waking personality醒时人格

In The Early Sessions Book 4, Seth discussed the "waking personality" (also called the waking self) in depth, clarifying its position within the whole self, its limitations, and its interactive relationship with the sleeping/dreaming personality:

1. Definition of the waking personality and camouflage limitations: The waking personality is the part of the personality that dominates ordinary waking states and handles activities in the physical world, and it must be involved in the "camouflage concerns" of the physical world ^[1]. In order to survive in the physical universe, the ego within the waking personality generates a very jealous and fearful concern for survival, and adopts many restrictions based on survival needs ^[2]. These restrictions cause the ego to select only those elements from the reservoir of potential abilities that it considers most advantageous for dealing with physical reality, rejecting most of the available abilities and thereby hindering the full development of the personality ^[3].

2. Differences in experiential cognition between the waking personality and the inner self: The ego of the waking personality tends to classify actions strictly, making a clear distinction between actions of an exterior nature (waking states) and actions of an interior nature (dream states) ^[4]. However, for the basic core of the personality or the inner self, this distinction does not exist ^[5]. A vivid psychological experience occurring in the waking state is absolutely real to the inner self, just as a particularly vivid dream is, and both will alter the personality in the same way ^[4].

3. The gap and asymmetry between the waking personality and the sleeping personality: The waking "I" (the waking self) is usually unable to be aware of the dreaming "I," while the dreaming "I" in many cases seems more familiar with the waking self ^[6]. The waking personality is often unfamiliar with the freedom, abilities, and talents that the sleeping self possesses in dreams ^[7]. Because of the limitations within the physical system, the waking personality cannot easily deal with or play with different realities at the same time; therefore, in practical terms, human beings cannot (and it is not advantageous to) directly be aware of dream existence in the waking state ^[8].

4. Suggestions and cooperation from the waking personality to the sleeping personality: Despite the gap, a continuous and normal cooperation and communication is maintained between the waking personality and the sleeping personality ^[9]. The waking personality can give suggestions and directions to the sleeping personality, and the sleeping self will carry out these instructions in its own way and according to its own understanding, seeking and solving in dreams the practical problems faced by the waking personality ^[10]. In this way, the waking self can use dream therapy to greatly ensure the health of the physical body ^[11]. Even if the ego of the waking personality does not remember specific dreams because of its fragile, rigid, and peculiar traits, it can still benefit from dream therapy and act according to the solutions obtained in dreams ^[11].

5. Learning from the sleeping personality and development of potential by the waking personality: Seth emphasized that the waking personality can learn a great deal from its sleeping counterpart ^[12]. By studying dream activity, the waking personality can recognize abilities of which it was unaware and discover unused talents, thereby making fuller use of all its potentials ^[13]. Theoretically, as long as the waking personality can reduce the restrictions adopted by the ego, it can in the waking state do and achieve anything that the sleeping personality can do in dreams ^[12].

In Seth Speaks, Seth provided a profound analysis of the "waking personality" (also called the "waking self" or "waking consciousness"), pointing out that it is the part of the personality that dominates activity in the physical world during our ordinary waking states, but it is only an extremely limited and specialized "portion" of our complete identity. The following are the core formulations and distinctive aspects of this concept:

1. Definition and limitations of the waking personality

2. The limitation of mistaking a "part" for the "whole": In daily life, people mostly identify only with the "physically oriented self" or the "ego self," mistakenly believing that this "conscious mind" that carries out daily activities (such as watching television, cooking, working) is the whole of their identity. However, this is like identifying with only one part of the body while ignoring the other parts; it is the error of mistaking a "part" for the "whole" ^[1].

3. Blocking out other realities: Whether a person is awake or asleep, other existences continue joyfully. But when awake, the waking personality usually blocks these other existences out and is completely unaware of them ^[2][3].

4. Lack of knowledge: Compared with the far more knowledgeable "you" in sleep, the waking "you," though a source of pride, actually possesses very limited knowledge ^[4].

5. The relationship between the waking self and the dreaming/inner self

6. Reversal of attention: In the sleep state, consciousness leaves the body and communicates with other realities; at that time the person has not lost contact with the ordinary waking self, but has merely shifted attention away. During the day, the waking personality simply reverses this process and refocuses attention on physical reality ^[4].

7. Material embellishment of dreams: Because the waking personality refuses to accept nonphysical experience, it carries out a "process of embellishment" at levels close to consciousness, hastily dressing deep nonphysical experience in the clothes of the physical world, and may even deliberately delete or forget certain dreams ^[2].

8. The waking self is a projection of the dreaming self: In many respects, the waking self of physical existence is actually a flesh-and-blood projection of the "dreaming self." The solutions to problems that the waking personality becomes aware of during the day have actually already been solved during sleep ^[5][6].

9. Fluctuations and multiple states of waking consciousness

10. Rhythms and fluctuations of waking consciousness: Normal waking consciousness is not constant but has fluctuations and rhythms. Periods of intense activity are followed by periods of less activity and greater dullness. During these dull periods, people are less mentally focused, accidents increase, and the body is also more sluggish ^[7].

11. Hidden multiple states of consciousness: In waking life, various different states of consciousness actually coexist, but because the waking personality is accustomed to the focusing method of "concentrating on only one at a time," it shuts other phases of consciousness out of experience ^[8].

12. The starting point of consciousness states: The ego or waking consciousness - that is, the outer self focused on exterior reality - is the starting point for the exploration of all states of consciousness. Only one step away from normal waking consciousness is the "A-1" state, in which many abilities not available in the ordinary state can be used (such as entering another person's body to heal it) ^[9][10].

13. The true awakening of the waking personality While waking activity is in progress, beneath the normal physical focus, consciousness is actually also exploring in other directions. Consciousness is a tool of the soul, and when a person learns to understand and use the various levels of consciousness, the "conscious you" (that is, the waking personality) will become truly conscious. At that point, you perceive physical reality because you "want" to perceive it, not because ignorance forces you to perceive only it ^[11].

In The Nature of Personal Reality, Seth discussed the "waking personality" in depth - that is, the part of the personality that dominates activity in the physical world during ordinary waking states (often referred to in the text as the "waking 'I,'" the "usually conscious 'I,'" or the "conscious mind"). First, the core characteristic of the waking personality is its strong focusing ability and its manipulation of the physical world. Seth pointed out that the conscious mind (or waking personality) is characterized by intense focus, which can even be called "narrow," because it includes only the physical plane and possesses great freedom within the physical realm to interpret this dimension ^[1]. This narrower focus is indispensable for concrete manipulation in daily human life, and therefore some differentiation must exist between dream experience and waking experience ^[2]. Second, the waking personality is the creator and director of physical reality. Conscious thought is the director of unconscious activity, providing a feedback system between the conscious and the unconscious to test and alter experience ^[1]. The waking personality that the individual currently considers to be the "self" represents only one of the infinite possible states of existence (that is, the probable selves); it emerges and enters physical experience, thereby directing physical life and the body, and defining all sense data ^[3]. Through its beliefs as the driving force of filtering and direction, the waking personality attracts nonphysical "probable events" into three-dimensional space for realization ^[3]. Third, the waking personality and the dreaming personality are essentially unified. Seth emphasized that human beings, because of group and personal beliefs, have artificially created a great division between waking life and sleeping life ^[2]. However, if the usually conscious "I" (the waking personality) is brought into the dream state, the individual will discover that the "dreaming 'I'" and the "waking 'I'" are actually the same, only operating in completely different environments ^[2]. By opening the channels of communication between the two, the individual can obtain true flexibility and expanded self-awareness ^[2]. Finally, the waking state of the waking personality is not constant but fluctuates. The individual sometimes falls into a state of "ineffectiveness," in which consciousness is pulled back, and the individual acts in the most mechanical way in the waking state, following habits, with reduced awareness of sensory stimuli ^[4]. In this state, beliefs lose their sharpness, but it is usually also a rest period in which deep unconscious activity is active and new latent characteristics are waiting to emerge ^[4].