“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Seth talked about illness and suffering in general this evening, and about David in particular. I’m presenting excerpts from the generalized part of his material, but none about David himself. We have no idea of pressing Seth’s personal information upon David; doing that would be an invasion of his privacy. Tonight’s material, however, adds to our understanding of subjects like free will and choosing, good and evil, sickness and health, and reflects upon many questions people have asked us over the years.

“Well,” Jane said as we sat for the session, “I’d almost rather feel that you were the victim of blind chance or accident, rather than that you get sick because of your own dumb ignorance or choice….” When I remarked that I tried not to worry about such things anymore, she replied that she too had better get back to book work and forget the world’s troubles: “Come on, Seth, I’m here.” But even as she felt him around, she knew that Seth wouldn’t be giving book dictation per se.)

(Whispering as a joke in return: “Good evening, Seth.”)

(Pause at 10:05. Jane had delivered all of the above material for Seth with an emphatic mixture of speed, irony, and amusement.)

(10:16. After discussing David Yoder’s personal situation, Seth returned to his more generalized material at 10:30.)

(10:37. Seth came through with some more information concerning David. Then:)

(“Thank you, Seth, and the same to you.”)

“I don’t remember much of that,” Jane said, “but I’ve got the feeling that Seth meant the material to defuse some of my own thoughts lately—that there isn’t any answer for all of the pain and suffering in the world—that the whole thing is so vast that you can’t say or do anything that will be of much use to anyone….”

Which might help account, I told Jane, for her response to David’s illness, including the book she’s making for him. I also said that even though Seth hadn’t called this session dictation for Dreams, he very well could have done so: Large portions of it might at least help answer people’s questions.)

1. Seth certainly touched upon a question that’s loaded with ethical and legal dilemmas; many of these have grown out of recent scientific advances in genetics. Some moral philosophers, medical geneticists, physicians, lawyers, and religious leaders believe that those who carry genes for serious genetic diseases do not have the right to reproduce. Others of similar background maintain just the opposite—that the right to recreate one’s kind is inalienable. Questions abound involving amniocentesis (examination of the fluid in the womb to detect genetic defects in the fetus); therapeutic abortion; artificial insemination; reproduction by in vitro fertilization; embryo transfer (surrogate motherhood); the responsibilities of the legal, medical and religious communities; whether mentally retarded, genetically defective people should receive life-prolonging medical treatment, and so forth. Years are expected to pass before our legal system alone catches up with the scientific progress in genetics—but, ironically, continuing advances in the field are bound to complicate even further the whole series of questions.