“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Timothy Foote, senior editor in charge of the book review department for Time Magazine, interviewed Jane and me today in connection with a cover story he is to write about Richard Bach and Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

(Timothy Foote arrived by plane from New York City at about noon, and left at 4:30 PM, driving to Saratoga and Skidmore College to see his daughter. Timothy Foote, Jane and I got along very well; seemingly we all liked each other. Timothy Foote was very interested in Jane’s abilities, and said he would like to return for a session with a recorder. He is to write to us.

(Timothy Foote told Jane he would review Seth Speaks for the magazine. We didn’t ask him to do this. He told us his review for Richard Bach wouldn’t “be hostile;” he didn’t particularly like the book. Jane, liking Timothy Foote, told me later that had he stayed for the evening she would have had a session for him; yet we feel there were reasons he didn’t stay, and that things worked out for the best all around.

Ruburt is beginning to get the picture, as the saying goes. And of course it is no coincidence that Timothy Foote, being the kind of man he is, came here, and is doing the Seagull’s story.

For he is a kind, well-intentioned, intelligent man, searching to make sense of the nature of reality by using the yardstick of available beliefs. His kindly inner skepticism is the same as that that is within many of the magazine’s readers. They will (in quotes) “want to believe” Seagull and its story, for example, but they will not come from any homogenous background of acceptance, necessarily. Do you follow me?

For Timothy individually and personally what happened here, little as it was, is not only important to him, but in terms of continuity ties in with the earlier Lourdes interest, and picks up a thread that has run throughout his life. He is ready now to go ahead in certain areas.

(Timothy Foote described his learning about the healings at Lourdes, France, while he was an overseas newspaper correspondent, etc.)

He has always been deeply concerned with the nature of reality, both from an intellectual and emotional standpoint, and where Seagull did not reach him personally, he was fascinated by the phenomena of belief behind it, and then was fascinated by the phenomena of belief behind the Lourdes healings.

Our material will give Timothy something to sink his teeth into, in ways that suit his particular fashion. He is playing a part in bringing the message to the people initially in several aspects, in as undistorted a fashion as possible.

Do not overlook the Saratoga connections of Timothy or Eleanor (Friede): for Ruburt this also provides a sense of continuity that had been lost, and a focus point in his life, a gathering-together point most necessary, that will serve to collect and even regenerate his energies. He will be known as an excellent writer in his own right, and as one who produces our material, which he will be in a position to give freely to the world.

It is true that all spring from the same source—creativity—but the divisions between his personality’s use of those abilities, and my use of them, was not to be broken down. He had to be free to do both. There was a period while he learned to readjust, of course. He was learning.

—were in line, with his activities, and developed so that he could handle the ensuing experiences, including the enlargement of your acquaintances.

(Timothy told Jane that his 16-year-old daughter voiced two questions for Seth: “Is there a God? Does He know what’s going on down here?” We hope we recalled them accurately.)

(Added Note: Timothy Foote also told Jane and me that he’d like to do a feature story on Jane, Seth and me for Time Magazine, but that it probably wouldn’t ever be done—the magazine being “too secular”—Timothy Foote’s words. I don’t know whether he meant cover story, a la Dick Bach.