“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Ruburt’s body is undergoing profound beneficial alterations, for his desire and intent seemingly have changed overnight, relatively speaking. Words, symbols, signs, anything that can be used by a personality, often become a new focus through which probabilities are altered. These are not so much bridge beliefs as bridge intents.

The word combines all of his goals—physical and creative—into one clear focus in which there is no ambiguity. In a way then the word, with its intent and meaning, has tremendous power, to which the body is responding. Responsive: that word does not imply retreat. It also implies the ability to respond. The energy to act. The joints have all begun to move better. In some cases now this means, relatively speaking, slight enough motion, but highly important.

The circulatory system, again, is activated. This is noticeable particularly in the feet, and all of the ligaments are beginning to release. This is an overall activation because of the overall intent, and therefore more in balance than the beginning of improvements in the past. The body instantly responds to a new image by activating its entire mechanism. Ruburt does not yet know what his response to the world will be—whether he wants, for example, television shows and so forth, or not—but he is now determined to respond, to be responsive, and not to simply retreat.

He has been searching for a key of that nature, something about which he could rally his forces. The moment came insignificantly enough—as Friday evening passed with your company on the porch (the Gallaghers, the Blumenthals.

Again, his condition does represent the one area where both of you have felt cowed, often hopeless, and as if your abilities worked in all directions but that one. The important point is, that that area was the one area in which you did not use those abilities—nor should either of you spend time bemoaning what has happened, or dwelling upon “what people can do to themselves.” This is not only waste of time, but it adversely affects your creativity, and that frame of mind will never generate solutions, but only further difficulties in any area (emphatically).

The freedom that the house and the money represent is extremely important to both of you. Ruburt did not put himself in poor physical condition to get those things. His physical symptoms were the result of methods or habits of dealing with himself and the world, and of attitudes that both of you shared for the greater part of your lives.

He applied those methods of his own, but they differed from yours only in degree. You would not go so far. To a large extent, however, you agreed on retreat rather than response. To some extent now, you applied discipline in your work and lives to protect yourself against response to a world that you felt was insane, in direct conflict with artistic pursuits, and in which you felt quite alien —both of you, that is, as a unit.

You hope to cast understanding upon man’s soul, his body, and alter his concepts of his cultural reality. At the same time you both made sure that you reinforced your own beliefs, so that the people who came did not altogether click with you. You could say “Well, that is that—we made an attempt,” and drop the entire issue (which is what we did say and do).

Ruburt’s own abilities he considered represented even the furthest reaches of the creative realm, therefore putting him in twice as inferior a position. In the light of your beliefs, the better you considered your own works, the worse your position in society, and your opinion of your fellow men: the better the creator, the worse his social position, the greater the ridicule.

Ruburt’s responsiveness will show physically. When he feels he can physically handle guests with some finesse, if not with perfectly normal behavior, you will know that his mental and emotional patterns have changed. You will also know that your emotional and mental attitudes in that regard have changed.

(“—so I’m wondering if our doing this will collide with what we’re trying to do about the symptoms. The suggestions about sales won’t increase his feelings of vulnerability, will they, just when we’re trying to build up confidence, and so forth?”)

I am not saying that you should refuse guests. When Ruburt is ready, and when you are ready to begin to embark upon relationships with others of any import, his condition will show it. We are not speaking simply of guests, but of a willingness on your part to begin relationships—in line with your work, and of direct contacts, planned in advance, of personal contact.

I am more concerned that the ideas of responsiveness be followed now, and that you apply your feelings of creativity to the situation. When Ruburt does not feel ashamed to meet guests, it will seem to him that this is because he is so physically improved. Actually the improvements follow and are the physical materialization of his responsiveness to himself, and to the natural world.

We will then go into that, with other material, at our next session. Ruburt’s interpretation of last night’s dream was correct, and his dream experience will show greater depth and variety now that he has stated his intent by beginning his (dream) notebook.