“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Ruburt’s intent to be responsive is being used in that fashion, and the word with its meanings brings about a juggling or change-about of other important intents, which then change alliances.

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.

(This thought appeals to me considerably, and seems obvious, of course, once stated. I imagine I react to it in somewhat the same way that Jane does to her “responsiveness.”)

As he is using it, the word “responsive” will give him freedom to respond as he wishes to the world in general, so that the two of you can make decisions. There is an overall picture you cannot see, in which you form your lives together, so that at one time you act, for example, as a unit, and on other occasions or times one acts out certain of your joint beliefs, while the other acts out another one.

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.

Constantly applied tension leads to any and all physical problems. In the face of the circumstances you did well—avoiding drugs, for example. In many cases, when people make the necessary decisions that would otherwise restore their bodies, medical drugs have so muddied body orientation that the affair is further complicated. If you continue as you are going, the overall body responsiveness will certainly continue. But do remember what I have said about applying your individual and joint feeling of creativity and inventiveness in those directions.

(Seth’s material earlier this evening, about responsiveness to the world, in whatever form one chose, reminded me of an idea I’d mentioned to Jane last week. I’d dropped it because I became unsure of the reactions on both of our parts. The idea involved our concentration for just five minutes a day—say when we lay down for our naps—on sending out suggestions to the effect that we’d hear from people we wanted to hear from, either/or by letter or in person. Obviously the people would be well-enough known for us to have heard of them. But I’d been thinking that it might be a way to break our habits of retreat. I became concerned, though, about whether our beliefs had changed enough to make such contacts possible, or welcome to us if they did materialize.

As Ruburt’s body becomes more responsive, it means also that he is becoming more responsive not just physically but in all areas. He thinks he feels uncomfortable with other people on such occasions because he is physically uncomfortable, sitting for long periods, or because he feels in an inferior physical condition. Instead, of course, he felt in such a position before the symptoms showed—as each of you felt, and were convinced in black-and-white fashion, that creative people were misunderstood, held in inferior position in the world, and were generally considered oddballs.

The shoddy, superficial, popular novelist is acclaimed. The original creator is scoffed at. Ruburt could not stand ridicule, and so took a proud retreat. He now understands that retreat denies the responsiveness natural to the body, mind, and spirit.

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.

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.