Richard Bach

[Deb]

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Richard Bach is the well-known author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He has also written several other books, some of them dealing with concepts such as probable lives (One), soulmates (The Bridge Across Forever) and my favorite, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (where he meets an unlikely messiah gypsy-flying small planes in the midwest). All of his books can be found on Amazon.

Richard consulted Jane/Seth over his writing of the Seagull book—he didn't believe he wrote the book, was feeling the book came from somewhere else. The story is below.

I recently purchased a copy of the 1972 Time magazine that featured Dick and Seagull and will attach a scan of the article once the magazine is in my hands.

Dick is still alive and kicking (or writing, that is) after a serious accident involving his personal plane in 2012. He's overcome major head trauma and even published a book or two during his recovery period.

All quotes below are from The Nature of Personal Reality.

Session 613 pg 9
Rob's notes: In August Jane held one session on the flood—in which Seth had time to just touch upon the reasons behind our personal involvement in it—and late that month and in September we had several house guests in connection with psychic work. One of them was Richard Bach, author of the very successful book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Session 618 pg 49
Rob's notes: The session was witnessed by writer Richard Bach and his editor, Eleanor Friede. They flew into Elmira yesterday after poor weather had delayed their scheduled arrival on Tuesday in time for ESP class. Dick had also visited us in late August, when Seth had Chapter One of his book under way.
Jane had delivered a rather lengthy but informal session for our guests last night, as we lingered around the supper table after a late meal. Dick recorded it and is to send us a transcript, so later we'll be able to add a few excerpts from that material into this session.

pages 53-54
Seth: "Now: I will stop at that for now and take a break. We will be finished with this chapter shortly, and then we will begin the next. (To Eleanor and Dick:) I would speak faster for you, but we need the notes for the book."

Rob's notes: 10:46. Jane's trance had been good. We were pleased that others had been present during some book dictation. The rest of the session was given over to our guests; Seth's manner became more jovial and his pace speeded up considerably. End at about 12:30 a.m.

Some notes added later: Dick Bach felt that he didn't really write Seagull himself. By now the story of that book's conception is well known: Late one night in 1959, Dick was walking beside a canal near a West Coast beach when he heard a voice say, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." No one else was around. He was astonished. He was even more so when, on his return home, the voice initiated images that gave him the bulk of the book in three-dimensional form. Then it stopped. On his own Dick tried unsuccessfully to finish the manuscript. Nothing happened until one day eight years later, when he suddenly wakened to hear the voice again—and with it came the rest of the book.

Who wrote it? Dick didn't claim authorship. He came across The Seth Material, saw similarities in Jane's and his experiences, and came here to see if she or Seth could explain the phenomenon. There are points of correlation, of course, only Jane is presented not with just a voice but with an entire personality, Seth, who then writes books while she is in an altered state of consciousness. So she and Dick were highly interested in what Seth would say.

[skipped ¶ ]

Rob: Now here are some near-verbatim quotes from the information Seth gave Dick Bach and company on the evening of September 27, 1972:
"Information does not exist by itself. Connected with it is the consciousness of all those who understand it, perceive it or originate it. So there are not records in terms of objective, forever-available banks of information into which you tune. Instead, the consciousness that held, or holds, or will hold the information attracts it like a magnet... The information itself wants to move toward consciousness. It is not dead or inert. It is not something you grab for, it is also something that wants to be grabbed, and so it gravitates to those who seek it.

"Your consciousness attracts the consciousness that is already connected with the material. That is one of my goodies for the evening! Information, then, becomes new and is reborn as it is interpreted though a new consciousness, as Seagull was.

"The inner portion of our being, using those abilities that have always been yours, interpreted the information through the kaleidoscope of your own being, using the best portions of yourself—producing, then, a brilliant truth in  new clothes—but in clothes that no one could have given it but yourself. Now I will tell you: If you assign the authorship of Seagull to another, then you deny the uniqueness of your own inner self.

"The truth came to you and was given to you, but the originality and uniqueness was provided by your own inner being, which may now be so separated from your conscious self that it seems to be apart from it.

"So other things were also involved—not only the birth of a book, but the emergence of the inner self, through art, into the physical universe. Now part of the focus and the strength comes from those two births, and the intensity behind them is also the reason why the book's nativity strikes the world as strongly as it does. The two are merged in the book. You are looking for the author of Seagull, and I tell you I am looking at him. He may not have the face that you see when you look in the mirror, simply because you cannot see your true identity in a mirror. But I am looking at all that is visible of the author of Seagull, and you should know him best of all. And I will tell you through the years how to become acquainted with him, and on more speaking terms.

"Rubert already has a head start on this, so I am not spoiling his fun. There are indeed 'aspects' of your own consciousness that operate in completely different environments. Environments, for example, that are not physical. There are aspects of you, therefore, that know many other kinds of information than those available to you at the conscious level now..."

Session 620, pg 64
Rob's notes: Late this afternoon Jane received a call from a senior editor of Time magazine. He wants to talk to her later this week in connection with a cover story he is to write about Richard Bach. Dick's book has become a national phenomenon. See the 618th session in Chapter Three.

Session 626, pg. 96
Rob's notes: Yesterday Jane and I read the Time magazine cover story for November 13, 1972, featuring Richard Bach and his book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull. We were very pleased for Dick. The article also included information about the Seth material. See the 618th session in Chapter Three for an account of Seth meeting with Dick and the latter's editor, Eleanor Friede.

It isn't necessary to go into dates and other details here; but several days before we were told that the Bach story's originally scheduled appearance in later October had been postponed, Jane had a vivid dream giving her that literal information. She wrote Dick about it and told others. Her dream was also fairly accurate concerning the magazine's cover painting for the piece: a montage featuring 'a bird that was somehow a part of a man's head, or face' as she described it. Actually Time's design showed a seagull superimposed over Dick Bach's head, partially obliterating it.

[skipped 3 ¶)

Seth:
"Dictation. (Pause. Then humorously:) An aside to you: Now, you see, I can speak in Time or out of it. Underline 'Time.'"

[JimK]

Nice one, Deb. I'm looking forward to reading that article. I think I'll get a copy of that issue of Time while I'm out today. I've enjoyed quite a few of Richard's books and also his visits with Jane, Rob and Seth. Thanks for this post! 

[Deb]

Awesome Jim! I had to buy the Time from someone on eBay, who knows when I'll get it. But I'm excited. I actually sent Bach a get-well card and letter when he was recovering. I visited his web site yesterday (it has been a while since I was there), only to find that he's decided to stop writing on the site as of about 10 days ago. Damn, I'm usually much better with my timing. I commented on his post, telling him about this forum and that I was making a page for him, so hopefully he'll see that and visit.

Creating this forum has been a real treat for me, having contact with people that either met Seth (such as Barry Gellis, he's actually a member here) or are dedicated to not only keeping the Seth materials alive, but advancing the information through research (such as Mary Dillman, I just added a page for her today).

Mary Dillman and the Seth Research Project

She also just joined the forum.

I'm just beside myself! 

[JimK]

Ha, for some reason or another I didn't realize it was an old issue. So while out doing errands I checked 3 drugstores (chain pharmacies) and none even carry Time or any of the news magazines that used to be everywhere.

Once you get that issue of Time, do you think you'll be able to post it here?

That is so spectacular that Barry Gillis and Mary Dillman have joined the Forum. Hopefully Richard Bach will be able to also. Your work here is a jewel, Deb! Thank you so much for all that you are doing!!

[Deb]

Yes, I'll scan the article and put it up here. 

[Deb]

Once you get that issue of Time, do you think you'll be able to post it here?

Okay Jim, I got the magazine and scanned the article right away. Actually, I haven't even read it myself yet! You can find the link here:

Time Magazine Article about Richard Bach/Jonathan Livingston Seagull

It's up on my Dropbox, you can read the article, zoom in if you like and I think even print it. I scanned at a high enough resolution that it should print fairly cleanly.

Enjoy!

[JimK]

That was a very interesting article. I really enjoyed reading it and getting sort of an idea of some of the different routes that he took through his lifetime. There was a lot that I wouldn't have been aware of without reading that article.

One thing is certain, Richard is living his life his way and doing it fully! Cool!! 

[Deb]

I finally had a chance to read the article. Very nice! Yes, Dick is a free spirit for sure, considering his life-long passion for flying and then the Jonathan book...

Interesting that he quit a flying job with the Air Guard in order to keep from being forced to trim his mustache 1/4" on each end. Living life his way, for sure!

I'm adding a scan of the Letter From the Publisher from the magazine, which turns out is all about Bach as well. Here's the link, I'll also add it to the other page: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cpctcjczpijba7h/LetterFromPub.jpg?dl=0

[Deb]

Richard consulted Jane/Seth over his writing of the Seagull book

Here is an excerpt from the Time Magazine article, which refers to Jane/Seth:

Time Magazine, Nov. 13, 1972, page 65:

Recently, though, he discovered Jane Roberts, a poet and science-fiction writer, who since 1963 has been a conduit for the spoken words of a personality called Seth. "It's all done in daylight," says Bach. "There's just this one small, middle-aged woman in a rocking chair. When Seth speaks, her voice deepens and even the planes of her face seem to change."

Seth, in fact, sounds rather like the former Indian Defense Minister, crotchety Krishna Menon. He proved a great help to Bach. For one thing, he advised Bach not to worry about religions that claim Jonathan is preaching their doctrine. ("The seagull is free. How they think about him you cannot dictate.") He also told Bach that every individual consciousness has many aspects that move freely through time and space. Jonathan was not alien but came from one of Bach's aspects. "Information, then, becomes new and is reborn as it is interpreted through a new consciousness," Seth continued.

Jane Roberts and her husband Robert have recorded 6,800 pages of Seth's talk. Much of it has been put together into two Prentice-Hall books, The Seth Material (1970) and, this fall, Seth Speaks. Whoever he is or not, Seth speaks with more cogency than most of the troubled spirits that find their way into print. To Bach's relief, the two Seth books outline a cosmology that coincides a good deal with his own way of viewing life and death. Though Bach would hate the labels, the final result, like Jonathan, seems to be a blend of Jung, Christian Science and theosophy.

[Deb]

A new interactive version of Seagull is in the works! http://richardbach.com/a-new-and-modern-vision-of-jonathans-forever-principles/