Dale: What was it like being a member of Jane Roberts ESP Class?

Barrie: I was one of the "New York Boys" mentioned in in Sue Watkin's book about the class, Conversations With Seth. We went up to class in Elmira weekly, on Tuesdays, which was about a 5-hour drive each way--for a total of 10 hours on the road. None of us really worked much in those days and all of us were between the ages of 21-23. I attended class from October 1972 to about May 1974; and then sporadically after that although I remained extremely close to my friends who still attended regularly.

There was a very mixed atmosphere in the "class" which was really just a bunch of people crowded into Jane's living room. Usually, there was a group of 15-to-40 people attending; always some visitors or new people; always the lights on; always a lot of wine on the table. There was always loud talk and lively discussions with Jane sometimes directing it in certain directions and other times just being swept along with it. When Seth came thru, everything stopped and quieted down. You may have heard some of the audio tapes Ricky is selling...he's known as Rick Stack. He has Rob's permission to actually sell audio tapes of Jane's classes. Anyway, I'm not selling anything, so take it easy and relax

When Seth came thru, everybody shut up and listened. Seth had a way of putting things that always complimented you. For example, if there was a visitor in the class who we all thought was an asshole, Seth would come thru and express what we were feeling about the guy or gal, but put it in such a way that somehow turned it into a compliment, while not losing any of the qualities which we had labelled as "asshole." I don't know if that's clear, but it was part of the atmosphere. After Seth left, Jane would ask a class member to tell her what happened because she never was really aware of what she said as Seth. This knowledge that she would call on somebody always made me real nervous, thinking that she may call on me and my mind would go blank and I wouldn't remember anything, and anything I would remember I would say wrong anyway--so I often felt nervous, but she never called on me for that, thank God.

Seth was mostly very funny while being poignant. So, laughter and humor was a big part of the atmosphere. When the Sumari came through and sang it was either very moving or very boring--depending upon if you got into it or not. There was a character called Seth 2. When he came through (only a few times he came through), it was very spooky and eerie. He spoke in a monotone voice and kind of removed from people, whereas Seth was very earthy and into people. As far a "presence" felt--sometimes all of us sitting around Jane in the living room as she sat in her rocker--somehow it felt like a Indian tribe sitting in a cave, leaning against the walls, eating, talking, while night passed outside the entrance.

The general atmosphere in the living room was always lively and anti-spiritual, lights on, funny, no spooky or scary talk, cursing and drinking and smoking allowed and accepted. People always friendly, although arguments sometimes occurred regarding philosophies or interpretations, but Seth would intervene and make both sides feel good about themselves. One message Seth kept repeating was, "The vitality you feel in my voice is your own vitality." He kept turning us back onto and into ourselves. When he would not answer someone's question, he would say something like, "When you ask the question, you already know the answer. If I answer you, you will have only half the answer, but would not look further thinking you have the whole answer." When Seth was out, you could certainly feel Jane was not talking anymore, and another "presence" was there, but it was not a ghostly feeling or presence, but as if another person was there, and whatever feelings and energies go along with another person speaking and getting the full attention of a gathered group who all love him.

Martha: If I had no belief in war, completely loved peace, could I wake up in a reality where the world wars never happened?

Barrie: You should already be interacting with this world on levels you are not consciously aware of. There are probable realities constantly being creating by each of us in this ever-expanding multi-dimensional universe. These realities coexist with what we choose to make physical, and we have probable selves living in them. To them, we are one of their probable selves not made physical, and we remain invisible to them. Therefore, one of your probable selves already exists in a reality where the world wars never happened.

Try to contact this world in your dream state; give yourself this suggestion before you go to sleep. Keep a notebook by the bed and remember to write down your dreams when you awaken regardless if you think they pertain to your suggestion. By the way, these probable selves have their own reincarnational "histories."

In Vol. 2 of the new Seth books, The Early Sessions that Ricky Stack just put out, and on pages 90-92, Seth says that Jane was once Seth in a past life in the 4th Century BC, and that Jane is one of many "probable personalities into which Seth could grow." And that the Seth who comes thru Jane is another probable personality of this 4th-Century-BC Seth. This is weird stuff, isn't it?

Let's say you wanted to be a dancer. That Martha, who wanted to be a dancer, has her own probable reality and reincarnational line--different from the Martha who you are with your own probable reincarnation line of personalities. Each personality keeps sprouting probable realities and personalities and the universe thus on a non-physical level to us...keeps inifinitely expanding. Maybe this is "mirrored" on the scientific physical level in the "expanding-universee theory" that scientists are so pleased to speculate about in their usual manner.

I hope this helped you. It has helped me.

Bev: If I believe that I create my own reality, and I do believe that most days, and I discover that my dog has epilepsy, then I must believe that I have created that. So I now feel that I have hurt the dog by my beliefs. How do I acquire a more positive take on this? I feel tremendously responsible for the epilepsy, but I don't know how to turn it into a positive thing.

Barrie: You create your own reality, but you don't create your dog's reality. Your dog created the epilepsy for him/her self, for whatever reasons. Your reality is that you "agreed" with the dog to own a dog who would eventuallly get epilepsy. Your beliefs did not cause the epilepsy in the dog any more than the dog's beliefs would cause your stomach virus, twisted ankle, or any other malady you may have gotten or eventually may get. The positive take on this is that it is not your fault in any way. Also, the spirit and personality of your dog, and the joys he/she has given you, will always live.

If and when your dog dies it is simply transforming into another form of energy we humans cannot physically perceive. He or she is leaving the camouflage of physical reality, but will still be as alive as you or me, or Seth. When some illness like this enters your life try to examine what feelings come up. If you feel guilt, even tho you are not to blame, perhaps there are other areas in your life that you feel guilt and you are also not to blame. Perhaps your dog is choosing to help you to examine or reexamine certain spiritual beliefs or ideas--such as illness, death, or separation.

Ideas, which once further examined by you, will help you in other areas of your life and in other relationships. Animals know there is no death as do we human folks, deep down. Why your dog chose epilepsy I can't tell you. I can say you are totally free from any blame or guilt in the situation. To learn more about the events, I suggest, as I always do, to ask yourself each night to have a dream which will give you some answers and then keep a notebook by your bed. Each night write down any dreams you remember regardless if there seems to be any connections to your question. It may also be interesting to examine what epilepsy itself means to you, and what other illnesses you have come across in your family, loved ones, friends or self as well as what separations have you experienced or do you fear to experience and why. Do some thinking and stream-of-consciousness writing on these issues. See what comes up and relax, have fun and enjoy yourself, and your dog's knowing you two love each other and especially know that you have caused no harm in any way.

J.R. Our human belief is so intense that even a person with the personal experience of Jane Roberts died in a hospital after being interned for many months. Even she could not get rid of the belief in sickness and succumbed to it. How could a person with such personal experience, knowledge and apparent understanding, allow herself to languish in a hospital believing in the illusion of sickness? If her time was up and fully accomplished, even more reason for not allowing herself the illusion of a terminal sickness. The manner of her death confuses me. Can I have your thoughts on this, please?

Barrie: It must be remembered that Jane was (is) simply a person like we are. Even tho Seth came and spoke thru her she was not any more or less capable of following his advice or incorporating his ideas into her life than any of the rest of us are. Seth could not force her to change any beliefs she held deep inside which were "harming" her or were unpleasant to her. Jane let Seth into all of our lives, but once "let loose" the messages were received by her conscious mind, just like by our conscious minds. Although she did have greater access to ask personal questions, she had no greater ability to act on the advice. Its like any friendship. You may see something "wrong" your friend is doing, but regardless of how much you ask, advise, beg, or lecture--if the person isn't ready to or able to listen to you, then they won't get or be able to act on your "message."

Question: Raised on the www.after-death.com message board:
"Do you create your own reality?"

Barrie: There are three immediate questions raised by your question, "Do you create your own reality?" What do you mean by "you"?

• The current personality you are, the one who is currently focused on on this physical plane?
• The "group" of personalities of which you are an equal member of, both past and present, from our point of view?
• The "you" which is invisible to yourself and who is actually aware of all these invisible things and lives?
  
  

  Also, what do you mean by "reality"? What is reality? Is a table real? Is a table solid? Does time exist? Does death exist? In what manner? Does reality mean only what you are consciously aware of on this physical plane? What do you mean by "create"? Does create mean "consciously" create?
  
  You see, it is not so simple a question and there is much room for argument.
  
  I define reality as the complete reality we live in--the one in which death does not exist as we physically perceive it, and where time also does not exist. In other words what is physical is not what we physically perceive it to be. There are past lives, future lives and present lives all existing at the same time, all interacting and learning from each other. Each one of these selves has its own infiite number of probable selves and probable realities; alternate selves and alternate realities--only one of which we choose to actualize or make real, although all are real and happening while we are unreal to them. I believe we all create our own reality.
  
  First, the universe, the table, chair, stars, Mars, mah jong sets--everything is our thoughts made physical--individually and en masse so, literally, we create our own reality. For all objects of reality are our thoughts made physical.
  
  Secondly, we also create our reality in that we choose, on levels we are not necessarily consciously aware of, but yet on levels that know there is no death or time, on levels from which we sent ourselves out here in the first place--on those levels with which we are still actively and constantly in touch and which, although we don't consciously remember--on those levels, we create our own reality.
  
  We choose our parents. There are no accidents. And every major or minor, intimate and shared thing that happens to us--we shared in its creation beforehand. We chose for it to occur up until the second it happened. We all know beforehand, as do those we are in touch with, exactly when and how an "accident" will occur and who will "die" in it. It all appears to be a shock and an accident because that is how we learn and grow. But 100% choice is involved. So is 100% free will, which means nothing is "pre-ordained" and you can choose to avoid the accident which you are consciouslly unaware of--if you want to--on that deeper inner level.
  
  We do create our own reality, but that reality is not what we think it is. And all the horrors of death and the pain of loss only exist because of our limited perceptions. No one dies. No personality ever gets swallowed up and lost after death. No contact is actually broken when a loved one dies. It continues on levels we are not used to or trained to become aware of. Yet active communication with the personalities who die does go on and on--on deeper levels that we are usually consciously unaware of; but yet in which we actively participate. Such communication occurs in the dream state whether you remember it or not. It also occurs in the waking state whether you remember or are consciously aware of it.
  
  When dealing on these levels, we have to use the physical tools and experiences that we have available to us. So, be aware of those "tingles" you feel when thinking certain things or just sitting there doing nothing. This may be a confirmation of something between a spirit, or whatever you wish to call "dead" people, and our own invisible selves. It could be a signal to you that the person is in the room with you. Be aware of those coincidences which surround certain events and thoughts. Coincidences are an invisible langauge of physical reality which we use to communicate with "spirits."
  
  When someone dies they simply transform into a form of energy we cannot physically perceive. But they are still as alive as we are, or if you prefer, we are as dead as they are. Babies must learn to understand that when mommy leaves the room, she is still alive only "invisible" for the moment in another room. Same thing with death. When it comes to our ideas of death, we are like babies. And the "dead" person is only invisible for a moment in another level of reality we cannot phyically perceive.
  
  Another useful tool to be aware of our active communication with "dead" people is intuition and imagination. as both of these things are much more than we ordinarily think they are. It is also through phsycial methods such as dreams, coincidence, intuition, and imagination that we can become aware that we do create our own reality and why we choose what we choose.
  
  Compassion, however, must always exist. Many people choose to misuse the idea of creating your own reality in order to justify their selfishness, greed, or callousness; and not look into themselves to discover why they feel such things. Questions arise such as, "Why should I help the poor, didn't they choose to be poor?" The answers is, yes, they chose to be poor, and you chose not to be poor, and we all chose to learn from our life situation. Here the "lesson" of those in need to those who have is to learn to love and be compassionate and to understand why you are not yet loving and compassionate. Even though they also create their own realities we are still supposed to help them. How else can we learn to feel love, compassion and to help. If there were no people who needed help--what then would teach us compassion?