Seth: The Man in the Mirror

Seth, Book 8 of The Early Sessions, Session 334

Seth: Now. If you paint a picture, its overall quality comes from the inner atmosphere of your being. In the same manner, you create your physical image and your world. If anything in that physical image or world needs changing, the change must first be made in the atmosphere of the inner self. For this projection of inner into outer is automatic. Understanding the processes involved is of great benefit. The physical self seems to react to physical stimuli.

Actually, of course, it is reacting to its own reality, projected outward. The objects in the physical universe are but symbols to express other realities existing within private realms. The inner will always be projected outward within your system.

If, for example, a letter comes to you bearing good news, and you react to the letter with high spirits, then you should understand that the high spirits existed first, and created the materialization of the letter within the physical systems, through the multilayered and complicated reactions that bind together the physical system. If an annoying letter arrives and you react to it negatively, the negative quality preceded the letter and caused it to materialize in your system.

Now you do not force someone to write such a letter, you see. You broadcast the negative feelings, which were then picked up by whomever was ready to receive them, for their own purposes. I cannot emphasize too strongly that this is automatic. I do not want to put it in such a way that it is oversimplified.

Neither do I want it to get too involved in too many complications. The intensity of the inner feeling is the dominating factor here. A sudden but intense feeling of hatred or resentment or fear may cause tragic physical circumstances, for example.

A sudden and intense exaltation, however, will have the same immediate and literally astounding but opposite physical effect. That is, pure joy, even of brief duration, can literally change the direction of a life. Between these extremes lie all the other colors and hues of inner feeling.

A variety of poor or negative feelings, however, of fairly low intensity, can add up to a general negative emotional climate, which projects itself outward into physical reality.

These negative feelings will be translated in physical terms. It does you little good to know that physical symptoms or inadequate physical surroundings are symbolic unless you realize that the inner situation can be changed.

Now it appears to you that a difference is worked when you exchange a poor physical symbol for a constructive one. The change of course comes before this in the inner self.

The physical being simply uses the physical system as a checking board. It must be realized that the physical conditions are not (underlined) permanent, but ever-changing.

To imagine otherwise is to become hypnotized by the physical symbols. Each day should be considered a new day. Ruburt should not think for example: "I have had these symptoms for such and such a time." This reinforces the idea of permanency.

The day should be considered as a psychic rebirth.

You may take a break…


© Rob and Laurel Butts

Seth: Love is Always a Protection

Seth, The Early Sessions, Book 4, Session 176

(Blogger's Background Note: Jane/Ruburt's mother was bedridden throughout most of her childhood and could be very emotionally abusive.)

Seth: He [Ruburt] would do his mother no harm, and for this reason she can do him no harm. The desire and the intent to do violence almost inevitably brings forth violence. We are involved here in somewhat of a basic problem, hardly Ruburt's alone, that will someday take up many sessions. For like does indeed attract like. If you hate, you will be hated. You will attract hate.

There are definite reasons for this. The reasons have been known and forgotten, but the very practical fact remains. If Ruburt would indeed do his mother harm if the opportunity presented itself, then he would indeed be in danger of harm...

...Ruburt's love for you, his ABILITY to love in general, is his protection. So he has nothing to fear. Love is ALWAYS a protection, in a quite literal manner; in a biological and electromagnetic and chemical and psychic manner.

(c) Robert Butts

Seth: Disgust with Car Leading to Need for Repairs

Seth - The Early Sessions - Book Five, Session 222

Rob had forgotten to put gasoline in the car and unknown to him on a conscious level, the oil was low. Driving up a hill one night with Jane, the car stalled. They had to back it down the hill to a driveway to turn it around, Jane using a flashlight to lead the way.

They coasted down the hill and managed to get the car started, but at home, even with gasoline, it would not start. They had it towed to the garage and they diagnosed moisture in the distributor. The next day it STILL wouldn’t work.

They had it towed to the garage AGAIN and this time they diagnosed corrosion in the coil connection. The service manager did not charge them for the second tow or repair because he said that they should have seen the problem the first time.

Here’s what Seth said:

When the trouble initially began, the most recent trouble, you were generally disgusted with the car, and your disgust led to the difficulties. NOT in a nebulous manner, but in very literal terms...

...The general and overall condition of the car was on its way to deterioration.

Now when your attitude began to change, it changed first on a subconscious level. Consciously you were not aware of the change. Now. You had already done some damage. The problem was to make it as minor as possible. It was therefore concentrated as corrosion on the coil, and this corrosion was NOT THERE when your garageman previously examined it.

The destructive elements were concentrated, given nice, neat tangible form, and therefore remedied in physical fashion.

Now you can do, that is any individual can do, and DOES, the same with the physical body. If his reactions cause a generalized overall poor condition, this is much more difficult to treat. But if this energy can be put into specific form, one pimple, one pain, one ulcer, at least the problem is recognized, localized and can be treated with somewhat less difficulty.

There was no need for your garageman to think, then, that the trouble had not been noticed, for when he examined the car last the overall condition WAS poor. But there was no specific physical or localized trouble. I thought that you would find this rather interesting.

Classic Seth: Personal Advice to Rob/Jane on Money (Long)

Seth, Book 8 of The Early Sessions, Session 404

APRIL 8, 1968 9 PM MONDAY

Seth: Do you want me to tell you how to better your financial circumstances, or do you want to learn the hard way?

("No. Tell me. " )

You have been told but you have not taken the information seriously because you were not ready, as earlier Ruburt was not ready to. First of all, all negative attitudes must be removed from your consciousness. You are attracting further financial problems in your desperation. You are focusing upon poverty rather than wealth.

It may seem to you highly impractical, unrealistic and downright foolish to ignore the physical circumstances of debts and expenses. To focus upon them, I tell you, is to bring more upon yourself. The rule of expectation applies.

When you receive a bill do not automatically react as you have, instead as if you were contemplating a new painting. Form in your mind the image of a check to that amount. See yourself celebrating as you pay the final amount on your car. See in your mind's eye a surplus of money in your folder when the month's expenses are paid.

Now your financial situation will not change no matter how you push yourself, unless you apply such simple exercises. You do not do this naturally, is which is why they are required. You must indeed think consciously in terms of plenty rather than of want. On several occasions Ruburt has followed these and your wants have been fulfilled.

You have been fighting him in this regard, and this has impeded the efforts he has lately been making. Now these exercises will prove themselves out in practical terms, but you must give them the opportunity to prove themselves.

Your subjective life has been somewhat permeated by thoughts of want and literally poverty, until you have indeed exaggerated your own situation. The exaggerated situation could come to pass however if you persist in projecting those images outward.

They would not help you get a raise but act to the contrary, and they have done so in the past. I am giving you advice in very practical terms. What you do with it is up to you. But you have severely limited yourself in this respect.

In the past Ruburt helped you generate such negative ideas, but he has been making an attempt to combat them. His own experience has proven to him that I was right in other regards. As long as you believe that others are taking advantage of you, they will do so. The origin is in yourself, and this is what you have not so far understood.

("I think I have been aware of that.")

The origin is not in others. For fifteen minutes a day agree to suspend critical judgment, and following the Maltz method imagine yourself vividly in the position you would like to be. The rest of the time consciously make an effort to control your attitude when you find yourself thinking in terms of want or poverty.

Then switch your thoughts to ideas of plenty. This need not involve hypocrisy, indeed must not. You must feel that this is legitimate and practical, because the thoughts of plenty will automatically begin to attract plenty.

This is sufficient. There should not be an overemphasis (underlined) on material possessions or security however.

Now this program if faithfully followed will bring results. It will initiate intuitive concepts, ideas in your work which will automatically attract others to possess them. It will initiate other actions that will result in financial betterment.

Do you have any questions pertaining to this particular material?

("I have a lot of them. Its hard to ask them all at once on short notice though. ")

Part of your attitude is a result of your family situation and of identification with the past.

("I know it. And I'm tired of it, too.")

Still the old feeling, always an excuse, that poverty is pure and more virtuous.

Now. An overemphasis on financial matters is indeed detrimental, but if you are worrying about money you are as overly concerned with it as any miser.

('"I'd like to forget all about it.")

If you could then this would also be much more effective than your present course.

("I keep telling myself to forget it.")

Now I am telling you to forget it. I have told you that you will never be in severe financial difficulties again, but you do not trust my word enough, so far. You must instead insist upon watching every dollar in the bank, and fearing that it will dwindle away. And then of course it does, and you think that the physical circumstances certainly justify your attitude. But your attitude caused the circumstances.

("My attitude alone?" This I could not believe.)

Your attitude in the main of late.

("How about the dwindling attendance at the ESP classes?")

Ruburt maintained this fairly well. Your own worries have been causing some difficulties here.

("Why can't his positive attitude override my poor one then?")

On occasion it does indeed. Or he would not have any students left. I mean that literally, since in the beginning particularly you did not believe that any would last for any period of time. He does indeed have the ability to attract money, though in the past he was not able to use this ability. He is only now learning to do so, and free enough to do so. Your combined abilities will serve you well here, if you follow my advice.

("I'm not absolving myself, or trying to, but I find it hard to believe that I am the only one involved here.)

I did not say that you were, but only that Ruburt has been making an attempt in the proper direction, and you have not been able so far to make the same attempt.

("For some time I've felt alone in this deal.")

You felt alone because you felt you were worrying alone. Ruburt has for at least two years been actively concerned, very actively. He has attempted however to give the impression of not worrying, and to constructively think in terms of plenty.

Whenever you mentioned a particular bill even in passing, he has immediately imagined it paid and given himself directions so that the needed funds would be obtained. When your rent was first raised within two weeks he had four new students using this method.

("Does he still have them?)

He has two of them.

("Why does he have less students than ever, then?)

Because he does not have less than ever. He has less than he did at the time.

("That's what I mean, I guess.")

This was because of the interaction with your own attitude. Give us a moment. You think in terms of wealth and sensuousness. Wealth as opposed to art or aesthetics. Your father disliked his brother who was wealthy. To have money is therefore a betrayal of your father.

Since your mother pushed your father to make money, then to make money yourself seems an added betrayal toward your father, and seems to ally you with your mother, of whose emotionalism you were always frightened. To you wealth is in some strange way connected with the feeling you have had toward using oil as a medium.

("I'm getting over that. " And am grimly determined too.)

It was not safe, too rich and smothering, like gravy that you also dislike.

("I've become quite mad at my parents in the last year or two.")

Now these connections should help you. The inner resistance to these ideas I am presenting should to some extent vanish as you reread the session. Your own abilities as a creator are extremely strong, your powers of imagery brilliant.

Now in the financial realm you have been using them against yourself

I would have come out more strongly in this regard in the past but Ruburt would not permit it. Now he does. Your combined abilities can directly change your material status. Do you have a question?

("I used to find it quite irritating when Jane passed it off when I mentioned bills.")

He is, as you know, more than usually or normally attentive and sensitive to your remarks. He has always been much more concerned about financial affairs than you realize. There has been what you may call a natural misunderstanding here.

But I tell you that in each of these cases he was attempting to off- set your negative attitude, and to use his abilities in the way he intuitively realized he could, to help matters.

On his part in the past years this was subconscious. He did not realize consciously what he was doing, but was strongly impelled to take the stand that he did, and outraged subconsciously that you did not understand why he took

("Probably because I didn't see any concrete results.")

You did not look for them, and you denied and of course did not see them.

("I mean things like additional money ')

I know exactly what you mean. You negated them.

("Why didn't he negate my attitude?")

Because at the time, in those days, particularly consciously, he would not permit himself to. He was not sure enough. He was working on hunches, to him, and he always followed whatever suggestions you made. He had his own background also, and he was afraid of being successful. These feelings allowed him to follow along with you.


("That's why I'm harping on this point that I'm not alone in this deal.")

I am trying to get you out of this deal.

(I'm willing.")

The fact remains that you have in the recent past not attempted to project thoughts of plenty, and Ruburt has.

("I am fully aware of that.")

Your combined efforts can change your situation.

("Yes, I believe they can. I haven't felt that we've been using any combined efforts particularly)

My dear friend-

("Yes?")

-you are defensive, because you realize too well now the effect of your negative thoughts in this direction. The extent of your reaction should tell you this.

("Yes, I agree.")

If you have further questions I will answer them.

("Lets take a break.")

(10:00. I was surprised that an hour had passed. Jane had been in a deep trance again, and now sat quite still eyes closed I tried to get her out of it. At 10:05 I called her name three times, finally she began to come out of it slowly I do not believe she succeeded too well however, for a remark of mine ended break at 10: 13.)

You do not need to banish the thought of money for you have not been concerned with money, but with the lack of money. You have thought of your dwindling bank account, and I tell you that this is why your bank account is dwindling. The material is not distorted.

If you must think of your bank account-

("I'd rather not.")

-then make all efforts to imagine in your mind those figures you wish were there.

("I don't have any.")

Settle on a reasonable amount (underlined). See them in your mind as your balance, and following Maltz you will then feel those emotions suitably connected with the desired amount. This is what you have not accepted.

("I'd rather think about painting pictures, I guess. ")

Whenever you find yourself thinking of your bank account follow the exercise I have just given you. I am not suggesting that you take the time out. I am suggesting that you devote the same amount of time constructively that you are now spending destructively, and that the new exercises take the place of the old automatically followed negative exercises that you have indeed been faithfully following.

Simply this. Whenever you catch yourself in the old worries, remind yourself of this session, and immediately substitute one of the minute and simple exercises I have provided.

You do not have to kneel down before a money god two hours a day.

For all of your objections Ruburt has studiously taken 15 or 20 minutes a day in what he rightly believes to be practical exercises to better your financial condition. He has had enough success spasmodically to know that the exercises work.

When you have done the same, speak to me again on the same matters. I have not been placing any blame on anyone. I thought I was explaining the simple mechanics involved. In other words you protest too loudly.

("I never used to say anything, I thought speaking up was a step in the right direction.")

It is indeed. I will also answer you now, which is a step in the right direction. Joseph, it is simple. You do have control over your thoughts if you will but exert it.

("I agree with that.")

Thoughts of plenty will bring you plenty in material and financial terms, and in other terms.

Thoughts of want will produce want.

I have not made these rules. When you think in terms of want, and then see physical materializations of want, you are tempted to think that your fears were justified, and therefore those thoughts are reinforced.

But the thoughts caused the want, and I am simply trying to help you stop that cycle. Now, if you and Ruburt could agree on the sort of home you would like, and if you dreamed of it and thought about it specifically, you would have it.

Again, this does not involve anything extra. Instead if you find yourself thinking consciously about the limitations of your apartment, you would then substitute an image of this home, you would automatically be bettering your condition rather than maintaining it.

Now I speak, as you well know, for your own benefit. If you have questions ask them.

("No, I guess I just felt I was alone in the deal.")

You were not indeed, far from it. From the time you purchased your car Ruburt has daily done exercises to lead toward its payment. Whenever your rent has been raised he has done the same, and any outstanding bill for the last six months has met the same treatment. Before this he made subconscious efforts that he felt you did not understand.

("He didn't say anything about it.")

He felt that to open the subject was disastrous to him, for he could not explain, and he did not know consciously how to explain. This is one of the reasons why I chose this subject this evening. Do you have questions?

("No, I guess not.")

Your own visual abilities are often used subconsciously. They are stronger than Ruburt's. He must work for his. Therefore your subconscious negative imagery has on many occasions superseded.

You must realize if you can that no blame is intended here. You would dbe even better off if you could forget the whole issue.

("I'd like to. I try.")

Since you are however so strongly concerned with it these exercises will be of great benefit. I will give you a practical example here.

Now Ruburt in his exercises has been imagining vividly his dream book sold, selling. While you have been imagining the dwindling accounts and pessimistically thinking that after all the book may not sell, and to be practical you cannot be sure that the outline will sell and your efforts therefore have been knocking each other out.

Your thoughts are the reality. Do you have questions? You may indeed speak up.

("No, I guess not. I can't think of anything.")

You may pile them up for me at your next session.

("Is trying to forget about the whole bit the best course?")

The point is to let, permit, allow yourself to forget, not force.

("That is what I mean.")

You must allow yourself to think naturally, and thoughts of plenty will follow. You should not ideally have to do any exercises. They are to counter the negative exercises that you are doing.

("I know it. ")

What you should do, you see, is simply trust, for this is the most practical point of all.

("Yes.")

I will end the session unless you have further comments.

("No.")

I cannot stress too strongly however the main points I have made
tonight. Give me a moment.

Now, from your own experience, when Ruburt and you are in a condition of positive love, you see, do you sense the inner feeling of abundance?

("Yes.")

This is to some extent of the same nature. That feeling of abundance and trust will in itself bring you plenty and abundance. It will attract intuitive ideas on your part, and intuitive actions on the part of others.

Indeed Ruburt read an article this afternoon on brain waves, but I tell you that you send out messages of abundance or want.

Now do not short change yourself. This trust is the basis of your existence. You have much that others more financially secure would envy, and do envy. You have projected those thoughts directing to yourself that which means most to you. Do not ignore what you have. The point is that in this one area you have felt insecure for various reasons, afraid to possess money.

Understanding will help you. The exercises I have given you in themselves will begin to negate the causes behind this failure. Do you see?

("Yes.")

We will then end the session.

("Did you hear me earlier, when I said I'd been mad at my parents for some time now?")

I did indeed, and anger will not help you, nor resentment.

("I don't think I could have really escaped some of that, though.")

You could not have. The point is, if you see yourself as financially independent and of abundant means, this will come to pass and regardless of your parents. They will be well cared for. Burdens will drop from your shoulders when you begin to see yourself unburdened.

("Okay.")

Now I have tried to help you this evening, and I hope that I have done so.

(10:50. Long pause, eyes closed. "Good night, Seth." )

(Jane had been speaking vigorously, rubbing her face and hair often in trance, opening and closing her eyes. Her eyes closed for some time at the end of the session. Finally she began to come out of it, again the trance had been a deep one. She remembered none of the last delivery.)

Seth, Book 8 of The Early Sessions, Session 404