“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(This afternoon while doing Yoga exercises Jane gave herself suggestions to the effect that she would do better in the envelope test tonight, than she had done last session. As will be seen, she did do much better.

You forgot to buy the gasoline. You had previously not noticed the small red flash indicating that oil was needed, and if the trend had continued you would have continued to ignore this warning light. If your attitude had been strong enough to affect Ruburt, he would not have noticed it either. The general and overall condition of the car was on its way to deterioration.

(A week or so ago I forgot to buy gasoline, and this led to a situation that could have been dangerous. When Jane and I were on our way to the home of the Gallaghers, who live on top of a steep and long hill outside Elmira, the car lost power, then stalled out on the hill. It was after dark, the road was slippery with snow; I had to back down the hill while Jane lighted the way with a flashlight, until I found a driveway. I did not realize I had run low on gas at the time, for the car started as we coasted down hill. We arrived home safely but the car would not start up again.

(The car operated well the day after the garage repaired it, saying the trouble was moisture in the distributor. The next day the car once again would not start. This necessitated another tow to the garage. To our surprise the second tow and repair were free, the service manager telling us there was corrosion on the coil connections, and that the mechanic should have noticed this and corrected it the first time the car was in the garage.

There was no need for your garageman to think, then, that the trouble had not been noticed, for when he examined the car last the overall condition was poor. But there was no specific physical or localized trouble. I thought that you would find this rather interesting.

I have much more material on inverted time to give you, but there is a personal matter that I would like to discuss.

Your father would like to kick at old cars, for he felt that they defied him since they worked improperly. More than this however, both of your parents still feel that a car is a symbol of social status, and you grew up with this. When your cars were new you felt at one with them. But an old car brings back the old struggles between your parents, and it is precisely here that subconsciously you and Ruburt do not agree. He gladly settles on an old car—anything that moves will do. But to you the old car has not meant freedom, but imperfection.

I want to make this clear, for it should help you both to understand your reactions, and to change them accordingly. Some of your most basic feelings toward the automobile grew as a result of the early trip to California, when for days on end as a child you heard your parents bickering. They were uncertain of what they would find, pessimistic, and they blamed each other for having left at all.

You are doing very well, much better than you think, generally speaking. Reactions which you would have accepted as natural in the past, you now accept as being unfavorable, as they are. But the recognition, you see, causes you at times to think you are not making progress when indeed you are. You expect more of yourself now, and you are getting more.

These small episodes of late would have snowed you under in the past, out of all proportion; such is not the case now. You have noticed, I am sure, also, that Ruburt’s reactions are of a more steady nature.

(“Two o’clock.” would seem to be a reference to the time the photos were taken of Jane. On a Sunday after a noon dinner at my parent’s home Jane, myself, Loren and my father went down to the photographic studio.