Review: The Nature of Personal Reality

Reading at least one of the “Seth books” by Jane Roberts is almost a requirement if you have any interest in metaphysical books.  Her books are often mentioned in others, and many more authors were probably influenced by them.  Given that, it’s surprising it took me so long to begin reading them.  But it was probably better that I did wait because of the complexity of the material.

I am not reading this series in the order they were written.  I seldom do.  Once I become interested in a particular author, I usually check the local library to see which books they have available and pick the one that appeals to me most.  The Nature of Personal Reality was the first one I read, so I decided I would review it, instead of any of the others.  If you have no decided preference, The Seth Material might be a better first choice.  That one introduces the basic concepts, and the style is somewhat easier to read.  It blends direct quotes from Seth (the channeled entity) with interpretation of the material by Jane Roberts.

As each new book was published, the style gradually changed to focus almost exclusively on the material directly from Seth, with comments by Jane Roberts’s husband being added in italics.  This was distracting, especially since many of the notes were irrelevant to the topic being discussed.  These asides usually broke my train of thought and interfered with my comprehension of the concepts.  Eventually, I became better at skimming over or skipping entirely all these unnecessary notes.  Oddly enough, the different approach used in The Nature of the Psyche, which inserted most of the notes at the end of each chapter, wasn’t much better, since many of those notes were relevant to the material and helped clarify certain points being made.

These books were originally published in the Sixties and Seventies.  Although this was a time when many people embraced radical ideas, they still must have been quite shocking to most people.  Even from a present day perspective, some of the content is pretty extreme.  There is sufficient diversity in the topics covered—religion, health care, crime, science, aggression, history, etc.—to upset or offend just about everyone.  In fact, I can’t imagine anyone ever agreeing with, believing, or even understanding everything in these books.

Many of the concepts are both difficult to fully comprehend and impossible to prove or disprove.  Take for instance the comments made about time throughout all the books.  According to Seth, “time” is used so we can experience the physical world, but everything is actually occurring simultaneously.  There is no past or future.  Yet, many of the ideas are presented in a time-based context.  Although that’s probably the only way we can have any understanding of them at all, it still creates difficulties due to what seem to be contradictory statements.  How can we learn from past lives if we are currently living all our lives?  Even if it’s true, I don’t think we can truly understand this concept or all its implications from our physically-oriented perspective.

This book focuses on how we create our own reality.  “You form the fabric of your experience through your own beliefs and expectations.  These personal ideas about yourself and the nature of reality will affect your thoughts and emotions.”  In other words, reality becomes whatever we believe it to be and is experienced in a self-confirming circular pattern.  The structure of our lives is based on core beliefs, which then collect subsidiary beliefs that support them.  The goal of the book is to help us understand how it works and also to recognize what our core beliefs are so that we can keep the ones that are beneficial and change the ones that aren’t.  If we can change the core beliefs that create negative results, the subsidiary beliefs supporting them will drop away.

Various types of commonly held beliefs are explored in detail.  Some of the most interesting ones to me were about crime, punishment, and guilt, and about aggression versus violence.  Current events suggest that a better understanding of these would be of value to the entire world.  Other topics focused on in the book include dreams, health, and the “Point of Power” (which is the present, obviously, since neither the past nor the future exist).

Ironically, the most disappointing aspect of the book was the lack of specific steps for discovering and changing one’s beliefs.  I don’t know why that should bother me, since I hardly ever follow that kind of advice.  But I felt like they were promised to me and when they were eventually revealed throughout the book, they seemed vague and un-emphasized to the point where I almost missed them.  Even now, I’m not sure I made notes of them all.  Yes, there are some suggestions.  Just don’t expect there to be a 12-step program you can follow, or in my case, ignore.

The Seth books are fascinating, the ideas in them intriguing.  The fundamental concept that we are creating our own reality is found in many other books, especially those dealing with the Law of Attraction.  But the Seth books go way beyond the simplicity of those other books.  Although some of the material is definitely too far “out there” for me, I found them thought-provoking and mind-expanding—well worth the time reading and even re-reading them.  I have read several, so far, and plan on reading several more, if not all of them.

Spiritual Self Help Books

When it comes to spiritual self help books, the underlying message is usually similar, but the form is strongly affected by the person sharing the information.  So the real challenge is finding those that you can best relate to.  I have chosen three prominent authors in this genre to provide a comparison.  They are all essentially saying the same thing, but each has their own slant and their own valuable insights.

I really wanted to like Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s books.  He’s very knowledgeable and seems genuinely sincere in his desire to share what he knows and to help others.  But it’s a struggle for me to finish his books.  I’ve now reached the point where I’m trying to figure out why I keep losing interest in them.  It’s not the content, although it does feel like a bit of a rehash of other people’s thoughts.  Certainly, his frequent quotes and references to others don’t create a feeling of originality.  Still, he does share some ideas and thoughts that expand the topic in ways I hadn’t considered before.  It’s also not the clarity or the writing.  Everything is clearly presented, and his books are easy to read.

One problem I have is I don’t find Dr. Dyer’s books particularly thought-provoking.  He presents a goal—a “sacred” one, in fact—and makes it sound impressively special and eminently desirable.  Unfortunately, deep down, I don’t seem to desire it.  Not only that, I feel a little guilty for not desiring such a praiseworthy, and even exalted, goal.  He then gives you all the steps to take to reach this preordained goal.  There seems to be no room for reflection or different perspectives.

A second problem is the way he describes the journey one has to take to reach “the promised land.”  The focus is on all the problems one faces and how hard it will be to overcome them.  His books are filled with phrases like “try to,” “make an effort,” and “attempt to.”  The feeling created from these word choices is that it will be a long, arduous journey to reach a place that I’m not sure I want to go.

In contrast, the Abraham-Hicks series of books brushes aside “problems” as if there aren’t any real ones.  Everything is easy, if you allow it to be.  What a wonderfully appealing idea that is!  If your life is going badly, all you have to do is stop doing those things that are blocking the good life and start heading in the direction you want to go.  The explanations of what you’re doing currently and how to change everything are amazingly clear and simple to follow.

These books were a refreshing change from most of the others I’ve read in this genre, and I have reviewed one of them—Ask And It Is Given.  Not only that, I do happen to believe that when you’re on the “right” path for yourself, then life is easier.  Things have a tendency to fall into place.  And this type of easy reading, easy answers may be exactly what you’re looking for, especially if you’re not into all that mystical stuff (assuming you can overlook the one tiny flaw of these being “channeled” books).

So what’s the catch?  Well, it’s all too facile, too superficial.  The books lack a spiritually satisfying depth.  Everything is outwardly focused.  Even the source of the information is an external “group of beings” called Abraham.  And all the information and techniques given are aimed at changing the life you are leading in this physical world.  It’s all about creating abundance, health, great relationships, satisfying work, etc.  Perhaps creating a good life experience is the whole point of us being here.  Yet, it’s hard to ignore that niggling feeling of “Is that all there is?”

If you want spiritual depth and thought-provoking ideas, there’s always Deepak Chopra.  His books presents many different perspectives, religious and spiritual, blending Eastern and Western philosophies, with a special emphasis on health.  Like the other authors, he has read widely and distills the knowledge he has gained from his reading and from his personal experience for the benefit of the reader.  But he does not portray himself as the grand teacher and knower of all things.  Thinking and questioning are definitely encouraged.

Because of that, I really enjoy his books.  They are meant to be read slowly and reflected upon, which is my preference when it comes to these kinds of books.  And the main reason I haven’t reviewed any is because I haven’t been able to pick just one out of the many he has written.

But there’s no real “action plan” given.  So for some people, they may be too philosophical to do any good.  Understanding is valuable, and sometimes that alone will “solve” a problem.  However, more often than not, people need a hint of what to do next.  No matter how profound something may be, there needs to be some kind of practical application for it, if it’s going to affect our everyday lives.

All of these authors share the belief that we have “creative control” over our lives, which is accomplished through the amazing power and focus of our consciousness.  Even if a person can’t embrace this concept in its entirety, our thoughts and beliefs do control the way we experience our lives.  Therefore, any book that helps us to understand ourselves and our thinking processes and helps us use this information more effectively is of value.

Which of these books a person chooses to read really depends on whether one prefers the problem-solving approach of Dr. Wayne Dyer (a result of his psychology background) or the simplicity and practicality of the techniques in the Abraham-Hicks books (shaped by their business background) or the intellectual style of blended philosophies provided by Deepak Chopra (influenced by his upbringing and life which combined Eastern and Western beliefs).  Of course, if you are searching for answers and understanding like me, you’ll probably read books by more than one of them because each will help you expand your perspective and add to your self-knowledge.  And even though their answers may not be exactly right for you, they still might help you find your own.

There is one other thing these books tell us.  The authors were able to find their answers—ones they were confident enough in to share with other people.  And there’s no reason we can’t find our own answers, just as they did.  So the search continues.

Behind Downton Abbey

If you are like me, and dreading this weekend because it brings the season finale of ‘Downton Abbey’, I’ve got something here that might help you get through the dreaded Downton withdrawal. To Marry and English Lord by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace, is not, as it’s title would suggest, a light-hearted, romantic romp through Regency England. Instead, it’s the true stories of the young American women who went to England in the late 19th century and married into English Aristocracy. So it you ever wondered how a nice girl like Cora Levinson ended up as Lady Grantham, this book will tell you .

In 1860, the Prince of Wales paid a visit to America. He drove through the streets of New York City to a crowd of nearly three thousand people. That may not sound like much by today’s standards, but the number represented roughly half the population of New York. At nineteen, he was a phenomenon.

New York Society decided to throw a ball in his honor. After careful consideration, four thousand of the most socially elite in the country were invited to meet the Prince. The event was a grand success. The Prince’s first exposure to American woman left him with a great enthusiasm and affection for them, and those feelings would have quite an impact as England moved into the next century.

In the years after his visit, the Civil War changed America in several profound ways. One consequence that does not get a lot of discussion in the history books was the seemingly overnight explosions of self-made millionaires. These man sprang from nowhere, made vast fortunes, moved to New York City, and began living the Good Life. The wives of these men decorated their grand houses, bought beautiful gowns, and kept waiting to be invited into Society. That was something that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

New York Society, or, the “Knickerbockers’ were an distinguished and closed group, ruled for years by Mrs. William Backhouse Astor, known as THE Mrs. Astor. The Knickerbockers were old money, with strict rules of conduct and behavior, and didn’t want these New Money upstarts with no class or breeding cluttering up their dance floors. The term “The Four Hundred’ came about because Mrs. Astor built a ballroom that held just four hundred people, so she could exclude those she felt unworthy without seeming to deliberately snub anyone.

The men themselves didn’t care – they had money and a comfortable home – so balls and teas and dinner invitations meant nothing to him. The wives, however, were a different story, particularly if those wives were also mothers of marriageable daughters. While sons with new money could sneak in around the edges, and find suitable mates, it seemed as though daughters could not.

The first mother who realized that her beautiful and wealthy daughters could end up unsuitably married, and decided to do something drastic about it, was Clara Jerome. Her husband was a Wall Street financier, and had a boatload of money. He also loved opera and opera singers. That, and the fact that Clara knew she would never get invited to anything Mrs. Astor was involved with, caused her to move to Europe – Paris – with her three young daughters. From there, it was a hop and skip to England.

The Prince of Wales, although now married, was something of a party animal in England. He gambled, loved to eat and drink in excess, and had an eye for a pretty girl. He also remembered his affection for American woman, and began inviting them to these lavish parties. It was at those parties that a young American heiress might meet a titled but destitute Englishman, as young Jennie Jerome did. She later married Lord Randolph Churchill and had a son, Winston. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jennie Jerome was the first, but not the last, of the young, wealthy American women who crossed the pond in search of a respectable husband. This book not only tells their stories, but looks at an entire way of life, the Downton way of life. It’s fascinating. Its also incredibly complicated. The courtships and marriages of these people were fraught with peril. And once they were married, the young American girls were whisked from London, plunked down in crumbling country homes with the stereotypical Mother-In-Law from hell and no indoor plumbing, while the new husband returned to his former life of hunting, the Club, and a mistress or two. Not to mention the English style of raising their children, which was completely at odds with the American way.

There’s a lot of fun information here – the thousands of dollars of Worth dresses bought, the parties that the Prince of Wales threw(always at the expense of others), descriptions of the houses and yachts – as well as illustrations and photographs that give you some idea of what life was like for these young women. And there are some very famous names – Vanderbilt, Pfizer, Grace, (W.R Grace), Colgate, Fields (Marshall Fields) and Drexel – who sent their daughters to England in search of a husband with a title.

This was a really entertaining read, insightful and, frankly, eye-opening. Even if you’re not a fan of the Crawleys, but always thought you’d love to have been a rich heiress at the turn of the century, read this – it just might change your mind!