“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

When you concentrate on a symptom you reinforce it. Ruburt should know this. I am not suggesting that you pretend the symptom does not exist, but that you quite deliberately give yourself constructive suggestion, and turn your attention immediately away quickly to other matters.

In all cases emphasis on suggestions must be upon health and vitality. To concentrate upon a hand for example to see whether or not a suggestion has taken hold, is hardly beneficial. Ruburt is now at the stage where he has freed considerable energy, and this must now be utilized in constructive activity, and not to reinforce symptoms.

It will be highly advantageous now for him to renew projection attempts. His enthusiasm is returning as far as his work is concerned. This is automatically beneficial. Nightly suggestions should deal now with general health and vitality, and with pictures of anticipation for the following day’s activities.

Concentration should be upon his love of work, and enjoyment and simple pleasures. For now it is best that he not specifically give suggestions to any particular portion of the body, since he tends lately to concentrate upon that portion in a disadvantageous manner.

These suggestions of mine may sound simple but they are not.

He did not want to face people that he knew. He did not want to make the effort to have a social evening with them. Going out was then an escape rather than a pursuit of pleasure, as I suggested.

I suggest that you change your environment and leave the apartment at times simply because there is such recognition of the symptoms within the apartment, and the change is beneficial. The breaking of habit patterns is beneficial, but this should involve a spontaneous, pleasant adventure.

I suggest you leave room for spontaneity on Fridays. Ruburt has become somewhat sensitized to the day because of the old Catholic connection of not eating meat. This has to do with the difficulty in buying groceries, the fish being an act of denial, you see.

Earlier suggestions given by me should be heeded. He should try and see himself walking winningly down the street. When you go dancing, it would help if he wore clothes that he has worn in the past when he danced well, you see. I did not recommend, I do not recommend, Ida’s clothing, for she has back difficulties, and these were known to you. (Ida is my brother Bill’s wife.)

These suggestions, if faithfully followed, will result in the disappearance of symptoms.

We will have a considerable amount of general material following all this, on health in general, and on the importance of the focusing of energy that is involved. There are many reasons for all of the suggestions given this evening, and they are significant from many standpoints.

You may, along with your dream suggestions, suggest that you see me on a dream projection, and I will tell you that I am I so you will know me.

Again do not ignore them, but do not let your comments act as a negative suggestion that already might reinforce those that he has inadvertently given himself. Comfort him when this is necessary, but the comforting should follow the lines of constructive suggestions: “You will feel better soon.”

Your attitude is also important, of course. It should not involve pity, for this reinforces the symptoms, but should involve a confident assurance, particularly when he is fearful—an encouragement on your part, of constructive activities, a comforting but not overindulgent attitude, you see.

Your own projection attempts can be achieved now in the dream state, for you can take advantage of the time that you do not have in waking existence. A few such deliberate experiments, suggested before sleep, will give you the confidence you need to carry through on a waking projection. You need this practice, Joseph.

The training in manipulation of consciousness of this kind is invaluable. There are at least three different kinds of projections that you should experience in the dream state, that will facilitate waking experiences. You should give yourself projection suggestions now as a matter of course before sleep.

It is quite beneficial to suggest you will awake at once afterward, to write the experience down. This helps to isolate it from other dream experience, and to alert you. You have sleep to consider of course, but this method is the best one of all.