“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Late yesterday afternoon my pendulum told me that Jane’s symptoms stemmed from her feeling that she had failed to become a successful “straight” writer—a novelist, poet, essayist, et al.; that she felt she had failed as the serious writer she had always dreamed of becoming, that the psychic work represented a turning down a wrong path; that actually, basically, the psychic work represented failure to her rather than success. I was very excited by these ideas, more excited than I had been in a long time. I intuitively felt them to be true. I discussed them for some little while with her before we went out to a New Year’s Eve party at McClure’s. Jane seemed to agree with the ideas.

For some time Ruburt felt he was a failure, as a wife and as a writer. He did not see you succeeding, either. Conditions mentioned far earlier made communication difficult, and he brooded. The mobility, the point of mobility, represented moving ahead in his work, or not moving ahead. The apartment became a symbol. It was quite all right for the aspiring writer. If however he could not achieve the kind of success he wanted, then he might as well have the trappings.

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.

He did however feel that responsibility. Conflicts arose because his responsibilities clashed. Other quite ordinary issues were involved, some fears he did not want to admit. At times he was convinced that he had made a failure of his life so far—with you and his work.

You were involved in his attitudes. He felt (long pause at 9 PM) that he had no right to try to do “creative” (in quotes) work that might not pay. He felt also that you were jealous of his own writing, but not of the psychic work, this being further in the past.

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.

Seeing that group of people week after week, he is able to work with them, follow their progress and put theory into practice. That is sufficient. No one can be adequately (underlined) helped in one or two sessions, and it is not his responsibility, or mine, to answer personally the millions of people who need help, or even the relatively few who write him.

As you suspect, there is no conflict between the psychic and creative with him, but he did fear from the beginning that his own work would be swallowed. This has not proven true, for many reasons, some having to do with development.

His own work was not focused upon as it should have been, to his way of seeing things. Now he must go ahead and take his chances. He speaks of success. What he means is the production of a work of his own in those terms that he considers art, an accomplishment whether or not it brings financial success.

He was angry that the psychic work was bringing financial success, to some extent, while wanting the money. The full development of his creative abilities however needed the psychic development. Less ability would not.

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.

The mobility should begin here, now, while you begin looking about. Simply so you experience mobility immediately on two important levels: the work area through the phone call and decision, and your immediate present environment. Give us a moment.

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.

There are unknown dimensions then to his own work that will begin to materialize, and that would be buried had he continued to produce simply what he thought he should produce. And now do you have questions?

I do indeed. But both of you had to acquiesce, you see, or for him it would not have worked.

(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.)