Feeling is the cohesive force and the essence of action through which the psyche constructs reality, serving as the electromagnetic energy and tone of existence that translates inner events into physical matter.
1963-1964 · The Early Sessions: Book 1 of The Seth MaterialAI summary (single book)
In The Early Sessions Book 1, Seth gives the concept of "feeling" a definition that transcends conventional understanding and carries profound metaphysical and physically constructive significance. The following are the core formulations and distinctive aspects of "feeling" at this stage:
1. The Nature of Feeling: Action and "Solidified" Mental Enzymes
Seth breaks with the conventional understanding of feeling, pointing out that feeling is in essence "action" . For example, love and hate are not only actions but also imply actions in body and thought . In addition, Seth proposes a distinctive concept, namely that "mental enzymes" are "solidified feelings" . These mental enzymes, or solidified feelings, are always in motion yet sufficiently enduring, constituting the "imaginary wires" that permeate our model universe and form a more or less consistent framework . They not only generate action in the physical world, but also themselves become action .
2. Feeling as the Cohesive Force of Psyche Construction
Seth emphasizes that feeling is the "cohesive" or binding agent used by the psyche in its constructions .
Changing Feeling to Gain Freedom: Because feeling is the binding agent of psyche construction, if an individual wishes to gain freedom from a particular level of existence at a particular time, the feeling itself must be changed. To a certain extent, a change in feeling will allow the individual to see different "variants" .
The Danger of Complete Change: However, feeling cannot be completely changed. Because it is the cohesive force that maintains the existence of the world, once it is completely changed, the physical world in which the individual currently exists would disintegrate .
3. The Cross-Dimensional Connection and Communicative Function of Feeling
Feeling not only operates within a single world, it also "acts in many worlds" .
A Bond of Communication: Feeling is a powerful "connective" that strongly links Seth, Jane (Ruburt), and Rob (Joseph) together .
A Key Role in Communication: In Seth's multidimensional communication with them, feeling plays an extremely important role . For example, when Jane transmits Seth's information, she can directly feel Seth's emotional state (such as being very affectionate and sensual), and can even perceive Seth's thoughts without conveying them through words .
4. The Bodily Experience of Feeling and the Transmission of Inner Information
Rob's personal experience concretely demonstrates how a "wave of feeling" presents itself in the body and transmits inner information. This intense "wave of feeling" can sweep through the whole body from feet to head, bringing a sensation similar to an amplified tingling or vibration, and even making one feel as if about to be lifted or swept away . This bodily feeling is often closely related to some inner perceived information, communication, or "silent rhythm" .
5. Emotion and the Vividness of Inner Data
Although Seth often discusses feeling together with emotions, he points out that emotions belong to the current personality and have a strong connection with the conscious ego as well as the often neglected inner self . Emotions are closer than anything else to the vividness of "inner data"; although they may trigger secondary physical effects at the physical level such as tears, accelerated heartbeat, or hormonal activity, the experience itself is entirely subjective and psychological .
1964-1965 · The Early Sessions: Book 3 of The Seth MaterialAI summary (single book)
In The Early Sessions Book 3, the presentation of the concept of "feeling" unfolds mainly through the direct bodily and psychological perceptions recorded by Jane Roberts during her "psychological time" exercises and telepathy experiments. These records reveal a series of unique, detailed, and extraordinary perceptual and emotional experiences that arise when consciousness is freed from ordinary physical limitations.
First, feeling manifests as an experience of bodily dissolution and release from ordinary physical constraints. In Jane's psychological time notebook, she records in detail the distinctive process by which localized bodily perception disappears. For example, she once experienced "a definite and continuing feeling of the body dissolving from the chest down" . Along with this sense of dissolution came an intense coldness, which even spread to the upper left arm and caused soreness. This feeling of bodily dissolution directly triggered another derivative perception, namely "the feeling that the body might rise up without it" . This indicates that, in certain states of consciousness, the "feeling" of the body's physical existence can reorganize itself, thereby producing a tendency to detach from physical bondage.
Second, feeling encompasses imbalance, vibration, and subtle inner sensations of movement. In the process of alteration of consciousness, Jane experienced a variety of fine kinetic sensations. These included an initial "feeling of imbalance," as if the head tilted to the left, causing the eyes to move downward to the left as well; then "a feeling of the whole body vibrating gently back and forth" . In addition, she felt that although her hands did not actually move, there was "a continuing feeling that they wanted to rise, as if there were a gentle pressure beneath them" . In subsequent exercises, this sense of movement was further described as "a feeling that is hard to describe, a kind of overall inner sense of motion" . These fine kinetic sensations indicate that consciousness, even in a state of stillness, can keenly perceive the flow and change of inner energy.
Third, feeling is embodied as extreme lightness and a sense of levitation. When Jane attempted to focus her consciousness on a specific target (such as undertaking psychic travel), she repeatedly experienced "a feeling of extreme lightness" and "a slight feeling of rising" . This lightness further developed into a loss of perception of physical support; for example, after initially feeling the forearms and hands rise, she had "a feeling that there was no bed beneath the ankles or feet" . This alteration in the perception of gravity and physical contact is an important sign that consciousness is extending outward and transcending the immediate physical environment.
Finally, feeling also manifests as a direct, untranslated sensory and emotional resonance with the physical and mental chaos of others. Jane once recorded an extremely strange feeling, which she described as "a definite, strong, chaotic movement in the mind, utterly disordered" . This feeling was like "symbols of anger or frustration that had not been translated into specific information, with a sense of sound within them," and its essence was as if she had "received someone else's physical and emotional chaos" . This emotional and psychological "feeling" did not remain only at the level of consciousness, but was directly transformed into a physiological kinesthetic response: her left kneecap felt the same but milder sensation, which immediately caused her leg to jerk or twitch . This shows that feeling is not only a reflection of one's inner state, but also a medium through which the emotional and physiological states of others can be directly received and physically embodied.
In summary, at this stage of the book, "feeling" is not only the ordinary monitoring of one's own physical state by consciousness, but also the most direct and fundamental perceptual experience of energy flow, the dissolution of bodily boundaries, spatial levitation, and external emotional resonance when consciousness explores multidimensional space and undertakes telepathy and psychological time exercises.
1970-1971 · Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the SoulAI summary (single book)
In Seth Speaks, Seth offers a multidimensional and in-depth analysis of "feeling" and "emotion," pointing out that they are not only the foundation of human experience but also the core driving force by which consciousness creates physical reality.
The nature of human feeling: the materialized translation of inner events. Seth points out that human feelings and emotions are essentially the physical manifestation in three-dimensional space of larger psychological events and experiences related to the inner senses . Every event perceived by a human being is actually an inner psychic or mental event that has been translated by the physically oriented portion of the self into the language of "bodily sensation" . The soul itself does not depend on the physical senses to perceive; whether in this life or another, this perception beyond the body continues to operate , and the soul directly perceives all experience .
Feeling as the core driving force of creation and materialization. Feelings and emotions possess powerful electromagnetic energy. Seth explains that space is filled with invisible coordination points, and human emotions or feelings, regardless of their nature and depending only on their intensity, activate these coordination points, thereby infusing the original thought or feeling with greater energy and accelerating its projection and concretization into physical matter . One of the purposes of human learning within the three-dimensional framework is precisely to master the methods by which emotional and psychic life creates physical form .
Feeling, symbols, and pure perception. Because of the limitations of language, human beings have created various "symbols" to express the infinitely varying feelings that cannot be adequately expressed in words . For example, "the feeling of joy" changes the observer's perception of the physical environment, making the objects it creates brighter and clearer . But in rare states of consciousness, there exists "pure feeling" or "pure knowing" that requires no symbols . In deep sleep, the soul's perceptive abilities operate without hindrance, and consciousness drinks directly from the "well of pure perception" .
A broader emotional experience beyond physical limitation. Compared with human beings, the emotional equivalents experienced by nonphysical entities such as Seth are more expansive and unrestricted. They are able to perceive the overall emotional "climate," and because they do not fear having their sense of identity overwhelmed by intense feelings, they can freely experience emotions and transform them into creativity . In addition, the bodily sensations that human beings produce during alterations of consciousness, such as between waking and sleeping, for example feelings of swelling or falling, are actually physical interpretations of psychic expansion or of consciousness returning to the body .
Intuitive feeling and the path to All That Is. Seth emphasizes that human beings often rationalize away legitimate intuitive perceptions. For example, when one feels that a room has become smaller, although its physical dimensions have not changed, the room has indeed changed on the levels of psychological impact, event attraction, and physiological hormones . Ultimately, only by feeling, sensing, or intuitively perceiving the depth of one's own experience can a human being glimpse the nature of All That Is .
Mike's commentary (Chinese)Mike's commentary
The Nature of Personal Reality · Chapter 21 related passage in this chapter
In the Seth philosophy, "feeling" transcends the simple definition of subjective emotion in conventional psychology, being endowed with profound metaphysical, physical-constructive, and multidimensional communicative significance. Feeling is in essence "action" itself , the "cohesive force" or cement used by the psyche in physical construction . It is not only the electromagnetic medium through which human inner events are translated into three-dimensional space , but its deepest manifestation—the "feeling tone"—is the very tone of an individual's "being," representing the innermost core of experience and the source from which experience is formed .
II. Main Expositions
1. The Physical Construction and Electromagnetic Creativity of Feeling
Seth points out that feelings are not vague, ethereal psychological phenomena, but possess concrete physical and electromagnetic effects. First, Seth introduces the concept of "mental enzymes," defining them as "solidified feelings" . These solidified feelings are always in motion, forming the "imaginary wires" that permeate the universe to shape the physical framework, and producing action within the physical world .
Second, feelings and emotions possess powerful electromagnetic energy. Space is filled with invisible coordinate points, and human feelings activate these coordinate points, infusing raw thoughts with energy, thereby accelerating their projection and materialization into physical matter . One of the core learning purposes of humans in three-dimensional reality is precisely to master how to use emotions and psychic life to create physical forms . As the cohesive force of psychic construction, feeling maintains the existence of the physical world; if an individual were to completely change their feelings, the physical world they currently inhabit would even fall apart .
2. The Dynamic Relationship Between Feelings, Emotions, and Beliefs
On the level of personal reality, there is a close interaction mechanism among feelings, emotions, and beliefs. Emotions flow with beliefs , beliefs automatically bring about certain feelings , and emotions are reactions to beliefs . Seth emphasizes that individuals must accept the validity of feelings as feelings, but understand that a feeling is an emotional expression rather than a statement of fact (for example, "feeling inferior" is not the same as "actually being inferior") .
If these emotions are denied or suppressed, the individual cannot question the beliefs behind them ; conversely, the free flow of emotions leads one back to conscious beliefs, illuminating belief systems and releasing fear . Any emotion, as long as it is honestly experienced, will automatically transform into another emotion (such as hate transforming into fear, and thus being released) . Attempting to deny feelings or substitute unpleasant emotions with so-called "good thoughts" only builds "dams" that block the natural flow of the system . Even negative emotions such as anger should be experienced and released in a safe manner to become aware of the powerlessness they represent behind them .
3. The Cross-Dimensional Connection and Non-Physical Dimensions of Feeling
Feeling has a communicative role that spans dimensions; it "operates in many worlds" . In the multidimensional communication between Seth, Jane, and Rob, feeling played an extremely important role, enabling Jane to directly feel Seth's emotional states and thoughts .
Furthermore, "feeling" does not require a self-conscious mind, and it possesses broad non-physical dimensions . The soul itself does not rely on physical senses to perceive; whether in this life or another, this feeling that transcends the physical body operates continuously, directly perceiving all experience . In altered states of consciousness such as deep sleep or dreams, consciousness can escape the limitations of physical sensory data to experience formless "pure feeling" or "pure knowing" that is not body-oriented . Compared to humans, non-physical entities experience emotional equivalents that are far more expansive; they can freely experience emotions and translate them into creativity without fearing that their sense of identity will be swallowed up by intense feelings .
4. Subtle Perception in Physical Experience and Alterations of Consciousness
Feeling has concrete manifestations on the physical level. Intense "feeling surges" can sweep through the entire body from feet to head, bringing about sensations akin to magnified tingling or vibrations, transmitting inner information and silent rhythms .
When practicing "psychological time" or undergoing alterations of consciousness, feeling manifests as a series of unique physical and psychological perceptions:
Physical dissolution and levitation sensations: such as experiencing localized dissolution of the body, sensations of coldness, and a tendency for the body to rise without physical limitations .
Subtle kinetic feelings: including a sense of imbalance, gentle rocking of the body back and forth, and a sensation of rising and inner motion in the hands when they have not actually moved .
Physicalization of emotional resonance: Feeling can also serve as a medium for directly receiving the physical and mental disarray of others, translating directly into physiological kinesthetic reactions (such as leg shaking) .
III. Evolutionary Context
Seth's exposition of the concept of "feeling" evolves and deepens across his works of different periods, moving from "metaphysical construction" to "phenomenological experience," and finally to "creative tone of existence":
In The Early Sessions, Book 1, Seth focuses on the ontological and physical-constructive role of feeling, defining it as "action" , the "cohesive force" of the psyche , and the "mental enzymes" that form the framework of the universe .
In The Early Sessions, Book 3, through Jane's psychological time experiments, Seth demonstrates the subtle physical perceptions and telepathic resonance of feeling under altered states of consciousness, emphasizing its utility as a non-traditional sensory channel .
In Seth Speaks, Seth elevates feeling to the perceptual tool of the multidimensional soul and the medium of electromagnetic creativity, elucidating how feeling activates coordinate points to materialize three-dimensional reality, and pointing out the existence of "pure feeling" that transcends the physical body .
In The Nature of Personal Reality, Seth integrates this concept into a psychological and metaphysical synthesis, proposing the "feeling tone" as the inner core of existence , and systematically expounding the dynamic feedback mechanism among feelings, emotions, and beliefs, emphasizing the decisive role of honest experience and the natural flow of emotions in changing personal reality .
IV. Relationship with Related Concepts
Feeling vs. Emotion: Emotions belong to the current personality, are closely connected with the conscious self and the inner ego, and are the most vivid manifestations of inner data . Emotion is a reaction to beliefs , whereas feeling is more fundamental, not even requiring a self-conscious mind .
Feeling vs. Feeling Tone: The feeling tone is the deepest, most core form of feeling. It represents the tone of "being" and the deepest creative impulses, radiating outward electromagnetically to form our physical image and environment .
Feeling vs. Belief: Beliefs automatically bring about feelings . When people change their personal feelings about reality by changing their beliefs, the world they perceive changes accordingly .
Feeling vs. Symbol: Due to the limitations of language, humans create symbols to express infinitely changing feelings . However, in specific states of consciousness, there exists "pure feeling" that does not require symbols .
Feeling vs. All That Is: Humans cannot understand "All That Is" through logic alone; only by feeling, sensing, or intuitively perceiving the depth of their own experience can they catch a glimpse of its nature .
V. Representative Original Quotations
"The 'feeling tone' is the tone of 'being,' representing the innermost core of experience and the source from which experience is formed."
"Mental enzymes are 'solidified feelings'... they not only produce action in the physical world, but they themselves become action itself."
"Every event perceived by humans is actually an inner psychic or mental event, translated by that portion of the ego oriented toward physical matter into terms of 'physical sensation.'"
"Human emotions or feelings (whatever their nature, depending only upon their intensity) activate these coordinate points, thereby infusing raw thoughts or feelings with greater energy, accelerating their projection and materialization into physical matter."