“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

There are obviously many occasions when his condition is unusually suited to hold a spontaneous session, but when the emotional climate is not for one reason or another correct, or when other elements, practical ones to you, may prevent a session.

Now, to return to an earlier discussion. What you call suggestion is indeed expectation. You should understand by now how the physical image is constructed. This construction is from the inside out. The inner self attempts to construct a physical image in line with its own self-image. Any errors of construction have their origin not in the inner self, but in either the personal subconscious or in the ego.

(Break at 9:16. Jane was dissociated, but not as well as usual for a first break. She said the traffic noise bothered her, but that she would make an effort to see that it didn’t continue to do so.

(Jane’s eyes had remained closed for the first delivery, but they opened soon after she began speaking again. She was also smoking. As during the last session she looked at me occasionally, but for the most part looked casually ahead without staring fixedly at anything. Her eyes were dark, her voice a little heavier and louder. Resume at 9:22.)

Suggestion would of course play a part in the development of these abilities. It is difficult, even though we are so far into our sessions, to give you any full understanding yet of what is involved in the basic nature of suggestion, but as we go deeper into the subject there will be experiments that you both can try.

What interrupts this inner impetus could be compared to what you call poor suggestion. It is indeed distortive. It represents a blocking of impetus. It interrupts what should be a simultaneous and easy flow of inner impetus outward, in your case outward to physical construction. The particular negative words spoken or thought are but indications of this break of impetus. The break occurs first, and it is for this reason that what you call negative suggestions therefore are acted upon.

(When Jane resumed dictating her eyes remained open. She was smoking. Again, her glances at me were casual. She had used pauses before this break, but now she spoke quite a bit more rapidly. Resume at 9:50.)

The personal subconscious can be thought of as a threshold between the ego and the inner self; not only can glimmerings of the inner self be glimpsed through the subconscious, but also the diverse characteristics of the ego touch this personal subconscious. When the ego, therefore, becomes too overbearing it attempts to impede the flow of action. It cannot so impede action directly, for the very act of forming such impediments involves action. Nevertheless such impediments often set up actions that block the overall movement or direction of the action that composes the whole personality.

It goes without saying that each newborn consciousness within your system carries within it the capsule comprehension of which I have previously spoken; and if you recall, each atom and molecule, each and every smallest particle that can by any stretch of the imagination be called physical matter, contains within it its own independent capsule comprehension—inherent suggestions in coded form, in not one but several codes, that give complete instructions for development and growth.

(Break at 10:11. Jane was well dissociated throughout the delivery. Her eyes had been open all the while, but she had no memory of this. Traffic had not bothered her, and her delivery had been rather fast.

It will refuse to assimilate certain experiences. This very refusal is in itself an action. It will attempt to construct itself on a physical level, since it is within the physical system of reality. The cooperation is broken down to some greater or lesser degree. This conflicts with the inner data in the case of illnesses, and the illnesses are actually the result of conflicts of data. It is obvious that the body is equipped to handle many such distorted actions, but a conflict is hereby brought into play, where constructive energies or actions are not given full reign, and patterns of distortions are set up within the system.

I will give you instructions along these lines. Ruburt’s habit of requesting before he sleeps that his system effortlessly continue its healthful and natural cooperation is a good one. But this is, while helpful, only a very basic and beginning aid.

Since suggestion is used constantly, and by every cell in your body, then it is not a question of whether or not you can use suggestion, but of how to use it more effectively. And this will involve a balanced personality, for in such a personality action will be allowed freedom of expression. The ego will gain and not lose in the process, but we will not have an autocratic and willful ego, but a reasonable and even disciplined ego that is aware of its position, aware of its own dependency, as well as of its own peculiar and unique perceptive apartness. For the apartness is dependent upon its being a part of the whole gestalt.

It is, again, the ego’s misguided attempt to stand apart to gain stability, that makes the ego react in such a manner. It fears loss of control and of discipline. But all appearances to the contrary, the emotions are natural controlling devices that in themselves aid discipline, since they allow for the spontaneous flow of energies outward. It is only when they are denied that they become explosive or dangerous to the personality. Then indeed they result in explosive barrages, ranting and shouting, organic and psychological illnesses, and of unfortunate manifestations.

(Sunday night, June 6, I had a vivid dream which was clairvoyant, and came to pass the next morning while I was at work. Complete records are in my dream notebook. Before the session I made sure to hope aloud that Seth would discuss the dream, but as can be seen it was not even mentioned. This is not an unusual happening, however. I may ask definitely about the dream during a future session.)