“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The symbolic journey of the spirit, and the finding finally of the self always involves the journey of the self through fear, and its emergence. To the extent that this journey is faced, the greater the perils, but the greater the rewards.

Fear cannot be ignored. It must be faced and conquered. It always leads to retreat when it is not faced. The physical image is indeed a replica in many ways of the inner self. When a man is ill it is not necessarily because he wants to be ill subconsciously. It is not necessarily because he is receiving some hidden psychological benefit, or because the illness fulfills some need. He is ill often—always in fact—because of a distortion that is occurring within the self, and materialized in physical form.

This response to fear is a danger to psychic work, where freedom is necessary. In projections most of all the self must be mobile. Rapidity of perception, mobility of consciousness, openness of emotional response, are prerequisites for our work. The fearful spirit fears to leave the body, and fears to reside in it also. Ruburt has my congratulations, for he has now successfully passed a period of trial. He tried without involving you except when he grew more than usually discouraged.

Now. In projections the inner self is free to travel within its capabilities—underlined, within its capabilities.

There are many other experiences encountered in projections and in ordinary living, you see, that are not translated into physical terms, for in physical terms they would have no meaning. The basic assumptions behind them would not be understandable in physical terms.

Only some of the data in projections is thus translated. Now, it is possible but difficult to catch your own consciousness in the act of its own natural perception, before impressions become crystallized in physical terms. Even the survival personality must translate perception into terms it can understand.

A small remark to Ruburt. His dream about Miss Callahan was a legitimate projection, and they did both meet.