“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

And if I solved them for you, then you would go about your way, but you would have no faith in your own abilities and you would have learned nothing.

I have never implied that my teachings are easy ones, but then I have never treated you like nincompoops. I have never negated your own individual dignity nor integrity. Nor have I let you rely upon your own weaknesses rather than your strengths.

It is indeed. What you do not realize is that when you are dreaming, you are writing the script for your physical life—you are solving simple problems, but lifetime problems you are trying out—probable actions. And in your daytime existence, you materialize those realities that you have already settled upon when your body sleeps.

([Brad:] “But the proper direction of the energy is the important thing, is it not?”)

Imagine your image of yourself as an old garment. It no longer serves your purposes—throw it away! Do not say, “It is miserable, but it is mine and I love it!” Throw it away!

I would like brandy but our friend does not like it. And it ill behooves me to force upon her this which she does not enjoy. Ruburt does not care—Jane does not like it.

Now. It is said that some primitive peoples did not connect the fact of intercourse with the fact of birth. Now I will tell you to begin with that the saying is wrong—they did make the connection. But, in the same way, many of you do not connect the fact of thought and desire with the fact of birth in the physical universe. You do not realize that your thought is literally the parent of the physical reality that you know. You must change your innermost reality if you will change physical reality.

The whole self is involved not only in this reality but in other realities. The whole self sends a portion of itself into various realities. These portions of the whole self are to learn to materialize as best they can the strength and energy as they know it in whatever camouflage they find themselves. The whole self gives you, therefore, a responsibility—and it leaves it mainly up to you.

You had negative ideas but youth was strong enough to hold you up. And as soon as early youth left, then you allowed the negative ideas to hold sway. You have every opportunity now to begin again. No one can force you to be the self that you are and can be. But no one but yourself can make you recreate the failure that you have been recreating. You can meet appointments and meet with people about work. There is nothing stopping you but your own imagination. Change the nature of your imagination. The power is within your own hands, and I tell you to use it. For I know that you can use it!

([Brad:] “I feel I have much energy but I can never decide on which of the several directions in which to channel it. I am plagued by fears whenever I consider any particular direction—perhaps even the fear that I will not be able to measure up to my expectations. By not acting, I may even be excusing myself from failure: “Had I really tried, I would have succeeded.

You would do much better if your attitude followed thusly: I am in such a position that my seriousness has given me no benefits. My imagination has brought me fear. And I seem to be in a prison. All my hard work has brought me nowhere, and therefore I shall change my tactics and I shall play. I do not care, for I am playing, which game I try first. So today I shall call up and make an appointment immediately as a teacher and I shall pretend with all my might that I am an excellent teacher. And today I shall be a teacher as no teacher ever was! And I will think of all those students that I do not know yet and how I can help them and what fun it shall be! And so I shall call up and make this appointment. And it does not make any great difference whether I get this particular job or not—for if I do not get it, tomorrow I shall be an artist. And I shall call up and make an appointment as an artist—but I shall be free in whatever I do—and spontaneous.

Now our friend here has been playing as a banker for years, and he knows it is a fine game. But his identity is not dependent upon it, and neither should your identity be dependent, you see.

([Theodore:] “But do it in joy.”)

This is not original with me, but you cannot deny one feeling without cutting off all feeling to some extent. You cannot cut off one portion of yourself without cutting off the channels to the whole self to some extent.

Now. I will not give you what you (Brad) want, but to show Laurie what a jolly fellow I am, I will make a compromise. You must make the first step. I will be with you when you make it. I am aware, as Ruburt keeps reminding me, of your (Theodore) question. However, it is complicated in answering but not important, and this was more important.

Now I will be there to give you a poke in the ribs, but also to give you a sense of confidence, and I promise it. But you must make the first step. I will help you make it.