos, en vez de descartarlo por no caber (sesión 527)

«What often happens is that your conception of reality is so limited that you take fright whenever you perceive any experience that does not fit into your conception.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye el miedo ante esas experiencias a la estrechez del concepto de realidad y no a la experiencia misma (sesión 527)

«Now I am not speaking merely of abilities loosely called “extrasensory perception.” These experiences seem extraordinary to you only because you have for so long denied the existence of any perception that did not come through the physical senses.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota el término *extrasensory perception* y explica su rareza por la negación previa de toda percepción no física (sesión 527)

«So-called extrasensory perception gives you but a crude and distorted idea of the basic ways in which the inner self receives information, but the concepts built around extrasensory perception are at least nearer the truth, and as such represent an improvement over the idea that all perception is basically physical.» — el juicio que el volumen da sobre la percepción extrasensorial: idea burda y distorsionada, y aun así más cerca de lo que él sostiene que la alternativa (sesión 527)

«The physical senses actually can be said to create the physical world, in that they force you to perceive an available field of energy in physical terms, and impose a highly specialized pattern upon this field of reality. Using the physical senses, you can perceive reality in no other way.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe los sentidos físicos como imposición de un patrón especializado sobre un campo de energía disponible (sesión 527)

«You must also realize that while I use terms like “soul” or “entity,” “inner self,” and “present personality,” I do so only for the sake of convenience, for one is a part of the other; there is no point where one begins and another ends.» — el dictado desarma su propio vocabulario: Seth, según Roberts, declara los términos recursos de conveniencia sin frontera real entre ellos (sesión 527)

«Now: This discussion is not meant to be an esoteric presentation with little» — Seth, según Roberts, rechaza el carácter esotérico de su propia exposición; el troceo reemite aquí el marcador de plana y el tramo queda cortado en esa palabra (sesión 527)

«practical meaning in your daily lives. The fact is that while you hold limited concepts of your own reality, then you cannot practically take advantage of many abilities that are your own» — continuación del mismo párrafo tras el corte: mientras el concepto de la propia realidad siga siendo limitado, no se podrá aprovechar lo que uno tiene (sesión 527)

«This physical perception in no way alters the native, basic, unfettered perception that is characteristic of the inner self, the inner self being the portion of the soul that is within you. The inner self knows its relationship with the soul. It is a portion of the self that acts, you might say, as a messenger between the soul and the present personality.» — Seth, según Roberts, define el *inner self* como la porción del alma que está dentro de uno y actúa de mensajero entre el alma y la personalidad presente (sesión 527)

«You can see this easily for yourself if you consider the way in which psychologists use the terms “ego,” “subconscious,” and even “unconscious.” What seems subconscious in one instant may be conscious the next. An unconscious motive may also be conscious at one point. Even in these terms your experience should tell you that the words themselves make divisions that do not exist in your own experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, apoya su advertencia sobre el vocabulario en el uso psicológico de *ego*, *subconscious* y *unconscious*, que a su juicio divide lo que la experiencia no divide (sesión 527)

«Now any act of perception changes the perceiver, and so the soul, considered as a perceiver, must also change. There are no real divisions between the perceiver and the thing seemingly perceived. In many ways the thing perceived is an extension of the perceiver.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende a su propio esquema la consecuencia de que percibir cambia a quien percibe: también el alma cambiaría (sesión 527)

«This may seem strange, but all acts are mental, or if you prefer, psychic acts. This is an extremely simple explanation; but the thought creates the reality. Then the creator of the thought perceives the object, and he does not understand the connection between him and this seemingly separate thing.» — Seth, según Roberts, marca la explicación como extremadamente simple y describe el circuito: el pensamiento crea la realidad y luego su autor la percibe como ajena (sesión 527)

«This characteristic of materializing thoughts and emotions into physical realities is an attribute of the soul. Now in your reality, these thoughts are made physical. In other realities, they may be “constructed” in an entirely different fashion.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye al alma la materialización y acota que en otras realidades la construcción sería distinta (sesión 527)

«This knowledge — that your universe is idea construction — can immediately give you clues that enable you to change your environment and circumstances beneficially.» — el volumen retoma el título del guion automático de 1963 que Roberts cuenta en la introducción, y lo pone como saber de uso práctico (sesión 527)

«I would not have it on my conscience. Now what we need is an extra set of fingers for you. By all means take your break. (Humorously): I do not mean to keep you overlong.» — el dictado atiende a la mano del anotador; la escena queda impresa dentro del libro (sesión 527)

«I could dictate all night, one night, and then you could take three sessions off.» — Seth, según Roberts, dicho con voz fuerte según la acotación de Butts; el volumen conserva el regateo doméstico sobre el ritmo del trabajo (sesión 527)

«The soul perceives all experience directly. Most experiences of which you are aware come packaged in physical wrapping, and you take the wrapping for the experience itself, and do not think of looking inside. The world that you know is one of the infinite materializations taken by consciousness» — Seth, según Roberts, opone percepción directa y experiencia envuelta, y en la misma frase declara válido el mundo conocido (sesión 528)

«The soul’s perceptions are of acts and events that are mental, that lie, so to speak, beneath physical events as you know them. The soul’s perceptions are not dependent upon time, because time is a physical camouflage and does not apply to nonphysical reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa los sucesos que el alma percibe por debajo de los físicos y declara el tiempo camuflaje sin vigencia fuera de aquí (sesión 528)

«Now it is difficult to explain to you how direct experience actually works, for it exists — a total field of perception, innocent of the physical clues such as color, size, weight, and sense, with which your physical perceptions are clothed.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la experiencia directa como campo total de percepción sin color, tamaño, peso ni sentido (sesión 528)

«Your physical subjective experience is so involved with word thinking, however, that it is almost impossible for you to conceive of an experience that is not thought-word oriented.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone el obstáculo en el propio lector: casi no puede concebir experiencia que no esté orientada por la palabra (sesión 528)

«Now, each event of which you are aware is already a translation of an inner event, a psychic or mental event that is perceived by the soul directly, but translated by the physically oriented portions of the self into physical sense terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara traducción todo suceso del que uno se entera, percibido directamente por el alma y vertido por las porciones físicas del yo (sesión 528)

«It also follows that some hints of the soul’s direct experience can be gained by momentarily switching the physical senses off — by refusing to use them as perceptors, and falling back upon other methods.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone apagar los sentidos físicos como vía de acceso a indicios de la experiencia directa (sesión 528)

«Now you do this to some extent in the dream state, but even then in many dreams you still tend to translate experience into hallucinatory physical terms. Most» — Seth, según Roberts, acota el valor del sueño ordinario: aun ahí se traduce la experiencia a términos físicos alucinados; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 528)

«At certain depths of sleep, however, the soul’s perception operates relatively unhampered. You drink, so to speak, from the pure well of perception. You communicate with the depths of your own being, and the source of your creativity. These experiences, not being translated physically, do not remain in the morning. You do not remember them as dreams.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa la percepción sin traba en ciertas profundidades del sueño y explica por eso que no queden como sueños recordables (sesión 528)

«Dreams, however, may later the same evening be formed from the information gained during what I will call the “depth experience.” These will not be exact or near translations of the experience, but rather of the nature of dream parables — an entirely different thing, you see.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama parábolas oníricas a los sueños formados a partir de lo recogido en lo que nombra *depth experience* (sesión 528)

«Now this particular level of consciousness, occurring in the sleep state, has not been pinpointed by your scientists. During it, energy is generated that makes the dream state itself possible.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara no localizado por la ciencia ese nivel y le atribuye la energía que hace posible el sueño (sesión 528)

«It is true that dreams allow the physically oriented self to digest current experience, but it is also true that the experience is then returned to its initial components. It breaks apart, so to speak. Portions of it are retained as “past” physical sense data, but the whole experience returns to its initial direct state.» — Seth, según Roberts, concede la función digestiva del sueño y añade la suya: la experiencia se descompone y vuelve a su estado directo (sesión 528)

«Physical existence is one way in which the soul chooses to experience its own actuality. The soul, in other words, has created a world for you to inhabit, to change — a complete sphere of activity in which new developments and indeed new forms of consciousness can emerge.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la existencia física una elección del alma y del mundo una esfera donde pueden surgir formas nuevas de consciencia (sesión 528)

«The soul can be considered as an electromagnetic energy field, of which you are part. It is a field of concentrated action when you consider it in this light — a powerhouse of probabilities or probable actions, seeking to be expressed; a grouping of nonphysical consciousnesses that nevertheless knows itself as an identity.» — la definición técnica que el volumen ofrece del alma: campo de energía electromagnética, agrupación de conciencias no físicas que se sabe una identidad (sesión 528)

«The young woman through whom I speak once stated in a poem, and I quote: “These atoms speak, and call themselves my name.”» — el dictado cita un verso de la propia Roberts para explicar su tesis; la cita dentro de la cita es de ella y la atribución la hace Seth según ella misma (sesión 528)

«Within your body you cannot put your finger upon your own identity. If you could travel within your body, you could not find where your identity resides» — Seth, según Roberts, argumenta con el nombre y con el cuerpo: ni los átomos de los labios ni ningún lugar del cuerpo alojan la identidad (sesión 528)

«The soul, in other words, has created a world for you to inhabit, to change — a complete sphere of activity in which new developments and indeed new forms of consciousness can emerge. In a manner of speaking, you continually create your soul as it continually creates you.» — la fórmula recíproca con que Seth, según Roberts, cierra el punto: uno crearía su alma tanto como ella lo crea a uno (sesión 528)

«In a larger manner, the identity of the soul can be seen from the same viewpoint. It knows who it is, and is far more certain of its identity, indeed, than your physical self is of its identity.» — Seth, según Roberts, traslada al alma el mismo argumento del cuerpo y le atribuye más certeza de sí que a la identidad física (sesión 528)

«And when it should be asked, “Who are you?” it would simply answer, “I am I,” and be answering for you also.» — la respuesta que el volumen pone en boca del alma, y que responde a la vez por el lector (sesión 528)

«Now in terms of psychology as you understand it, the soul could be considered as a prime identity that is in itself a gestalt of many other individual consciousnesses — an unlimited self that is yet able to express itself in many ways and forms and yet maintain its own identity, its own “I am-ness,” even while it is aware that its I am-ness may be part of another I am-ness.» — Seth, según Roberts, acuña *I am-ness* para la identidad que se conserva incluso al ser parte de otra (sesión 528)

«There is, in other words, a give and take between souls or entities, and no end of possibilities, both of development and expansion. Again, the soul is not a closed system.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite tránsito entre almas y repite que ninguna es sistema cerrado (sesión 528)

«You worry for your physical identity and limit the extent of your perceptions for fear you cannot handle more and retain your selfhood.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye el límite perceptivo al miedo a no poder sostener la propia identidad (sesión 528)

«If you had a more thorough understanding of the nature of identity you would not, for example, fear telepathy, for behind this concern is the worry that your identity will be swept away by the suggestions or thoughts of others.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra el miedo que estaría detrás del recelo ante la telepatía: que los pensamientos ajenos barran la propia identidad (sesión 528)

«The soul is a traveler, as has been said so often; but it is also the creator of all experience, and of all destinations in your terms. It creates worlds as it goes, so to speak.» — Seth, según Roberts, acepta la figura heredada del alma viajera y la enmienda: sería además la creadora de los destinos (sesión 528)

«Consciousness is not basically built upon those precepts of good and evil that so presently concern you. By inference, neither is a soul. This does not mean that in your system, and in some others, these problems do not exist and that good is not preferable to the evil. It simply means that the soul knows that good and evil are but different manifestations of a far greater reality.» — el pasaje donde el volumen deja el bien y el mal fuera de la constitución de la consciencia, acotando en la misma frase que en este sistema el bien sigue siendo preferible (sesión 528)

«if you cannot travel inside your physical body to find your identity, you can travel through your psychological self.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone el viaje por el yo psicológico como salida al callejón del viaje por el cuerpo (sesión 528)

«You are a soul; you are a particular manifestation of a soul, and it is sheer nonsense to think that you must remain ignorant of the nature of your own being.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara disparate la ignorancia sobre el propio ser, y acota que el saber puede no caber en palabras sin perder validez (sesión 528)

«Now you may call this a spiritual or psychological or psychic exploration, as you prefer. You will not be trying to find your soul. In that respect there is nothing to find. It is not lost, and you are not lost. The words you use may make no difference, but your intent does indeed.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara indiferente el rótulo de la exploración y decisivo el propósito, y niega que haya nada que encontrar porque nada se ha perdido (sesión 528)

«It seems to you that you have only one form, the physical one that you perceive, and no other. It also seems that your form can only be in one place at one time. You have indeed other forms that you do not perceive, and you also create various kinds of forms for various purposes, although you do not perceive these physically either.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo siete negando la unicidad de la forma y atribuyendo al lector la creación de formas que no percibe (sesión 530)

«Form is the result of concentrated energy, the pattern for it caused by vividly directed emotional or psychic idea images. The intensity is all important.» — Seth, según Roberts, define la forma como energía concentrada según un patrón de imágenes emocionales, con la intensidad como factor decisivo (sesión 530)

«If you have, for example, a highly vivid desire to be somewhere else, then without realizing it consciously a pseudophysical form, identical with your own, may appear in that very spot. The desire will carry the imprint of your personality and image, even though you remain unaware of the image or its appearance in the other location.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la forma pseudofísica que un deseo vivo produciría en otro sitio, sin que quien la produce lo sepa (sesión 530)

«Though this thought-image usually is not seen by others, it is quite possible that in the future scientific instruments may perceive it. As it is, such an image may be perceived by those who have developed use of the inner senses. Any intense mental act — thought or emotion — will not only be constructed in some physical or pseudophysical manner, but will also bear to some extent the imprint of the personality who originally conceived it.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja abierta la percepción futura de esas formas por instrumentos y sostiene que llevan la impronta de quien las concibió (sesión 530)

«There are many such incipient or latent forms. To help you imagine what I am speaking of, you might think of them as ghost images, or shadow images, though this is only for the sake of analogy — forms, for example, just beneath, that have not emerged completely into physical reality as you know it, but are nevertheless vivid enough to be constructed. You would think them quite real indeed, if you could see them.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone las imágenes de sombra como analogía y marca en la misma frase que es solo analogía (sesión 530)

«However, these forms are not mere projections — “flat” images. They have a definite effect upon the atmosphere. They “make room” for themselves in ways that are rather difficult to explain, although they may coexist at times with physical objects or shapes, or may even be superimposed upon these.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que sean proyecciones planas y les da efecto sobre la atmósfera: se hacen sitio y llegan a superponerse a los objetos (sesión 530)

«You may suddenly strongly wish that you were standing by a beloved but distant, familiar seashore, for example. This intense desire would then act something like a core of energy projected outward from your own mind, given a form, your form. The place that you had envisioned would then attract the form, and it would instantaneously stand there. This happens with great frequency.» — el ejemplo de la orilla del mar, al que el capítulo vuelve varias veces: el deseo intenso proyectaría un núcleo de energía con la propia forma y el lugar lo atraería (sesión 530)

«On the other hand, if the desire were still more intense, the energy core would be greater, and a portion of your own flow of consciousness would be imparted to the form, so that for a moment you in your room might suddenly smell the salt air, or in some other way perceive the environment in which this pseudoimage stands.» — Seth, según Roberts, gradúa el fenómeno por la intensidad: a más deseo, parte del propio flujo de consciencia iría en la forma y se olería la sal desde el cuarto (sesión 530)

«The fantastic energy of your psyche not only created your physical body, but maintains it. It is not one continuous thing, although to you it seems permanent enough while it lasts. It is nevertheless in a constant state of pulsation, and because of the nature of energy and its construction, the body is actually blinking off and on.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el cuerpo en pulsación constante, encendiéndose y apagándose, contra su apariencia de permanencia (sesión 530)

«Now: This is difficult to explain, and for our present purposes it is not entirely necessary that you understand the reasons for this pulsing; but even physically, you are “not here” as often as you are.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara innecesario para el libro explicar el porqué del pulso, y deja la consecuencia: uno no está aquí tan a menudo como está (sesión 530)

«Ruburt thanks you. You need not note this down. We slow down now and then to choose the particular word, for some of this material is rather difficult.» — el dictado agradece el vaso que la médium acaba de tomar de la mesa y explica en la misma frase por qué baja el ritmo: la dificultad del material (sesión 530)

«To make this clearer, look at any table in the room before you. It is physical, solid, and you perceive it easily. Now for an analogy, imagine if you can that behind the table is another just like it, but not quite as physical, and behind that one another, and another behind that — each one more difficult to perceive, fading into invisibility. And in front of the table is a table just like it, only a bit less physical appearing than the “real” table — it also having a succession of even less physical tables extending outward. And the same for each side of the table.» — la analogía de las mesas sucesivas, cada una menos física que la anterior, con que Seth según Roberts describe los grados de realidad (sesión 530)

«Now anything that appears in physical terms also exists in other terms that you do not perceive. You only perceive realities when they achieve a certain “pitch,” when they seem to coalesce into matter. But they actually exist, and quite validly at other levels.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la percepción a un tono alcanzado —lo que llama *pitch*— y declara válidos los demás niveles (sesión 530)

«Yours is not a system of reality formed by the most intense concentration of energy, therefore. It is simply the one you are tuned into» — el pasaje donde el volumen quita todo privilegio al sistema físico: no sería el de mayor concentración de energía, solo aquel al que se está sintonizado (sesión 530)

«Your idea of space is then highly distorted, since space to you is simply where nothing is perceived. It is obviously filled with all kinds of phenomena (pause), that make no impression at all upon your perceptive mechanisms.» — Seth, según Roberts, define el espacio del lector por lo que no percibe y lo declara lleno de fenómenos sin efecto sobre su aparato (sesión 530)

«Think again about this form that you sent to the oceanside. Though it was not equipped with your own physical senses, it was of itself to some extent able to perceive. You projected it unknowingly, but through quite natural laws. The form built up from intense emotional desire. (Pause.) The image then follows its own laws of reality, and to some extent, and to a lesser degree than you, has a consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a la forma proyectada percepción propia y una consciencia de grado menor, y la declara producida por leyes naturales (sesión 530)

«Now: You are, using an analogy again, sent out by a superself who strongly desired existence in physical form. You are no puppet of this superself.» — Seth, según Roberts, aplica al lector la misma figura de la forma proyectada y niega en la frase siguiente que eso lo vuelva marioneta (sesión 530)

«Nor will you ever be swallowed by the self that in these terms seems so superior. Because you exist, you send out like projections of your own, as mentioned earlier. There is no end to the reality of consciousness, nor the means of its materialization. Nor is there any end to the developments possible for each identity.» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra la analogía del superyó negando la absorción y extendiendo al lector la facultad de proyectar (sesión 530)

«Now: Let me make it clear once again: Your present personality as you think of it is indeed “indelible,” and continues after death to grow and develop. I mention this again in the middle of our present discussion so that you do not feel lost, or negated, or insignificant.» — el dictado se interrumpe para tranquilizar al lector en medio del argumento, y dice que lo hace por eso mismo (sesión 530)

«That energy which is projected from our “superself,” that spark of intense identity that resulted in your physical birth, that unique impetus, in the one way has many similarities to the old concept of the soul — except that it contains only a part of the story.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite el parecido de su esquema con la vieja idea del alma y lo acota: contendría solo una parte (sesión 530)

«While you continue to exist and develop as an individual, your whole self, or soul, has such vast potential, that it can never be expressed fully through one personality» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el potencial del yo entero inexpresable por una sola personalidad (sesión 530)

«This discussion does not concern the so-called astral form, which is something entirely different. The physical body is the materialization of the astral form.» — el volumen separa expresamente su forma proyectada del cuerpo astral del vocabulario heredado, y define este como aquello de lo que el cuerpo físico es materialización (sesión 530)

«It does not desert the body for any length of time, however, and it is not this that is projected in cases like the seaside analogy used earlier.» — Seth, según Roberts, acota el cuerpo astral: no abandona el cuerpo por mucho tiempo y no es lo que se proyecta en el ejemplo de la orilla (sesión 530)

«Other historical periods exist simultaneously, in forms quite as valid; and other reincarnational selves. Again, you simply are not tuned to those frequencies.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica la inaccesibilidad de otros periodos por falta de sintonía y no por inexistencia (sesión 530)

«You can know what happened in the past and have histories, because according to the rules of the game that you accepted, you believe that the past, but not the future, can be perceived. You could have histories of the future in the present, if the rules of the game were different.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a una regla del juego aceptada la asimetría entre pasado conocible y futuro no conocible (sesión 530)

«In other levels of reality, the rules of the game change. After death in your terms, you are quite free perceptively. The future appears as clearly as the past. Even this is highly complicated, however, for there is not just one past.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara el futuro tan claro como el pasado después de la muerte, y complica de inmediato su propia afirmación: tampoco el pasado sería uno (sesión 530)

«There are also probable pasts therefore, that exist quite outside your comprehension. You choose one particular group of these, and latch upon this group of events as the only ones possible, not realizing that you have selected from an infinite variety of past events.» — Seth, según Roberts, introduce los pasados probables y hace de la historia una selección entre una variedad infinita (sesión 530)

«I am trying to discuss this in your terms, since basically, you must understand, the words “past,” “present,” and “future” are no more meaningful as far as true experience is concerned than are the words “ego,” “conscious,” or “unconscious.”» — Seth, según Roberts, pone *past*, *present* y *future* en la misma lista de palabras vacías de experiencia en que había puesto *ego* y *unconscious* (sesión 530)

«Not only are you part of other independent selves, each one focused in its own reality, but there is a sympathetic relationship that exists.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama relación simpática al vínculo con esos otros yoes independientes (sesión 531)

«It is only because you believe that physical existence is the only valid one, that it does not occur to you to look for other realities.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la falta de búsqueda a la creencia y no a la incapacidad (sesión 531)

«The so-called stream of consciousness is simply that — one small stream of thoughts, images, and impressions — that is part of a much deeper river of consciousness that represents your own far greater existence and experience. You spend all your time examining this one small stream, so that you become hypnotized by its flow, and entranced by its motion.» — Seth, según Roberts, reduce la corriente de consciencia a un arroyo dentro de un río mayor, y describe la atención puesta en él como hipnosis (sesión 531)

«Simultaneously these other streams of perception and consciousness go by without your notice, yet they are very much a part of you, and they represent quite valid aspects, events, actions, emotions with which you are also involved in other layers of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara esas otras corrientes tan propias como la conocida y las liga a sucesos en otras capas de realidad (sesión 531)

«“You” are not divorced from these other streams of consciousness in any basic way; only your focus of attention closes you off from them, and from the events in which they are involved.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la separación al foco de atención y no a una ruptura real (sesión 531)

«If you think of your stream of consciousness as transparent, however, then you can learn to look through and beneath it to others that lie in other beds of reality. You can also learn to rise above your present stream of consciousness and perceive others that run, for» — Seth, según Roberts, propone mirar a través de la propia corriente y elevarse sobre ella para percibir las paralelas; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 531)

«Any creative work involves you in a cooperative process in which you learn to dip into these other streams of consciousness, and come up with a perception that has far more dimensions than one arising from the one narrow, usual stream of consciousness that you know. Great creativity is then multidimensional for this reason. Its origin is not from one reality, but from many, and it is tinged with the multiplicity of that origin.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de toda obra creativa una inmersión en varias corrientes y llama multidimensional a la gran creación por ese origen múltiple (sesión 531)

«Great creativity always seems greater than its pure physical dimension and reality. By contrast with the so-called usual, it appears almost as an intrusion. It takes the breath away. Such creativity automatically reminds each man of his own multidimensional reality. The words “know thyself,” therefore, mean far more than most people ever suppose.» — Seth, según Roberts, lee el antiguo *know thyself* desde su propio esquema, con la gran creación como recordatorio de la realidad multidimensional (sesión 531)

«Now in moments of solitude you may become aware of some of these other streams of consciousness. You may at times for example, hear words, or see images that appear out of context with your own thoughts. According to your education, beliefs, and background you may interpret these in any number of ways. For that matter, they may originate from several sources.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe palabras e imágenes fuera de contexto en la soledad y acota que pueden venir de varias fuentes: la advertencia va dentro de la afirmación (sesión 531)

«Some of these may involve the thoughts of what you would call a reincarnational self, focused in another period of history as you know it. You may instead, “pick up” an event in which a probable self is involved, according to your inclination, your psychic suppleness, your curiosity, your desire for knowledge.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte esas percepciones entre un yo reencarnado y un yo probable, según la inclinación de cada quien (sesión 531)

«If all of that were not true, I would not be writing this book and you would not be reading it.» — el argumento circular que el dictado ofrece como prueba: la existencia misma del libro y de su lector (sesión 531)

«Now: These other existences of yours go on quite merrily whether you are waking or sleeping, but while you are awake ordinarily you block them out. In the dream state you are much more aware of them, although there is a final process of dreaming that often masks intense psychological and psychic experience, and unfortunately what you usually recall is this final dream» — Seth, según Roberts, señala un proceso final del soñar que enmascara la experiencia intensa, y que sería lo que se recuerda; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 531)

«In this final version the basic experience is converted as nearly as possible into physical terms. It is therefore distorted. This final touching-up process is not done by deeper layers of the self however, but is much more nearly a conscious process than you realize.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye el retoque final del sueño a capas casi conscientes y no a las profundas (sesión 531)

«Here the basic experience is hastily dressed up as much as possible in physical clothes. This is not because you want to understand the experience, but because you refuse to accept it as basically nonphysical.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el vestido físico del sueño por la negativa a aceptarlo como no físico, y no por afán de entenderlo (sesión 531)

«All dreams are not of this nature. Some dreams themselves do take place in psychic or mental areas connected with your daily activities, in which case no dressing-up process is necessary.» — el límite que el propio dictado pone a su afirmación anterior: no todos los sueños pasan por ese vestido (sesión 531)

«But in the very deep reaches of sleep experience — those, incidentally, not yet touched upon by scientists in so-called dream laboratories — you are in communication with other portions of your own identity, and with the other realities in which they exist.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa la comunicación con las otras porciones de la identidad en profundidades del sueño que declara no alcanzadas por los laboratorios (sesión 531)

«Now let me emphasize here that you are simply not unconscious. It only seems that you are, because as a rule you remember none of this in the morning. To some extent, however, some people are aware of these activities, and there are also methods that will enable you to recall them to some degree.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la inconsciencia del sueño y atribuye la impresión al olvido matinal, con la salvedad de que algunos sí lo recuerdan (sesión 531)

«Presumably you are awake, but in many ways when you are awake, you are resting far more than you are in your so-called unconscious nightly state. Then to a larger extent you realize your own reality, and are free to use abilities that in the daytime you ignore or deny.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte la relación entre vigilia y sueño: la vigilia sería el descanso mayor (sesión 531)

«At a very simple level, for example, your consciousness leaves your body often in the sleep state. You communicate with people in other levels of reality that you have known, but far beyond this, you creatively maintain and revitalize your physical image. You process daily experience, project it into what you think of as the future, choose from an infinity of probable events those you will make physical, and begin the mental and psychic processes that will bring them into the world of substance.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera el trabajo del sueño: mantener la imagen física, procesar la experiencia y elegir entre sucesos probables los que se harán físicos (sesión 531)

«close to consciousness. Often you can even catch yourself in the act of purposely dropping the memory of a dream. The touching-up process occurs almost at this same level, though not quite.» — continuación tras el corte: el propio sorprenderse dejando caer el recuerdo de un sueño, y el retoque ocurriendo casi a ese mismo nivel (sesión 531)

«Many people take excursions into other realities — swim, so to speak, through other streams of consciousness as a part of their normal waking lives. Sometimes strange fish pop up in those waters!» — Seth, según Roberts, normaliza el paso entre corrientes como parte de la vida de vigilia de muchos, con la broma de los peces raros (sesión 531)

«Now I am obviously such a one in your terms, swimming up through other dimensions of reality and observing a dimension of existence that is yours rather than my own. There are, therefore, channels that exist between all these streams of consciousness, all these symbolic rivers of psychological and psychic experience, and there are journeys that can be made from my dimension as well as yours.» — Seth, según Roberts, se coloca a sí mismo dentro de la analogía de las corrientes: un pez raro que sube desde otra dimensión (sesión 531)

«Now initially Ruburt and Joseph and I were a part of the same entity, or overall identity, and so symbolically speaking, there are psychic currents that unite us. All of these merge into what has often been compared to as an ocean of consciousness, a well from which all actuality springs. Start with any one consciousness, and theoretically you will find all others.» — el dictado da la razón que pone a su propio vínculo con la pareja: haber sido parte de la misma entidad, con corrientes psíquicas que los unen (sesión 531)

«Now often the ego acts as a dam, to hold back other perceptions — not because it was meant to, or because it is in the nature of an ego to behave in such a fashion, or even because it is a main function of an ego, but simply because you have been taught that the purpose of an ego is restrictive rather than expanding.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la función de represa del ego a lo enseñado y no a su naturaleza, con cuatro negaciones antes de la causa (sesión 531)

«The ego does want to understand and interpret physical reality, and to relate to it. It wants to help you survive within physical existence, but by putting blinders upon it, you hamper its perception and native flexibility. Then because it is inflexible you say that this is the natural function and characteristic of the ego.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el razonamiento circular que atribuye al lector: poner anteojeras al ego y luego llamar natural su rigidez (sesión 531)

«It cannot relate to a reality that you will not allow it to perceive. It can poorly help you to survive when you do not allow it to use its abilities to discover those true conditions in which it must manipulate. You put blinders upon it, and then say that it cannot see.» — el cierre del punto con la imagen de las anteojeras, dicho por Seth según Roberts (sesión 531)

«If you do not want to remember a particular dream, you yourself censor the memory on levels quite» — Seth, según Roberts, declara propia la censura del recuerdo de un sueño y la sitúa en niveles muy próximos a la conciencia; el troceo reemite aquí el marcador de plana y el tramo se corta (sesión 531)

«Persons vary in the amount of sleep they need, and no pill will ever allow them to dispense with sleep entirely, for too much work is done in that state.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo ocho negando que una píldora pueda sustituir el sueño, por el trabajo que atribuye a ese estado (sesión 532)

«Two periods of three hours apiece would be quite sufficient for most people, if the proper suggestions were given before sleep — suggestions that would insure the body’s complete recuperation.» — la prescripción concreta del volumen sobre el sueño: dos periodos de tres horas con sugestión previa, en vez de uno largo (sesión 532)

«In this case the spirit has simply been away from the body for too long a time, resulting in a loss of muscular flexibility.» — el volumen usa aquí la palabra *spirit* de la que en otros pasajes se distancia, y la usa para explicar el entumecimiento por exceso de sueño (sesión 532)

«As many light snacks would actually be much better than three large meals a day, so short naps rather than such an extended period would also be more effective. There would be other benefits. The conscious self would recall more of its dream adventures as a matter of course, and gradually these would be added to the totality of experience as the ego thinks of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara las siestas cortas con las comidas ligeras y les atribuye mayor recuerdo de los sueños (sesión 532)

«This would not lead to a blurring of consciousness or focus. Instead the greater flexibility would result in a perfection of conscious focus. The seeming great division between the waking and the sleeping self is largely a result of the division in function, the two being largely separated — a block of time being allotted to the one, and a larger block of time to the other. They are kept apart, then, because of your use of time.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la división entre el yo despierto y el dormido al reparto del tiempo y no a su naturaleza (sesión 532)

«Initially, your conscious life followed the light of day. Now with artificial light this need not be the case. There are opportunities here, then, to be gained from your technology that you are not presently taking advantage of. To sleep all day and work all night is hardly the answer; it is simply the inversion of your present habits.» — Seth, según Roberts, señala que la luz artificial abrió una posibilidad no aprovechada, y descarta de paso la mera inversión del horario (sesión 532)

«You have trained your consciousness to follow certain patterns that are not necessarily natural for it, and these patterns increase the sense of alienation between the waking and dreaming self. To some extent you drug the body with suggestion, so that it believes it must sleep away a certain amount of hours in one block. Animals sleep when they are tired, and awaken in a much more natural fashion.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama drogar el cuerpo por sugestión a la costumbre del bloque único de sueño, y pone a los animales como contraste (sesión 532)

«There are many variations, in fact, that would be better than your present system. Ideally, sleeping five hours at a time, you gain the maximum benefit, and anything else over this time is not nearly as helpful. Those who require more sleep would then take, say, a two-hour nap. For others a four-hour block sleep session and two naps would be highly beneficial. With suggestion properly given, the body can recuperate in half the time now given to sleep.» — Seth, según Roberts, detalla las variantes de horario y afirma que con sugestión adecuada el cuerpo se repondría en la mitad del tiempo (sesión 532)

«You would retain a far greater memory of your subjective experiences, and your body would be healthier, if these sleeping patterns were changed. Six to eight hours of sleep in all would be sufficient with the nap patterns outlined. And even those who think they now need more sleep than this would find that they did not, if all the time was not spent in one block. The entire system, physical, mental, and psychic, would benefit.» — Seth, según Roberts, promete más memoria subjetiva y mejor salud, y objeta de paso la creencia de necesitar más horas (sesión 532)

«For other reasons having to do with the chemical reactions during the dream state, bodily health would be improved; and this particular schedule would also be of help in schizophrenia, and generally aid persons with problems of depression, or those with mental instability.» — el pasaje donde el volumen hace afirmaciones sobre la esquizofrenia y la depresión a partir de su prescripción de sueño (sesión 532)

«Your sense of time would also be less rigorous and rigid. Creative abilities would be quickened, and the great problem of insomnia that exists for many people would be largely conquered — for what they fear is often the long period of time in which consciousness, as they think of it, seems to be» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el insomnio por el temor al largo periodo en que la consciencia parece extinguirse; el tramo se corta donde el troceo reemite el marcador de plana (sesión 532)

«At certain times during the night the negative ions in the air are much stronger, or numerous, than in the daytime, for example; and activity during this time, particularly a walk or outside activity, would be highly beneficial from a health standpoint.» — Seth, según Roberts, apoya la actividad nocturna en los iones negativos del aire, que declara más numerosos de noche (sesión 532)

«Now the period just before dawn often represents a crisis point for persons severely ill. Consciousness has been away from the body for too long a period, and such a returning consciousness then has difficulty dealing with the sick body mechanism. The practice in hospitals of giving drugs to patients so that they will sleep entirely throughout the night is detrimental for this reason.» — Seth, según Roberts, objeta la práctica hospitalaria de sedar toda la noche, por la dificultad de la consciencia que regresa a un cuerpo enfermo (sesión 532)

«In earlier periods of time, even though there were no electric lights for example, sleep was not long and continuous at night, for sleeping quarters were not as secure. The caveman, for example, while sleeping was on the alert for predators. The mysterious aspects of the natural night in outside surroundings kept him partially alert. He awakened often, and surveyed the nearby land and his own place of shelter.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el sueño del hombre de las cavernas como alerta e interrumpido, por la inseguridad del refugio (sesión 532)

«This resulted in a mobility of consciousness that indeed insured his physical survival, and those intuitions that appeared to him in the dream state were remembered and taken advantage of in the waking state.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la movilidad de la consciencia a la supervivencia, y da por aprovechadas en vigilia las intuiciones del sueño (sesión 532)

«Now, many diseases are simply caused by this division of yours and this long period of bodily inactivity, and this extended focus of attention in either waking or dreaming reality. Your normal consciousness can benefit by excursions and rest in those other fields of actuality that are entered when you sleep, and the so-called sleeping consciousness will also benefit by frequent excursions into the waking state.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye enfermedades a la división del día en dos bloques y propone el tránsito frecuente en los dos sentidos (sesión 532)

«You separate them as much as possible. In doing so you divide your intuitive, creative, and psychic abilities quite neatly from your physical, manipulative, objective abilities.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el reparto del día como separación entre las facultades intuitivas y las manipulativas (sesión 532)

«The psychic centers would be activated more frequently, and the entire identity of the personality would be better strengthened and maintained. The resulting mobility and flexibility of consciousness would cause an added dividend in increased conscious concentration, and fatigue levels would always remain below danger points. A greater equalization, both physical and mental, would result.» — Seth, según Roberts, promete mayor concentración consciente y niveles de fatiga bajo el punto de peligro con el horario propuesto (sesión 532)

«If you do not understand that in periods of sleep your consciousness actually does leave your body, then what I have said will be meaningless. Now your consciousness does return at times, to check upon the physical mechanisms, and the simple consciousness of atom and cell — the body consciousness — is always with the body, so it is not vacant.» — el supuesto sobre el que descansa todo el capítulo, dicho como condición de inteligibilidad; la consciencia del átomo y de la célula quedaría en el cuerpo (sesión 532)

«The same applies to your eating habits. By turn you overstuff and then starve the tissues. This has definite effects upon the nature of your consciousness, your creativity, your degree of concentration. Along these lines, for example, you do literally starve your bodies at night, and add to the aging of your bodies by denying them food throughout those long hours.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende su crítica a las comidas y atribuye al ayuno nocturno parte del envejecimiento (sesión 532)

«Your enjoyment of nature would also increase, for as a rule you are largely unacquainted with the nighttime. You could take much better advantage of the intuitional knowledge that occurs in the dream state, and the cycle of your moods would not swing so definitely as it often does.» — Seth, según Roberts, cuenta entre los beneficios el trato con la noche y una oscilación menor de los estados de ánimo (sesión 532)

«Some cases of strong neurotic behavior result from your present sleeping habits. Sleepwalking to some degree is also connected here. Consciousness wants to return to the body, but it has been hypnotized into the idea that the body must not awaken. Excess nervous energy takes over, and rouses the muscles to activity, because the body knows it has been inactive for» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el sonambulismo por la consciencia que quiere volver a un cuerpo hipnotizado para no despertar; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 532)

«And if you do not try this, how can you expect others to?» — el dictado interpela a la pareja para que pruebe en sí misma lo que el libro prescribe; la acotación de voz fuerte es de Butts (sesión 532)

«Now: It is well known that fluctuations of consciousness and alertness exist in the sleep state. Some periods of dream activity do indeed supersede those of some waking states. But there are also fluctuations in normal waking consciousness, rhythms of intense activity followed by a much less active period of consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende a la vigilia los ritmos que se conceden al sueño (sesión 533)

«In the more sluggish periods of waking consciousness there is a lack of concentration, a cutting off of stimuli to varying degrees, an increase in accidents, and generally a lower body tone.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera los signos del valle de la vigilia, entre ellos un aumento de accidentes (sesión 533)

«You are asking too much of normal waking consciousness, smoothing out the valleys and peaks of its activity, demanding in some cases that it go full blast ahead when it is actually at a minimal period, denying yourself the great mobility of consciousness that is possible.» — Seth, según Roberts, reprocha el aplanamiento de los ritmos: exigir marcha plena en el periodo mínimo (sesión 533)

«Now: This extended period, given to waking consciousness without rest periods, builds up chemicals in the blood that are discharged in sleep. But in the meantime they make the body sluggish and retard conscious» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a químicos acumulados en la sangre el entorpecimiento de la vigilia prolongada; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 533)

«A seeming duality is the result and a mistrust on one part of the self toward the other. Much creative material of quite practical value is lost in the process.» — Seth, según Roberts, cifra la pérdida en material creativo de valor práctico, y llama aparente a la dualidad resultante (sesión 533)

«the extended “leave of absence” it must take, becomes wary of sleep, and sets up barriers against the dream state. Many of these are highly artificial.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el ego receloso del sueño por la larga licencia que ha de tomarse, y llama artificiales las barreras que levanta (sesión 533)

«Muscular strength would benefit. The blood would be cleansed more effectively than when the body lies prone for such a time. Most of all, there would be far — if you will excuse me — better communication between the subjective layers of the self, an increased sense of security, and, particularly with children, an earlier kindling of creative abilities.» — el dictado se interrumpe a sí mismo con la muletilla que Butts le había señalado —*far — if you will excuse me — better*— y la deja impresa (sesión 533)

«A clear, uncluttered, bright, and powerful consciousness needs frequent rest periods if its efficiency is to be maintained, and if it is to correctly interpret reality. Otherwise it distorts what is perceived.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la exactitud de la interpretación al descanso frecuente (sesión 533)

«Rest or sleep cures — very extended sleep periods — have been helpful for therapy in some cases, not because extended sleep is in itself beneficial, but because so many toxins had built up that such extended periods were required.» — Seth, según Roberts, concede la utilidad de las curas de sueño y la explica por la acumulación de toxinas, no por virtud del sueño largo (sesión 533)

«In some cases you literally force yourselves to sleep when your consciousness could be at one of its maximum points. This is, incidentally, in the predawn period. In certain afternoon hours consciousness is lowered, and needs refreshment that is instead denied.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa el máximo de la consciencia antes del amanecer y el mínimo en ciertas horas de la tarde (sesión 533)

«If the stages of waking consciousness were examined as sleep stages are presently being examined, for example, you would find a much greater range of activity than is suspected. Certain transition stages are completely ignored. In many ways it can be said that consciousness does indeed flicker, and varies in intensities. It is not like a steady beam of light, for instance.» — Seth, según Roberts, pide para la vigilia el examen que se hace del sueño y describe la consciencia como parpadeo y no como haz continuo (sesión 533)

«You are aware of your own consciousness, in other words, through the medium of your own physical mechanism. You are not nearly as aware of your own consciousness when it is not operating» — Seth, según Roberts, usa aquí la palabra *medium* en sentido de instrumento y no de médium, para el mecanismo físico; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana (sesión 534)

«primarily through the mediumship of the body, as it does in out-of-body states and some dissociated conditions.» — el volumen aplica *mediumship* al cuerpo mismo y no a la persona que habla en trance: es el uso propio que hace del vocabulario heredado (sesión 534)

«The characteristics of consciousness are the same (seme) whether you are in a body or outside of one. The peaks and valleys of consciousness that I mentioned exist to some degree in all consciousness despite the form adopted (adepted) after death (deth). The nature of your consciousness is no different basically (bascially) than it is now, though you may not be aware of many of its characteristics.» — el pasaje se lee a dos capas: el dictado afirma que la consciencia no cambia con la muerte, y entre paréntesis quedan impresos los errores que el anotador cometía al escribirlo —*seme*, *adepted*, *deth*, *bascially*— (sesión 534)

«Now your consciousness is telepathic and clairvoyant, for example, even though you may not realize it. In sleep when (whene) you often presume yourself to be unconscious (unconsious) you may be far more conscious than you are now, but simply using abilities of consciousness that you do not accept as real or valid (valed) in waking (waping) life. You therefore shut (shup) them out of your conscious experience (experiencl). Consciousness, yours and mine, is quite independent of both (poth) time and space. And after death you are simply aware of the greater powers of consciousness that exist within you all the time.» — el dictado sostiene que la consciencia es telepática y clarividente y que la muerte solo la hace notar; los errores del anotador quedan impresos dentro de la cita —*whene*, *unconsious*, *valed*, *waping*, *shup*, *experiencl*, *poth*— (sesión 534)

«11:15 P.M. Jane, out of trance, was surprised by the quick ending of the session.)» — Butts cierra la sesión 533 con la sorpresa de Roberts al salir del trance, y esa línea entre paréntesis es toda la plana

«Now, I wondered once again at my calm response to this as I grew up — to something whose origins were so completely outside any kind of knowledge I possessed. When the interference had been strong, covering most of the field of vision, I had experienced a peculiar sense of both darkness and light, with the objective world indistinguishable within what I can only describe as a field of patterned, alternating lightness and darkness that possessed a velvety depth.» — Butts nombra el campo de claridad y oscuridad alternadas con hondura de terciopelo en que se le borraba el mundo objetivo

«Jane began to speak for Seth at quite a slow pace, in contrast to her faster rate of recent sessions. As the session began I had to make a little bit of an effort to see the page clearly in order to write.)» — Butts fecha el arranque de la sesión 534 con el dictado más lento de lo habitual y su propia vista todavía tomada

«We will resume dictation. (Pause; one of many.) Consciousness has many characteristics, some of course known to you. Many of the characteristics of consciousness, however, are not so apparent, since presently you largely use your own consciousness in such a way that its perceptions appear in quite other than “natural” guises.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que las características de la consciencia se presentan disfrazadas porque se la usa a través del mecanismo físico (sesión 534)

«For the first time I conceded to myself that perhaps I ought to ask Seth to slow down, while realizing his pace was slow to begin with. I didn’t ask him what was happening. That worthy stared at me through Jane’s eyes without a sign that anything unusual might be taking place in the session….)» — Butts anota que pensó en pedirle a Seth que fuera más despacio y que la figura lo miraba por los ojos de Roberts sin dar señal

«Since they do, of course, you can discover them now and learn to use them. This will directly (dreactly) assist you in after-death (agter) experience. You will not be nearly so startled by the nature of your own reactions (reactone) if you understand beforehand for example that your consciousness not only is not imprisoned by your physical body, but (bud) can create other portions at» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que la consciencia no queda presa del cuerpo y que puede crear otras porciones; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana y la frase sigue en la siguiente

«will. Those who “overidentify” their consciousness with their body can suffer self-created torment (tortment) for no reason, lingering about the body. Indeed, quite the forlorn soul, thinking it has no other place to go.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, llama alma desamparada a la que se identifica de más con el cuerpo y ronda alrededor de él

«For “beforehand” in the paragraph above, I wrote “byeborehoune,” then crossed that out and tried twice more. I now made a determined effort to spell correctly and write clearly. It helped. It was something like coming out of a deep sleep and immediately making a strong effort to focus in physical reality.)» — Butts imprime la palabra deformada que le salió y compara el esfuerzo por escribir bien con salir de un sueño hondo

«You are, as I said earlier, a spirit now; and that spirit has a consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, separa espíritu y consciencia: el espíritu la tiene, no es ella (sesión 534)

«The consciousness belongs to the spirit then, but the two are not the same. The spirit may turn its consciousness off and on. By its nature consciousness may flicker and fluctuate, but the spirit does not.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye el parpadeo a la consciencia y no al espíritu, que puede apagarla y encenderla

«I do not particularly like the word “spirit” because of several implications attached to it, but it (ot) suits our purposes in that the word does imply an independence from physical form.» — Seth, según Roberts, acepta la palabra *spirit* a regañadientes y solo por lo que da a entender de independencia respecto de la forma física

«Consciousness does not refresh itself in sleep. It is merely turned in another direction. Consciousness does not sleep then in those terms and while it may be turned off it is not like a light.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que la consciencia se reponga durmiendo y dice que solo se vuelve hacia otro lado

«9:28. The difficulty I had been experiencing with my spelling abruptly returned to an even greater degree. Along with the misspellings and the crossing out of words, I now had to worry about simply keeping up with Seth’s rather slow pace. For the first time I thought of asking for a break, yet I still wasn’t alarmed. I had trouble with the whole paragraph.)» — Butts registra la hora exacta en que la falla de ortografía volvió y se agravó mientras seguía el dictado

«Turning it off does not extinguish (expetnrise) it in the way that a light (like) disappears (disappeares) when a switch is turned. Following the analogy (aneleogy), if consciousness were (werse) like (light) a light that belonged (belenge) to you, even when you switched it off, there would be a sort of twilight, but not darkness (darkners).» — Seth, según Roberts, enmienda la analogía del interruptor: apagada, la consciencia deja penumbra y no oscuridad; el paréntesis conserva los errores de Butts

«By now I was sitting tensely on the edge of our couch, bending over the notebook as it lay on the coffee table before me. This is a position I seldom use — perhaps I thought it would help me really grapple with this experience. I asked Seth to wait a minute.)» — Butts describe la postura con que se agarró a la experiencia y el momento en que pidió a Seth que esperara

«The spirit, therefore, is never in a state of nothingness, with its consciousness extinguished. It is very important therefore that such be realized, for there …» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que el espíritu nunca está en estado de nada, y la frase queda trunca en el propio libro porque Butts no alcanzó a copiarla

«The rest of the sentence is unintelligible in my notes. Here is the way I actually wrote it: “The spirit tre is never n a state of nethigness, with its conscescness x x extenigly. It os very important tre thanch be realize, fr thre if ech expct if a sctich it is …”» — Butts imprime tal cual el renglón ilegible de su cuaderno, que es el documento del fenómeno y no su relato

«At times the interference had covered a wide enough area so that I had a difficult time seeing the drawing paper before me, for instance, or the pencil I felt in my hand. The shimmering varied in intensity. On one occasion I lay down and closed my eyes simply because it was easier to do this than anything else. Such effects lasted half an hour at the most, usually less.» — Butts describe en primera persona la interferencia visual que ya conocía desde niño y la mide en media hora a lo sumo

«I hope I do not shatter your peace.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre la sesión 534 respondiendo al comentario de Butts sobre la noche apacible

«It is very important to understand that consciousness is never extinguished….» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra el capítulo ocho con la frase que Butts ya no pudo copiar entera esa noche (sesión 534)

«9:35. Again I quickly fell way behind. When I found myself writing “ichstantale” for “extinguished,” I gave up and asked Seth for a break. It came at once. I was nonplussed. I was clearheaded but unable, literally, to continue taking notes. Still I wasn’t alarmed.» — Butts imprime la deformación exacta que le salió al escribir *extinguished* y declara que estaba lúcido y sin alarma

«When I started to explain to Jane why I had to stop, I discovered that on top of everything else I was having trouble speaking coherently. Seth then returned briefly, with a broad smile. From memory I recall his saying:)» — Butts consigna que la falla pasó del cuaderno al habla y que anota de memoria lo que sigue, no del dictado

«You have been acting out the material this evening, Joseph….» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra a Butts por el nombre que el libro le da y llama a lo ocurrido una puesta en acto del material dictado

«Seth suspended dictation on his book at my request, but during a brief interlude suggested that I have Jane turn on the rest of the lights in the room when she came out of trance. Then, I was to imagine my consciousness growing brighter and brighter, filling the room like light; I would find that all of my abilities would soon return. I wasn’t able to remember some subsequent information.» — Butts registra la instrucción que recibió —imaginar su propia consciencia llenando de luz el cuarto— y admite que parte de lo dicho se le olvidó

«Thus, I had experienced altered states of seeing, writing, spelling, and speaking this evening — all facets of course of my physical means of communication. Sitting in the glare of the brilliantly lit room, I described everything in detail to Jane, including the vision effects of earlier years. She wondered if my loss of communicative abilities was also related to my father’s senility and his own physical retreat. I didn’t know. I hadn’t experienced anything unusual involving him recently.» — Butts enumera las cuatro facultades alteradas esa noche y recoge la pregunta de Roberts sobre la senilidad del padre de él, que deja sin responder

«Now: In the demonstration in which Joseph so kindly assisted us, several points were made to implement the material just given.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama demostración a lo que le pasó a Butts y la presenta como refuerzo del material dictado (sesión 534)

«Earlier I said that you are only familiar with those characteristics of your own consciousness that you use through the mediumship of the body. You rely upon the body to express the perceptions of your consciousness. You tend, again, to identify the expression of your consciousness with the body.» — Seth, según Roberts, distingue la consciencia de su expresión por el cuerpo y señala la confusión habitual entre las dos

«In our demonstration, to which of course Joseph gave his permission, he allowed his consciousness to retreat, and to some degree began to cut off its physical expression. He was not aware consciously of his permission, simply because this kind of demonstration could not be held if the normal waking consciousness knew. It would automatically be frightened. As I spoke about the dimming of consciousness, Joseph then experienced it.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica que el permiso de Butts no fue consciente porque la consciencia de vigilia se habría asustado

«10:55. This may be a tricky point, and it may not. Seth used the word “dimming.” Certainly some of my abilities for physical expression had withdrawn considerably, yet I had remained clearheaded and alert, and, out of habit, thoroughly occupied with trying to use them…. Nor had I become aware of any kind of heightened consciousness, or sudden telepathic or clairvoyant powers.» — Butts objeta desde la nota: siguió lúcido, y no le vinieron poderes telepáticos ni clarividentes de ninguna clase

«Give us a moment. This was an exercise, actually, in the manipulation of consciousness. Close to death, this same sort of thing happens in varying degrees when the consciousness realizes that it can no longer express itself through the mediumship of the body. If the dying person overidentifies with the body then he can easily panic, thinking that all expression is therefore cut off, and for that matter that his consciousness is about to be extinguished.» — Seth, según Roberts, traslada lo ocurrido al lecho de muerte: quien se identifica de más con el cuerpo entra en pánico al perder la expresión

«Such a belief in extinction, such a certainty that identity is about to be blotted out in the next moment, is a severe psychological experience, that in itself can bring about unfortunate reactions. What happens instead is that you find consciousness quite intact, and its expression far less limited than it was before. Joseph chose subconsciously to interrupt those methods of expression he was using at the time simply so that their interference would claim due notice.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama experiencia psicológica severa a la certeza de aniquilación y dice que la consciencia se halla intacta y menos limitada

«We will be dealing now, after what I hope is suitable background material, with some chapters on the nature of existence after physical death, at the point of death, and involving the final physical death at the end of the reincarnational cycle. It was important that you understand something about the nature and behavior of your own consciousness before we could begin.» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia el programa de los capítulos siguientes sobre la existencia después de la muerte física

«11:06. Jane’s pace had been considerably faster this time. In the last paragraph, I had a bit of difficulty spelling just two words. Resume more slowly at 11:20.» — Butts cronometra el cambio de ritmo del dictado y mide su propia mejoría en dos palabras mal escritas

«Now: You also drew upon some knowledge, Joseph, from past experience in our demonstration, when in your final illness motor function was impaired. This was in Denmark. The last note is an aside, rather than strict dictation.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la experiencia a un recuerdo de otra vida en Dinamarca y él mismo marca el inciso como fuera del dictado

«According to Seth, the three of us were involved in Denmark in the 1600’s. I was a landowner, Jane was my son, and Seth was a spice merchant. See Chapter Twenty-two.)» — Butts resume desde la nota el reparto de esa vida anterior: él terrateniente, Roberts su hijo y Seth comerciante de especias

«Now I am ending this chapter, and with it I am ending Part One of my» — Seth, según Roberts, cierra ahí la primera parte del libro; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana y la frase sigue en la siguiente

«book. Give us a moment now — and end of dictation.» — continuación del tramo anterior, ya en la plana siguiente: el dictado se da por terminado

«But Seth wasn’t through work on his book yet. The following material shows the relationship between my vision effects and the events in the session itself. It’s very interesting that I would choose tonight, of all nights, to try for visual data, although in recent days I’ve been inquiring mentally about subjects for my next oil painting. I haven’t said anything about this to Jane.)» — Butts anota que la sesión siguió fuera del dictado y ata su intento de ver imágenes a los modelos que buscaba para pintar

«The earlier vision experiences were unsuccessful preliminary attempts on an unconscious level to pick up images of models for your paintings. In the blurred dark portion, the models would have appeared. Do you follow me? (“Yes.”) The blurred areas represented a confusion of vibrations. You could not get the material visually in physical terms, though you were trying to, but you could not receive it as internal vision either at that point. Instead you ended up almost with a displacement. There was always a sense of motion in the background that was interpreted visually as an unsteadiness, a massing of blurs.» — Seth, según Roberts, lee las interferencias visuales de Butts como intentos fallidos de captar modelos para sus cuadros

«Now you acquiesced in our experiment earlier this evening, when Ruburt and you spoke at the [supper] table. Ruburt was telepathically aware of the arrangement, though not at a conscious level. The smiling portrait that Jane saw was your work in a way. Ruburt was aware of the arrangement for the demonstration, but was also somewhat alarmed at the particular way you would choose to interpret the experience. The smiling portrait was to reassure her — Jane now rather than Ruburt. You sent the reassurance. Ruburt picked it up from Joseph. Do you follow me?» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye el retrato sonriente a Butts y el aviso telepático a Roberts; los corchetes de *[supper]* son del propio libro

«11:36 P.M. “Good night, Seth.” Again, I had minor trouble spelling a few words after the last break. That was all.)» — Butts cierra la sesión 534 con el saldo del incidente: unas pocas palabras mal escritas

«For illustrations of this painting, see The Seth Material.» — la nota al pie del volumen remite al cuadro de Ruburt y Joseph reproducido en The Seth Material, el libro anterior de Roberts

«The regularly scheduled sessions for June 10 and 15 were not held, so that Jane could rest. We did conduct one quite successful experiment on our own, however, involving hypnosis during my trip to the dentist. Jane held her ESP class last night, but had no session.)» — Butts explica el hueco entre sesiones y menciona la clase de percepción extrasensorial que Roberts daba aparte del dictado

«We will begin Part Two, Chapter Nine, and we will title this, “The Death Experience.”» — Seth, según Roberts, titula él mismo el capítulo nueve dentro del dictado (sesión 535)

«What happens at the point of death? The question is much more easily asked than answered. Basically there is not any particular point of death in those terms, even in the case of a sudden accident. I will attempt to give you a practical answer to what you think of as this practical question, however.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que haya un punto de la muerte, incluso en un accidente súbito

«What the question really means to most people is this: What will happen when I am not alive in physical terms any longer? What will I feel? Will I still be myself? Will the emotions that propelled me in life continue to do so? Is there a heaven or a hell? Will I be greeted by gods or demons, enemies, or beloved ones? Most of all the question means: When I am dead, will I still be who I am now, and will I remember those who are dear to me now?» — Seth, según Roberts, reformula la pregunta de la muerte como la formularía el lector, en cadena de preguntas sobre la identidad y la memoria

«First of all, let us consider the fact just mentioned. There is no separate, indivisible, specific point of death. Life is a state of becoming, and death is a part of this process of becoming. You are alive now, a consciousness knowing itself, sparkling with cognition amid a debris of dead and dying cells; alive while the atoms and molecules of your body die and are reborn. You are alive, therefore, in the midst of small deaths; portions of your own image crumble away moment by moment and are replaced, and you scarcely give the matter a thought.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a la vida un estado de devenir y coloca la muerte dentro de ese proceso, entre células que mueren y renacen

«So you are to some extent now alive in the midst of the death of yourself — alive despite, and yet because of, the multitudinous deaths and rebirths that occur within your body in physical terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que se está vivo en medio de la propia muerte y a causa de ella

«In many ways you can compare your consciousness as you know it now to a firefly, for while it seems to you that your consciousness is continuous, this is not so. It also flickers off and on, though as we mentioned earlier, it is never completely extinguished. Its focus is not nearly as constant as you suppose, however. So as you are alive in the midst of your own multitudinous small deaths, so though you do not realize it, you are often “dead,” even amid the sparkling life of your own consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara la consciencia con una luciérnaga que parpadea y llama muerto al intervalo apagado

«I am using your own terms here. By “dead,” therefore, I mean completely unfocused in physical reality. Now your consciousness, quite simply, is not physically alive, physically oriented, for exactly the same amount of time as it is physically alive and oriented.» — Seth, según Roberts, define muerto como desenfocado de la realidad física y reparte el tiempo por mitades entre las dos condiciones

«Typing this on June 22, I wondered if I transcribed what Seth had said correctly. Jane and I decided that I had — and it does make sense.)» — Butts interrumpe el dictado con la fecha en que lo mecanografió y con la duda que él y Roberts resolvieron entre los dos

«Consider this analogy. For one instant your consciousness is “alive,” focused in physical reality. Now for the next instant it is focused somewhere else entirely, in a different system of reality. It is unalive, or “dead” to your way of thinking. The next instant it is “alive” again, focused in your reality, but you are not aware of the intervening instant of unaliveness. Your sense of continuity therefore is built up entirely on every other pulsation of consciousness. Is that clear to you?» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la continuidad como resultado de una pulsación de la que solo se percibe una fase de cada dos

«Remember this is an analogy, so that the word “instant” should not be taken too literally. There is, then, what we can call an underside of consciousness. Now, in the same way, atoms and molecules exist so that they are “dead,” or inactive within your system, then alive or active, but you cannot perceive the instant in which they do not exist. Since your bodies and your entire physical universe are composed of atoms and molecules, then I am telling you that the entire structure exists in the same manner. It flickers off and on, in other words, and in a certain rhythm, as, say, the rhythm of breath.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende el parpadeo a los átomos y a las moléculas, y con ellos al universo físico entero

«There are overall rhythms, and within them an infinity of individual variations — almost like cosmic metabolism. In these terms, what you call death is simply the insertion of a longer duration of that pulsation of which you are not aware, a long pause in that other dimension, so to speak.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama metabolismo cósmico a esos ritmos y define la muerte como una pausa más larga de la misma pulsación

«Consciousness — human consciousness — is not dependent upon the tissues, and yet there is no physical matter that is not brought into being by some portion of consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, desliga la consciencia de los tejidos y a la vez ata toda materia física a alguna porción de consciencia

«consciousness has left the body in a way that I will shortly explain, then the simple consciousnesses of atoms and molecules remain, and are not annihilated.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja las consciencias simples de átomos y moléculas en el cuerpo después de la partida de la individual

«I do not yet. The title I gave you is only for Chapter Nine. Since we are getting down to specifics, I will title the chapters individually.» — Seth, según Roberts, responde a la pregunta hablada de Butts sobre el título de la primera parte y anuncia que titulará capítulo por capítulo

«As mentioned earlier, all through your lifetime, portions of that body die, and the body that you have now does not contain one particle of physical matter that “it” had, say ten years ago. Your body is completely different now, then, than it was ten years ago. The body that you had ten years ago, my dear readers, is dead. Yet obviously you do not feel that you are dead, and you are quite able to read this book with the eyes that are composed of completely new matter. The pupils, the “identical” pupils that you have now, did not exist ten years ago, and yet there seems to be no great gap in your vision.» — Seth, según Roberts, le dice al lector que el cuerpo que tenía hace diez años está muerto y que lee con ojos de materia nueva

«This process, you see, continues so smoothly that you are not aware of it. The pulses mentioned earlier are so short in duration that your consciousness skips over them merrily, yet your physical perception cannot seem to bridge the gap when the longer rhythm of pulsation occurs. And so this is the time that you perceive as death. What you want to know, therefore, is what happens when your consciousness is directed away from physical reality, and when momentarily it seems to have no image to wear.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la percepción de la muerte al hueco que la percepción física no alcanza a salvar

«The ideas that you have involving the nature of reality will strongly color your experiences, for you will interpret them in the light of your beliefs, even as now you interpret daily life according to your ideas of what is possible or not possible. Your consciousness may withdraw from your body slowly or quickly, according to many variables.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace depender la experiencia de la muerte de las creencias con que se la interpreta

«In many cases of senility, for example, the strongly organized portions of personality have already left the body, and are meeting the new circumstances. The fear of death itself can cause such a psychological panic that out of a sense of self-preservation and defense you lower your consciousness so that you are in a state of coma, and you may take some time» — Seth, según Roberts, lee la senilidad como partida anticipada de las porciones organizadas de la personalidad; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«A belief in hell fires can cause you to hallucinate Hades’ conditions. A belief in a stereotyped heaven can result in a hallucination of heavenly conditions. You always form your own reality according to your ideas and expectations. This is the nature of consciousness in whatever reality it finds itself. Such hallucinations, I assure you, are temporary.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del infierno y del cielo alucinaciones formadas por las propias expectativas, y las declara pasajeras

«Consciousness must use its abilities. The boredom and stagnation of a stereotyped heaven will not for long content the striving consciousness. There are teachers to explain the conditions and circumstances. You are not left alone, therefore, lost in mazes of hallucination. You may or may not realize immediately that you are dead in physical terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que un cielo estereotipado contente a la consciencia y anuncia maestros que explican las condiciones

«You will find yourself in another form, an image that will appear physical to you to a large degree, as long as you do not try to manipulate within the physical system with it. Then the differences between it and the physical body will become obvious.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la forma posterior a la muerte como aparentemente física mientras no se intente manipular con ella el sistema físico

«If you firmly believe that your consciousness is a product of your physical body, then you may attempt to cling to it. There is an order of personalities, an honorary guard, so to speak, who are ever ready to lend assistance and aid, however.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra una guardia de honor de personalidades dispuestas a ayudar a quien se aferra al cuerpo

«Now this honorary guard is made up of people in your terms both living and dead. Those who are living in your system of reality perform these activities in an “out-of-body” experience while the physical body sleeps. They are familiar with the projection of consciousness, with the sensations involved, and they help orient those who will not be returning to the physical body.» — Seth, según Roberts, compone esa guardia con vivos y muertos: los vivos actúan fuera del cuerpo mientras este duerme

«These people are particularly helpful because they are still involved with physical reality, and have a more immediate understanding of the feelings and emotions involved at your end. Such persons may or may not have a memory of their nightly activities. Experiences with projection of consciousness and knowledge of the mobility of consciousness, are therefore very helpful as preparations for death. You can experience the after-death environment beforehand, so to speak, and learn the conditions that will be encountered.» — Seth, según Roberts, presenta la proyección de la consciencia como preparación para la muerte que se puede practicar en vida

«This is not, incidentally, necessarily any kind of somber endeavor, nor are the after-death environments somber at all. To the contrary, they are generally far more intense and joyful than the reality you now know.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a los entornos posteriores a la muerte más intensos y alegres que la realidad conocida

«You will simply be learning to operate in a new environment in which different laws apply, and the laws are far less limiting than the physical ones with which you now operate. In other words, you must learn to understand and use new freedoms.» — Seth, según Roberts, plantea el más allá como aprendizaje de leyes menos limitantes y de libertades nuevas

«Mildly humorous): Now: For those of you who are lazy I can offer no hope: Death will not bring you an eternal resting place. You may rest, if this is your wish, for a while. Not only must you use your abilities after death, however, but you must face up to yourself for those that you did not use during your previous existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el descanso eterno al perezoso y exige rendir cuentas por las capacidades no usadas; el paréntesis con la acotación de humor es de Butts

«If consciousness vacated the body for the same amount of time from a normally physically awake state, it would consider itself dead, for it could not rationalize the gap of dimension and experience. Therefore in the sleep state, each of you have undergone — to some degree — the same kind of absence of consciousness from physical reality that you experience during death.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala la ausencia del dormir con la de la muerte, y explica la diferencia por la imposibilidad de racionalizar el hueco

«Now, you may or may not be greeted by friends or relatives immediately following death. This is a personal matter, as always. Overall, you may be far more interested in people that you have known in past lives than those close to you in the present one, for example.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja el recibimiento como asunto personal y antepone los conocidos de vidas pasadas a los de esta

«Your true feeling toward relatives who are also dead will be known to you and to them. There is no hypocrisy. You do not pretend to love a parent who did little to earn your respect or love. Telepathy operates without distortion in this after-death period, so you must deal with the true relationships that exist between yourself and all relatives and friends who await you.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que la telepatía opera sin distorsión tras la muerte y que allí no cabe la hipocresía con los parientes

«Those of you who had faith in life after death will find it much easier to accustom yourself to the new conditions. Those of you who do not have such» — Seth, según Roberts, promete tránsito más fácil a quien tuvo fe en la vida después de la muerte; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«faith may gain it in a different way, by following through in the exercises I will give you later in this book; for these will enable you to extend your perceptions to these other layers of reality if you are persistent, expectant, and determined.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, ofrece los ejercicios del propio libro a quien no tiene esa fe

«You may find that someone you considered merely an enemy actually deserved your love and respect, for example, and you will then treat him accordingly. Your own motives will be crystal clear. You will react to this clearness, however, in your own way. You will not be automatically wise if you were not so before, but neither will there be a way to hide from your own feelings, emotions, or motives. Whether or not you accept inferior motives in yourself or learn from them is still up to you.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que tras la muerte los motivos propios quedan a la vista y que aun así no se vuelve sabio automáticamente

«You examine the fabric of the existence you have left, and you learn to understand how your experiences were the result of your own thoughts and emotions and how these affected others. Until this examination is through, you are not yet aware of the larger portions of your own identity. When you realize the significance and meaning of the life you have just left, then you are ready for conscious knowledge of your other existences.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone un examen de la vida recién dejada como condición para el conocimiento consciente de las otras

«You become aware, then, of an expanded awareness. What you are begins to include what you have been in other lives, and you begin to make plans for your next physical existence, if you decide upon one. You can instead enter another level of reality, and then return to a physical existence if you choose.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la elección de otra vida física una decisión del propio muerto, y admite otro nivel de realidad como alternativa

«I was ready with questions about painting, so the session didn’t end until» — Butts anota que la sesión se alargó con preguntas suyas sobre pintura, ajenas al dictado; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«Your consciousness, as you think of it, may of course leave your body entirely before physical death. (As mentioned earlier, there is no precise point of death, but I am speaking as if there is for the sake of your convenience.)» — Seth, según Roberts, admite dentro del propio paréntesis que habla de un punto de la muerte solo por comodidad del lector (sesión 536)

«Already I was putting my notebook aside. Our black cat, Rooney, was scratching at the door of our living room. Jane sat waiting half in trance — a feeling she later described as “weird” — while I followed the cat down the hall. Before I got back inside the apartment our paperboy arrived; by the time I finished paying him Jane was out of trance. Resume finally at 9:27.)» — Butts cuenta que Seth cortó el dictado para que él atendiera al gato y al repartidor, y que Roberts quedó a medio trance

«Now: Your consciousness leaves the physical organism in various ways, according to the conditions. In some cases the organism itself is still able to function to some degree, although without the leadership or organization that existed previously. The simple consciousness of atoms, cells, and organs continues to exist, after the main consciousness has left, for some time.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja al organismo funcionando un tiempo sin dirección después de la partida de la consciencia principal

«There may or may not be disorientation on your part, according to your beliefs and development. Now I do not necessarily mean intellectual development. The intellect should go hand in hand with the emotions and intuitions, but if it pulls against these too strongly, difficulties can arise when the newly freed consciousness seizes upon its ideas about reality after death, rather than facing the particular reality in which it finds itself. It can deny feeling, in other words, and even attempt to argue itself out of its present independence from the body.» — Seth, según Roberts, advierte contra el intelecto que tira demasiado de las emociones y niega su propia independencia del cuerpo

«Again, as mentioned earlier, an individual can be so certain that death is the end of all, that oblivion, though temporary, results. In many cases, immediately on leaving the body there is, of course, amazement and a recognition of the situation. The body itself may be viewed, for example, and many funerals have a guest of honor amidst the company — and no one gazes into the face of the corpse with as much curiosity and wonder.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe al muerto como invitado de honor en su propio funeral y llama olvido temporal a la certeza de la aniquilación

«At this point many variations in behavior emerge, each the result of individual background, knowledge, and habit. The surroundings in which the dead find themselves will often vary. Vivid hallucinations may form experience quite as real as any in mortal life. Now, I have told you that thoughts and emotions form physical reality, and they form after-death experience. This does not mean that the experiences are not valid, any more than it means that physical life is not valid.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama válidas las alucinaciones posteriores a la muerte con el mismo argumento con que llama válida la vida física

«It does not do to say that such a river is illusion. The symbol is reality, you see. The way was planned. Now, that particular map is no longer generally in use. The living do not know how to read it. Christianity has believed in a heaven and a hell, a purgatory, and reckoning; and so, at death, to those who so believe in these symbols, another ceremony is enacted, and the guides take on the guises of those beloved figures of Christian saints and heroes.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que el símbolo es realidad y hace que los guías tomen la forma de los santos cristianos para quien cree en ellos

«Then with this as framework, and in terms that they can understand, such individuals are told the true situation. Mass religious movements have for centuries fulfilled that purpose, in giving man some plan to be followed. It little mattered that later the plan was seen as a child’s primer, a book of instructions complete with colorful tales, for the main purpose was served and there was little disorientation.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a los movimientos religiosos de masas la función de dar un plan, y los compara con una cartilla infantil

«In periods where no such mass ideas are held, there is more disorientation, and when life after death is completely denied, the problem is somewhat magnified. Many, of course, are overjoyed to find themselves still conscious. Others have to learn all over again about certain laws of behavior, for they do not realize the creative potency of their thoughts or emotions.» — Seth, según Roberts, mide la desorientación por la ausencia de creencias colectivas y la agrava donde se niega la vida después de la muerte

«Such an individual may find himself in ten different environments within the flicker of an eyelash, for example, with no idea of the reason behind the situation. He will see no continuity at all, and feel himself flung without rhyme or reason from one experience to another, never realizing that his own thoughts are propelling him quite literally.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe al recién muerto zarandeado entre ambientes que sus propios pensamientos fabrican sin que él lo sepa

«I am speaking now of the events immediately following death, for there are other stages. Guides will helpfully become a part of your hallucinations, in order to help you out of them, but they must first of all get your trust.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que los guías entren en la alucinación del muerto para sacarlo de ella, y condiciona eso a ganarse su confianza

«At one time — in your terms — I myself acted as such a guide; as in a sleep state Ruburt now follows the same road. The situation is rather tricky from the guide’s viewpoint, for psychologically utmost discretion must be used. One man’s Moses, as I discovered, may not be another man’s Moses.» — Seth, según Roberts, se presenta a sí mismo como guía de esa clase y coloca a Roberts en el mismo oficio durante el sueño

«I have served as a rather creditable Moses on several occasions — and once, though this is hard to believe, to an Arab.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice haber hecho de Moisés varias veces, una de ellas ante un árabe

«He believed in Moses more than he did Allah, and I did not know until the last moment which form I was to assume. He was a very likable chap, and under the circumstances I did not mind when he seemed to expect a battle for his soul. Moses and Allah were to fight for him. He could not rid himself of the idea of force, though he had died by force, and nothing could persuade him to accept any kind of peace or contentment, or any rest, until some kind of battle was wrought.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice haber esperado al último momento para saber qué forma tomar, y que el hombre esperaba una batalla por su alma

«A friend and I, with some others, staged the ceremony, and from opposite clouds in the sky Allah and I shouted out our claims upon his soul — while he, poor man, cowered on the ground between us. Now while I tell this story humorously, you must understand that the man’s belief brought it about, and so to set him free, we worked it through.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama montaje a la escena de las nubes enfrentadas y la justifica por la creencia del propio muerto

«I called upon Jehovah, but to no avail, because our Arab did not know of Jehovah — only of Moses — and it was in Moses he put his faith. Allah drew a cosmic sword and I set it afire so that he dropped it. It fell to the ground and set the land aflame. Our Arab cried out again. He saw leagues of followers behind Allah, and so leagues of followers appeared behind me. Our friend was convinced that one of the three of us must be destroyed, and he feared mightily that he would be the victim.» — Seth, según Roberts, cuenta que el nombre de Jehová no surtió efecto porque el hombre solo conocía a Moisés

«Finally the opposing clouds in which we appeared came closer. In my hand I held a tablet that said: “Thou shalt not kill.” Allah held a sword. As we came» — Seth, según Roberts, pone en sus manos la tabla del mandamiento y la espada en las del otro; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«closer we exchanged these items, and our followers merged. We came together, forming the image of a s-u-n (spelled out), and we said: “We are one.”» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, hace que los dos bandos intercambien sus objetos y se fundan en la imagen de un sol deletreado

«The two diametrically opposed ideas had to merge or the man would have had no peace, and only when these opposites were united could we begin to explain his situation.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone la fusión de los opuestos como condición previa a cualquier explicación al muerto

«Jane’s trance had been deep, although she recalled parts of Seth’s adventure. She said she had a series of images which paralleled the material, yet she couldn’t describe them now.» — Butts consigna que Roberts recordó en imágenes partes del relato aunque el trance había sido hondo

«Certain images have been used to symbolize such a transition from one» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el pasaje de las imágenes con que se ha simbolizado el tránsito; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«existence to another, and many of these are extremely valuable in that they provide a framework with understandable references. The crossing of the River Styx is such a one. The dying expected certain procedures to occur in a more or less orderly fashion. The maps were known beforehand. At death, the consciousness hallucinated the river vividly. Relatives and friends already dead entered into the ritual, which was a profound ceremony also on their parts. The river was as real as any that you know, as treacherous to a traveler alone without proper knowledge. Guides were always at the river to help such travelers across.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, pone el cruce del Estigia como mapa sabido de antemano y alucinado con vivacidad, con guías al pie del río

«The Arab was a very interesting character, by the way, and to» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia el caso del árabe como ilustración de las dificultades del oficio de guía; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«illustrate some of the difficulties involved, I will tell you about him. He hated the Jews, but somehow he was obsessed with the idea that Moses was more powerful than Allah, and for years this was the secret sin upon his conscience. He spent some time in Constantinople at the time of the Crusades. He was captured, and ended up with a group of Turks, all to be executed by the Christians, in this case very horribly so. They forced his mouth open and stuffed it with burning coals, as a starter. He cried to Allah, and then in greater desperation to Moses, and as his consciousness left his body, Moses was there.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, sitúa al hombre en Constantinopla en tiempo de las Cruzadas y cuenta su ejecución y su llamado a Moisés

«the Holy Land from the Moslems. While Seth was giving the data, Jane said, she wondered what an Arab would be doing in Turkish Constantinople in those days. I explained the geography of the region. Presumably, such a traveler could have reached Constantinople [now Istanbul], by an overland journey across Turkey, which lay north of the Arab lands, or by sailing the eastern Mediterranean around Turkey, through the Dardanelles and so into the city. Distances in the Middle East are comparatively short.» — Butts cierra en nota su explicación histórica de las Cruzadas y consigna la objeción geográfica que Roberts se hizo durante el propio trance

«Jane literally has no sense of geography or of distance, facts that have unwittingly worked to her advantage in sessions. On the other hand, she has an unerring sense of direction in local surroundings, and can indicate the points of the compass far better than I can. Resume at 10:43.)» — Butts declara que la falta de sentido geográfico de Roberts ha jugado a favor de las sesiones, y le reconoce en cambio un sentido de orientación mejor que el suyo

«Now: To be such a guide requires great discipline and training. Before the event just mentioned, for example, I had spent many lifetimes acting as a guide under the tutorship of another in my daily sleep states.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice haber pasado vidas enteras aprendiendo el oficio de guía bajo la tutela de otro durante el sueño

«It is possible for example to lose yourself momentarily in the hallucinations that are being formed, and in such cases another teacher must bail you out. Delicate probing of the psychological processes is necessary, and the variety of hallucinations in which you may become involved is endless. You may, for example, take the form of an individual’s dearly beloved dead pet.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que el guía puede perderse en la alucinación ajena y dice haber tomado la forma del animal querido del muerto

«All of these hallucinatory activities take place usually some short time immediately following death. Some individuals are fully aware of their circumstances, however, because of previous training and development, and they are ready after a rest, if they desire to progress to other stages.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa esas alucinaciones poco después de la muerte y exceptúa a quienes ya traen entrenamiento

«They may, for example, become aware of their own reincarnational selves, recognizing quite readily personalities they knew in other lives, if those personalities are not otherwise engaged. They may deliberately now hallucinate, or they may “relive” certain portions of past lives if they choose. Then there is a period of self-examination, a rendering of accounts, so to speak, in which they are able to view their entire performance, their abilities and weak points and to decide whether or not they will return to physical existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el reconocimiento de los yos reencarnados y una rendición de cuentas previa a la decisión de volver

«Any given individual may experience any of these stages, you see; except for the self-examination, many may be sidestepped entirely. Since the emotions are so important, it is of great benefit if friends are waiting for you. In many instances, however, these friends have progressed to other stages of activity, and often a guide will take the guise of a friend for a while, so that you will feel more confident.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja solo el autoexamen como etapa ineludible y admite que un guía tome la apariencia de un amigo

«Of course, it is only because most people believe that you cannot leave your body that you do not consciously have out-of-body experiences with any frequency, generally speaking, in your lifetimes. Such experiences would acquaint you far better than words with some understanding of the conditions that will be encountered.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la rareza de las experiencias fuera del cuerpo a la creencia de que no se puede salir de él

«Remember that in one way, your physical existence is the result of mass hallucination. Vast gulfs exist between one man’s reality and another’s. After death, experience has as much organization, highly intricate and involved, as you know now. You have your private hallucinations now, only you do not realize what they are. Such hallucinations as I have been speaking of, intense symbolistic encounters, can also occur in your sleep states, when the personality is at a time of great change, or when opposing ideas must be unified, or if one must give way to another. These are highly charged, significant psychological and psychic events, whether they happen before or after death.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama alucinación de masas a la existencia física y coloca los encuentros simbólicos también en el estado de sueño

«Occurring in the dream state, they can change the course of a civilization. After death, an individual may visualize his (immediately previous physical) life as an animal with which he must come to terms, and such a battle or encounter has far-reaching consequences, for the man must come to terms with all portions of himself. In this case, whether the hallucination ends with him riding the animal, making friends with it, domesticating it, killing it or being killed by it, each alternative… (Jane coughed, then paused and took a sip of beer) is carefully weighed, and the results will have much to do with his future development.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la vida previa vista como animal con el que hay que entenderse; el paréntesis con la tos de Roberts y el sorbo de cerveza es de Butts

«Jane’s voice was now quite hoarse and weak; I believe she would have been forced to stop in a few more moments. This is one of the very few times, in seven years of sessions, that she has had any voice interference.» — Butts anota la ronquera de Roberts y la cuenta como una de las poquísimas veces en siete años en que la voz falló

«At 11:11 I read the last two paragraphs of the material to her, but she couldn’t make any emotional connections that might explain the voice difficulty, nor could I. Jane is inordinately fond of animals. Perhaps Seth’s example had caused the reaction, I thought, but she didn’t seem to respond here either. Resume at 11:20, in a voice stronger but rougher than usual.)» — Butts declara que ni él ni Roberts hallaron conexión emocional que explicara la falla de voz, y deja el intento por escrito

«This “life-symbolization” may be adopted by those who gave little thought to self-examination during their lifetime. It is a part of the self-examination process, therefore, in which an individual forms his life into an image and then deals with it. Such a method is not used by all. Sometimes a series of such episodes are necessary….» — Seth, según Roberts, llama simbolización de la vida a ese recurso y lo reserva a quien no se examinó en vida

«John Barclay, an out-of-town businessman, witnessed the session. John brought a tape with him, as he had promised. Upon it he had summarized the data Seth had given him about his professional life over a period of several years, and the ways in which it had, or had not, worked out. The results were good.» — Butts nombra al testigo de la sesión 537 y consigna que traía en cinta el balance de los aciertos de Seth sobre su vida profesional

«As she often does when witnesses are present, Jane began her delivery at a fast and animated pace. Her eyes were wide open and very dark, her voice stronger than usual. It was as though she drew extra energy from John and put it to immediate use.» — Butts observa que la presencia de testigos acelera y refuerza la entrega de Roberts, como si tomara energía prestada

«Good evening to our friend here. I hope you will forgive me if I do some dictation on my book. I have to get him (pointing to me) when I can get him, if I want to get my book done.» — Seth, según Roberts, se disculpa ante el visitante por dictar y bromea con la disponibilidad de Butts; el paréntesis que señala el gesto es de Butts

«One of Ruburt’s students wondered whether or not there was any kind of organization in the immediate after-death experiences. Since this is a question that will come into many minds, I will deal with it here.» — Seth, según Roberts, toma la pregunta de un alumno de Roberts como motivo del pasaje sobre la organización del más allá

«First of all, it should be obvious from what I have said so far that there is no one after-death reality, but [that] each experience is different. Generally speaking, however, there are dimensions into which these individual experiences will fall. For example, there is an initial stage for those who are still focused strongly in physical reality, and for those who need a period of recuperation and rest. On this level there will be hospitals and rest homes. The patients do not yet realize that there is nothing wrong with them at all.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega una única realidad posterior a la muerte y describe hospitales y casas de reposo para los recién llegados

«In some cases, the idea of illness is so strong that they have built their earthly years about this psychological center. They project ill conditions upon the new body as they did upon the old one. They are given various kinds of treatment of a psychic nature, and told that the condition of that body is being brought about by the nature of their own beliefs.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que el enfermo proyecte su mal sobre el cuerpo nuevo y que el tratamiento consista en decírselo

«Now, many individuals do not need to pass through this particular period. It goes without saying that the hospitals and training centers are not physical in your terms. They are often, in fact, maintained en masse by the guides who carry out the necessary plans. Now you may call this mass hallucination if you will. The fact is that to those encountering that reality, the events are quite real.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que se llame alucinación de masas a esos centros y sostiene a la vez que para quien los habita son reales

«They are taught, in other words, the methods that allow them to translate emotion and thought into physical actuality. There is no time lag, as there must be in the three-dimensional system, between the initiation of such thoughts and their materialization.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la instrucción para volver: traducir emoción y pensamiento en hecho, ya sin el retardo del sistema tridimensional

«Now I have spoken of such development earlier. Some of my readers, not being perhaps aware of any psychic ability of their own, might think then that they are in for a long and protracted period of after-death training. Let me hasten to tell you that all such ability is not necessarily conscious, and that much of it takes place during the sleep state when you are simply not aware of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, tranquiliza al lector que no se cree dotado: la capacidad obra dormido y sin consciencia de ella

«I always do. Like a bad penny, you cannot get rid of me.» — Seth, según Roberts, contesta la broma hablada de Butts sobre si volverá del descanso

«You may after death utterly refuse to believe that you are dead, and continue to focus your emotional energy toward those you have known in life.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite la negativa rotunda a admitirse muerto y la energía emocional que sigue volcándose a los vivos

«Now: I will cover the subject of ghosts separately, rather than in this chapter. Suffice it to say that large fields of emotional focus toward physical reality can hold you back from further development.» — Seth, según Roberts, aplaza el asunto de los fantasmas y atribuye el estancamiento a los focos emocionales vueltos a la realidad física

«When consciousness leaves the body and is away for some time then the connection is, of course, broken. In out-of-body states the connection still holds. Now it is possible for an individual who has died to completely misinterpret the experience and attempt to reenter the corpse. This can happen when the personality identified himself almost exclusively with the physical image.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el intento de volver a entrar en el cadáver como malentendido de quien se identificó con la imagen física

«It is not common. But nevertheless, under various circumstances, such individuals will attempt to reactivate the physical mechanism, becoming more panicstricken when they discover the body’s condition. Some, for example, have wept over the corpse long after the mourners have left, not realizing that» — Seth, según Roberts, cuenta a los que lloran sobre el cadáver después del velorio; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«they themselves are completely whole — where, for example, the body may have been ill or the organs beyond repair.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, los declara enteros aunque el cuerpo estuviera enfermo

«They are like a dog worrying a bone. Those who have not identified their consciousness with the body completely, find it much easier to leave it. Those who have hated the body find, strangely enough, that immediately after death» — Seth, según Roberts, compara con un perro y su hueso al que no suelta el cuerpo, y señala la atracción de quienes lo odiaron; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«All of these circumstances then may or may not occur according to the individual involved. However, after leaving the physical body, you will immediately find yourself in another. This is the same kind of form in which you travel in out-of-body projections, and again let me remind my readers that each of them leaves the body for some time each night during sleep.» — Seth, según Roberts, da por inmediata la entrada en otro cuerpo y la iguala al de las proyecciones nocturnas

«This form will seem physical. It will not be seen by those still in the physical body however, generally speaking. It can do anything that you do now in your dreams. Therefore it flies, goes through solid objects, and is moved directly by your will, taking you, say, from one location to another as you may think of these locations.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe esa forma con las propiedades del sueño: atraviesa lo sólido y se mueve por voluntad

«If you wonder what Aunt Sally is doing in, say, Poughkeepsie, New York, then you will find yourself there. However, you cannot as a rule manipulate physical objects. You cannot pick up a lamp or throw a dish. This body is yours instantly, but it is not the only form that you will have. For that matter, this image is not a new one. It is interwound with your physical body now, but you do not perceive it. Following death, it will be the only body you are aware of for some time.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la manipulación de objetos físicos a esa forma y la declara ya entretejida con el cuerpo presente

«Most individuals after death choose a more mature image that usually corresponds to the peak physical abilities, regardless of the age when the physical peak was reached. Others choose instead to take the form they had at the particular point when the greatest mental or emotional heights were achieved, regardless of the beauty or age that characterized the form.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte las elecciones de forma entre el punto de mayor capacidad física y el de mayor altura mental o emotiva

«There are also training centers. In these the nature of reality is explained in accordance with an individual’s ability to understand and perceive it. The» — Seth, según Roberts, describe centros de entrenamiento donde la realidad se explica a la medida de cada quien; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«familiar parables, for some, will still be used at least initially, and then these individuals will be gradually weaned away from them.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, deja las parábolas familiares como material inicial y anuncia el destete gradual

«Much later and on many levels you will finally learn to take many forms, as you choose, consciously. In one manner of speaking you do this now, you see, translating your psychological experience — your thoughts and emotions — quite literally but unconsciously into physical objects.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone la toma consciente de muchas formas como aprendizaje tardío y dice que ya se hace ahora sin saberlo

«You may find that when you imagine yourself as a child — after death — that you suddenly have the form of the child that you were. For a certain period of time, therefore, you can manipulate this form so that it takes any appearance that it had when it was connected with your physical form in the immediately previous physical life. You may die at eighty and after death think of the youth and vitality that you had at twenty, and find then that your form changes to correspond with this inner image.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la forma posterior a la muerte una traducción de la imagen interna, cambiante con la edad que uno se figure

«will usually use it when you want to communicate with others you have known; though for such communications with the living, you may instead adopt the form you had when you were known to the individual you want to contact.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que para hablar con los vivos el muerto tome la forma con que aquel lo conoció

«As Seth, Jane pointed to John Barclay, sitting beside me on the couch. In connection with his business, John had attended a gathering this afternoon at which champagne had been served; he was now sleepy….)» — Butts anota que el gesto de señalar al visitante lo hizo Roberts hablando como Seth, y explica la somnolencia por el champán de la tarde

«These after-death environments do not exist necessarily on other planets. They do not take up space, so the question, “Where does all this happen?” is meaningless in basic terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara sin sentido la pregunta por el lugar del más allá, porque esos entornos no ocupan espacio

«It is the result of your own misinterpretations of the nature of reality. There is no one place therefore, no specific location. These environments exist unperceived by you amid the physical world that you know. Your perceptive mechanisms simply do not allow you to tune in to their ranges. You react to a highly specific but limited field. As I mentioned earlier, other realities coexist with your own at death, for example. You simply divest yourself of physical paraphernalia, tune into different fields, and react to other sets of assumptions.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca esos entornos dentro del mundo físico, fuera del alcance de los mecanismos perceptivos

«After death you may find yourself in a training center. Now theoretically,» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el ejemplo del centro de entrenamiento situado en la propia sala; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«this center could be in the middle of your present living room, in physical space, but the distance between you and the members of your family still living — sitting perhaps, thinking of you or reading a paper — would have nothing to do with space as you know it. You would be more separated from them than if you were, say, on the moon.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, mide la separación con la familia viva como mayor que la de la Luna

«My original notes for this session included Seth’s long delivery in Jane’s ESP class last night, June 23, 1970. Seth dealt with organization in that session also — but organization within our own reality as well as in others. Since that session answers questions Jane and I are often asked, we’ve included it in the Appendix almost in its entirety.)» — Butts explica por qué la sesión de la clase del 23 de junio se reimprime casi entera en el apéndice del volumen

«Now: Chapter Ten: “‘Death’ Conditions in Life.” (Seth repeated this chapter heading to make sure I punctuated it correctly.)» — Seth, según Roberts, dicta el título del capítulo diez y Butts anota que se lo hizo repetir para puntuarlo bien

«After-death experiences will not seem so alien or incomprehensible if you realize that you encounter similar situations as a normal part of your present existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala las condiciones posteriores a la muerte con situaciones ya normales de la vida presente

«In sleep and dream states you are involved in the same dimension of existence in which you will have your after-death experiences. You do not remember the most important part of these nightly adventures, and so those you do recall seem bizarre or chaotic as a rule. This is simply because in your present state of development you are not able to manipulate consciously within more than one environment.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca sueño y muerte en la misma dimensión y explica el olvido por la incapacidad de manejar dos entornos a la vez

«You do exist consciously in a coherent, purposeful creative state while the physical body sleeps, however, and you carry on many of the activities that I told you would be encountered after death. You simply turn the main focus of your attention in a different dimension of activity, one in which you have indeed continuously operated.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama coherente y creativo al estado que el cuerpo dormido sostiene

«Now, as you have memory of your waking life and as you retain a large body of such memory for daily physical encounters, and as this fount of memory provides you with a sense of daily continuity, so also does your dreaming self have an equally large body of memory. As there is continuity to your daily life, so there is continuity in your sleeping life.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye al yo soñador un cuerpo de memoria y una continuidad iguales a los de la vigilia

«A portion of you, therefore, is aware of each and every dream encounter and experience. Dreams are no more hallucinatory than your physical life is. Your waking physical self is the dreamer, as far as your dreaming self is concerned: You are the dreamer it sends on its way. Your daily experiences are the dreams that it dreams, so when you look at your dreaming self or consider it, you do so with a highly prejudiced eye, taking it for granted that your “reality” is real, and its reality is illusion.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte la relación: el yo despierto es el soñado, y llama prejuiciosa la mirada que declara ilusorio el sueño

«Its reality is far more native to your being, however. If you do not find coherence in the dream state, it is because you have hypnotized yourselves into believing that none exists. Of course you try to translate your nightly adventures into physical terms upon awakening, and attempt to fit them into your often limited distortion of the nature of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la incoherencia del sueño a una hipnosis previa y al intento de traducirlo a términos físicos

«To some extent this is natural. You are focused in a daily life for a reason. You have adopted it as a challenge. But within its framework you are also meant to grow and develop, and to extend the limits of your consciousness. It is very difficult to admit that you are in many ways more effective and creative in the sleep state than the waking state, and somewhat shattering to admit that the dream body can indeed fly, defying both time and space. It is much easier to pretend that all such experiences are symbolic and not literal, to evolve complicated psychological theories, for example, to explain flying dreams.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama más cómodo tomar por simbólicos los sueños de vuelo que admitir que el cuerpo onírico vuela

«The simple fact is that when you dream you are flying, you often are. In the dream state you operate under the same conditions, more or less, that are native to a consciousness not focused in physical reality. Many of your experiences, therefore, are precisely those you may meet after death. You may speak with dead friends or relatives, revisit the past, greet old classmates, walk down streets that existed fifty years earlier in physical time, travel through space without taking any physical time to do so, be met by guides, be instructed, teach others, perform meaningful work, solve problems, hallucinate.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera en el sueño las mismas actividades que atribuye al más allá, y sostiene que al soñar que se vuela a menudo se vuela

«In physical life there is a lag between the conception of an idea and its physical construction. In dream reality, this is not so. Therefore, the best way to become acquainted with after-death reality ahead of time, so to speak, is to explore and understand the nature of your own dreaming self. Not very many people want to take the time or energy.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone el estudio del propio yo soñador como anticipo de la realidad posterior a la muerte

«Now: Since your conscious memory is connected so strongly with awareness within the body, although you leave the body when it sleeps, the waking consciousness usually has no memory of this.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata el olvido de lo nocturno a la dependencia que la memoria consciente tiene del cuerpo

«In the sleeping state, you have memory of everyone you have ever met in your dreams, though you may or may not have met some of these people in your daytime existence. In the sleeping state you may have constant experience through the years with close associates who may live in another portion of the world entirely, and be strangers to you in the waking state.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe tratos de años en el sueño con personas que en vigilia son desconocidas

«The dreaming self as you conceive of it, however, is but a shadow of its own reality, for the dreaming self is a psychological point of reference and, in your terms, [of] continuity, that brings together all portions of your identity.» — Seth, según Roberts, define el yo soñador como punto psicológico de referencia y de continuidad que reúne las porciones de la identidad

«Of its deeper nature, only the most developed are aware. It represents, in other words, one strong uniting facet of your entire identity. Its experiences are as vivid and its “personality” as rich — in fact richer — in context as the physical personality you know.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara la personalidad del yo soñador más rica en contexto que la física

«Pretend for a moment that you are a child, and I am trying to undertake the particular chore of explaining to you what your most developed, adult self will be like — and in my explanation, I say that this adult self is to some extent already a part of you, an outgrowth or projection of what you are. And the child says, “But what will happen to me? Must I die to become this other self? I do not want to change. How can I ever be this adult self when it is not what I am now, without dying as what I am?”» — Seth, según Roberts, arma la parábola del niño que teme morir para llegar a ser su propio adulto

«I am in somewhat the same position when I try to explain to you the nature of this inner self, for while you can become aware of it in dreams, you cannot truly appreciate its maturity or abilities; yet they are yours in the same way that the man’s abilities belonged to the child. In the dream state you learn, among other things, how to construct your own physical reality day by day, just as after death you learn how to construct your next physical lifetime.» — Seth, según Roberts, empareja el aprendizaje del sueño con el de después de la muerte: construir el día y construir la vida siguiente

«In dreams you solve the problems. In the daytime you are (only) consciously aware of the methods of problem solving that you learned in sleep. In dreams you set your goals, as after death you set the goals for another incarnation.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca en el sueño la resolución de problemas y la fijación de metas

«The soul creates the flesh. The creator hardly looks down upon its creation. The soul creates the flesh for a reason, and physical existence for a reason, so none of this is to lead you to a distaste for physical life, nor toward a lack of» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que el alma crea la carne y niega que de ahí se siga desdén por la vida física; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«As your perceptive mechanisms insist that objects are solid, for example, so they insist that such a thing as space exists. Now what your senses tell you about the nature of matter is entirely erroneous, and what they tell you about space is equally wrong — wrong in terms of basic reality, but quite in keeping of course with three-dimensional concepts.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara erróneo lo que los sentidos dicen de la materia y del espacio, y concede que encaja con lo tridimensional

«In out-of-body experiences from the living state, many of the problems are encountered, in terms of space, that will be met after death. And in such episodes, therefore, the true nature of time and space becomes more apparent. After death it does not take time to go through space, for example. Space does not exist in terms of distance. This is illusion. There are barriers, but they are mental or psychic barriers. For example, there are intensities of experience that are interpreted in your reality as distance in miles.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega el espacio como distancia y llama barreras mentales o psíquicas a lo que aquí se lee en millas

«You could perhaps change your own focus of attention away from the center, and theoretically see the room and its inhabitants; and yet still this distance that has nothing to do with miles would be between you.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que el muerto vea el cuarto y sus habitantes y sostiene que la distancia sigue ahí

«Now, no psychological structure is easy to describe in words. Simply to explain the nature of personality as it is generally known, all kinds of terms are used: id, subconscious, ego, superego; all of these to differentiate the interweaving actions that make up the physical personality. The dreaming self is just as complicated.» — Seth, según Roberts, toma los términos de la psicología —id, subconsciente, ego, superego— para decir que el yo soñador es igual de complejo

«So you can say that certain portions of it deal with physical reality, physical manipulation, and plans; some with deeper levels of creativity and achievement that insure physical survival; some with communication, with even more extensive elements of the personality now generally unknown; some with the continuing experience and existence of what you may call the soul or overall individual entity, the true multidimensional self.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte las funciones del yo soñador y coloca en la última el alma o entidad total, el yo multidimensional

«As your daily endeavors have meaning and purpose, so do your dream» — Seth, según Roberts, empareja el propósito de la vida diaria con el de las aventuras oníricas; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«adventures, and in these also you attain various goals of your own. These you will continue in the after-death experience. The vitality, force, life, and creativity behind your physical existence is generated in this other dimension. In other words, you are in many ways a fleshy projection of your dreaming» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, pone en esa otra dimensión la fuente de la vitalidad física y llama al cuerpo proyección carnal del yo soñador

«appreciation for those sensual joys with which you are surrounded. Any inner journeys should allow you to find greater significance, beauty, and meaning in life as you know it now; but full enjoyment and development also means that you use all of your abilities, that you explore inner dimensions with as much wonder and enthusiasm. With proper understanding, therefore, it is quite possible for you to become quite familiar now with after-death landscapes and environments and experiences. You will find them to be as vivid as any you know.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, pide que los viajes interiores devuelvan más sentido y belleza a la vida conocida

«Such explorations will completely alter somber preconceptions about existence after death. It is very important that you divest yourself of as many preconceptions as possible, however, for these will impede your progress.» — Seth, según Roberts, pide desprenderse de las ideas previas y llama sombrías las que se traen sobre la muerte

«Generally speaking, if you are fairly content about physical reality, you are in a better position to study these inner environments. If you see evil all about you in physical life, and if it seems to outweigh the good, then you are not ready. You should not embark upon an exploration of these nightly adventures if you are depressed, for at this time your own psychic state is predisposed toward depressing experiences, whether awake or asleep. You should not embark upon such a study if you hope to substitute inner experience for physical experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, desaconseja la exploración a quien vea el mal predominar o esté deprimido, y niega que valga como sustituto de la vida

«If your ideas of good and evil are rigorous, unbending, then you do not have the understanding that is necessary for any conscious manipulation in this other dimension. In other words, you should be as flexible mentally, psychologically, and spiritually as possible, open to new ideas, creative, and not overly dependent upon organizations or dogma.» — Seth, según Roberts, exige flexibilidad mental y poca dependencia de organizaciones o dogma para manejarse en esa otra dimensión

«You should be fairly competent and sympathetic. At the same time you should be outgoing enough in your physical environment so that you are capable of handling your life as it is. You need all your resources. This is to be an active exploration and endeavor, not a passive withdrawal, and certainly not a cowardly retreat. Toward the end of this book, methods will be given for those who are interested so that you can explore these after-death conditions consciously, having some control over your experiences and progress.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a esto exploración activa y no retiro pasivo ni retirada cobarde, y anuncia métodos para el final del libro

«Here, however, I want to describe these conditions somewhat more thoroughly. Now, in physical life you see what you want to see. You perceive from the available field of reality certain data — data selected carefully by you in accordance with your ideas of what reality is. You create the data to begin with.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que en la vida física se percibe lo que se quiere ver y que el propio dato se fabrica

«If you believe all men are evil, you simply will not experience the goodness in men. You will be completely closed to it. They in turn will always show you their worst side. You will telepathically see to it that others dislike you, and you will project your dislike upon them.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el circuito telepático por el que la creencia en la maldad ajena la produce

«Your experience, in other words, follows your expectations. Now» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que la experiencia sigue a la expectativa; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«the same applies to after-death experience and to the dream experience, and to any out-of-body encounters. If you are obsessed with the idea of evil, then you will meet evil conditions. If you believe in devils, then you will encounter these. As I mentioned earlier, there is greater freedom when consciousness is not physically directed. Thoughts and emotions are constructed, again, into reality without the physical time lapse. So if you believe you will be met by a demon, you will create your own thought-form of one, not realizing that it is of your own creation.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, hace del demonio esperado una forma de pensamiento propia y no reconocida

«Therefore, if you find yourself concentrating upon the evils of physical existence in such a manner, then you are not ready for such explorations. It is, of course, possible under such conditions to meet a thought-form belonging to someone else, but if you do not believe in demons to begin with, you will always recognize the nature of the phenomena and be unharmed.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite topar con la forma de pensamiento de otro y hace del descreimiento el salvoconducto

«If it is your own thought-form, then, in fact, you may learn from it by asking yourself what it represents, what problem that you have so materialized. Now you may hallucinate the same sort of thing after death, use it for a symbol, and undergo a spiritual battle of sorts that would, of course, not be necessary had you more understanding. You will work out your ideas, problems or dilemmas at your own level of understanding.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone interrogar la propia forma de pensamiento en vez de pelear con ella, y advierte de la batalla espiritual innecesaria

«Do you know what I said to Jane yesterday — about our going on tour to promote The Seth Material? Do you have any thoughts on this?”» — Butts le pregunta a Seth en voz alta por la gira de promoción de The Seth Material, el libro anterior de Roberts

«I hope to keep you interested in my saga.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama saga a su propio libro al despedir la sesión 538

«He’s got the whole rest of that chapter planned,” she said when she came out of it. “I can sense whole blocks of material all ready. But now, it starts to fade, to go….”» — Roberts, en boca propia y ya fuera del trance, dice sentir bloques enteros de material listos y cómo se le desvanecen

«As it turned out, we didn’t ask Seth about promotion work again, and he didn’t bring up the subject himself. The Seth Material was published in September, 1970, and we did go on tour.)» — Butts fecha la publicación de The Seth Material en septiembre de 1970 y cierra el asunto de la gira

«The day had been very hot and sticky. Stormy weather had been building up for some hours. Finally it began to rain hard, with thunder and lightning, at about 9. We wondered whether a session would be held, since Seth had told us some time ago that electrical displays interfered with trance states. Yet the session began as usual; Seth, at least, was apparently not bothered.)» — Butts consigna la tormenta eléctrica y recuerda que Seth mismo había dicho que esas descargas estorban el trance

«After-death environments exist all about you, now. Period.» — Seth, según Roberts, dicta la palabra *Period* como signo de puntuación, y el libro la imprime dentro de la frase (sesión 539)

«It is as if your present situation and all its physical phenomena were projected from within yourself outward, giving you a continuous running motion picture, forcing you to perceive only those images that were being transposed. These seem so real that you find yourself in the position of reacting to them constantly.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara la realidad física con una película proyectada desde dentro a la que uno reacciona sin parar

«By now the storm was so noisy that Seth increased the volume of his voice.)» — Butts anota que la voz subió de volumen para imponerse a la tormenta

«They serve to mask other quite valid realities that exist at the same time, however, and actually from these other realities you gain the power and the knowledge to operate the material projections. You can “set the machine on idle,” so to speak, stop the apparent motion, and turn your attention to these realities.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone poner la máquina en ralentí para volver la atención a las realidades que la proyección enmascara

«First of all, you must realize that they exist. As a preliminary to the methods I will give later, it is a good idea to ask yourself now and then: “What am I actually conscious of at this time?” Do this when your eyes open, and again when they are closed.» — Seth, según Roberts, da como ejercicio preliminar preguntarse de qué se es consciente, con los ojos abiertos y cerrados

«When your eyes are open, do not take it for granted that only the immediately perceivable objects exist. Look where space seems empty, and listen in the middle of silence. There are molecular structures in every inch of empty space, but you have taught yourself not to perceive them. There are other voices, but you have conditioned your ears not to hear them. You use your inner senses when you are in the dream state, and ignore them when you are waking.» — Seth, según Roberts, pide mirar donde el espacio parece vacío y escuchar en medio del silencio

«The inner senses are equipped to perceive data that is not physical. They are not deceived by the images that you project in three-dimensional reality. Now, they can perceive physical objects. Your physical senses are extensions of these inner methods of perception, and after death it is upon these that you» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a los sentidos físicos extensiones de los internos; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«will rely. They are used in out-of-body experiences. They operate constantly beneath normal waking consciousness…» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, deja los sentidos internos operando por debajo de la vigilia

«There had been an accident, or fire, or both in our section of the city after the storm broke loose. With sirens screeching several cars and trucks sped past on Walnut Street, two doors away. I expected all the racket to break Jane’s trance, but it didn’t; she paused for a few moments and then continued.)» — Butts anota las sirenas que pasaron a dos puertas y que el trance de Roberts no se rompió

«In other words, the environment, conditions, and methods of perception will not be alien. You are not suddenly thrust into an unknown; that unknown is a part of you now. It was a part of you before this physical birth, and will be after physical death. These conditions, however, have been blotted out of your consciousness in the main, throughout physical history. Mankind has had various conceptions of his own reality but he has purposely, it seems, turned away from it in the last century. There are many reasons for this, and we will try to cover some of them.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que el siglo pasado se apartó a propósito de esas condiciones, que ya eran parte del lector antes de nacer

«In many ways then, you are “dead” now — and as dead as you will ever be.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que ya se está tan muerto como se llegará a estar

«While you go about your daily chores and endeavors, beneath normal waking consciousness you are constantly focused in other realities also, reacting to stimuli of which your physical conscious self is not aware, perceiving conditions through the inner senses, and experiencing events that are not even registered within the physical brain. That whole last portion should be underlined.» — Seth, según Roberts, dicta la instrucción de subrayar el párrafo, y el libro conserva la orden dentro del texto

«After death you are simply aware of these dimensions of activity that you now ignore. Now, physical existence predominates. Then, it will not. Nor, however, will it be lost to you; your memories, for example, will be retained. You will simply step out of a particular framework of reference. Under certain conditions you will even be free to use the years seemingly given to you in different ways.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja intacta la memoria tras la muerte y habla de usar de otro modo los años dados

«Break came early, considering the time the session began. “Things» — Butts mide el descanso adelantado de la sesión 539; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«are unsettled,” Jane said. “I was bothered at times.” She had been aware of the sirens especially. She said her trance had been “pulsating” or wavelike: she would go “in” good, and then swing up closer to her usual state of consciousness. Yet as far as I could tell the material was as good as ever, the manner of her delivery unchanged.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Butts recoge en voz de Roberts el trance en oleadas y declara que aun así el material salió igual de bueno

«moments, one before the other, though you do perceive it now in that fashion. Events are not things that happen to you. They are materialized experiences formed by you according to your expectations and beliefs. Inner portions of your personality realize this now. After death you will not concentrate upon the physical forms taken by time and events. You may use the same elements, as a painter might use his colors.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, niega que los hechos le ocurran a uno y los llama experiencias materializadas por la creencia

«Perhaps your life span runs for seventy-seven years. After death you may, under certain conditions and if you choose, experience the events of those seventy-seven years at your leisure — but not necessarily in terms of continuity. You may alter the events. You can manipulate within that particular dimension of activity that represented your seventy-seven years.» — Seth, según Roberts, ofrece revivir los años vividos a placer y fuera de la continuidad

«If you find severe errors of judgment, you may then correct them. You may perfect, in other words, but you cannot again enter into that frame of reference as a completely participating consciousness following, say, the historic trends of the time, joining into the mass-hallucinated existence that resulted from the applied consciousness of your self and your “contemporaries.”» — Seth, según Roberts, permite corregir errores de juicio pero niega la reentrada como consciencia participante

«Jane’s trance had been deeper, but she was surprised at the short delivery; she thought she had been out for a longer time. The rain had tapered off somewhat by now, and it was cooler. “It’s still a strange night,” she said.» — Butts anota la sorpresa de Roberts ante lo corto de la entrega y recoge su frase sobre la rareza de la noche

«Anything of which you are aware in three-dimensional existence is only a projection of a greater reality into that dimension. The events of which you» — Seth, según Roberts, llama proyección a todo lo percibido en tres dimensiones; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«are conscious are only those fragments of activities that intrude or appear to your normal waking consciousness. Other portions of these events are quite clear to you both in the dreaming state and beneath waking consciousness during the day.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, deja el resto del hecho en el sueño y bajo la vigilia

«If you want to know what death is like, then become aware of your own consciousness as it is divorced from physical activities. You will find that it is highly active. With practice you will discover that your normal waking consciousness is highly limited, and that what you thought of once as death conditions seem much more like life conditions.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone observar la propia consciencia divorciada de lo físico y llama condiciones de vida a lo que se tenía por muerte

«Now there is some instability this evening, resulting from the atmosphere, but we held the session in any case. (“I thought it was good.”) We will end it, however. There is some additional strain on Ruburt in such circumstances, and there is no need prolonging it.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a la atmósfera de la tormenta la inestabilidad de la sesión y corta por el esfuerzo de Roberts

«Afterwards we talked over Jane’s recent idea — to holding, say, a session per day for six consecutive days, to see how much Seth would get done on the book in such an arbitrary period. It would be interesting to see part of it produced that way. The idea never materialized, however, even though Seth had expressed his willingness to try something like this back in March, when Chapter Three was underway. See the notes for the 10:31 break in the 519th session, and Seth’s subsequent remarks. Jane stopped looking at the book in the 521st session for March 30; it’s now July 1.)» — Butts registra el plan de seis sesiones seguidas que nunca se hizo y fecha el momento en que Roberts dejó de leer el libro

«Such other existences and realities as just described coexist with your own, and in the waking state you are not aware of them. Now, often in your dreams you are able to perceive such other situations, but you often wind them into dream paraphernalia of your own, in which case upon awakening you have little clear memory.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca esas otras realidades a la par de la propia y explica el olvido por el envoltorio onírico (sesión 540)

«In the same way in the midst of life, you dwell with so-called ghosts and apparitions, and for that matter you yourselves appear as apparitions to others, particularly when you send strong thought-forms of yourself from the sleep state, or even when unconsciously you travel out of your physical body.» — Seth, según Roberts, invierte el asunto de los fantasmas: el lector mismo se aparece a otros desde el sueño

«There are obviously as many kinds of ghosts and apparitions as there are people. They are as alert or as unalert to their situation as you are to your own. They are not fully focused in physical reality, however, either in personality or in form, and this is their main distinction. Some apparitions are thought-forms sent by survival personalities out of lingering deep anxiety. They portray the same compulsive-type behavior that can be seen in many instances in your ordinary experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, distingue a las apariciones por su foco incompleto y llama formas de pensamiento a algunas de ellas

«The same mechanism that causes a disturbed woman, say, to perform repetitive action such as a constant washing and rewashing of hands, also causes a particular kind of apparition to return time and time again to one place. In such cases the behavior is often composed of repetitive action.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara la aparición que vuelve al mismo sitio con el lavado repetido de manos

«For various reasons, such a personality has not learned to assimilate its own experience. The characteristics of such apparitions follow those of a disturbed personality — with some exceptions, however. The whole consciousness is not present. The personality itself seems to be having a nightmare, or a series of recurring dreams, during which it returns to the physical environment. The personality itself is “safe and sound,” but certain portions of it work out unresolved problems, and discharge energy in such a fashion.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara a salvo a la personalidad entera y atribuye la aparición a porciones suyas que descargan energía

«They are in themselves quite harmless. Only your interpretation of their actions can cause difficulties. Now in the middle of life, of life conditions, you also appear on occasion as ghosts in other levels of reality, where your “pseudoappearance” causes some comment and is the ground for many myths — and you are not even aware of this.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama inofensivas a las apariciones y dice que el lector mismo alimenta mitos en otros niveles sin saberlo

«Now I am speaking generally. Again, there are exceptions where memory is retained, but as a rule ghosts and apparitions are not any more aware of their effect upon others than you are when you appear quite unconsciously as ghosts in worlds that would be quite strange to you.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega a fantasmas y aparecidos la consciencia de su efecto, y le niega la misma al lector

«The combination of) thought, emotion, and desire creates form, possesses energy, (and) is made of energy. It will show itself in as many ways as» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de pensamiento, emoción y deseo una forma con energía; los paréntesis que aclaran la sintaxis son de Butts y el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«possible. You only recognize the physical materializations, but as mentioned earlier in this book, you send pseudoforms of yourself out from yourself of which you are not aware; and this is completely aside from the existence of astral travel or projection, which is a much more complicated affair.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, distingue esas seudoformas del viaje astral

«You appear in astral form in realities that are comparatively more advanced than your own. You are usually recognized because of your disorientation. You do not know how to manipulate. (Humorously): You do not know the customs. But whether you have a physical form or not, if you have emotions or feelings, these will take form. They have a reality. If you think strongly of an object, somewhere it will appear.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que en realidades más avanzadas se reconoce al visitante por su desorientación

«If you think strongly of being in another location, a pseudoimage of yourself will be projected out from you to that place, whether or not it is perceived and whether or not you yourself are conscious of it, or conscious in it. This applies (both) to those who have left your physical system and to those who are in it.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace salir una seudoimagen hacia el lugar pensado, se sepa o no

«All of these forms are called secondary constructions, for as a rule full consciousness of the personality is not in them. They are automatic projections.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama construcciones secundarias a esas proyecciones automáticas sin consciencia plena

«Now, in primary constructions, a consciousness, usually fully aware and alert, adopts a form — not his “native” one — and consciously projects it, often into another level of reality. Even this is a rather complicated endeavor, and one seldom used for purposes of communication.» — Seth, según Roberts, reserva el nombre de construcción primaria a la forma adoptada a conciencia, y la dice poco usada

«There are other much easier methods. I have explained to some degree the way images are constructed out of an available field of energy. You perceive only your own constructions. If a “ghost” wants to contact you therefore, he can do so through telepathy, and you can yourself construct the corresponding image if you desire. Or the individual might send you a thought-form at the same time that he telepathically communicates with you. Your rooms are full now of thought-forms that you do not perceive; and again, you are as much a ghostly phenomenon now as you will be after death. You are simply not aware of the fact.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone la telepatía como vía del contacto y declara al lector tan fenómeno fantasmal ahora como después de muerto

«You ignore certain temperature variations and stirrings of air as imagination, that are instead indicative of such thought-forms. You thrust into the background telepathic communications that often accompany such forms, and you turn aside from all clues that other realities exist quite validly with your own, and that in the midst of one existence you are surrounded by intangible but valid evidence. The very words “life” and “death” serve to limit your understanding, to set up barriers where none intrinsically exist.» — Seth, según Roberts, lee los cambios de temperatura como indicio de formas de pensamiento y llama barrera a las palabras vida y muerte

«Jane was easily out of trance. Her delivery this evening was a bit different than usual. Her voice was quiet, almost conversational in manner and pace, although the speed varied at times.» — Butts describe la entrega de esa noche como casi conversacional, distinta de la habitual

«Some dead friends and relatives do visit you, projecting from their own» — Seth, según Roberts, admite visitas de muertos que no se alcanzan a percibir; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«level of reality into yours, but you cannot as a rule perceive their forms. They are not more ghostly, or “dead,” however, than you are when you project into their reality — as you do, from the sleep state.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, iguala al muerto que visita con el dormido que proyecta

«As a rule, however, they can perceive you on those occasions. What you often forget is that such individuals are in various stages of development. Some have stronger connections to the physical system than others. The length of time an individual has been dead in your terms has little to do with whether or not you will be so visited, but rather the intensity of the relationship.» — Seth, según Roberts, mide la visita por la intensidad del vínculo y no por el tiempo transcurrido desde la muerte

«As mentioned earlier, however, in the sleep state you may help recently dead persons, complete strangers, to acclimate to after-death conditions, even though this knowledge is not available to you in the morning. So others, strangers, may communicate with you when you are sleeping, and even guide you through various periods of your life.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone al durmiente a orientar a muertos recientes desconocidos, y admite la guía inversa

«The main point I want to make in this chapter is that you are already familiar with all conditions you will meet after death, and you can become consciously aware of these to some extent.» — Seth, según Roberts, resume el capítulo diez: las condiciones del más allá ya son familiares y se pueden reconocer

«You may feel that you want to “relive” certain episodes of your life so that you can understand them better. Your life’s experience, therefore, is your own. Such conditions certainly are not alien. In ordinary living, you often imagine yourself behaving in a different manner than you did, or in your mind reexperiencing events in order to gain greater understanding from them.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara el revivir de después de la muerte con el repaso mental que ya se hace en vida

«Your life is your own personal experience- perspective, and when at death you take it out of the mass physical time context, then you can experience it in many ways. Events and objects are not absolute, remember, but plastic. Events can be changed both before and after their occurrence. They are never stable or permanent, even though within the context of three-dimensional reality they may appear so.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama plásticos a los hechos y admite cambiarlos antes y después de ocurridos; el guion de *experience- perspective* es del propio troceo

«There are unlimited varieties of experience open to you after death, all possible, but some less probable than others, according to your development. Very generally now, there are three main areas, though exceptions and extraordinary cases can take other roads.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el capítulo once con tres caminos principales tras la muerte y admite excepciones

«You may decide upon another reincarnation. You may decide to focus instead upon your past life, using it as the stuff of new experience, as mentioned previously creating variations of events as you have known them, making corrections as you choose. Or you may enter another system of probability entirely; and this is quite apart from a reincarnational existence. You will be leaving all thoughts of continuity of time behind you in such a case.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera las tres vías: reencarnar, rehacer la vida pasada o entrar en un sistema de probabilidad

«Now some individuals, some personalities, prefer a life organization bound about past, present, and future in a seemingly logical structure, and these persons usually choose reincarnation. Others naively prefer to experience events in an extraordinarily intuitive manner, with the organization being provided by the associative processes. These will choose a system of probabilities for their next main endeavor.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte las elecciones por temperamento: quien quiere estructura reencarna, quien va por asociación toma las probabilidades

«Some simply find the physical system not to their liking, and in such a way take leave of it. This cannot be done, however, until the reincarnational cycle, once chosen, is completed, so the last choice exists for those who have developed their abilities through reincarnation as far as possible within that system.» — Seth, según Roberts, condiciona la salida del sistema físico a haber completado el ciclo de reencarnaciones

«Some, finished with reincarnation, may choose to reenter the cycle acting as teachers, and in such cases some recognition of higher identity is always present. Now there is an in-between stage of relative indecision, a midplane of existence; a rest area, comparatively speaking, and it is from this area that most communication from relatives occurs. This is usually the level that is visited by the living in projections from the dream state.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra un plano intermedio de reposo desde donde ocurre casi toda comunicación con los parientes

«Before the time of choosing, however, there is a period of self-examination, and your full “history” becomes available to you. You understand the nature of the entity, and you are advised by other portions of that entity, more “advanced” than yourself.» — Seth, según Roberts, antepone al momento de elegir un autoexamen con la historia completa a la vista y el consejo de la propia entidad

«You will become aware of your other reincarnational selves, for example. There will be emotional ties with other personalities whom you have known in past lives, and some of these may supersede your relationships in the immediately past life. This is a meeting place for individuals from your own system also, however.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que los lazos de vidas pasadas puedan pesar más que los de la recién dejada

«All necessary explanations are given to those who are disoriented. Those who do not realize that they are dead are here told of their true condition, and all efforts are made to refresh the energies and spirits. It is a time of study and comprehension. It is from this area that some disturbed personalities have those dreams of returning to the physical environment.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca en ese plano la explicación a quien no se sabe muerto y el origen de los sueños de regreso

«It is a place of commerce between systems, so to speak. Conditions and development are important, rather than the length an individual stays in this area. It is an intermediary step, but an important one. In your dreams you have been here.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama lugar de comercio entre sistemas a ese plano y le dice al lector que ya estuvo ahí en sueños

«No session was held for July 8th, as scheduled. Tam Mossman, Jane’s editor at Prentice Hall, called this morning to say that the first copies of her book, The Seth Material, have arrived at Prentice Hall from the printer. He’s mailing a book to Jane today.» — Butts nombra al editor de Roberts en Prentice Hall y fecha la llegada de los primeros ejemplares de The Seth Material

«This afternoon, I gave myself suggestions that I have a projection experience when I lay down, but I did not succeed. Then, shortly after supper, I had a visual experience like that described in the notes for the 534th session, in Chapter Eight. I told Jane about it as it progressed. Once again she was concerned, but as usual I felt no alarm. The experience lasted for perhaps half an hour.» — Butts cuenta un intento fallido de proyección y el regreso del fenómeno visual ya descrito en el capítulo ocho

«Maybe, I thought, the experience was a delayed reaction to the projection suggestions. Just before the session I asked my pendulum a few questions — keeping in mind that I wasn’t so sure this technique should be used to explore other than physically oriented data. Usually I get excellent results with the pendulum; I learned now that the visual-interference effects had been caused by my unsuccessful attempts to perceive a thought-form sent out by a survival personality. This backed up the reasons given by Seth, then, for the eye phenomenon. Usually we use the pendulum to reach information that is just below normal waking consciousness.» — Butts declara su propio uso del péndulo y la duda de si sirve para datos no físicos; con él se explicó la interferencia visual

«I also learned that no particular painting of mine was involved, nor were my efforts to project this afternoon; that the survival personality was unknown to me, and that the pendulum couldn’t tell me who the personality was.» — Butts consigna los límites de lo que el péndulo le dijo, incluida la identidad que no pudo darle

«With this explanation, I didn’t feel it necessary to ask Seth about the experience. I did hope he would comment on it, but he did not…. Jane and I were both ready for the session ahead of time, for a change.)» — Butts anota que no le preguntó a Seth por el fenómeno y que esperaba en vano un comentario suyo

«Resume dictation: Reincarnation involves far more than a simple decision to undergo another physical existence. In this in-between period of which I am speaking, many issues therefore are considered.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que reencarnar sea una decisión simple y carga el período intermedio de asuntos por resolver (sesión 541)

«When most people think of reincarnation, they think in terms of a one-line progression in which the soul perfects itself in each succeeding life. This is a gross simplification. There are endless varieties of this one theme, individual variations.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama simplificación burda a la idea de una sola línea de perfeccionamiento por vidas

«Some, for example, choose to isolate various characteristics in a given life, and work on these almost exclusively, basing a given existence upon, say, one main theme. As seen from a physical viewpoint, such a personality would appear very one-sided, and far from a well developed individual.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite vidas de un solo tema, que vistas desde fuera parecen personalidades incompletas

«In one life the intellect may purposely be very high, and those powers of the mind carried as far as the individual can take them. These abilities are then studied thoroughly by the entire personality, both the benefits and the detrimental aspects of the intellect weighed carefully. Through experience in another life this same kind of individual might specialize in emotional development, and purposely underplay intellectual abilities.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte por vidas la especialización: en una el intelecto, en otra lo emocional a propósito

«Through denying themselves, say, intellectual development in a given life, personalities also learn the value and purpose of that which they do not possess. The desire for it is then born within them — if, for example, earlier they did not understand the purposes of the intellect. So in the time of choosing, personalities decide upon the ways in which they will develop in the following incarnation.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la carencia elegida el modo de aprender el valor de lo que falta

«Some will choose progression at an easier rate and in a more balanced manner. They will help keep all the strands of personality working at once, so to speak, and even meet again and again people they have known in other lives. They will work out problems at a rather easy rate, rather than in, say, an explosive way. They will pace themselves as dancers do.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara con bailarines a quienes eligen un avance parejo y reencuentran a los mismos conocidos

«In this time of rest and choosing, all counsel is given. Some personalities do reincarnate before they are advised to, for many reasons. This is usually unfortunate in the short run, for the necessary planning has not taken place. But in the long run great lessons will still be learned from the “error.” There is no time schedule, and yet it is very unusual for an individual to wait for anything over three centuries between lives, for this makes the orientation very difficult, and the emotional ties with earth have become weak.» — Seth, según Roberts, fija en unos tres siglos el intervalo máximo habitual entre vidas y explica el límite por el debilitamiento de los lazos

«To me, now, at 9:02): You, for example, did not operate within a cycle in those terms. Now: There are personal cycles of course, in which families may reincarnate, taking different relationships to each other, and you have been involved in several of these.» — Seth, según Roberts, se dirige directamente a Butts sobre sus propios ciclos; la acotación entre paréntesis que señala a quién habla es de Butts

«There are different depths to be probed in reincarnational existences. Some choose to “go all the way.” These personalities specialize in physical existence, and their knowledge of this system is most comprehensive. For these there is a movement through each of your racial types — a requirement that is not laid upon most. There is intensive preoccupation with historical periods. Many of these personalities live comparatively short lives, but very intense ones, and they experience more lives than most other individuals. They return, in other words, in as many historical times as possible, finally helping to shape the world as you know it.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe a los que se especializan en la existencia física y pasan por cada tipo racial en vidas cortas e intensas

«Now: Dictation. In one way or another you are all travelers before you begin even your first reincarnational cycle. To make it as simple as I can, I will say that you do not have the same backgrounds, necessarily, when you enter the physical system of reality. As mentioned earlier, earthly existence is a training period; and yet as far as possible I would like you to forget your ordinary ideas of progression.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama viajeros a todos antes del primer ciclo y pide olvidar las ideas usuales de progreso

«Ideas of good, better, best can lead you astray, for example. You are learning to be as completely as possible. In one way you are learning to create yourselves. In so doing during the reincarnational cycle, you are focusing your main abilities in physical life, developing human qualities and characteristics, opening new dimensions of activity. This does not mean that good does not exist, or that in your terms you do not “progress,” but your concepts of good and progression are extremely distorted.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama distorsionados los conceptos de bien y de progreso sin negar que exista el bien

«The relationships for the next life have to be settled upon, and this involves telepathic communication with all those who will be involved. This is a time, then, of many projections. There are those who are simply loners, who reincarnate without any great feeling for earth’s historical periods. There are others who like to return when their contemporaries from some particular past historical time return again, and therefore there are group patterns that involve» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el acuerdo telepático previo entre quienes van a encontrarse y los patrones de grupo por época; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«reincarnational cycles in which many, but not all, are involved.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, cierra la idea de los ciclos de grupo

«Not long after these sessions began, several years ago, Seth told Jane and me that the three of us had experienced lives in Denmark in the 1600’s. Ever since then I’ve thought my interest in the art of Western Europe for that same period, embracing the work of Rembrandt and Vermeer, Van Dyke, and Rubens, et al., more than coincidental. I mentioned to Jane now my curiosity» — Butts ata su interés por la pintura de Rembrandt y Vermeer a la vida en Dinamarca que Seth le había atribuido; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«as to whether my artistic career had any connection with my Denmark life. I wanted to know my life span then, also.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Butts deja por escrito las dos preguntas que quería hacerle a Seth sobre esa vida

«personality’s strongest mark of individuality and uniqueness. While most people adopt different trades, occupations, and interests, for example, throughout the reincarnational cycle, with some there will be a very noticeable line of continuity. It may be broken occasionally, but it is always there. They may be priests or teachers, for example, almost exclusively.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, admite una línea de oficio continua a lo largo de las vidas de algunas personalidades

«On occasion, some personalities may be given an exception to the general rule and take a sabbatical (humorously) from reincarnations, a side trip so to speak, to another layer of reality, and then return. Such cases are not common, however. Such matters are also decided at this time. Those who choose to leave this system, whose reincarnational cycles are finished, have many more decisions to make.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama sabático a la excepción de salirse un tramo del ciclo; la acotación de humor es de Butts

«Entering the field of probabilities can be compared to entering the reincarnational cycle. There will be a sustained focus of awareness and existence in an entirely different sort of reality. Powers latent but barely glimpsed within the multidimensional personality are drawn upon and used when such a choice is made.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara la entrada en el campo de probabilidades con la entrada en el ciclo de reencarnaciones

«The psychological experience varies considerably from that you know, and yet there are hints of it within your own psyche. Here the personality must learn to group events in an entirely different way, and completely without any reliance upon the time structure as you know it.» — Seth, según Roberts, exige ahí agrupar los hechos sin apoyarse en la estructura del tiempo

«In this one, as in no other reality, intellectual and intuitive abilities finally work so well together that there is little distinction between them. The self that decides upon reincarnational existence is the same self who chooses experience within the probable system. The structure of personality, however, within the system is quite different. The personality structures with which you are familiar are but one variety of the many forms of awareness available to you.» — Seth, según Roberts, junta intelecto e intuición en ese sistema hasta borrar la distinción entre los dos

«The probable system, therefore, is as complicated as the reincarnational one. Now I have told you that all action is simultaneous; therefore, on the one hand, you exist in both systems at once. However, to explain to you that decisions are involved, and to separate these events, I must simplify them to some degree. Put it this way: A portion of the whole self focuses in reincarnational cycles and handles developments there. Another portion focuses in probabilities and handles developments there.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara simultánea toda acción y reparte el yo total entre los dos sistemas

«In parentheses: (There is also a probable system, of course, in which no reincarnational cycles exist, and a cycle of reincarnations in which no probabilities exist.) The openness and flexibility of the personality is highly important. Doorways to existences can be opened, and the personality can» — Seth, según Roberts, dicta el paréntesis con la palabra que lo abre y admite el sistema sin reencarnaciones; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«On the other hand, all probable existence is open, and consciousness can make a door where there was none in those terms. There are guides and teachers in this time of choosing and decision, to point out alternatives and to explain the nature of existence. All personalities are not at the same level of development. There are therefore advanced teachers and teachers at “lower” levels.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que la consciencia abra puerta donde no la hay y escalona a los maestros por nivel

«But this is not a time of confusion, but of great illumination, and unbelievable challenge. There will be later material in this book on the god concept that will help you understand some things that remain unsaid in this chapter.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama iluminación y desafío a ese período y remite al capítulo sobre el concepto de dios

«Now for those who choose to recombine, “mix or match,” events from the immediately past life — to try it over in new ways for example, lessons must also be given. In many of these cases there is a severe problem and a certain rigidity coupled with the perfectionist characteristics mentioned earlier.» — Seth, según Roberts, señala rigidez y perfeccionismo en quienes vuelven a barajar los hechos de la vida pasada

«The earth years will be experienced again, but not necessarily in continuity. The events may be used in any way the individual chooses; altered, played back the way they happened for contrast; the way, perhaps, an actor would play an old movie in which he appeared over again in order to study it. Only in this case, of course, the actor can change his approach or the ending. He has full freedom with the events within those years.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara ese repaso con el actor que vuelve a pasar una vieja película suya y le cambia el final

«The other actors, however, are thought-forms, unless a few contemporaries join in the affair together.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja a los demás actores de ese repaso como formas de pensamiento

«During the last delivery someone began to move into the apartment above us. Once out of trance, Jane said she had been bothered by the racket over our heads, but that she “held on to the trance” until break. Resume at the same slow rate at 10:12.)» — Butts anota la mudanza ruidosa del piso de arriba y la frase con que Roberts dijo haberse agarrado al trance

«He is told the nature of those who participate with him. He realizes they are thought-forms, for example, and his own; but again, thought-forms do possess a certain reality and consciousness. They are not cardboard actors for him to simply push around at will. He must, therefore, take them into consideration, and he has a certain responsibility toward them.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que las formas de pensamiento sean actores de cartón y les reconoce cierta consciencia y una responsabilidad hacia ellas

«Now in this time of choosing all of these matters are considered, and suitable preparations made, but the planning itself is all a part of experience and of development. The in-between existence, therefore, is every bit as important as the period that is chosen. You learn to plan your existences, in other words. You also make friends and acquaintances in these rest periods whom you meet again and again — and only, perhaps, during in-between existences.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala en importancia el intervalo y la vida elegida, y pone amistades que solo se ven ahí

«With them you may discuss your experience during reincarnational cycles. These are like old friends. The teachers, for example, are themselves within a cycle. The more advanced ones have already encountered the systems of reincarnation and probabilities, and are themselves deciding upon the “future” nature of their own experience. Their choices, however, are not your choices. While I may mention some other realms of existence open to them in a later chapter, we will not be involved with them here.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca a los propios maestros dentro de un ciclo y decidiendo también su porvenir

«Then give us a moment…. We have two broken-up periods for you. One very brief, 1611 to 1635. This is Denmark. Then 1638 to 1674. In one of these the information is as I gave it (several years ago). I was a spice merchant, and well traveled. I also carried paint pigments, or what ended up as paint pigments.» — Seth, según Roberts, fecha dos tramos daneses para Butts y repite su propio oficio de comerciante de especias y pigmentos

«There was a group of three men, painters. We will get what we can. Pronunciation is poor. We are after a name that sounds like M. A. then Daimeer (my phonetic interpretation). I do not know if that was called Madaimeer. (With gestures.) There is a connection someplace here with music and a Peer Gynt suite.» — Seth, según Roberts, deletrea con dificultad un nombre que Butts transcribe en fonética propia; los paréntesis con la interpretación son de Butts

«Woods and charcoal. Coal fires. You, I believe, now working on the floor of a hut, involved in the final process of making charcoal.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa a Butts en aquella vida haciendo carbón en el suelo de una choza

«I’ve painted a portrait of Van Elver, who is the fourteenth-century artist [Danish or Norwegian] from whom Seth receives information on painting techniques.*)» — Butts declara en nota que Van Elver es el artista del que él mismo recibe indicaciones de técnica pictórica

«The name Wedoor (phonetic) and a Germanic firm who handled artists’ supplies then, and was also famous for the dyeing of cloth and clothes.» — Seth, según Roberts, da un nombre de casa comercial en transcripción fonética, que el libro imprime tal cual

«Now, you were a minor artist of that nature for a period. Not, therefore, during your entire life. You did better than room and board, and purchased land where you determined to settle down.» — Seth, según Roberts, le dice a Butts que fue pintor menor y que compró tierra; la acotación del gesto es de Butts

«Two friends continued to travel and paint, however, and visited you occasionally, and you envied them to some degree. One became fairly well known at the time. His name was Van Dyck, but not the famous one. You loved your land but blamed it also, thinking that perhaps you might have been well-known as an artist had you not obtained it.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra a un Van Dyck que aclara no ser el famoso, y atribuye a Butts la envidia y el reproche a su tierra

«You thought you would settle down and paint on your fine farm, but instead you turned into a farmer, and a lecherous one at that. There is some connection here with your ambiguous feelings about money now, you see, and possessions.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata los sentimientos de Butts sobre el dinero a aquella vida de granjero

«Family name, as close as I can come: Raminkin, or Ra-man-ken (both my phonetic interpretations). The letters H, E, I, M. These form either the first name or were tacked onto the name just given. (Emphatically): You did my portrait then, too.» — Seth, según Roberts, da el apellido en dos transcripciones y unas letras sueltas, y le dice a Butts que ya lo había retratado

«Give us a moment. That was my last full reincarnation, adopted then because I loved the sea, and it served a strong purpose in spreading ideas from one country to another. The men who traveled with me also took part in the seeding of ideas. We spread them about the world as it was then known.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara aquella su última reencarnación completa y le atribuye la función de sembrar ideas de un país a otro

«Frank Withers was a fragment personality of mine. He will continue, himself, to reincarnate and go his own way. Many of us leave fragment personalities as you leave children.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama personalidad fragmento a Frank Withers, el nombre con que las sesiones empezaron

«Frank Withers was the original name given to us when the sessions» — Butts fecha en nota el nombre con que la comunicación empezó a finales de 1963; el tramo se corta antes del cierre del paréntesis

«And you must do me in charcoal sometime. (“Okay.”) I may even appear and sit for you, though briefly.» — Seth, según Roberts, le pide a Butts un retrato al carbón y ofrece aparecer para posar

«They will grow in consciousness and continue their own lines of development on different levels. In one way, we are all thought-forms, and this will be further explained in the material dealing with the god concept. Understand, however, that I do not mean that we lack our own initiative for action, individuality or purpose — and remember also here that you live from the inside out. Then perhaps the statement will have more meaning for you.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que todos somos formas de pensamiento y a la vez niega que eso quite iniciativa, individualidad o propósito

«Van Elver the younger. (The cities were) clearing houses for country artists, but many more painters did portraits of wealthy farmers and their land and establishments. These were hung of course in places of honor in the homes. Even the poorer peasants and farmers bought portraits of themselves,» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el mercado de retratos de granjeros ricos colgados en lugar de honor; los paréntesis que completan la sintaxis son de Butts y el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«however, from perhaps less gifted artists, and many unknowns took payment for portraits in the form of room and board, and painted all the more slowly.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, describe el pago en casa y comida a los pintores desconocidos

«reasons. We found the data concerning Denmark intriguing. Jane and I ended up unsure, though, as to whether I lived two short lives, or one longer life divided into two spheres of activity. (This in turn led me to wonder if tonight’s session contradicted one held several years ago, in which Seth stated that I had lived to an old age in the Denmark life. Jane had been my son. Actually there was no contradiction — merely a misinterpretation on our parts. Seth goes into more detail on this in the 595th session, in the Appendix.» — Butts declara la duda que a él y a Roberts les quedó sobre aquella vida danesa y remite al apéndice para el detalle

«Seth has suspended dictation on his book for the last five weeks. Two weeks of this went for our vacation, but otherwise we’ve been very busy. Of the four regular sessions held in the remaining time, large portions dealt with matters growing out of the September 4th publication of Jane’s own book, The Seth Material, and a projected radio and television tour. (Now that we could relax a little, however, we had every confidence that Seth would easily resume work on Chapter Eleven of his book, even though Jane hasn’t looked at it for quite a while now. Such was the case.)» — Butts fecha las cinco semanas sin dictado y las ata a la salida de The Seth Material y a una gira de radio y televisión

«The time of choosing is dependent upon the condition and circumstances of the individual following transition from physical life. Some take longer than others to understand the true situation. Others must be divested of many impeding ideas and symbols, as explained earlier. The time of choosing may happen almost immediately, in your terms, or it may be put off for a much longer period while training is carried on. The main impediments standing in the way of the time of choosing are, of course, the faulty ideas harbored by any given individual.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace depender el momento de elegir del estado de cada quien y señala las ideas equivocadas como el estorbo principal (sesión 546)

«A belief in heaven or hell, under certain conditions, can be equally disadvantageous. Some will refuse to accept the idea of further work, development, and challenge, believing instead that conventional heaven situations are the only possibility. For some time they may indeed inhabit such an environment, until they learn through their own experience that existence demands development, and that such a heaven would be sterile, boring, and indeed “deadly.”» — Seth, según Roberts, llama estéril y mortífero al cielo convencional que algunos habitan hasta cansarse de él

«Then they are ready for the time of choosing. Others may insist that because of their transgressions they will be cast into hell, and because of the force of such belief, they may for some time actually encounter such conditions. In either case, however, there are always teachers available. They try to get through these false beliefs.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que la fuerza de la creencia en el castigo produzca por un tiempo esas condiciones

«In the Hades conditions, the individuals come somewhat more quickly to their senses. Their own fears trigger within themselves the answering release. Their need, in other words, more quickly opens up the inner doorways of knowledge. Their state does not usually last as long, therefore, as the heaven state.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace el estado infernal más breve que el celestial porque el propio miedo dispara la salida

«There is one point I would like to mention here: In all cases, the individual creates his experience. I say this again at the risk of repeating myself because» — Seth, según Roberts, repite que cada quien crea su propia experiencia; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«this is a basic fact of all consciousness and existence. There are no special “places” or situations or conditions set apart after physical death in which any given personality must have experience.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, niega que haya lugares apartados y obligatorios después de la muerte

«Suicides, as a class, for example, do not have any particular “punishment” meted out to them, nor is their condition any worse a priori. They are treated as individuals. Any problems that were not faced in this life will, however, be faced in another one. This applies not only to suicides, however.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega castigo particular a los suicidas y los trata como individuos

«A suicide may bring about his own death because he rejects existence on any but highly specific terms chosen by himself. If this is the case, then of course he will have to learn differently. Many others, however, choose to deny experience while within the physical system, committing suicide quite as effectively while still physically alive.» — Seth, según Roberts, extiende la palabra suicidio a quien niega la experiencia estando vivo

«The conditions connected with an act of suicide are also important, and the inner reality and realization of the individual. I mention this here because many philosophies teach that suicides are met by a sort of special, almost vindictive fate, and such is not the case. However, if a person kills himself, believing that the act will annihilate his consciousness forever, then this false idea may severely impede his progress, for it will be further intensified by guilt.» — Seth, según Roberts, objeta a las filosofías que dan al suicida un destino vengativo, y señala en cambio el peso de la culpa

«Again, teachers are available to explain the true situation. Various therapies are used. For example, the personality may be led back to the events prior to the decision. Then the personality is allowed to change the decision. An amnesia effect is induced, so that the suicide itself is forgotten. Only later is the individual informed of the act, when he is better able to face it and understand it.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe una terapia con amnesia inducida en la que se lleva al suicida antes de la decisión

«Obviously, however, these conditions are also impediments to the time of choosing. It goes without saying that an obsession with earthly concerns also acts in the same manner. In such instances, often the personality will insist upon focusing his perceptive abilities and energies toward physical existence. This is a psychic refusal to accept the fact of death. The individual knows quite well that he is dead in your terms, but he refuses to complete the psychic separation.» — Seth, según Roberts, distingue al que sabe que murió y no acepta separarse del que ni siquiera lo advierte

«Now: There are instances of course where the individuals concerned do not realize the fact of death. It is not a matter of refusing to accept it, but a lack of perception. In this state such an individual will also be obsessed with earthly concerns, and wander perhaps bewildered throughout his own home or» — Seth, según Roberts, describe al muerto que no lo sabe vagando aturdido por su propia casa; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«Jane’s trance had been good, her pace rather fast, her voice quiet. She wasn’t as active or strong as she had been last night, though, when she held a session for her ESP class.» — Butts compara la entrega de esa noche con la de la clase de percepción extrasensorial de la víspera

«Now: While, generally speaking, the issues just mentioned operate as impediments, there are always exceptions. A belief in heaven that is not an obsessional belief can be used as a useful framework, as a basis of operation in which an individual will often accept easily then, the new explanations that will be offered.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite la creencia en el cielo como marco útil mientras no sea obsesiva

«Even a belief in a time of judgment is a useful framework in many instances, for while there is no punishment meted out in your terms, the individual is then prepared for some kind of spiritual examination and evaluation.» — Seth, según Roberts, rescata la idea del juicio como preparación para un examen, aunque niegue el castigo

«Those who understand thoroughly that reality is self-created will have least difficulty. Those who have learned to understand and operate in the mechanics of the dream state will have great advantage. A belief in demons is highly disadvantageous after death, as it is during physical existence. A systematized theology of opposites is also detrimental. If you believe, for example, that all good must be balanced by evil, then you bind yourself into a system of reality that is highly limiting, and that contains within it the seeds of great torment.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama detrimental la teología sistemática de los opuestos y le atribuye semillas de tormento

«In such a system, even good becomes suspect, because an equal evil is seen to follow it. The god-versus-devil, angels-versus-demons — the gulf between animals and angels — all of these distortions are impediments. In your system of reality now you set up great contrasts and opposing factors. These operate as root assumptions within your reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera los pares —dios contra diablo, ángeles contra demonios— y los llama supuestos raíz de esta realidad

«They are extremely superficial and largely the result of misused intellectual abilities. The intellect alone cannot understand what the intuitions most certainly know. In trying to make sense in its terms of physical existence, the intellect has set up these opposing factors. The intellect says, “If there is good, there must be evil,” for it wants things explained in neat parcels. If there is an up, there must be a down. There must be balance. The inner self, however, realizes that in much larger terms, evil is simply ignorance, that “up” and “down” are neat terms applied to space which knows no such directions.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye esos opuestos al intelecto mal usado y llama al mal simple ignorancia

«A strong belief in such opposing forces is highly detrimental, however, for it prevents an understanding of the facts — the facts of inner unity and of oneness, of interconnections and of cooperation. A belief, therefore, an obsessional belief in such opposing factors, is perhaps the most detrimental element, not only after death but during any existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, opone a esas fuerzas contrarias la unidad interior, la interconexión y la cooperación

«There are some individuals who have never experienced during physical life that sense of harmony and oneness in which such opposing factors merge. Such individuals have many stages to go through following transition, and usually many other physical lives “ahead” of them.» — Seth, según Roberts, reserva muchas etapas y muchas vidas a quien nunca sintió esa unidad

«As you form your physical existence individually and collectively, so after the time of choosing, you join others who have decided upon the same general kind of experience. A strong cooperative venture is then begun as preparations are made. These will vary according to the type of existence chosen. There are general patterns, therefore. No individual’s reality is identical with another’s, and yet there are overall groupings.» — Seth, según Roberts, junta tras la elección a quienes escogieron el mismo tipo de experiencia, sin que dos realidades sean idénticas

«At first I thought the break was announced because our cat, Willy, had jumped up into Jane’s lap while she was speaking. She flinched so I thought he interrupted her, but upon coming out of trance Jane said she hardly remembered the incident.» — Butts anota el salto del gato al regazo de Roberts en pleno trance y que ella apenas lo recordaba

«Quite simply, a belief in the good without a belief in the evil, may seem highly unrealistic to you. This belief, however, is the best kind of insurance that you can have, both during physical life and afterward.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama seguro a la creencia en el bien sin la creencia en el mal, y admite que suene irreal

«Believing in evils, you will of course perceive them. Your world has not tried the experiment as yet which would release you. Christianity was but a distortion of this main truth — that is, organized Christianity as you know it. I am not simply speaking here of the original precepts. They were hardly given a chance, and we will discuss some of this later in the book.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama distorsión al cristianismo organizado y separa de él los preceptos originales, que dice apenas ensayados

«The experiment that would transform your world would operate upon the basic idea that you create your own reality according to the nature of your beliefs, and that all existence was blessed, and that evil did not exist in it. If these ideas were followed individually and collectively, then the evidence of your physical senses would find no contradiction. They would perceive the» — Seth, según Roberts, propone el experimento colectivo de creer que toda existencia es bendita y que el mal no existe en ella; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«The mechanics of transition therefore are highly variable, as the mechanics of physical life are highly variable. Many of the impediments that I have mentioned impede progress not only after death, but during your own physical existence. This should certainly be taken into consideration. An overly strong identification with the sexual characteristics can also hold back progress.» — Seth, según Roberts, iguala en variabilidad la mecánica del tránsito y la de la vida física, y señala la identificación sexual fuerte como freno

«individual considers identity strongly in terms of male or female identity, then such a person may refuse to accept the fact of the sexual changes that occur in reincarnational existences. This kind of sexual identification, however, also impedes personality development during physical life.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, ata esa identificación al rechazo de los cambios de sexo entre vidas

«It may outrage your intellect, and the evidence of your physical senses may shout that it is untrue, yet a belief in good without a belief in evil is actually highly realistic, since in physical life it will keep your body healthier, keep you psychologically free of many fears and mental difficulties, and bring you a feeling of ease and spontaneity in which the development of your abilities can be better fulfilled.» — Seth, según Roberts, defiende la creencia en el bien sin el mal por sus efectos en el cuerpo y en el ánimo

«After death it will release you from the belief in demons and hell, and enforced punishment. You will be better prepared to understand the nature of reality as it is. I understand that the concept does indeed offend your intellect, and that your senses seem to deny it. Yet you should already realize that your senses tell you many things, which are not true; and I tell you that your physical senses perceive a reality that is a result of your beliefs.» — Seth, según Roberts, concede que la idea ofende al intelecto y sostiene que los sentidos devuelven lo que ya se cree

«This is the experiment that has not been tried, and these are the truths that you must learn after physical death. Some, after death, understanding these truths, choose to return to physical existence and explain them. Through the centuries this has been the way. In the system of probabilities that originates within physical reality, this is also the case.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a ese aprendizaje el regreso de algunos a explicar lo aprendido

«There are systems of probability not connected with your own system at all, much more advanced than any you presently imagine, and in these, the truths of which I have been speaking are well known. In them individuals creatively and purposely create realities, knowing how to do so and giving full rein to the creative abilities of consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca sistemas de probabilidad ajenos donde esas verdades ya se saben y se usan a propósito

«I mention this here simply to point out that there are many other after-death conditions not connected with your system. When you have learned to your capacity in this in-between period, you are ready to progress. The in-between period itself, however, has many dimensions of activity and divisions of experience. As you can see, to put it as simply as possible, everyone does not “know” everyone else.» — Seth, según Roberts, divide el período intermedio en dimensiones y niega que todos se conozcan ahí

«Instead of countries or physical divisions, you have psychological states. To an individual in one, another might seem quite foreign. In many communications with those in these transitional states, messages through mediums can appear as highly contradictory. The experience of the “dead” is not the same. The conditions and situations vary. An individual explaining his reality can only explain what he knows. Again, such material often offends the intellect that demands simple, neat answers and descriptions that tally.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica por esos estados psicológicos las contradicciones entre mensajes recibidos por médiums

«Most individuals from these stages who communicate with “living” relatives, have not reached the time of choosing as yet, and have not completed their training.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa a casi todos los comunicantes antes del momento de elegir y sin terminar su instrucción

«They may still be perceiving reality in terms of their old beliefs. Almost all communications come from this level, particularly when there is a bond of relationship in an immediately previous life. Even at this level, however, such messages serve a purpose. The communicators can inform living relatives that existence continues and they can do it in terms that the living can understand.» — Seth, según Roberts, reconoce a esas comunicaciones el servicio de avisar que la existencia sigue, en términos que el vivo entiende

«They can relate to the living, since often their beliefs are still the same; in fortunate circumstances they can communicate their knowledge as they learn. Gradually, however, their own interests change. They take up relationships in their new existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que el interés de los comunicantes acaba cambiando y que toman relaciones en su nueva existencia

«At the time of choosing, therefore, the personality is already preparing itself to leave for another existence. In your terms of time this in-between period can last for centuries. It can last only a few years. Again, however, there are exceptions. There are cases in which a personality goes very quickly into another physical life, in perhaps a matter of hours. This is usually unfortunate, and is caused by an obsessive desire to return to physical life.» — Seth, según Roberts, mide el intervalo en siglos o en años y llama desafortunado el regreso en cuestión de horas

«Such a quick return, however, can also be taken by a personality who is charged with a great purpose, who disregards or discards an old physical body, and is reborn almost immediately into a new one in order to finish an important and necessary project already begun.» — Seth, según Roberts, exceptúa el regreso rápido de quien trae un propósito grande sin terminar

«You should have been here for last night’s ESP class session. You would have enjoyed it —» — Seth, según Roberts, le reprocha en broma a Butts no haber estado en la clase de percepción extrasensorial de la víspera

«and you would not have had to take notes. (Pause.) Now I am with you here strongly this evening, and if you give yourself the suggestions, then I will help you out of your body. Tell yourself to remember.» — Seth, según Roberts, ofrece ayudar a Butts a salir del cuerpo si él se da las sugestiones y le pide que se ordene recordar

«Jane told me that “at the tail end of the session,” she had picked up this idea from Seth; I could tape a session, and while it was in progress I would be free to do a series of sketches of her speaking for Seth. From the sketches I could then do an oil of her. Jane was sure the idea came from Seth. She’d never thought of it before; and neither had I, for that matter.» — Butts recoge la idea que Roberts atribuyó a Seth: grabar una sesión y dibujarla mientras habla, para un óleo posterior

«Upon retiring I attempted the suggestions about projection as mentioned by Seth, but I had nothing to report in the morning. If I wait until I go to bed I’ll usually have difficulty giving myself suggestions; I fall asleep too quickly. Jane approaches the sleep state in a more leisurely manner.» — Butts consigna que el intento de proyección no dio nada y compara su modo de dormirse con el de Roberts

«There are some points I would like to add here. The time of choosing is somewhat more complicated if the last reincarnational cycle, in your terms, is completed.» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia el caso más complicado: el de quien ya cerró el ciclo de reencarnaciones (sesión 547)

«First of all you must understand, again, that now you do not realize your true identity. You identify instead with your present ego, so when you think in terms of life after death you really mean a future life of the ego that you know. At the end of the reincarnational cycle you understand quite thoroughly that you, the basic identity, the inner core of your being, is more than the sum of your reincarnational personalities.» — Seth, según Roberts, separa el ego presente de la identidad básica, que llama mayor que la suma de las personalidades reencarnadas

«You might say that the personalities then are but divisions of your self here. There is no competition between them. There never was any real division, but only a seeming one in which you played various roles, developed different abilities, learned to create in new and diverse ways. These reincarnational personalities continue to develop, but they also understand that their main identity is also yours.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega competencia y división real entre las personalidades y las deja siguiendo su desarrollo

«When the cycle is finished, therefore, you have complete knowledge of your past lives. The information, experience, and abilities are at your fingertips. This merely means that you understand your multidimensional reality in practical terms. I have used the word multidimensional often, and you see I mean it quite literally, for your reality exists not only in terms of reincarnational existences but also in the probable realities mentioned earlier.» — Seth, según Roberts, toma la palabra multidimensional al pie de la letra y la extiende a las realidades probables

«When the time of choosing comes, therefore, the choices available are far more diverse than those offered or possible to personalities who must still reincarnate. There is always the opportunity to teach if you have the inclination and the capabilities, but multidimensional teaching is far different than teaching as you know it now, and it demands rigorous training.» — Seth, según Roberts, abre la enseñanza multidimensional como una de las salidas, y la declara de entrenamiento riguroso

«Such a teacher must be able to instruct various portions of one entity, in your terms, at the same time. Say, for example, a particular entity has reincarnations in the fourteenth century, [in] 3 B.C., in the year A.D. 260, and in the time of Atlantis. A teacher would simultaneously be in contact with these various personalities, communicating with them in terms that they could understand. Such communication demands a complete knowledge of the root assumptions of such eras, and of the general philosophical and scientific climate of thought at the time.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone al maestro en contacto simultáneo con personalidades del siglo XIV, del año 3 antes de Cristo, del 260 de nuestra era y de la Atlántida; los corchetes son del propio libro

«Now: Others, finished with reincarnations and of a different overall nature, may begin the long journey leading toward the vocation of a creator. On a much different plane, this can be compared to geniuses in creative fields within your own physical reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra la vocación de creador y la compara con el genio en los campos creativos de aquí

«Instead of paints, pigments, words, musical notes, the creators begin to experiment with dimensions of actuality, imparting knowledge in as many forms as possible — and I do not mean physical forms. What you would call time is manipulated as an artist would manipulate pigment. What you would call space is gathered together in different ways.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone al creador manipulando tiempo y espacio como quien maneja pigmento

«Art is created, then, using time — for example — as a structure. In your terms time and space might be mixed. The beauties of various ages, the natural beauties, the paintings and buildings are all recreated as learning methods for these beginners. One of their main preoccupations is to create beauty that impinges itself in as many various dimensions of reality as possible.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe un arte hecho con el tiempo por estructura, que rehace las bellezas naturales y construidas

«Such a work would be perceived in your system as one thing, for example, but would also be perceived in probable realities, though perhaps in an entirely different way — a multidimensional art, you see, so free and elemental that it would appear simultaneously in many realities.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama multidimensional a esa obra que aparece a la vez en realidades distintas

«Such an art is impossible to describe in words. The concept has no verbal equivalent. These creators, however, are also involved in inspiring those in all levels of reality available to them. For example, inspiration in your system is often the work of such creators.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara la inspiración de este sistema obra de esos creadores

«Now: These “art forms” are often symbolic representations of the nature of reality. They will be interpreted in various ways, according to the abilities of those who perceive them. In your terms they may be living dramas. They will always be psychic structures, however, existing apart from any given system of reality, but at least partially perceived by many. Some exist in what you might term the astral plane, and you perceive them in visits during the sleep state.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama estructuras psíquicas a esas formas y coloca algunas en el plano astral, visitadas durante el sueño

«Our cat, Willy, suddenly jumped up into Jane’s lap — just as he’d done in the last session. Instinctively I spoke to him rather loudly, afraid he’d shock Jane out of trance. Her eyes flickered at the sound of my voice, but she continued speaking. Willy jumped down.)» — Butts anota su propio grito al gato y que Roberts siguió hablando pese al sobresalto

«Others are perceived in glimpses or bits and pieces by your temporal mind while you are half-sleeping and half-waking, or in other periods of dissociation. There are various kinds of multidimensional art, and therefore many levels in which the creators work. The whole Christ story was such a creation.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca la historia entera de Cristo entre esas creaciones multidimensionales

«There are also those who choose to be healers, and of course this involves far more than healing as you are familiar with it. These healers must be able to work with all levels of the entity’s experience, directly helping those personalities that are a part of it. Again, this involves a manipulation through reincarnational patterns, and here again, great diversification. A healer begins with reincarnational selves with various difficulties….» — Seth, según Roberts, describe al sanador que trabaja sobre todos los niveles de la entidad y no solo sobre uno

«The healing involved is always psychic and spiritual, and these healers are available to help each personality in your system as you know it, in your present time, and in other systems. In a larger context, and with greater training, advanced healers deal with the spiritual maladies of vast numbers of personalities. There are those who combine the qualities of teacher, creator, and healer. Others choose lines of development that are particularly suited to their own characteristics.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama psíquica y espiritual a esa sanación y admite quien combine maestro, creador y sanador

«I do not want to discuss the purpose of consciousness’s continuous existence or development in this chapter, however. I simply want to make it clear that vast possibilities of progress are possible, and to stress the fact that each personality has full freedom.» — Seth, según Roberts, subraya la libertad plena de cada personalidad y aplaza el asunto del propósito

«The developments of consciousness that take place are natural attributes, natural stages. There is no coercion applied. All of the further developments are inherent in the personality that you know, even as the adult is inherent in the child.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega coerción en esos desarrollos y los llama inherentes, como el adulto en el niño

«The entity might well be exploring several probable systems too, and these personalities would also have to be reached and contacted. The amount of knowledge and training necessary makes such a teaching communicator-career extremely demanding, but it is one of the courses available.» — Seth, según Roberts, suma los sistemas probables a la carga del maestro y llama exigente ese oficio

«A delicate manipulation of energy is required, and a constant travel through dimensions. Once such a choice is made, training immediately begins, always under the leadership of a practical expert. The vocation, for it is a vocation, leads such a teacher even into other realms of reality than those he previously knew existed.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama vocación a ese oficio y lo describe como viaje constante entre dimensiones bajo la guía de un experto

«Willy had begun to act up again, so I deposited him in another» — Butts anota que encerró al gato en otro cuarto; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«room and closed the door. Jane said she had been bothered by him, and by my sneezing. She had a vague memory of the near-shout I’d directed at Willy. My own energies, she said, were very scattered this evening; she had picked this up. It was certainly true that I wasn’t at my best. I continued to sneeze after she resumed at 10:25.)» — continuación del tramo anterior: Butts recoge la observación de Roberts sobre la energía dispersa de él esa noche y admite que no estaba en su mejor momento

«Now these descriptions of after-death events may sound very complicated, particularly if you have been used to a simple tale of heaven or eternal rest. Unfortunately, the words fail to describe many of the basics that I would have you understand. You have within yourself, however, the ability to release your intuitions and to receive inner knowledge.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que sus descripciones suenen complicadas frente al cuento simple del cielo

«As you read this book, the words are meant to release your own intuitional abilities. When you are reading it, your own dreams will give you added information and will be in your mind upon awakening if you are alert for them. There is no such simple end to the life that you know, [such] as the story of heaven. There is the freedom to understand your own reality, to develop your abilities further, and to feel more deeply the nature of your own existence as a part of All That Is.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara que las palabras del libro buscan soltar la intuición del lector, y nombra All That Is

«Now: A small note. A portion of you was earlier projected to the hospital where your father is. Ruburt felt the absence of that part of you. You were simply trying to look in on him. In the very back of your mind you wondered if he knew, now, that he ever had hay fever, and it was that that triggered the unconscious projection.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica los estornudos de Butts por una proyección inconsciente al hospital donde estaba su padre

«Your unconscious self is a strong portion of our sessions, and it was for this reason that Ruburt sensed this absence.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a la parte inconsciente de Butts un peso fuerte en las sesiones

«Seth’s information about my unconscious projection was very interesting. An event of that kind could have easily caused my sneezing. There are strong connections involving my father, myself, and hay fever. (This is the season for hay fever. Although I’m not bothered much now, in earlier years I suffered with it extensively. I had my first bout when I was three years old. At about the same time my father got rid of his, for good. Seth told me some time ago that my father had given me his hay fever, and that for reasons of my own I had accepted the “gift.”» — Butts recoge la explicación de que su padre le pasó la fiebre del heno y que él la aceptó por razones propias

«An illustration of this painting appears in The Seth Material. The name Van Elver isn’t given in the caption, but the painting is easily identifiable.» — la nota al pie remite otra vez a The Seth Material y declara que ahí el nombre Van Elver no aparece en el pie de foto

«From September 7 until 19 Jane and I were on a radio and television tour of seven cities, to publicize Jane’s book, The Seth Material. We found the experience stimulating and educational; Seth spoke on television in Boston, and was very well received.» — Butts fecha la gira de promoción y consigna que Seth habló en televisión en Boston

«And good evening to my traveling friends, here. We are going to begin our next chapter, to be called: “Reincarnational Relationships.”» — Seth, según Roberts, saluda a los testigos y titula el capítulo doce (sesión 550)

«Now: Throughout your reincarnational existences you expand your consciousness, your ideas, your perceptions, your values. You break away from self-adopted restrictions, and you grow spiritually as you learn to step aside from limiting conceptions and dogmas.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone el crecimiento espiritual en el desprendimiento de dogmas y restricciones autoimpuestas

«Your rate of learning depends entirely upon you, however. Limited, dogmatic, or rigid concepts of good and evil can hold you back. Too narrow ideas of the nature of existence can follow you through several lives if you do not choose to be spiritually and psychically flexible.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que las ideas rígidas de bien y de mal persigan a la persona por varias vidas

«These rigid ideas can indeed act as leashes, so that you are forced to circle like a tied puppy dog about a very small radius. In such cases, through perhaps a group of existences, you will find yourself battling against ideas of good and evil, running about in a circle of confusion, doubt, and anxiety. Your friends and acquaintances will be concerned with the same problems, for you will draw to yourself those with the same concerns. I am telling you again, therefore, that many of your ideas of good and evil are highly distortive, and shadow all understanding you have of the nature of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara esas ideas con la correa de un perro atado y llama distorsivas muchas nociones de bien y de mal

«Now: From within your point of reference it is often difficult for you to perceive that all events work toward creativity, or to trust in the spontaneous creativity of your own natures. Within your system, to kill is obviously a moral crime, but to kill another in punishment only compounds the original error. Someone very well known who established a church — if you will, a civilization — once said, “Turn the other cheek if you are attacked.” The original meaning of that remark, however, should be understood. You should turn the other cheek because you realize that basically the attacker only attacks himself.» — Seth, según Roberts, cita sin nombrarlo al fundador de una iglesia sobre poner la otra mejilla y le da su propia razón

«Then you are free, and the reaction is a good one. If you turn the other cheek without this understanding, however, and feel resentful, or if you turn the other cheek out of a feeling of pseudomoral superiority, then the reaction is far from adequate.» — Seth, según Roberts, descalifica la otra mejilla puesta con resentimiento o con superioridad moral fingida

«Now all of this can be applied to your relationships in your reincarnational existences, and of course it also is highly pertinent to your current daily experience. If you hate another person, that hate may bind you to him through as many lives as you allow the hate to consume you. You draw to yourself in this existence and in all others those qualities upon which you concentrate your attention. If you vividly concern yourself with the injustices you feel have been done you, then you attract more such experience, and if this goes on, then it will be mirrored in your next existence. It is true that in between lives there is “time” for understanding and contemplation.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata al odiador con el odiado por tantas vidas como dure el odio

«Those who do not take advantage of such opportunities in this life often do not do so when it is over. Consciousness will expand. It will create. It will turn itself inside out to do so. There is nothing outside of yourself that will force you to understand these issues or face them.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que exista algo externo que obligue a entender

«It is useless then to say, “When this life is over I will look back upon my experience and mend my ways.” This is like a young man saying, “When I grow old and retire, I will use all those abilities that I am not now developing.” You are setting the stage for your “next” life now. The thoughts you think today will in one way or another become the fabric of your next existence. There are no magic words that will make you wise, that will fill you with understanding and compassion, that will expand your consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega las palabras mágicas y declara que la vida siguiente se está armando con los pensamientos de hoy

«Your thoughts and everyday experience contain the answers. Any successes in this life, any abilities, have been worked out through past experience. They are yours by right. You worked to develop them. If you look about you at your relatives, friends, acquaintances, and business associates, you will also see what kind of a person you are, for you are drawn to them as they are drawn to you, through very basic inner similarities.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone mirar a los allegados como espejo de lo que uno es

«As you will see later in this book, you can do so. There is no rule saying that in each life you must meet again those whom you have known before; and yet through the nature of attraction, that is often the case.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la obligación de reencontrar a los conocidos y admite que la atracción suele lograrlo

«I do not keep you busy all the time, because you are such a good friend.» — Seth, según Roberts, contesta la broma hablada de Butts sobre el descanso

«Now: I can’t compete with a sausage sandwich — but then, you do not have a sausage sandwich now. We will continue dictation.» — Seth, según Roberts, retoma el dictado con una broma sobre la charla del descanso

«You may be born into your present family for many reasons. You may find after death a much stronger relationship emotionally with a personality from a past life. If you are married, for example, and have no true rapport with your mate, you may instead find a past wife or husband waiting for you.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que espere al muerto un cónyuge de otra vida si con el presente no hubo verdadera afinidad

«Oftentimes members of various groups — military groups, church groups, hunting groups, will in another life form family relationships in which they will then work out old problems in new ways. Families must be considered as gestalts of psychic activity; they have a subjective identity, of which no particular member of the group may be aware.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama gestalts de actividad psíquica a las familias y les da identidad subjetiva propia

«Families have subconscious purposes, though the individual members of the family may pursue these goals without conscious awareness. Such groups are set up ahead of time, so to speak, in between physical existences. Oftentimes four or five individuals will set themselves a given challenge, and assign to the various members different parts to play. Then in a physical existence the roles will be worked out.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el reparto de papeles acordado entre vidas dentro de una familia

«The inner self is always aware of the hidden mechanisms of these family gestalts. Those who have been closely bound through emotional ties often prefer to remain in closely tied or loosely tied physical relationships that continue through many lifetimes. New relationships are always encouraged however, for you can have ingrown reincarnational “families.” Many of these form physical organizations that are actually manifestations of inner groupings.» — Seth, según Roberts, advierte contra las familias reencarnadas endogámicas y alienta las relaciones nuevas

«The simple fact is that as long as you believe in the concept of evil, it is a reality in your system, and you will always find it manifested. Your belief in it will, therefore, seem highly justified. If you carry this concept» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del mal una realidad mientras se crea en él; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«through succeeding generations, through reincarnations, then you add to its reality.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, dice que arrastrar esa creencia por generaciones le añade realidad

«Let me try to throw some light upon what I am trying to tell you. First of all, love always involves freedom. If a man says he loves you and yet denies you your freedom, then you often hate him. Yet because of his words you do not feel justified in the emotion. This sort of emotional tangle itself can lead to continued entanglements through various lives.» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que el amor implica libertad y describe el enredo del odio que no se siente justificado

«If you hate evil, then beware of your conception of the word. Hate is restrictive. It narrows down your perception. It is indeed a dark glass that shadows all of your experience. You will find more and more to hate, and bring the hated elements into your own experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama al odio vidrio oscuro que estrecha la percepción y atrae lo odiado

«Now: If, for example, you hate a parent, then it becomes quite easy to hate any parents, for in their faces you see and project the original offender. In subsequent lives you may also be drawn into a family and find yourself with the same emotions, for the emotions are the problem, and not those elements that seem to bring them about.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca el problema en la emoción y no en lo que parece provocarla

«If you hate illness you may bring upon yourself a succeeding life of illness, because the hate has drawn it to you. If instead you feel….» — Seth, según Roberts, corta la frase a media palabra porque el gato saltó al regazo de Roberts, y el libro imprime el corte

«Now: If you expand your sense of love, of health, and existence, then you are drawn in this life and in others toward those qualities; again, because they are those upon which you concentrate. A generation that hates war (Jane looked at Carl) will not bring peace. A generation that loves peace will bring peace.» — Seth, según Roberts, opone la generación que odia la guerra a la que ama la paz; el paréntesis con la mirada a Carl es de Butts

«To die with hatred for any cause or people, or for any reason, is a great disadvantage. You have all kinds of opportunities now to recreate your personal experience in more beneficial ways, and to change your world.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama gran desventaja morir con odio por cualquier causa

«In the next life you will be working with those attitudes that are now yours. If you insist upon harboring hatreds within you now, you are very likely to continue doing so. On the other hand, those sparks of truth, intuition, love, joy, creativity, and accomplishment gained now, will work for you then as they do now.» — Seth, según Roberts, traslada a la vida siguiente tanto los odios guardados como las chispas de verdad y de alegría

«If you form a guilt in your mind, then it is a reality for you, and you must work it out. But many of you form guilts for which there is no adequate cause, and you saddle yourselves with these guilts without reason. In your dimension» — Seth, según Roberts, admite la culpa como realidad que hay que resolver y llama sin causa a muchas de las que uno se echa encima; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«of activity there appear to be a wild assortment of evils. Let me tell you that he who hates an evil merely creates another one.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que quien odia un mal crea otro

«the kind of life you have so far arranged for yourself in the next existence. If you are not pleased with what you discover, then you had better begin changing the nature of your thoughts and feelings.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, pide cambiar pensamientos y sentimientos a quien no le guste lo que ese examen le devuelva

«I spoke earlier of rigid concepts of right and wrong. There is only one way» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia una sola salida a los conceptos rígidos de bien y de mal; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«to avoid this problem. Only true compassion and love will lead to an understanding of the nature of good, and only these qualities will serve to annihilate the erroneous and distortive concepts of evil.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, deja solo a la compasión y al amor la vía hacia el bien

«If you examine your thoughts for five minutes at various times during the» — Seth, según Roberts, abre el ejercicio de examinar los propios pensamientos unos minutos; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«of existence. It is foolish, as Ruburt once said, to hate a storm or shake your fists at it and call it names. You laugh if you think of children or natives in such activities. It is useless to personify a storm and treat it as a demon, focusing upon its destructive elements, or those elements that to you appear destructive.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a Roberts misma la comparación con quien insulta a una tormenta

«Change of form is not destructive. The explosive energy of a storm is highly creative. Consciousness is not annihilated. A storm is part of creativity. You view it from your own perspective, and yet one individual will feel within the storm the unending cycle of creativity, and another will personify it as the work of the devil.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama creativa la energía explosiva de la tormenta y opone las dos lecturas que de ella se hacen

«Through all your lives you will interpret the reality that you see in your own way, and that way will have its effect upon you, and in turn upon others. The man who literally hates, immediately sets himself up in this fashion: He prejudges the nature of reality according to his own limited understanding.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que el que odia prejuzga la realidad con su entendimiento limitado

«Now I am emphasizing the issue of hate in this chapter on reincarnation because its results can be so disastrous. A man who hates always believes himself justified. He never hates anything that he believes to be good. He thinks he is being just, therefore, in his hatred, but the hatred itself forms a very strong claim that will follow him throughout his lives, until he learns that only the hatred itself is the destroyer.» — Seth, según Roberts, señala que quien odia siempre se cree justo y que el odio mismo es lo destructor

«Humorously, leaning forward): You are my first reader.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a Butts su primer lector; la acotación del gesto es de Butts

«Now: Far be it from me to interrupt your edifying conversation. Remember what you concentrate upon, and we will leave it at that.» — Seth, según Roberts, corta la charla del descanso recordando lo que se había dicho de la concentración

«I would like to make it clear that there is nothing to be gained, either, by hating hatred. You fall into the same trap.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que odiar el odio saque a nadie de la trampa

«What is needed is a basic trust in the nature of vitality, and faith that all elements of experience are used for a greater good, whether or not you can perceive the way in which “evil” is transmuted into creativity. What you love will also be a part of your experience in this life and others.» — Seth, según Roberts, pide confianza en la vitalidad aunque no se vea cómo lo llamado mal se vuelve creatividad

«The most important idea to be remembered is that no one thrusts the experience of any given lifetime upon you. It is formed faithfully according to your own emotions and beliefs. (As Seth, Jane delivered this material vigorously, her pace rapid.) The great power and energy of love and creativity is apparent in the mere fact of your existence. This is the truth so often» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que la vida le sea impuesta a nadie; la acotación sobre el ritmo de la entrega es de Butts y el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«forgotten — that [the combination of] consciousness and existence continues and absorbs those elements that seem to you so destructive.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, deja a la consciencia absorbiendo lo que parece destructivo; los corchetes son del propio libro

«Hate is powerful if you believe in it, and yet though you hate life, you will continue to exist. You have made appointments, each of you, that you have forgotten. They were signed, so to speak, before you were born in this existence. In many cases the friends that you make were close to you long before you met them in this present life.» — Seth, según Roberts, habla de citas firmadas antes de nacer y de amistades trabadas mucho antes de este encuentro

«This does not mean that every one in your present acquaintanceship has been known to you, and it certainly does not imply a boring record played over and over again, for each encounter is a new one in its own way. Remembering what I said about families, realize also that towns and villages may also be composed of the past inhabitants of other such towns and villages, transposed with new experiences and backgrounds, as the group tries different experiments.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que todo conocido venga de antes y extiende la idea de la familia a pueblos enteros

«Now sometimes, there are also such variations in that the inhabitants of a particular town now may be the reborn inhabitants of those who lived, say, in 1632 in a small Irish village. They may be transposed to a town in Idaho.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone a los habitantes de una aldea irlandesa de 1632 renacidos en un pueblo de Idaho

«Some who wanted to travel from the Old World to the New, may be reborn in the new one. You must remember also that abilities from past lives are at your disposal for your present use. You reap your own rewards. Information concerning these is often given to you in the sleep state, and there is a kind of gestalt type of dream, a root dream, by which those who have known each other in past lives now communicate.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra un sueño raíz por el que se comunican quienes se conocieron en vidas pasadas

«In such dreams, general mass-information is given, that the individuals then use as they desire. Overall plans for development are made, as the group members, say, of a town decide upon its destiny. Some individuals always choose to be born as a part of some group — reborn, in other words, with past contemporaries, while others, disdaining such endeavors, return in much more isolated positions.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte a los que nacen en grupo y a los que desdeñan el grupo y vuelven aislados

«This is a matter of psychological feeling. Some individuals are more at ease, more assured, and more capable working with others in this case. You could consider an analogy in which John Doe follows his kindergarten class all the way through high school. In a reincarnational situation, he would always choose to return with associates. Others, however, would rather skip from school to school, appearing alone, relatively speaking, with greater freedom, more challenge, but without the comforting framework of security chosen by the others.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara con quien sigue a su clase de kínder hasta la preparatoria a quien reencarna siempre con los mismos

«In each case the individual is the judge, not only of each succeeding life, its time, environment, and historical date, but also of its overall character and methods of accomplishment. There are as many different ways to reincarnate, therefore, as there are inner selves, and each inner self will choose its own characteristic methods.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja al individuo como juez de la fecha, el ambiente y el carácter de cada vida

«I will end our session now that the chapter is begun. I have the feeling that we will have some extra sessions in any case. I wish my friends over here a hearty good evening; and when you both travel next (Seth has been helping Carl and Sue with astral travel), I hope you bring your memories along with you — and (to me) you too.» — Seth, según Roberts, despide a los testigos deseándoles memoria de sus viajes astrales; el paréntesis que explica la ayuda es de Butts

«A spirited conversation sprang up now between the four of us. Sue brought up the question of overpopulation. How can this be, she wondered: If a certain number of entities were responsible for the creation of our physical world, where do the extra human beings come from? I told her that, according to Seth, each personality making up an entity could manifest itself physically as often as it chose to. Seth then interrupted us at 11:40.)» — Butts consigna la pregunta de una testigo sobre la sobrepoblación y la respuesta que él dio por cuenta propia

«Now: Give me a moment here. (Pause.) First of all, as a species, in the context of normal usage, you have considered yourselves as apart from the rest of nature and consciousness. Your own survival as a species was your main concern. You considered other species only in the light of their use to you. You did not have any true conception of the great sacredness of all consciousness, nor of your relationship within it. You were losing your grasp of that great truth.» — Seth, según Roberts, reprocha a la especie haberse considerado aparte de la naturaleza y mirar a las otras por su utilidad

«In the present circumstances you are carrying that idea forward — of species survival regardless of the consequences, the idea of changing the environment to suit your own purposes; and this has led you to a disregard of spiritual truths.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la idea de sobrevivir a cualquier costo con el desdén por las verdades espirituales

«In physical reality, therefore, you are seeing the results. Now those personalities who are returning are doing so for various reasons. Some of them are drawn to physical life again because of these attitudes. They are those who in the past, in your terms, strove for physical existence without consideration for the rights of other species. They are driven to return because of their own desires.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye parte de los nacimientos actuales a quienes antes buscaron la existencia física sin respeto por otras especies

«The species must learn the value of the individual man. The species is also learning its dependence upon other species, and beginning to comprehend its part in the whole framework in physical reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone a la especie a aprender el valor del individuo y su dependencia de las demás especies

«Now: Some individuals are being reborn at this time simply to help you understand. They are forcing the issue, and forcing the crisis, for you still have time to change your ways. You are working on two main problems, but both involve the sacredness of the individual, and the individual’s relationship with others and with all physically oriented consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que algunos nacen ahora para forzar la crisis, y aún deja tiempo para cambiar

«The problem of war will sooner or later teach you that when you kill another man, basically you will end up killing yourself. The over-population problem will teach you that if you do not have a loving concern for the» — Seth, según Roberts, enuncia que matar a otro acaba en matarse a uno mismo; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«environment in which you dwell, it will no longer sustain you — you will not be worthy of it. You will not be destroying the planet, you see. You will not be destroying the birds or the flowers, or the grain or the animals. You will not be worthy of them, and they will be destroying you.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, invierte la frase del planeta destruido: no se destruye a los pájaros, se deja uno de ser digno de ellos

«You have set up the problem for yourselves within the framework of your reference. You will not understand your part within the framework of nature until you actually see yourselves in danger of tearing it apart. You will not destroy consciousness. You will not annihilate the consciousness of even one leaf, but in your context, if the problem were not solved, these would fade» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que se pueda aniquilar la consciencia de una sola hoja y admite que desaparezca de la experiencia; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«The crisis is a kind of therapy, however. It is a teaching method that you have set up for yourselves because you need it. And you need it now, before your species embarks upon journeys to other physical realities. You must learn your lessons now in your own backyard before you travel to other worlds. So you have brought this upon yourself for that purpose and you will learn.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama terapia y método de enseñanza a la crisis, previa a cualquier viaje a otras realidades físicas

«In each life you are meant to check the exterior environment in order to learn your inner condition. The outer is a reflection of the inner.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del entorno exterior el espejo de la condición interior (sesión 551)

«You are meant to understand the nature of your inner self, and to manifest it outward. As this is done, the exterior circumstances should change for the better as the inner self becomes more aware of its own nature and capabilities. Theoretically, then, in each life you would become stronger, healthier, wealthier, and wiser, but it does not work that way, for many reasons. As mentioned earlier, many personalities adopt different kinds of experiences, focusing upon development in certain specific areas, and ignoring others perhaps for a series of lives.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que la mejora vida a vida no ocurre porque cada quien elige su área de desarrollo

«No consciousness has the same experiences or interprets them the same, and so each individual utilizes reincarnational opportunities in his own way. Sex changes, for example, are necessary. Some individuals alternate their sex in each (succeeding) life. Others have a series of female lives and then a series of male lives, or vice versa, but the entire reincarnational framework must involve both sexual experiences.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara necesarios los cambios de sexo dentro del marco entero de reencarnaciones

«Abilities cannot be developed following a one-sex line. There must be experiences in motherhood and fatherhood. When you get to the point that you realize you are forming your day-to-day existence and the life that you know, then you can begin to alter your own mental and psychic patterns, and therefore change your daily environment.» — Seth, según Roberts, exige experiencia de maternidad y de paternidad para desarrollar las capacidades

«This realization, however, should go hand in hand with a deep intuitional knowledge of the capabilities of the inner self. These two factors together can release you from any difficulties that have arisen in past lives. The entire structure of your existence will begin to change with these realizations, and an acceleration of spiritual and psychic growth will develop.» — Seth, según Roberts, junta el saberse autor de la propia vida con el conocimiento intuitivo del yo interior

«There is an inner logic to your current relationships, attitudes, and experiences. If in one life, for example, you hated women, you may very well be a woman in the next life. Only in this way, you see, would you be able to relate to the experience of womanhood, and then as a woman face those attitudes that you yourself had against women in the past.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone a quien odió a las mujeres naciendo mujer para encarar esas mismas actitudes

«If you had no sympathy for the sick, you may then be born with a serious disease, again now self-chosen, and find yourself encountering those attitudes that once were your own. Such an existence would usually also include other issues, however. No existence is chosen for one reason only, but would also serve many other psychological experiences.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que una existencia se elija por una sola razón, y pone la enfermedad como encuentro con la propia falta de compasión

«A chronically ill existence, for example, might also be a measure of discipline, enabling you to use deeper abilities that you ignored in a life of good health. The perfectly happy life for example, on the surface, may appear splendid, but it may also be basically shallow and do little to develop the personality.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama disciplina a una vida de enfermedad crónica y superficial a la vida feliz sin más

«The truly happy existence, however, is a deeply satisfying one that would include spontaneous wisdom and spiritual joy. I am not saying, in other words, that suffering necessarily leads to spiritual fulfillment, nor that all illness is accepted or chosen for such a purpose, for this is not the case.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el sufrimiento lleve por sí mismo a la plenitud espiritual

«Illness is often the result of ignorance and lazy mental habits. Such a discipline may be adopted however by certain personalities who must take strong measures with themselves because of other characteristics. There is an overall pattern to relationships within lives, and yet this does not mean that you travel through various existences with the same limited and familiar number of friends and acquaintances, merely altered like actors with a change of face or costume.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye mucha enfermedad a la ignorancia y a la pereza mental, y niega el elenco fijo de vida en vida

«Groups of individuals come together in various lives for certain purposes, separate, and may or may not come together again in a different time or place. Again, however, there is no rigid rule. Some families are literally reincarnations of their ancestors, but this is not the general case by any means. Deep relationships will continue in one way or another. Others will simply disappear.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega regla rígida en el reencuentro de los grupos y admite familias que sí son reencarnación de sus antepasados

«The point I want to make is that the opportunity for development and knowledge is as present at this moment, in this life, as it will ever be. If you ignore day-by-day opportunities for development now, no one can force you to accept and utilize greater abilities after death, or between lives. The teachers are there in after-death experience, but there are also teachers here in your existence now.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca la oportunidad entera en este momento y pone maestros también en esta vida

«Some families come together in a particular life not because of great attraction or love in a past existence, but for the opposite reason. Families may be composed, then, of individuals who disliked each other in the past and come together in a close relationship where they are to work together toward a common goal, learn to understand each other better, and work out problems in a different kind of context.» — Seth, según Roberts, compone familias con quienes se detestaron antes, para que trabajen juntos

«Jointly, each generation has its own purpose. It is this — to perfect inner knowledge, and to materialize it as faithfully as possible outward into the world. The changing physical scene throughout the centuries, as you know them, represents the inner images that have flickered through the minds of the individuals who lived within the world through the various ages.» — Seth, según Roberts, da a cada generación el propósito de materializar hacia afuera el conocimiento interior

«Jane’s delivery had been fast but even so, she said, her trance hadn’t been as deep as it usually is. She had been bothered by the sounds of people» — Butts anota que el trance no fue tan hondo y lo atribuye a los pasos en el pasillo; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«Now: It is not necessary that you learn about your own past lives, though it may be helpful if you understand that you chose the circumstances of your birth this time.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara innecesario saber de las vidas pasadas y sí útil saberse autor del propio nacimiento

«If you examine your own life now carefully, the challenges that you have set for yourself will become apparent. This is not easy to do, but it is within the grasp of each individual. If you release yourself from hatred, then you automatically release yourself from any such relationships in the future — or any experiences that are based upon hatred.» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la liberación del odio a la liberación de las relaciones futuras que de él nacerían

«Knowing your reincarnational background, but not knowing the true nature of your present self, is useless. You cannot justify or rationalize present circumstances by saying, “This is because of something I did in a past life,” for within yourself now is the ability to change negative influences. You may have brought negative influences into your life for a given reason, but the reason always has to do with understanding, and understanding removes those influences.» — Seth, según Roberts, objeta la coartada de la vida pasada y pone el entendimiento como lo que quita la influencia

«You cannot say, “The poor are poor simply because they chose poverty, and therefore there is no need for me to help them.” This attitude can easily draw poverty to you in the next experience.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que la elección de la pobreza excuse de ayudar, y advierte del resultado

«Once again Jane’s trance was broken when our cat, Willy, jumped up into her lap. Once more I put him in the closet while Jane gave me an “oh, well” look. Actually Willy doesn’t interrupt us very often; but now I made a mental note that after this we’d go back to our old routine, and put him in another room before session time. Willy used to react strongly to these sessions when they began in 1963. Resume at 10:15.)» — Butts vuelve a anotar la interrupción del gato y recuerda que el animal reaccionaba fuerte a las sesiones desde 1963

«Each individual is not at the same level of achievement even at the end of the reincarnational cycle. Some possess certain qualities that do not find a counterpart within human experience. Physical existence itself has a different effect upon various individuals. Some find it an excellent medium of expression and development. They are suited to it. They have the knack for expressing themselves in physical ways and objectifying inner feelings faithfully. Others find this difficult, and yet these same individuals may do much better in other levels of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega un mismo nivel de logro al cierre del ciclo y admite que a algunos el medio físico no les acomoda

«There are “hardy souls” who thrive in physical reality, and who may have difficulties acclimating to other nonphysical areas of activity. In all of these areas, however, deep spiritual or emotional contexts are never negated. Very close friends from past lives, who are in a position to do so, often communicate with you when you are in the dream state, and the relationships are continued though you do not realize it consciously.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama almas recias a las que prosperan en lo físico, y deja la amistad antigua en contacto durante el sueño

«There are also passing relationships, contacts made and then dropped. A mate from any given life, for example, may or may not represent someone with whom you have a deep abiding tie, and again you may marry someone because of highly ambiguous feelings from a past life, and choose a married relationship that is not based upon love, though love may emerge.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite matrimonios nacidos de sentimientos ambiguos de otra vida y no del amor

«Twins, incidentally, almost always involve very deep, abiding psychic relationships of a strong, sometimes obsessive nature. I am speaking now of identical twins.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a los gemelos idénticos un vínculo psíquico hondo y a veces obsesivo

«Reincarnational goals also vary greatly. I want to stress that reincarnation is a tool used by personalities. They each use it in their own way. Some enjoy female existences, or have greater fondness for male lives. While both must be encountered, there is a great range of choice and activity. Some personalities will have difficulties along certain lines, and develop with relative ease in other ways.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a la reencarnación una herramienta que cada personalidad usa a su modo

«Predetermination is never involved, for the challenge and circumstances are chosen. Some problems may be put off, for example, for several existences. Some personalities want to solve their strongest problems and get them over with, perhaps in a series of rather trying existences and exaggerated circumstances.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega la predeterminación porque el desafío se elige, y admite aplazar problemas por vidas

«Others of a more placid nature will take their problems one at a time. Rest periods may also be taken, and they are highly therapeutic. For example, an excellent, satisfying life with a minimum of problems may be chosen either as a prelude to a life of concentrated challenge or as a self-adopted reward for a previous difficult life. Those that thoroughly enjoy the physical medium, without being obsessed by it, however, do very well indeed. The “laws” of reincarnation are adapted by the individual personalities to suit themselves.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama terapéuticos los períodos de descanso y admite una vida fácil como premio o como preludio

«At last, Jane’s trance had improved. “I was just beginning to feel that I was getting into a deeper state,” she said. “At least I wasn’t aware of anything — but now it’s all over….”)» — Butts recoge la frase de Roberts sobre el trance que se hondaba justo al terminar la sesión

«Since September 30 Seth has held two ESP class sessions; held a session for our friend John Barclay, who is moving to Nevada; held two sessions concerning the work Jane and I are embarking upon because of this material; and spoken through Jane upon television once more — this time during our return visit to a Washington, D.C. station.» — Butts enumera las sesiones de clase y de televisión ocurridas entre capítulos

«Early this month Jane and I bought an anthology containing a long section by Carl Jung, the Swiss psychoanalyst who died in 1961. Jane hadn’t finished» — Butts fecha la compra de la antología con Carl Jung y lo presenta como el psicoanalista suizo muerto en 1961; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«reading this part of the book when Seth suggested, in the 554th session for October 19, that she lay the book aside: “Let Jung go for now.” He did not elaborate. This wasn’t Jane’s first contact with the writings of Jung by any means.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Butts consigna que Seth le pidió a Roberts dejar el libro de Jung sin dar razones

«It’s interesting to note, however, the way in which Seth “takes off” from material like Jung’s, developing it to include his own ideas and interpretations, as he does in this chapter.» — Butts declara desde la nota el procedimiento que él mismo observa: Seth despega de material como el de Jung y lo lleva a sus propias ideas

«It had been raining all day. Jane had been to the chiropractor today and was very relaxed — so relaxed that I asked her if she felt like having a session. She wanted to, she said. Her eyes were half open, her voice very quiet, almost conversational, as the session began.)» — Butts describe el estado relajado de Roberts al empezar la sesión 555 y su voz casi conversacional

«I feel fine. One point to our friend. It is better if he does not go to the chiropractor when it is raining. (“Why is that?”) Partially because of the muscular reaction mentioned by the chiropractor, and partially because the body’s healing mechanisms operate more effectively in clear weather. He will snap back more quickly after a treatment. There is one good benefit however: He rested the full amount specified (one hour) this time because he felt it necessary.» — Seth, según Roberts, le da a Butts una indicación práctica sobre el quiropráctico y la lluvia, fuera del dictado del libro

«On an unconscious basis, you are aware of the birth into physical life of someone you have known in the past. The strangers that you meet in your» — Seth, según Roberts, deja al inconsciente enterado del nacimiento de un conocido antiguo; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«dreams are often, of course, people now alive — contemporaries — that you have also known in past lives.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, dice que los desconocidos del sueño suelen ser contemporáneos vivos ya tratados en otras vidas

«Such a (chiropractic) treatment causes, of course, a manipulation of the atomic structure that composes the vertebrae. The electrical reactions are different according to the weather and atmospheric conditions. In rainy weather, there is an added electrical resistance within the atomic structures themselves — a sort of delayed reaction, hardly perceptible in physical terms — a delayed period before the vertebrae come to rest again, so to speak, in the desired position.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el efecto del clima en el tratamiento por una resistencia eléctrica añadida en las estructuras atómicas; el paréntesis aclaratorio es de Butts

«Now: Our next chapter will be called: “Reincarnation, Dreams, and the Hidden Male and Female Within the Self.”» — Seth, según Roberts, dicta el título del capítulo trece (sesión 555)

«As I mentioned earlier, each person lives both male and female lives. As a rule, conscious memory of these is not retained. To prevent an overidentification of the individual with his present sex, within the male there resides an inner personification of femaleness. This personification of femaleness in the male is the true meaning of what Jung called the “anima.”» — Seth, según Roberts, toma la palabra *anima* de Jung y le da su propio sentido: la personificación interna de lo femenino en el varón

«The anima in the male is, therefore, the psychic memory and identification of all the previous female existences in which the inner self has been involved. It contains within it the knowledge of the present male’s past female histories, and the intuitive understanding of all the female qualities with which the personality is innately endowed.» — Seth, según Roberts, define el anima como memoria psíquica de las existencias femeninas anteriores del yo interior

«The anima, therefore, is an important safeguard, preventing the male from over-identifying with whatever cultural male characteristics have been imposed upon him through present background, environment, and education. The anima serves not only as a personal but as a mass-civilizing influence, mellowing strongly aggressive tendencies and serving also as a bridge both in communicating with women in a family relationship, and in communication also as it is applied through the arts and verbalization.» — Seth, según Roberts, le atribuye al anima una función civilizadora que templa la agresividad y tiende puente con las mujeres

«The male will often dream of himself, therefore, as a female. The particular way in which he does so, can tell him much about his own reincarnational background in which he operated as a female. Maleness and femaleness are obviously not opposites, but merging tendencies. The priestess, the mother, the young witch, the wife, and the old wise woman — these general types are archetypes, simply because they are “root elements” representing, symbolically, the various kinds of so-called female qualities and the various kinds of female lives that have been lived by males.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera arquetipos femeninos —la sacerdotisa, la madre, la joven bruja, la esposa, la vieja sabia— como elementos raíz

«Again, however, this represents the male lives with which the self has been involved — the young boy, the priest, the aggressive “jungle man,” and the wise old man. These are types, representing generally and symbolically past male lives lived by present women. Women, therefore, can learn much about their reincarnational past as men, through studying those dreams in which these types appear, or in which they themselves appear as men.» — Seth, según Roberts, enumera los tipos masculinos —el muchacho, el sacerdote, el hombre de la selva, el viejo sabio— y los propone como vía de estudio del pasado

«Through the anima and the animus, so-called, present personalities are able to draw upon the knowledge and intuitions and background that was derived from past existences as the opposite sex. On some occasions, for example, the woman may go overboard and exaggerate female characteristics, in which case the animus or male within comes to her aid, bringing through dream experiences an onrush of knowledge that will result in compensating malelike reactions.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del animus el correctivo onírico de la mujer que exagera lo femenino

«The same applies to a male when he over-identifies with what he believes to be male characteristics, for whatever reason. The anima or woman within will rouse him to make compensating actions, causing an upsurge of intuitive abilities, bringing a creative element to offset aggressiveness.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del anima el correctivo del varón sobreidentificado, con un empuje de intuición

«Ideally, left alone, these operations would result in a balance individually and en masse, where aggressiveness was always used creatively, as indeed it can and should be.» — Seth, según Roberts, propone el equilibrio en que la agresividad se usa siempre de modo creativo

«Very good,” I said to Jane as she came out of trance. “Yes,” she said, “I could tell it was great, ‘cause he’s got a lot more to say.” Yet she looked so limp and heavy-eyed, so bleary and yet relaxed, that I wondered if she could stay awake to continue. Resume in the same manner at 10:21.)» — Butts recoge la frase de Roberts sobre lo mucho que quedaba por decir y describe lo agotada que la veía

«Now: The animus and the anima are, of course, highly charged psychically, but the origin of this psychic charge and the inner fascination are the result of a quite legitimate inner identification with these personified other-sex characteristics.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye la carga psíquica de anima y animus a una identificación interior legítima

«They not only have a reality in the psyche, however, but they are imbedded in genetically codified data by the inner self — a genetic memory of past psychic events — transposed into the genetic memory of the very cells that compose the body.» — Seth, según Roberts, sitúa esa memoria de hechos psíquicos pasados en el dato genético de las propias células

«Each inner self, adopting a new body, imposes upon it and upon its entire genetic makeup, memory of the past physical forms in which it has been involved. Now the present characteristics usually overshadow the past ones. They are dominant, but the other characteristics are latent and present, built into the pattern. The physical pattern of the present body, therefore, is a genetic memory of the self’s past physical forms, and of their strengths and» — Seth, según Roberts, imprime en el cuerpo nuevo la memoria de las formas físicas anteriores; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«I will try to put this as simply as possible. There are presently invisible layers within the body, the topmost layer that you see representing, of course, the present physical form. But enmeshed within this there are what amount to invisible layers, “shadow,” latent layers that represent previous physical images that have belonged to the personality.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe capas de sombra dentro del cuerpo, imágenes físicas anteriores de la misma personalidad

«They are kept in abeyance, so to speak. They are connected electromagnetically to the atomic structure of the present body. To your way of thinking, they would be unfocused. They are a part of your psychic heritage, however. Often you can call up a past strength of a previous body, to help compensate for a present weakness. The body does not only carry memory biologically of its own past condition in this life therefore, but indelibly with it, even physically, are the memories of the other bodies that the personality has formed in previous reincarnations.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite recurrir a la fuerza de un cuerpo anterior para compensar una flaqueza presente

«The anima and the animus are closely connected with these interior body images. These body images are highly charged psychically, and also appear in the dream state. They operate as compensations and reminders to prevent you from over-identifying yourself with your present physical body.» — Seth, según Roberts, junta anima y animus con esas imágenes corporales interiores que aparecen en sueños

«They are, of course, both male and female. When you are ill, in the dream state you often have experiences in which you seem to be someone else with an entirely healthy body. Often such a dream is therapeutic. An “older” reincarnational body has come to your aid, from which you draw strength through the memory of its health.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama terapéutico el sueño en que uno se ve sano en otro cuerpo, y lo atribuye a un cuerpo reencarnacional anterior

«Once out of trance, Jane said she now felt as good or better than she had before the session began. She was surprised at the sudden ending. She had felt “really passive” during the session, and I had listened to her pace grow slower and slower as the session progressed.)» — Butts anota que Roberts terminó mejor que al empezar pese al ritmo cada vez más lento de la entrega

«Reincarnational experiences are a part of the framework of the self, a facet of the multidimensional reality of the living psyche. These experiences will, therefore, be reflected not only in the dream state, but in other layers of activity.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca la experiencia reencarnacional dentro del armazón del yo y no solo en el sueño (sesión 556)

«The fabric of the present self is interwoven with these reincarnational “pasts,” and from them the present self draws unconsciously from its own bank of personality characteristics, activities, and insights. Often past-life memories come to the surface but are not recognized as such, since they appear in fantasy form, or are projected into art creations.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que la memoria de vidas pasadas aflora como fantasía o como obra de arte sin reconocerse

«Many writers of historical pieces, for example, are writing out of direct experience with those times. Such instances represent an excellent working rapport between the present self and the unconscious, which brings these memories to the surface in such a way that current life is enriched. More often than not, true awareness of the situation often becomes almost conscious, and just beneath awareness the individual knows the source of his authentic material.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a experiencia directa el material de muchos autores de ficción histórica

«In dreams this reincarnational material is likewise cast into a dramatic mold very frequently. Beneath all this, the anima and the animus work together, again not opposites but blending characteristics. Together, of course, they represent the fount of creativity, psychically as well as physically.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que anima y animus sean opuestos y los llama juntos la fuente de la creatividad

«The anima represents the necessary initial “inwardness,” the brooding, caring, intuitive, inside-turning characteristics, the inward focusing from which creativity comes.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el anima como el enfoque hacia adentro del que sale la creatividad

«The word “passive” is a poor one to describe the characteristics of the anima, in that it suggests a lack of motion, and this is hardly the case. It is true that the anima allows itself to be acted upon, but the motive behind this is the desire and the necessity to tune into other forces that are supremely powerful. The desire to be swept along, therefore, is as strong with the anima as the opposite desire for rest.» — Seth, según Roberts, objeta la palabra *pasivo* aplicada al anima, porque sugiere falta de movimiento

«The characteristics of the animus provide the aggressive thrust that returns the personality back outward into physical activities, triumphantly holding the products of creativity that the anima characteristics have secured.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del animus el empuje que devuelve a la personalidad hacia afuera con lo que el anima consiguió

«The whole self is obviously the sum of these characteristics, and more. After the final incarnation, the physical, sexual type of creativity is simply no longer needed. You do not need to reproduce physically, in other words. In simple terms the whole self contains male and female characteristics, finely» — Seth, según Roberts, declara innecesaria la creatividad sexual física tras la última encarnación; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«tuned together, blended so that true identity can then arise — for it cannot, when one group of characteristics must be emphasized over the other group, as it must be during your present physical existence.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, condiciona la identidad verdadera a la mezcla fina de ambos grupos de características

«There are many reasons why the separation has been adopted within your dimension. The reasons have to do with the particular way in which mankind has chosen to evolve and use his abilities; and I will have more to say regarding this point, but it does not belong in this chapter.» — Seth, según Roberts, aplaza las razones de la separación de los sexos en esta dimensión

«The projection of the man’s anima, or hidden female self, upon [his] relations is quite natural, and allows him not only to understand them better but to relate with the other female existences of his own. The same is true of the woman’s projection of the animus upon male relatives and friends. The reality of the anima and the animus is far deeper then than Jung supposed.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara anima y animus más hondos de lo que Jung suponía; los corchetes son del propio libro

«Together they act as a built-in, unconscious stabilizing factor, operating behind the faces of your civilization not only individually but culturally. Personality as you know it, cannot be understood unless the true meaning of the anima and the animus is taken into consideration.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de ese par un estabilizador que obra detrás de la civilización y no solo del individuo

«The reincarnational pattern is generally speaking an open one, in that within it there is room for diversity. Each whole self has its own individual characteristics. It can live its lives as it sees fit within the guidelines. There may be a series of male or female existences, unbroken. Such a choice has some drawbacks.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama abierto el patrón reencarnacional y admite series ininterrumpidas de un solo sexo, con desventajas

«There are, however, no rules dictating the sexual development in varying incarnations, except that experience with both sexes must be taken on, and the various characteristics developed. This does not mean that an equal number of male and female lives must be lived. Some, for example, find it far easier to develop as one sex or the other, and will need more opportunities for experience as the sex with which they experience difficulty.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega regla de número y exige en cambio experiencia de ambos sexos

«The animus and the anima become even more important in these instances when a series of one-sex lives are chosen. The original pattern for the animus and anima comes from the whole self before reincarnations. The animus and the anima are born into the individual with the first physical life, and serve as an inner pattern, reminding the personality of its basic unity. Here is another reason for the strong psychic charge behind these symbols and the godlike quality that they can transmit and project.» — Seth, según Roberts, remonta el patrón de anima y animus al yo total anterior a las reencarnaciones

«The male yearns toward the anima because it represents to the deep unconscious those other characteristics of the whole self that, on the one hand, lie latent, and that, on the other hand, struggle for release. The tension between the two leads him to temper aggressiveness with creativity, or to use aggressiveness creatively.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el anhelo hacia el anima por lo que en ella queda latente y pugna por salir

«They have also been lived by females, of course. However, the women do» — Seth, según Roberts, señala que esos tipos también los vivieron mujeres; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«not need to be reminded of their femaleness, but again, so that they do not overidentify with their present sex, there is what Jung called the “animus,” or the hidden male within the woman.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, toma también *animus* de Jung para el varón oculto en la mujer

«particular present kind of consciousness, is a statement of awareness brought about by a particular kind of tension, a specific kind of focus arising from the true unconscious of the whole self.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, hace de la consciencia actual un enunciado nacido de cierta tensión y de cierto foco

«The true unconscious is not unconscious. Instead, it is so profoundly and unutteringly conscious that it bubbles over. The life that you know is simply one of the many areas in which it is conscious. In each facet of its consciousness, literally tremendous power and balance must be maintained to hold aloft this particular consciousness-experience from all others.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el inconsciente verdadero sea inconsciente y lo llama tan consciente que se desborda

«Your reality exists in a particular area of activity in which aggressive qualities, thrusting-outward characteristics, are supremely necessary to prevent a falling back into the infinite possibilities from which you have only lately emerged. Yet from this unconscious bed of possibilities you derive your strength, your creativity, and the fragile yet powerful kind of individual consciousness that is your own.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a las cualidades agresivas el freno contra la caída en las posibilidades infinitas de las que se emergió

«The two-sex division was adopted, separating and balancing these most necessary but seemingly opposing tendencies. Only beginning consciousness needs these kind of controls. The anima and the animus, therefore, are embedded deeply with their necessary complementary but apparently opposed tendencies, and they are highly important in maintaining the very nature of your human consciousness.» — Seth, según Roberts, presenta la división en dos sexos como control necesario solo para una consciencia que empieza

«There is also a natural tension, then, between sexes that is based on far deeper causes than physical ones. The tension results from the nature of your consciousness that arises from the anima, but depends for its continuation upon the “aggressiveness” of the animus. I have to some extent explained the fascination that one has for the other, as resulting from the inner knowledge of the whole self, that strives to attain true identity as it struggles to combine and fulfill the seemingly opposite tendencies that are a part of it.» — Seth, según Roberts, funda la tensión entre los sexos en el esfuerzo del yo total por combinar tendencias en apariencia opuestas

«At the end of the reincarnational cycle, the whole self is far more developed than it was before. It has realized and experienced itself in a dimension of reality unknown to it earlier, and in doing so, has of course increased its being. It is not a matter, then, of a whole self splitting in half, and then simply returning to itself.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el yo total se parta en mitades y vuelva a juntarse igual que antes

«If you are to be born as a male, then the mother serves as a stimulus to activate the symbol of the anima in you, so that the pattern of your own female lives becomes a portion of your next existence. Your mother, if you have known her in the past, will find at your birth an upsurge of dreams involving other existences in which the two of you were together.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la madre el estímulo que activa el anima en el hijo varón

«These may not even be recorded consciously, but in many cases they are, and are then forgotten. Her own past male lives will help her relate to you as her son. In some cases new mothers may feel highly aggressive and nervous. These feelings are sometimes due to the fact that the male son causes an activation of the animus in her, with a resulting charge of aggressive feelings.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el nerviosismo de algunas madres primerizas por la activación del animus ante el hijo varón

«Wow — am I out… I can’t get my eyes open,” Jane said, trying to do just that. After several futile attempts she slumped back in her rocker. I thought she was close to a sleep state. I called her several times, then suggested she get up and exercise when she finally began to look around. She put her glasses back on, got up, and began to walk about.» — Butts describe a Roberts incapaz de abrir los ojos al salir del trance y el paseo con que la ayudó a volver

«It turned out that break marked the end of material for Seth’s book tonight. Seth then gave four pages of material for me. Here too Jane’s pace was good. The session produced much more data than usual. It ended at 11:11 P.M. — with a good day’s work done.)» — Butts distingue el material del libro del material personal que Seth le dio esa misma noche

«In the 556th session, Seth said that many writers of historical pieces are writing out of direct past-life experience. My question concerned a hypothetical experiment in which, say, a hundred such writers would be hypnotized without being told what the purpose of the experiment was; once under, they would be queried about past-life memories. I wondered what percentage of them would recall any, and if such a test might furnish good evidence for reincarnation.» — Butts imagina un experimento con cien autores hipnotizados para medir cuántos recuerdan vidas pasadas

«What procedures are available to the nonphysical personality when it decides to incarnate physically for the first time? What is the initial life like? Is it apt to be savage, or more “cultivated” to some degree? Or is any sort of predetermined pattern involved at all?» — Butts deja por escrito su segunda pregunta, sobre la primera encarnación de una personalidad no física

«Just before the session tonight I wondered aloud what the present Chapter Thirteen would have been like if Jane hadn’t begun to read, early this month, the anthology containing the long section by Carl Jung, the Swiss psychoanalyst. As I mentioned, Seth suggested Jane lay the book aside on October 19, before she had time to finish it. See the notes at the beginning of the 555th session for October 21. Neither of us has looked at the book since.» — Butts se pregunta cómo habría salido el capítulo trece sin la lectura de Jung que Seth interrumpió

«An infusion from Jung cropped up in this chapter, of course — although handled in Seth’s own way. But then such events in our own lives have influenced every other chapter in the book, too. The particular form of a chapter could be affected to some degree by just when the sessions for it were held, as well as by its intrinsic subject matter. Even interruptions, then, would play their part….)» — Butts declara que los hechos de la vida de los dos han modelado cada capítulo, y que hasta las interrupciones cuentan

«Pleased and amused): Now I am glad that you approve of my book. (“I think it’s great.”) There is much more in store.» — Seth, según Roberts, se dice complacido de que a Butts le guste el libro; la acotación del tono es de Butts

«Now this is a living endeavor, and therefore we take advantage of those happenings in your own lives, and it was I myself who prompted Ruburt to pick up the book (containing Jung) in the first place.» — Seth, según Roberts, se atribuye haber hecho que Roberts tomara el libro de Jung; el paréntesis aclaratorio es de Butts

«Then, I wanted him to put it aside for another time, after he had read so far.» — Seth, según Roberts, se atribuye también la orden de dejar el libro a medias

«At this point, however, Seth requested that I lay my notebook aside for a bit, saying he regretted that I was kept so busy writing during sessions. We had a brief chat, a very pleasant exchange. Jane’s eyes were wide and dark, her delivery lively; it was easy to sense the immediacy of Seth’s presence. The interlude lasted less than a minute. Resume dictation at 9:20.)» — Butts anota el minuto en que Seth le pidió soltar el cuaderno porque lamentaba tenerlo escribiendo toda la sesión

«The atoms that compose the fetus have their own kind of consciousness. The volatile awareness-consciousnesses that exist independently of matter, form matter according to their ability and degree. The fetus, therefore, has its own consciousness, the simple component consciousness made up of the atoms that compose it. This exists before any reincarnating personality enters it. The consciousness of matter is present in any matter — a fetus, a rock, a blade of grass, a nail.» — Seth, según Roberts, da consciencia propia al feto por sus átomos, antes de que entre ninguna personalidad reencarnante

«The reincarnating personality enters the new fetus according to its own inclinations, desires, and characteristics, with some built-in safeguards. However there is no rule, then, saying that the reincarnating personality must take over the new form prepared for it either at the point of conception, in the very earliest months of the fetus’s growth, or even at the point of birth.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega una regla sobre el momento en que la personalidad toma el cuerpo nuevo

«The process is gradual, individual and determined by experience in other lives. It is particularly dependent upon emotional characteristics — not necessarily of the last incarnated self, but the emotional tensions present as a result of a group of past existences.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace depender ese proceso de las tensiones emocionales de un grupo de vidas y no solo de la última

«Various methods of entry are adopted. If there is a strong relationship between the parents and the child-to-be, then the personality may enter at the point of conception if he is extremely anxious to rejoin them. Even here, however, large portions of self-awareness continue to operate in the between-life dimension.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite la entrada en la concepción cuando el vínculo con los padres es fuerte

«In the beginning, the womb state under these conditions is a dreamlike one, with the personality still focused mainly in the between-life existence. Gradually the situation reverses, until it becomes more difficult to retain clear concentration in the between-life situation.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el estado uterino como onírico y la inversión gradual del foco

«In these circumstances, when the personality attaches itself at conception, there is almost without exception strong past-life connections between parents and child, or there is an unceasing and almost obsessional desire to return to» — Seth, según Roberts, ata la entrada en la concepción a lazos fuertes de otra vida o a un deseo casi obsesivo de volver; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«the earthly situation — either for a specific purpose, or because the reincarnating personality is presently obsessed with earthly existence. This is not necessarily detrimental. The personality can simply realize that it takes to physical experience well, is presently earth-oriented, and finds earthly atmosphere a rich dimension for the growth of its own abilities.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, niega que esa obsesión sea por fuerza perjudicial

«Now there are many matters concerning the nature of conception that should be discussed here. Again, however, there is leeway» — Seth, según Roberts, anuncia el asunto de la concepción y admite de entrada la variación; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«and many variations. Usually between lives you choose ahead of time your children, and they choose you as parents.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, hace de la elección de los hijos un acuerdo previo entre las dos partes

«less worthy motives — greed, for example, or an obsessional desire that is partially composed of unresolved problems. Other personalities who never completely take to earthly existence may hold off full entry for some time, and even then always remain at a certain distance from the body. At the other end of the scale, before death the same applies, where some individuals remove their focus from physical life, leaving the body consciousness alone. Others stay with the body until the last moment. In the early days of infancy, there is not a steady focus of the personality in the body in any case.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, admite motivos menos nobles en la entrada temprana y describe también la salida anticipada antes de morir

«Now: In all cases the decisions have been made ahead of time, as I told you. The reincarnating personality is aware, therefore, when the conception for which it has been waiting takes place. And while it may or may not choose to enter at that point, it is drawn irresistibly to that time and point in space and flesh.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que la personalidad sepa de la concepción esperada y quede atraída sin remedio a ese punto

«On occasion, long before conception takes place, the personality who will end up as the future child will visit that environment of both parents-to-be, drawn again. This is quite natural.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe visitas del futuro hijo a la casa de sus padres antes de la concepción

«Between lives an individual may see flashes of the future existence, not necessarily of particular events, but experience the essence of the new relationship and in expectation remind himself of the challenge he has set. In these terms, the ghosts of the future are as real in your homes as the ghosts of the past.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama fantasmas del futuro a esas presencias y los pone a la par de los del pasado

«You do not have completely empty shells of matter about to be filled, in that the new personality hovers in and about, particularly after conception and with greater frequency and intensity thereafter. The shock of birth has several consequences, however, that usually draw the personality full blast, so to speak, into physical reality. Before this, the conditions are fairly uniform. The body consciousness is nurtured almost automatically, reacting strongly but under highly controlled conditions.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que el cuerpo por nacer sea cáscara vacía y describe el rondar de la personalidad nueva

«It greatly needs a stabilizing factor. Previously the body consciousness has been enriched and supported by deep biological and telepathic identification with the mother. The communication of the living cells is far more profound than you imagine. The identification is almost complete before birth as far as body consciousness alone is concerned.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama más honda de lo que se supone la comunicación entre las células de la madre y las del feto

«Until the new personality enters, the fetus regards itself as a part of the organism of the mother. This support is suddenly denied at birth. If the new personality has not entered earlier to any full extent, it usually does so at birth, in order to stabilize the new organism. It comforts the new organism, in other» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que la personalidad entre al nacer para estabilizar y consolar al organismo; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«When it enters at the point of birth, it is fairly independent, not yet identified with the form it has entered, and acting in a supportive role. If the personality entered at conception or sometime before birth, then it has to some extent identified with the body consciousness, with the fetus. It has already begun to direct perception — though perception has begun whether or not it is so directed — and it will experience the shock of birth in immediate, direct terms.» — Seth, según Roberts, gradúa el choque del nacimiento según el momento de la entrada

«There will be no distance between the personality and the experience of birth, then. The newly entered personality, as a consciousness, flickers, in that there is a while before stabilization takes place. When the child, particularly the young child, is sleeping, for example, the personality often simply vacates the body. Gradually the identification with the between-life situation dwindles until nearly full focus resides in the physical body.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe el parpadeo de la personalidad recién entrada y su costumbre de dejar el cuerpo del niño dormido

«There are obviously those who identify with the body far more completely than others. Generally speaking, there is an optimum point of focus in physical reality, a period of intensification that has nothing to do with duration. It can last for a week or thirty years, and from then onward it begins to dwindle, and imperceptibly begins to shift to other layers of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca un punto óptimo de foco físico que puede durar una semana o treinta años

«Now. A crisis, particularly in very early or very late life, may so shatter the personality’s identification with the body that he vacates it temporarily. He may do one of many things. He may leave so completely that the body goes into coma, if the body consciousness has also suffered shock. If the shock is psychological and the body consciousness is still operating more or less normally, then he may revert to an earlier reincarnational personality.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el coma y la regresión por la salida temporal de la personalidad ante una crisis

«In such a case, this is simply a regression that often passes. Here we become concerned again with the animus and the anima. If a personality believes that it is doing a poor job in a male life, it may activate the anima’s qualities, taking on the characteristics of a past female existence in which it handled itself well. Reversing the picture, the same can happen to a woman.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que el anima tome el mando cuando el varón se juzga mal en su vida de hombre

«The hold of the personality over the body is tenuous in the early years, and grows stronger. The personality, for its own reasons, may decide upon choosing a body that is not aesthetically pleasing. He may never relate to it, and while the existence will serve what purposes he had in mind, there will always be a basic sensed distance between the body and the personality within» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que se elija a propósito un cuerpo poco agraciado y que nunca haya relación con él; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«They are emotional. They work out their problems in immediate, sometimes impatient, tangible ways. They work well with earth materials, and translate their ideas with great force into physical terms. They make cities, monuments. They are architects. They are concerned with forming matter and molding it to their desire.» — Seth, según Roberts, les atribuye las ciudades, los monumentos y la arquitectura

«As a rule, now, those who do not enter your plane of existence until the point of birth are less able manipulators in those particular terms. They are the mean, if such a term can be used, the mean or average.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama la media a quienes entran solo al nacer

«Now there are some who resist the new existence, even though they chose it, as long as possible. To some extent they must be present at birth, but they can still escape any full identification with the born infant. They hover within and about the form, but half reluctantly. There are many reasons for such behavior. Some personalities simply prefer in-between-life existence and are much more concerned with the theoretical solving of problems than the practical application necessarily involved. Others have discovered that physical existence does not meet their needs as well as they thought it would, and they will progress much better in other fields of reality and existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe a los que rondan el cuerpo a medias por preferir el plano intermedio o por haberse equivocado de medio

«Because of their own characteristics, however, some prefer to set up a certain distance between themselves and their physical existences. They are much more concerned with symbols. They look upon earthly life as highly experimental. They approach it almost with a jaundiced eye, so to speak. They are not interested so much in manipulating matter as they are curious as to the ways in which ideas appear within matter.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe a quienes miran la vida terrena como experimento y se interesan por cómo la idea aparece en la materia

«Again generally speaking, they are always more at home with ideas, philosophies, and nontangible realities. They are thinkers always a bit apart, their body types showing a lack of muscular development. Poets and artists, while somewhat of this nature, as a rule are more deeply appreciative of the physical values of earthly existence, although they have many of the same characteristics.» — Seth, según Roberts, los describe algo aparte y de poca musculatura, y distingue de ellos a poetas y artistas

«The attitude toward the body will always vary, therefore. Various types of bodies may be chosen, but there will still be overall preferences on the part of the whole self, and characteristics that will lead the whole self, so that generally the various lives lived will still have their own individual flavor.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja un sabor propio a las vidas de un mismo yo total pese a la variedad de cuerpos

«You may have already decided for example, now, upon the circumstances for your next incarnation. Although in your terms your new parents may be infants now, or in your scale of time not even born, the arrangements may still be made.» — Seth, según Roberts, admite que los futuros padres del lector sean hoy niños o ni siquiera hayan nacido

«I like it when he does it like that — when I’m just out,” she said. “But when I come back I don’t know what I’m doing…. I was really out.”» — Butts recoge en voz de Roberts la preferencia por el trance del que no vuelve con nada

«Now for dictation. We will begin the next chapter. It will be called: “Stories of the Beginning, and the Multidimensional God.” (Leaning forward, smiling but intent): How do you like that?» — Seth, según Roberts, dicta el título del capítulo catorce y pregunta si le gusta; la acotación del gesto es de Butts (sesión 559)

«As the present life of any individual rises from hidden dimensions beyond those easily accessible in physical terms, and as it draws its energy and power to act from unconscious sources, so does the present physical universe as you know it rise from other dimensions. So does it have its source, and derive its energy from deeper realities.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace subir el universo físico de otras dimensiones como la vida sube de fuentes inconscientes

«History, as you know it, represents but one single light upon which you focus. You interpret the events that you see therein, and you project upon its glimmer your interpretation of events that may occur. So entranced is your concentration, that when you wonder about the nature of reality you automatically confine your question to this one small flickering moment that you call physical reality. When you ponder upon the aspects of God, you unthinkingly speak of the creator of that one light. That light is unique, and if you truly understood what it was, you would indeed understand the nature of true reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, reduce la historia a una sola luz parpadeante sobre la que se proyecta la interpretación

«History, as you think of it, represents but one thin line of probabilities, in which you are presently immersed. It does not represent the entire lifetime of your species or the catalogue of physical activities, or begin to tell the story of physical creatures, their civilizations, wars, joys, technologies, or triumphs. Reality is far more diverse, far richer and unutterable than you can presently suppose or comprehend.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que la historia conocida cuente la vida entera de la especie

«Evolution, as you think of it and as it is categorized by your scientists, represents but one probable line of evolution, the one in» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a la evolución de los científicos una sola línea probable; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«Those mentioned earlier who enter at the point of conception are usually» — Seth, según Roberts, vuelve a los que entran en la concepción; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«highly anxious for physical existence. They will, therefore, be more fully developed and show their individual characteristics very early. They seize upon the new body and already mold it. The control over matter is vigorous, and they usually stay within the body, dying either in accidents where death is immediate or in sleep or with a disease that strikes quickly. They are manipulators of matter as a rule.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, los describe ansiosos de vida física, precoces y manipuladores de materia

«It is almost impossible to speak of when the personality enters the physical body without discussing the ways in which it leaves it, for all this is highly dependent upon personal characteristics and attitudes toward physical reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, une el momento de entrar y el de salir por depender ambos del carácter y de la actitud ante lo físico; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«Decisions as to future lives may be made not only in between-life conditions but also in dream states in any given life.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, admite que las decisiones sobre vidas futuras se tomen también en el estado de sueño

«occur, all within other probable systems of physical reality. The diverse, endless possibilities of development possible could never appear within one slender framework of reality.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, reparte las demás líneas evolutivas entre sistemas probables

«With splendid innocence and exuberant pride, you imagine that the evolutionary system as you know it is the only one, that physically there can be no more. Now within the physical reality that you know, there are hints and clues as to the nature of other physical realities. There are, latent, within your own physical forms other senses, unused, that could have come to the front but in your probability did not.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a inocencia y orgullo la idea de que este sistema evolutivo es el único

«No evolutionary line is a dead one. Therefore if in your system it disappears, it emerges within another. All probable materializations of life and consciousness have their day, and create those conditions within which they can flourish; and their day, in your terms, is eternal.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que haya línea evolutiva muerta y le da a cada una su día, que llama eterno

«I am speaking now, in this chapter, mainly about your own planet and solar system, but the same applies to all aspects of your physical universe. You are aware, then, of only one specific, delicately balanced but unique portion of physical existence. You are not only creatures of corporeal being, forming images of flesh and blood, embedded in a particular kind of space and time; you are also creatures rising out of a particularized dimension of probabilities, born from dimensions of actuality richly suited to your own development, enrichment and growth.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama al lector criatura nacida de una dimensión particular de probabilidades

«The entity, the true multidimensional self, is aware of all of its experiences, and this knowledge is to some extent available to these other portions of the self, including of course the physical self as you know it. These various portions of the self in fact will eventually (in your terms) become fully aware. Period. This awareness will automatically alter what now seems to be their nature, and add to the multiplicitude of existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja a la entidad enterada de todas sus experiencias y anuncia que las porciones llegarán a saberlo

«There are many probable systems of reality, therefore, in which physical data predominates, but such physical probabilities represent but one small portion. Each of you also exist in nonphysical systems, and I have explained earlier that your slightest thought or emotion is manifested in many other ways than in your own field of existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca al lector también en sistemas no físicos donde su menor pensamiento se manifiesta (sesión 560)

«Only a portion of your entire identity is “presently” familiar to you, as you know. Therefore, when you consider the question of a supreme being, you imagine a male personality with those abilities that you yourselves possess, with great emphasis upon qualities you admire. This imagined god has therefore changed throughout your centuries, mirroring man’s shifting ideas of himself.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace del dios imaginado un espejo de las ideas cambiantes que el hombre tiene de sí

«God was seen as cruel and powerful when man believed that these were desirable characteristics, needed particularly in his battle for physical survival. He projected these upon his idea of a god because he envied them and feared them. You have cast your idea of god, therefore, in your own image.» — Seth, según Roberts, explica el dios cruel y poderoso por lo que el hombre envidiaba y temía en su lucha por sobrevivir

«In a reality that is inconceivably multidimensional, the old concepts of God are relatively meaningless. Even the term, a supreme being, is in itself distortive, for you naturally project the qualities of human nature upon it. If I told you that God was an idea, you would not understand what I meant, for you do not understand the dimensions in which an idea has its reality, or the energy that it can originate and propel. You do not believe in ideas in the same way that you believe in physical objects, so if I tell you that God is an idea, you will misinterpret this to mean that God is less than real — nebulous, without reality, without purpose, and without motive action.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama distorsivo el término *ser supremo* y dice que llamar idea a dios se lee mal como llamarlo irreal

«Now your own physical image is the materialization of your idea of yourself within the properties of matter. Without the idea of yourself, your physical image would not be; yet often it is all you are aware of. The initial power and energy of that idea of yourself keeps your image alive. Ideas, then, are far more important than you realize. If you will try to accept the idea that your own existence is multidimensional, that you dwell within the medium of infinite probabilities, then you may catch a slight glimpse of the reality that is behind the word “god,” and you may understand why it is almost impossible to capture a true understanding of that concept in words.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de la propia imagen física la materialización de una idea, y de ahí saca lo que quiere decir con la palabra dios

«There have been parables told, and stories of beginnings. All of these have been attempts to transmit knowledge in as simple terms as possible. Often answers were given to questions that literally have no meaning outside of your own system of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama parábolas a los relatos de los comienzos y dice que respondían a preguntas sin sentido fuera de este sistema

«For example: There was no beginning, and there will be no end, yet parables have been given telling you of beginnings and endings simply because with your distorted ideas of time, beginnings and endings seem to be inseparable, valid events. As you learn to turn the focus of your attention away from physical reality and therefore experience some slight evidence of other realities, your consciousness will cling to old ideas that make true explanations impossible for you to understand. Multidimensional awareness is available to you in your dreams, however, in some trance states, and often even beneath ordinary consciousness as you go about your day.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega comienzo y fin, y explica las parábolas por la idea distorsionada del tiempo

«This awareness gives personal experience with the multidimensional richness that exists not apart from but intermingled with, within, through, and all about your physical world of sense. To say that physical life is not real is to deny that reality pervades all appearance, and is a part of all appearance. In the same manner, God does not exist apart from or separate from physical reality, but exists within it and as a part of it, as he exists within and as a part of all other systems of existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca a dios dentro de la realidad física y no aparte de ella

«Your Christ figure represents, symbolically, your idea of God and his relationships. There were three separate individuals whose history blended, and they became known collectively as Christ — hence many discrepancies in your records. These were all males because at that time of your development, you would not have accepted a female counterpart.» — Seth, según Roberts, sostiene que tres individuos distintos se fundieron en el nombre de Cristo y explica así las discrepancias de los registros

«These individuals were a part of one entity. You could not but imagine God as a father. It would never have occurred to you to imagine a god in any other than human terms. Earth components. These three figures worked out a drama, highly symbolic, propelled by concentrated energy of great force.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama drama altamente simbólico a lo que esas tres figuras representaron

«The events as they are recorded, however, did not occur in history. The crucifixion of Christ was a psychic, but not a physical event. Ideas of almost unimaginable magnitude were played out.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara psíquica y no física la crucifixión, y niega que los hechos registrados ocurrieran en la historia

«Judas, for example, was not a man in your terms. He was — like all the other disciples — a blessed, created “fragment personality,” formed by the Christ personality. He represented the self-betrayer. He dramatized a portion of each individual’s personality that focuses upon physical reality in a grasping manner, and denies the inner self out of greed.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama a Judas personalidad fragmento formada por la personalidad de Cristo, y le da el papel del que se traiciona a sí mismo

«The disciples, therefore, were given physical reality by the inner self, as all of your earthly characteristics come out of your inner nature. This was a living parable, made flesh among you — a cosmic play worked out for your behalf, couched in terms that you could understand.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama parábola viva y obra cósmica a lo ocurrido, hecha carne entre los hombres

«The lessons were made plain, as all the ideas behind them were personified. If you will forgive the term, this was like a local morality play, put on in your corner of the universe. This does not mean it was less real than you previously supposed. In fact, the implications of what is said here should clearly hint at the more powerful aspects of godhood.» — Seth, según Roberts, compara el episodio con un auto sacramental de barrio y niega que eso lo haga menos real

«When I go slow, you can rest between the lines.» — Seth, según Roberts, le habla a Butts del propio ritmo del dictado, para que alcance a escribir

«The three Christ personalities were born upon your planet, and indeed became flesh among you. None of these was crucified. The twelve disciples were materializations from the energies of these three personalities — their combined energies. They were then fully endowed with individuality, however, but their main task was to clearly manifest within themselves certain abilities inherent within all men.» — Seth, según Roberts, afirma que ninguna de las tres personalidades fue crucificada y hace de los doce materializaciones de sus energías combinadas

«The same kinds of dramas in different ways have been given, and while the drama is always different, it is always the same. This does not mean that a Christ has appeared within each system of reality. It means that the idea of God has manifested within each system in a way that is comprehensible to the inhabitants.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que haya habido un Cristo en cada sistema y sí una manifestación de la idea de dios entendible para cada uno

«This drama continues to exist. It does not belong, for example, to your past. Only you have placed it there. This does not mean that it always reoccurs. The drama, then, was far from meaningless, and the spirit of Christ, in your terms, is legitimate. It is the probable God-drama that you choose to perceive. There were others that were perceived, but not by you, and there are other such dramas existing now.» — Seth, según Roberts, saca ese drama del pasado y lo llama el dios-drama probable que se eligió percibir

«Jane’s trance had been deep. Her eyes were heavy at break, slow to open. “I knew he was keeping me out until I got a good lot of that material» — Butts anota el trance más largo de Roberts y la frase con que ella lo explicó; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«If you have any intuitive understanding as yet concerning the nature of the entity or whole self, you will see that it has placed you in a position in which certain abilities, insights, and experience can be realized, and in which your unique kind of consciousness can be nurtured. Your slightest experience has far more repercussions within this multidimensional environment than the physical brain can conceive.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye a la entidad la colocación de cada quien donde ciertas capacidades pueden realizarse

«For if you are intensely preoccupied with what may seem to be one infinitesimally minute aspect of reality, and while you seem to be completely embedded within it, only the most “surface” elements of the self are so entranced. I do not like the term “surface” in this regard, though I have used it to suggest the multitudinous portions of the self that are otherwise engaged — some of them as entranced in their reality as you are in yours.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que solo las porciones más superficiales del yo están absortas en esta realidad, y objeta su propia palabra

«God, therefore, is first of all a creator, not of one physical universe but of an» — Seth, según Roberts, hace de dios el creador de una variedad infinita de existencias probables; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«infinite variety of probable existences, far more vast than those aspects of the physical universe with which your scientists are familiar. He did not simply then send a son to live and die on one small planet. He is a part of all probabilities.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, niega que dios haya mandado un hijo a morir en un solo planeta pequeño

«Each of the twelve represented qualities of personality that belong to one» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte entre los doce las características de un solo individuo; el tramo se corta en el límite de plana

«individual, and Christ as you know him represented the inner self. The twelve, therefore, plus Christ as you know him (the one figure composed of the three) represented an individual earthly personality — the inner self — and twelve main characteristics connected with the egotistical self. As Christ was surrounded by the disciples, so the inner self is surrounded by these physically oriented characteristics, each drawn outward toward daily reality on the one hand, and yet orbiting the inner self.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, deja a los doce orbitando al yo interior como las características del yo egotista

«Some choose this rather than reincarnating, or rather as a study before a new reincarnation. These people are often perfectionists at heart. They must go back and create. They must right their errors.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama perfeccionistas de corazón a quienes vuelven sobre la vida pasada; el tramo se corta antes de un compuesto que el renglón parte

«as a canvas, and with the same “canvas,” they attempt a better picture. This is a mental and psychic exercise, undertaken by many, demanding great concentration, and is no more hallucinatory than any existence.» — continuación del tramo anterior: Seth, según Roberts, llama ejercicio mental y psíquico a ese repaso y lo declara tan poco alucinatorio como cualquier existencia

«then it may also bring to the fore the opposite picture, going so far as to identify again with a past personality of the opposite sex.» — Seth, según Roberts, describe la salida del que se sobreidentifica con su sexo presente: identificarse con una personalidad pasada del otro sexo; el tramo se corta antes del compuesto que el renglón parte

«couldn’t explain it very well, even with gestures. “Something like Christ being a central pole, with twelve balls revolving around him but radiating outward at the same time,” she said. “Christ created the twelve….”» — continuación del tramo anterior: Butts recoge la imagen que Roberts vio durante la entrega, con Cristo por eje y doce esferas girando

«So far, Seth has named two out of the three personalities making up the Christ entity — Himself, obviously, and John the Baptist.*» — Butts consigna que Seth se cuenta a sí mismo entre las tres personalidades de la entidad de Cristo, junto con Juan el Bautista

«Now: Whether or not the Crucifixion occurred physically, it was a psychic event, and exists as do all the other events connected with the drama. Many were physical but some were not. The psychic event affected your world quite as much as the physical one, as is obvious. The whole drama occurred as a result of mankind’s need. It was created as a result of that need, grew out of it, but it did not originate within your system of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, deja abierto si la crucifixión ocurrió físicamente y la declara suceso psíquico nacido de la necesidad humana

«Other religions were based upon different dramas, in which ideas were acted out in a way that was comprehensible to various cultures. Unfortunately, the differences between the dramas often led to misunderstandings, and these were used as excuses for wars. These dramas are also privately worked out in the dream state. The God-personified figures first were introduced to man in the dream state, and the way then prepared.» — Seth, según Roberts, atribuye otras religiones a otros dramas y las diferencias entre ellos a pretextos de guerra

«In visions and inspirations, men knew that the Christ drama would be enacted and hence recognized it for what it was when it occurred physically. Its power and strength then returned to the dream universe. It had increased its vigor and intensity through the physical materialization. In private dreams, men then related to the main figures in the drama, and in the dream state they recognized its true import.» — Seth, según Roberts, hace que el drama de Cristo se anunciara en sueños y volviera reforzado al universo onírico

«Now: God is more than the sum of all the probable systems of reality he has created, and yet he is within each one of these, without exception. He is therefore within each man and woman. He is also within each spider, shadow, and frog, and this is what man does not like to admit.» — Seth, según Roberts, coloca a dios dentro de cada araña, sombra y rana, y dice que eso es lo que al hombre le cuesta admitir

«God can only be experienced, and you experience him whether or not you realize it, through your own existence. He is not male or female, however, and I use the terms only for convenience’s sake. In the most inescapable truth, he is not human in your terms at all, nor in your terms is he a personality. Your ideas of personality are too limited to contain the multitudinous facets of his multidimensional existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega sexo y personalidad a dios y admite usar el masculino por comodidad

«On the other hand, he is human, in that he is a portion of each individual; and within the vastness of his experience he holds an “idea-shape” of himself as human, to which you can relate. He literally was made flesh to dwell among you, for he forms your flesh in that he is responsible for the energy that gives vitality and validity to your private multidimensional self, which in turn forms your image in accordance with your own ideas.» — Seth, según Roberts, le reconoce a dios una forma-idea humana con la que se puede tratar, y le atribuye la energía que sostiene el yo multidimensional

«This private multidimensional self, or the soul, has then an eternal validity. It is upheld, supported, maintained by the energy, the inconceivable vitality, of All That Is.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama alma a ese yo multidimensional privado y ata su validez eterna a All That Is

«It cannot be destroyed then, this inner self of yours, nor can it be diminished. It shares in those abilities that are inherent within All That Is. It must, therefore, create as it is created, for this is the great giving that is behind all dimensions of existence, the spilling-over from the fountain of All That Is.» — Seth, según Roberts, obliga al yo interior a crear como fue creado, por desbordamiento de la fuente

«That body of material comes as one pattern, and we shall add others to it. I am finished with dictation.» — Seth, según Roberts, llama patrón único a ese bloque de material y anuncia que añadirá otros

«Just as the session was about to begin at 9:15, Jane said she thought we’d be interrupted somehow, or have visitors. Not fifteen seconds later there was a knock at the door. It was Carl Jones. He teaches a high school course called “Inner and Outer Space,” in a small city in Connecticut; the class uses Jane’s book, The Seth Material, as text. Carl was on his way to a destination near Niagara Falls, New York, for the Thanksgiving holidays.)» — Butts anota que Roberts anunció la visita quince segundos antes de que llamaran, y nombra al maestro que usaba The Seth Material de libro de texto

«And good evening to our friend here, and I will take due note that you (Carl) are smiling this evening. Now: We are going to resume dictation on our book, so (humorously to Carl) you can see an author at work — an authentic ghost writer if you prefer.» — Seth, según Roberts, juega con la palabra *ghost writer* al presentarse ante el visitante como autor en funciones

«I will in due time identify the figure of the third Christ personality. Now, however, I am concerned with the multidimensional aspects of All That Is. Such a reality can only be experienced. There are no facts that can be given that can portray with any faithfulness the attributes of All That Is.» — Seth, según Roberts, aplaza el nombre de la tercera personalidad de Cristo y niega que haya datos que retraten a All That Is

«This reality and those attributes will appear within various systems of actuality in keeping with the camouflage data of any given system. The inner experience with the multidimensional God can come in two main areas. One is through the realization that this prime moving force is within everything that you can perceive with your senses. The other method is to realize that this primary motive force has a reality independent of its connection with the world of appearances.» — Seth, según Roberts, reparte en dos las vías del contacto interior con el dios multidimensional

«All personal contact with the multidimensional God, all legitimate moments of mystic consciousness, will always have a unifying effect. They will not, therefore, isolate the individual involved, but instead will enlarge his perceptions until he will experience the reality and uniqueness of as many other aspects of reality of which he is capable.» — Seth, según Roberts, pone el efecto unificador como marca de todo momento místico legítimo

«He will feel, therefore, less isolated and less set apart. He will not regard himself as being above others because of the experience. On the contrary he will be swept along in a gestalt of comprehension in which he realizes his own oneness with All That Is.» — Seth, según Roberts, niega que la experiencia mística coloque a nadie por encima de los demás

«As there are portions of reality that you do not consciously perceive, and other systems of probability of which you are not consciously aware, so also are there aspects of primary godhood that you cannot at this moment comprehend. There are, therefore, probable gods, each one reflecting in its way the multidimensional aspects of a prime identity so great and dazzling that no one reality form or particular kind of existence could contain it.» — Seth, según Roberts, nombra dioses probables, cada uno reflejo de una identidad primaria que ninguna forma alcanza a contener

«Now it is easier perhaps for some of you to understand the simple stories and parables of beginnings of which I have spoken. But the time has come for mankind to take several steps further, to expand the nature of his own consciousness by trying to comprehend a more profound version of reality.» — Seth, según Roberts, dice que llegó la hora de dejar los relatos sencillos de los comienzos

«You have outgrown the time of children’s tales. When your own thoughts have a form and reality, when they have validity even in other systems of reality of which you are unaware, then it is not difficult to understand why other systems of probabilities are also affected by your own thoughts and emotions — nor why the actions of the probable gods are not affected by what happens in other dimensions of existence.» — Seth, según Roberts, declara superados los cuentos infantiles y ata los dioses probables a lo que pasa en otras dimensiones

«Jane’s pace had been good. After an average-length break an unrecorded interval of material followed, with Seth mainly answering questions for Carl. A few points were mentioned, however, that I later wished I had written down. [This is usually the case when I don’t take notes.] One such point had to do with Seth’s statement that whenever a person thinks strongly about another person, a portion of the “thinker” goes out to the “thought-subject,” etc.» — Butts admite que dejó de tomar notas y que perdió puntos del material, entre ellos el de la porción que sale del que piensa