Book challenging religious dogma hits the mark

Seth, a spirit intelligence channeled by the late Jane Roberts finds himself alongside luminaries in every genre of learning at the distinguished Yale Archives. Seth, you see, is just that good. The Seth Material launched a series of books by Roberts, a pioneer in the new Age movement. Roberts, a writer, encountered Seth, while dabbling with the notorious Ouija board—opening a vista of learning that mesmerised the learned, and, of course, repulsed those trapped within the human boundaries of religious thought.

After the “Ouija” experience, Seth began transmitting messages through Roberts that were transcribed by her husband, Rob. The crux of Seth’s message is that we create our realities. It is a philosophy that attaches power to the mind and its unfathomable range of power. Seth posits that we are creators—that our lot in life is a product of our thoughts and beliefs. Unfortunately, we poison ourselves—creating hell on earth through fear, resentment, hate, self-pity, and doubt. Our plight worsens, and compounds when we harbor these feelings.

Every calamity or so-called evil that befalls us are from our own hands—our minds, so to speak. Hate breeds hate, violence begets violence, and so on, and so on. Then again, this “evil” has an instructive, beneficial side—a point that is painfully indisputable. If only we understood the immutability of this law, we would adjust our thought patterns and be creators—refashioning our destiny.

Seth’s argument is congruous when we examine his definition of God whom he refers to as “All that is,” or the “Supreme Energy Gestalt,” that, infuses in all Its creation—part of Itself. Translation: We are replicas of God. We are gods—creators of our world through our thoughts. This is our spiritual DNA and we cannot divorce our self from this Truth. Seth gets more provocative—pushing the envelope. He challenges us to reexamine our nature. No, we are not singular beings who die once—to be judged by a fundamentalist God.

We are multidimensional—and our present identity—is a part of many selves, “living” simultaneously on many dimensions and probable realities. Here, Seth veers into the path of the physicist—and the emerging field of quantum physics. We can become aware of our many selves—which, like our present worldly identity is learning and healing (sometimes through the dream state). Our incarnations have been many, according to Seth. And of metempsychosis (reincarnation theory that does not hold that man devolves)—Seth is unequivocal—his language, mystifying: “The human being does not erupt into existence at birth and laboriously then begin its first attempt to gain experience. If this were the case, you would still be back in the Stone Age.

“And the corollary: “You will reincarnate whether or not you believe that you will. It is much easier if your theories fit reality, but if they do not, you will not change the nature of reincarnation one iota.” Of the perennial intrigue surrounding death, Seth bucks tradition, again. He elucidates that death is but a temporary suspension of conscious reality—into another realm. It isn’t unique—in that we sometimes experience this sensation—inadvertently, as we shift our consciousness away from the physical.

In fact, we experience the death process—outside (in nature), and in ourselves, as cells die constantly and are regenerated. And of heaven and hell Seth uses the term “hallucinatory” to describe our state—as we become actors in our belief systems and expectations. So by our relative truths we bring forth angels and demons; ecstatic and hellish states—if only for a period, as we are later, counseled by spirit guides who are called Speakers in a later book. Unmistakably, Seth is controversial—piercing religious dogma—even challenging the crux of Christendom—the crucifixion and salvation—as dramas played out through history in every religious expression—and consistent with the mental construct of this dimension.

Yes, Seth provokes us—to think, or, rather, rethink—to reconfigure our thoughts, so that we can understand our indestructible and evolving essence—really—the eternal validity of our soul. The Seth Material is compelling, transfixing, and empowering. Of course, Seth himself will be dismissed as a fiend from hell, if only for disturbing our well fortified comfort zones. But what’s new? Traditional religions (defenders of ideals through violence)—and the myriad of sects they have spawned, are “quick-draws” in labeling as “evil,” other doctrines—while leading millions down a path of mental paralysis.

I mean, just look at the world—very much their creation. Need I go further?

• Dr Glenville Ashby
New York correspondent
The Guardian Media group