“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Book dictation. (Long pause, then quite slowly:) All creatures are also born, then, with a keen sense of self-approval.

Each creature is born proud of itself, and loving itself. That same self-approval is also experienced in varying ways not only by creatures as you think of them, but also by atoms and molecules, and by all orders of matter.

Ruburt once wrote a poem about a nail on a window sill. He endowed the nail with consciousness and self-awareness. Now every nail is indeed in its own way responsive to stimuli. It acts and reacts. A nail may not choose to jump down from a window still and dance about the room, but a nail is indeed aware of the room, of the window sill, and aware of the temperature on both sides of the window. The atoms and molecules that compose the nail possess their own lively consciousnesses. Their motion is directed by electrons, so that within itself the nail actually experiences constant motion. Indeed, a dance is executed of great symmetry and rhythm. The nail, then, is indeed filled with its own sense of self-approval.

I am mentioning this only to stress the fact that self-delight and self-approval (long pause) are natural characteristics — characteristics that actually make your entire physical world, and world of experience, possible.

Beneath all of the other issues and reasons at any given time, and perhaps the answer to your earlier voiced question, is the act that, more important than you realize, that for some time in vital areas you have not approved of yourselves. You have not had your own approval. An animal approves of itself unthinkingly. [...] It knows quite well that some are stronger and some weaker, but it approves of its own uniqueness—glories in it, without having any other picture in its mind of what it should be. It has its own approval. [...]

[...] For one thing, men who perform seemingly evil acts but who believe those acts to be right and justified, can be carried along in relative safety for some time before their errors catch up with them, because the power of their own self-approval is so strong.

This does not mean that they will not face consequences, but their self-approval provides a sturdy rudder that holds them often aloft, where most men might perhaps be drowning in the same circumstances. [...]

Ruburt has not had his own approval. [...]

[...] He has been doing very well, and he tried to approve, but since he lost work time yesterday his approval barely went skin deep (louder).

Because he did not approve of his own relaxation, he put brakes upon it.

You do not approve of yourself because you think you should be making money “on your own.” You do not approve of yourself because you think you should be a better artist, or a better writer—but in any case, you do not let yourself appreciate the self that you are. [...]

[...] You disapprove of yourself because you feel poorly—and because you do not approve of the basic feelings that are behind the difficulty. [...]

[...] Approve of yourself as you are, now. [...]

[...] which immediately wanted approval for my books—not that I shouldn’t want approval per se but that I began to demand that my art provide all my needs; to financially support me, to give me honor among my fellows, a sense of belonging, etc. [...] If you confuse the issues you try to temper your creativity (to gain approval, etc.) which can dilute the work; or you set up protective measures to protect yourself against the worlds disapproval or scorn.

[...] Jane has also been working on her feelings of self approval and disapproval, and credits her efforts with her improvements.)

[...] He did not at that time, as is supposed, do sacrifice then to win the gods’ approval. [...]

Again, the animal approves of himself, whether he is sick or well, slow or swift. [...]

[...] You must have a basic approval of yourself. [...]

One: I will approve of myself, my characteristics, my abilities, my likes and my dislikes, my inclinations and disinclinations, realizing that these form my unique individuality. [...]

Two: I will approve of and rejoice in my accomplishments, and I will be as vigorous in listing these—as rigorous in remembering them—as I have ever been in remembering and enumerating my failures or lacks of accomplishment. [...]

[...] The list I just gave you is important because if you do not value your abilities or approve of yourself, then you cut yourself off from using your own abilities. [...]

[...] This is the matter of self-approval.

[...] A feeling of self-approval is absolutely necessary for any true sense of well-being; it is not (underlined) virtuous in any way to put yourself down, or to punish yourself, because you do not feel you have lived up to your best behavior at any given time.

[...] You have not completely approved of him, however. [...] You have a nervous stomach—and (heartily) I would have one too if I were forever taking sides against myself, and not approving whatever side I happen to be on at any given time.

[...] At one time or another you do not agree, or approve, of either set, and so you are always berating yourself about being different than you are.

[...] That man approves of creative projects only when he thinks of them as jobs, when they become acceptable as legitimate male pursuits. [...]

[...] When you do this, you can indeed see the overall purpose of your life—but you cannot do so until you approve of yourself, and recognize that you as an individual are unique, and uniquely a part of all reality.

[...] Your purpose is in what you are, and when you do not approve of what you are, you cannot see it. [...]

It would help you both considerably, if when you have the feeling of self-approval really, to sit quietly and try to feel your purposes. [...]

[...] It gives a steady abundance of energy when it approves of overall commitments. It must so approve for any advancements to be made. [...]

[...] She approved of the commercial art because it made money. [...]

Because of Ruburt’s mixture of symbolic and literal natures, the gesture gave him an excellent, definite sense of self-approval in a way that he has not experienced in some time. [...]

[...] Of course, the books have helped people in greater ways, but we want quick inoculations, so to speak, of this specific type of self-approval.

[...] He felt therefore that you did approve of the overall idea, if not particularly the methods. And in the beginning you approved those in your own way.

[...] You were also worried about Ruburt’s spontaneity in psychic matters, and for a while quite approved of the sudden brakes. [...]

When you do not approve of yourselves, then you do not approve of your own power, and so you pretend that you have none. [...]

Taxes or whatever might serve as a trigger, but the basic point is that you do not approve of what you are doing. [...]

[...] When you really believe disapproval to be a virtue, and you believe in virtue, then you obviously find yourselves in a position where the more you disapprove of yourself the better person you think you are—a contradiction of the most insidious nature, for how can you approve of a self you disapprove of?

[...] He approved of his mind. [...]

You learned to communicate your disapproval to each other far better as a rule than you communicated your approval. [...]

You inhibit the expression of feelings of love, approval, devotion, and this means that your verbal communications are largely, now, of a disapproving nature.

Ruburt needs approval. [...]

You would go out of your way not to give such approval, by making a joke or whatever, because you did not believe that verbal communication should be used for such purposes. [...]

When you refused to dance, he interpreted this to mean that he was right: he could be spontaneous only as long as it was socially approved, did not hassle you, and when he did not stand out from the crowd.

[...] That is why when the two of you met as a unit, so to speak, with the Rochester group (last week) that he allowed himself greater freedom, and in that context he believed you approved. [...]

[...] In a way Ruburt was doing precisely what you would do on one level—not leaving the house, avoiding tours, simply working, cutting out all distractions, and again you approved—not of methods, but of everything else.

[...] He has been doing very well, and he tried to approve, but since he lost work time yesterday, his approval barely went skin deep (louder).

“Because he did not approve of his own relaxation. [...]

(Jane was afraid of others as a young girl, and even in college — that she wouldn’t get their approval — whereas, I said, the others should have been afraid that they wouldn’t get her approval, since her abilities transcended theirs. [...]

[...] Ruburt did not approve of fear. [...]

[...] The subconscious feels that it is doing its job, because Ruburt has not allowed feedback; not approving of fear, not allowing the feelings release, and therefore also cutting down on experience that could counter the feelings and show the subconscious that the fears were exaggerated.

[...] She did say that Seth indicated that class helped her to some degree, in that she got approval from it, as in a family situation.)