“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

When you felt you had done enough penance, you did not know how to deal with the part of you you thought you had left. You were so used to thinking of yourself as guilty, and here you had a new sense to deal with. You were like a child with a new toy, and how could it be as good as you supposed and where was the hidden blemish, and so you have been looking for the hidden blemish. In the back of your mind also you wonder if you haven’t done enough penance, and so you worry and stew. You are making progress, however. You are looking inward and you are accepting the responsibility for yourself and your own development.

Now, there is one very cozy answer that is quite handy at times and it neatly relieves you of all sense of responsibility. It takes a while to understand who and what you are, and while you are learning it is often very handy to have someone else tell you and say you are this and so, you can do this and this and this and this is good and this is bad, as you indeed tell children. And so you do not have to ask yourself questions and you do not, yourself, have to probe the nature of good and evil because you accept what has been told you. And when you are in such a state you do not develop. Sometimes you are safe, but you do not develop and often you are not even safe.

(To Natalie.) Now, when I am looking at someone in particular, you do know that I am looking at you and you know to what I am referring. You must first recognize the fact honestly, that there are certain portions of your reality that you do not like. Do not pretend, be honest, and then you can change the reality. And you should be coming here to learn more about yourself. In learning what you are you will discover what reality is, and again what the nature of God is. You can use whatever term you prefer.

(To Gert.) Now, you must honor yourself and do yourself justice. Until you can honor and love yourselves you cannot honor nor love anything else or anyone else, and as long as you see yourselves as guilty, then you will see guilt in every other person you look at, and you will see evil in the nature of reality. The answers, you see, are within yourselves. It is only when you do not realize they are there that you have such difficulties. You have only to let go.

(To Natalie:) You do not need to keep such a tight rein upon yourself. You will not do anything so dreadful if you allow yourself some freedom. When you let your self go you do not lose your self, but you find your self. This is perhaps the hardest lesson, but it is one that you must learn.

That, I am afraid, you will have to answer for yourself. I would, for myself, answer in the affirmative. There are better things you can use this state for. There is no reason to be afraid. Your own face may not have been beautiful, but it was your own.