“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(To Arnold.) Also heed that the ordinary happiness and pursuits within society as you know it are not enough for you, and that you realized that the seemingly contented people were indeed imprisoned. Now that is also an important element of the dream, you were not content, you see, to stay within the environment and you did feel an inner terror to be so imprisoned.

It was, indeed. You will paint the situation for yourself by using many different dramas. It was an advantage that you remembered the dream consciously for this inner sense implies a strong advancement on your part. I have good hopes for you.

Our friend’s dream, in her own way, closely approximates our African God’s dream over here, for you are considering the same questions. In your case you used religious terms in which to couch it and ease the inner self. Legitimate—is the question of the validity of the soul legitimate? Is it legitimate whether spoken about in conventional terms through religion, or is it legitimate in the terms spoken about in this room, or is it legitimate in any terms at all?

Now in the back of your mind, and you may yell at me later, conventional religion is symbolized by the Catholic religion because of its fantastic organization. And in your mind the Pope represents that organization and he paid tribute. He gave to these hooded robbers that came in at the side door. He did not give much, but he gave, and he gave because any religion must pay tribute to the inner knowledge of the self and the true inner knowledge does not come in through the front door. It comes in through the side door when you are least looking for it.

Anything that you perceive with your senses, for the point of our discussion, you can call material, but you only perceive certain ranges of material as you only perceive certain ranges of an entire spectrum of light. As there is a spectrum of light, so there is a spectrum of matter but you are not tuned in to the entire spectrum.

I want you to get on with your own discussion, however, the hungry man knows that he is hungry and in India it is not the hungry man who is filled up either with food or with spiritual ideas. It is one thing to be poor and hungry and disease-ridden without knowledge and with a sense of hopelessness and despair, and it is another to decide, of your own will, to deprive your body for a purpose of your own. But Ruburt did not want to add his ideas to this discussion, he wanted to find out what you thought, and so I should, by rights, not add mine.

Now this bargain does not only have to do with your psychic work but to your entire life situation and in a way you have the same goals but you have a division of labor that you have subconsciously decided upon. You want to be cautious, yet you want to find out what there is about the nature of reality and in this implied bargain you are the one who will make the inroads or seem to go ahead to have the freedom and spontaneity to do so. As our past sessions show in class, you also have a strong sense of responsibility. Now at this time, it seems too much to bear both at the same, and so our friend here is being the critical one for you and then you can free yourself for this trance work knowing that any questions of a critical nature that you might have will be asked by her and, therefore, you will feel free to go ahead.

Now she also has a great inner interest and so for her and for both of you, you are traveling these inward roads for both of you and she is carrying on the critical aspects for both of you. You could not be burdened if you thought them through with these deep questions of criticism for they could send you back to a rigid attitude. I am saying that you have a good working relationship that will change and be flexible in time.