mediumship灵媒能力

In The Early Sessions Book 1, regarding the concept of "mediumship," Seth and other transmitted information (such as "Malba" spoken through Jane, and the early Ouija board information) present the following core statements and distinctive aspects:

1. The nature of mediumship: everyone is a medium Seth offers a distinctive view of the term "medium." He considers the word "medium" actually quite absurd, as if one were saying "some people are breathers and others are not." From Seth's perspective, everyone is a medium, unwittingly and yet knowingly ^[1]. In the early Ouija board experiments, the information transmitter Frank Watts also clearly pointed out that both Jane and Rob possessed "fair ability" as mediums, and encouraged them to try again and again ^[2].

2. Individual differences and application of mediumship The phenomena and ways in which mediumship manifests differ from one individual to another. Malba pointed out that the specific types of manifestation each person can achieve are different, so one must explore and test one's own abilities through "trial and error" ^[3][4]. As a medium, Jane might be able to contact deceased relatives and friends ^[3][4]. Moreover, the cooperative pattern between Jane and Rob was very special; they needed the joint efforts of both to achieve success, and their channel was already open before the sessions ^[5].

3. States of consciousness, the ego, and preparation for mediumship The medium's state of consciousness during mediumship has an important influence on the results:

4. The influence of the state of consciousness: Malba mentioned that a tired consciousness or a blocked consciousness can sometimes produce good mediumship results, whereas a consciousness in an intermediate state tends to be too concerned with daily practical matters and is not conducive to reception ^[5].

5. The relaxation of the ego: During mediumship, the ego resists like a cat in order to maintain conscious control, but as long as it realizes that it can resume control at any time, it will choose to relax. Having a drink, being in a dark room, and the preparatory work before a seance all help with this relaxation ^[3].

6. Physical manifestations and ectoplasm In the early explorations, mediumship also involved manifestations at the physical level:

7. The production of ectoplasm: In a seance, one could expect ectoplasmic creations to be produced that detach from the medium's body ^[5]. For example, Jane once successfully materialized an ectoplasmic finger with the help of a friend ^[3].

8. The medium's lack of sensation: Malba clearly pointed out that when ectoplasm manifests from the medium's body, the medium herself has no sensation at all ^[4].

In summary, the early discussions in this book regard mediumship as a universal human instinct rather than the privilege of a few. At the same time, it explores in detail the states of consciousness required of the medium in practice, the techniques of ego relaxation, and the physical-level characteristics such as ectoplasmic materialization, emphasizing the need to explore this individually varying ability through trial and error.

In The Early Sessions Book 2 (1964), the concept of "mediumship" is primarily presented through a Ouija board experiment conducted by Jane Roberts and Robert Butts on July 3, 1964, and through Seth's elaboration in the subsequent Session 68. The discussion of this concept at this stage laid down several core principles concerning the workings of mediumship in the Seth material.

I. Direct Confirmation of Mediumistic Identity and the Characteristics of Psychic Reception

In the Ouija board experiment of July 3, 1964, the board directly indicated Jane's mediumistic identity, spelling out: "Roberts Jane, u are (yes) u are medium" [chunk 4384]. In this process, mediumship displayed a "psychic foreknowledge" characteristic that transcends physical instruments. The record shows that before the board spelled out the answers, Jane had already received most of the answers mentally. Moreover, in the subsequent experiments, she knew in advance many of the answers that were about to be spelled out [chunk 4384]. This indicates that, in the context of this book, mediumship is not merely the transmission of information through dependence on a physical medium (such as the movement of the Ouija board pointer), but rather that the medium's consciousness directly receives and perceives messages from other dimensions at the mental level [chunk 4384].

II. The Medium's Autonomy, Voluntary Cooperation, and Non-Invasiveness

In the subsequent Session 68, Seth gave a highly crucial characterization of Jane's state during the transmission process. These statements constitute an important elaboration of the distinctive aspects of mediumship in this book:

1. Full command of one's own faculties: Seth pointed out that Jane (Ruburt), during transmission and cooperation, was "in command of his facilities" [chunk 4408]. This indicates that the medium does not lose self-awareness or control over herself during transmission.
2. Voluntary cooperation: Jane cooperated with Seth "of his own volition" [chunk 4408]. Mediumship is here defined as a two-way collaboration based on free will, rather than a one-sided imposition.
3. Non-invasiveness: Seth explicitly emphasized that in this process "there is no invasion of any kind" [chunk 4408]. This wording is extremely important, as it distinguishes the mediumistic communication between Seth and Jane from the coercive notions of "possession" or "mental intrusion" found in traditional conceptions, emphasizing the safety and independence of the medium as a subject.

III. Physiological and Environmental Perception in the Mediumistic State

The book also records some physiological and environmental aspects of the medium during the transmission process:

1. Dissociated state and bodily reactions: At the end of a transmission, Jane was usually in a "dissociated" state, but this state did not cause excessive depletion of the body (for example, Rob recorded that his writing hand hardly felt tired) [chunk 4384].
2. The sense of energetic proximity: When the medium engaged in highly coordinated transmission with Seth, the energy or "proximity" generated by this communication could even be unconsciously perceived by people nearby (such as Dr. Sam Levine, who lived across the street), making them aware of a certain "different" atmosphere [chunk 4408].

In summary, the "mediumship" presented in The Early Sessions Book 2 is not a mysterious, self-losing passive possession, but rather a bridging capacity by which the medium, while fully in command of her own senses and cooperating voluntarily of her own free will, receives information in advance through telepathy and engages in non-invasive communication with consciousnesses of different realities (such as Seth) [chunk 4384][chunk 4408].

In The Early Sessions Book 3, Seth provides an in-depth discussion of "mediumship" - that is, the capacity to serve as a bridge for communication between different realities or consciousnesses. The treatment at this stage not only reveals the inner mechanisms of cross-reality communication, but also demonstrates the concrete manifestations and limitations of mediumship in its actual developmental process.

I. The Core Mechanism of Cross-Reality Communication and Focus Positioning

Seth points out that communication can be established between "personality essences" outside the physical field and personalities still within the physical field. However, the precondition for such communication is that the individual within the physical field must be able to shift the focus of attention away from the ego to a specific "focus position" ^[1]. This necessary focus can be achieved through the following means:

1. Trance states, hypnosis, or self-hypnosis, as well as certain other forms of training ^[1].
2. Spontaneous occurrence, for example, triggered by intense emotional reactions or external circumstances ^[1].

II. The Synergistic Action of Chemical Reactions and the Subconscious

Seth elaborates in detail on the bidirectional relationship between bodily chemical changes and mediumistic communication:

• The role of chemical conditions: Emotional outbursts or reactions give rise to chemical states, and certain specific chemical states can facilitate such communication. However, Seth emphasizes that, ordinarily, it is "communication that causes the chemical reaction," rather than the chemical reaction causing the communication ^[1].
• The subconscious as constant communication: At the subconscious level, this communication is in fact continuously ongoing, but it rarely reaches the conscious level of the ego. The individual is subconsciously conditioned, so that when certain chemical changes occur, they expect this communication without the ego's awareness ^[1].
• The influence of focus on the outcome of communication: If only chemical changes occur without an appropriate subconscious focus, the result will merely produce clairvoyance or telepathy strong enough to be consciously perceived. Only when the "proper focus" is attained does the communication transform into a "rapport" between the living and those deceased persons (or personality essences) who still maintain psychological ties with the physical field ^[1].

III. The Cognitive Limitations and Obstacles of the Living

Seth points out that, due to a lack of understanding of the living environment, the living often create difficulties for personalities who have already departed from the physical field:

• The inevitability of transformation of form: Personality, or individualized energy, is never annihilated, but the transformation of form is an inevitable requirement for the continued existence of every personality. If the living emotionally deny this fact, it may cause those personalities no longer connected with the physical field to develop "resistance," thereby increasing the difficulty of communication ^[2].
• Limiting conceptions: Humanity insists on regarding only those personalities with whom it deals in the physical field as "alive," which in Seth's view is an extremely narrow and restrictive concept ^[2].
• Children's spontaneous contact: Through the example of J.J., the child of friends of Jane and Rob, the book illustrates that young children (such as those before the age of four) can often spontaneously keep company and communicate with nonphysical "playmates," demonstrating a certain natural germ of mediumistic communication in early human life ^[2].

IV. The Practical Manifestations and Developmental Characteristics of Mediumship

In discussing the development of Jane's (Ruburt's) own mediumship, the book records its concrete physical and psychological manifestations:

• Allowing others to speak: In practice, mediumship manifests as "allowing other existences with whom one is in contact to speak" or "allowing others to speak through oneself" ^[3].
• Alterations of body and voice: In the mediumistic state, the medium's body and voice undergo notable changes. For example, during transmission Jane displayed astonishing volume, masculine cadences of intonation, and even produced "very alien" sounds, accompanied by physiological adjustments such as abdominal breathing (breathing from the diaphragm) ^[3].
• The binding role of emotion and memory: Early mediumistic attempts often depended on specific emotional investment or memory connections. For example, Jane could only freely evoke that powerful foreign voice when reading poems she knew well and that had emotional associations with a particular deceased person (Father Trainor); when she attempted unfamiliar poems lacking emotional involvement, she could not consciously summon the voice, and soon had to rest because her throat became hoarse ^[3].

In summary, the treatment of mediumship in The Early Sessions Book 3 includes both abstract theories of conscious focus and chemical mechanisms and philosophical reflections on the cognitive limitations of the living, while also incorporating concrete practical observations of the development of Jane's own abilities, presenting a multidimensional view of mediumship in a stage of growth.