Is illness necessary or even beneficial?

[Sena]

I think Seth's anwer is yes, as shown in the following quotes which refer to Jane's rheumatoid arthritis in particular:

"The inner self then has an entirely different perspective upon your reality than you do, and it sees purposes which are not apparent to you. Do not forget however that you are a portion of the inner self. It is not using you. You are the portion of it that experiences physical reality. Now physical illnesses that are not critical but observable, that do not involve the loss of say of a limb or of an organ, generally (underlined) represent problems that are in the process of being solved, problems that are in quotes "out in the open."  Now these particular kinds of illnesses are the end product of a process of discovery. Inner problems are literally brought out into the open when they can be faced, recognized, dealt with and conquered, using the symptoms as measuring points of progress. A trial-and-error system is (underlined) involved; but inner processes are reflected rather quickly in these cases upon the physical condition." (from "The Early Sessions: Book 9 of The Seth Material" by Jane Roberts, Robert Butts)

"Many problems are never materialized as physical symptoms. They remain as blank spots, uncultivated and unproductive areas within the psyche—areas in which there are no problems because there is no experience permitted. Curiously vacant areas in which very little perception is allowed. A lack of development, lacking any challenge or possibility for fulfillment. There is then a mental, psychic, or emotional lack of sight. An idiocy of a kind, and a complete blockage, a denial of experience along certain lines that is far more detrimental than a specific problem, for there is an inability of the personality to express itself to any effective degree in that area. Give us a moment here. There are also problems within the psyche and in the emotional context that are not understood by the individual, or that he is frightened of or that he will not face. Now any of these distort his ability to perceive and to create. They limit his effective area of psychic and creative activity.  Now this was Ruburt's state before the emergence of the symptoms. The explosive first emergence represented the first forceful emergence of the problem into physical terms, but as such was actually productive and of a healing nature—much more beneficial, say, than if such emergence had not occurred." (from "The Early Sessions: Book 9 of The Seth Material" by Jane Roberts, Robert Butts)

From the Kindle edition: http://amzn.eu/aNX3A0X

[Deb]

The inner self then has an entirely different perspective upon your reality than you do, and it sees purposes which are not apparent to you. Do not forget however that you are a portion of the inner self. It is not using you. You are the portion of it that experiences physical reality. Now physical illnesses that are not critical but observable, that do not involve the loss of say of a limb or of an organ, generally (underlined) represent problems that are in the process of being solved, problems that are in quotes "out in the open."

Great question, and GREAT quotes. I'd say Seth is saying illness is not necessary so much as it's a tool that has been given to us that we need to utilize. Unfortunately Newtonian mechanics has highjacked us.

Seth has said that illness is an indicator (symptom or clue) for us that tells us there is an inner conflict, energy blockage, that needs to be addressed. Problems "out in the open." Western medicine treats the symptoms rather than addressing the causes. Integrative medicine has a better approach, looking for the root cause of the illness. But I think it's still up to us to step up to the plate and look at why we are having a problem.

I do however remember Seth saying that viruses can be beneficial, in that they serve a purpose at times to reset or balance the body. This comforts me at the rare times I get sick with a cold or something and feel like I've failed myself.  Sorry, I haven't found the exact quote at this point. But there's a lot in Session 840, NoME, that seems to be very pertinent to what the planet is going through right now.

This sticks out for me:

"All viruses of any kind are important to the stability of your planetary life. They are a part of the planet's biological heritage and memory. You cannot eradicate a virus, though at any given time you destroy every member alive of any given strain. They exist in the earth's memory, to be recreated, as they were before, whenever the need arises."
—NoME Chapter 6: Session 840, March 12, 1979

Oddly enough, someone on Facebook put up a quote from an old Dean Koontz book yesterday that there would be a planetary respiratory pandemic in 2020, and how it would go dormant for 10 years, return, and then disappear forever. Creepy.

[Sena]

Seth has said that illness is an indicator (symptom or clue) for us that tells us there is an inner conflict, energy blockage, that needs to be addressed. Problems "out in the open."

Deb, thanks for your comments. I think it is also relevant that, according to Seth, this was Jane's final incarnation on Planet Earth, and she therefore wanted to "clear her account" as it were. For the majority of us, I would hope that we would not need to resort to such a severe illness.