Fear, Illness, Perception of Inner Sense Data

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 297

Fear

Now.  Finally Ruburt discovered for himself, this morning precisely, his basic problem – the problem that eventually everyone must face.

He knows it now in the only real way it can be known.  You learned it some time ago, and he knew it intellectually.  He did not understand however that fear is not practical.  I am speaking of course generally, and of anticipatory fear, not the fear, quite healthy, with which a man faces a ferocious beast.

He has indeed now learned one of the most basic lessons of his life.  Had he not learned it, there would have been further difficulties.  A man uses his abilities according to the extent of this realization.  The notes he wrote should be faithfully read, as he intends each morning, for some time.

(Seth here speaks of Jane’s intuitive and emotional realization of the basic causes behind the foot and other muscular troubles that have plagued her since early summer.  She wrote notes on the experience, which took place this morning.)

Our poor results in the last experimental data were directly the result of the fear which he finally faced.  Fear under normal circumstances is immobilizing, as he most certainly now realizes.

The symbolic journey of the spirit, and the finding finally of the self always involves the journey of the self through fear, and its emergence.  To the extent that this journey is faced, the greater the perils, but the greater the rewards.

He has been going through such a time.  He decided to make the journey.  He is now returning, and he has learned much.  Without the experience his abilities would not fully develop.  You went through your own journey and also emerged some time ago.

Fear and Illness

Fear cannot be ignored.  It must be faced and conquered.  It always leads to retreat when it is not faced.  The physical image is indeed a replica in many ways of the inner self.  When a man is ill it is not necessarily because he want to be ill subconsciously.  It is not necessarily because he is receiving some hidden psychological benefit, or because the illness fulfills some need.  He is ill often – always in fact – because of a distortion that is occurring within the self, and materialized in physical form.

You and I were quite right in advising Ruburt to face this through without the treatment of a doctor or chiropractor. I (Jane pointed to herself) you see, would not necessarily give this same advice to someone else.  He was on several occasions about ready to visit your Piper. (The chiropractor.)  I wanted him to face the symptoms for what they were, and to find the cause.  Apparent causes came and went, and would continue to do so had he not – with, my friend, your help and mine – found the master cause.

There are always ample apparent causes behind symptoms.  Various upsetting events for example.  I am going into this as I go into your own psychological circumstances when I feel it advisable.

Fear, and a complete, if sometimes momentary loss of confidence, was the basic cause that led to retreat and the physical symptoms.  Fear itself is damaging as such, particularly when it is anticipatory.  He knew enough so that this was partially counterbalanced.  Otherwise he literally would have been in worse shape.

But this lesson, learned, is a valuable achievement.  He understood it, it would seem, of a sudden, but this was only a crystallization of knowledge.  The habit of fear would have finally been reflected here in our sessions.  I have to a large degree kept my eye upon him, but you see the lesson had to be learned by him.

You can be grateful also.  The winter of the spirit must be journeyed through, and it must not only be conquered but the benefits used.  Yet without it maturity cannot arrive.  The immobility showed itself physically in faithful replica to the inner immobilization caused by fear.  You could see, in other words, the exact extent of the distortion in quite physical terms.

A lifelong chronic illness of course is the same thing carried to extremes.  The completely unattractive person represents the same results in a different manner.  The person whose abilities are never utilized is another example.

This response to fear is a danger to psychic work, where freedom is necessary.  In projections most of all the self must be mobile.  Rapidity of perception, mobility of consciousness, openness of emotional response, are prerequisites for our work.  The fearful spirit fears to leave the body, and fears to reside in it also.  Ruburt has my congratulations, for he has now successfully passed a period of trial.  He tried without involving you except when he grew more than usually discouraged.

He is now released because he has released himself as much as possible from fear.  The fearing habit is highly destructive.

As for your performance today, you have my congratulations also.  I was present, for that matter.

Perception Of Inner Sense Data

Now.  In projections the inner self is free to travel within its capabilities.

The inner senses are an attribute of consciousness.  The outer senses make this information meaningful to the physical organism, and the body consciousness, the ego.  This is for Ruburt’s book.

There are many other experiences encountered in projections and in ordinary living, you see, that are not translated into physical terms, for in physical terms they would have no meaning.  The basic assumptions behind them would not be understandable in physical terms.

Only some of the data in projections is thus translated.  Now, it is possible but difficult to catch your own consciousness in the act of its own natural perception, before impressions become crystallized in physical terms.  Even the survival personality must translate perception into terms it can understand.

None of us are ever equipped, for general purposes, to perceive reality in all of its forms.  The pyramid gestalts can do this, and we help the pyramid gestalts perform this feat.  But as a rule we must pick and choose.  There is too much for any consciousness to digest except those so highly developed that even I know little of them.

We are scarcely beginning our work.  It will grow through the years, and we shall achieve much.  We shall in probability continue it in other existences.  Basically however you see perception has nothing to do with the outer senses at all.  These are dim receivers at best.  Some of your dreams tell you far more about the nature of reality than the most vivid physical experience.

You are at the point of a new and higher plateau.  You have not yet reached it however.  It has taken you this time to consolidate your gains, and you have helped Ruburt these months also.  The interaction between you results you see in a higher form of consciousness, for which both of you are responsible.  For you do indeed operate as a gestalt also.  Your joint abilities add up to more than your joint abilities.