“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

So you have all begun something, have you? And when was it begun? Now in my books and when I speak to you, I use simple words usually. And the people sometimes write asking why I do not give proper methods, that is, more and more instructions as to how to do this and that. So when I say to you let your classes thrill with quality, it is up to you to discover what quality means to you. And when I say to each of you, classes or no, that your lives be lives of quality, of beauty and of truth, I am not about to define beauty or truth for you. That is your challenge. So you will listen to my words and read them through your interpretations. And those interpretations are highly important. (To Rob:) Now if there is anything in the universe called good intent, then you have it here.

If it were not for television, you would not know much about Anita Bryant, you would not know much about the Reverend Jones, who believed he was God and led (in quotes, out of quotes), “his followers into folly”. If it were not for television and technology and the official line of consciousness, you would not know of the fanaticism of Anita Bryant and our Miss America, American apple pie, good religion and all the rest. Now Anita Bryant serves a purpose for all of her distortions, for she presents each person with an exaggerated picture of certain beliefs. She makes each person question the nature of their own beliefs concerning sexuality. And sexuality is not only a personal question. It is not only a question of when to do it, with whom and when and how. Sexuality in your time means what is American. Is it American to be a football hero and a gung-ho male? Is it American to be a homosexual and love poetry or dancing or music or children? Is it a cliché to think that all homosexuals are sensitive and love music, and children? Are there no violent homosexuals and no bastards? Are all stereotyped masculine men that way because they want to be that way, are they forced to hide certain feelings? What are women? How do men consider them? Now Anita Bryant with orange blossoms presents you with all of those questions. And each person who views her on television must look into their own beliefs. And the same applies to our Reverend Jones, and to any fanatic, for the fanatic speaks in exaggerated terms, but he or she speaks beliefs that to some extent each of you hold, but to what degree? And so they are teachers in their way. You may hate them or deride them. And you may say they are fanatics, which they are. But they frighten you, because you know that in your hearts some of their beliefs exist in weaker terms, and where do you draw the line? So even the fanatic serves good purposes. And I will tell you that no one and no fanatic leads masses of people. People follow because they want to and no one leads them. And if you think you are a leader you misunderstand the people, for they are taking you where they want you to go. Only you are taking the responsibility and not them. You form your own reality. All of this, you see, is much trickier than appears at the hundredth or second hundredth or thousandth glance.

(Seth:) Now I love you and all of you, and I know that you love me. And I hope that that love is somehow distantly able, distantly, distantly to contain some, some, some, some kindly feeling for people like Anita Bryant. And say for roses who are blighted. Remember, and I do not expect any of you practically in daily life, to hold this as a rule. But remember. It is because you expect so much from people that Anita Bryant and fanatics fall so short. And that is why you are so angry at them. Your love for humanity holds. And you become angry when people do not live up to your expectations of their capabilities. You want them to be better, as you want yourself to be “better” (in quotes). You do not hate anyone that you are not capable of loving. Remember that. I do not expect any of you to be saints. For if you were saints you would not be here. And if I were a saint I would not be here either. But in the vast range of your emotions, leave room for loves that are very distant, so distant and so alien that you do not recognize them. And hold room for the feelings of loss and bitterness and anger that are behind Anita Bryant’s statements. And the feelings of lack of worth that power her statements and feelings. It is as if she were a meadow upon which no rain had fallen. Then certainly would she be bitter and cry.

([Rick:] Do you have any other suggestions that you might....because I’ve been considering this for a while.

(Seth:) You thank yourself, for the quality was there all the time. You simply did not recognize what it was, and it will grow. And try some composing on your own. And use your own unique sensibilities to do that. Do not hassle it. Just think of it as a joyful game.

(Seth:) Sue is greatness. Dickie is greatness. Joseph is greatness. Ricky is greatness. Roni is greatness. You are all greatness. To know you are greatness is quality. Then your expressions are true expressions of quality, and they are not marred. Whatever they are, they are not marred. You recognize quality. Instinctively; whether or not you can say what it is. It inspires you. You run away from things that are not of quality, whether you can say why they are not or not. Your dreams are quality. Your dreams are quality. No one need tell you how to dream. You dream instinctively, automatically, and beautifully. You commit a beautiful dream each time you dream. And each dream is a dream of quality. Each breath you take is a breath of quality. All you have to do is to realize that each breath you take ultimately reaches to the ends of the universe and helps withhold your world. You are alone and not alone. Now that statement is far more important than it sounds. For in your aloneness, and in your togetherness, and between the two there is the meaning of your humanity. And there is the meaning of your life and your death. You cannot be completely together. You cannot be completely alone. Yet always must your existence flit between the two; between the desire and the ideal; between the dream and its execution; between your love and your expression of it. There dwells your reality and your meaning, and therein lies the validity of your soul.

([Jeff:] “He was talking about quality and how all of us have quality in everything we do, in everything we dream....”

(Seth:) Now, if you really believed what I said then, then you would bank upon yourselves. You would really trust yourselves. You would really know that you are an intimate part of the fabric of the universe; you would trust your abilities and bet upon yourselves. You would, without repressing anything, experience your own reality without impediments. You have a way to go. But you have support. You have biological support. For your atoms and molecules are not imbeciles. You could learn from them. The pupils of your eyes see far more than you see visually. And when you listen to this session think about that sentence. As Ruburt said earlier, I am not telling you you can have a heaven upon earth. For one thing, there is no such thing as heaven, and for another, if there were you would be bored. You need a challenge. Any flower uses it. And I am not talking about problems and challenges being the same thing. I am speaking of initiative, and desire and accomplishment. The need to use your abilities. They need to be used as a stem needs to grow. That is what I am speaking of. Now all of you this evening tell yourselves you will have a true dream from the Gates of Horn and we do have a City building. A City. Highly impractical, it seems at this time. A City that does indeed exist mentally. But all things must exist mentally first or they will never be materialized. And someday, that City might exist physically. But it will not be when you are here. Yet your memories will be in it and your desires. And to that extent you will be founders. And you forge such dreams in your sleep and in your private imaginings, and in your inspirations. For when one member of a species dreams such dreams, those dreams are transmitted to all other members. They do not die. When a runner at the Olympics does better than the runner before then all the sportscasters say, “How grand! We did not know man could run so fast.” And so now records are being broken all the time. And mentally the same thing applies. Dream a grand dream. For when one member of the species dreams, all members, to some extent, participate. And the psyche, and the soul, and the heart of man takes new leaps, in your terms, not taken before. So trust yourselves, and trust your love and your dreams (to Rick, Sheri, and Van Zandt, looking at Rick), and tell your students I said R-A-Y!!!! which means hooray. HOORAY!!!!

([Rick:] “Will do, Seth.”

([Dickie:] “Seth, how do you interpret that....?”

(Seth:) It may be dumb. I do not know if it is a waste. For the consciousness will come to life if it wants to. And if the consciousness picks a mother who wants to abort, then the consciousness is only here for a short trip. A look around. It is like the seed from an apple tree who travels into the next yard but does not mature. It looks around and tries again. Any consciousness that wants to be born is born. And it picks a mother that wants to carry a child all the way.

(Seth:) Now. Sue, if you speak of life and death and if you speak of men’s dreams and aspirations, then some people in Dundee will understand. Do not think in literary terms. The literary terms can divide you from the people. But what you know intuitionally can only connect you with the people. You will only vocalize feelings that they have but do not understand. Speak simply. Be aware of your own doubts and hesitations for they can relate to those. They are not creatures of habit. They are not opaque to these ideas. They are not as dumb to them as you think. To the ideas. Now I am indeed a strange animal to go into any farmer’s barnyard. And I moo loudly indeed. And yet I am not all that strange to any of them. The strangeness is only at a surface level. Ruburt receives letters from people all over the country. In every walk of life. From farmers and taxi drivers, teachers, people in any profession. So do not think of the people in Dundee as a group of people who do not understand what you are doing. They are all individuals with their own dreams and levels of understanding. Some will read the books and some will not. Some will understand and some will not. People in other Dundees will do the same. You must be true to your own feelings, whatever they are.

(Seth:) You are doing a good job.

(Seth:) One other point however. Ruburt never said “Will the people in Elmira understand what I am saying?” He wrote because he had to write what he wrote. Now if you (Sue) have to write what you have to write, write it. If you do not have to write it, don’t. For that is the way that you must go. You must follow your feelings. And if you write what you feel it must not matter, for your message wilt reach people all over the world. And if you do not write what you feel then the message has no meaning.