Customer Reviews

Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I've enjoyed reading the reviews of "Seth Speaks" by the late Jane Roberts. I originally purchased this book in the early 80s not long after I had enlisted in the Air Force and saw a fellow airman reading one of the more advanced volumes of the Seth material. He dissuaded me from reading the volume he was reading and suggested I read "Seth Speaks" instead. Being no stranger to the metaphysical (I was raised a Christian Scientist and my Grandfather has a testimonial in that the Science and Health), I nonetheless started my read of Seth Speaks with some skepticism. It was not long before I became absolutely engrossed in the book, spending nearly three weeks of time doing nothing but study it in my spare time (along with some long runs from time to time to clear my mind). I then obtained several other volumes of the Seth Material, and studied those as well. I thank you for considering my comments.

TO THOSE WHO THINK THAT THE BOOKS ARE A HOAX DESIGNED TO GENERATE CASH FOR JANE ROBERTS AND ROBERT BUTTS: There are few who apparently agree with you in these reviews. Furthermore, I sincerely doubt if these fine people ever made any significant money from writing these books. Frankly, I'm glad they made enough of a living to spend time generating the material.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PRACTICE OF THE CONCEPTS: Only by practicing the concepts in these books, begining with the concept that consciosness precedes form ("You - you as a multidimensional personality - create your own reality" as so many herein have mentioned), can you find out if these ideas are suited for you. If they are not, you will know. If they are, you will also know.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR YOU: Not many books can be read by many people and turn out to be their favorite book of all time. This book is my favorite book of all time (though I have to admit I've read "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen nine times - which is more times than I've read Seth Speaks - wasn't it Balzac who read P&P 17 times?). I'm glad to see that so many other people give it a high ranking in the personal cannon. If you think you might be interested in this book, I suggest you try it.

THE DANGER IN THIS BOOK. I'm always amused when people suggest that a book is dangerous. Yes, if you believe it is dangerous, it may be to you. Ideas are dangerous. Don't read stuff that threatens your comfortable and happy existence. Now, if you're not comfortable and happy with the way things are, and you sort of think that there is source of power and energy that underlies our existence, you might find this book very reassuring. For in the conceptual framework of the Seth material, the world as we know it is stripped of most of its rules (and dogma) and a rather simple code replaces them: namely that we are responsible for the world as it is and that we should think twice before harming other beings and things. That's a hearty dose of self-respect.

RE-READING "SETH SPEAKS": Like many other reviewers, I found that this book always provides me fresh insight when I return to it. By the same token, I'm not afraid to tell you that I, at one time, threw all volumes in my possession of the Seth material in the garbage, not because I thought it was evil or stupid, but because I thought I needed a complete break from my absorption in it. I have wondered if this is why Jane Roberts passed away in her 50s (I think it was) - perhaps she was getting too intertwined with the Seth material - and it seems that in the final volume - "The Way Towards Health" - Seth is reluctant to let her go. In a way, Jane had become synonymous with Seth, and I expect that her own work has never gained the popularity that the Seth material achieved -- but who am I to comment on this? She seemed to have been a very vital and unique personality. I wish I'd have known her personally. In any case, there are few books that people find worth re-reading, and I can see I'm not alone in finding "Seth Speaks" to be one of those books.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT: I've seen some reviewers have attempted to explain the book and even give it a sort-of literary review by comparing it to other literature in the metaphysical and religious genres. This books is a highly personal book, and must be read and absorbed by you and you alone. It is both a difficult and easy read; difficult in that the concepts presented will not immediately make sense to you (you will have endless questions) and easy in that you can read it without stopping to contemplate it. Read it as you wish, at whatever pace you wish. Put it away (or throw it away!) and come back to it later. YOU WILL KNOW IF IT'S FOR YOU OR NOT -- IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY THINGS ARE THE WAY THEY ARE, I SUGGEST YOU READ THIS BOOK.

HOW YOU MIGHT KNOW IF THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. This book may be for you if you often wonder how it is that God (or whoever) created this existence, or if you wonder why God has been so cruel, or if you have a background in belief systems, or scientific evidence that espoused or theorized the idea that "mind" creates or has an influence over "matter." If you like metaphysics, read it. If you don't think science has alll the answers (like any good scientist), then consider this book as an alternative - or possible quantum leap forward in scientific thinking.

Thank you for reading this. I appreciate it.

This was the first Seth book I ever read. It radically changed my perception of the reality I see with my outside eyes because it helped me begin to understand and recognize the reality I had been seeing all along with my inside eyes. I now understand why so many people credit the Seth information as their first wake up call to remembering. If you haven't read this book since the late 70's...try it again. It's a whole new view NOW. If you have never read Seth, this is the first book to read. Then I suggest reading The Nature of Personal Reality afterwards because Seth gives a more personal application to the vastness of the world he introduces us to in Seth Speaks. All the Seth books are wonderful and each of them gives a slightly different take on the truth that we are indeed the real "Creators" of our own reality individually and thus en masse. Jane Roberts was brave to share her experiences with her then very unknown reality with us and in my opinion, paved the way for those of us who are interested in a less religious and more personal take on the great beyond to get the kind of information we need.

I'm not religious, tend to be practical, and as a rule, I don't tend to read a lot of books. I'm an information addict and if drawn to the printed page it's usually because I'm looking for answers to questions or factual information. I didn't think I'd ever end up reading something that the uninformed would probably file under new-age. So why was I unable to put this book down?

This, along with "The Nature of Personal Reality", has been my exposure to the Seth 'concept' so far. A few years ago when I read this, I was in a job I hated, probably drinking too much and couldn't really see an upturn in life's fortunes. I had heard about the Seth books via Francis Dunnery's songwriting and did a bit of looking around and in retrospect, couldn't have found these books at a more perfect time during my life. Where "The Nature of Personal Reality" probably did a lot of corrective work on refocusing my approach to life, this is the volume that pulled my mind wide open and got me to think at great length. Seth's concepts, possibilities, (I will hesitate to use the word explanations) were enough to bring a positivity and curiosity back into an otherwise drab existence. While it's easy enough to use the approach that if you can't change your world, change yourself, reading this opened up the other possibility that I would have otherwise been too cautious to take - to look at that world in a different way. Same world, same you, better understanding, better outlook.

One reviewer here - a hallowed top 500 reviewer, no less - stopped short of calling either Jane Roberts or the publishers crooks for charging money for selling lies. You're not asked to believe it, just to consider it. If it works for you, great, if not, look for other answers: it's your choice, your reality. I can't recommend this book highly enough for the enveloping assuredness it could place upon your life. Seth is an engaging storyteller; whether any of it is fact or fiction, it matters not to me.

I am a psychotherapist. I have read over a 1000 self help and psychology books. I probably know more about the Bible than 95% of Christians. I have read books by followers of Seth: Marianne Williamnson, Luise Haye, Depack Chopra, etc. But everything I have read does not come close to explaining the meaning of life and our reality than The Seth books do. I read Seth Speaks 4 months ago and am devouring every Seth book I can put my hands on, including out-of print ones. Seth discusses God, the purposes of religion, reincarnation, how we create our physical bodies, how we find solutions to our problems in our dream state, how intuition is more helpul than science, how we choose our parents and children, how we choose when we die. Seth also explains how we choose to be victims and when we abuse others it is always with their consent (whether they believe that consciously or not)and that we choose health or sickness, how many doctors, medicines, and labeling diseases perpetuate the sickness cycle and that if medicine cures a disease we will ceate another one take its place if we do not change our core beliefs. If you want to change your life, this is a must read for all who are seekers.

I read a fortune cookie that said "the philsophy of one century is the common sense of the next." This is so applicable to the Seth information, especially with the advent of quantum mechanics and string theory in the past 50 or so years. What is so great about the Seth books is that if you put the information into practice, the validity of his philosphy will be subjectively self-evident. No one can tell you that Seth is lying because you have expereienced it as true, so it becomes irrefutable. I was born Jewish, raised on an Ashram (Siddha Yoga), and my uncle is Gerald Epstein. I've read books on Buddhism, Hinduism, Zen, String Theory, Quantum Physics, taken a bunch of pyschadelics, and, as others have, explored the thinking of innumerable philosophers and spiritual teachers. All I can say is that after reading Seth, it seems like theres nothing left for anybody to say for the rest of existence. It is without a doubt, as so many others have affirmed in these reviews, the most in-depth, comprehensive, extensive and enlightening view of reality that has ever been published or available. Everything fits; it all makes sense. Beliefs creating reality is the king of philosophies, because all other religions and philosophies are beliefs in and of themselves. Im not saying that Seth is the only way to Truth; certainly, other books have influenced my thinking, but they have been tangential to Seth's teachings, and everytime I read something I always check it against Seth's take on the issue. Even string theory, straightforward according to physicists, is so align with Seth's information that it seems almost too good to be true; but it is, of course. We are perceiving a frequency of reality...this is just a fact. If you told that to people 100 years ago, the skeptics would laugh at you. Jane Roberts, as someone with little to no knowledge of string theory or quantum mechanics (based on her profession as a poet), seems unlikely to have conjured up this information from her imagination to make people believe some kind of twisted, too-good-to-be-true lie....skeptics are skeptics for the sake of being skeptics. I know Seth is true because I have EXPEREIENCED it as true...no one can convince me otherwise at this point. People are so afraid of themselves, and its so sad, because no one wants to take responsibility for their lives or the state of this world...and thats exactly why the world is currently so mislead and in the dark. I hope one day, if the world is still around by then, when everybody knows this information, we can all unabashedly be the Gods that we are, and respect the miracle of ourselves and the holiness of this world. And, for those of you who dont need to be convinced because you have also experienced it as true, my blessings go out to you; you are the conscious creators of our world, and your energy will kindle affirmations of Godhood within the hearts of many lost souls...Spread the love baby!

Seth Speaks contains a beautiful and empowering message. Although I'm sure many people will be turned off by the idea that these ideas were supposedly "channeled" through Jane Roberts. If Jane Roberts were able to dictate the material in this fashion (a continuous word for word dictation), then it is a testament to the power of the human mind. At the very least it proves that there is an unfathomable intelligence dormant in all of us.

If you read this with an open mind however, it's obvious that there is a power greater than Jane at work. Some of the material discussed includes what happens when you die, the meaning of dreams, the potentials of the soul, God, and how we constantly create our reality by means of our thoughts. Seth Speaks reads like a how-to book for the universe. At times the language is a bit thick, but so are the concepts Seth is explaining. A must read for anyone who is not satisfied with the explanations given by society and religion on the purpose of our existence. As Seth puts it:

" I would like therefore to introduce you to yourself. You will not find yourself by running from teacher to teacher, from book to book. You will not meet yourself through following any particular specialized method of meditation. Only by looking quietly within the Self."

This book, and the other so-called channeled books by Jane Roberts, were published long before what is now sneeringly referred to as the New Age. Most of them were published in the early to mid 1970's before the concepts in these books spawned an entire movement and resulting advertising/merchandizing blitz.

There is an innocence and purity to this book and the others in the series, and anyone who has an interest in metaphysical literature (from either an earnest searching attitude or purely from an intellectual curiousity) should not miss them. I read them as a teenager in the early 70's and have treasured the wisdom in the pages, while (I admit) shaking my head in misbelief of some of the more provocative claims about Jesus. I believe that the central mantra of the New Age movement was sparked from the Jane Roberts series, being "You create your own reality." Of course, this mantra was taken up by some very stupid shallow people and applied in superficial ways that have nothing to do with metaphysical reality, but such is life in America! The serious seeker could spend long periods of time simply meditating on who the "You" is being referred to in "YOu create your own reality." Let me give you a hint! It is not your ego self, the conscious self who can't even cure a head cold, much less make the entire universe roll over and serve its needs. No, the "you" in such metaphysical truth is much deeper then that, but to understand this (and to get at the inner depth of the Seth Material) would take an ongoing dedication to meditation and exploring yourself and the depths that exist. Perhaps the FAILURE of the New Age movement, leading much of 21st century America to scorn it, is its superficial treatment of the Jane Roberts material, the attempt by the human ego to use these truths to climb the corporate ladder and get a new red sportscar. At some level such antics may work, but they really do besmirch the actual wisdom in these books.

So, if you are interested in a good metaphysical read that (like most of such literature) can be read at many different levels, I implore you to start out with SETH SPEAKS. This is in many ways the grand daddy of modern metaphysical books, the book that spawned decades of "wanna be" channelers who have come and gone. Jane Roberts and the Seth Material survives while most of the other 30,000 year old warrier kings and ascended masters and 4th dimensional alien group-souls being channeled in the 80's have gone the way of recycled paper.

For years I resisted investigating the Seth material because, after all, according to the Carl Sagans of the world, channeling is disreputable, the province of flakes. One day I surreptitiously purchased The Nature of Personal Reality, another Seth book. My world opened up that day, and continues to do so now, several years later.

With my masters degrees in theological studies and education I have read a LOT of books relating to philosophy, religion, spirituality, etc. For me, the Seth books are the finest, most challenging books in the field of metaphysics. His thoughts are provocative, yet comforting. He challenges my preconceptions and misperceptions at every turn while somehow managing to make me feel better about myself and more hopeful about our world. This is what good teachers do.

Seth communicates several core ideas, including the notion that we each create our own reality through our deepest beliefs and expectations about life. He explores the scientific, psychological, and emotional aspects of his ideas in language that is sometimes complex, yet always straightforward. He also shows how key life priciples operate from the smallest cellular level to the grandest reaches of the cosmos. Indeed, Seth presents the sort of Unified Field Theory that scientists have long been seeking.

Time and again, when reading Seth, I have said, "Yes, this is what I have experienced, though I didn't really grasp it at the time." If you are interested in taking your mind and soul on an expansive journey, I recommend starting with Seth Speaks.

The Amazing Randi has blinders on. While it is healthy to be reasonably skeptical, it becomes unhealthy when one makes a lucrative career out of debunking anything one can find, as Randi has done.

Seth's books consist of the most complete, enlightening, life-affirming, and ultimately very logical view of reality I have read. Even if you can't agree or don't understand everything that is written (and these books are not easy reads), they should still open your mind to new thoughts. Even the most hardened skeptic, who thinks reality consists only of what he can perceive through the many filters of his three-dimensional physical facilities, will have much to chew on here. I regard this book as more than just a book. Along with the Bible, it forms much of the basis for the way I view the world and live my life. I am no wide-eyed hippie, occult "weirdo," or gullible fool that believes everything he reads. But I feel much, much richer for having studied these books.

Since I first read this book in 1972, when it was first published, and was fortunate enough to have spoken to Jane Roberts a few times while she was still in comparatively good health, I ventured on to Amazon.com just to see how this wonderful book had weathered the decades. What I found most astonishing is that even today, nearly 100 years after the publication of Albert Einstein's papers on relativity, and the birth of quantum physics, that even people who give the book five stars don't seem to quite get the message of this book- that of the miraculous phenomenon of individuated consciousness in a sea of energy. That the book is spectacular is not the question. It is! Anyone can see this by the number of stars awarded it by the overwhelming number of people who read the book. The few who tried to bring the book down to their level are quickly revealed by the quality of their "reviews". To those who are still lost in the process of trying to figure out this book, but are fascinated by it and indeed, had their lives changed as I have, the simple line on the cover of the original is the key. Read this line carefully: [A complete book by the "Personality" who has dictated over 6,000 pages on the universe beyond the senses]. As it happens, 99.9999999999999999999999999999% of the universe is beyond human senses. Those of us, who are too arrogant, self deluded or blind enough not to realize this, take a look at the electromagnetic spectrum. You will see that visible light is a minuscule sliver "centered" where you are. The rest of the spectrum continues into infinity. Those who wisely continue to study this book for the balance of their lives ultimately come to realize the truth to the age-old apothegm; "knowledge is power." There is no greater power than the discovery of what you are.