“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Some of this has to do with the fact that both of you think in terms of absolutes, but often in different ways. Ruburt feels free enough to go to Florida, if he feels he does not have to face what he thinks of as your idea of absolute freedom, in which he is performing as normally as anyone else, or nearly so. If that is expected of him in line with both of your current beliefs in the body’s poor performance then he does not feel free to go at all.

The fact that he plans a trip means to him that he is free to go, and that there are some gradations of freedom physically in which he can operate and use as a vehicle. Now: your idea that you are not going freely, with freedom, is in those terms an absolute. It means that within the gradations offered you will not have a good time, but will compare what you have with a “perfect” freedom that Ruburt now does not possess. All of this because of your beliefs about Ruburt’s body—again, primarily Ruburt’s beliefs, but yours also. Often I use “you” to refer to each of you.

A note about the curb incident Ruburt mentioned (the other day while shopping at Centertown): it was precisely because each of you are still so hypnotized by effects that such incidents are charged to each of you. Your worrying about Ruburt 85% of the time does him no good and you less. You can see this quite clearly when Ruburt displays his side of the same picture, concentrating on symptoms.

A third of that energy on either of your parts spent on the realization that the effects are caused by beliefs, and an effort to change the beliefs, will work wonders. Ruburt did this with the shoe episode, and with the arm to an important degree. You cannot encourage him, saying “I know you can do it, honey, don’t worry about it, you’ll do better next time,” when you are quite firmly convinced of the opposite.

Now. Earlier Ruburt’s beliefs behind the body beliefs causing the difficulty affected him in such a way that he picked up from others those moods and feelings that agreed with him, so often constructive body messages could not get through. Now however you are left with body beliefs that no longer have a foundation in other personal beliefs, so they will secede much more quickly in the face of encouragement, enthusiasm, and projects that are otherwise personally desired. These can be used therefore to activate the body now far better than before.

You do not need to imagine him arising with your flexibility, nor should he at this point, but you should each expect continued improvement, and gradations of ever-growing freedom of mobility. Above all, you are from this point to stop structuring your lives upon the bedrock reality of Ruburt’s condition. For that “condition” is not a permanent thing, but a changing reality, an improving condition.