time systems

Time Systems (time systems) Clue Archive

1. What are Seth's specific claims about this concept? How many times, in which books, and did the wording change over the years?

Seth's Claims about Time Systems

I. Core Features of the Inverted Time System (1966, Vol. 5)

• The inverted time system presents a structure closer to the true nature of time [early-sessions-5 §221]
• Time indeed turns inward while simultaneously exploding outward from itself; the expanding universe theory applies more to time than to the physical universe [early-sessions-5 §221]
• There is no real continuous progression "moment by moment" as conceived; the stable straight line of time does not exist [early-sessions-5 §221]
• On the subconscious level, one traverses the past, and the past thereby becomes the present [early-sessions-5 §221]
• Energy moves from the core in all directions, and the core sometimes becomes its outer surface [early-sessions-5 §221]
• In the inverted time system, momentum is recognized and utilized by individual consciousness, so that the so-called past, present, and future can be seen as existing in one spacious present [early-sessions-5 §221]
• The past can essentially be changed: present actions can alter future events that would otherwise have occurred, and likewise present events can alter the past [early-sessions-5 §221]
• Any apparent difference between past and future arises solely from one's own perception; the past exists to the same degree as the present or the future, and only perception is limited [early-sessions-5 §221]

II. Operation of the Inverted Time System (Session 220)

• The inverted time system produces an order of experience different from the familiar sequence; the time boundaries as known do not exist in this system [early-sessions-5 §220]
• Using ten reincarnations as an example: in the inverted time system, individual ten can be aware of individual two's experiences, and vice versa; all individuals can access each other's experiences [early-sessions-5 §220]
• Individual ten can "go back" without confusion into the experiences undergone by any other individual, and individual two's experiences are continually changed by the intervention of the other individuals [early-sessions-5 §220]
• This inverted time system belongs to a system in which an outsider referred to as "he" resides; this system exists within the physical universe yet does not belong to it, and does not deal with physical matter at all [early-sessions-5 §220]

III. The Constructive Relationship between Time Systems and Personality (1968, Vol. 9)

• Individual personalities in other systems construct time structures of their own kind, but clearly recognize that these structures are adaptations for organizing experience and do not assume that any particular time system has reality in itself [early-sessions-9 §432]
• These systems do not use the continuous structure of this system; in that time system, the growth of mass appears to depend on the continuity of moments, but time is unrelated to form [early-sessions-9 §432]
• Those not situated in that system find it hard to understand—people give time and images a reality independent of themselves [early-sessions-9 §432]

IV. The Introduction of Nontime (1968)

• Basically, that which is called time does not exist [early-sessions-9 §429]
• The word "time" itself is distorted, projecting limitations onto other reality systems where they do not exist; "nontime" is closest to the truth [early-sessions-9 §429]
• Advanced personalities know nontime, yet can use others' time illusions and enter specific camouflage structures [early-sessions-9 §432]

V. Changes in Wording over the Years

• 1966 (Vol. 5, Sessions 220 and 221): focused on the specific expression "inverted time system," describing a system operation utterly different from the current system [early-sessions-5 §220, §221]
• 1968 (Vol. 9, Sessions 429 and 432): the wording developed into a generalized plural reference to "time systems," and introduced the concept of "nontime" as a category closer to the truth [early-sessions-9 §429, §432]
• The wording shifted from a description of one particular system toward a more fundamental questioning of the existential status of time systems and even of time itself [early-sessions-9 §429, §432]

2. What mechanism does he propose?

• An inverted time system actually provides a system closer to the true essence of time; time does indeed turn inward, even as it bursts outward from itself [early-sessions-5 §221].

• In such a system, energy moves from the core in all directions, and the core sometimes becomes its outer surface; therefore, if time rushes forward, it rushes backward equally [early-sessions-5 §221].

• Individual consciousness can recognize and utilize this momentum, thereby contacting the experiences of both "past" and "future" simultaneously and viewing them in a "spacious now" [early-sessions-5 §221, §226].

• The individual continually forms past events just as he forms present and future events; he is not dominated by past events because he continually changes them [early-sessions-5 §226].

• This change is possible because the past exists only as patterns of electromagnetic currents in the brain, and these connections are constantly changing; therefore, the individual is not bound by a concrete and unchanging past, because such a past never existed [early-sessions-5 §226].

• "Future events" seen through precognition are not fated to occur; they are only one of the possibilities. The event may or may not occur within this time system, but it will become a reality in another time system [early-sessions-5 §226].

• Individuals in other systems also construct their own time structures, but they clearly know these structures are only adaptations for organizing experience and do not confer on any time system a reality of its own [early-sessions-9 §432].

• All time systems are based on "no time"; in no time, energy provides the basis for the time you currently experience, and the realities of all possibilities also exist within no time [early-sessions-9 §437].

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

The material does not address this.

4. Where did he say the science of his day went wrong, and in what direction should it look?

• Science regards time as a continuous process "steadily advancing toward the future," but this is not the case; time actually turns inward while also bursting outward, so the "expanding universe theory" applies more to time than to the physical universe [early-sessions-5 §221].

• Science believes the physical universe is expanding; this results from distorted data provided by instruments, and the instruments themselves bring misleading information [early-sessions-5 §221].

• Science's "causality theory" is inadequate, for once the inverted time system is clearly understood, the insufficiency of the causality theory becomes apparent [early-sessions-5 §237].

• Science and psychology have not studied subjective states of consciousness; instead, they only use physical instruments to measure realities that cannot be measured. Since psychologists deal with mental activity, it is surprising that they do not directly observe their own mental activity in its various states of consciousness [early-sessions-5 §237].

• The very word "time" on which science relies is itself distorted; it projects limitations onto other reality systems where those limitations do not exist [early-sessions-9 §429].

• One should turn to the study of the "inverted time system," because it is closer to the true nature of time, and both the inverted time system and the "spacious present" involve the interior of the sphere [early-sessions-5 §221, §237].

• One should study one's own dreams and learn through firsthand experience; the relationship between dreams and time will clearly reveal the existence of the inverted time system, which is also the main cause of clairvoyance [early-sessions-5 §237].

• One should understand that "the time you call time basically does not exist," and "nontime" is far closer to the truth than "time" [early-sessions-9 §429].

• Individuals in other systems do not confer on any time system a reality of its own; they know that time structures are merely adaptive tools adopted for organizing experience, which suggests that science should also break the presupposition that "time has an independent reality" [early-sessions-9 §432].

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

• Seth encouraged them to try any experiments they wished on their own, calling it "homework," and considered that this could train their abilities to a certain degree [early-sessions-1 §12].

• Seth allowed Rob (Jane) to perform "psychological time" exercises in the morning; the old schedule could be resumed if desired, but each session was still limited to twenty minutes [early-sessions-4 §156].

• Seth emphasized that "psychological time" should be maintained by both, serving both spiritual education and physical benefit through temporarily stepping out of physical time [early-sessions-3 §99].

• Seth suggested that psychologists and scientists should study their own dreams, learning through firsthand experience about realities that cannot be measured with physical instruments [early-sessions-5 §237].

• Inspired by Seth's suggestion to "try different things," on January 4, 1964, they conducted an experiment without Seth present: in a dark room with the curtains drawn and only one red Christmas light lit, a black cloth was spread on the table, Jane's wedding ring was placed upon it, and the two sat facing each other with hands flat on the cloth, sitting quietly for about an hour, initially with no results; later they switched to a brass military insignia and continued sitting in the dark [early-sessions-1 §12].

• In the above darkroom experiment, Jane observed that her own hands sometimes "disappeared"—she could not see her hands, yet did not worry about their nonexistence; the same phenomenon occurred with the brass insignia [early-sessions-1 §12].

• In the same experiment, Rob, with his eyes closed, received a colored vision of a man walking down a road, which he considered part of the "Joseph series" [early-sessions-1 §12].

• After a rest, continuing the conversation in the dark, Jane spontaneously began speaking in her normal voice, and Rob recorded in the dark; the handwriting turned out clearly legible and complete. Jane then narrated the scene of a girl named Sarah Wellington, who was burned to death in a shoemaker's shop in England in 1748, containing many details [early-sessions-1 §12].

• In a drowsy state, Jane heard a male voice whisper "twelve-oh-five"; through pendulum testing she learned it was a random psychic message [early-sessions-4 §153].

• In an early-morning drowsy state, Jane experienced herself standing in grayish-white smoke, smelled the odor of smoke, and simultaneously felt a pang of panic, whereupon the experience ended [early-sessions-4 §153].

• Following Seth's suggestion, the two diligently conducted pendulum experiments on a regular basis [early-sessions-4 §153].

• In the 44th Instream experiment, Jane performed psychic perception with an envelope pressed against her forehead, describing a building, floors, matches, a Howard Johnson sign, two men, a coffee pot, a loose button, orange décor, glass doors, a bearded man, a brown envelope, the initials C.S., a boy, financial problems, and other items, and answered questions about colors (purple, red shading to yellow) [early-sessions-5 §237].

• Jane's psychological time notebook recorded several observations: on October 21 she strongly visualized the kitchen blinds in her mind, and that night found three sets of blinds in the basement that had not existed the day before; on October 23 she clearly saw a copper door lock with a chain; on October 26 she saw a large photo album with newspaper clippings pasted in, with old photos of her and Rob protruding from an envelope, and briefly experienced herself standing above and to the right of herself, inside the body of another, older woman [early-sessions-3 §99].

• On October 20, Jane dreamed that the washing machine leaked and flooded the basement; on the night of October 21, the washing machine pipe in the basement actually burst, and the basement really was flooded with a foot of water [early-sessions-3 §99].

6. Supplements or contradictions offered by other concepts in the corpus regarding this concept?

• The "inverted time system" is a variant of the "time system"; it operates within your own system, but is not a time system acknowledged by the ego [early-sessions-5 §231]. In that system, individual ten can perceive individual two's experiences, and individual two can also perceive individual ten's experiences; all individuals can enter the experiences of other individuals [early-sessions-5 §220]. This supplements the concept that "time systems" do not have only one fixed order [early-sessions-5 §220].

• "Probable events" relate to "time systems": probable events or actions are experienced by the various parts of the self in their own ways; when experienced by the ego they are called actual physical events, and when experienced by other layers the ego is unaware, yet the event remains actual [early-sessions-5 §231]. This supplements the view that events within "time systems" have multiple possibilities of perception [early-sessions-5 §231].

• The "various parts of the self" and the "inner self" supplement the operating mechanism of "time systems": each self-part experiences time in its own way and constructs its own reality [early-sessions-5 §231]; the inner self is like a stereo setup, letting each self-part know its unity, with the various realities merging in an overall perception [early-sessions-5 §231].

• "Nontime" and "time systems" form a source relationship: time is formed from nontime, and nontime is psychological experience and psychological reality [early-sessions-9 §433]. Entities form time systems in nontime as auxiliary tools for organizing perception [early-sessions-9 §433]. There are many kinds of time systems, including discarded ones, emerging ones, and ones that may become group adventures [early-sessions-9 §433].

• The concept of "form" supplements the constructive nature of "time systems": form, like time, is an auxiliary for organizing experience; form does not depend on mass and can exist without mass [early-sessions-9 §433]. Multidimensional personalities know that they construct forms, just as they construct various time systems [early-sessions-9 §433].

• "Time systems" are compared to games: different time systems have different rules and purposes, and one of the rules of your system is to forget that it is a game [early-sessions-9 §433]. Time is superimposed upon nontime, just as mass is superimposed upon form [early-sessions-9 §433].

• Other life forms supplement the "time system" concept: animals, plants, rocks, etc., do not experience your time; they perceive by intensity, and their "present" has a longer duration in mass and value fulfillment [early-sessions-9 §433]. They do not share your time illusion [early-sessions-9 §433].

7. Questions That Have Not Yet Been Asked

1. Seth claims that "present actions can alter past events." One could design a memory reconstruction experiment: after having subjects recall an event, provide misleading information, observe changes in memory, and compare with Seth's claim about "the past as brain patterns," citing memory plasticity literature such as Loftus et al.
2. Seth says "time turns inward, and the expanding universe theory applies to time rather than the physical universe." One could test whether time symmetry affects measurement outcomes in quantum delayed-choice experiments (such as the Wheeler experiment), or review the existing empirical evidence for time-symmetric physical models (such as Wheeler–Feynman electrodynamics).
3. Seth suggests studying dreams to understand the inverted time system. In a sleep laboratory, one could awaken subjects during REM stages, collect dream narratives, analyze whether the temporal order of events shows non-sequential or reversed patterns, and simultaneously record prefrontal activity, referencing Desseilles et al.'s research on time processing in dreams.
4. Seth holds that "nontime" is the basis of time. One could examine whether time is emergent in time crystal or quantum gravity theories, for example by designing experiments to observe the stable oscillations of discrete time crystals, or reviewing how the relevant theories explain the appearance of time as a macroscopic phenomenon.
5. Seth proposes that animals and plants do not experience human time but perceive by intensity. One could design behavioral experiments comparing discrimination thresholds for time intervals in bees or rats with those of humans, and connect to the existing literature on animal time cognition (such as the timing models of Buhusi & Meck).

Appendix: Claim List (for Phase C)

id	Claim	Type	Source
time-systems-1	The inverted time system presents a structure closer to the true nature of time; time turns inward while simultaneously bursting outward from itself.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-5 §221
time-systems-2	The time you call time basically does not exist; 'nontime' is far closer to the truth than 'time.'	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §429
time-systems-3	Individual personalities in other systems construct time structures of their own kind, but clearly recognize that these structures are adaptations for organizing experience and do not assume that any particular time system has reality in itself.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §432
time-systems-4	The past exists only as patterns of electromagnetic currents in the brain; these connections constantly change, so the individual is not bound by a concrete and unchanging past, and the past can be altered by the present.	Mechanism description	early-sessions-5 §226
time-systems-5	All time systems are based on 'no time'; in no time, energy provides the basis for the time you currently experience.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §437
time-systems-6	Science is wrong to regard time as a continuous process steadily advancing toward the future; the expanding universe theory applies more to time than to the physical universe.	Methodological suggestion	early-sessions-5 §221
time-systems-7	One should study one's own dreams and learn through firsthand experience; the relationship between dreams and time will clearly reveal the existence of the inverted time system, which is the main cause of clairvoyance.	Methodological suggestion	early-sessions-5 §237
time-systems-8	Probable events or actions are experienced by the various parts of the self in their own ways; when experienced by the ego they are called actual physical events, and when experienced by other layers the ego is unaware, yet the event remains actual.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-5 §231
time-systems-9	Form, like time, is an auxiliary for organizing experience; form does not depend on mass and can exist without mass.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §433
time-systems-10	Different time systems have different rules and purposes; one of the rules of your system is to forget that it is a game; time is superimposed upon nontime.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §433
time-systems-11	Animals, plants, rocks, etc., do not experience your time; they perceive by intensity, and their 'present' has a longer duration in mass and value fulfillment.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §433
time-systems-12	Advanced personalities know nontime, yet can use others' time illusions and enter specific camouflage structures.	Ontological assertion	early-sessions-9 §432