time of choosing

Time of Choosing — Lineage File

1. What exactly did Seth claim regarding this concept? How many times was it mentioned, in which books, and did the phrasing change over the years?

Seth addressed the concept of "time of choosing" centrally in Session 11 of Seth Speaks, referring to the phase of decision-making and planning that the individual undergoes during the transition period after physical death and before entering another existence [seth-speaks §11]. The term appears multiple times in the material, including variants such as "this time of choosing and decision," "the time of choosing," and "At the time of choosing," with slight variations in phrasing but consistent core meaning [seth-speaks §11]. This concept appears only in Session 11 of Seth Speaks; the provided material from Session 85 of The Early Sessions Book 2 contains no related discussion [seth-speaks §11]. Regarding whether the phrasing changed over the years, the material shows only two variants within that session—"time of choosing" and "time of choosing and decision"—but provides no comparative material from other time periods [seth-speaks §11]. Seth claimed that the time of choosing occurs after separation from physical life, and its specific timing depends on the individual's condition and circumstances; some individuals enter it almost immediately, while others require a longer period of training before entering [seth-speaks §11]. During this time, teachers and guides point out alternative courses and explain the nature of existence [seth-speaks §11]. The primary factor hindering the time of choosing is the individual's erroneous beliefs—for example, belief in heaven or hell, or belief in the opposition of good and evil—which postpone the time of choosing [seth-speaks §11]. Those who thoroughly understand that "reality is self-created" encounter the least difficulty [seth-speaks §11]. By the time of choosing, the personality is ready to leave and enter another existence; this transition period may last centuries in your time scale, or only a few years [seth-speaks §11]. When the last reincarnational cycle is completed, the time of choosing offers far more varied choices than are available to those who still require reincarnation [seth-speaks §11]. Additionally, Seth mentioned that most individuals communicating from these transition states with the "living" have not yet reached the time of choosing, nor have they completed their training [seth-speaks §11]. The material does not address the specific frequency of this concept's appearance in other books or time periods, nor its phrasing evolution.

2. What mechanism did he offer?

All probabilities and possibilities originate from the state of "no time," portions of which are perceived and experienced as definite events within your system [early-sessions-9 §438].
The individual selects from these probabilities and constructs concrete events using probabilities as "building blocks"; this is the mechanism of "choice" [early-sessions-9 §438].
This choosing presupposes inner knowledge and computational ability, for the individual must be aware of the probabilities in order to choose from among them, and the inner self does possess and utilize this knowledge [early-sessions-9 §438].
The probability web contains possible actions and reactions, involving not only the self but also others [early-sessions-9 §438].
Most events are "crystallized" only at your "last moment"; they are not predetermined by any outside source [early-sessions-9 §438].
The individual also possesses freedom of choice and change within fields such as one's own childhood environment [early-sessions-9 §438].
Events materialize into your time from no time, and the source and supply of probabilities never runs dry [early-sessions-9 §438].
No time is not a static, completed cosmic storehouse but is continuously added to; each event formed from a probability set automatically generates new probabilities [early-sessions-9 §438].

3. Are there observable inferences or explicit predictions (including time, quantity, conditions)?

According to the material, the "time of choosing" refers to the stage in the post-death transition period (in-between period) during which the personality determines the manner and direction of its next reincarnation [seth-speaks §11].

I. Time frame

• The interval between two incarnations rarely exceeds three hundred years, because a longer wait makes orientation difficult and weakens emotional ties with the earth [seth-speaks §11].
• The transition period can last centuries, or only a few years [seth-speaks §11].
• There are exceptions: a personality may rapidly enter another physical body within a matter of hours, usually resulting from an obsessive craving for physical life; however, extremely rapid reincarnation may also occur in a personality bearing a significant mission, who discards the old body and is reborn almost immediately to complete an important plan already set in motion [seth-speaks §11].
• The time of choosing may occur almost immediately after death, or may be postponed for a considerable period due to the need to process misunderstandings and beliefs [seth-speaks §11].

II. Conditions affecting the time of choosing

• The individual's post-death experiences and the time of choosing depend upon the state and circumstances of the individual after leaving physical life [seth-speaks §11].
• Rigid beliefs in heaven or hell delay the time of choosing; those who believe in hell usually free themselves from the erroneous state faster than those who believe in heaven, but either belief postpones the time of choosing and the next existence [seth-speaks §11].
• Attachment to worldly affairs, or failure to complete psychological separation, inevitably postpones the time of choosing [seth-speaks §11].
• Over-identification with gender identity (male or female) also hinders progress and may cause one to resist accepting gender changes in reincarnation [seth-speaks §11].
• Systematic belief in opposing forces (such as good and evil, God and the devil) is an extremely harmful impediment, not only after death but in all existence [seth-speaks §11].
• Those who fully understand that "reality is self-created" and who can manipulate dream mechanisms will have minimal difficulty or a major advantage [seth-speaks §11].

III. Observable features and indirect inferences

• In most communications from the transition state, the "dead" who communicate with "living" relatives have usually not yet reached the point of the time of choosing, nor have they completed their training; almost all such communications come from this stage, especially in cases where emotional ties from a previous life are present [seth-speaks §11].
• Once the stage of the time of choosing is entered, the personality's interests shift and new relationships are established in the new existence; changes in communication content can therefore serve as an indirect, non-quantitative observational clue [seth-speaks §11].
• The material provides no quantifiable, repeatable observational indicators or specific predictive values.

The material provides no specific numerical predictions or quantitative inferences that could be used for experimental verification [seth-speaks §11].

4. Where did he say science of that time was wrong, and in what direction should it look?

The material does not address this.

5. What experiments or exercises did he suggest? What did Jane and Rob actually do and observe at the time?

General recommendations regarding experiments

• Seth once said that any experiment one wishes to try may be attempted, calling them "homework" [early-sessions-1 §12].
• He also said abilities could be trained on a small scale by oneself [early-sessions-1 §12].
• During the holidays, he also said small experiments could be conducted independently [early-sessions-2 §80].

What Jane Roberts actually did and observed

• Jane practiced psychological time exercises during the afternoon period, but found it difficult to establish an effective routine; Seth later allowed her to practice in the morning instead, limited to twenty minutes per session [early-sessions-4 §156].
• Session 12 records an experiment: that evening Seth was not summoned; Jane and Rob placed a red Christmas light, black cloth, and Jane's wedding ring in a dark room, later replacing these with a Spanish military insignia; after sitting quietly for an hour without results, they changed to Rob asking Jane random questions, and Jane spontaneously spoke in her ordinary voice a scene of a 1748 English shoemaker's shop, including the character Sarah Wellington, details of her death, and so forth; Rob recorded her monologue in the dark [early-sessions-1 §12].
• Jane said during the experiment that she felt her hands disappear and could not see them, and that she also saw the metal insignia disappear in the same way [early-sessions-1 §12].

What Rob Butts actually did and observed

• While driving during the holiday, Rob attempted to suggest to his subconscious that the car would use less oil on the return trip than on the outward trip; although he did not record exact figures, he felt the return trip used at least two quarts less oil; at two stops along the way, gas station attendants said no oil was needed [early-sessions-2 §80].
• Rob attempted psychological time practice: on July 21 there were no results; on the evening of July 22 he experienced a "generalized expansion" sensation in his hands, and half an hour passed quickly without falling asleep [early-sessions-2 §72].
• In an experiment demonstrating the ouija board to friends, Jane—without using the board herself—received in advance, mentally, the names and dates that the ouija board was about to give [early-sessions-2 §72].

Observed phenomena

• In Session 80, Seth explained that Jane's and Rob's colds arose from their treating the dance hall they frequented as a "psychological home," feeling discomfort at the changes in its redecoration, combined with the expectation of "catching a cold" [early-sessions-2 §80].
• Seth said Rob caught the cold because his subconscious expected to become ill [early-sessions-2 §80].

6. Supplementary or contradictory information from other concepts in the corpus related to this concept?

According to the Session 11 material of Seth Speaks, the "time of choosing" refers to the critical period in the intermediate state between incarnations during which the individual determines the manner of development for the next incarnation [seth-speaks §11]. The concept is complemented by several related concepts, as follows:

• Planning of reincarnation: In the "time of choosing," the personality determines the specific manner of reincarnation, such as choosing to focus on a particular characteristic (e.g., high intellect or emotional development), directly relating to the diversity of the reincarnational process [seth-speaks §11].
• In-between period: This period serves as the backdrop against which the "time of choosing" occurs; the individual plans future existence amidst rest and choice, and its importance is no less than the incarnated life chosen itself [seth-speaks §11].
• Reincarnational cycles: Different reincarnational patterns (such as rapid reincarnation, group cycles) are determined in the "time of choosing"; for example, some choose to experience physical existence intensively, while others choose a more balanced progression [seth-speaks §11].
• System of probabilities: When the reincarnational cycle ends, the "time of choosing" involves the question of whether to enter the probability system; this choice is made by the same self that makes the reincarnational choice, but with a different structure [seth-speaks §11].
• Teachers and guides: During the "time of choosing," teachers and guides provide guidance, helping the individual understand options and the nature of existence; the teachers themselves are also within their own developmental cycles [seth-speaks §11].
• Individual creates own reality: The individual's beliefs create experience in the "time of choosing"; for example, attachment to heaven or hell postpones the time of choosing; the truth is that reality is self-created, and this principle applies to all levels of existence [seth-speaks §11].
• Impediments: Belief obstacles (such as those concerning heaven and hell, established systems of opposition, or strong identification with sex) delay the occurrence of the "time of choosing," whereas those who understand reality as self-creation pass through this stage more quickly [seth-speaks §11].
• Temporal variability: The waiting period for the "time of choosing" varies greatly among individuals, ranging from a few hours to centuries, depending on personal conditions and beliefs [seth-speaks §11].

Regarding supplementary and contradictory aspects, the material emphasizes that the "time of choosing" is not merely a decision before reincarnation, but also involves broader choices (such as becoming a teacher or entering other realities), and that all actions exist simultaneously, though simplified for purposes of explanation [seth-speaks §11]. Furthermore, belief systems such as good–evil dualism are regarded as major impediments, contrasting with the core concept that "reality is self-created" [seth-speaks §11].

7. Questions not yet asked

1. How could a prospective cohort study be designed to compare decision-making speed after near-death experiences between individuals holding rigid dualistic good–evil beliefs and those with neutral beliefs, while controlling for confounding variables such as age and education level?
2. Could existing near-death experience databases be used to test whether the frequency of self-reported communication with deceased relatives during the "time of choosing" shows a quantifiable correlation with the strength of the individual's pre-death beliefs about the afterlife?
3. Under experimental conditions, could a simulated reincarnation decision task measure whether participants' preferences for probabilistic options in a hypothetical "time of choosing" are moderated by their degree of endorsement of the belief in "self-created reality"?
4. Regarding Seth's hypothesis that "beliefs delay the time of choosing," could computational models (e.g., Bayesian belief updating) be used to simulate the duration of the post-death transition period and fit it to the reincarnation intervals reported in the literature (e.g., an average of 300 years)?

Appendix: List of Claims (for Phase C)

id	claim	type	source
time-of-choosing-1	The individual undergoes a "time of choosing" after physical death and before entering the next existence, during which the direction of the next reincarnation is planned.	ontological assertion	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-2	The timing of the time of choosing depends on the individual's circumstances; some enter almost immediately, others only after centuries of training.	ontological assertion	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-3	Upon entering the time of choosing, the personality is ready to leave and enter another existence; this transition period may last centuries or only a few years.	testable prediction	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-4	The primary factors hindering the time of choosing are erroneous beliefs held by the individual, such as belief in heaven, hell, or the opposition of good and evil, which postpone the time of choosing.	mechanism description	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-5	Individuals who thoroughly understand that "reality is self-created" encounter the least difficulty in the time of choosing.	ontological assertion	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-6	The interval between two incarnations rarely exceeds three hundred years, because a longer wait makes orientation difficult and weakens emotional ties with the earth.	testable prediction	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-7	A personality may rapidly enter another physical body within a matter of hours, resulting from attachment to physical life or from a rapid rebirth bearing a significant mission.	testable prediction	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-8	Over-identification with gender identity hinders progress and may cause one to resist accepting gender changes in reincarnation.	mechanism description	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-9	Most individuals communicating with the living from the transition state have not yet reached the time of choosing, nor have they completed their training.	case evidence	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-10	When the last reincarnational cycle is completed, the time of choosing offers far more varied choices than are available to those who still require reincarnation, including whether to enter the probability system.	ontological assertion	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-11	In the intermediate state, teachers and guides point out alternative courses and explain the nature of existence.	mechanism description	seth-speaks §11
time-of-choosing-12	Attachment to worldly affairs, or failure to complete psychological separation, inevitably postpones the time of choosing.	mechanism description	seth-speaks §11