“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Ruburt’s insights this afternoon were largely correct. Tell him that he does not need the symptoms as a set of checks and balances. This is extremely important. Behind the attitude is still the feeling that he needs to whip himself on in certain areas, and check himself in others. That spontaneously, left alone without such checks and balances, he will go to the extremes.

The symptoms are now like guards that he sets about his behavior. The spontaneous self is being given more and more freedom, yet under a cautious eye, and with the symptoms in the background, again just in case.

It is a habit of cautiousness, that is translated of course into muscular cautiousness. Remind him, for the 100th time, that he can trust his inner self implicitly, and does not need to set up guards against its spontaneity, for spontaneity is his life, and the source of his creativity; and underline that sentence.

Feelings of spontaneity therefore automatically release the body mechanisms when they are allowed expression. When this occurs and he sees himself for example running, to some extent this makes the mental image of a nonrunning self less vivid. The body and mind are so connected that the mind remembers, say, muscular spontaneity as the muscles remember mental spontaneity. And the will, now, can be used to initiate a series of actions that will be spontaneous; and the motions now, the physical motions, in turn set up mental images of spontaneity that become self-generating. Do you follow me?

I suggest therefore at this point, that you encourage Ruburt in spontaneous physical activity as divorced, say, from a discipline exercise. Often, out of habit now, though not always, the muscles are restricted. Let him try as he once suggested, running in the apartment, or outside. The motion is associated with joy and spontaneity. Do you see?

Give us a moment. When he feels mentally happy, and he does often, have him in his imagination translate the feeling into spontaneous physical motion. We are trying to initiate some small exercises that will encourage freedom, both mentally and physically.

These may appear to be minor suggestions, beside the point, and yet they will initiate greater feeling for spontaneity and motion, and represent breakthroughs that will also have symbolic significance—which is of course why I suggest them.

We simply want to remind him again of translating the idea of motion into physical motion. These are merely techniques to help along particular lines. Now, basically, spontaneously he is sympathetic and understanding. The feeling of contempt he had for the sick or crippled has long vanished. Tell him indeed that annoyance with his own symptoms could now prevent him from helping others as well as he might, because the energy devoted to maintaining the symptoms is not being used for such constructive purposes.

The specific exercises I gave are to break up lingering habit patterns, both mental and physical, and to encourage spontaneity. Give us a moment. Underline the following sentence: It is safe for him to let go completely now. (Pause.) There is more here that I am trying to get at. It is not a matter of Ruburt blocking, necessarily. I do want him to initiate some fast, quick physical motion, you see, so that the muscular memory is imprinted in this direction.

Give us a moment. Tell him that the inner self has its own system of checks and balances. He does not need to reinforce it with physical symptoms now. He does not need to fear he will be carried away through spontaneity. Age and experience provide checks and balances of their own that he did not have earlier.