“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

We will not this evening give a broad outline to our friend, concerning his health. We are indeed, instead, going to progress in a very slow manner, and give him tidbits. If we outline a whole program, then he will plunge into it, and we will have him go more slowly. For the problem already has to do with the fact that he plunges into both dilemmas and solutions, with a desperation that is born from anxiety, if not pure panic.

Nor do we want to rid him of one illness so quickly that he still feels a need for it, for in such a case he would indeed very promptly develop another. So, though he would wish that we go quickly, we shall go slowly, for the nature of his own reactions causes in some degree the necessity for the illness.

It will be our concern here, therefore, to aid the personality to discover and use these resources. I will have more to say concerning the manner in which the organic illness has been accepted by the ego, as a part of the ego’s self-image. This acceptance does indeed take place in that area of the personal subconscious that is closely allied to the ego.

This is why there appears to be two such diverse tendencies that show themselves. The personality is indeed divided. The ego fights the inner self, which means of course that the self fights against itself.

What the personality must be led to see is that any real permanence would indeed be the death of the ego and the personality. For as we know, the ego is not the same today, in your terms, as it was yesterday, nor yet as it will be tomorrow. That “I” continually changes.

The ego is indeed but one part of the self that speaks for the other portions of the self, but when it tries to speak for itself only, then indeed its words become meaningless, and the words become threats to the rest of the self. The discipline required in following our program as it develops, that discipline will itself represent the first steps to recovery.

In other words the apparent intensity of the egotistical reactions is a sham on the part of the ego, to hide the fact that it refuses to become involved with action as a whole, because it fears for its permanence. When the ego understands, and it will, that it is a portion of the whole self, and itself a part of action, then indeed it will not fear for its own permanence, for it will realize that being a part of action, its very nature is dependent upon change, and vitality, and value fulfillment.

The passages will become clear as the personality becomes better acquainted with other portions of our sessions. There are here indeed other psychological and surface reasons for the illness, and also deeper reasons for the tendency toward this particular type of illness.

I now suggest your break, and I do myself indeed enjoy your pleasant summer evening. I would like to make it plain here, however, that on a surface psychological level, the personality plunges into activity, and it is for the present this portion of the personality with whom we must deal. Nevertheless, beneath there is a denial of involvement, and a strong desire for permanency, both of which are repressed, and the stronger the efforts put forth by the ego to repress these tendencies, then these tendencies will explode with inadequate stimuli. There will be an overaction on the part of the ego to compensate for the refusal to accept involvement on deeper levels.

Now indeed take your breaks.

One more point. The ulcer for example has reality upon many levels, and must be dealt with in a like manner, for it is not enough to handle it even from the viewpoint of the present ego; for indeed causes are involved of which the present ego must necessarily be mainly ignorant. The inner self however has at its command all these reasonings, and all these causes.

If the illness did not exist on so many layers, then indeed it would not be so tenacious.

The very journey involved in self-discovery, the very self-questioning involved, is indeed part of the process of recovery. The energy being used in the maintenance of the ulcer will already begin to take new channels. The thoughts and anticipations of the personality have already begun to stray from the all-important ulcer to the causes behind it, for in this case, as in many others, we find a strange phenomenon.

However, we have among us this evening indeed a secondary personality, a strong and savage one. We have here this evening a secondary personality that attempts to rule the complete life of the personality of whom we have been speaking, and its name is ulcer. For where lies the difference? The personality literally lives its life about the existence of the ulcer. It is hardly worth it, for the personality must be led to see that it itself has created the ulcer, both psychologically and physically, in most actual terms, and that it itself can indeed cast it out.

It is however excess baggage, and can be cast aside, and will be. It is not a part of you like your arm. It is not a part of you like your legs. You can navigate without it, and indeed you shall. It is not (Jane’s voice became even louder) part of the image that the inner self gave you. It did not come to you in your chromosomes for duplication.

When you see that the ulcer does not belong to you in these terms, then indeed you will have no purpose in using your energies to maintain it. It is not part of your heritage. It is not part of the whole self; and now, we will see the purpose of the ego in all this is to protect what it considers the self, for the ego considers itself as the only self.

But in its overzealous behavior we find that it is instead threatening the self. Secondary personalities are caused by repressed emotions on a psychological basis that attempts to maintain an ascendancy. Your ulcer is indeed the same sort of growth, but on a physical and not on a psychological level.

The very involvement of the ego with the inner self will be of great benefit. Nothing would be gained if I told you now that the ego would allow the ulcer to vanish, for there would still be a definite need on your part to understand. And it is indeed the understanding itself which will allow you to let it vanish.

I am an educator, and I have been one in various respects for perhaps more centuries than I am willing to admit, and I do not believe in giving easy solutions, for they are worthless. The direct experience in this procedure will indeed be your own, and because it is your own it will bear fruit.

There is more that I will say along these lines, as you wish. You may again at your convenience end the session, or take a break. I am indeed fond of you both, and if I behave in my own fashion it is because my experience directs me, that solutions must come from within, for problems come from within. Very easily, through suggestion, I could cure, so it would seem, your ulcer.

I will say definitely that if my suggestions are followed faithfully and systematically, both the suggestions which I have given, and those which I will give, then indeed we will find that the problem is no longer a problem.

I would suggest for the psychological time experiments, fifteen minutes to begin with, along the lines of the directions which Joseph has given. You will find here an intimacy with portions of yourself which you would tend to ignore, which the ego would tend to ignore. You will find indeed refreshment and release. I would suggest that the directions, Joseph, be more specific. You can do better than you have done.

I find myself once more literally blackmailed by your human limitations, since I could indeed go on much longer. But I am indeed in sympathy with your precious fingers, and the fatigue of the present group. With Ruburt presently, only presently, I have no worries.

I will however, since I presume it is your wish, end the session, though regretfully. My fondest wishes to you all, but you are all indeed like nervous birds perched on a peaked roof, in the midst of a high wind; at least this evening, and if I treat you with less politeness, it is only because I speak with the license of an old and trusted friend.

For with such witnesses we can indeed do very well. I remember most regretfully your worries the other evening, and I will therefore endeavor (louder) not to give any demonstrations that may be embarrassing to you personally, or indeed that will cause you any uneasiness.

I do however find myself hampered at times, and it is for this reason that I have made my suggestion. I will indeed now close with my heartiest best wishes to you all, and indeed I will endeavor to lower my voice, so that it cannot be said that we are not decorous. But we have been so serious of late, we have dealt with such serious and weighty matters, that I have not had time to make my personality known, or to speak with you as I would wish.

Because I am so sympathetic, I will then leave you as I found you, in peace and quiet, though indeed there are times, after the quiet of our sessions, when I would indeed speak with more spontaneity, for I have grown most fond of you both, and therefore I become more willing to display what I may call my more playful nature.