“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(9:50.) This subject leads to what I will call bridge beliefs, and again Ruburt received some information on this topic ahead of time for his own benefit. (See the notes prefacing the last session.) As you examine your ideas you will discover that even some apparently contradictory ones have similarities, and these resemblances may be used to bridge the gaps between beliefs — even those that seem to be the most diverse. Because you are the individual who holds the beliefs you will stamp them, so to speak, with certain characteristics that you will recognize. These aspects will themselves emerge as bridge beliefs. They contain great motion and energy. When you discover what they are, you will find a point of unity within yourself from which you can with some detachment, view your other systems of belief.

(Long pause.) The emotions connected with these bridge beliefs may indeed surprise you, but standing upon such unifying structures you are also free to let the emotional flow sweep past, feeling it, but aware for the first time, perhaps, of the origin of those feelings in your beliefs, and no longer afraid of being swept away by them.

It is impossible to tell you of the emotional reality of such an experience. You will have to discover it for yourself. Such bridge beliefs often allow you to perceive the “invisible” beliefs mentioned this evening, and these can then appear to you as a revelation. On second thought, however, you will realize that another belief blocked that one from your view, but that you were always aware of it; and that in a strange way it was also invisible because you took it for granted. You did not consider it a belief about reality but as reality itself, and never questioned it.

(A one-minute pause at 10:05.) Bridge beliefs may become available to you in the dream state. If so, the conscious knowledge may appear suddenly in the middle of your waking day. A reconciliation will be felt within the self following such a conscious understanding, though the dream itself may not be consciously remembered. In the dream various symbols may be used. Each person will vary in this regard. When such dreams are remembered, however, individual symbols, such as crossing a river safely, or an ocean, or bridging a gap or an abyss, are often involved.

(Pause.) At such times there can also be strong emotional content, as of finally triumphing over psychological chaos, or even of rising from the dead. You can suggest to yourself the emergence of such bridge beliefs. The conscious idea itself represents a statement of intent. Various core beliefs, not well assimilated, will give you conflicting self-images. Now there is a difference between freely experimenting with and enjoying various styles of dress, attitudes and behavior — and finding yourself “lost” in a compulsion to change your appearance, attitude and behavior. The latter usually involves contrary core beliefs that are alternately pulling you one way and then the other.

Usually exaggerated opposing emotions will also be apparent. Once you understand this it is not difficult to look at your beliefs to identify these, and to find a bridge to unite the seeming contradictions.

(Jane thought she was experiencing the results of her own work with bridge beliefs, since receiving the material in advance, so I asked her if Seth would say something about her personal reactions for this chapter. “All right. I’m waiting now,” she said, and closed her eyes. Resume at 10:43.)

When we began, he found it difficult to believe that so many answers were available in the conscious mind, and was astonished as he proceeded to discover that this was the case. I will use him here as an example to some extent, to show how a bridge belief appeared to assimilate what seemed to be diametrically opposed ideas. The same procedures will operate regardless of the particular beliefs held.

The day Ruburt received the “advance” information on bridge beliefs (see the last session), the obvious suddenly became clear. The writing self was finding itself more and more hampered, unable to use excellent material because of its limited beliefs. It focused so defensively on its own material that it was hampering its flow of creativity, while the “unacceptable” aspects of Ruburt merrily went on creating other books, not even including my own.

His core belief in himself as a writer, he saw, was really highly constrictive. He had not realized that before. At the same time he had consciously known it, but allowed it to remain invisible. He realized that the writing and psychic aspects each did want to write, and this was the bridge belief.