“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(At a quick scan I thought the ideas answered all the questions we’d had about the symptoms over the years—explaining, for instance, their onset before the psychic developments, etc. They seemed to offer a unified theory to cover the years of our marriage, and even Jane’s childhood. I saw at once that if valid they also meant Jane must shelve her projected book, Adventures in Consciousness, and concentrate on things like Rich Bed, the Dialogues (poetry), and, perhaps, let Seth do his own thing in sessions. If this included writing books, okay. But crisis time was here, and something had to be done. I was somewhat puzzled that I hadn’t asked my pendulum this specific set of questions before—or had I? If I had, perhaps I hadn’t understood the answers, I thought; because certainly no action had been taken because of them, along the lines now contemplated....

The ESP book was meant to be a book—one book. In the beginning he did not want to publish the material, if you recall. Not because he did not like the material, but because then, at least, he understood that for him (underlined) assembling it during his creative hours was not fulfilling his kind of creative need.

The creativity was in the sessions. Because he felt a responsibility to the work, and because of another publication—a hardcover book—he consented to The Seth Material. The “acclaim” (in quotes) of a tour helped revive him initially, and he began ideas of a novel.

It had a psychic basis. Tam wanted another psychic book. Ruburt objected enough to refuse to do a series like the Cayce books, but tried to compromise with the Dream/Seth book, which also involved him with the typing of records. You needed the money, he felt.

He tried to do a narrative, and use for example descriptive abilities—a valiant attempt to do two different things in one book. Before all of this, as the very first symptoms began, before the ESP book, he was already deeply frightened by the novel rejections, the Playboy rejections after they raised his hopes, the poetry book acceptance that fell through with Continental, and what he felt to be your joint deteriorating relationship.

There were also financial considerations. He had only lately freed himself from a part-time job. To refuse a psychic book that was definite, to try for another novel with no assurances, seemed foolhardy. At the same time his age bothered him. The young writer, aspiring, was no longer so young.

As a writer for example, alone, he does not feel a responsibility (underlined) to write every kind of book possible: gothics, mysteries, science fiction, poetry, essays, straight novels. There is no reason why he should, though he has the ability to write any of them well. So he need not feel that he has a responsibility to be a psychic healer, a clairvoyant, a medium, a psychic psychologist, and so forth, though he has the ability to be any of these.

The dream book incidentally (which Eleanor Friede now has) in different form—far different—will be published. So will Adventures—and when he is in a better position to evaluate his Adventures. He did not want Dreams published. Adventures initially was a way of leading him back into “I” writing, and toward Aspects and Rich Bed.

It (Adventures) also served to regenerate his creative abilities, which had lagged in Dreams. Seven saved him from another Dreams (book) and also provided him with a contract.

My books will provide a different kind of accelerated creativity that can be achieved in no other way, and that will leave him freedom to pursue another kind of creativity that can come only from him, and not from me. This could not have developed in the beginning, however.

(9:06. The session was going excellently, I told Jane. I mentioned three questions I hoped Seth would cover at least in part: Jane’s projected call to Tam at Prentice-Hall tomorrow morning, re substituting Seth’s new book for Adventures; Jane’s planned letter to Eleanor Friede about Rich Bed; and whether Jane should continue with ESP class.

Now. Last summer, or rather the one before the flood (in June 1972) improvements were obvious (in 1971). The reasons you should know. The pressure of the dream book was gone. He was not doing something he did not want to do. The move (across the hall into our second apartment) meant mobility. Your relationship began to improve to an important degree.

He was between books, just having money from Seth Speaks. There were several things you had still not learned, however, that you have now learned. The relationship would be very good, then, but some old characteristic responses of ours would occur now and then, and frighten him. He began to move toward a new contract, which meant Adventures, he felt, rather than Rich Bed.

After Seth Speaks was duly accepted, and while he was working on Adventures and Rich Bed initially, then he improved. The creative energy splashed over psychically in some poetry and in Sumari. Following that period he began to realize that Adventures for the present had served its purpose. Again he had another psychic book, and hopes of a contract, and Tam did not want Rich Bed.

He did not feel free then to take the chance, financially or creatively, to write (in quotes) a “literary” book. And yet whole foundations of his being in this life are devoted to that particular aspect of art.

To some extent it is his responsibility to make the material accessible, so that using it others may learn how to help themselves. The class gives me the opportunity to speak directly to individuals, and that experience is automatically used in my books.

Dialogues could not be written by anyone without Ruburt’s experience. Adventures would have been an error if pursued further now. Later, with greater understanding and with a backlog of other work that contents him, it will be an excellent book.

He well knew at times that Adventures was in part a ruse to content him, and assure him of a contract while I began my book, but he is afraid of taking the plunge on his own now. He was also afraid that you would be angry.

Bill Macdonnel, coming at this time of year, did remind him of the first sessions and the ESP book and the tooth incident, caused physically by the sinuses, was a message that the time was crucial, a crisis. He had to say no, now, and move ahead in his own area.

Ruburt’s condition deteriorated after the meeting with Eleanor. The situation brought into focus, you see, the entire problem. Seagull’s middle-aged lady focused it further. (Bach’s description of Jane for Time.) The middle-aged lady was mentioned as middle-aged, and as a psychic, poet and science fiction writer—a turning of the ways in that the psychic books were mentioned, but no books of poetry, which gave impetus to Dialogues.

Our books will continue. He felt trapped and saw no way out. Even now he is afraid of turning down the money of letting that much work go, but he finally sees that that is his answer.

Now I have an important suggestion, to which I hope you will acquiesce, and it is important: You must really form a letter, a nice one, thanking people for their interest, explaining that for now private sessions are not given for individuals. These should be sent out to unanswered correspondence. Ruburt should devote himself to what he wants to write in his time. I will produce my books. There will be others (period).

Because neither of you were willing to take the chance earlier, nor did you feel financially secure enough to do so. You were both willing to put up with the situation. The idea of physically moving automatically brought these issues into the light, and you helped Ruburt immensely. He would never have tried completely to write the book, but he could have struggled nearly halfway through—

(10:35. It is Wednesday, January 3 as I finish this session. Jane has already cleared the matter with Tam—who incidentally had a vivid dream Monday night, in which in distorted form he learned that Adventures was to go by the board. Many elements in Tam’s dream tallied with events depicted in this session, bearing out Seth’s contention that Tam already sensed the conflicts over Adventures, etc. We are to send him what’s done on Seth’s new book.

(The galleys for Oversoul Seven arrived yesterday. This has been most opportune—and in them Jane was delighted to see many hints and ideas for future work —many clear signs that she had already begun to feel her way toward the future; including poetry. Our opinions of the book have risen apace, though we liked it before also.)