“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

I am being maligned. I have spoken to our Lady of Florence over here many times and you could have explained to our new student what I mean. I should be quiet and let you do so. You do indeed choose your own environment and your own life circumstances. And before this life you have already set those challenges that you will meet. But you also are endowed with free will and there is no punishment except [for] those of you who choose to punish yourselves. There is no punishment in those terms. You grow in understanding, and if you kill, then it is necessary that you learn what it means to be a victim and so you become a victim if you choose. You may indeed learn what it is to be a victim in other ways. You must learn how to use the consciousness that is yourself.

You said earlier that everyone is looking to find themselves, and as our regular students should know, there is only one place to look, and you begin with yourself. All That Is is not male or female, and I am sorry to upset anyone. All That Is is indeed energy and yet all energy is individualized so you are not dealing merely with impersonal energy but neither are you dealing with a personality in the terms usually used. For you do not understand as yet what personality is, and when you understand what you are, then you will have some small glimmering of what All That Is is and basically you will find All That Is within yourselves.

You have a different form every seven years. The atoms and molecules of your body have completely changed. There is not one small vestige within your physical body at this moment that was within it eight years ago. Your forms are completely new and different, and yet I see that you carry on quite effectively and it does not seem to bother you. Look at your friend over here (Doug). It does not bother him. And so if you change your physical form without knowing it as the years go by, why should it surprise you that at one time you leave the present form that you call your own for another. For if I am speaking through the body of a woman, so have the three men here present spoken through the bodies of women when those bodies were their own, and the women spoke as men.

(To Florence:) As a teacher you should be able to understand that this causes me the most difficulty.

It is always mental and emotional. But then you do not need words either. It is always telepathic. But your own communication is telepathic. (This sentence was written in the margin of the Yale copy.) It is only you that believe you need words, otherwise I would not have to deal with them and words can be very deceiving and quite confusing. I should tell you that while I use the word telepathy we do not communicate in mental words. We do not need words, mental or otherwise. Thoughts in your terms suggest words and we do not need words. We communicate whole concepts and emotional states. Now I am having an entire chapter on that subject in my book.

Now as class members should know, our friend Ruburt is not possessed and no energy has taken him over. There is instead a corner within his personality that is open like a transparent window, a warp into other times and dimensions. He has abilities that he uses. He realizes that from me he gets information that he would not otherwise possess and he can be here in a moment.

For of real love, you know very little; of real understanding, you know very little; but you will learn and you are learning and learning itself is discovery and joy. Remember also, that any abilities that you see displayed by the personality of Ruburt are abilities of human personality, latent in each of you, are to be used as you will and as you wish for you are possessed, possessed by ideas that are limited and that restrain you. Ideas that prevent you from using your own splendid energy and abilities. I have said this many times and doubtlessly I will continue to say—when Ruburt’s familiar body is some 40 years older and my voice in comparison to Ruburt’s sounds like quite a young man (shouts)—That my energy should remind you of the energy that is inherent within yourself and that any energy that sweeps through this small frame comes from the same energy that gives you your vitality and strength and that should bring you joy and fulfillment.

Now I do not know if I should answer that question seriously for you or give in to my humor.

It is the idea behind the Catholic conception of guardian angels. Now why these personalities should be envisioned as overgrown birds is beyond me for everyone knows what birds do on rooftops.