The Magical Approach
   Jane Roberts, notes by Robert F. Butts
   (Sr. Staff Writer/Reviewer - Carolyn Stearns)
  2001 An Amber-Allen Book/New World Library
    ISBN: 1878424092

The Seth material, channeled by Jane Roberts, focuses on the comparison between the magical, natural or intuitive approach to life & the rational or intellectual approach. We need to incorporate both in our decision making processes if we are to lead truly creative, spontaneous lives.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to review The Magical Approach because it gave me an excuse to read the book closely from beginning to end. I rarely do this with a Seth book; usually I dance my way through, meaning I pick up the book, open it to wherever, & read that portion. I am never disappointed.

The Seth material has given me more light bulb moments in mind, body & spirit than I have received from any theologian, psychoanalyst or philosopher. The Seth material changed my life. It helped me grow up.

The Introduction begins with Jane Roberts' voice: “Twice a week when evening comes (as most of my readers know) while our neighbors go to movies, or shopping plazas, or just have friends in to watch television, I go into a trance, 'become' Seth, and take on a kind of a second life, or a life within a life. Actually, the sessions usually last anywhere from one to three hours....” Robert Butts, her husband, recorded all the sessions in long hand.

In the 80's, I used to wait expectantly for the next Seth book to be released. Then in 1984 a tragic & irreversible thing happened: Jane Roberts died at the age of 55. Those of us who were Seth book enthusiasts grieved mightily. How could she die with Seth guiding her towards life? Half way through The Magical Approach, I knew the answer.

The early Seth books challenged me to question everything I believed. The Nature Of Personal Reality was & continues to be particularly inspiring. The later books -- The Magical Approach is one of them -- challenged me to apply my new beliefs in new & original ways.

I felt frustrated every time Robert Butts wrote in his notes in the many Seth books: “The rest of the session had to do with personal matters,” without saying anything more. He left out the parts I wanted most to read, because through them I believed I would learn best about integrating the Seth material. Happily, in The Magical Approach, Robert Butts has been more forthcoming. (The Personal Sessions are currently being prepared for publication.)

I learned most about how to integrate Seth's startling concepts about life through the description of the deteriorating health & subsequent death of Jane Roberts. Seth advised Jane Roberts about wellness & also voiced encouragement about her progress.

The Seth books are early exemplars of channeled material. Read them if you are interested in reviewing your beliefs. The books have an integrity, a uniqueness that is impossible to surpass. The ideas within have been copied frequently.

The writing is dense. I do not fly through these pages, repetition abounds(as in all Seth books), & I've come to realize I need that repetition if I'm to absorb the information so as to make a difference in my life.

Other “must read” books by Jane Roberts are two of her novels:
The Education Of Oversoul Seven
The Further Education Of Oversoul Seven
Read, too, her nonfiction work The God Of Jane, in which she describes her process of creating her own theology. By her example, she inspired me to do the same.

The Magical Approach is definitely a four teapot book.
(07/15/01)

Carolyn Stearns
2001©Carolyn Stearns
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Staff Writer/Reviewer

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Reviewer's Bio:
Carolyn Stearns is a professional modern dancer, choreographer, teacher, masseuse, hypnotist & writer who began her 39 year dance career as a butterfly in first grade. She received an MS in dance from Smith College & studied with modern dance legends Martha Graham, Hanya Holm & Jose Limon.

As Carolyn Coles, she performed with prominent dance companies including Karamu Dancers & the Jose Limon Dance Company in Philadelphia, taught dance at Smith, Swarthmore & Connecticut Colleges & the University of Maryland. For years she was a dance critic for Choice Magazine.

After she retired from dance, she taught her own bodywork program Stretch and Meditation, gave psychic body readings & grief massages -- out of which came her six Blessing Tree Self-Empowerment audio tapes.

Then she began to write, publishing: Spirit-Walking; Where Did All The Water Go?; Queit Please-Eaglets Growing; The Inheritance. Excerpts of her work have appeared in Reality Change, Fodderwing, The Washington Post, Pilgrimage, The New Bay Times, Chesapeake, earthlight! and Choice Magazine.

She live in Mason's Beach, Maryland & at Weslemkoon Lake, Ontario with her husband, Chris, & her special teachers: a Great Pyrenees dog Jean-Luc & cats Black Angus & Calico Phoebe. They share six children & six grandchildren.

A RebeccasReads author in Authors & Books