“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

SESSION 143

(Because of illness on my part this is our first session since March 22; thus we missed the regularly scheduled sessions of March 24, March 29 and March 31. This is the longest gap in the flow of the material since the sessions began on December 2, 1963. Both of us were eager to resume. Jane remarked last night that the enforced layoff was making her rather nervous. It was, she said, the same kind of nervousness she used to experience before each session, during the early months.

(About the subconscious: According to Freud the subconscious is often held to blame for present ego difficulties. This is not so in many cases—the real trouble being that the present ego did not assimilate the subconscious experience. Seth has discussed Freud and Jung to some extent, in the 83rd and 119th sessions, among others.

(Once again the session was held in our secluded back room. Jane spoke while sitting down, and with her eyes closed. She does not wear her glasses at all during sessions now. Her voice was quiet, her initial pace rather slow. Her delivery speeded up as the session progressed, and her voice became somewhat louder.)

(Seth has discussed this inner comprehension and physical illness in the 98th, 99th and 120th sessions, among others.)

I would have been removing the problem from you, and in this instance depriving you of the opportunity of solving it, and therefore of adding to your own energies and abilities. As it was, your illness was shorter by several times than it would have been had it occurred last year, and certainly much shorter than it would have been were it not for the understanding that you have derived from these sessions.

(I finally reached the point where I told Jane, the day before this session was due, that I had decided to stop reading the New York papers so thoroughly. I found it a sad experience to read about the race situation, Viet Nam, the conditions of life and crime in New York City, etc., although of course I realized that much of this news meant something was being done about some urgent problems.

(For some other examples of the psychic power of negative expectations, see the 9th, 15th and 17th sessions, involving Jane and me at York Beach, Maine. Also see the 17th and 66th sessions for material on the death of our dog, Mischa.

(Jane had begun the session rather slowly and softly. As it progressed her pace speeded up and her voice acquired more volume. She resumed in this manner at 9:34.)

Basically this concern for human welfare is indeed virtuous, but overindulged in it becomes loaded with possibilities that could be most unfortunate. You knew I was going to light into you this evening, as Ruburt would say. What I want, here, is the balance. Neither plunge yourself into the ignorance, doubts and injustices, so that you can see nothing else, nor close your eyes to them. But there must be a place within you where these do not exist, or the freedom of the inner self will be hampered, as far as its connection with the ego is concerned. Your deep consideration for human problems has indeed helped lead you to these sessions.

(Just before tonight’s session I told Jane I hoped Seth would clear this matter up. See the 133rd and the 135th sessions. The 133rd session also contains a list of previous sessions in which Seth has dealt with Miss Callahan to varying degrees. Miss Callahan, a retired schoolteacher, was also acquainted with Frank Watts. It was Jane’s initial contact with the Frank Watts personality, through the Ouija board, that led to these sessions. F. Watts has been dead perhaps twenty years, and is one of the personalities making up the Seth entity.

(Also see the first page of this session for material on the power of suggestion. For other material on suggestion and related subjects like illness, see the 68th, 98th, 99th & 120th sessions.)

(See the 134th-137th sessions for some material on time travel.)

I am going to suggest also that Ruburt continue with the procedure as far as psychological time is concerned, that is, that he lets it go until I tell him otherwise. The experience, the subjective experience, of the last session, on Ruburt’s part, was meant as a practical demonstration of the limitless self. I am very pleased that we did so well with it, and various other such controlled experiments can be expected in the future.

The conditions of our sessions allow us, on the one hand, more freedom, and on the other hand more control. Also they add to the value of the sessions themselves. We will have much more to say concerning the limitless self, in connection with action.

At any time that you may wish it, you can indeed make up sessions. However, I will not suggest it. It is up to you.

(This information came through, I presume, because earlier I had been joking with Jane about making up the sessions we had missed. I doubt if it is possible; our daily routine is busy enough now.

My heartiest regards for your health. You may here take a break; or, considering your convalescence, I will end the session.

(Break at 10:36. Jane was well dissociated. Since we had missed three sessions, I thought we could continue a little longer.

(Our host of visitors during my illness was another subject we’d hoped Seth would discuss this evening. From March 24 to April 2, Jane and I received a total of 21 visits from 16 different individuals. Of these 16, 7 had witnessed sessions. Some of the visits lasted for hours and left Jane very tired.

(Sonja bought a painting from me on November 18, 1964, and is mentioned by Seth in the 108th session of that date. Louis witnessed the 89th session, held in Rochester, NY, and was also discussed by Seth in the 90th session. Another visitor that first day was Jim Beckett, who witnessed the 47th and 49th sessions. Thus Jim and Louis were the two neutral visitors referred to by Seth.

(Philip of course is the entity name for John Bradley, who has witnessed several sessions. While visiting us on the second day of my illness, John said that events transpiring within the drug firm he represents, Searle, appear to bear out predictions made by Seth some time ago. Seth had mentioned a time limit of several years for some of these predictions to work themselves out, and counseled patience on John’s part. See the 37th session, of March 23,1964, and the 70th session, of July 13,1964, among others.

(My younger brother, William Richard, also from Rochester, NY, was a visitor on March 28. He is custodian of the second carbon of these sessions, and witnessed the 89th session. Another visitor was Bill Macdonnel, entity name Mark, and several times a witness. On file I have a complete record of the 21 visits Jane and I received.

And now my best regards to you both. I am glad that we resume our sessions once again. Ruburt had a vacation of sorts, but I will see that there is action enough for him now.

(It might be noted that now her eyes open quite easily at break time and at the end of the session. When she first began to speak while seated, and with her eyes closed, she had difficulty opening her eyes.