physical reality物质实相

In The Early Sessions Book 1, Seth offers a multidimensional exposition of the concept of "physical reality," revealing its nature as a "camouflage world," its relationship to fragments of consciousness and the translation of thought, and its operational mechanisms in collective creation and individual psychological experience.

First, physical reality is the result of thoughts and fragments of consciousness being "translated" or "given" form. Seth points out that even thoughts are fragments on different levels, and they must be translated into physical reality ^[1]. In addition, human beings have a unique creative ability to form inner images outside the body and give them physical reality; if these split personality fragments cannot be given physical reality and projected outward, the individual may keep these fragments inside, which can then develop into psychological problems such as schizophrenia ^[2].

Second, physical reality is essentially a "so-called real camouflage world." Seth contrasts the physical world with the dream world: the images of the dream world have duration in psychological time but not in physical time, whereas the images in physical reality have duration in physical time ^[3]. In order to create this physical world, the individual must to some extent give up individuality, because the overall physical environment must appear roughly the same to everyone in order to maintain a fairly reliable overall coherence ^[3]. This universe is not created by all entities together, but only by those entities that need this particular kind of experience, and at the physical level the importance of "manipulation" is also one of the main causes of war ^[3].

Third, there is a distinction of primary and secondary, inner and outer, between physical reality and inner psychological experience. Seth emphasizes that psychological experience itself has no direct physical effect on the physical world; any physical effect (such as crying, mourning, or specific behavior in the physical world) is secondary, a reaction made by the personality after undergoing psychological experience ^[4]. People cannot use the outer senses to observe, touch, or smell inner psychological experience in an objective way (such as observing a pencil on a table), but this experience is extremely real and cannot be ignored; it can greatly change the personality, and thereby indirectly influence its actions in the physical world ^[4].

Finally, the experience of physical reality can be temporarily stripped away or altered. In certain channeling or trance states, the individual may experience a "sense of weightlessness" and a feeling of "being unable to function in the physical world," as if the body has lost physical resistance, which shows the unique state of consciousness when it departs from ordinary physical-reality operation ^[5].

In summary, at this stage of the book, physical reality is defined as a camouflage world with temporal duration, jointly created by specific entities for specific experiences. It is the product of the outward translation and concretization of inner thoughts and personality fragments; compared with psychological experience, which cannot be directly observed by the outer senses, physical effects in physical reality have only a secondary status.

In The Early Sessions Book 2, Seth offers a deep exposition of the concept of "physical reality." First, physical reality is essentially a kind of "camouflage." Seth points out that exploring the universe outward only encounters more camouflage, while exploring inward is a more scientific way to gain an objective view of the universe; space travel is actually using camouflaged tools to cross camouflaged space that does not exist. The birth of the physical universe is only the outward manifestation of a vital psychic reality that already existed; any physical structure already existed before it appeared at the physical level ^[1]. Second, physical reality is independently constructed by each individual. Each person is constructing and responding to his or her own physical universe; people do not see or touch the same objects, and these objects do not even exist in the same space, but exist in personal spaces created by individual self-perspectives. People can reach approximate consensus about the size and position of objects because through continuous "telepathy" they learn what others think about their respective physical universes, and take this into account when constructing their own ^[2]. Third, "suggestion" and "inner agreement" are the triggers for constructing physical reality. Seth emphasizes that without inner agreement and willingness (that is, suggestion), no physical object can be constructed. This inner agreement triggers subconscious mechanisms that translate inner data into physical reality. Personal emotions, expectations, and attitudes serve as instructions determining how these inner data are shaped, while unhealthy attitudes distort inner data and form unreliable or even repulsive physical constructions ^[3]. Fourth, "expectation" is the decisive force that transforms psychic reality into physical construction. Expectation makes use of the powerful ability of the subconscious to translate psychic reality directly into concrete physical reality. Changing inner expectations and attitudes creates a completely different and more beneficial outer physical environment. In the physical field, many so-called "truths" are actually only the results of fulfilled expectations ^[4]. Finally, physical structures are symbols of inner psychological structures. The basic shapes in the physical universe are projections and replicas in matter of inner psychological structures; through such projection, consciousness experiences, manipulates, and masters matter. The psychological framework behind physical reality is composed of energy and is the cornerstone for constructing matter; its expansion follows the law of value fulfillment, and is not limited by the laws of space, time, or thermodynamics known to humanity ^[5].

In The Early Sessions Book 3, Seth offers an in-depth exposition of the concept of "physical reality" (or the physical universe, the material world), revealing its nature as an extension of consciousness, a psychic agreement, and a highly interactive relationship with the dream universe. Its core discussions and distinctive aspects are mainly manifested in the following dimensions:

1. Physical reality is the outward extension and intense focus of the self: Using the metaphor of a "brass tube," Seth points out the two ends of the conscious self's extension: one end extends inward to the inner side, while the other extends outward infinitely into the physical universe ^[1]. To survive in the physical field, consciousness must focus psychological energy with great intensity upon the physical organism constructed by the subconscious ^[2]. This focusing process resembles a kind of "sleight of hand" or an actor's performance, requiring an extremely intense "self-hypnotic trance" that rivets attention upon specific cues, thereby excluding other realities from perception for a period of time ^[2].

2. Telepathy is the "glue" that maintains the stability of the material world: Seth points out that the physical universe is actually an aggregate of various individualized symbols, and no two individuals understand the same symbol in exactly the same way ^[3]. The reason people can reach consensus on the location and existence of specific objects is that there exists a "psychic agreement," and "telepathy" is the "glue" that holds the physical universe in this uncertain position ^[4]. If humanity did not focus upon similarities, but instead focused upon those dissimilarities in the physical universe about which no consensus can be reached, it would doubt whether any physical object about which consensus is possible exists at all, and might even regard it as a collective madness that humanity selects a few similarities out of infinite chaos and calls them a "universe" ^[5].

3. Physical reality is spontaneous, continuous, and without beginning or end: The material of the material world is spontaneously and continuously created, which is highly similar to the way dream scenes are created ^[6]. In the spacious present, past and future do not exist in a linear manner, so it is meaningless to seek a "first beginning" of the physical universe in time ^[6]. The entire material world is an ongoing process of self-creation, the product of a conscious, self-aware, and thoroughly exuberant universe ^[7].

4. The reciprocal and bidirectional construction of physical reality and the dream universe: Seth emphasizes that the dream universe and the negative matter universe are both "by-products" of the physical universe, produced when inner energy attempts to shape itself in physical terms ^[8]. There is continuous interaction and energy exchange between the two ^[9]:

5. Concepts and problem-solving approaches in dreams are materially constructed into the physical world ^[10]. For example, humanity first understood the symbolic meaning of fire in dreams, and only afterward mastered and materialized fire in the physical world ^[8].

6. Discoveries in the physical world also feed back into and enrich the dream universe ^[11].

7. Events such as the "Ascension of Christ" and the "Crucifixion," although they did not occur in physical time or were not physical realities, nevertheless, as great contributions of the dream universe to the physical world, have exerted an influence upon the physical world far exceeding that of any purely physical reality ^[11].

8. The limitations of physical reality and the power of nonphysical reality: Humanity often narrowly confines "being alive" or "reality" to the physical field ^[12]. Seth points out that nonphysical realities such as thoughts, emotions, dreams, and psychological experiences, although lacking the "physical durability" of physical realities such as tables and chairs, are far more enduring in their influence, and can even manipulate and shape physical reality when they erupt with intensity ^[13]. For example, an individual's physical illness is a warning signal of the materialization of negative thoughts in physical reality ^[14].