In finishing Jane Robert's "Mass Events" book, one in which she channels the now famous Seth (or notorious - "he" was literally demonized in the 60's by some Christian affiliations, although in reading the books, it seems ridiculous now), I was struck with two co-related issues delivered. One: to quote Seth, "Any scientist who believes that life has no meaning has simply provided himself what he thinks of as an unfailing support against life's vicissitudes." This sentiment is nothing new here - that belief in "spirit," or inherent meaning in life is NOT a coward's way to go - that, in fact, it makes life even scarier (and infinitely richer); and that, with any real thought to existence - how it came about and how it works as it does - full atheism becomes a ridiculous thing (full atheism being a belief in an accidental, aimless existence). In fact, when Seth brings it up, he often (through Roberts) laughs - are you kidding? All this by chance?
And Two, its corollary: that we humans are not misfits on this planet, but fully integral to it; that we exist as part of a group plan with all of life, and even non-life, as fully here on earth as we do in the abstract cosmos.
This, too, seems common sense, but it is not what we have been taught, perhaps for centuries. In earlier times, nature was often seen as a Godly product (Genesis) taken over by Satan after the Fall. For many, nature was to be denied or ignored as much as possible, as it interfered with spiritual things. Instincts, particularly those to do with sex, were seen as impure, while Man was seen as susceptible to every other evil impulse - greed, pride, debauchery and so on.
Things have changed, but not for the better. Currently, nature is seen as pure, and humans "sinful." While often carried on with scientific jargon, and often considered a truth of pure science, Man (and we might stress the masculine here) continues to be portrayed as a sinner, now estranged in a heavenly world rather than a sinful one. Such it was that my son recently stated what so many others of his age believe - that it would be better for the world if all humans died out.
Seth, however, tells us that we were all made - all life and matter - first as a cosmic idea, arrived at together with every molecule that was to be formed in agreement. It was understood that in material form there would be stresses - it is the nature of material form - but that such stresses were part of the overall agreement. Thus humans, through their various beliefs, might fail in their outward cooperation with themselves and their world, but such are merely stress points, like volcanoes and earthquakes, each a part of the overall picture, each taken at the deepest level through time to be part of an intricate, mutually expressive weave.
"Trust your instincts" Seth tells us, for we are meant to be and to act naturally. But it is here where we find problems, for even Seth acknowledges that our instincts have often been perverted. "Find your true instincts" would portray it better, thus bringing up another problem - what are our true instincts? It is easy to see that the moron epitaph for the 1970's - "If it feels good, do it!" found encouragement here, for what better way to find our true instincts but through the pleasure in them?
Of course, to find our proper instincts, we need dedicated introspection, something that would, right off the bat, predispose those of us who practiced this towards the good. Killers and sadists usually don't plumb the root nature of their instincts before acting on their perverse quests. And such introspection is not exactly "if it feels good, do it," or any other form of instant gratification. We must, in fact, come to the understanding that, while we do not need to feel bad about ourselves, we do have to think about our actions, and that is not an instinctual, but rather a moral way of making decisions. Seth, it seems, needs to be a bit clearer, and perhaps he is, either in this book and I have missed it, or in another of the several "Seth" books written.
Still, it is well advised to understand that we are here for a very, very good reason, and that our basic nature is, thus, good. We might pollute, gather too many fish, wage war and so on, but even the last of these is often done with good intent. Ultimately, we are meant to be here and are a coherent element in the natural scheme. Our "instinct", then, should be directed towards this coherence - not with hate or self-loathing, but with an understanding based on the great intent of mutuality that is behind all of existence. FK
And Two, its corollary: that we humans are not misfits on this planet, but fully integral to it; that we exist as part of a group plan with all of life, and even non-life, as fully here on earth as we do in the abstract cosmos.
This, too, seems common sense, but it is not what we have been taught, perhaps for centuries. In earlier times, nature was often seen as a Godly product (Genesis) taken over by Satan after the Fall. For many, nature was to be denied or ignored as much as possible, as it interfered with spiritual things. Instincts, particularly those to do with sex, were seen as impure, while Man was seen as susceptible to every other evil impulse - greed, pride, debauchery and so on.
Things have changed, but not for the better. Currently, nature is seen as pure, and humans "sinful." While often carried on with scientific jargon, and often considered a truth of pure science, Man (and we might stress the masculine here) continues to be portrayed as a sinner, now estranged in a heavenly world rather than a sinful one. Such it was that my son recently stated what so many others of his age believe - that it would be better for the world if all humans died out.
Seth, however, tells us that we were all made - all life and matter - first as a cosmic idea, arrived at together with every molecule that was to be formed in agreement. It was understood that in material form there would be stresses - it is the nature of material form - but that such stresses were part of the overall agreement. Thus humans, through their various beliefs, might fail in their outward cooperation with themselves and their world, but such are merely stress points, like volcanoes and earthquakes, each a part of the overall picture, each taken at the deepest level through time to be part of an intricate, mutually expressive weave.
"Trust your instincts" Seth tells us, for we are meant to be and to act naturally. But it is here where we find problems, for even Seth acknowledges that our instincts have often been perverted. "Find your true instincts" would portray it better, thus bringing up another problem - what are our true instincts? It is easy to see that the moron epitaph for the 1970's - "If it feels good, do it!" found encouragement here, for what better way to find our true instincts but through the pleasure in them?
Of course, to find our proper instincts, we need dedicated introspection, something that would, right off the bat, predispose those of us who practiced this towards the good. Killers and sadists usually don't plumb the root nature of their instincts before acting on their perverse quests. And such introspection is not exactly "if it feels good, do it," or any other form of instant gratification. We must, in fact, come to the understanding that, while we do not need to feel bad about ourselves, we do have to think about our actions, and that is not an instinctual, but rather a moral way of making decisions. Seth, it seems, needs to be a bit clearer, and perhaps he is, either in this book and I have missed it, or in another of the several "Seth" books written.
Still, it is well advised to understand that we are here for a very, very good reason, and that our basic nature is, thus, good. We might pollute, gather too many fish, wage war and so on, but even the last of these is often done with good intent. Ultimately, we are meant to be here and are a coherent element in the natural scheme. Our "instinct", then, should be directed towards this coherence - not with hate or self-loathing, but with an understanding based on the great intent of mutuality that is behind all of existence. FK
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