Ten-Year Anniversary of A Simple Explanation--New Edition of Book For Sale Now!

You may purchase the new Amazon paperback and Kindle ebook editions here, now.

Ten years ago I turned on my word processor to begin writing a play about a midwife's trial. Instead, the first twenty pages of "A Simple Explanation" poured out onto the screen. 

I had been thinking about these topics for many years. The most important concepts to me at that time were "mud up, spirit down," and "as above, so below." I had also been meditating upon the donut shape known as a "torus" since reading Bentov's "Stalking the Wild Pendulum" in 1979. Finally, the concept of holographs often rolled through my mind--the idea that you can replicate the original wholeness of an object or image by studying a small fragment of the whole. 

I was working as a breakfast chef at my own bed and breakfast, which gave me plenty of time for contemplation while preparing food. 

I had begun to notice and photograph the repetitive interior shape of fruits and vegetables as I dealt with them in the kitchen. At some point I noticed that the seed explosion came from the middle of their shapes, no matter if it was an apple, a tomato, a pepper, or a squash. Once I saw that, I observed that the fruits were variations of the torus shape, and the seeds came from the center, with the stem line going right through these center seeds and extending out the bottom. 

It was a happy day, indeed, when A Simple Explanation presented itself to me. Boom! Everything fell into place on the page with no strain at all on my part, as if my subconscious had already figured it out and now my fingers were receiving the message.

Soon thereafter I established the Simple Explanation blog and essentially developed all of the remaining concepts publicly online. If you are interested in tracing the theory's genesis, you can go back to the first dozen or so postings from the blog's historical timeline, beginning in January of 2010. The blog has been viewed over 270,000 times and I have written and posted well over 300 original articles.

Since that time, I have been gratified to see a number of my scientific hypotheses come true. My original meme-based social theories are also proving to be true, and easier than ever observe nowadays during these times of tremendous social and political upheaval.

Lastly, the "hard problem" of consciousness is not at all hard when viewed through the paradigm-shifting lens of A Simple Explanation. My articles concerning my "Simple Fractal Model of the Conscious Universe" have been viewed over 21,000 times.

This 3rd edition, of "A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything" contains new material not included in the previous editions, including expanded sections on evolutionary theory, reincarnation, and meme theory. There are also examples of the theory applied, so you can see how the Simple Explanation makes even the incomprehensible understandable. 

The 3rd edition is a black and white paperback, available on Amazon for $19.99. There is also a kindle ebook edition in color, if your reader is in color, for only $4.99.

The new edition is now available from Amazon.com in all markets.

Please buy your copy here, now!

President John F. Kennedy on Progressive Extremism

 Here's what President Kennedy would say about the people who are tearing down statues and rioting in the streets. And I quote:

“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.”

John F. Kennedy

Protest is one thing--physical violence is quite another. 

Not agreeing with another person is one thing--not allowing the other to speak is quite another. 

Passionate disapproval of other's views is one thing--censorship is quite another.

Calling someone out for their meme bundles is one thing--lying about what their meme bundle says is another.

Standing up for righteousness and justice is one thing--rank hypocrisy is another.

While I may earnestly disagree with your views and your opinions--my lying about what You think and misrepresenting objective facts is quite another.

I have no doubt that President Kennedy would be appalled at the current state of his Party. 

Gnostic Gospel, Pt 11 -- Endless War

Notice: There is now a separate blog dedicated to the New Gnostic Gospel. You can get there by clicking here.

The First Order of Powers, the aeons of the hierarchy, gave birth to a Second Order of Powers--"the emissions of the remembrance."

Logos and the Fullness produced a Second Order of Powers patterned after the First Order of Powers that dwelt in the hierarchy. The Second Order of Powers was named "the emissions of the remembrance" because they had been created by the unified will of the Father through union with Logos and the Fullness, and therefore they contained the traits of the Father.

(Over the course of illuminating the Gnostic Gospel, the Simple Explanation has designed a series of visual metaphors representing facets of Gnostic and Christian belief. For the fullest understanding of this article, you may wish to read the entire Gnostic Gospel Illuminated series from the beginning.  If you would prefer to first read the "Simple Gnostic Gospel, Part One: The Father, The Son, and the Birth of The ALL," click here.

"The powers of remembrance were adorned with the names of the pre-existent, whose likenesses they were; the order of those of this kind were in harmony with itself and with each other" [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 84].

This new Order of Powers reflected the values of the Son, but it was formed within a Boundary rather than a hierarchy, and so they had more freedom to assemble themselves into non-hierarchical patterns.

The Second Order of Powers is contained within the Boundary, unlike their parents in the Fullness.

These newly formed beings "did not have more substance, nor did they have a greater glory, for they are not equal to the pre-existent ones. If, on the other hand, they were superior to the imitations, the only thing that made them elevated above them was that they were from a good disposition--for they had not come out of the sickness that arose" [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 83]

Whereas those of the Deficiency arose from the Fall, those of the Remembrance arose from the consecrated union of Logos and the Fullness. Those on the left represent phantoms and confusion, whereas those on the right represent virtues of the ALL.

A strange and tragic thing occurred next. When those of the remembrance came upon those of the imitation, they attempted to overthrow them out of an inherent sense of self-righteousness. Those of the remembrance knew they were superior to those of the imitation, "because they were nobler than those previous ones" [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 84].

The Second Order of Powers fought against the shadows of the imitation. 

Because the imitation "waged war against the likenesses" in the Fullness, the offspring of the Fullness "acted against itself on account of its rage." But the ones who were in opposition would not surrender, due to their own ignorance of what came before. "They believed they were self-engendered" and had given birth to themselves, and so owed nothing to these Powers either above or below [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 84]. 

Those of the Deficiency are locked in endless war with those of the Remembrance

"The two orders fought against each other, struggling for command with such a result that they were engulfed by forces and material substances in accordance with the law of mutual combat, and they too acquired lust for domination and all the other passions of this sort; and consequently, empty vainglory pulls them all toward the desire of lust for domination, and not one of them remembers what is superior or confesses it" [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 84].

A popular internet meme expresses this recognition of the Endless War

"Because of this. . . their envy, malice, rage, violence, lust and ignorance ruled, as they were producing various kinds of matter and all sorts of powers. . ." [The Tripartite Tractate, v. 85]

***************
Continue on to the next article: Part Twelve -- 
Peace Offered To End the Endless War

***************

In terms of the Simple Explanation, the Fruit of Logos and the Fullness represents the fourth iteration of the originating fractal pattern of our universe. (The Son=#1, the Universal Unit of Consciousness; The ALL=#2; The Fullnesses=#3; The Offspring of Remembrance=#4.) These offspring represent the values of the Universal UC entering the transpersonal space contained by the infinitely recursive fractal Boundary around our space and time. Those of the Imitation do not acknowledge or replicate the original source code and so are unable to breathe life into their creations.

The Simple Explanation is also an information-based theory. "Meme" information is shared at the cultural level and passed around among humans at the personal and transpersonal levels.  You can understand the Simple Explanation of Memes by reading this article. 

What happens when meme chords collide? What happens when the memes I believe in and hold onto contradict the memes you hold dear? Herein lies the source of all human conflict. The disagreements, the fights, the wars, are all conflicts over incompatible memes. 

Sure, I may believe my memes are vastly superior to yours. Does that mean I should kill you? How ridiculous. Yes, I can claim my memes are the best, no doubt about it. Does that mean you have to believe every meme I believe or else? How absurd. Yes, I say, but my memes are so much better than your memes. Does that mean you are stupid? Does that mean you are a fraud? Does that mean you just don't get it? Maybe, maybe not. Most of our memes came embedded in larger meme chords handed down by others. Most of us have no idea what meme chords we hold and how we came to hold them. In any case, you can't force someone else to adopt your memes, any more than you can force someone to adopt your gender or your skin color. It is impossible. 

We are now in the midst of a social epidemic of intolerance. Intolerance is the opposite of "live and let live." When we are intolerant of others' memes, we are declaring that our memes are correct and their memes are wrong. And then we take it a step further--we refuse to "tolerate" the others' memes. We throw up resistance, we throw up roadblocks, we close our ears and refuse to listen to the other. We do not merely disagree, as reasonable people may do from time to time. When we are intolerant, we look for ways to force the other to abandon their memes and adopt ours. We shout them down because we feel we are shouting the right memes and theirs are not only wrong, they are evil and have no right to be heard. And once you declare the other "evil," it is no longer a disagreement in good faith, but a fight in the Endless War for the soul. 

Antifa counter-protesters prepare to hurl insults after a "Unite the Right" rally. August 12, 2017, Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo: Chip Somodevilla--Getty Images

Once words can no longer be exchanged, frustration builds and violence follows. This is what we are seeing now in the U.S.  Free exchange of memes has been thwarted because of intolerance. Exchange of ideas is the key. You needn't agree with the other person, but you must hear them out. Because, once you agree to sit and exchange ideas and concerns, whether or not you adopt the other's ideas, the very act of hearing each other out creates a shared space that acts as a balm to soothe your soul and theirs. When you are too angry, frustrated, or afraid to listen to the other, you perpetuate the intolerance that leads to violence. This intolerance is not helpful. 

We hear a lot about the importance of "diversity" nowadays in America. True diversity can only thrive if we allow each other to "live and let live." When you seek to silence those with whom you disagree, you are not encouraging diversity; you are actually encouraging intolerance. 

Bi-partisan cooperation has ground to a halt since the Democrats won the House back from the Republicans in the 2018 elections, allowing the Legislative and Executive Branches to chase each other's tails around the Mulberry Bush of endless war.

"Live and Let Live" is the Democratic Ideal

I am reprinting this column about tolerance of those with whom you disagree. "Live and Let Live" is a meme that is absolutely central to a functioning democracy. Every American citizen is entitled by the law of this land to hold and express their opinions. It is only through exchange of information and assistance that the big jobs get done. Read on for the why's and how's:

The Simple Explanation's theory of memes uses the term "meme" to stand for a belief or a tidbit of knowledge. These memes are passed around to our friends like trading cards--most of our close friends hold the same meme cards we do; that's why they are our friends. The more memes you hold in common with someone else, the more you like them. The opposite is also true--we have a difficult time relating to people who hold a different set of memes.

Here is the bottom-line of the previous Apocalyptic Visions article:

The Simple Explanation suggests that "live and let live" would be a great meta-meme for everyone to adopt. If we could appreciate the fact that each of us has a unique perspective, then perhaps we could allow each other to hold the memes that make the most sense for our lives. This is my meme chord; that is your meme chord. If I don't like your meme chord then I can talk it over with you and see if we can move our meme chords closer to one another in agreement. If neither of us is able or willing to swap memes with the other, then so be it. Either accept the other person, memes and all, or move on. Find someone else who more closely agrees with your memes. There is enough room in this world for each of us to hold our own chords, but only if "live and let live" is an overarching meme.

We are now in the midst of a social epidemic of intolerance. Intolerance is the opposite of "live and let live." When we are intolerant of others' memes, we are declaring that our memes are correct and their memes are wrong. And then we take it a step further--we refuse to "tolerate" the others' memes. We throw up resistance, we throw up roadblocks, we close our ears and refuse to listen to the other. We do not merely disagree, as reasonable people may do from time to time. When we are intolerant, we look for ways to force the other to abandon their memes and adopt ours. We shout them down because we feel we are shouting the right memes and theirs are not only wrong, they are evil and have no right to be heard. And once you declare the other "evil," it is no longer a disagreement in good faith, but a fight for the soul. "God is on our side, therefore we can do whatever it takes to crush the opposition," is a dangerous and usually delusional meme to hold. And if it entitles the holder to disregard rule of law, then it is not a democratic ideal and it has no place in American politics.

Once words can no longer be exchanged, frustration builds and violence follows. This is what we are seeing now in the U.S.  Free exchange of memes has been thwarted because of intolerance. 

Exchange of ideas is the key. You needn't agree with the other person, but you must hear them out. Because, once you agree to sit and exchange ideas and concerns, whether or not you adopt the other's ideas, the very act of hearing each other out creates a shared space that acts as a balm to soothe both your soul and theirs. When you are too angry, frustrated, or afraid to listen to the other, you perpetuate the intolerance that leads to violence. This intolerance is not helpful. 

 Maxine Waters calls followers to adopt intolerance of others' right to disagree. [cnn photo credit]

We hear a lot about the importance of "diversity" nowadays in America. True diversity can only thrive if we allow each other to "live and let live." When you seek to silence those with whom you disagree, you are not encouraging diversity; you are actually partaking in fascism. Fascism advocates the forced suppression of those who express opposing views. Disagreement, on the other hand, is not forced suppression, it is merely disagreement.  Shouting others down when they have the floor, shunning those with whom you disagree, refusing service in a restaurant to paying customers who voted for a different candidate--this is not the side of the angels, folks. This is not helping us come together to get the job done.

Apocalyptic Visions. Part 2: Intolerance

The first article in this Apocalyptic Visions series presented a review of the Simple Explanation's theory of memes. Again, we use the term "meme" to stand for a belief or a tidbit of knowledge. These memes are passed around to our friends like trading cards--most of our close friends hold the same meme cards we do; that's why they are our friends. The more memes you hold in common with someone else, the more you like them. The opposite is also true--we have a difficult time relating to people who hold a different set of memes.

Here is the bottom-line of the previous Apocalyptic Visions article:

The Simple Explanation suggests that "live and let live" would be a great meta-meme for everyone to adopt. If we could appreciate the fact that each of us has a unique perspective, then perhaps we could allow each other to hold the memes that make the most sense for our lives. This is my meme chord; that is your meme chord. If I don't like your meme chord then I can talk it over with you and see if we can move our meme chords closer to one another in agreement. If neither of us is able or willing to swap memes with the other, then so be it. Either accept the other person, memes and all, or move on. Find someone else who more closely agrees with your memes. There is enough room in this world for each of us to hold our own chords, but only if "live and let live" is an overarching meme.

We are now in the midst of a social epidemic of intolerance. Intolerance is the opposite of "live and let live." When we are intolerant of others' memes, we are declaring that our memes are correct and their memes are wrong. And then we take it a step further--we refuse to "tolerate" the others' memes. We throw up resistance, we throw up roadblocks, we close our ears and refuse to listen to the other. We do not merely disagree, as reasonable people may do from time to time. When we are intolerant, we look for ways to force the other to abandon their memes and adopt ours. We shout them down because we feel we are shouting the right memes and theirs are not only wrong, they are evil and have no right to be heard. And once you declare the other "evil," it is no longer a disagreement in good faith, but a fight for the soul. 

Anti-fascist counter-protesters wait outside Emancipation Park to hurl insults as white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and members of the "alt-right" are forced out after the "Unite the Right" rally was declared an unlawful gathering August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images

Once words can no longer be exchanged, frustration builds and violence follows. This is what we are seeing now in the U.S.  Free exchange of memes has been thwarted because of intolerance. 

Exchange of ideas is the key. You needn't agree with the other person, but you must hear them out. Because, once you agree to sit and exchange ideas and concerns, whether or not you adopt the other's ideas, the very act of hearing each other out creates a shared space that acts as a balm to soothe your soul and theirs. When you are too angry, frustrated, or afraid to listen to the other, you perpetuate the intolerance that leads to violence. This intolerance is not helpful. 

We hear a lot about the importance of "diversity" nowadays in America. True diversity can only thrive if we allow each other to "live and let live." When you seek to silence those with whom you disagree, you are not encouraging diversity; you are actually partaking in fascism. 

Apocalyptic Visions--Preface and Review

It's coming, folks, and you know it. But it's not what you expect. 

Over the next couple of articles, I will attempt to explain what the heck-fire is going on. To kick things off, let's start with a review of what the Simple Explanation means by "memes".  The following is a reprint of my blog article dated April 1, 2015. 

The Simple Explanation proposes that we are all defined by the memes we believe in. This goes for individuals as well as larger groups, institutions, and cultures. The memes an individual holds onto define one's personality. The memes a group holds define its cultural boundaries--basically, who's in and who's out--based upon the memes shared and endorsed by the group. 

What is a meme? A meme is the smallest unit of information that can be passed from one person to another. Sometimes a meme is extremely simple and unequivocal. A basic emoticon would fall under the simple meme category. There's no mistaking the happy face's meaning.

Memes are commonly grouped in linked sets that the Simple Explanation calls meme chords. A meme chord is always more complicated than a single meme, because it consists of many related memes. Meme chords vary in complexity.

This meme chord is known as the Condescending Wonka meme, wherein the image of actor Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka has come to personify condescension. Why? Because the image presents a facial expression that is easily recognizable and not likely to be misunderstood. Whatever silly lines Wonka says follow an expected pattern of sarcasm designed to put someone in their place. When this meme appears during a discussion thread, everyone "gets it."



Meme chords can be incredibly complex, as is the case with religious meme chords and constitutional meme chords. Religious meme chords are codified in the Holy Book of the religion and taught to all believers. Violations of religious memes are called sins. Governmental meme chords are written as constitutions, laws, and court rulings, and all citizens are expected to learn them and obey. Violations of governmental memes are called crimes. 

Academic meme chords represent the field of study. Accumulation of academic memes is what makes a person "educated." Scientific meme chords, for example, consist of the subject material of each scientific speciality--geology memes, astronomy memes, chemistry memes, and so on--plus the meme chord known as the scientific method that specifies how inquiries are to be handled and what constitutes "proof." Axioms, theorems, and proofs are memes. Violations of scientific and academic memes are considered to be either honest mistakes or academic fraud.

We like people who share the same memes we do. The more memes people have in common, they more they agree with each other, and the more they like and respect the other person. Friends have a lot of memes in common. Co-religionists share the same religious meme chords. Tribal brothers and sisters share tribal memes. Citizens share their nation's meme chords. Sub-cultures share their sub-culture's memes.

Some types of memes are more important than other types, and it's the important memes that matter most. If we agree on the meaning of the meme "justice," we can probably overlook disagreement over the meme of whether the toilet paper should go over or under the roll. Or maybe not.

What happens when meme chords collide? What happens when the memes I believe in and hold onto contradict the memes you hold dear? Herein lies the source of all human conflict. The disagreements, the fights, the wars, are all conflicts over incompatible memes. 

Yes, my memes are vastly superior to yours. Does that mean I should kill you? How ridiculous. Yes, my memes are the best, no doubt about it. Does that mean you have to believe every meme I believe or else? How absurd. Yes, but my memes are so much better than your memes. Does that mean you are stupid? Does that mean you are a fraud? Does that mean you just don't get it? Maybe, maybe not. Most of our memes came embedded in larger meme chords handed down by others--your parents, your schooling, your friends, clergy. 

Most of us have no idea what meme chords we hold and how we came to hold them. In any case, you can't force someone else to adopt your memes, any more than you can force someone to adopt your gender or your skin color. It is impossible. 

The Simple Explanation suggests that "live and let live" would be a great meta-meme for everyone to adopt. If we could appreciate the fact that each of us has a unique perspective, then perhaps we could allow each other to hold the memes that make the most sense for our lives. This is my meme chord; that is your meme chord. If I don't like your meme chord then I can talk it over with you and see if we can move our meme chords closer to one another in agreement. If neither of us is able or willing to swap memes with the other, then so be it. Either accept the other person, memes and all, or move on. Find someone else who more closely agrees with your memes. There is enough room in this world for each of us to hold our own chords, but only if "live and let live" is an overarching meme.

What is A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything?

If that's not a catchy blog post title, I don't know what is.

Yesterday I reread my author's preface to the Simple Explanation book's 2nd Edition, which was published in 2015, in both paperback and as a kindle ebook. It's a good introduction to the Simple Explanation theory of everything, and I don't think it has ever appeared here on the blog.  

Reading this may help put things into perspective.

A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything came to me during the winter of 2009. I was contemplating an entirely different project when, much to my delight, the Simple Explanation presented itself on the page, diagrams and all.

A Simple Explanation begins by turning the ordinary  view of consciousness on its head. Whereas most scientists believe consciousness is a by-product of the brain, I propose that consciousness is the ground state of the universe, here long before there were any brains. 

Using only four basic principles, A Simple Explanation describes our universe as a fractal pattern of consciousness that repeats itself in endless cycles of information, organization, and cooperation, from the smallest quanta through the largest astronomical objects. 

In 1979 I first read Itzhak Bentov’s book, Stalking the Wild Pendulum, wherein Bentov first proposed a torus-shaped,  universal consciousness.

About a year into writing the Simple Explanation blog, I realized that what I call the conscious “fractal” universe is very similar to the meme Bentov identified as the conscious “holographic” universe. By holographic, Bentov referred to the fact that any small fragment of a holographic image can be used to reproduce the entire image out of which the fragment came. 

The same can be said of fractal patterns: the fractal formula repeats itself at both upwardly-larger and downwardly-smaller scales so that any fragment at any scale of the fractal’s image reflects an eerily repetitive pattern. If you don’t know what a fractal is, relax; lots more about fractals later.

As for the tori, I’ve been doodling them in the margins of papers and inscribing them on notes and cards since I first read Bentov’s book. I even embroidered two tori into the pattern of a house blessing back in 1982, and I’ve been meditating on the torus ever since.

Cross-stitched House Blessing, 1982.

Close-up of House Blessing. Note the two green and gold tori flanking the center florets.

Cyd Ropp, chalk torus

Cyd Ropp, slinky torus

When I first began writing the Simple Explanation blog, it was tough finding images of a torus online, so I drew my own using colored chalk. In the past couple of years, images of tori have blossomed online, including quite a few of my own. 2012 even saw the release of a feature film called “Thrive,” promoting egalitarian reform through free toroidal energy. 

The Simple Explanation of this sudden whirlwind of tori is that we are all resonating to and concurrently invoking the same torus from the universe’s shared transpersonal consciousness. And the more we each individually explore and tap out this meme, the stronger it becomes, because memes are starved through lack of usage and reinforced through invocation.

If you don’t know what a “torus” is, don’t worry. This book will explain all that. Same thing with other unusual words like “fractal,”  “meme,” and “transpersonal consciousness.” You don’t need to be a philosopher or a Yogi to grasp the Simple Explanation. You don’t even need a college degree. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to think new thoughts. So go slow. I’m going to explain every Simple Explanation idea over and over, in various ways, throughout this short book. 

Cyd Ropp, Universal Torus

Simple Book Now On Kindle!

The Kindle Edition of "A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything" is now available for only $3.99. Available worldwide.

If you follow the blog but haven't yet read the book, this is an excellent time to do so. I've put all the essential concepts in a linear, easy-to-understand format, so you don't have to hypertext jump all over to follow the logic.

Please buy this book and loan a copy to your friends. Click here. 

Buy the Simple Explanation Book Now Under $10

I've just completed a new edition of the Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything book. This edition is in black and white to hold down printing costs. Heavily illustrated with many helpful diagrams and photographs.

Buy the book here for only $9.99

The book is written with all of the simplicity and elegance you've come to expect from the Simple Explanation blog. 

Why buy the book when you can read the blog for free?

1. Less confusing because I lead you step-by-step through the theory.
2. Keep a copy in the bathroom or next to your bed.
3. Give a copy to your family and friends.
4. Support and reward Dr. Ropp's hard work--I've done the heavy lifting for you!

If you have already read the first edition, or are a regular reader of the Simple Explanation blog, please write a book review today or at least pop in to award the book 5 stars. I need your help today!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Onward and upward!

cyd

A Simple Explanation of Seth and the Responsibility Assumption Doctrine

In 1963, American psychic Jane Roberts began dictating a series of seance sessions to her husband that continued until her death in 1984. Roberts believed she was “channeling” a dis-incorporated spirit from another dimension, known as Seth.The resulting dictated manuscripts are known as the Seth Material. According to Wikipedia, the Seth Material forms one of the cornerstones of modern “New Age” philosophy, and all New Age philosophers promote one or another of Seth’s declarations.

I admit to not having read any of the Seth Material prior to preparing for this blog article. Furthermore, I can safely state that the Simple Explanation is NOT derivative in any sense from New Age materials of any sort. My own flavor of the Christian meme bundle forbids dabbling in the New Age. The Simple Explanation is solely derived from original source ancient manuscripts such as the Bible and the Tao te Ching, up-to-the-minute scientific discoveries, and whatever academic studies a bachelor’s in science, two master’s degrees, and a doctorate in philosophy have exposed me to.

So, here’s what a fresh reading of the Seth Material shows me. From Wikipedia:

The Seth Material says that all individuals create their own circumstances and experiences within the shared earthly environment, similar to the doctrine of responsibility assumption. This concept is expressed in the phrase "you create your own reality",^[20] which may have originated with the Seth readings. The inner self, or inner ego, is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the individual's physical body and immediate physical environment, and the unfolding of events is determined by the expectations, attitudes and beliefs of the outer ego, that portion of the self that human beings know as themselves.^[18] "If you want to change your world, you must first change your thoughts, expectations, and beliefs."^[27] Or, more succinctly: "You get what you concentrate upon. There is no other main rule"^{[28]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Material}

The Seth Material claims that there is no objective reality that is not a projection of the individual’s mind. The tree you see is literally projected from your mind’s eye; it is not the tree being received into your eye’s sensors but the other way around. You don't "hear" the thunder; your audio nerves make the thunder:

Nerve impulses travel outward from the body, along invisible pathways, in much the same manner that they travel within the body. These pathways are carriers of telepathic thoughts, impulses, and desires containing all the codified data necessary for translating any thought or image into physical actuality, altering seemingly objective events.

This telepathy operates constantly at an "automatic" or subconscious level, providing communication to back up sensory data. Telepathy is the glue that holds the physical universe in position, so that you can agree on the existence and properties of objects. In one respect, your body and all physical objects go flying out in all directions from the inner core of the whole self. The physical environment is, therefore, as much a part of you as your own body. What seems to be a perception, an objective concrete event independent from you, is instead the materialization of your own emotions, energy and mental environment. (http://sethquotes.paradisenow.net/seth_excerpts_part_iii.html)

The natural outgrowth of this philosphy is the doctrine of Responsibility Assumption. This sense of responsibility goes far beyond the usual meaning of personal responsibility. In this Seth doctrine:

You must watch the pictures that you paint with your imagination... ...your environment and the conditions of your life at any given time are the direct result of your own inner expectations. You form physical materializations of these realities within your own mind.

If you imagine dire circumstances, ill health, or desperate loneliness, these will be automatically materialized, for these thoughts themselves bring about the conditions that will give them reality in physical terms. If you would have good health, then you must imagine this as vividly as in fear you imagine the opposite.

You create your own difficulties. This is true for each individual. The inner psychological state is projected outward, gaining physical reality - and this regardless of the nature of the psychological state....The rules apply to everyone. You can use them for your own benefit and change your own conditions once you realize what they are. http://sethquotes.paradisenow.net/seth_excerpts_part_iii.html 

This doctrine forms the foundation for the popular New Age book, A Course in Miracles. But I usually see people interpret Responsibility Assumption in a way not intended by Seth. For, according to the Seth Material, you not only create the positive and negative opportunities in your life, there really is no life beyond your imagination. The Seth Material likens reality to one’s dreams. We all accept that the objects and people in our dreams are constructions and projections of our mind, playing out in the theatre of sleep. Seth said reality is exactly the same—nothing but a projection of our senses onto a nothingness, giving us the illusion of material existance.

In contrast, the Simple Explanation theory posits a universal medium of consciousness as the ether within which our physical manifestation floats. In my theory, there is aphysical reality we all share, arising directly from the universal mind, which I call the Universal Unit of Consciousness. So in that sense, matter is a projection of mind, but the BIG MIND we all share, thus we can also share a consensual reality. It seems to me that  if one took Seth precisely, people would be totally isolated in their private material universes, with others being projections of themselves rather than stand-alone entities. Sounds lonely.

The Simple Explanation says that each Unit of Consciousness is an emergent property of the newly formed matter or aggregation of matter. Each UC is a fractal chip off the Universal UC’s block, with all possible consciousness inherent thereto. Each UC carries the formula of the universe, but it only manifests the piece of the formula important to this particular life of which it is a part. So theoretically a sub-atomic particle does indeed carry the DNA for Jill Smith in New York, but it only manifests the quark pattern of spin up or spin down. The formula’s manifestation is not mindful—i.e. even humans with all their capacity for human thought do not control autonomic processes of their organism. The organs do their jobs without any oversight from my Egoic thought. The quark just naturally manifests the appropriate action needed to spin up or spin down. It doesn’t think about it, so a brain is irrelevant to the equation.

Here’s how the Seth Material puts it:

The inner self has a virtually infinite reservoir from which to draw knowledge and experience. All kinds of choices are available, and the diversity of physical matter is a reflection of this deep source and variety.  
(http://sethquotes.paradisenow.net/seth_excerpts_part_iii.html) 

On that, we agree. But where Seth uses the vessel of human consciousness as the Creator, the Simple Explanation spreads that infinite reservoir of knowledge out to the entirety of Creation. Creation could, indeed, be called a projection of consciousness, but the Simple Explanation attributes the act of Creating to Everything created, not just to human minds. And each created thing is creator of only its personal domain, not Everything Else. I am in charge of making decisions related to my own human life only; each other entity is in charge of making decisions related to its own life, whether it’s a quark, a photon, a molecule, a cell, or a dog. It’s a complex web of interrelated material projections at every possible level of aggregation. Entities are occasionally given the opportunity to prove they carry more information than their original manifestation needed, such as when a stem cell is prodded into becoming a different sort of cell, or an annihilated particle becomes other things.

Consciousness is not a by-product of the brain. Consciousness is the ground state of being. Maybe this short youtube video will help your understanding. 

Thought is something else entirely. Ruminative thinking is a by-product of the Ego. And the Ego is a by-product of the physical aggregation of the matter that makes up anything. A rock does not have much of an Ego, because its aggregation of minerals doesn’t need to do much thinking. Life is not defined by thought. If it were, then micro-cephalic humans or people in comas wouldn’t qualify as alive.

So, when people call objects “living,” they are generally referring to the attributes of carbon-based life forms. And all of those life forms exhibit what could be called thought, albeit tiny, highly-constrained thoughts in the simplest single-celled entities. The more complex the carbon-based aggregate is, the greater its need for independent decision-making, and the greater its capacity for “thought.” Still though, the thoughts are not really necessary for survival. The bacteria doesn’t have to think, “boy, i’m really hungry!” It only has to acquire nutrition at the earliest opportunity, and it can do that with blindfolds on.

When you think about it, our human lives proceed largely on autopilot. You have the autonomic functions of our organism going on outside of thinking (breathing, food acquisition, waste elimination, etc.); you also have most of life’s daily cultural routines going on without much thought. Do you  consciously savor each bite of your food or how to cut with a knife? Do you have to decide to brush your teeth or how to take a bath? Do you pay attention to each action of your driving? ...hands on the wheel at 10 and 2, now turn 42 degrees left, now straighten the wheel, now step on the gas pedal slowly, increasing pressure....  No. You just drive and maybe chat with your passenger or listen to the radio, and expect that simple consciousness and the body will take care of the details until thought is needed.

The Simple Explanation of the Seth Material is that these represent a particular meme bundle “channeled” from the transpersonal field. The author, Jane Roberts, believed the Seth entity existed independently of her personal mind. The Simple Exlanation is that Seth could represent a discorporate Ego attached to this particular collection of memes, “living” on the non-material plane. The meme bundle exists separately from Seth, but the Seth personality is all about that bundle.

Having said that, it is my personal belief that just because an entity exists in a different plane doesn’t make everything they say correct. They could be less deluded than I am, or they could be more deluded. Discorporation does not necessarily equal truth or wisdom. It depends on the entity involved,  just as it does here on the material plane. Yes, the enlightened few may be less deluded after or between lives. But some Egos cling to their meme bundles, right or wrong, even after death. Personally, I think Seth got a lot of things right, but it also misses the mark on the subject of consensual reality. This is why "magic" is so hard to make happen--there are other variables out there in this reality we all share above and beyond my  personal will and wanting. I am not, after all, The Creator of the entire Universe. I'm just a co-creator, along with everybody and everything else. That is why we all have to pull together to help the entire ecology of which we are a part. We can't just sit and wish.