Contents Abstract Three Perspectives of “Otherworlds” The Seth Material Seth’s “Otherworld” Perspective Enhancing abilities Increasing choice Improving problem solving Global Perspectives and Beyond References

Abstract

Throughout the ages traditional cultures have accepted the idea of “other worlds,” daimonic realities that are neither a part of the material world nor fantasy, and have sought access to these realms for healing and wisdom. With the rise of the modern Western worldview and the Age of Reason these otherworlds were banished to the imagination. Eventually, modern Western psychology sought to access the healing and wisdom of the otherworlds through the unconscious. Recently, otherworlds have found company in the theories of cosmologists who utilize the concept of parallel universes as a foundation for their most basic calculations.

A body of work from the mid-20^th century, known as the Seth Material, may be a bridge for these three disparate worldviews that yet share a common theme of other realms of reality. Like the scientific perspective, this view claims that these worlds are real. Like traditional cultures and modern psychology, it claims that healing and wisdom can be gained by accessing these realms. Key benefits and general ramifications of the effect on humankind of such a bridge perspective are discussed.

Three Perspectives of “Otherworlds”

Most traditional cultures have included in their cosmologies the concept of "other worlds," the realms of magical experiences and divine beings. These worlds are often inhabited by creatures such as gods, angels, spirits, guardians, fairies, and the dead. Throughout the ages earth-bound humans have sought to escape their material chains, to move beyond the flesh and commune in the world of spirit.

Patrick Harpur describes the concept of otherworlds as a “way of knowing and thinking, a way of seeing the world,” which he calls the daimonic tradition (Harpur 2003). The daimonic reality is neither material as we in the Western tradition think of the waking world, nor is it a fantasy of the imagination. It exists in-between, out of space and time, in a realm where “real” does not necessarily mean “literal,” where the irrational is not necessarily unreasonable.

Through the ages humans have accessed these mercurial realms through a variety of practices. Shamans across the globe have used the shamanic journey to travel to the upper and lower worlds to assist the peoples of their tribes. The Ancient Greeks used hypnosis to consult the gods for advice on daily life. Medieval pilgrims visited Purgatory, accessed through a not-so-secret cave in Ireland. Alchemists used the imagination and contemplation to bring the mind closer to God (Harpur 2002).

In the Western world, the 17th century ushered in the increasing primacy of the rational and subsequently did away with the daimonic space, that place between reality and fantasy. “Reason” demanded that we see things literally, through only the five physical senses, and with that demand reason took hold of “fact.” “Truth” now meant “literal,” and only the literal was true (Harpur 2002). In many ways the expansion of the Enlightenment narrowed our worldview, and soon reason was the dominant paradigm, the primary worldview, the “Truth.”

Even in this Western tradition there have remained pockets of people with broader vision – mystics, poets, artists. The Romantic writers of the 19th century saw spiritual realms all around them, and thought for a brief time that they had torn off the blinders of the rational mind (Lachman 2003). However, their visions quickly faded; the hold of rationalism was just too strong, and the paths to the otherworlds continued to erode.

But rationalism couldn't completely do away with the daimonic tradition. With the advent of psychology these otherworlds slipped away into the newly discovered unconscious.

The unconscious was filled with the outcast daimons – except that they did not so much fill it as form it. The modern unconscious was created by the new ego-consciousness’s separation of itself from the rest of the psyche and from the world at large (Harpur 2002).

Today some psychologists use the concept of other realities therapeutically. Perhaps the most common approach is through past life regression, in which the client uses hypnosis to alter his or her state of consciousness and explore past lives for data that will assist in healing an issue or trauma in the current life. Most psychotherapists approach the concept of other lives metaphorically:

Past life therapy, as a rule, does not set out to prove anything. Proof or disproof of reincarnation is strictly the province of parapsychology and research…. The way I work with past life stories and personalities and the framework in which I see them are, as I stated earlier, a means to and end, not an end in themselves (Woolger 1988).

Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, co-founder of transpersonal psychology movement, has studied non-ordinary states of consciousness for several decades. Grof believes his research shows that we can have direct experiences with the spiritual realms:

These experiences fall into two distinct categories. In the first one are experiences of the Immanent Divine; they involve direct perception of unity underlying the world of separation and a realization that what we experience as material reality is actually manifestation of creative cosmic energy. The second category includes experiences of the Transcendental Divine; here we perceive dimensions of reality that are normally hidden to our senses such as visions of deities, or archetypal figures as C.G. Jung would call them, and of various mythological domains [as quoted by] (DiCarlo 1996).

Despite having been tucked away in the unconscious, the concept of otherworlds as “real” has appeared again recently, and in very curious company indeed. No longer the companion of laudanum soaked poets, alternate realities are now hanging out with the right-hand man of rationalism: science.

According to Max Tegmark, physics professor at MIT, the concept of a multiverse – parallel universes in which other versions of “us” exist – is not only plausible, it’s grounded in well-tested scientific theories.

The simplest and most popular cosmological model today predicts that you have a twin in a galaxy about 10 to the 1028 meters from here. This distance is so large that it is beyond astronomical, but that does not make your doppelganger any less real. The estimate is derived from elementary probability and does not even assume speculative modern physics, merely that space is infinite (or at least sufficiently large) in size and almost uniformly filled with matter, as observations indicate. In infinite space, even the most unlikely events must take place somewhere (Tegmark 2003).

Tegmark describes four different types of parallel universes currently being investigated by scientists. The most basic, Level 1, posits that a parallel universe is simply one that is physically so far away that we haven’t seen it yet. This framework is almost universally accepted by researchers, so much so that it is commonly used as a basis for evaluating current cosmological theories. The Level IV multiverse, arguably the most “mind blowing” possibility, exists outside of space and time and includes every possible permutation of universe, including unlimited variations of the laws of physics. The common element in all of these Levels, one through four, is that when a human makes a decision (such as deciding to go left or go right) it “splits” and both (or all) possible events take place, each branching off into a different universe. In other words, there are multiple copies of “you” in existence, playing out every possible life experience:

There are infinitely many other inhabited planets, including not just one but infinitely many that have people with the same appearance, name and memories as you, who play out every possible permutation of your life choices (Tegmark 2003).

All three of these perspectives –  traditional cultures, modern psychology, and current cosmological theories – share the concept of alternate realities, yet approach it from different angels. For traditional cultures, otherworlds were seamlessly woven into daily life, a way to gain wisdom and healing. For psychotherapists too, these realms represent inner knowledge and healing, yet from their perspective these places are metaphoric, an intellectual abstraction and not a part of day-to-day reality. And for scientists alternate universes are a way of explaining the structure of reality, but they have little effect on life as we experience it.

 What is the connection between these three perspectives? Is there something that bridges the immediacy and normalcy of traditional cultures, the therapeutic benefits of both traditional and modern psychology, and the literalness of scientific proof?

A body of work from the latter half of the 20th century, known as the Seth Material, may be a bridge. Weaving together many elements from these seeming disparate viewpoints, the Seth Material lays the groundwork for a perspective that not only holds that we exist in untold universes, but that we can access these worlds using many of the same techniques as traditional cultures. Wrapped within this are the therapeutic benefits offered by modern psychology’s approach to past lives – and more.

The Seth Material

The Seth Material is a body of channeled writings produced by poet Jane Roberts from 1963 until her death in 1984. According to Jon Klimo, channeling is:

 The communication of information to or through a physically embodied human being from a source that is said to exist on some other level or dimension of reality than the physical self as we know it, and that is not from the normal mind (or self) of the channel (Klimo 1987).

There appears to be no real consensus among researchers as to the authenticity of channeling phenomena. There are those who firmly believe any evidence of communication from “beyond” can be explained in some other way (usually by pathologising the channel); those who think the evidence is intriguing but are non-committal; and those who think there are instances where the evidence is good enough to warrant the authenticity of some cases (Tishken 1998).

The Seth Material was channeled through Roberts from an “energy essence personality” beyond her physical or mental self, called “Seth” (Roberts 1970).Before her death she published over 20 books, with an additional 15+ published posthumously. Some of these titles were purportedly written word-for-word by Seth in twice weekly sessions while Roberts was in trance. Other books were written by Roberts and focus on her experiences of exploring the psyche and consciousness. From this she developed a framework she called aspect psychology, in which she proposed an expansive view of the human psyche, one that includes experiences usually ignored or pathologised by traditional Western psychology (such as channeling and out-of-body experiences). All of her channeled work, documentation of explorations into the nature of consciousness, journals, and related personal material are now archived at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University.[1]

It is not my intention to attempt to prove or disprove the authenticity of channeling in this paper. Jane Roberts herself struggled with understanding her experiences, and spent many years wrestling with the question of whether Seth was indeed a separate “being,” or was instead an element of her unconscious mind.[2] My intention in the remainder of this paper is to explore one of the main concepts of this body of work – that of alternate realities – and to discuss the implications such a concept might have in the sphere of human activity. How might it affect daily life? In keeping with how Roberts published the work, I will refer to “Seth” as an independent entity and quote him directly.

Seth’s “Otherworld” Perspective

Over the course of 20 years of communicating through Roberts, Seth’s discourse cut a wide swath. It’s difficult to categorize the work with a specific label as it covers a broad range of topics including philosophy, cosmology, psychology, spirituality and metaphysics. While the Seth Material shares many of the perspectives of the world’s wisdom traditions, there are also some significant differences.  It is a deep and nuanced worldview and far too broad to go into in this short paper. However, a key component of the Sethian perspective is pertinent to this discussion: humans are more than physical entities; we are multidimensional beings, living many lives across and beyond time and space (Roberts 1970; Roberts and Seth 1972; Roberts and Seth 1974; Roberts 1975; Roberts and Seth 1977). This perspective incorporates the concept of reincarnation and yet expands it with the motion of “probable realities,” parallel universes in which different versions of our “selves” exist.

In Seth’s view, we can connect with these otherworlds and make use of the experiences and knowledge that our “selves” hold. In this view, not only do other universes exist, they are actually useful. Seth contends that the human race can make an evolutionary leap of consciousness if we acknowledge the existence of alternate realities and open ourselves up to them.

There are, then, probabilities quite present, and for that matter biologically practical, that would allow for a change in individual consciousness so great as literally to propel the race into another level of experience entirely (Roberts and Seth 1977).

Seth’s perspective on “probabilities” is quite daimonic. Though, like modern cosmologists, he believes them to be “real,” he states that we will never find them with technology or scientific instruments. They exist in a realm beyond space and time as we experience it, and the only way to interact with them is through inner technologies – dreamwork, altered states of consciousness, intuitions, etc.

If you want to ‘discover’ how things work, then your journey must eventually lead you into the dimensions that lie within the world you know. You must therefore explore the psyche, the living consciousness. It will lead you to the withinness (Roberts and Seth 1977).

Seth is quite clear: otherworlds are not a product of fantasy. “. . .I am not speaking of some symbolic potion of the personality structure, or using the idea of probabilities as an analogy (Roberts and Seth 1977) [p. 18].” From his viewpoint, to approach otherworlds as metaphor is half-baked. In order for the human race to take the fullest advantage of our potential we must each explore these realms, to learn personally about their “truths,” to come to understand that this is not fantasy but just another aspect of reality – and one that is quite useful to us.

How might such a belief benefit us? Why should we go to the trouble of exploring the possibility of alternate realities? Are the therapeutic benefits of metaphoric “past lives” not enough? Several key themes arise in the Seth Material that help to elucidate the benefits of seeking these daimonic realms. I’ll explore three of the most practical ideas which can benefit any individual. They are: enhancing abilities, increasing choice, and improving problem solving.

Enhancing abilities

One of Seth’s main claims is that by accessing information from other lives we can enhance and expand our abilities in this reality:

A knowledge of the ideas of multipersonhood could help you realize that you have available many abilities not being used, latent to you but still important in your entire identity, and significant enough to you personally to be developed (Roberts and Seth 1977).

In his view, each of our “selves” is developing capabilities and competencies, just as we are in this reality. By connecting with the life experiences of our other selves we can make use of their learning and knowledge. We can attempt things we’ve never tried before and perhaps learn more quickly due to the efforts of our parallel selves. “[Abilities] are being developed in another reality; therefore in this one they can be utilized far easier than you might suppose. (Roberts and Seth 1977) [p. 44]”

Do you have a desire to learn piano? Perhaps there is a you out there somewhere who is tickling the ivories even now, and by tuning into that person you can open a rich new path in this life. We could also further hone aspects of ourselves that are already somewhat filled out. Would you like to take your piano playing to the next level? Then tune into that virtuoso who is playing Carnegie Hall.

Though these examples may sound a little flip, there are actually weightier implications of such abilities. The research of Dr. Ian Stevenson shows evidence that young children have memories of past lives (some of which Stevenson has been able to validate and verify), but the vast majority of these children lose these memories by the age of five [are reported by] (Bowman 2001). What if we could assist children in maintaining access to these other lives? Would past knowledge make learning in this life easier? Could less time be spent on rudimentary subjects, things that are in essence simply review, and more focus put on richer aspects of learning?

Perhaps so-called Renaissance men such as Leonardo da Vinci connected with aspects of themselves that allowed them to be “more.” The old wives tale claiming that we use only 5% of our brains could be true. Seth states:

Further developments in your concepts [of probable realities] will lead to greater activation in portions of the brain now not nearly utilized, and these in turn will trigger expansions in both psychic and biological terms (Roberts and Seth 1977).

Though in this quote I believe Seth used the word “psychic” to refer to the psyche, this statement also has interesting implications from a paranormal perspective. Are so-called psi phenomenon such as ESP, out-of-body experiences, audio- and clairsentience, and instances of synchronicity and coincidence examples of our ability to connect with other portions of ourselves? It is conceivable that people with a multi-world perspective have more “muscle” with which to navigate life. By accessing these other portions of our selves we can strengthen our abilities and open avenues not currently being used, thereby consciously giving ourselves access to many more ways of “being” in the world.

Increasing choice

Research shows that our perceptions about reality affect our ability to see opportunity in our lives (Wiseman 2003). We tend to see only that which our beliefs tell us we will see, and with a limited perspective we can fail to notice prospects that will increase our wellbeing. Psychologist Richard Wiseman has shown that people with a belief in luck constantly avail themselves to opportunities that self-described unlucky people literally don’t see. When their omission is pointed out the “unlucky” invariably agree that if they had seen the option they likely would have chosen it. (Wiseman 2003)

An awareness of alternate realms dramatically broadens our scope of choice. By opening to greater possibilities we literally and figuratively open our eyes to new universes and can envision a more expansive range of choices for the current life experience. Seth states:

The conscious mind as you normally think of it directs your overall action, and its ideas determine the kind of selectivity you use. It is for this reason that I am trying to expand your conscious ideas, so that you become better equipped to choose your line of physical experience from all those probable ones open to you (Roberts and Seth 1977).

One could ask, why is the multitude of possibilities available to us in this life alone not enough? Aren’t we already overwhelmed with choices, swamped by options and inundated with information? What benefit is there in opening up to the even greater potential encompassed by the concept of other lives?

Similar questions surround the scientific theories of multiple universes addressed earlier in this paper. As Tegmark points out, the complexity of all those Levels of reality seems to defy Occam’s Razor (Tegmark 2003). The answer to those who feel overwhelmed and to Occam may lie somewhere between math and metaphysics.

According to Tegmark, “an entire ensemble is often much simpler than one of its members (Tegmark 2003).” Among his examples is that of Einstein’s field equations: it takes just a few equations to describe the entire set of solutions, while to describe a single solution (a very small part of the whole) can require “vast amount of initial data.” Tegmark explains that the seemingly increased complexity encountered moving up from a Level 1 multiverse to a Level 4 (as described earlier) is essentially simpler, as each “step up” actually requires less information to describe it accurately.

 The lesson is that complexity increases when we restrict our attention to one particular element in an ensemble, thereby losing the symmetry and simplicity that were inherent in the totality of all the elements taking together  (Tegmark 2003).

Tegmark is saying that perspective plays a key role determining the complexity of a situation. The role of perspective is also vitally important when applied to the notion of probabilities. The concept of multiple lives implies some connective feature, an overarching umbrella system, an organizational body or whole that encompasses the many parts. Seth’s viewpoint, like many spiritual traditions, maintains the existence of a “higher self,” from which our known self, our ego consciousness, springs (Roberts 1970; Roberts and Seth 1972; Roberts and Seth 1974; Roberts and Seth 1977; Roberts and Seth 1979) []. From the perspective of this source self, the complexity of our day-to-day lives disappears. Rather like viewing the Earth from space, the larger picture reveals a very different set of relationships and a symmetry that isn’t visible when a single component is examined separately.

Seth indicates that our ego consciousness enters this life with a general plan, a “blueprint” of what this life experience will entail (Roberts and Seth 1977). Opening up to alternate realties also opens us to increased knowledge of our life’s blueprint. By connecting with the intentions of the source self through the experiences of other selves we can illuminate our path in this lifetime.

With this perspective we can actually reduce the level of complexity in our day-to-day lives. By seeing the forest for the trees, we have an opportunity to prune those elements of our life that impede our goals and progress. We can see patterns and themes not noticeable from a single-life perspective, but obvious when viewed across multiple realities. Much of the pettiness and distractions of daily life could be released, allowing us to focus on that which is most important. More choices are actually simpler choices.

Improving problem solving

Even in a simplified life, one encounters obstacles. In a multiple-world view, for every issue faced in this life, there is conceivably a person in another universe who has already resolved that issue. One could make use of the efforts of that successful person for a faster and more thorough resolution in this life. For example, a person who has a weight problem could tune into the wisdom of an alternate self who has overcome this problem. Sharing in the resources of that life could open one to a broader range of possible solutions. Additionally, one could tune into a self who has never had the problem at all, a self who is naturally slender, who has the physical and mental habits that could benefit the larger person in this world. By connecting with the naturally slender person, those habits may be more easily incorporated into the current heavier life.

As mentioned earlier, some mental health practitioners use the concept of past lives to assist their clients in moving through a range of issues in this life (depression, anger, motivation… the list of applicable topics is seemingly endless) (Woolger 1988). Most practitioners are likely to agree with Dr. Brian Weiss, a Yale and Columbia trained psychiatrist with over 25 years of private practice, who believes it is not necessary for the patient to believe in past lives to gain therapeutic benefit (Weiss 2004).

Seth states that a comprehension of otherworlds is necessary if we want to make the best use of the information: “Your concepts of personhood are now limiting you personally and en masse…” (Roberts and Seth 1977) [p. xxxi]. By opening to the concept of multidimensional lives we could conceivably access the more “advanced” portions of ourselves, elements that might assist in guiding us. According to Seth, we each have a sort of private oracle, an aspect of ourselves that “deals intimately with probabilities” (Roberts and Seth 1977) [p. 210], and that our current understanding, which focuses on a single life/single world model, blinds us from information that could help us navigate our experiences. Like the inhabitants of Plato’s cave, we focus too narrowly on the shadows, believing they are the full reality of our world; with a turn of the head we can greatly expand our perspective and perhaps come to learn what is animating those shadows to begin with.

Though disagreeing with Seth about the degree to which belief in the validity of other lives plays a role in problem solving, Weiss may be one of the few psychologists that agrees that future lives can play a role in resolving issues in this life. Weiss often uses future life progression with his clients and affirms its usefulness in helping people to make better choices in their lives:

I had come to learn that past, present and future are one, and that what happens in the future can influence the present, just as the past influences it . . . We can go into the future if it’s done wisely. The future, whether near or far, can be our guide. The future may be feeding back into the present to influence us now into making better choices and decisions. We can change what we’re doing now based on feedback from the future, and that changes our future’s in a more positive direction (Weiss 2004).

Like mental tools such as visualization and guided meditation, both regression and progression use the facility of imagery to assist a person in moving toward a desired goal or resolution. The concept of other realities expands the playing field for all of these processes; one is not limited to scenarios that must align with the circumstances and history of “this” life, but can envision possibilities that literally cross the bounds of space and time. From a Sethian perspective (one that believes that otherworlds exists, and that our desired realities are on some level already “real”), mental imagery can gain even more power. The “reality” of otherworlds allows us to open up to a landscape of increased personal magic and high-octane imagination which can perhaps bring our dreams into reality even more quickly.  What seemingly impossible solutions might suddenly become more probable with the idea that they have already happened in another sphere of reality?

Global Perspectives and Beyond

While the possible benefits of accessing other realities addressed here (enhanced abilities, increased choice, and improved problem solving) focus on the experience of the individual, there are also broader ramifications. “Other realities” are not limited to 3-dimensional worlds of humans. We could conceivably explore the realm of a cancer cell, enhancing knowledge gained by scientific endeavors with direct experience that could provide information not accessible by physical tools and processes. We could experience the lives of animals and plants, accessing the same wisdom that served traditional cultures so well through the ages. These connections would foster a deeper understanding of our relationship to planet Earth, enhancing our desire to treat her well. Journeys to other universes in which humankind has made different choices could inspire visions for alternative forms of energy and other ways to tread more lightly on our home (for though cosmologists predict a twin galaxy (Tegmark 2003), without mind boggling advances in technology, we can’t move there anytime soon; it behooves us to take care of the planet we’re on).

Can these realities really enhance our day-to-day lives? Can accessing them have a global impact? Will, as Seth contends, exploring them make a “change in individual consciousness so great as literally to propel the race into another level of experience entirely? (Roberts and Seth 1977) [p. xxxi]”

Ultimately, the only way to prove or disprove the benefits of the concept of alternate realities is through experience. While we have some information from the perspectives addressed here (those of traditional cultures, modern Western psychology, current scientific theories, and Seth) these are only jumping off points. We need to know how people in the world today, people from a broad range of backgrounds and cultures, can make use of this information. We must move beyond limited notions that these realms are only open to specialists, whether shaman or psychologist, and democratize the inner realms. It is time for the individual to commence explorations.

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