Friday, October 01, 2005 
Birthday Issue, Volume One
In this issue:
Happy 6th Birthday to Sethnet!
Miss Blake interviews Paul Helfrich
"If I had someone to talk to about the moon tonight....." by Carmen Silvers
New Seth Meetup Group: Lafayette, Indiana
"The Sethnet Personality Party." by John McNally
"Not Dreaming As I Used To" by M Blake
"Reality" by John Skingley
"Trust" by Dan Scranton
"Twin Cities in Time" by Don Johnson
Monthly Reminders
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETHNET!
We thought it fitting to begin this newsletter during Sethnet's bday month. Sethnet is now 6 years old, and has grown to 1100 members! It's far and away the largest Seth-based email list on the web.
In honor of this occasion, Paul Helfrich, the list founder and owner, has graciously agreed to be interviewed by Miss Blake about the history of the list, its relationship to the larger reality creation community, and its growth over the years.
MB: What does Sethnet represent to you and how do you see your role?
The little blurb on the Yahoo! homepage really sums it up: Sethnet is a forum in which to explore the ideas contained in the 40-plus books published by Seth/Jane Roberts, meet birds of a feather, share personal stories, and nurture a growing global community. It's is now home to over a thousand folks from 30-plus countries, though it's mainly an English speaking list.
Sethnet was made possible through the love and hard work of a lineage of Seth enthusiasts that reaches back to Seth Network Int'l. (1993-1999: Lynda Dahl and Stan Ulkowski), and even further to The Austin Seth Center (1982-1992: Maude Cardwell). We wouldn't exist without the vision, dedication, and passion of these folks. And of course, Seth, Jane Roberts, Rob Butts, and Laurel Davies.
As far as my role, I've been an educator in some form throughout my professional life. So it ranges from "sage on the stage" to the "guide at the side." Most of my energy during the past six years, however, has been as a guide at the side, and ironically, most of that work is completely unknown to members of Sethnet. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes, but it's mostly unsexy stuff like website maintenance, helping folks with accounts and the web, learning new features in Yahoo!, and creating guidelines that allow a thousand-plus aspiring conscious creators to do their thing.
Also, we're the only Seth list that has an extensive resource website that freely available to everyone on the Internet (www.cafemuse.com/sethnet). I originally maintained the website on Yahoo! but the interface didn't allow for mass updates, just one file at a time. As it grew, I needed a place to quickly update things and so moved it to the cafemuse domain.
What was it like in the early days?
Well, since we were just starting out, the list was like a cozy little bar in cyberspace where folks came and went. A lot of us knew each other from various conferences and older email lists. We had guidelines in terms of Netiquette, though the list was self-organizing and managed to collectively work its way through the occasional heated debates and flames.
Initially, however, we had a guideline that didn't allow for posting any channeled material but Seth/Jane. While I thought that was very restrictive, I enforced the policy until enough people spoke up about wanting a change. So I created the first group polls, canvassed all subscribers, and eventually updated the guidelines to allow for posting other info. But what emerged from that effort was the idea of keeping the list focus mainly on Seth/Jane. Post anything you want, but keep it relevant. And that has worked very well ever since.
Another interesting thing was that we were originally hosted by Onelist.com. This was during the time of the Internet gold rush, and there were a lot of competing start-ups trying to dominate the email list market. So they provided "free" lists and services, that we used. An interesting sync was when I initially researched online hosting services, I discovered that John McNally and Kristen Fox used Onelist.com to host their conscious creation list. And since I knew them, having met John at a Do in August '97, I figured it was a good place to start.
As time went on, Onelist got bought out by eGroups.com. So we had a whole new system to learn, in terms of helping subscribers use the list and its features. And then, Yahoo! Groups emerged as the corporate monolith that bought out eGroups, and we've been there ever since. In exchange for ads, we get a lot of features that includes chat room, user databases, files, pictures, and more.
What do you remember about some of the conferences?
I will never forget any of the SNI conferences that I attended with my partner-in-time Joanne. New Haven and the Sterling archives during leaf season were a blast, and we met many friends that we stay in touch with to this day. Of course, the two Elmira, NY conferences were most memorable. Rob Butts, Laurel Davies, and ESP class members attended and spoke and played. We visited the Hill House. I carried the actual Seth painting into a van to return it after the 1999 conference. That was a real trip!
Also, we met Mary Ennis and Elias in 1997 in the famous Room 106 sessions along with dozens of others. Bob Terrio and Jim Bramley shot classic video that captured some of the goings on. I always enjoyed meeting folks on the email lists, too. We celebrated Rob's 80th birthday in June 1999, but founder Stan Ulkowski had passed away suddenly earlier that year, signaling the end of Seth Network Int'l. Even though Lynda Dahl shut down SNI and handed over the reigns of Sethnet to me, Sethnet is invariably connected to those SNI conferences.
Where does NewWorldView fit in with things?
NWV was the next step in Seth Network Int'l, an Internet venture to expand its offerings. It began with six of us, Stan, Lynda, Michael Steffen, Mary Rouen, and Jo and myself in 1998. But due to Stan's untimely passing, Lynda dropped out, along with Mary, so the three remaining founders (Jo, Michael, myself) put on a set of conferences and author tours in 2001. Since it wasn't a full time job for Michael and Jo, we soon realized that we didn't have the resources to commit to NWV as a full-time business. So we scaled back, and opened the Community Forums, which are now three years old, as well as publishing articles in the Library that relate to conscious creation to build online content.
Interestingly, we all (six) agreed that the focus on the Seth personality was something to avoid. In other words, we didn't want to build a cult of personality as you see in some circles, instead we all knew that we had to focus on the ideas and their practical application to everyday life, while keeping personalities a close second. Still, the work of Jane Roberts is the foundation from which we go forward, and Seth is a big part of that.
Today, there are four lively Forums at NWV, including the Kris Chronicles that feature Serge Grandbois and Mark Bukator, the Inner Visions Journal hosted by Ellen Gilbert, and two Forums that I moderate: Conscious Creation, and Dream-Art Science.
Conscious Creation is a general public list and we explore Seth, Elias, Kris, and others there. Dream-Art Science is more high end, and features my theoretical work that I call Integral Conscious Creation that combines psychology and spirituality, or art, morals, and science within self, culture, and nature.
What is your personal relationship with the Elias material?
As mentioned earlier, Jo and I met Mary and friends in June 1997 at the Elmira SNI conference. It completely changed our lives, so much so, that we moved to Castaic, CA to be near the folks who were doing all the work to support Mary, as well as be close to Elias. I created the first Elias website prototype in August 1997, and developed it for another five years before making it available to the public. Jo and I both edited versions of the first Elias book that is finally being released this month called The Shift: A Time of Change by Mary Ennis and David Tate.
So I've been immersed in publishing, studying, and teaching the information offered by Elias for over seven years now. And, in my opinion, it is an authentic continuation and expansion of the conceptual foundation laid by Seth. And I also want to mention the Kris Chronicles and work of Serge Grandbois and Mark Bukator who also continue to expand that foundation.
What are your hopes for Sethnet and the future?
I hope that Sethnet will continue to grow and develop along the creative lines in which is was founded. As most know, I made a controversial decision to implement a stricter moderation policy in September 2003 to reduce flames and trolling. It's been a year now, and the results speak loud and clear: the list continues to grow, new people are coming in all the time, and the list focus continues to be on the 40-plus books of Jane Roberts.
However, I also try to keep things in perspective. For instance, there have been over seven million Seth/Jane books sold since the late 1960s. I estimate that well over fifteen million people have read them. There have only been about three thousand folks come through our doors in six years. So even though Sethnet remains one of the most popular conscious creation email lists, it is relatively small in the bigger picture.
What's always been important to me is the focus of the list, and its ability to self-organize and for the most part, self-moderate. It's a living, tangible, consciousness whose energy gestalt and vitality are far greater than any individual. I simply try my best to nurture a sane and compassionate framework for continued growth and creativity.
In the mean time, the list is like a beach -- the tides come and go, you never know what's going to wash up, seaweed, treasure, or even the occasional hurricanes. Since each person creates and co-creates their own version of Sethnet, all I've really done is to create the most general framework that allows the list to ebb and flow according to its own inner rhythms.
I like to imagine that when Jane and Seth check in on us, they are pleased, surprised, and amazed at how far we've come in the twenty years since Jane's passing. I also trust that The List will know when it's time to call it quits, or update itSelf once again to support our never ending adventures in consciousness.
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If I had someone to talk to about the moon tonight.....
by Carmen Silvers
It would probably have gone something like this:
"Have you looked at the moon tonight?" I ask quietly and curiously.
"Yes, I have! It is so bright!"
"Yeah, it's just started to wan, luminous dark yellow, and the tip of the rabbit is disappearing."
"We are sharing our observations of the characteristics that so inspire us, sipping at the Shiner Bock on the rooftop.
"But my moon is not your moon, and your moon is not mine" thinking more about it.
"True, but somewhere our perspectives merge, and we see the moon together"
"I wonder what else our perspectives merge upon."
"There are a lot of moons out there."
"That is so cool, but the moon is most beautiful tonight, even if it's not full, and even if yours is not mine and mine is not yours"
"I wonder if the moon is beautiful where everyone else is"
"Telepathically, I guess so - or maybe it just is"
"Do you think 'it just is' is a valid response to anything? I guess it's about faith isn't it?"
"I suppose so, but it also connotates acceptance."
"And so it is."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sethnet/message/93049
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Join The Seth Material Meetup Group
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Host: Gina
When: 1st Saturday of every month
Click here to join:
http://sethmaterial.meetup.com/4/about/
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The Sethnet Personality Party
by John McNally
The Personality Party was a concept brought forward by a list member named Mark, whom had attended a few such parties in the physical realm and posted about his experiences to the list. The concept was simple enough and easily adaptable to the cyber realm: Choose a personality, wrap it like a cloak around your thoughts, and post to the list from that perspective.
In a very short time we had a Monk, a Dominatrix, The Borg Queen, a Fly on the wall, a Cat, and several more characters. I participated as well, choosing to come as Death. The interactions of such powerful personalities was something to behold, leading to some hilarious exchanges, and perhaps offerring us a peek at some of our own beliefs as well.
The concept was very similar to the infamous Transvestite/Halloween party that Jane had suggested to her ESP class in October 1973. (See "Conversations With Seth Vol 1" by Sue Watkins Chapter 9) In the Halloween ESP class, members experimented with their beliefs and perceptions by dressing up as the opposite sex. In our Personality Party, we got to explore some aspects of our egos which were outside the framework of our daily lives.
The allure of being someone else for a while can be very revealing. What motivates each of us to don the personalities that we did? Was it simply wish fulfilment? Was there a subconscious motivation to express unexplored parts of ourselves? Past life connections? As with any creative endeavor, there are always more questions then answers, but playing with these concepts is always great exercise for the psyche.
To read the Personalities Party thread, start here.
If you want to skip to the beginning of the party, click here.
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Not Dreaming As I Used To
by M. Blake
I once said that I don't dream as I used to. It wasn't meant to be a statement of enigma.
There are times when the fabric of reality, tugs. It is an internal thing. Realities interactions become oblique. It's a waking dreaming waking state. To wake in the morning and be uncertain. This could be a false awakening, or entering the dream within the dream.
A few steps to ascertain which reality I am on. Though these are not foolproof. But when waking-dreaming happens two or three days in a row, when its there again in the middle of the day, it is time to create the space to allow this my state to be. It can last for 5 days or 10 days. I am in control and in I can stop it and ground it if I wish. But I often don't wish because I like it.
Reality is a stream of consciousness where the significance of things is no longer latent, they are dynamic and they interact. The converse with each other. I have my understanding of thing and me, I recall Jane's puddle creature.
A heightened state of 'being' the dream memory carried forward into FW1 and interacts with this reality. I can sense the boundaries but they are transparent.
When first began 'waver' within the 'solidity' of FW1 I could not ground myself within the experience or explain it sufficiently not to felt fear.
Then I no longer was afraid but I found the experiences of the melding of realities and my own non-locality disorienting.
Then I decided not to have an opinion of it either way.
In the dream plane I am in my City, I am browsing through a large heavy ornately covered book. A book of substance.
Each page is a painting, and my attention and intention grows each painting becomes a film that I watch.
I say to myself, 'Ah, this is how the reality of the painting within the picture frame goes on, when I wake I must remember this.'
The painting is still, or I instruct the painted scene unfolds fast forward or I rewind the painting to before the point where I came in to observe it. Or I can run the painting backwards watching it turn in on itself.
Now FW1 I am in a museum or a gallery looking at a solid painting. Then I say with intent 'forward' and the painting begins to move just as in the dream, or is this the dream?
A few checks and I am sure I am in FW1 and as I check I also see the painting retains its framework 1 stability and over laid (so that the original image is in the background) is the continuation of the image.
I do not know what the other people are seeing as they stand and look at the painting. Sometimes I have the desire to tell another person what I am seeing.
I know that this is not advisable, but as I feel that desire I feel the energy presence of others, of my artistic family of friends and happily we begin to discourse.
I cannot stress strongly enough that these are not imaginary friends. Some have been human, some not; some have no intention of ever being human but find humanity and its art forms of interest.
At times I am in the gallery with the same set of friends and tutors that I am with in the dream plane, I feel their energies as acutely. At times we collectively enter into the painting in FW1, exactly as is commonplace in my personal City and within the dream plane.
If you tapped me on the shoulder at times like this I would be able to converse with you just the same, but I am also aware of the expansion of consciousness and that I am doing more than meets the eye, the outer eye at least.
I feel anyone can thrust the continuation of the dream plane activity into FW1 activity and realities. Mixing and matching to ones hearts content as any painter would her colours.
Where art is concerned, certainly in the creative learning process there is no real benefit for me in keeping the realities separate.
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Reality
By John Skingley
Hi everyone, Old Timers, Lurkers, Shirkers, Newbies & Frisbies,
How much of The Seth Material (TSM) do you believe? OK, I know, all of it! But are you sure? Do you take out the bits you are comfortable with? What do you do with the rest, those bits that somehow seem a little too odd? Ignore them, shelve them for later, call them distortions, misinterpretations, semantic confusion?
You are walking down a well known street. There is a lot of traffic, noise, tall buildings, people. You catch sight of a TV shop window, a TV displays death and fighting in some far away country. A newspaper stand displays a poster - it seems the Wanawins are 6 points down in the league. A car horn blares, the sound echoing between the buildings, two cars collide with a mind wrenching crunch. People walk by. A policeman hurries over. It starts to rain. Depressed, you turn and head for home.
"You create your own reality," says a voice near your shoulder. You turn and see no one close by.
In your head you form the thought, "Yeah, I know all that. But it doesn't mean I am literally creating all this - this MESS!" You look about you again. "That's absurd."
"But didn't I tell you that, over and over and over?"
"Seth?"
"Did you think I was being symbolic? Did you think I was being metaphorical?"
You walk on, kicking aside a discarded hamburger wrapper. "I suppose I created THAT!" You exclaim. "I don't even like hamburgers." Several people turn and look in your direction.
"Didn't I make it clear enough? You make your own reality - there is no other rule."
"Yeah! - I read that. But you didn't mean everything. I mean, there are other people to... What about co-creation, mass events, all that stuff?"
"Nothing I said in 'Mass Events' was intended to override or contradict what I said earlier in 'The Nature of Personal Reality. Why would I contradict myself?"
"Ok, But look, I didn't create that wrapper, did I? Someone else did."
"Lots of people did. After you kicked it, a young lady slipped on it and broke her leg. She is spending some time in hospital."
You look around, back up the street, puzzled. "I didn't see..."
"You have forgotten what I said. There may seem to be one wrapper, but there are as many wrappers as there are observers. 'Your' wrapper is not her wrapper. You cannot see hers, and she cannot see yours. They are even composed of different atoms, constructed from different energy. You made the one you see and the young lady constructed the one she slipped on."
"Then they weren't the same wrapper at all?"
"Ah! Now I see your confusion. You are confusing the camouflage with the reality. Reality is multidimensional. Yes, there IS a single wrapper, but it has many forms, many shapes and sizes, colours - and even smells! Imaging a generalised 'wrapper' - not as a physical construction but as an 'idea construction.'
"But you can't slip on an idea."
"But, my friend, you have the idea of slipping well before you slip, and the idea of a discarded wrapper exists before you perceive it - speaking in your terms. Your wrapper was from a hamburger, but the young lady's was from a hot dog."
"I don't get it. Why should they be different - how CAN they be different?"
"You are not listening. I am telling you that the PHYSICAL wrapper that you made and kicked aside was your very own construction, and the lady's was her very own construction."
"But if that's the case, why did either of us bother to create it in the first place!"
"Ah! - Good question. Do you think it may have something to do with beliefs?"
"I thought we'd get around to that..."
"Both of you, first of all, share the belief that the City is a dirty place, where people carelessly drop litter and the authorities don't do enough to keep the streets clean."
"Well, that's certainly true, just look at..." A paper bag soares into the air, carried on the gust from a speeding taxi. The voice in my ear seemed to ignore me.
"Many people share that view and add their constructive energy to that belief. You passed a hamburger stand, unconsciously connected it with that belief, and 'made' the discarded wrapper which you kicked aside as an expression of your dislike. The young lady did likewise. She also has a strong dislike of litter, particularly what she thinks of as dirty litter, and has even written to the authorities pointing out how dangerous it can be, and demanding they improve their street cleaning efforts. She slipped on hers for that reason."
"What, just because she thinks litter is dangerous?"
"No, not just that. You live in a world of complex and overlapping belief structures. The lady in question was feeling particularly vulnerable this morning. She was also in a hurry and believed she was going to be late. Her 'accident' helped her to achieve that. remember, you get what you concentrate on."
"And I don't think litter is dangerous - just an unsightly nuisance."
"Correct. You're getting the picture. You believe that the traffic is dangerous, do you not?"
"Well - yes - I mean - You don't mean that that's why those two cars..."
"Of course! Have you forgotten that you are creating all this? That you are choosing, through your beliefs about The City, just what you will see as physical and what you won't? You are not seeing the whole City, you are seeing a camouflage, a physical 'skin' that you yourself are creating, laid over the 'real' City."
You look about you. "But it all looks so REAL!"
"My dear friend, it IS real. That is the very definition of physical reality as you experience it. I am NOT saying that it is in any way unreal. But the camouflage that you perceive, that you freely choose to perceive through the filter of your personal beliefs and expectations, is surface deep. The whole REALITY is far more complex."
Suddenly, the street seems empty and silent. The buildings seem to shiver and glow. You find yourself drifting high above the wet road - far away.
You sit up in bed, and look at the alarm clock. Its gone time to get up - you've overslept. From your window, high over the City, you look down at the early morning traffic. There's a flashing light far below. Paramedics are carrying a young lady on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance. Nearby, someone is selling hamburgers. You turn away to have a shower. You'd better hurry this morning or you'll be late for work.
To be continued...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sethnet/message/93207
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Trust
by Dan Scranton
Trust your Self
Trust your path
Trust your neighbor
Trust your God
Trust that all conditions are what they need to be
Trust that you are safe, in spite of what you see
Trust that you will reap only what you sow
Trust your intuition, which always seems to know
Trust the fear
Trust the rain
Trust the demons
Trust the hate
Trust that you can change whatever you don't like
Trust that you can handle what's coming down the pike
Trust that there's abundance hidden in the lack
Trust that the wind will be always at your back
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sethnet/message/93199
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Twin Cities in Time
by Don Johnson
All must acknowledge the the power of the realm
We live there in the past or future, be sure
The force of the memories might just overwhelm
Atlantis as Utopia, the source that is pure
From their perspective, we are a legend too
Whatever land you live in matters not
In legends, America will be the name for you
Cities of light, deeds that time has forgot
Though Atlantis was an island alone in the sea
That entire time is known by it's name
We know not what other lands there might be
In that glittering realm rich in fame
Love it or hate it, America is the team to beat
It sets the bar, right or wrong
The memory of it's power is a feat
T'will cause the legendary city to live long
My self in Atlantis studies the stories
Of legendary realms; they fascinate her
Looking for shadowy keys that tease
Hints, misty places that were, now just a blur
Perhaps in a record that is falling apart
She'll see me smiling at her and wonder
Why the face is familiar, will it impart
Secrets that will tear her world asunder?
At the same 'time' I ponder the secret things
In a map that shows a vague outline in the sea
What glory is hidden though memory sings
Of the wondrous city separated by time from me?
The time spent in rituals meant to teach
I am her and she is me; look within
To find fabulous cities by the beach
In the ocean of memories, lives your twin
Don (most likely you have met me)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sethnet/message/93335
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Monthly Reminders
Announcing New Seth Books! Volumes 3 and 4 of The Personal Sessions are now available from Rick Stack and New Awareness Network! Check:
http://www.sethcenter.com
DAS Handbooks -- A series that explores dreaming, art, and science. Compiled by Miss Blake.
UFOs and Seth’s "Observations'' -- A two-part series that examines the UFO phenomenon. Compiled and comments Mark M. Giese.
A Brief, Probable History of Sethnet -- what/who gave birth to this group and why? Compiled by Paul M. Helfrich.
Who
is the "You" in You Create Your Own Reality? -
a three-part essay that explores the nature of the Self who creates
all its reality. By Paul M. Helfrich.
Greg Polson's Early Sessions Index, Vol. 9 is now available. (This completes the set of all nine books!)
Alphabetical Order
Page Order
The Seth Journal: Serge Grandbois, who channels Kris, is leading the effort to create a new online and print magazine dedicated to the work of Jane Roberts. Subscriptions are now available. Please support this wonderful effort! For more info: sergegrandbois@yahoo.com
Check out the Mindscapes Music CD: "A picture is worth a thousand words, but a song is worth a thousand pictures.'' Listen online to the Mindscapes CD, 22 tracks of new music from Paul Helfrich. Also available for purchase.
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Cool Conscious Creation Resources on the Web
2004 Conscious Creation Calendar of Events
Sethnet Basics - get the most out of Sethnet
Seth Library - lots of free articles and material
CCSearch engine - tons of great resources, photos, articles, exercises, quotes, etc.
Random Seth quotes
Conscious Creation - explore the concepts introduced by Seth/Jane Roberts, and other sources. Hosted by John McNally and Kristen Fox.
the Elias forumwebsite by Paul & Joanne Helfrich contains an expansion of many of the conscious creation concepts introduced by Seth/Jane Roberts, channeled by Mary Ennis.
What if the Seth material was a foundation to be expanded later by other channeled sources? Can any perennial source ever be considered complete AND infallible?
Seth readers will want to check out:
Introduction & Overview
A Seth, Elias Comparative Overview (Updated!)
Digest: Seth, Jane Roberts
The Kris Chronicles - an expansion of many of the conscious creation concepts introduced by Seth/Jane Roberts, channeled by Serge Grandbois.
NewWorldView - provides a forum to explore the practical applications of integral conscious creation, dream-art science, and more.
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Useful Email Addresses
Post message: sethnet@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: sethnet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: sethnet-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List Admin: helfrich@cafemuse.com
Yahoo Help: support@yahoogroups.com
Moderation: sethnet-owner@yahoogroups.com
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Useful Links
Instructions on how to delete your Yahoo! account.
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