“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Jane was tired after supper, so I didn’t ask her about having a session. Then at about 9:00 a neighbor couldn’t get her door unlocked and asked us for help. By the time this episode was resolved Jane had come alert, and surprised me by saying she wanted to hold the session. She began speaking for Seth very quietly.)

The experience that you wrote of was significant on several levels, and of course was meant to reassure you ahead of time because of the events you knew would occur. The experience was to inform you emotionally and spiritually of the great meaning of each individual, portray the lovely brilliance that is within each human being, and let you know that the integrity of the self and the soul exists beyond the possibility of annihilation, as you yourself will continue to exist regardless of which path you choose to take — dying within two years, or living physically on for many more. In other words, you will continue to exist and to be fulfilled within that love you sensed.

You felt before, unconsciously, that you were drifting and that life had little meaning. Beneath the surface of events you felt unfulfilled, and felt that you had great courage and abilities with never a chance to use them, and no “heroic” episodes then to rouse you to fuller understanding, and no real impetus to lift you or to bring excitement into your days. Unconsciously, therefore, you chose a situation in which a crisis was precipitated, rousing all the greatest elements of heart and soul, so that they must strain to understand, to perceive, to triumph. And so you shall, in whatever way is most important for you, and you will learn more and be more fulfilled than you would have been had those conditions not been initiated.

Thus far I have rather frequently mentioned the state of grace (in the 636th session in Chapter Nine, for instance), because while it has many dimensions it is, practically speaking, the cause of your sense of well-being and accomplishment. It is a condition of your existence. Each of you may put the following in your own terms, but often it may seem as if your conscience tells you that you have “fallen out of grace,” and that some inner, mysterious, joyous sense of support no longer sustains you. Unfortunately, conscience as you think of it is an untrustworthy guide, speaking to you through the mouths of mothers and fathers, teachers and clergy — all perhaps from distant years, and each of whom had their own ideas of what was right and wrong for you and for humanity at large.

(11:45.) These people of course were, and are, quite fallible. When you are a child however adults seem godlike. Their words fall with great weight because you are so at the mercy of their support. As a child it was quite necessary that you accept beliefs from others before your conscious mind could form its own.

(11:55.) The concept itself existed long before Christianity’s initiation, and was told in various forms throughout the centuries and in all civilizations. On the side of consciousness, it is a tale symbolically representing the birth of the conscious mind in the species as a whole, and the emergence of self-responsibility. It also stands for the separation of the self who perceives — and therefore judges and values — from the object which is perceived and evaluated. It represents the emergence of the conscious mind and of the strongly oriented individual self from that ground of being from which all consciousness comes.

He saw himself as rising above the serpent, which was a symbol of unconscious knowledge. Yet the serpent would always mystify and attract man, even though he must stand upon its head, symbolically speaking, and rise from its knowledge.

His rejection of the foods for this length of time persisted as a symbol that he was still not facing his beliefs. With each “triumph,” now — and there have been several with your help and Ruburt’s — he shows himself that beliefs and not food are important, and reinforces his independence and freedom.

(12:25 a.m. Seth, Jane said, was all ready to keep going if we gave the word — the rest of the chapter “was right there.” Also there for the asking was more material about ourselves, but….)