“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now: Dictation: Ruburt and Joseph (as Seth calls Jane and me) have always seen themselves in a one-to-one relationship with nature and with the universe. They are individually motivated, in a sense loners. They shy away from large groups.

(Pause at 9:43.) The beliefs that led to their decision to stay had not changed in that regard. The one-to-one feeling of involvement with nature operated strongly here; they would take their chances then on individual bases. Now they were also used to working alone, even while together. In their artistic endeavors and psychic work they were acclimated to trusting themselves. Their past involved camping out, and, at least once, in very primitive surroundings (in Baja California).

This, again, deepened their intimate sense of relationship with nature, and encouraged their tendency to go along with it, to survive within its context rather than combat it. With this set of beliefs, attitudes and background, their decision to stay was highly predictable.

(10:00.) They were left to observe the physical phenomenon, still watching the water’s rise but with the inner knowledge of safety. Ruburt needed the experience in order to gain added faith in his own abilities. Both of them needed the assurance that those abilities are natural, and can be used in private dealings with nature. Ruburt also found that he had put himself in a position in which he had underrated the importance of physical manipulation. Both Ruburt and Joseph are very mental people, however, and so they sought out this physical meeting with material phenomena and solved the problem according to their beliefs.

Despite all natural personal problems, they had taken their stand. The waters receded as Ruburt had predicted. They were forced to face the aftermath. Joseph helped physically as the other tenants returned to their apartments. He worked at the quite physical labor involved. Both Ruburt and Joseph threw open their two apartments. A couple was given shelter in one apartment while Ruburt and Joseph confined themselves to the other. Here they found themselves in daily intimate contact with others in a way not usual for them. This particular situation made clear to them important insights that were invaluable. It also showed them that through their own relationship, they still did interact with others. Period, and take your break.

(10:50.) The same applied to everyone else involved. On symbolic levels a flood represents a washing away of the old, of course, the sweeping power and energy of unconscious forces and the resulting emergence of new birth. The fact is that your society often involves you in petty annoyances and problems that do not bring out your full strengths; disasters often serve as encounters with nature, in which you can experience the great power and range of your own identities in a situation in which you are pushed to the utmost.

In a highly materialistic society, the loss of an expensive home and other material possessions is a matter of great practical and symbolic nature. Many individuals therefore sought out that experience. (Long pause.) Many also found themselves reacting with a heroism they did not realize they possessed. A sense of community unity was born, a deep feeling of companionship that had not existed earlier.

In its own way, a neighborhood fire serves the same purpose, among others, and so does a local or regional disaster. The nature of your conscious mind demands change and dramatic meaning, a sense of power, and aspirations against which to judge individual direction. A “perfect” society, idealistically speaking, would provide these qualities by encouraging each individual to use his potentials to the fullest, to revel in his challenges, and to be led on by his great natural excitement as he tries to extend powers of creative potency in his own unique way.

(Slowly at 11:06:) When such opportunities are denied then there are riots, wars, and natural catastrophes. A sense of power is any creature’s right. I speak here again of power as the ability to act creatively and with some effectiveness. A dog chained too long often becomes vicious. A man who believes his actions have no value seeks out situations in which he uses his power to act, yet often without worrying about whether the action will have a constructive or negative effect.

(Pause.) You do not understand the nature, then, of your own energy or your ability to direct it. Storms, say, or tornadoes, are brought about by angry men precisely as wars are. They are simply versions of the same phenomena.

The flood represented a mass psychic symptom projected upon the earth. In a quite natural manner, all of those involved not only chose the situation but helped in the “healing” process that still continues (over eleven months later). But you can no more separate yourselves from the body of the earth and its condition than you can from your own bodies.

When you move from one area of the country to another, it is because you have changed, and so you are drawn to others with the same kind of beliefs and needs, attracted therefore by entirely different natural situations. You will then help perpetuate the “characteristic” climate to which you travel.