“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

I would suggest Joseph, and strongly, that you take up the yoga exercises. You will find these of great help. Not only will they benefit your physical condition, but they will help you in these sessions and in further experiments in which you will become involved in the future.

The ego, as I have said before, is extremely important. It is however only a part of what you call yourself. Your artistic ability does not belong to your ego, dear Joseph, though I understand as I speak that anyone on your plane identifies himself with his ego, and when he says “I am,” he means he is his ego, or his ego is.

You see, dear Joseph, the subconscious and the ego, of course, are both you. For simplicity’s sake I will speak of the ego and the subconscious, though they are actually one. The subconscious forms and projects the materializations of the ego as a tool to enable it to attain its goals. When these goals and talents are attributed to the ego alone they are so to speak decapitated.

Begin the yoga exercises and follow them faithfully. Your few experiences with autosuggestion upon falling asleep have been ego-bound. Think of this in terms of muscle-bound and you will see what I mean. Be in a drowsy state and suggest, Ruburt, suggest, Joseph; do not attempt to bully or command the subconscious. Suggestions are all that are needed. Your love of nature, Joseph, and Ruburt your love of nature, is another method of dissociation, or can be if you use it as such.

Joseph, if you are uncomfortable I suggest you move to your sturdy old rocker.

My affection for you Joseph is extremely strong. If I speak heavy-hand-edly it is because I want you to have a light touch. Dissociation actually is a stronger unity with the creative aspects of your personality. It puts you back, or it puts your creative talents back, in the driver’s seat. As yet you have no idea how strong you are.

Trust your intuitions. You do have them. There is absolutely no need for you to fear them. You have made up for your mistakes, Joseph. At one time in your development I admit your impulses were not of the best. That is no reason to club them to death now.

As far as smoking is concerned, dear Ruburt, I don’t want to break your heart. However you will find yourself dispensing with the habit in the very near future. I am amazed that Joseph smoked as long as he did. This was after all an uncharacteristic excess for him this time.

Joseph, do you have any questions in particular? There would be no harm either in going to the art gallery at your local college and getting acquainted with Clauss and others there. You will see also how your interest in psychic phenomena has increased the scope of your work, although you did not begin it with that intention.

Ruburt, or I will say Jane now, strongly resented your mother, Joseph, on that Thanksgiving directly before the animal’s death. And rightly so, since the strong negative suggestions given by her actually represented a turning point, and not a good one. The suggestion acted upon you and Jane, as well as upon the dog.

Dissociation will blot out negative suggestions and is extremely beneficial. Nor is it difficult to achieve. It was impossible, Joseph, for your parents to even be decent when you returned from Florida for the same reason that you and Ruburt were unable to help your Mischa in his time of need. You were using all available energies to fight nervous projections, and therefore could not help maintain what was real.

For your ego Joseph the unspoken but strong advice you gave Jane, who was carried away in Elmira at the radio station, this advice was excellent and saved you both much pain. However, she heeded it, therefore it helped you both. Had you heeded hers in Miami or even later in Sayre, you would have saved yourself what really can only be called an agonizing blow. If you are not completely exhausted then take a break and I will continue. If you are way down by tonight’s lecture you may call it a day.

Your parents, Ruburt, are a problem in themselves, and Joseph’s are another.

Joseph’s are closer at hand, and therefore it is necessary that you both learn the best way to handle that situation. Dissociation will help particularly in Ruburt’s case, since already it is being practiced and can be relied upon to some extent. It is also easier for Ruburt to practice dissociation since it is Joseph’s parents who are involved.

I would suggest therefore that Ruburt determine your relationship with Joseph’s parents for now until Joseph catches up so to speak. Joseph’s mother is particularly difficult to handle since it is against her emotionalism that Joseph first rebelled. He is in a difficult position now.

It is true that because Ruburt is now a woman, and because Ruburt dislikes his own mother so vehemently, that some problems do arise between the two women. That is, Jane and Joseph’s mother. Nevertheless this can be handled. As for your life before this time Joseph, this is hardly the time to go into it. It was however relatively calm.

Loren is actually very much like your present mother, though the father’s characteristics are also represented. Both of the parents have strongly developed emotional personalities, distorted and actually shoved grotesquely out of shape. The three brothers reacted against this exaggerated, powerful and, in the case of the father, hidden emotionalism to varying degrees. Joseph picked up what seems to be the father’s discipline and orderliness, as did Loren. These seeming characteristics in the father’s case however are actually frozen emotionalism encased in compulsions.

I do want to congratulate you Joseph if you can believe it after how hard I’ve hit. But you have been making great strides, and believe it or not the increased freedom of your subconscious mind will give you added energy and personal practical solutions far more beneficial than you would have dreamed possible in the past. I do not really want to leave now. I get wound up.

And now good night my very dear friends. You are already doing better. And, Joseph, you have done well many times, and you are doing well now.