The Seth Material

Rating:
Summary: Almost Weaned on Seth
Review: I first encountered The Seth Material on a rainy afternoon in the upper level stacks of the Towanda Public Library, in Pennsylvania. Earlier, in a local paper, I had seen a small write-up about a woman in Elmira, New York, who goes into trance and speaks as someone named Seth. "Yeah, right," I remember thinking.

Then that day in the library, my hand closed over a volume. I saw the title, shrugged, and checked it out. I had no idea of the ride I was about to embark upon.

At age 40, I was not totally unprepared for Seth. I had studied Rosicrucian monographs for nine years and, since my early twenties, had felt a keen interest in metaphysics and philosophy. Yet, I had always had a skepticism about mediums and seances and things ectoplasmic.

I began reading. I learned of the coming of Seth into the lives of Jane Roberts, and her husband Robert Butts. It was bemusing to follow the progress of two people who may well have been as skeptical as I. Well, how would you feel if suddenly some personality essence entity entered your body and proceeded to lecture? It's quite one thing to accept it in theory, but if it happened to me, I think it would scare me-well-witless.

I read on. I got past the mediumship thing and into the meat of the message. When I began to assimilate what Seth was saying, I no longer cared whether Ms. Roberts was getting the information from a disembodied spirit or her goldfish. The material, to me, was electrifying.

On one hand, it seemed hauntingly familiar. I found myself saying, "of course, that's how it must be!" And "yes, I seem to remember...." On the other hand, it took me a very long time to read The Seth Material (and every other Seth book). You don't speed read Seth! I would encounter a concept, read the paragraph over and over until I thought I understood it. Yet there was always a nagging feeling that I didn't, not completely, and I kept doing a Scarlett O'Hara: I'll think about it tomorrow.

All that was nearly thirty years ago. Since then I've purchased all of the Seth books and have read them many times. I will, as long as I continue to have a pulse, read them many times more. I once wrote to Robert Butts and told him that the Seth books were my easy answer to the question, what books would I take if shipwrecked. I only partially joke when I say they keep rewriting themselves between readings, offering more and more information as I become capable of comprehending it.

Has all this changed my life? Indeed! Once begun, the material became an inevitable path of study. It challenged, and often stripped away, many of my most ingrained beliefs, and expanded my consciousness so that my view of the world is forever altered. Did the Seth books offer a magic solution to all my problems? Of course not! Have they offered new insights on how to deal with them? Absolutely-but more as a by-product of what I consider to be the most fascinating, absorbing, and stimulating information on the nature of everything.

I find Seth to be fun. Like an early, beloved schoolteacher whose influence persists throughout our lives, Seth speaks with humor, compassion and patience. Seth is not a cult. Seth is not a religion. Seth does not proselytize. Seth teaches. If you start with The Seth Material-and I do recommend reading the books in the order in which they were written-there are more than a dozen more, each superb.

If I were asked to give a one-sentence description of all of Seth's material, I would quote my son who was brought up on it: "It's the highest distillation of common sense."

Rating:
Summary: A stepping-stone on the path of transcendence
Review: I read this book two years ago, and still have it in my possession, that I may read it again. If you tire of your limitations, if you struggle with the chains that bind your imagination, and if your spirit yearns to be free, this book may be for you. I picked it up thinking that, regardless of the source of the material, it sounded pretty interesting. I wasn't disappointed, and I find that I now feel that the question of the material's origin is overshadowed by the forthrightness with which it is presented. The Seth Material presents a non-technical, personal account of some parts of the potential and the source of our consciousness on levels beyond that which most of us encounter in day-to-day living. Deep, stimulating, and ultimately refreshing.

Rating:
Summary: How it works, the non-physical reality we participate in
Review: Jane Roberts and her husband Robert experimented with psychic phenomenon, which led to their encounter with the entity Seth. The Seth entity, is a "group entity" much like the modern-day Abraham entity, who produced a great library of the technology, processes, and logistics of a multi-dimensional universe. This book is an excellent introduction and overview to Seth, giving background in how the Seth material was provided; who Jane Roberts was; and the general focus of the Seth teachings. The later books "dictated" by Seth become highly technical and complex, so "The Seth Material" is a good way to introduce the reader to the extensive writings. Together with "The Adventures of Oversoul 7," this book is the first step in a complete description of all of existence, from a non-physical perspective.

Rating:
Summary: Very good for a "Jane" book.
Review: The story of Seth and how Jane and Rob started communicating with Seth. It contains some of the information further elaborated on in Seth Speaks. I had originally put this book off because it looked more narrative and less informative but this was an incorrect judgement on my part. Like many other book series I would recommend reading the Seth works in the order in which they were written for the best comprehension. This book is a "Jane" book which contains some excerpts from Seth sessions.

Rating:
Summary: Reader From Reading, PA
Review: This book is a MUST READ for anyone who has or has not read any of the seth books. It is one of the best ones and will definitely change the way you perceive your life and give you more wisdom than any book ever can, even if your a first time seth reader. Brilliant! I so love this book, definitely one of my all time favorites! This one I do not loan out ha!

Rating:
Summary: All That Is
Review: This is a very cool read. The philosophy within these pages is wonderful for encouraging the reader to let their imagination take off and fly to new heights.

"Time has no meaning without barriers. To put it another way, time has no meaning without the necessity to counteract against other actions." (Seth - The Seth Material)

Rating:
Summary: Metaphysics in dispute
Review: This is another "channeled" book but from recent times. Psychologically and scientifically speaking, it is probably more likely that the informational content originated in the psyche (unconscious mind--either personal or collective or both) of the author(s). Also, Edgar Cayce, when asked about channeling, said that there's no reason to think your uncle knows more after he's gone than when he was on Earth. Nevertheless, the material, whatever the true source, should stand on its own. There is some interesting material in this book, however, I believe Stewart Edward White's works (from the beginning of the 20th century) are superior. And, of course, there is also "Our Unseen Guest" by Darby and Joan. More recent books in the same vein include the popular "Conversations with God" series by Neale Walsch. The best of such works create a consistent (though unverifiable) metaphysical world--though their interpretation of (usually deceased) spirits is actually unnecessary. Interestingly, however, the Seth books are antithetical to the metaphysical world of the other works mentioned (though the others seem consistent with each other). Based upon these books and others addressing metaphysical themes, I have problems with the metaphysical assertions of "Seth." If you read this book, you might consider holding your opinion (either pro or con) of its source aside and assessing the value of the material as it is--disregarding the stated source.