“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now. (Eyes closed, smiling, Jane leaned toward Pete.) Now, my dear young man, quite innocently, you have made an early and understandable error. (Smile.) You will forgive me, for my slight amusement is also tinged with rather compassionate understanding. In the attempt to use your ability, to probe into the future, you allowed yourself to take more upon yourself than you should have.

There is nothing wrong in trying to perceive tomorrow. (Pause.) It is risky however to live today in such a manner. There are too many errors that can be made when dealing with precognitive elements. You are dealing with a world of probabilities. Now Ferd looked into a possible future, and this was quite legitimate—as a probable future. There is much concerning time that you do not yet understand, and I cannot explain it to you, unfortunately, in an evening. This may sound contradictory, but it is not. It is possible to perceive the future as it will be; on the other hand the future itself is always changing, for you change it in the present. (Pause.) In the precise moment in which you spoke the words, there was a probability, and a good one, that the event would occur as stated.

Two days later, the conditions had completely changed. This is too complicated, and you do not have the background now. However, the future event predicted was bound up with a series of events that would have had to occur within that two-day period. Some of these events would have been trivial, but all would have led him toward that predicted big win. There are two men in particular he would have met. These events did not occur, and another group of probabilities now exist.

Had your abilities been developed sufficiently, you could have seen through these probable futures into the actual physical future event that would come to pass. Now there is no great loss here, and take me seriously. Both you and Stephen shall have gained, and better now than later: for you cannot live your physical life in such a fashion. The development of your character and of Stephen’s would be drastically reduced.

There was a hope on Stephen’s part, and you responded to it. Not by any subconscious fakery, far from it. But you perceived the probable future that did exist as such; and I do not mean it only existed symbolically. Your desire to help him led to that perception. You would be the worse off, and your brother, if this were not so. You cannot use your ability in this fashion—purposely, you see.

There is a balance within the family. Love is expressed to you on occasions when it could not be expressed to other members of the family; but still stays within the family, you see. The family, therefore, has its strengths and its safety valves. Australia serves as a uniting theme of common background, for all save your mother. It also serves as a uniting promise for the future, and gives you common dreams.