“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The feeling of fright and danger is the odor of fears and the secrets. The feelings of fear are the symptoms of the secrets and the fears. The releasing of these will not bring neither [sic] danger, nor fear, but only release. It goes without saying, however, that beneath all this, in class, is a structured inner organization large enough to be supportive. Do you follow me?

Now my young friend, and all my dear young friends, first of all Joan Grant is a highly intelligent and very gifted woman. However, because of her own background and her reincamational background, she is tuned into tragic events and perceives these far more quickly than she perceives more pleasant events. She will, for example, perceive disasters and calamities. Now this is something she has taken upon herself and in her way, and I am not necessarily agreeing with this you understand, in her way she is trying to pay back errors that she feels that she made in the past. There is no need to pay for such errors, but as long as she believes that she must, then she will continue to do so. So these are not only her own agonies, but the agonies of others that she has taken upon herself. Psychologically you will use your inner abilities as you use your exterior abilities. For the same purposes and the same reasons and the same goals. Now she is doing some very excellent work, but she is causing herself agony that she need not bear.

(To Maggie.) You will not feel it necessary to take the same kind of agony upon yourself so do not be afraid of it. You are an extremely expansive person, and you will use your abilities to look for good prospects simply because you are sunny. That is better, I like smiles. You are practical in an esoteric manner in that you will use your abilities also to practically help yourself and others. But you will find much easier methods to deal with the tragedies.

Now you may think that Joan Grant has formed a far more splendid reality than you have, and yet none of you would live in her shoes for an hour. You are not willing, some of you, to accept and experience your own feelings and emotions much less those of others. Now Miss Grant could, instead, you see, be full of the joy that exists in all personalities and in all pasts, and she could be as much help to the individuals involved but working from an entirely different level.

Now, this class worked for our young friend because she was ready to use her abilities and open to use her abilities and prepared. Some of you are ready and using your abilities, to some extent, but the ideas you have discussed in class this evening will be a great benefit if you follow them through.

You think because you come here that you are quite avant-garde and very with it and open-minded, indeed. There are people that you would not share your living room with who do not consider themselves avant-garde or open-minded, who do not understand concepts and are not equipped to intellectualize, but people who feel their own feelings with exaltation and joy and recognize their own identities because of this, and who are, therefore, open to the feelings of others and able to relate to them. When you use your inner abilities you are opening yourselves up to feelings, your own and those of others. And you cannot use symbols or concepts. You must learn to feel and recognize your feelings and be expansive. Only your fears are restrictive. You have all had secrets that you hid for many lives. You are far more nefarious in some of them than you are now.

When I said that our simple little exercise last week was a preliminary exercise, that is exactly what I meant but you are the ones who are placing the interpretation upon it that you are. So I have a simple question for you and I will expect an answer. It is a very simple question, there is an implication within it. You do not need to accept the implication, but if you do not, then why do you not? And for all your fine thoughts, why are each of you, in your secret ways, so afraid of the implications of the word love or showing it here? Why do you find it far safer to show love to an animal and pet it, than to a person? Now this is my question for you this evening, and I expect it faced and answered honestly. You are more frightened of that than anything else, not of your secrets. This is a fine blind. Some of you would rather stand up in this class and say, “I killed an animal in hatred” or “I knocked a man’s guts out” or “I shot my neighbor” almost, rather than express a simple statement of love or acceptance to another person in the class wholeheartedly and act, that was not an act, when you are not a star performing. The secrets do not bother you half as much as you imagine that they do.

(To Joel) We have a fine vocabulary. Now, we will change the question then and put it in different terms and, again, you need not accept the implication, but if you do not, then state that you do not. Why are you so afraid of love? Period.

...It takes spontaneity. It takes unlearning most of the things that you have learned and it takes, unfortunately right now, this kind of probing to release your spontaneity. And you will have every opportunity to display spontaneity in class. But these are words that you use easily without ever thinking what they mean, or more important, without feeling what you think they mean, and then separating that from your inner feelings about the words involved.

(To Sue.) And to this one over here. And your feelings toward love, and do not grimace at the term, it is not as bad as the word God, and you can stomach it. You realize when you avoid the verbal terms you are also avoiding coming to face with what the terms mean, not only to yourself, but what the terms mean to other people. Now we are two good friends in the dream state for you to start being apprehensive now. I want you to answer the question next.

(To Mark.) First of all I have been misinterpreted. Nowhere did I tell you to hide or ignore your feelings or pretend that something did not annoy you when it did. Admit your feelings to yourself. Openly be aware of them. If they are unpleasant feelings then be aware of them as you would be aware of black clouds that pass your window. Do not pretend they do not exist, or you will run into trouble. But when you shove one black cloud against another black cloud you can have one hell of a storm so you do not have to retaliate, therefore. Simply be aware of your feeling, then try to understand the reality of the person involved. Why do they behave in such and such a manner? Once you have accepted your feelings then refuse to let the balance of your mind be upset by such disturbances even though you recognize them. Send, then, thoughts of peace towards the person involved, that their problems may be solved. This allows you freedom to admit your own feeling but puts you in control. Do you see the difference?

And mean it, but do not pretend that the bumps do not exist.

Now I have not said this to you before because you were not ready for it before, but now you are, and you can progress and free your own feelings of trust and love. And then you will meet these in exterior circumstances and recognize them in others for they have been offered to you, both kindness and love and trust, in the past, and you did not recognize them. And they will be offered again, but hopefully you will recognize them.

(To Valerie.) There is, in the main, only one kind of betrayal. Your feelings will never betray you. Your instinctive self will never betray you. Only you can betray your feelings by being distrustful of them. They are a portion of yourself. They are a way that you look at the reality that you know. It is only when you inhibit or deny them that harmful charges are built up that can affect others. Each person has his own built in defense mechanism against your ill will. And while your ill will, and the ill will of each of you, carries some charge, it is not nearly strong enough to upset the balance of a personality who is determined to accept their own feelings and live their own lives. Normally accepted and recognized in, the feelings are picked up by others, but they are recognized as learning mechanisms. Their reactions and your reactions are made known to the inner self. You know how you stand. If an individual offends you, and you honestly accept your feelings, then he knows of this and is simply made aware of a circumstance. In this instance you are offended, then he can make whatever changes he so chooses, but if you ignore the feeling and the affair happens again, then the charge is built up and becomes harmful. And then he may be hit by the super charge at some later date.

I will shortly end our session. You have been playing around but you have done a very good job of it, and you are on the outskirts, and you all know it, but that is all right.

Concepts are extremely important and we will never leave them aside in class, but you must learn to experience a concept, and in order to do so, you must realize the importance of your own inner experience. And since many of you are not doing too well out of class in this regard, you can do it in class. There is no need whatsoever to be fearful. Instead, you should look forward to some exaltation.

Now, consciously, you meant well, of course. Unconsciously, however, there were reasons why you acted in such a manner, and you knew while you were doing this that the return was not of the kind that you would expect or wanted. You did not accept gracefully or openly that which was given, which was all these individuals had to give at that time, but subconsciously demanded that they give to the same scale that you gave and repaid love to the same scale as if there were, indeed, a point system and they fell short.