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The ''Seth Material'' is a collection of writing dictated by Jane Roberts to her husband from late 1963 until her death in 1984. Roberts claimed the words were spoken by a discarnate entity named Seth. The material is regarded as one of the cornerstones of
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
philosophy, and the most influential channelled text of the post–World War II "New Age" movement, after the
Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce (; March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American clairvoyant who claimed to diagnose diseases and recommend treatments for ailments while asleep. During thousands of transcribed sessions, Cayce would answer questions on ...
books and '' A Course in Miracles''. Jon Klimo writes that the Seth books were instrumental in bringing the idea of channeling to a broad public audience. According to scholar of religion Catherine Albanese, the 1970 release of the book ''The Seth Material'' "launched an era of nationwide awareness... f cmmunication with other-than-human entities... contributing to the self-identity of an emergent New Age movement". Study groups formed in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to work with the ''Seth Material,''Larson, Bob. ''Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality''. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2004, p. 484. and now are found around the world, as well as numerous websites and online groups in several languages, as various titles have been translated into Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Dutch and Arabic. John P. Newport, in his study of the influence of New Age beliefs, described the central focus of the ''Seth Material'' as the idea that each individual creates his or her own reality, a foundational concept of the New Age movement first articulated in the ''Seth Material''.Newport, John P. ''The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing 1998, p. 165.


History

In late 1963, Jane Roberts and her husband, Robert Butts, experimented with a
ouija The Ouija ( , ), also known as a Ouija board, spirit board, talking board, or witch board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", and occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along ...
board as part of Roberts's research for a book on
extra-sensory perception Extrasensory perception (ESP), also known as a sixth sense, or cryptaesthesia, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was ado ...
. Roberts and Butts claimed that they began to receive coherent messages from a male personality on December 2, 1963, who later identified himself as Seth. Soon after, Roberts reported that she was hearing the messages in her head. She began to dictate the messages instead of using the Ouija board, and the board was eventually abandoned. For 21 years until Roberts's death in 1984 (with a one-year hiatus due to her final illness), Roberts held regular sessions in which she went into a trance and purportedly spoke on behalf of Seth. According to Roberts, Seth described himself as an "energy personality essence no longer focused in physical matter" who was independent of Roberts's
subconscious In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness. The term was already popularized in the early 20th century in areas ranging from psychology, religion and spirituality. The concept was heavily popu ...
, although Roberts expressed skepticism as to Seth's origins, frequently referring to Seth's statements as "theories". Roberts claimed that Seth indicated he had completed his earthly
reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...
s and was speaking from an adjacent plane of existence. The Seth personality described himself as a "teacher", and said: "this material has been given by himself and others in other times and places, but that it is given again, in new ways, for each succeeding generation through the centuries." Unlike the psychic
Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce (; March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American clairvoyant who claimed to diagnose diseases and recommend treatments for ailments while asleep. During thousands of transcribed sessions, Cayce would answer questions on ...
, whose
syntax In linguistics, syntax ( ) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituenc ...
when speaking in trance was antiquated and convoluted, Roberts's syntax and sentence structures were modern and clear when speaking as Seth. Roberts often sat in a rocking chair during sessions, and she would occasionally smoke cigarettes and sip beer or wine. Afterwards, she claimed to not remember the contents of the session, and she would often read the transcript or ask what Seth had said.


Summary

The core teachings of the ''Seth Material'' are based on the principle that consciousness creates matter, that each person creates his or her own reality through thoughts, beliefs and expectations, and that the "point of power" through which the individual can affect change is in the present moment. It discusses a wide range of metaphysical concepts, including the nature of
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
(referred to as "All That Is" and "The Multidimensional God"); the nature of physical reality; the origins of the
universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
; the nature of the self and the "higher self"; the story of
Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
;Fuller, Robert C. ''Spiritual, But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America''. Oxford University Press 2001, p. 60. the evolution of the soul and all aspects of death and rebirth, including
reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...
and
karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
, past lives, after-death experiences, "guardian spirits", and ascension to planes of "higher consciousness"; the purpose of life; the nature of good and evil; the purpose of suffering; multidimensional reality, parallel lives; and transpersonal realms.


Nature of the self

According to the ''Seth Material'', the entire self or "entity" is a
gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's exp ...
consisting of the inner self, various selves that the entity has assumed through past existences (physical and non-physical), plus all the currently incarnated selves and all their probable counterparts. Reincarnation is included as a core principle.
Wouter Hanegraaff Wouter Jacobus Hanegraaff (born 10 April 1961) is professor of the History of Hermetic Philosophy and related currents at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. He served as the first president of the European Society for the Study of West ...
, Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy, University of Amsterdam, says that these ideas have been influential to other
new age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
authors (some of whom use the term "higher self" to refer to the same concept), and that Roberts's terminology has been adopted by some of those authors. Hanegraaff says that Seth uses various terms to refer to the concept of the "self", including "entity", "whole self", "gestalt", and "(over)soul".


Reality

''The Seth Material'' says that all individuals create their own circumstances and experiences within the shared earthly environment, similar to the doctrine of responsibility assumption. This concept is expressed in the phrase "you create your own reality", which may have originated with the Seth readings. The inner self, or inner ego, is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the individual's physical body and immediate physical environment, and the unfolding of events is determined by the expectations, attitudes and beliefs of the outer ego, that portion of the self that human beings know as themselves. "If you want to change your world, you must first change your thoughts, expectations, and beliefs." Or, more succinctly: "You get what you concentrate upon. There is no other main rule". The books discuss the idea that a living network of
panpsychism In philosophy of mind, panpsychism () is the view that the mind or a mind-like aspect is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of reality. It is also described as a theory that "the mind is a fundamental feature of the world which exists throug ...
constructs and maintains the physical environment via the inner selves of the individual occupants (including both living and inert matter). The inner selves project, ''en masse'', a pattern for physical reality that is then filled with energy, as needed, by each individual. All events are also produced in the same manner.


Complete writings of Jane Roberts

Books: * (1966). ''How To Develop Your ESP Power''. Publisher: Federick Fell. (Later retitled and reprinted as ''The Coming of Seth''.) . * (1970). ''The Seth Material''. Reprinted, 2001 by New Awareness Network. . * (1972). ''Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul''. Reprinted 1994 by Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (1974). ''The Nature of Personal Reality''. Prentice-Hall. Reprinted 1994, Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (1975). ''Adventures in Consciousness: An Introduction to Aspect Psychology''. Prentice-Hall. . * (1975). ''Dialogues of the Soul and Mortal Self in Time''. Prentice-Hall. . Poetry. * (1976). ''Psychic Politics: An Aspect Psychology Book''. Prentice-Hall. . * (1977). ''The "Unknown" Reality'' Vol. 1. Prentice-Hall. Reprinted 1997, Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (1979). ''The "Unknown" Reality'' Vol. 2. Prentice-Hall. Reprinted 1997, Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (1977). ''The World View of Paul Cézanne: A Psychic Interpretation''. Prentice-Hall. . * (1978). ''The Afterdeath Journal of An American Philosopher: The World View of William James.'' Prentice-Hall. . * (1979). ''Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers''. Prentice-Hall. . Children's literature. * (1979). ''The Nature of the Psyche: Its Human Expression''. Prentice-Hall. Reprinted 1996, Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (1981). ''The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events''. Prentice-Hall, . Reprinted 1994, Amber-Allen Publishing, . * (1995). '' The Oversoul Seven Trilogy''. Amber-Allen Publishing. . Edition: Paperback; May 1, 1995 (originally published as three separate books: ''The Education of Oversoul 7'' (1973); ''The Further Education of Oversoul Seven'' (1979); ''Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time'' (1984)). * (1981). ''The God of Jane: A Psychic Manifesto''. Prentice-Hall. . Reprinted 2000, Moment Point Press. . * (1982). ''If We Live Again, Or, Public Magic and Private Love''. Prentice-Hall. . Poetry. * (1986). ''Dreams, Evolution and Value Fulfillment''. Prentice-Hall, two volumes, and . * (1986). ''Seth, Dreams and Projections of Consciousness''. Stillpoint Publishing. * (1993). ''A Seth Reader''. Vernal Equinox Press. Compendium edited by Richard Roberts. . * (1995). ''The Magical Approach : Seth Speaks About the Art of Creative Living''. Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (1997). ''The Way Toward Health''. Robert F. Butts (Foreword), Amber-Allen Publishing. . * (2006). ''The World View of Rembrandt''. New Awareness Network. . * (1997 and after). ''The Early Sessions'' (Sessions 1 through 510 of the Seth Material). New Awareness Network. Edited by Robert Butts. Nine volumes. . * (2003). ''The Personal Sessions''. New Awareness Network. Deleted session material. Seven volumes. . * ''The Early Class Sessions''. New Awareness Network. Four volumes. Short stories and novellas: *"Prayer of a Wiser People" in ''Profile'', 1950. *"The Red Wagon" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1956 (republished 1993, Reality Change Magazine; anthologized in 1975, ''Ladies of Fantasy''). *"The Canvas Pyramid" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1957 (French edition, 1958). *"First Communion" in ''Fantastic Universe'', 1957. *"The Chestnut Beads" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1957 (French edition, 1958; anthologized in ''Triple W: Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves'', 1963). *"The Bundu" (novella) in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1958. *"A Demon at Devotions" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1958 (reprinted in ''Reality Change Magazine'', Winter 1994). *"Nightmare" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1959. *"Impasse" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1959 (Spanish anthology edition ca. 1960). *"Three Times Around" in ''Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', 1964 (anthologized in Earth Invaded, 1982). *"The Big Freeze" in Dude, 1965 (reprinted in ''Reality Change Magazine'', Summer 1994). *"The Mission," purchased by ''Topper'' magazine in August, 1965. (Publication not yet confirmed.) Poetry: *"Time" in ''The Saratogian'' aratoga Springs, NY 1947 Mar 19. *"Enigma" in ''The Saratogian'', 1947 Mar 19. *"Spring Gaiety" in ''The Saratogian'', 1947 Apr 26. *"Rain" in ''Profile'' kidmore College literary magazine December, 1947. *"Pretense" in ''Profile'', December, 1947. *"Code" in ''Profile'', December, 1947. *"Skyscrapers" in ''Profile'', December, 1947. *"Introvert" in ''Profile'', May, 1948. *"Poem" in ''Profile'', May, 1948. *"How Public Like a Frog" in ''Profile'', Fall, 1948. *"Motorcycle Ride" in ''Profile'', Fall, 1948. *"Echo" in ''Profile'', May, 1949. *"Death Stood at the Door" in ''Profile'', May, 1949. *"Compromise" in ''Profile'', May, 1949. *"I Shall Die in the Springtime." ''Patterns''. v.1, n.1, October 1954. *"Lyric" ''Patterns''. v.1, n.1, October 1954. *"Matilda" in ''Quicksilver'', Spring, 1960. *"It is Springtime, Grandfather." ''Epos''., v.12, n.3, Spring 1961. *"The Familiar." ''Bitterroot''. v.1, n.2, Winter 1962. *"I Saw a Hand" in ''Treasures of Parnassus: Best Poems of 1962'', Young Publications, 1962 (reprinted in The ''Elmira Star-Gazette'', 1962). *"My Grandfather's World." ''Epos''. v.14, n.3, Spring 1963. *"Lullaby." ''Epos''. v.14, n.3, Spring 1963. *"Beware, October." ''Epos''. v.16, n.1, Fall 1964. *"This Wrist, This Hand." ''Epos''. v.16, n.4, Summer 1965. *"The Game." ''New Lantern Club Review''. n.2, Summer 1965. *"The Flowers." ''Steppenwolf''. n.1, Winter 1965–1966. *"Vision." ''Dust/9''. v.3, n.1, Fall 1966. *"Who Whispers Yes." ''Dust/12''. v.3, n.4, Spring 1969. *"Hi, Low, and Psycho." Excerpts published in ''Reality Change'', Third Quarter, 1996. Seth Material-related works from other authors: * Gellis, Barrie (2025). ''2nd Edition Seth Material Q&A: The Spiritual Inner Journey of Self-Awareness: Original Seth Class Member Answers Your Questions''. ISBN 9798307337196 * Cobban, James (2022 ). ''Nursery of the Gods: The Consciousness Paradigm, or the Science of Seth''. . * Cobban, James (2023). ''Nursery of the Gods, Volume Two: Earth as a Training System''. . * Watkins, Susan M. ''Conversations with Seth''. Moment Point Press, 2005, 2006, two volumes. and original version published: Vol. 1 (1980), Vol 2 (1981). * O’Keefe, Chiron (2023). ''An Emerging Soul’s Guide to Awareness: Seth, Mysticism, and the Journey of Life''. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (1993). ''Beyond the Winning Streak: Using Conscious Creation to Consistently Win at Life''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (1995). ''Ten Thousand Whispers: A Guide to Conscious Creation''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (1997). ''The Wizards of Consciousness: Making the Imponderable Practical''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (2001). ''The Book of Fallacies: A Little Primer of New Thought''. Moment Point Press. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (2012). ''Living a Safe Universe: A Book for Seth Readers''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (2013). ''Living a Safe Universe, Vol. 2: A Book for Seth Readers''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (2014). ''Living a Safe Universe, Vol. 3: A Book for Seth Readers''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Dahl, Lynda Madden (2015). ''Living a Safe Universe, Vol. 4: Seth and Psychic Health''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Friedman, Norman (1994). ''Bridging Science and Spirit: Common Elements in David Bohm's Physics, The Perennial Philosophy and Seth''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Friedman, Norman (1997). ''The Hidden Domain: Home of the Quantum Wave Function, Nature's Creative Source''. The Woodbridge Group. . * Stack, Rick. ''Out-Of-Body Adventures : 30 days to the Most Exciting Experience of Your Life''. Contemporary Books. . * Ashley, Nancy. ''Create Your Own Reality : A Seth Workbook''. Prentice-Hall Press, 1984. . * Ashley, Nancy. ''Create Your Own Happiness: A Seth Workbook''. Prentice-Hall Press, 1988. . * Ashley, Nancy. ''Create Your Own Dreams: A Seth Workbook''. Prentice-Hall Press, 1990. . * Watkins, Susan M. ''Speaking of Jane Roberts: Remembering the Author of the Seth Material''. Moment Point Press, 2001. . * Hsu, Tien-Sheng. ''The Secret to Healing Cancer: A Chinese Psychiatrist and Family Doctor Presents His Amazing Method For Curing Cancer Through Psychological and Spiritual Growth''. New Awareness Network, 2011. . * Kendall, Richard. ''The Road To Elmira, Volume 1 : A former student of Jane Roberts recounts his experiences while attending Jane's classes''. Rich Kendall Books, 2011. ; . * Helfrich, Paul M. ''Seth: The Ultimate Guide''. New World View Publishing, 2010. .


Relationship with Christianity

According to the ''Seth Material'',
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
exists as part of the Christ entity, a highly evolved entity who exists in many systems of reality. At the time of Christ, the Christ entity incarnated as three individuals:
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
,
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
of
Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...
, and Paul or Saul of Tarsus.


Other authorship claims

Other authors have written material they claimed was channeled from Seth, especially after Roberts's death. These included Thomas Massari, who founded the Seth-Hermes Foundation and said he had channeled Seth as early as 1972; and Jean Loomis, director of the Aquarian Center in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. However, in the introduction to the first book written about Seth, he is said to have conveyed that "communications will come exclusively through Ruburt eth's name for Janeat all times, to protect the integrity of the material". In ''The Seth Material'', Roberts wrote: "Several people have told me that Seth communicated with them through automatic writing, but Seth denies any such contacts."


Criticism

Charles Upton in his book ''The System of Antichrist'', argues that the reason Jane Roberts multiplies the self in many ways is due to a fear of death, and that the Seth texts are based on a misunderstanding of both Christianity and Eastern religions. The implied influences of Eastern mysticism and philosophy are also highlighted in ''Astrology and Psychic Phenomena'' by Terry Holley, E Calvin Beisner and Robert M Bowman Jr, who say, "Husband Robert Butts admitted that similarities exist between Seth's ideas and those of various religious, philosophical, and mystical doctrines from the Near, Middle, or Far East . . . and we've done a little reading on Buddhism, Hinduism, Zen, and Taoism, for example, not to mention subjects like shamanism, voodooism, and obeah." According to Robert C. Fuller, Seth filled the role of guide for what Fuller called "unchurched American spirituality," including the topics of
reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...
,
karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
,
free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...
, ancient metaphysical wisdom, and "Christ consciousness."Fuller, Robert C. ''Spiritual, But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America''. Oxford University Press 2001, p. 60.
James Alcock James E. Alcock (born 24 December 1942) is Professor emeritus (Psychology) at York University (Canada). Alcock is a noted critic of parapsychology and a Fellow and Member of the Executive Council for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is a m ...
wrote "there seems little need to consider the involvement of any supernatural agency." Psychologist Paul Cunningham of Rivier University, New Hampshire, analyzed the case of Jane Roberts in his 2010 paper "The Problem of Seth's Origin", concluding that "fraud and
cryptomnesia Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original. It is a memory bias whereby a person may falsely recall generating a thought, an idea, a tune ...
are highly improbable explanations" and suggesting that to "emphasize and expect fraud and trickery ... is essentially a misleading, though culturally expectable, response" to such cases.Paul F. Cunningham, Ph.D., Rivier University, New Hampshire, "The Problem of Seth's Origin: A Case Study of the Trance-Possession Mediumship of Jane Roberts

/ref>


See also

* Biocentric universe *
Counterpart theory In philosophy, specifically in the area of metaphysics, counterpart theory is an alternative to standard ( Kripkean) possible-worlds semantics for interpreting quantified modal logic. Counterpart theory still presupposes possible worlds, but differ ...
*
Modal realism Modal realism is the view propounded by the philosopher David Lewis that all possible worlds are real in the same way as is the actual world: they are "of a kind with this world of ours." It states that possible worlds exist, possible worlds are ...
*
Idealism Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysics, metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, Spirit (vital essence), spirit, or ...
* Many-minds interpretation *
Brane cosmology Brane cosmology refers to several theories in particle physics and cosmology related to string theory, superstring theory and M-theory. Brane and bulk The central idea is that the visible, four-dimensional spacetime is restricted to a brane i ...
* J. B. Priestley's ''Time Plays''


References


External links


Guide to the Jane Roberts Papers, Manuscripts and Archives
Yale University Library Archival Collection includes both published and unpublished materials

Index to the Early Sessions
Seth Learning Center
An overview of titles and related audio clips, New Awareness Network {{authority control Channelled texts Reincarnation Paranormal Works by Jane Roberts