“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now. I am going to give you some comments on the situation you have been discussing, and I am going to do some more work on my book. Now which would you prefer first?

I suggest, quite seriously, that Ruburt make up a list of his accomplishments; that he make a list of his good points; that he write down a short list of those things he thinks he is doing right (humorously), and the things he enjoys; and you add to these lists. I want him to concentrate upon his accomplishments rather than any failings, and you also. In a determination to do better, he has begun to concentrate upon failings. Your loving endeavors toward him have indeed helped, but until very recently you also fell into the same trap.

—put some weight on him. Now think of it this way. He has been tearing himself down psychologically in an effort to find out what has been wrong, that the symptoms persist. He has simply gone overboard in that direction. So to build him up psychologically and not artificially, we remind him of his accomplishments and those areas in which he is doing very well.

Now there are several, and they are being bypassed and to some extent unrecognized because of this other emphasis. Some of this also applies to you. For example, Ruburt is doing very well in his classes, enjoys it, and closes his eyes, relatively speaking, to the improvement he has worked in the lives of his students, and to the freedoms he has allowed himself in class in using his abilities. The class before last is a case in point. Both of you do not realize the exceptional impact you have on others in personal relationships.

Often Ruburt’s failures would still be successes by other standards. Do you follow me?

(Seth was quite emphatic here, and half humorous. In spite of our seriousness I had to laugh. I found myself doing this in many spots through the session, though half of it, I believe, was in frustration. Jane’s delivery throughout was fairly rapid.)

This in itself arouses conflicts, again, that the majority of individuals have not yet taken upon themselves, though they do, to whatever lesser extent, partake on a much smaller scale.

Now. While these conflicts appear highly destructive, and you shake your head at what appears to be some stupidity or stubbornness on Ruburt’s part, the conflicts themselves are creative, and will be used creatively. Do you have questions?

In an attempt to discover the reason for the persistence of the symptoms, he began to concentrate upon those in quotes “negative “ aspects of his personality. The overconcentration continued the symptoms, and the symptoms themselves became exaggerated in his mind. Do you follow me?

Now, I did not say that you had to be a saint to be healthy, and many saints were not healthy, and this had nothing to do with merit. Until he used his abilities fully, he did not feel he could use his body fully, for this would be hypocritical.

Both of you set up problems for yourselves to be faced in this existence, challenges to be met. You do not realize that you could have solved the problems and met the challenges adequately, but without the satisfaction of strong creative endeavor. You are managing the problems, though it may appear to you that you are not, in such a way that enduring creativity results.

It was like having a handy whipping-dog around. Now if the whipping-dogs were not connected with Ruburt, this would be a handy family mechanism. Another point I would mention: Ruburt knows quite well your own progress in your own work. He has always been psychologically and psychically attuned to your work. He knows for example when you are doing well and when you feel you are in difficulties, even if it seems to you he does not look at a particular painting, or take, notice.

He knows how long you work at a painting before you are satisfied, and he felt that you might be hurt by my book, seemingly so effortlessly written. So he had to make it more difficult. Do you follow me?

([Jane:] “I don’t feel this way. I’m eager for you to do the book. I know it will be a fine thing, should you decide to do it.” RB.)

You work mornings outside. He feels guilty that you do. He feels how you would enjoy and appreciate painting in the same way that my book is being presented, so spontaneously and quickly, comparatively speaking. He thinks this should be granted to you rather than to him, to make up for your job, and so he has felt somewhat guilty about it, and punished himself by holding off. He was afraid you would be jealous of the book, and hurt, and his panic was of your reaction.

To him, because you are in good health, he took this to mean that you were therefore better than he was, closer to perfection. When you felt at your best he felt accused. Do you follow me?

(Seth’s delivery was very friendly here. I’ve told Jane before that typing up this material has always been a job I do gladly, since I believe in it and regard it as having a vital part of a work that is both highly creative and original. It also gives me an opportunity to do some writing on my own in conjunction with Seth’s own data and this I enjoy greatly.

Now I can laugh with you, but he will not when he reads this. He felt he was not worthy of the healing ability because he was not perfect. Again, do all you can to convince him that his good health is not dependent upon his performance or perfection. This is extremely important.

I intended to do some on the book, just to set him at ease this evening, but when I found him open enough to get this material through, I decided this would be the greater benefit. Now, I will take a moment to see if there is anything else, and you may use the time to think of any questions, if they come to you. (Pause.) On certain evenings he does not feel he deserves to sleep if he has not produced.

It is all connected. The trouble is that when the early environmental conditions, which helped set up the episode, ceased operating strongly, the pattern of behavior was set, and used then for other psychological purposes as noted. (Important!) Past environmental episodes have little now to do with the symptoms. The data given this evening relates to the present situation. Now, the cat lover’s attitude has a healthy effect on Ruburt, regardless of its basic legitimate nature. Do you follow me?

(Jane didn’t know I was going to ask this question. Nor had I planned upon doing so; the idea came to me a few minutes ago.)

For one thing, she is afraid that the Jesuit will get more severe symptoms of his own, as a result of work pressure, and in a protective way she is trying to say “Bill, do not get sick. See, I will get sick myself instead, for you.”

Beyond this the symptoms are a protest. She thinks that he could get out of some (underlined) obligations connected with work, if he really exerted himself to do so, and was not afraid of doing so.

Do you have any more questions?