(Jean read a poem she had written about Seth and Seth joined the conversation to comment.)
Seth in Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Class, December 18, 1973:
"I have never pretended to be such an awesome thing as a poet or an artist, and so I make no effort to judge your work on its aesthetic values: only on its intent, an intent that sought artistic expression beyond what you think of as commonplace; an intent, therefore, that raised your consciousness upward to seek for other methods of expression; an intent that led you toward an ideal called excellence; not an ideal called perfection; but an intent that led you to express what you felt as well as you could express it.
“And so, each of you, in your own way, attempt to live your lives excellently; to rise above levels of yourselves that disappear as you attempt new versions of excellence.
“There is greatness in each of you! Do not ever snicker when someone tells you that they want to be great, for you want to be great, and you know what that means in terms of your culture. For, to be great in those terms, is always to go beyond, to challenge even the self that you know, to become familiar with portions of yourself that you sense, and to manifest them within your own experience NOW.
“Excellence! There are no standards but your own! You cannot compare yourself against others. For your own abilities are like no others, and dimensions of your own greatness cannot fit in the standards of another. But you know what excellence means within yourself, and it means truth to the heart of yourself. There are some things you know it means. It means not lying. It means not lying to yourself; not being afraid to use your own abilities; not being afraid to be the excellent self that you are.
“Excellence does not mean false humility. It does not mean inflated, artificial pride that sets you apart from all others, for you cannot set yourselves apart from others. You are, because of your nature, both a part of all others and apart from all others. Each of you is also, everlastingly unique.
“In terms you understand, excellence means not lying to yourself. It means do not shop-lift. It is not funny! Stealing ideas is the same as stealing objects. To do so, is to say you don’t know the difference between what belongs to you and what doesn’t. You cannot stand there and say, "This (object or idea) is mine" when it is not. It means you’re not just playing around with the integrity of others, you’re playing around with your own integrity as well.
“Excellence means that in your relationships you face each other honestly. You do not pretend. It means that you do not make excuses. It means that you do not hide your abilities from yourself. It means that you take advantage of your abilities and expect things of yourself. You do not look to others for their answers. It means you do not dribble away your energy.
“It means that you know your own footing and do not lean upon others. You do not accept shifting grounds, but make your own ground based on integrity.
“It means that you accept responsibility for yourself and that you go your own way and use your own abilities, trusting that others will do the same.
“It means that when you have the ability to create, use it and do not judge the results by the standards of others unless it is meant for them. Judge them according to your own values. Trust the intuitive knowledge of your own being, that what you create and what comes from you is good.
“It means that you do not allow yourself to be used by others, and then use that as an excuse to stop learning and evolving. You are your own being. Luxuriate in that!
“It means that you do not over-pamper your children; that you allow yourself spontaneity; that you develop an effective framework of ideas from which to operate. Make it one that allows you to `space-without’ and `space-within’ to accommodate both the physical and spiritual sides of you nature.
“It means that you try to separate your beliefs from the beliefs of others and of your culture, and that with all your sense of adventure and humor, you continue to question your ideas for what is practical and what is not.
Copyright © Jane Roberts and Robert F. Butts, 1973
Some editing for greater clarity. – Pete
