~Speaking of Seth~

I've struggled for a long time with keeping up with the news. No secret here: it's always focused on the negative. Back in the days of newspapers, I'd go through phases where I'd cancel my paper delivery because I just couldn't stand to read any more bad news.

Several years ago I listened to an audio book by medical intuitive Caroline Myss. She really got down on those of us who were too sensitive to put up with the barrage of bad news. Basically what she said was, "How do you expect to be able to do any good in the world if you don't have the guts to face the negative things." That's putting what she said in a kindly way, she was really brutal in her delivery. And it stuck with me.

I've often wondered what Seth had to say about the subject of following the news, and the past couple of weeks some quotes came up on Facebook that I think are helpful.

Here we go:

From Barry Gellis (one of the original NY boys) on Facebook, 02/21/16:

As I see it, one of the major misunderstandings concerning Seth, is the idea that you have to watch what you watch, watching the news bad, don't think about the negative, etc etc etc. The misunderstanding is that you shouldn't OBSESS on the the negative, but AWARENESS is a good thing.

Its very similar to eating--it's not WHAT you see on the news--but what you are thinking--it's your mindset. IF you view it in creative, learning ways that stimulates your love and compassion...that would be helpful to you and the world. IF you view it with fear and obsession--that would not be helpful.

Here is Seth more directly discussing this issue:

Seth (Session 889): Rob Asks: ("What do you think of my remarks about watching the news on television every day?")

Seth Responds: "It makes little difference whether you watch the news or not —but it makes all the difference in the world what you think of world events.

"The perspective from which you watch world events is vital, and it is true that communication now brings to the conscious mind a far greater barrage than before. But it is also a barrage that makes man see his own activities, and even with the growth of the new nationalism in the Third World, those nations begin from a new perspective, in which the eyes of the world are indeed upon them.

"Your country faces the results of its own policies—its greed as well as its good intent, but it is out in the open in a new way. The world will be seen as one, but there may be changes in the overall tax assessments along the way, as those who have not paid much, pay more.

"The results of fanaticism are also out in the open. Never before, in your terms, has the private person been able to see a picture of the mass world in such a way, or been forced to identify with the policies of his or her government. That in itself is a creative achievement, and means that man is not closing his eyes to the inequities of his world. The world will be seen as one, but there may be changes in the overall tax assessments along the way, as those who have not paid much, pay more."

Then this, from Seth Australia Network on FB, 03/03/16:

"You are meant to deal with your immediate, primary experience, and in so doing you take care of YOUR responsibility. You are able to take action in your own experience, and therefore affect others. You do not have to be ignorant of wars in other corners of the world, or close your eyes. But if you allow those experiences to overcloud your present, valid intersection with reality, then you speak and act from a position not your own, and deny the world whatever benefits your own present version of reality might allow you to give.

"The natural creature-validity of your senses must remain clear, and only then can you take full advantage of those intuitions and visions that must come through your own private intersection with space and time."

~ Seth (Jane Roberts), 'Nature of the Psyche', Session 799.

If I want to watch a horror story, then I just watch a horror film. There is more "truth" in fiction than what is called commercial "news".


I can save some time and tell you tomorrows news today:


*Some bad shit happened somewhere in the world. Here's the photos or videos to make you feel sick while you eat dinner.
*Some sports star scored a goal /  punched / raped somebody.
*Here's some bad shit that happened locally.
*Here are some numbers about the stock exchange which you won't understand unless you follow that sort of thing.
*Here's a kitten somebody rescued from a well.
THE END

It  recently dawned on me that I'm at an age that I went from NO TV to an overdose of media.  Sometimes I have to adjust my mind around that.  Or consider where my granddaughter's mind is at for someone who has had a phone since she was 4.    Which reality is more real?  Hers or mine?

I have to remind my mother that just because she sees all this disaster doesn't make the world a disasterous place.  Just because you instantly get information from around the world...and that you have to factor in the agenda of Rupert Murdock's control over most of the media outlets.

One has to think for themselves.

The problem is that the news can become a low-level, ever persistent stream of unhappiness and horror, even when consciously trying to avoid it. Catching a bad headline on a newspaper, hearing a snippet of bad news when changing TV channels, overhearing people's conversations - it seems to be always there, in the background like a weird hum. I don't buy a newspaper regularly but in my job I see some of them on a daily basis and although there are some bright spots to be found on the page (beautiful photography, interesting discoveries, funny articles) most of it is doom and gloom. If you are attempting to keep your vibration high, in a Abe-Hicks kind of way, why would you consciously seek out such stuff?

I don't watch much news, but like most things, you'll find value in it if you look at it through a creative perspective.

I find it a great test of my perception. If I feel like I'm getting sucked into the doom and gloom, I take a mental step back. It helps me recall my fundamental beliefs about the situation. Am I angry? Compassionate? Detached? Laughing?

For me, these days I mostly see past the gloom and sense the larger movement that advertising is playing behind the scenes. Unfortunately even a lot of the internet is turning to marketing and business. Some of my favourite sites are now peppered with pop-ups selling anything that can make me rich, or make me healthy.

Its one of the reasons I like forums such as these.

LK

Hi Len, if you want to be poor and miserable. I have just the product for you. It only costs 4 x payments of $99.95!

Thanks John, but can we spread the payments out a bit more, I really want to extend the misery... ;D lol

LK

The BBC news on the radio was so bad last night, one horrible story after another, with nothing positive at all, that I had to keep turning it off. I gave up listening to it in the end. I am so glad that I'm not reading out it each day!  :o

Quote from: Wren on March 09, 2016, 08:27:05 AMI gave up listening to it in the end.

I think that's probably the best tactic.
I've given up on the news. I figure there's not much I can do about it, and if it's that important I'll hear about it anyway. It's a drain, mental, physical, spiritual.

You're right Deb, not a lot we can do about it and it saps any happiness or optimism out of you.  :'(

The irony is that straight after the depressing 6pm news bulletin each weekday there's something much lighter like a comedy show or panel game. This might just be the usual slot for humour or perhaps the BBC recognises that people need cheering up after the daily horror show.

I do feel we need to be aware of the Big Picture.  But also that media today is SO orchestrated towards someone else's agenda.  Hypnotic frequencies are often used.  The News is used to make people controllable. 

I would rely on John Stewart.  :)  Lately I've been following TYT, The Young Turks and Bill Maher on the net.  Or Joe Rogan's podcasts.  Political comics like Bill Burr.  Tho I think Burr is a dick about women.  None of these are gonna keep me up on the news, but help give insight into the agenda behind the news.  That Rupert Murdock owns most of the media is scary.  In a book by Dominick Dunn he wrote about going to Hollywood Pool Parties back in the day where he went up to Ronald Reagan and asked him if he wanted to be president.  At that time Reagan was the big Feel Good Spokesperson for laundry soap.  He was a "brand" people trusted.  Perfect for the Mask of President.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/06/11/what-rupert-murdoch-owns/71089066/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/06/11/what-rupert-murdoch-owns/71089066/)

Russel Brans's "Trews"
http://www.russellbrandtrews.com/ (http://www.russellbrandtrews.com/)

Quote from: Deb on March 09, 2016, 10:07:26 PM

Quote from: Wren on March 09, 2016, 08:27:05 AMI gave up listening to it in the end.

I think that's probably the best tactic.
I've given up on the news. I figure there's not much I can do about it, and if it's that important I'll hear about it anyway. It's a drain, mental, physical, spiritual.

One of favourite quotes from Wayne Dyer is when he talked about not watching TV or news. "If it gets bad enough out there somebody will find you and tell you. They'll call you. You won't miss out!"

Quote from: Wren on March 09, 2016, 08:27:05 AM

The BBC news on the radio was so bad last night, one horrible story after another, with nothing positive at all, that I had to keep turning it off. I gave up listening to it in the end. I am so glad that I'm not reading out it each day!  :o

I forgot to mention earlier that in my whole life even from when I was a kid I never watched or wanted to watch "news" I've seen bits sure, like growing up maybe it was on in the background.
But I never cared for it, never paid attention to it etc.
The whole frequency or feeling is just off to me. Watching any commercial news just makes me feel like I'm acting a play of Orwell's 1984.

"If it gets bad enough out there somebody will find you and tell you. They'll call you. You won't miss out!"

;D

I periodically cut myself off from the news when it starts affecting me more than I like.  I don't feel like I miss out on anything when I don't follow the news, but I still end up slowly getting back into watching it on a regular basis.  Maybe it's just an old habit because it used to be important to me to feel like I was keeping up with all the latest news.  Now, I suspect I would be better off and make more progress if I simply stopped and let all those old ideas go because they all seem to revolve around the universe being an unsafe place where one has to constantly be on guard and protect oneself, so one needs the "knowledge" that the news provides.

Now, I suspect I would be better off and make more progress if I simply stopped ;)

I haven't had tv for a couple years and feel much more "alive".  With the net you can pretty much find any documentary on anything you are interested.  While 99% of everything on TV is distorted or distracting.    I usually catch my friend watching news when I stop in for a chat which is usually once a month.  Even in that short amount of time I am amazed how insane the news has gotten in such a short time.  Watching US politics being spun is scary.  I don't think I add anything positive by swirling that bs around my brain/soul.

I thought I had recently read something Seth said about watching the news but when I tried to find it again, all I found were these comments he made about living in a safe universe.  He was talking about Jane making the leap into a safe universe (and Rob needing to) and leaving behind the unsafe universe ("that reality").

"That reality exists, but it is not yours any longer.  It is not one of your favorite stations.  You are, therefore, tuning into another channel, experiencing a reality that is not only quite as real, but presents a far truer picture.  It is as if you were standing on a hilltop, surrounded by clear brilliant air.  You could still look down at the foggy valley below, and see that it existed.  You would also realize that you were not down there anymore.

You need not pretend that the foggy valley does not exist.  You would be equally foolish to pretend that you were there, or to go about with a raincoat and umbrella underneath the clear highland skies and warm sun."   (quoted from Personal Sessions #3, pg 158)

I must have connected these comments to the "watching the news" dilemma I was working on, as I had (once again) stopped watching it because it was depressing me.  Other remarks Seth made in that part of the book were about not equivocating, either you live in a safe universe or you don't.  I admit I'm being a fence sitter right now.  But I am expanding my understanding of all the different ways the belief that the universe is unsafe is being supported and maintained by the official line of consciousness.  Moreover, it obviously no longer works to people's benefit (if it ever did).   Interestingly, people feel that "the country is going in the wrong direction."  But they still keep doing the same thing, or even worse, they try to go backward to reclaim the imaginary "good old days."

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6128#msg6128)I thought I had recently read something Seth said about watching the news but when I tried to find it again, all I found were these comments he made about living in a safe universe.

It wasn't one of the quotes in the first post on page 1 of this topic?

I like his quotes you added. He's basically saying we don't have to close our eyes to current events, but we should also not lose our perspective and keep our own current circumstances apart from what is happening elsewhere. Keeps us moving ahead. Remain objective and not get sucked in. To me it's like watching all the overly sentimental commercials for various charities, you just can't fix everything and things are not aways what they appear, especially where the media is concerned.

I haven't really watched the news for quite some time--and nothing has happened other than the fact that I feel better.

Anyone who tells you you're missing out if you don't watch the news, or keep up on current affairs, is so brainwashed I would regard any advice they gave as suspicious.

Nothing changes. 35 years ago all I saw on the news, as a kid, was Beirut and Lebanon, with tanks and terrorists. Now its Syria. Look at the political circus going on in any country, at any time, nothing changes there either.

Create your own news, your own economy and your own drama, they way you want it.

LK

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6130#msg6130)It wasn't one of the quotes in the first post on page 1 of this topic?

The quote I was looking for wasn't from this topic, although it could have been posted elsewhere on this message board or on the Internet.  It was very similar in meaning to the quote that I did find. 

Here are a couple more quotes from Personal Sessions #3, Deleted Session Jan 10, 1977, page 231, that apply to this topic, although the session itself is dealing with a different dilemma.

"World events such as those you read about in your newspaper are the result of conventional ideas and beliefs--those with which you were reared.  They will always form part of the fabric of your existence in this life.  There are no reasons, however, why they should predominate."

"The general world level of consciousness can serve as a springboard, so that you use it as a base only while the intimate webwork of your own psychological reality uses finer creative levels of consciousness."

This session was particularly meaningful to me, especially the first part of it.  It dealt with the conflicts created by Jane and Rob pursuing creativity and profound questions of consciousness while trying to deal with the practical consideration of making a living.

Watching the news is not a problem. Thinking about problems is not a problem. It is when people obsess on problems, that it may become a problem. Obsessing is quite different than reflecting on or thinking about:

Seth (Session 889): Rob Asks: ("What do you think of my remarks about watching the news on television every day?")

Seth Responds: "It makes little difference whether you watch the news or not —but it makes all the difference in the world what you think of world events.

"The perspective from which you watch world events is vital, and it is true that communication now brings to the conscious mind a far greater barrage than before. But it is also a barrage that makes man see his own activities, and even with the growth of the new nationalism in the Third World, those nations begin from a new perspective, in which the eyes of the world are in¬deed upon them.

"Your country faces the results of its own policies—its greed as well as its good intent, but it is out in the open in a new way. The world will be seen as one, but there may be changes in the overall tax assessments along the way, as those who have not paid much, pay more.

"The results of fanaticism are also out in the open. Never be¬fore, in your terms, has the private person been able to see a picture of the mass world in such a way, or been forced to iden¬tify with the policies of his or her government. That in itself is a creative achievement, and means that man is not closing his eyes to the inequities of his world."


Seth (ESP Class, 7-21-70): Student T: "In the back of your mind you think a negative thought, then say, 'Oops, this is wrong' and try to change it. I don't think it is so easy."

Seth Responds:  "A negative thought alone would be followed by a more positive one. Remember what you were saying earlier about cycles. Thought patterns and emotional patterns, left alone, would change one into the other as stormy weather changes into sunny. It is only when strong negative patterns are allowed to flow unrestrained and indulged in so that they become a barrier holding back positive thoughts that you run into difficulty. You get into a habit and you do not realize that you have done so, where predominately your thoughts about yourselves and others are all negative with very few positive ones in between and then the positive ones have no chance to grow. This is where the difficulty comes in. I am not telling you to be so frightened of a negative thought that you want to run into a corner or hide under the bed or say "Oh, this is a negative thought; I must change it at once" and half terrify yourselves to death. I am telling you that when you indulge in such thoughts for a period of time so that they become habitual then you must change them and no one can do this but yourself. There is no one else that has control over your own thought patterns and you would be very upset, indeed, if anyone else did."

Student B:  "A problem is a negative thing."

Seth Responds: "A problem need not be negative. A problem is a challenge. It is only negative when you look at it in that aspect. A problem is usually the opportunity for change, growth and development. Now, your chatter was much more bubbling than mine. I want to make sure the bubbling quality continues, however, and that is why I am speaking along these terms tonight."

Seth (ESP Class, 1-16-73): Transcript Narration: "Class discussion returned to emotions, beliefs, and thoughts. Larry remarked that thoughts can kick people."

Seth interjected: "And they would kick you merrily back. If you kicked them more often, you would not need bombs - any of you.

"If you spontaneously let out your hostility when you felt it, you would not have this super charge that you felt you must throw out or be damned. It would not be so heavy on your head (to Larry), or any of your heads. The problem is not what you think of as your negative thoughts, but your fear of them. Now, let us continue and see where you lead yourself."

Transcript Narration: "Carlos wondered if the same thing applied to suppressing affection as well as anger.

Seth: "Once you begin suppressing, you suppress all emotions to some degree, and set up barriers because you are afraid of the reality of yourself. If you cannot express anger, you cannot express love. Not only that, but you get the two confused."

Seth Responds: "A problem need not be negative. A problem is a challenge. It is only negative when you look at it in that aspect. A problem is usually the opportunity for change, growth and development.
This could also go on the "evil" thread>
:)

While looking for something else, I ran across the bit I wanted to quote but couldn't find.  It's from PS#3, pg 215.  It's basically saying the same thing as the other quote, but in a different way.

"You are not threatened.  You do live in a safe universe.  You do.  You need not believe that the world of the newspapers does not exist, but you must believe that the world cannot threaten you.

By such a belief you so attract probabilities that you actually miss the threats that appear at one level of reality.  In so doing you not only help yourself but others as well, for they perceive your safety, and look for the reasons.  The sea is dangerous if you are in the middle of the ocean without a boat.  If you are on a fine liner, however, with all conveniences, then the ocean becomes an enjoyable adventure.

Traveling from one shore of it to another becomes a vast learning adventure, in which both sea and sky are observed in all of their moods and nuances while you are safely ensconced all of the while.  You would not help anyone by jumping off of the liner to see whether or not the ocean was in fact dangerous without a boat.  Instead you would show others how to board the craft."

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6189#msg6189)Traveling from one shore of it to another becomes a vast learning adventure, in which both sea and sky are observed in all of their moods and nuances while you are safely ensconced all of the while.

Thank you for finding this quote. Today it really has a lot of meaning for me with respect to my current traveling. I've never traveled outside the US alone and certainly have not traveled alone for this amount of time (2.5 weeks). A lot of acquaintances have made somewhat pompous comments to me about my being "brave" to do this (like no one has ever done it before :) ). The trip has been amazing. I've met so many friendly, helpful people. Connected with others I'd never have even met if I wasn't traveling alone; made some new, possibly lasting friendships.

I've been completely comfortable, observing "the sea and the sky in all of its nuances" and feeling safely ensconced all the while. Everything so far as fallen into place like I somehow pushed the "easy" button. Someone, an intuitive, quite a while ago predicted this trip for me (long before I even thought about it) as a way of finding my beliefs about feeling safe in the world. I'd like to extend that to a safe universe. I feel right at home.

but you must believe that the world cannot threaten you.  By such a belief you so attract probabilities that you actually miss the threats that appear at one level of reality.

There are a handful of Seth concepts that have stood out for me and have become my baseline and this is one and it has served me well.

Deb, are you finding "news" there has a different slant?  In the 80's  when I got to go to England I remember seeing a comedy skit on "dumb Texans" who over paid because they didn't understand the money.  Being American it was a hilarious parody of our arrogance.
Glad you are having such a great time.  Looking forward to hearing how it all plays out when you get back.   :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJz1Vur884s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJz1Vur884s)
I found this last night and I must admit I was a bit startled at first, but then I realized that the Old Girl probably has a touch of Alzheimers.   :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ0bfXzK9Vc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ0bfXzK9Vc)

Quote from: BethAnne (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6200#msg6200)Deb, are you finding "news" there has a different slant?  In the 80's  when I got to go to England I remember seeing a comedy skit on "dumb Texans" who over paid because they didn't understand the money.  Being American it was a hilarious parody of our arrogance.
Glad you are having such a great time.  Looking forward to hearing how it all plays out when you get back.   

Hi Beth, sorry I've been SO busy having a wonderful time and being without internet some times. I tend to not watch the news because in my opinion it's always the same stuff, over and over, and the media is biased. My impression of the news in England from the past has been that it's mostly tabloid-like articles, more interested in scandals of the rich and famous and less focused on fear, negativity, doom and gloom (US news tendencies). I've been asked about the upcoming elections more than once and could only be honest in saying I don't think there's a "lesser of two evils" this time around. I'm tempted to not vote and let the chips fall where they may. Maybe I'll defect. :-)

I'm currently on a long flight from the UK to DC with NO INTERNET (tough on me), but I've saved several pages of the most recent posts before I left London so will try to catch up to some degree and no doubt have a posting party when I get online again.

Update: Back home now and will now most likely take a look at the news since GB voted on the EU yesterday and it seems everything has changed since I left.   :o

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6246#msg6246)Update: Back home now and will now most likely take a look at the news since GB voted on the EU yesterday and it seems everything has changed since I left. 

It looks as if 52% of British want to create their own reality, for better or worse.

Quote from: Sena (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6247#msg6247)It looks as if 52% of British want to create their own reality, for better or worse.

The other 48 percent are also and always and equally creating their own reality as well.

I've fallen off the Sethian path, as I usually do, and for weeks have been obsessing over personal problems and the news, following the EU ref/Brexit (ugly word) campaign, which was itself also ugly and nasty.

I didn't vote to leave, I wanted to remain but other people wanted otherwise. The vote happened on my birthday, I was out with a friend and the rain poured all afternoon when we were trying to visit a historic town. The Brexit result was a real shock to me the next morning. I felt terribly anxious, the not knowing what will happen to us in the future making me upset, and not sure why we are turning our backs on Europe at such a critical time. I'm no fan of Cameron either but started crying during his resignation speech, despite a belief that he should never have promised a referendum in the first place!

I've not been able to tell this to anyone else. Everyone at works seems fine with it (the company won't be affected) and as the rest of my family voted to leave, I don't want to raise the issue with them and possibly cause bad feeling. 

So as a member of the 48% I'm trying to come to terms with it all.  :(

Hi Wren,

Why do you think this is such a critical time? Or particularly more critical than any other time?

LK

Wren, Glad you posted and am interested in your take and observations.  I think this will have considerable changes for the world.  Why do your family want to leave?  Is immigration a big part of this decision? 
I don't have TV and only get world news from what I haphazardly find on UTube......or here.   :D 
I'm working on aSethian experiment to see how my life will flow if I mentally withdraw from The World for awhile.  Even tho I've been back in Aztec for a year now I only see a couple of people.  As it was, I had  been gone over 5 years and changed so much that most of the people I had known for years could not keep our friendship together with Super Glue!  For  the most part they were right where I left them and picked up the same bitchy conversations from 5 years before!   ;D

I've been having deep dreams of a Grand Shift for the better and wonder if this is part of what I've been picking up.  I posted the dreams and only do so for dreams that I feel reflect Mass Events.  They have a different feel.  More Mass.   :)

On my blog I posted a couple of Woo-woo Utubes about Brexit.  Seth, AH, Bashar and The Hathors are the only channelings I listen to but included a Pleiadian one.  I really have only listened to David Ick recently and for "real news" I start out with The Young Turks and go from there if it seems important.
So here is my link to my blog for those Utubes.
http://bethnm.blogspot.com/ (http://bethnm.blogspot.com/)

I feel this Event will have far reaching ripples.

(http://theselfimprovementblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ripples-in-water.jpg)

Quote from: LenKop (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6273#msg6273)
Hi Wren,

Why do you think this is such a critical time? Or particularly more critical than any other time?

LK

There are 'challenges' (to use Seth's term) that cannot be handled alone by countries: the migration of refugees ; violence from terrorist organisations ; global economics.

Quote from: BethAnne (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6274#msg6274)
Wren, Glad you posted and am interested in your take and observations.  I think this will have considerable changes for the world.  Why do your family want to leave?  Is immigration a big part of this decision? 

Yes, I think immigration and the amounts of money that the UK gave to the EU were the main parts of the Leave vote. We did get some rebate though and investment from the EU, so it wasn't all one-way.

I was so anxious over the weekend that I stopped watching the news/looking at newspapers altogether and focused on chores in my flat and fun YouTube stuff. The YouTube stuff really helped. I'm still not actively seeking the news, but I did glance at a few things in the newspapers, as I have to check them for my job. I am very good at self-sabotage, so in a way this has been another wakeup call (how many am I going to need?!  ;D).

so in a way this has been another wakeup call (how many am I going to need?!

Gosh Wren!  If we're still breathing we're still working at it!  LOL!  Did I tell you I'm probably twice youre age and only got a smidgen down?

Quote from: BethAnne (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6284#msg6284)
so in a way this has been another wakeup call (how many am I going to need?!

Gosh Wren!  If we're still breathing we're still working at it!  LOL!  Did I tell you I'm probably twice youre age and only got a smidgen down?

Some wake-up calls are much bigger than others. And some wakeup calls are not recognised for what they are at the time.

So are you going through a big wake up?  Is it scary or exciting?

I've had a cluster of them lately and it's making me very nervous.   ;D  I see I have to make some big changes and I'm resisting but am at a point where I can't go backwards. 

Quote from: BethAnne (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6292#msg6292)
So are you going through a big wake up?  Is it scary or exciting?

I've had a cluster of them lately and it's making me very nervous.   ;D  I see I have to make some big changes and I'm resisting but am at a point where I can't go backwards. 

I'd say they make me nervous, as I'm generally risk-averse.

As well as the EU ref result, there have also been some changes with my accommodation (notice I don't say 'home' - home is somewhere I associate with feeling comfortable, and I don't feel that in my flat at the moment) which make me feel it's time to move on, which itself is stymied over money anxieties. So I'm resisting also. The idea of this being a 'safe' universe is harder to grasp when dealing with anxiety. I just want to know what ACTION to take IN THE PRESENT MOMENT. The conscious self is going around in circles.

The idea of this being a 'safe' universe is harder to grasp when dealing with anxiety. I just want to know what ACTION to take IN THE PRESENT MOMENT. The conscious self is going around in circles.
I can imagine.  However this deal with Brexit works out it will be historic!  Best of luck finding a new nest.   :)

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6263#msg6263)They turn their deaths into lessons for other people, forcing them to ask questions that would not have been asked before. There are also mass statements of the same kind for people who come together to die

Statements like the above afford me very little comfort on days like today (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/07/08/dallas-sniper-who-gunned-down-5-cops-wanted-to-kill-white-people-chief-says.html):
"Dallas sniper who gunned down 5 cops 'wanted to kill white people,' chief says"

I continually have a harder time dealing with all the murder happening in my country—and in the world in general. My tactic has been to avoid constant exposure to the news, but I don't live in a vacuum so while my exposure is limited, it's not absolute.

How do the rest of you deal with it? My first impulse is the desire to run away and live on a mountain top somewhere, far away from all the madness. But I'm too social a creature for that.

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6358#msg6358)How do the rest of you deal with it?

The short answer—and the thought I cling to when I hear about the latest horrible violence or disaster—is that it is impetus for all of us to search for better answers and to change. 

This concept became clearer to me when Seth was discussing why Jane chose such a bad childhood and also had such difficult challenges in her adult life.  It was a continuing impetus for her to keep searching for answers, to keep expanding her abilities.  If she had somehow resolved her childhood traumas and not had major challenges to overcome in her adult life, it's unlikely that any of the Seth books would have been written.  She could have expressed her creativity and at least some of her abilities in poetry and fiction and been reasonably content with her life.  But she chose all those challenges in order to keep pushing herself.

People, both individually and as a group, resist change.  They wait until they hit rock bottom and self-destruct or experience a crisis that is so big that they are forced to change.  Even then, some slip back into the old patterns of behavior after the crisis is over, especially if there is something or someone else to blame.  But at some point, things become so bad that it would be intolerable to continue.  A breaking point is reached.  This seems like a pretty primitive way to create change and growth to me, but it is the world we have created with our fear-based, negative beliefs.  Yet in spite of the drawbacks of this method, we have managed to make some progress, if you compare our current world to different historic periods.

As individuals, what can we do?  Maybe the answer is the slogan, "Be the change."  Even if it's just a private way of living, it helps shift energy toward a more positive world.  (For example, I am trying to use the Seth material to increase my understanding and develop a more positive approach in my life, rather than automatically reacting in a fearful, negative way.)  Or perhaps one can contribute in a more openly expressive way by focusing on and supporting people who are trying to get others to be more inclusive, tolerant of differences, nonviolent, etc., rather than letting ourselves get caught up in the horror and violence that the media focuses on.  Or???

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6359#msg6359)This concept became clearer to me when Seth was discussing why Jane chose such a bad childhood and also had such difficult challenges in her adult life.  It was a continuing impetus for her to keep searching for answers, to keep expanding her abilities.  If she had somehow resolved her childhood traumas and not had major challenges to overcome in her adult life, it's unlikely that any of the Seth books would have been written.  She could have expressed her creativity and at least some of her abilities in poetry and fiction and been reasonably content with her life.  But she chose all those challenges in order to keep pushing herself.

Dandelion, thanks for expressing this so clearly. The fact that Jane was seemingly unable to get over her illness could be seen to be an objection to the validity of Seth's teaching. I think you have given the answer to this objection. While it is true that one can create one's own reality, some exceptional individuals like Jane may choose to create a reality which is seemingly imperfect.

Just before I read your post, I had read an article which was quite critical of Seth and Robert Butts.
http://silkroadvisions.com/2016/06/14/the-illness-and-death-of-jane-roberts-channeller-of-seth/
This article, written by Carol Leigh Rice, criticizes Seth thus: "It really calls into question the organic relationship of Seth to Jane – was this a domineering alter ego in whose grip Jane had been lost?  Was he truly her beneficent mentor and guide, or was he an ego-driven discarnate whom Jane had made some kind of life contract with?". She writes that Robert Butts "comes across as a controlling, ascetic, frugal, almost monastic presence."
I am glad I read your post immediately afterwards.

@Sena
Based on that short quote from the article, I have to wonder how much of the Seth material she's read and if she understood any of it at all.  It's a common reaction to dismiss, attack, or even demonize that which one does not understand.  It's the result of the either/or, good/bad, right/wrong, all or nothing mode of thinking that the ego (in all of us) is prone to.

Something else Seth said in regard to all the problems that Jane, Rob, and we all have was that one doesn't give an idiot complicated problems to solve, but instead gives only those that are within the capabilities of the individual.  In other words, the inner self will not create problems that are beyond the personality's abilities to work out.  That doesn't mean the personality will work them out, but rather that they have the capability of doing so.  Furthermore, it is not the intent of the inner self to make life so easy that it presents no challenge to the personality, no opportunity for learning and growth.  So generally, the greater the abilities an individual has, the greater the challenges they will have throughout their entire life.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6359#msg6359)It was a continuing impetus for her to keep searching for answers, to keep expanding her abilities.  If she had somehow resolved her childhood traumas and not had major challenges to overcome in her adult life, it's unlikely that any of the Seth books would have been written.  She could have expressed her creativity and at least some of her abilities in poetry and fiction and been reasonably content with her life.  But she chose all those challenges in order to keep pushing herself.

People, both individually and as a group, resist change.  They wait until they hit rock bottom and self-destruct or experience a crisis that is so big that they are forced to change.  Even then, some slip back into the old patterns of behavior after the crisis is over, especially if there is something or someone else to blame.  But at some point, things become so bad that it would be intolerable to continue.  A breaking point is reached.  This seems like a pretty primitive way to create change and growth to me, but it is the world we have created with our fear-based, negative beliefs.

Wow Dandelion, that was powerful, clear and makes complete sense. Thank you, a great point about Jane mostly likely not producing the materials without her own demons to face. That also makes me look at all the "struggling artists" in history: the most successful ones had horrible obstacles and challenges in their own lives, many suicides, crash and burns. Art born of pain (https://www.amazon.com/Tortured-Artists-Picasso-Winehouse-Creative/dp/1440530033/175-1391486-6819054?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=0JJEH4PKQM4ZHS8QY102&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1440530033&linkCode=xm2&tag=thehuffingtop-20).

The thing is, I understand what the Seth materials say about death, mass events, making a statement for change and so while that does take some of the sting out of the violence I hear about on a daily basis, it's still a shock for me when these things happen. I tend to be sensitive and overly empathetic anyway. Yes, "be the change" seems to be the only thing most of us can do.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6359#msg6359)Yet in spite of the drawbacks of this method, we have managed to make some progress, if you compare our current world to different historic periods.

Yes, thanks again, very good point. Progress appears painfully slow to me, but I need to look back to see that really progress is observable and in a relatively short time when considering the big picture.

Sena, thanks for the link to the Silk Road blog. It was an interesting read, considering the opinions of the author. Do you understand her comment about Seth "earning Jane and Rob millions, but leaving them both desolate?" Having read The Way Towards Health, it doesn't seem Jane and Rob had enough money to even get by. They certainly didn't live extravagantly and had to borrow money to pay medical bills in the end.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6365#msg6365)So generally, the greater the abilities an individual has, the greater the challenges they will have throughout their entire life.

Sounds like the old adage "God doesn't give anyone more than they can handle." But it's logical. And a little scary. And again makes me want to look around at others' lives with fresh eyes. Recently I met a man who went blind suddenly about 5 years ago (he's 65). He's an amazingly resilient person and turned his handicap into a new career opportunity for himself—inspirational speaker. Just recently he was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma. My first thought was, "how much can one person bear?" But I also recently found out that he slightly delayed his cancer treatments so he could take part in the Ride the Rockies (http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/14/andre-van-hall-tim-jackson-ride-the-rockies/). Greater challenges. And a man who is a true inspiration. After a brief mention about his cancer, he turned his attention to his joy of cooking and was asking for my favorite sourdough recipe.

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6377#msg6377)Do you understand her comment about Seth "earning Jane and Rob millions, but leaving them both desolate?" Having read The Way Towards Health, it doesn't seem Jane and Rob had enough money to even get by.

Deb, yes, I think it is a shocking lie. My understanding is that the books did not have great sales while Jane was alive. It appears that Carol Leigh Rice wants to show that the Seth approach is inadequate, so that readers will pay for "therapy" sessions with her.

Sena and Deb, I really appreciate your comments about the clarity in my post.  The issues we're talking about are so complicated that it's hard enough just to understand them oneself, and condensing one's thoughts into something that makes sense to others is an even bigger challenge.

The comments and questions posted on this message board have helped me focus better on all the different issues I'm working on, and combined with some of the Seth sessions I've been reading lately, I feel like I've made great progress in my understanding.

Session 491 in Early Sessions #9 just added new depth to my understanding about all this.  Seth was comparing our reality to other realities that did not have lots of violence like ours.  He said each of them were set up with different types of controls to prevent it, such as limiting the amount of energy available, allowing less free will, or having automatic short circuits if a person contemplated violence .  Although it resulted in more constructive uses of aggression in those realities, it also resulted in less progress being made because they did not have the same impetus.  So ultimately, not only was it more difficult for them to learn how to handle large amounts of energy, but learning was very slow to occur, and the big challenge in those realities was to not just coast along, maintaining the status quo.

In our reality, we have a lot more creative energy (aggressive energy) available.  That's reflected even in our natural world which uses great bursts of energy to make sudden, rapid changes.  We also have free will which gives us more options in how we use our energy.  So we are actually learning how to use energy more rapidly than those other realities.  (We, apparently, are "more venturesome, more daring"  And also impatient.)

Some thoughts:  One reason it feels like change is happening slowly is that we use time to slow things down in our world.  This gives us "time" to change direction—something which is very important when we're learning to handle large amounts of aggressive energy.  Slowing things down may also have the effect of reducing the intensity of the energy so that it doesn't overwhelm or kill our physical bodies.

Speculation in connection to Jane and her problems:  In many sessions, Seth mentions that Jane was handling immense amounts of energy.  The dilemma that everybody has is how to handle aggressive energy.  If you tamp it down, you are not fulfilling your potential.  Besides that, suppression is liable to lead to explosive expressions of aggression.  But how do you express it without any of it being directed against others?  Sometimes you direct it against yourself as the only "safe" alternative.  A person may be especially prone to doing this if they've had a difficult childhood where they were continually devalued and made aware of all the things that were wrong with them.  In Jane's case, she did multiple things to handle the immense amount of energy she had, like tamp it down to a certain extent, express some of it in her writing, and exert strong control over her spontaneous self.  But she also directed a lot of her aggression against herself.  As she loosened up in some areas, like allowing herself more spontaneity, she released even more energy, some of which was added to the energy that she directed against herself, thus creating her multiple physical problems.

Dandelion, having read your post, I was motivated to buy Early Sessions #9 for Kindle.

Session 471 (March 31, 1969)

"Jane wanted information from Seth about her struggle last night with what she believed to be a thought form she had created while sleeping. The experience had been somewhat frightening, and she was quite certain it was not a nightmare."

Seth's response included the following:

"I am referring of course to his "black thing" in quotes, and the struggle. The energy behind the thing was the energy of hidden fears, but such a thing could be formed by anyone, for there are fears in every man.......

"The earlier episode involving the man (the same evening) is something different. The man was dying. Ruburt entered him briefly. He was going to comfort him and help him readjust.....

"It was a man Ruburt knew in the past and considered evil. This had something to do with his reaction, therefore.....The man may have been Ruburt's Father Doren.  If not there is quite a psychological connection between the man who died and this Father Doren in Ruburt's mind."

I searched the web for a "Father Doren" in connection with Jane Roberts, but could not find anything. I did find a reference to a "Father Trenton", who may or may not have been the same person. This was in a dissertation written by an Anna Preston:

http://tinyurl.com/Anna-Preston-thesis

The dissertation is not of much interest as it tries to explain the Seth phenomenon in psychiatric terminology as a case of "dissociation", but the following paragraph draws attention to the sexual abuse Jane suffered as a child.

"As if this weren't bad enough, Jane also endured at least several instances of sexual abuse at the hands of visiting priests. Watkins tells us, "according to Rob's notes in The Way Toward Health [...], it began when Jane was a small child. 'We talked a lot about the priests in her life', Rob writes for May 18, 1984 [...] 'She described again those visits from Father Trenton. She talked about how the one priest who put her to bed when she was but three or four years old would "play" with her sexually...'"1 Watkins was apparently surprised to uncover this abuse: "Jane never said much about this to me, and the few comments she did make, about a priest who 'chased her around the bed', were delivered casually in group settings, with deprecating humor, no hint of the frightening child-molesting scenario [...] that Rob's notes make plain." She tells us, "Such things were not openly acknowledged or discussed in those days, and thus I didn't (or wouldn't) recognize the iceberg beneath Jane's remarks..."

As you have written in your post, Jane "also directed a lot of her aggression against herself", and this is often seen in people who have suffered childhood sexual abuse.

Quote from: Sena (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6406#msg6406)"As if this weren't bad enough, Jane also endured at least several instances of sexual abuse at the hands of visiting priests. Watkins tells us, "according to Rob's notes in The Way Toward Health [...], it began when Jane was a small child. 'We talked a lot about the priests in her life', Rob writes for May 18, 1984 [...] 'She described again those visits from Father Trenton. She talked about how the one priest who put her to bed when she was but three or four years old would "play" with her sexually...'"1 Watkins was apparently surprised to uncover this abuse: "Jane never said much about this to me, and the few comments she did make, about a priest who 'chased her around the bed', were delivered casually in group settings, with deprecating humor, no hint of the frightening child-molesting scenario [...] that Rob's notes make plain." She tells us, "Such things were not openly acknowledged or discussed in those days, and thus I didn't (or wouldn't) recognize the iceberg beneath Jane's remarks..."

Those are some really important points that you've added, Sena.  It's easy to overlook the impact that the time period she lived in would have had on Jane's life and beliefs.  Also, the difficulties Jane experienced both in her childhood and her adult life were, if anything, under-emphasized in most of the material, although some of Jane and Rob's struggles are covered more extensively in the deleted personal sessions.

If you are finding Early Sessions #9 valuable, you might also want to consider getting Early Sessions #8.  I feel that the last two books in the Early Sessions series really get into some deeper material, both in the concepts Seth was sharing and in the material related to Jane and Rob.  Earlier sessions were often about developing Jane's abilities, doing a lot of testing, and establishing basic concepts, etc.  When the sessions first started, Jane also did quite a bit of blocking when it came to personal material and only started to let more of it through in later sessions when she felt more confident in the whole situation and also when she started feeling desperate about her physical condition.

Early Sessions #8 has a very interesting forward written by Rob on July 6, 2000.  Regardless of what other people might think about the relationship of Seth, Jane, and Rob,  Jane and Rob appreciated Seth's help.  Sixteen years after Jane's death, Rob wrote, "We deeply appreciated Seth's insights and suggestions about Jane's and my visible and invisible psyches, the challenges we had chosen to create for ourselves in our present lifetimes."  There were also some really telling phrases in the rest of the forward that reflected his appreciation, such as "...Jane's and my struggles to survive before the advent of the Seth material..." and "Seth's personal material was startling in its unexpected clarity..." and "...the Seth material...has the creative power to help not only us but many others."

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6407#msg6407)Regardless of what other people might think about the relationship of Seth, Jane, and Rob,  Jane and Rob appreciated Seth's help.  Sixteen years after Jane's death, Rob wrote, "We deeply appreciated Seth's insights and suggestions about Jane's and my visible and invisible psyches, the challenges we had chosen to create for ourselves in our present lifetimes."  There were also some really telling phrases in the rest of the forward that reflected his appreciation, such as "...Jane's and my struggles to survive before the advent of the Seth material..."

It is unusual for someone who has been abused in childhood to have a fairly stable marital relationship lasting decades. Rob must have been quite a mature, understanding person, and Seth's help seems to have been valuable in ironing out their difficulties. One can imagine that if they had chosen the probable reality of the "York Beach couple" ("thrown-off materializations of your own negative and aggressive feelings"), they would have soon split up and Jane may not have lived even as long as she did.

Dandelion, thanks for your suggestion about Early Sessions #8 - I hope to get that soon.

Quote from: Sena (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6408#msg6408)Rob must have been quite a mature, understanding person

Based solely on the books I've read (which do include the first 3 Personal Sessions books), that's not how I would describe Rob.  To me, he did seem somewhat rigid and controlling, although perhaps not any more so than many men during that time period.  He also had a pretty negative outlook.  However, his problems were not nearly as severe as Jane's and he also wasn't self-destructive like she was.  I think Rob's qualities helped Jane in some ways but exacerbated her problems in other ways.  For instance, his negative outlook was similar to Jane's, which gave them something in common and created a bond that probably helped their relationship survive during the early part of it, but it also magnified negativity in their lives, making it that much harder for them to break free of it.  Him being rigid at times and controlling actually helped give Jane a certain feeling of stability, but I'm sure it caused problems, too.  Just from the glimpses I've gotten from reading, I suspect their relationship was very complicated and that Seth's help did make a huge difference in its survival and in its improvement as the years passed. 

I don't want to come off as negative about them or their relationship because they both had great strengths as well, such as their commitment to each other and their strong artistic sides which created a positive bond between them, even before the bond created by their work with Seth.  And Rob's artistic side gave him the resources to change and grow, not just as an artist, but as a person.  It was a way he could connect to his inner self that probably wouldn't have been possible if he had been completely ruled by his ego.

Early Sessions #8 and #9 should make what I'm trying to say here a lot clearer.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6403#msg6403)Session 491 in Early Sessions #9 just added new depth to my understanding about all this.  Seth was comparing our reality to other realities that did not have lots of violence like ours.  He said each of them were set up with different types of controls to prevent it, such as limiting the amount of energy available, allowing less free will, or having automatic short circuits if a person contemplated violence .  Although it resulted in more constructive uses of aggression in those realities, it also resulted in less progress being made because they did not have the same impetus.

This is a fascinating idea for me: the idea of exploring other realities, what the terms of existence are compared to what we accept here as the norm. A real mind-opener.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6403#msg6403)Some thoughts:  One reason it feels like change is happening slowly is that we use time to slow things down in our world.

Similar to our time delay between "what we concentrate upon" and what we actually materialize. We are learning how to use our tools, our power. If we didn't have time to slow things down, we'd create complete chaos.

I have to say that in the past few days I've felt a need to split the most recent posts off of this topic to a new one as it seems they took on a new life of their own starting about here https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?topic=556.msg6406#msg6406 with talking more about Jane.

But after re-reading this topic top to bottom, I'm not sure whether to do that or not. It may be an opportunity, though, to  get a new topic started that focuses on Jane herself. @Dandelion  and @Sena , you're the two most involved at this point with this topic. What do you think? It may also be a way for me to work in the Silk Roads post, although that one probably also deserves a topic of it's own, maybe "The Illness and Death of Jane Roberts" ? THAT is a loaded topic.

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6431#msg6431)But after re-reading this topic top to bottom, I'm not sure whether to do that or not. It may be an opportunity, though, to  get a new topic started that focuses on Jane herself. @Dandelion  and @Sena , you're the two most involved at this point with this topic. What do you think? It may also be a way for me to work in the Silk Roads post, although that one probably also deserves a topic of it's own, maybe "The Illness and Death of Jane Roberts" ? THAT is a loaded topic.

Deb, it seems to me that rather than having a thread dealing with "The Illness and Death of Jane Roberts",it could be subsumed under a broader heading such as "Being in good health".
In Session 485 (Early Sessions #9), Seth gives a very interesting definition of good health:
" (A state of good health) never as a finished product....It is the ability to effectively handle energy in a constructive way for your own benefit and the benefit of others.... To imagine yourself as a channel through which the creativity of the universe can express itself." While according to the medical definition of good health Jane was in very poor health, it could be said that according to Seth's definition she was in very good health because she handled the energy she received from Seth and her own inner self in a constructive way for the benefit of herself and the human race.

Quote from: Sena (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6437#msg6437)While according to the medical definition of good health Jane was in very poor health, it could be said that according to Seth's definition she was in very good health because she handled the energy she received from Seth and her own inner self in a constructive way for the benefit of herself and the human race.

Excellent point, Sena.  That helped me to understand why I was uncomfortable with the topic heading "The Illness and Death of Jane Roberts."  Seth kept urging Jane and Rob to not focus on her symptoms but rather to focus on health, so a title focusing on her illness is counterintuitive to Seth's basic concepts. 

Another possibility would be to split some of our comments off under a general heading of "Jane and Rob" (and maybe put it under Discussions???).  But I'd also like to add that I think I'm pretty much done with discussing them.  I'm very aware that anything I have to say about them is only speculation since I didn't know either of them.  I usually try to only comment about them or their relationship in connection to the material--how they affected the content or used it in their own lives, so I did get off-track here.

I'm sorry for the digression.  I've been the administrator on a message board, so I appreciate the need for organization and the challenge of maintaining it.  And I'm perfectly comfortable with you making a decision based on your vision of the board and the best structure for implementing it.

Quote from: Sena (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6437#msg6437)it could be said that according to Seth's definition she was in very good health because she handled the energy she received from Seth and her own inner self in a constructive way for the benefit of herself and the human race.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6439#msg6439)Excellent point, Sena.  That helped me to understand why I was uncomfortable with the topic heading "The Illness and Death of Jane Roberts."  Seth kept urging Jane and Rob to not focus on her symptoms but rather to focus on health, so a title focusing on her illness is counterintuitive to Seth's basic concepts. 

Thanks to both of you for your input. Spot on.
And no worries about digressing from the topic at hand, I'm not much a control freak and want this forum to take on a life of its own. It's just that once in a while I see the opportunity to split a topic so people can find things when they need them.
I'll just leave things as they are right now.

I've really been enjoying reading your posts. You are both intellectuals, well-read and understand the Seth materials very well. It helps me to understand more, and prompts me (and others, namely Sena) to buy and read more Seth books. I wish Rick Stack had understood that when he found out I had the idea to start this forum and reacted negatively.

@Dandelion, the forum error log has been recording cryptic error messages occasionally when you use partial quotes in your posts. Have you noticed anything unusual when you post? Any error messages or problems? I'm just trying to trouble-shoot.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6403#msg6403)
Session 491 in Early Sessions #9 just added new depth to my understanding about all this.  Seth was comparing our reality to other realities that did not have lots of violence like ours.  He said each of them were set up with different types of controls to prevent it, such as limiting the amount of energy available, allowing less free will, or having automatic short circuits if a person contemplated violence .  Although it resulted in more constructive uses of aggression in those realities, it also resulted in less progress being made because they did not have the same impetus.  So ultimately, not only was it more difficult for them to learn how to handle large amounts of energy, but learning was very slow to occur, and the big challenge in those realities was to not just coast along, maintaining the status quo.

In our reality, we have a lot more creative energy (aggressive energy) available.  That's reflected even in our natural world which uses great bursts of energy to make sudden, rapid changes.  We also have free will which gives us more options in how we use our energy.  So we are actually learning how to use energy more rapidly than those other realities.  (We, apparently, are "more venturesome, more daring"  And also impatient.)

Some thoughts:  One reason it feels like change is happening slowly is that we use time to slow things down in our world.  This gives us "time" to change direction—something which is very important when we're learning to handle large amounts of aggressive energy.  Slowing things down may also have the effect of reducing the intensity of the energy so that it doesn't overwhelm or kill our physical bodies.

Speculation in connection to Jane and her problems:  In many sessions, Seth mentions that Jane was handling immense amounts of energy.  The dilemma that everybody has is how to handle aggressive energy.  If you tamp it down, you are not fulfilling your potential.  Besides that, suppression is liable to lead to explosive expressions of aggression.  But how do you express it without any of it being directed against others?  Sometimes you direct it against yourself as the only "safe" alternative.  A person may be especially prone to doing this if they've had a difficult childhood where they were continually devalued and made aware of all the things that were wrong with them.  In Jane's case, she did multiple things to handle the immense amount of energy she had, like tamp it down to a certain extent, express some of it in her writing, and exert strong control over her spontaneous self.  But she also directed a lot of her aggression against herself.  As she loosened up in some areas, like allowing herself more spontaneity, she released even more energy, some of which was added to the energy that she directed against herself, thus creating her multiple physical problems.

Seth then continues on that topic of violence / non-violence and the extremes of the some Lumanians who found they could not handle the energy.

~~~
Seth, session 562 & 563, excerpts:
"It seems to you that you have, perhaps, but one chance as a species to solve your problems, or be destroyed by your own aggression, by your own lack of understanding and spirituality. As you are given many lives in which to develop and fulfill your abilities, so has the species in those terms been allotted more than the single line of historical development with which you are presently acquainted.
The reincarnational structure is but one facet in the whole picture of probabilities. In it you have literally as much time as you need, to develop those potentials that you must develop, before leaving the reincarnational existences."

"On your planet...were...three particular civilizations long before the time of Atlantis; when, in fact, your planet itself was in a somewhat different position."
"The strength of this second civilization lay mainly in the areas now known as Africa and Australia, although at that time not only was the climate entirely different, but the land areas."

"This civilization, therefore, left the natives that surrounded them in peace. They did send out members of their own group, however, to live with the natives and intermarry, hoping peacefully to thus alter the physiology of the species.

The energy, often in your time given over to violence, went instead into other pursuits, but began to turn against them. They were not learning to deal with violence or aggression. They were attempting to short-circuit it physically, and this they found had complications."
"The civilization was called Lumania, (spelled out), and the name itself went down in legend and was used again at a later time.
The Lumanians were a very thin, weakly people, physically speaking, but psychically either brilliant or completely ungifted. In some, you see, the built in controls caused so many blockages of energy in all directions that even their naturally high telepathic abilities suffered."

"Large groups, however, simply left their cities, destroyed the force fields that had enclosed them, and joined the many groups of relatively uncivilized peoples, mating with them and bearing children. These Lumanians died quickly, for they could not bear violence nor react to it violently."
~~~

Bold emphasis added by me.
I've often felt a connection the Lumanians, well the non-violent ones here that Seth talks about, and the dead end of extreme non-violence they experienced, that is extreme in-action or blocking of energy.

In this lifetime (so far)  I've been very thin, physically weak and hyper-sensitive emotionally and intuitive.  I've looked into all types of violence and really gone deeply into that topic. To supplement my old habit of "weak, thin" I used the new energy of "strong, resourceful" both mentally and physically, building my body up stronger and learning to balance my at times almost manic / bipolar and similar to autistic tendencies (energies) through disciplined exercise and meditation in equal measure.
Now sometimes I feel quite repulsed at how weak and ineffective I was when I was younger. But then that gentleness comes that Lumanian type self, and while at times I fell oh how weak and useless they must be, there is also great strength in gentleness and compassion. To fight is easy, to be gentle take real courage and strength. But I had to experiences both extremes to fully understand this. Now I only have love for any self that pokes their head out from behind the multidimensional camouflage curtain. Violent murderer, extreme pacifist, they are all part of my larger self, and I'm here to understand rather than judge any of them and see what I can learn from them.

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6441#msg6441)@Dandelion, the forum error log has been recording cryptic error messages occasionally when you use partial quotes in your posts. Have you noticed anything unusual when you post? Any error messages or problems? I'm just trying to trouble-shoot.

I haven't noticed any problems at all and my posts always look the way I intended.  I feel like I'm pretty consistent in how I post so I'm not sure why there would be a problem with some and not all of them.  Most of the time I do write up my thoughts on MS Word to organize them and then copy and paste, preview, and do a little more editing before finally posting them.  But again, I've never gotten an error message or had a problem on my end.  Maybe you could message me if it happens again and I could look at the specific post to see what, if anything, I did differently.

Quote from: Batfan007 (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6442#msg6442)I've often felt a connection the Lumanians, well the non-violent ones here that Seth talks about, and the dead end of extreme non-violence they experienced, that is extreme in-action or blocking of energy.

In this lifetime (so far)  I've been very thin, physically weak and hyper-sensitive emotionally and intuitive.  I've looked into all types of violence and really gone deeply into that topic. To supplement my old habit of "weak, thin" I used the new energy of "strong, resourceful" both mentally and physically, building my body up stronger and learning to balance my at times almost manic / bipolar and similar to autistic tendencies (energies) through disciplined exercise and meditation in equal measure.
Now sometimes I feel quite repulsed at how weak and ineffective I was when I was younger. But then that gentleness comes that Lumanian type self, and while at times I fell oh how weak and useless they must be, there is also great strength in gentleness and compassion. To fight is easy, to be gentle take real courage and strength. But I had to experiences both extremes to fully understand this. Now I only have love for any self that pokes their head out from behind the multidimensional camouflage curtain. Violent murderer, extreme pacifist, they are all part of my larger self, and I'm here to understand rather than judge any of them and see what I can learn from them.

You must have had confidence in your inner strength and abilities to not only cope with these extremes but to actually learn and grow from them or you wouldn't have set up this current life situation for yourself.  And if one of your incarnations was as a Lumanian, then you've made tremendous progress in learning how to handle energy.

This principle applies to myself, as well.  My challenges have mostly been psychological—bad childhood, low self-esteem, feelings of alienation, chronic depression, etc.  But no matter how overwhelmed or hopeless I felt at times, I never gave up.  And now, with the help of the Seth books, I am consolidating what I have learned and growing from it, and I can see how the life situation I set up created this opportunity for growth.  (Of course, my ego is still griping about having spent so much of my life being semi-miserable and thinks I should have learned much faster than I did.)

This can also be applied to Jane and everybody else, as individuals and as part of this world with all the extremes in it and all the daily dramas that reflect the huge amounts of aggressive energy in this reality.  We must have believed we could handle it and learn from it or we wouldn't be here.

still griping about having spent so much of my life being semi-miserable and thinks I should have learned much faster than I did.)

I think about that too.  It seems that I've been in suspended animation all my life and have been gradually thawed out this past 18 months.  It all seems externally planned .   

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6365#msg6365)That doesn't mean the personality will work them out, but rather that they have the capability of doing so.  Furthermore, it is not the intent of the inner self to make life so easy that it presents no challenge to the personality, no opportunity for learning and growth.  So generally, the greater the abilities an individual has, the greater the challenges they will have throughout their entire life.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6454#msg6454)We must have believed we could handle it and learn from it or we wouldn't be here.

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6454#msg6454)bad childhood

For some reason this is finally hitting home for me for the first time. I mean, I've grasped this before, but only recently I've been gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation for the process. I had a bad childhood too, enough that anything else that was thrown my way after getting out of that house was considered a cakewalk. That's probably attributable more to my perspective, age and helplessness in childhood. There were many times I thought it would never end, but I still hung in there (fantasizing that I would find out I was adopted and my real family would find me,lol). Again, though, the concept of those children who had bad childhoods, at such a tender age and without the tools we have to cope as adults, yes: "we must have believed we could handle it." We did.

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6461#msg6461)"There will be a time, not so far from now, that you will look back on this phase of your life and instead of condemning it or beating up on it... instead of blaming or guilting, you will feel appreciation for it, because you will understand that a renewed desire for life was born out of this time period that will bring you to physical heights that you could not have achieved without the contrast that gave birth to this desire."
~Abraham-Hicks

Sometimes it takes quite a while for understanding to catch up with intellectual knowledge.  I think Seth was well aware of the challenge of us assimilating these concepts, so he went back to them over and over, explaining them from a slightly different perspective and expanding them just a little bit each time.  For instance, right before Session 498 in ES#9, Rob had gone on a bit of a rant about the news media and the state of the world.  Seth reminded him of the importance of maintaining perspective and again went into an explanation of what we're trying to accomplish in this reality and how we are going about it.

I have some more thoughts about this but they would be more appropriate under "Problems and Perspectives" so I'll try to get them organized and clarified so I can post them there.

Quote from: BethAnne (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6457#msg6457)It all seems externally planned

I don't know if it's because externals are particularly favorable (some change in energy perhaps) or if it's just because I'm in a productive phase in my own life, but between the discussions and questions posted on this message board and what I've been reading, I've been having new insights pretty much every day.

Being this age is great (64) because you have the perspective of time to see how every thing worked out. 

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6454#msg6454)

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6441#msg6441)@Dandelion, the forum error log has been recording cryptic error messages occasionally when you use partial quotes in your posts. Have you noticed anything unusual when you post? Any error messages or problems? I'm just trying to trouble-shoot.

I haven't noticed any problems at all and my posts always look the way I intended.  I feel like I'm pretty consistent in how I post so I'm not sure why there would be a problem with some and not all of them.  Most of the time I do write up my thoughts on MS Word to organize them and then copy and paste, preview, and do a little more editing before finally posting them.  But again, I've never gotten an error message or had a problem on my end.  Maybe you could message me if it happens again and I could look at the specific post to see what, if anything, I did differently.

Quote from: Batfan007 (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=6442#msg6442)I've often felt a connection the Lumanians, well the non-violent ones here that Seth talks about, and the dead end of extreme non-violence they experienced, that is extreme in-action or blocking of energy.

In this lifetime (so far)  I've been very thin, physically weak and hyper-sensitive emotionally and intuitive.  I've looked into all types of violence and really gone deeply into that topic. To supplement my old habit of "weak, thin" I used the new energy of "strong, resourceful" both mentally and physically, building my body up stronger and learning to balance my at times almost manic / bipolar and similar to autistic tendencies (energies) through disciplined exercise and meditation in equal measure.
Now sometimes I feel quite repulsed at how weak and ineffective I was when I was younger. But then that gentleness comes that Lumanian type self, and while at times I fell oh how weak and useless they must be, there is also great strength in gentleness and compassion. To fight is easy, to be gentle take real courage and strength. But I had to experiences both extremes to fully understand this. Now I only have love for any self that pokes their head out from behind the multidimensional camouflage curtain. Violent murderer, extreme pacifist, they are all part of my larger self, and I'm here to understand rather than judge any of them and see what I can learn from them.

You must have had confidence in your inner strength and abilities to not only cope with these extremes but to actually learn and grow from them or you wouldn't have set up this current life situation for yourself.  And if one of your incarnations was as a Lumanian, then you've made tremendous progress in learning how to handle energy.

This principle applies to myself, as well.  My challenges have mostly been psychological—bad childhood, low self-esteem, feelings of alienation, chronic depression, etc.  But no matter how overwhelmed or hopeless I felt at times, I never gave up.  And now, with the help of the Seth books, I am consolidating what I have learned and growing from it, and I can see how the life situation I set up created this opportunity for growth.  (Of course, my ego is still griping about having spent so much of my life being semi-miserable and thinks I should have learned much faster than I did.)

This can also be applied to Jane and everybody else, as individuals and as part of this world with all the extremes in it and all the daily dramas that reflect the huge amounts of aggressive energy in this reality.  We must have believed we could handle it and learn from it or we wouldn't be here.

I very much enjoy reading your posts and of your experiences. I went through a number of those things you mentioned, I won't bore people with the details but from my current perspective I can the benefit of all of the worst of the worst times.
It took me well over a decade to feel like im no longer manic with energy, mostly through yoga and meditation and martial arts.

Sometimes I get so much psychic/inner data I have to block it out for a bit so I focus on whatever I have to get done here and now.
There are many more adventures ahead, if I was not bound to things like working for the old food clothing shelter game, I could focus more on the life of the mind. However I am grateful to live such a good life where my basic needs are taken care of and I am not spending every day hunting and gathering etc.

I've noticed that the news (TV News, especially) is designed to excite and incite fear.   If you listen to the voices of the newscasters you'll hear an urgency--almost a panic in their voices as they recite even the most normal of events.  If you watch the news lead-ins you'll also notice that they are almost exclusively the most dramatic stories, designed to grab your attention and get your blood going so that you'll watch the rest.  For a long time I'd watch without realizing how it raised my pulse rate or understanding even why, but then I began to listen to the voices and inflections rather than the words they were saying.  So a big part of the problem in TV news is that it is designed to excite and generate fear.  News in the press is similar--many papers highlight the parts of seeming innocuous stories that are the most sensational and fear-inducing.  I think the trick in watching or reading the news is to look at it for what it is--entertainment of a kind of dark and distorted sort.  Certainly there are some factual basis for the stories themselves, and certainly many are tragic personal and mass events.  But the trick is to see them in that context and own them as part of the human experiment.    I believe that the response we have to these stories helps to change them.  If we experience fear and anxiety we generate energy and thought forms that reinforce those aspects of the events.  If we send peace, love and compassion we may actually be able to moderate some of the negativity surrounding those events.  If we take them in fearfully we can generate anxiety and a sense of unease in our own lives reinforcing the ideas that it is an unsafe world full of negativity that we live in.  Like everything in life the trick is to remain mindful of our reactions, thoughts and beliefs and create even our mental responses in the present...

I've noticed exactly the samethings about the news. They ramp up the volume, start with Breaking News (that usually isn't), and always play their inflection games. And about 99% zeroes in on all of the negatives. No good news out there?? Really!! My wife likes to watch it so I usually read and tune it out, go play with the pc or go outside.

Quote from: caaron (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7071#msg7071)I've noticed that the news (TV News, especially) is designed to excite and incite fear.   If you listen to the voices of the newscasters you'll hear an urgency--almost a panic in their voices as they recite even the most normal of events.

Boy, I sure have to agree with you on that. I can't even multi-task if the news is on in the background, the excited voices break my concentration. I guess they have to do something to get people excited enough to watch.

Your opinion of how we respond to the news is exactly what Seth said--our responses have an effect. One thing I've never understood about people is why most are so fascinated with bad news, accidents, loss, the whole morbid curiosity thing, in the first place. If that's innate in humans, I wonder for what purpose? I understand the function of curiosity, but if I had a dollar for every time I got stuck in horrendous traffic because people are rubbernecking a flat tire or minor accident... well you know. :)

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7078#msg7078)One thing I've never understood about people is why most are so fascinated with bad news, accidents, loss, the whole morbid curiosity thing, in the first place. If that's innate in humans, I wonder for what purpose?

I honestly don't know what drives that curiosity.  Perhaps it is our conditioning or some kind of perversion of the drive to empathize with others.  It is an interesting question though...

Quote from: caaron (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7071#msg7071)
I've noticed that the news (TV News, especially) is designed to excite and incite fear.   If you listen to the voices of the newscasters you'll hear an urgency--almost a panic in their voices as they recite even the most normal of events.  If you watch the news lead-ins you'll also notice that they are almost exclusively the most dramatic stories, designed to grab your attention and get your blood going so that you'll watch the rest.  For a long time I'd watch without realizing how it raised my pulse rate or understanding even why, but then I began to listen to the voices and inflections rather than the words they were saying.  So a big part of the problem in TV news is that it is designed to excite and generate fear.  News in the press is similar--many papers highlight the parts of seeming innocuous stories that are the most sensational and fear-inducing.  I think the trick in watching or reading the news is to look at it for what it is--entertainment of a kind of dark and distorted sort.  Certainly there are some factual basis for the stories themselves, and certainly many are tragic personal and mass events.  But the trick is to see them in that context and own them as part of the human experiment.    I believe that the response we have to these stories helps to change them.  If we experience fear and anxiety we generate energy and thought forms that reinforce those aspects of the events.  If we send peace, love and compassion we may actually be able to moderate some of the negativity surrounding those events.  If we take them in fearfully we can generate anxiety and a sense of unease in our own lives reinforcing the ideas that it is an unsafe world full of negativity that we live in.  Like everything in life the trick is to remain mindful of our reactions, thoughts and beliefs and create even our mental responses in the present...

Back in high school I did media studies and our teacher covered this sort of stuff.
The news is a well constructed fiction, a psychic drama that seems almost like an attention parasite.
When our nervous systems are constantly over stimulated we can't think straight, we react from fear and exaggerations and lose our centre of wisdom.
Fear keep us rooted in physicality, and rightly so for genuine threats but most of our daily threats are wild exaggerstions that our body and nervous system treats as life or death

I'm going through an anxious phase and have lots to sort out, and so have given up on the news again. At breakfast I try to catch the weather forecast on TV  (just to help me to decide what to wear for the day!!  ;D)  but that's about it and have stopped watching political shows, which I used to enjoy in a not so healthy way. I did watch some of the BBC and Channel 4 coverage of the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, as it was very positive and the UK did really well, but otherwise...nah. It's the same doom and gloom stuff, on radio and TV, repeated ad nauseum.

My energy therapist doesn't watch the news and that has definitely made me re-think what I am giving my attention to in the media.

You could try reading online news from things like BBC (and other more factual sites) for example which are less sensational, and with text you can just stop reading, you don't hear all the bells and whistles and volume spikes of TV and radio "spews"

also with weather, you can just type in where you live in an search engine plus "weather" or "forecast" and get the info without everything else along with it.

Currently raining heavy here, I just made a mad dash from the park to the bank after walking in between the heavy showers.

Quote from: Batfan007 (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7286#msg7286)
You could try reading online news from things like BBC (and other more factual sites) for example which are less sensational, and with text you can just stop reading, you don't hear all the bells and whistles and volume spikes of TV and radio "spews"

also with weather, you can just type in where you live in an search engine plus "weather" or "forecast" and get the info without everything else along with it.

Currently raining heavy here, I just made a mad dash from the park to the bank after walking in between the heavy showers.

Online is fine, but it's impersonal and sometimes I like to see a weather presenter with a changing map of the country.

The BBC etc has more than enough bad news stories on its website too. And for really negative perspectives, BTL commentators are champions!  ::)

Interesting subject. :)

For my part, I haven't been interested in any kind of news for almost all my life. I had no TV, didn't read the newspapers either. You always find out about big events. As most of you, I thought the news focused on only the bad stuff and it didn't represent what I thought as a good portrait of a more global reality.

But lately there has been a twist. I still do not like reading or hearing about the bad stuff in the news, but I also see a more positive reaction with globalization, and it feels me up with hope and faith in humanity. People with a bad agenda are exposed, and with every act of violence there is an uprise of people around the world. Tactics aren't always the best, but people seem to be waking up and REACTING. Both sides of the balance seem to be rising quickly: on one side people that are scared and prone racism , segragation and violence, on the other side people who prone living together, being all as one big race-human, violence is not the solution. People are grouping up to say: " hey! Enough with this crap! We want to live in a world that accepts everybody for who they are". And I find that inspiring.

So for that reason, I am a bit more prone to watch the news through social media- as a reader I can pick and choose what type of news I want to read. I like finding people who are trying to reach out to others to create a more beautiful place to live. I try to make a difference in my area, and I let myself be inspired by the creativity of others around the world.

Has anybody else noticed this?

Quote from: Bumblebee (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7305#msg7305)So for that reason, I am a bit more prone to watch the news through social media- as a reader I can pick and choose what type of news I want to read. I like finding people who are trying to reach out to others to create a more beautiful place to live. I try to make a difference in my area, and I let myself be inspired by the creativity of others around the world.

Bumblebee, thanks for putting this so clearly. I agree with your approach. I think that because of what Seth and others have revealed to us, we have reason to be optimistic.

Quote from: Wren (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7292#msg7292)

Quote from: Batfan007 (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=7286#msg7286)
You could try reading online news from things like BBC (and other more factual sites) for example which are less sensational, and with text you can just stop reading, you don't hear all the bells and whistles and volume spikes of TV and radio "spews"

also with weather, you can just type in where you live in an search engine plus "weather" or "forecast" and get the info without everything else along with it.

Currently raining heavy here, I just made a mad dash from the park to the bank after walking in between the heavy showers.

Online is fine, but it's impersonal and sometimes I like to see a weather presenter with a changing map of the country.

The BBC etc has more than enough bad news stories on its website too. And for really negative perspectives, BTL commentators are champions!  ::)

What's a BTL? I don't follow any kind of news stuff.

Old topic, but I came across this news article today, about watching the news. The article is old too, from 2013, so in my mind a perfect match. :)

"News is bad for you — and giving up reading it will make you happier." It makes some good points.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/12/news-is-bad-rolf-dobelli

The only news that is good for me:

http://batman-news.com/

Here's another perspective from Seth about the news.  The quote is from Personal Sessions #5, Session dated 8/30/78 (pg. 3).  He talks first about several issues:  about how slanted it is, how negative the focus is and the need to individually focus on other, positive things outside of the news, about how things are not actually worse, they're just more out in the open.  Then he explains  one of the reasons (what I would call "a big picture" reason) behind all this focusing on bad news, bringing it out into the open.

"This barrage is meant to push consciousness in its official stance nearly to desperation, so that it opens other doorways of awareness, and extends itself into the intuitional realms, giving itself greater insight, and providing 'an extra band' of communication--the merging of man's innate 'psychic' abilities with his normally attuned consciousness.  The effort then is meant to release another kind of intelligence for which man is innately equipped."

Nice...

Quote from: Dandelion (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=8366#msg8366)"This barrage is meant to push consciousness in its official stance nearly to desperation, so that it opens other doorways of awareness, and extends itself into the intuitional realms, giving itself greater insight, and providing 'an extra band' of communication--the merging of man's innate 'psychic' abilities with his normally attuned consciousness.  The effort then is meant to release another kind of intelligence for which man is innately equipped."

Thanks Dandelion. Excellent quote.

Seems to relate to humans changing as an almost unrecognisable species, as Sena's thread (in Discussions) regarding reincarnation and probabilities referred to.

I also remember reading a Seth passage that mentions the massive population explosion we are experiencing, and how it acts as a psychic push for mankind's greater abilities. I can't remember the quote number, as it was a facebook post. (I know it's not quite on topic, but it popped in my head as relating to Dandelion's quote)

Len

Somehow I forgot about this one from Seth:

"Your thoughts and beliefs and desires form the events that you view on television. If you want to change your world, you must first change your thoughts, expectations, and beliefs. If every reader of this book changed his or her attitudes, even though not one law was rewritten, tomorrow the world would have changed for the better. The new laws would follow. (Long pause at 9:48.) Any new law always follows the change in belief. It is not the other way around."

Mass Events, Session 873
Thanks to Ejay on Facebook for the reminder.

Quote from: strangerthings (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=9649#msg9649)
Reality is always better than the story we are believing about it. - Byron Katie

Thanks, nice quote.

Quote from: strangerthings (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=9648#msg9648)
When you DO catch your thoughts and beliefs what do you say to yourself? Do you beat yourself up mentally with the story you tell yourself? If so, you could try to redirect that inner dialogue with general statements.

A Neville Goddard quote may be useful here:

"The Principle of Least Action governs everything in physics..... Least Action is the minimum of energy, multiplied by the minimum of time. Therefore, in moving from your present state to the state desired, you must use the minimum of energy and take the shortest possible time.... Because creation is finished, what you desire already exists. It is excluded from view because you can only see the contents of your own consciousness."

Found another pertinent quote a while ago, underlines are Seth's:

"The tragedies of the newspapers are symbols.... Those symbols represent 'real' tragedies, but those tragedies do not exist in your moment unless you are participating in them.

"Those who are involved in such tragedies feel a sense of hopelessness and the loss of power in the present—and you do not help them by taking on the guise of hopelessness!

"What I am saying this evening is indeed simplified . . . but you must operate from strength, not from weakness. When you stand upon a firm shore, you can extend your arm to the man who is in quicksand.

"You cannot help him by leaping into the quicksand with him, for surely both of you will go down—and he will not thank you!

"Then we're doing that as a nation?" Warren asked.

"Individually—as you read your paper, as you watch your television,' Seth replied, 'whenever you look around you and say, 'Other men are fools'; whenever you look around you and say 'The race is ruining itself—it is insane'; you are doing the same thing—you are jumping into the quicksand, and you cannot help.

"Organize your reality according to your strength; organize your reality according to your playfulness; according to your dreams; according to your joy; according to your hopes—and then you can help those who organize their reality according to their fears."

Conversations With Seth, Chapter 20

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=11422#msg11422)
"Organize your reality according to your strength; organize your reality according to your playfulness; according to your dreams; according to your joy; according to your hopes—and then you can help those who organize their reality according to their fears." Conversations With Seth, Chapter 20

Oh that's great Deb. I like that.

jbseth

*bump*
😁

Quote from: strangerthings (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19821#msg19821)
*bump*
😁

St, thanks for bumping this thread.
I do miss Dandelion, Batfan, Jim, BethAnn, and Wren.

@Sena me too!
I never met Beth but everyone else yes.
Also so many goodies above!

Quote from: KylePierce (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19826#msg19826)
When someone says they get their news on social media (or just on FB) I have never been able to make sense of that statement. I've been on FB for a decade and I can't think of a single time when something that would qualify as an actual news item (as in national news, world news, etc.) ever showed up for my viewing pleasure. Not even once.

So, what do they mean? Do they read stuff that their friends shared or posted, and then call that "news"?

Amen!

I read a book several years ago, Don't Make Me Think, that was about web design but I took it further. Many people do not want or have time to think, would rather go with the flow, move on to focus on other things going on in their lives. Maybe creatures of habit (ala Who Moved My Cheese ? Never read it, but it feels right). There's also "believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see."

Personally I don't trust just one news source, or the mainstream ones. I always play Devil's Advocate with myself because I think ALL news sources are biased, and I think I have developed a pretty good BS-o-meter at this point. Many people never read past the sensational headlines, and if they do, only the first few sentences of the article, and the press knows that. So the parts close to actual news are buried pretty far down on the page—and missed.

Facebook is certainly not a place to get the truth, it's all personal opinion, as are most news sources.

I still keep in touch with @Bumblebee on occasion on FB. I don't think she's as into Seth as she was. @Batfan / John Sorenson decided to concentrate on his own blog. @Jim had some things come up, he also stopped posting on FB, so I don't know where he is now. @Wren just stopped posting. @BethAnne and @Len Kopf as well. All great members, all very much missed. But they may return some day, even if just for a cameo appearance.  ;D

PS If you see "guest" under someone's name to the left of their post, that means they've deleted their account and will not get any notifications from SoS. I don't think any of the above members deleted their accounts.

Quote from: jbseth (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=11430#msg11430)

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=11422#msg11422)
"Organize your reality according to your strength; organize your reality according to your playfulness; according to your dreams; according to your joy; according to your hopes—and then you can help those who organize their reality according to their fears." Conversations With Seth, Chapter 20

Oh that's great Deb. I like that.

jbseth

I love love love this book! If whomever doesnt have it ....get it lol
If you can get it try to get it from new awareness. It really does support the great work. If you buy it from amzn it does not support them. 😁 Its like buying music from its creator or amzn. Who benefits most by buying directly from the source? (Shout out)

Hey Deb! Glad you tagged me in a post. I had lost the address of this site. Still into Seth big time, but I read the books very slow and try to apply or find people who apply his teaching (not necessarily people who follow Seth but have the same way of viewing things). In the past 2 years, I've been trying to get rid of my limiting beliefs. It's a long process. :) I have worked with Dr. Burns book " The feeling good handbook" and also recently exploring Mr. Joe Dispenza's meditating method. I've also done a bit of shamanic journeying (still am when I need guidance). I am currently still reading " The Nature of the Psyche". I've been on it for more than a year. I've finished " the Way to Health", "Seth Speaks" and "the Nature of Personal Reality" ( which I read twice). I'm going at turtle pace but still eating up the stuff. His vision is the most complete I have found so far and the one that makes the most sense to me. I think I'm a fan for life! ;D ;D ;D

Sorry for the intrusion on this subject! :o So to balance things up, here is my input on the subject:

For my part, I don't really watch the news. I keep informed indirectly on what is happening, the big lines only. I find it hard to stay focused on a positive and hopeful outcome if I listen to everything negative that is going on daily. Even though I like to focus on and create a personal reality full of solutions, it helps to know a little bit about what is going on with the rest of the world in order to be able to help.

@Bumblebee

Woohoo!

🤗❤️

Mmmm Nature of the Psyche made me so mad when I read it the first time ! 🤣
I was so so pissed off after reading it I swore I would never read it again harharhar

Nothin like a grand wake up call 🤣🥰

I feel such joy seeing you here!

Quote from: Bumblebee (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19840#msg19840)
Hey Deb! Glad you tagged me in a post. I had lost the address of this site. Still into Seth big time, but I read the books very slow and try to apply or find people who apply his teaching (not necessarily people who follow Seth but have the same way of viewing things).

Hi Bumblebee, so nice to hear from you again! I was hoping you'd get a notification. Awesome that you're still into the Seth materials. I tend to read the books slowly too, and switch back and forth between them. Last summer I got into listening to the audio versions from YouTube. I spent a lot of time walking and biking due to covid, and got thru a few. Had a hard time not drifting during Jane's Psychic Politics, though, lol.

Quote from: Bumblebee (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19840#msg19840)
For my part, I don't really watch the news. I keep informed indirectly on what is happening, the big lines only. I find it hard to stay focused on a positive and hopeful outcome if I listen to everything negative that is going on daily. Even though I like to focus on and create a personal reality full of solutions, it helps to know a little bit about what is going on with the rest of the world in order to be able to help.

Power to you! I think that's very important: Some people don't realize the effect on their attitude when they take in so much negativity. They don't see it in themselves.

Quote from: strangerthings (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19841#msg19841)
Mmmm Nature of the Psyche made me so mad when I read it the first time !
I was so so pissed off after reading it I swore I would never read it again harharhar

Well it looks like I need to read that one next! :)

Quote from: Deb (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19831#msg19831)
I still keep in touch with @Bumblebee on occasion on FB. I don't think she's as into Seth as she was. @Batfan / John Sorenson decided to concentrate on his own blog. @Jim had some things come up, he also stopped posting on FB, so I don't know where he is now. @Wren just stopped posting. @BethAnne and @Len Kopf as well. All great members, all very much missed. But they may return some day, even if just for a cameo appearance. 

Deb, what about @Dandelion ? She was very active.

Quote from: Bumblebee (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19840#msg19840)
I am currently still reading " The Nature of the Psyche". I've been on it for more than a year.

@Bumblebee ,welcome back! Thanks for recommending this Seth book. I have it on my Kindle, but have only read parts of it.

I found one of your posts from 2016 which I seem to have missed at the time:

https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?topic=845.msg7981#msg7981

Something must have been going on in my life September to November 2016, because I missed this post as well:

https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?topic=787.msg7327#msg7327

This is such an excellent post that I shall quote from it:

QuoteSo I am gentle with myself these days. I also realized that the purpose I was seeking might not be the way to go. I had the right intentions, but I was trying hard to mold it into a certain pattern that it didn't need to be in. I was trying to make " helping others be who they are" my job, as in "making money to live". It has been a hard, unsuccessful and depressing journey. I just couldn't figure out how to do it. I now realize that what I do for a living doesn't really matter because if I help myself to be who I am, then I will automatically spread that on people around me. And if on top of that I look at people as souls, they become ageless and no matter what their actions are, they all have their special uniqueness and wisdom, and we all have things to learn from each other. Seth said many times we do not need to accomplish anything but to become who we are. That is our purpose. This just took on a new meaning for me. I don't need to actually be a teacher in a school in order to teach. I don't need to be paid to teach. Teaching and learning are happening everywhere at every moment.

This life I have given myself is a precious gift, all the more that it is time limited. From now on,I want to marvel at life's beauty, dance with nature and discover wisdom in every encounter I make, and it all start with me! :)

Wow! So nice to hear from friendly "faces"! <3

2016... Have I been gone so long?? I have some catching up to do LOL

Hi everyone!

I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN AWAY SO LONG!!  :'(

Thank you Deb for remembering me. *hug*

To continue the conversation, I am still avoiding the news, mostly. I don't watch news broadcasts, at most I check the BBC News Channel for the weather. I have to look at a couple of newspapers for work, but this will be changing and eventually we will down to one newspaper, and I won't have to check it every day. The only issue now is Twitter, which I like very much with loads of interesting people to follow (plus Seth accounts!), there as ever are some negative people on there, but I can mute/block if necessary. No, the main issue with twitter is the trending news to the right of my feed, which I can't switch off. Twitter won't give you all the gory details unless you click on it. But it's there. And I still know more or less what's happening, despite some attempts at reducing exposure. I also use Twitter for work. The news gets everywhere.


Wren

Quote from: Wren (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19852#msg19852)
I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN AWAY SO LONG!! 

The main thing is that you are here now!

@Wren

Yaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
💪🏻💃

Wonderful! To see you!!!!!

I have zero socmed at the moment
I think for me its a bonus lol

Quote from: Wren (https://speakingofseth.com/index.php?msg=19852#msg19852)
I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN AWAY SO LONG!! 

Ha ha ha, welcome back Wren! You were so missed that we tracked you down, lol. So glad it worked. It's like "old school week" on Speaking of Seth right now.

@strangerthings, thank you for getting the ball rolling with your return. You are the charm. And you too, @Sena. Ask and you shall receive.  ;D