“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The same applied to Ruburt. You chose challenges, then, because despite it all your personalities are the kind that set up such life situations to begin with. Your abilities would meet some conflict in terms of religious, sexual, and social beliefs. This conflict would in a certain fashion sharpen the issues. To meet with these, Ruburt for example adopted certain beliefs that at various times would be helpful.

You react by setting up defenses. Because of Ruburt’s old ideas about femininity, kept beyond their time, he feels more vulnerable than you amid those unsafe conditions, and has put up extra safeguards. Life was not meant to be perfect. You can, however, choose to accept your challenges wholeheartedly, resolutely—something that you have not really done. I do not think you believe what I tell you, and you do not believe me because you do not really believe that the point of power is in the present.

For Ruburt, again, the old ideas of femininity, not examined, hung over, and so he felt more vulnerable than you. You must realize that you chose this reality, and unconventional challenges. You must realize that in so doing you automatically and knowingly took into consideration such adventures as the young man coming through the window (earlier today, while I was taking a nap).

Your lives, like everyone’s, have rhythms. Ruburt’s creative life follows rhythms in which he produces excellent works usually in great bursts of activity—then a quiet period. You work in more measured patterns, and this is largely responsible for your individual and joint feelings over “Unknown” Reality.

This has caused some conflict between you. Measured work of that nature is very difficult for Ruburt—hence the typing, for example of manuscripts, such as mine, that he cannot change as he goes along, is very difficult. When he types his own work he makes creative changes.

In those areas you believed that the point of power was in the present. Ruburt’s physical condition is so noticeable and so has your joint attention, because it stands out alone as the one large negative in a period of positive growing achievement, abundance, and understanding.

Now people do the same thing in all areas of their lives. The beliefs involved in your case were particularly “tricky,” because they were initially part of your private and joint experience, meant to be helpful. Ruburt did distrust the body because it was female—a belief quite helpful, if distorted, when he was 15 or 16 years old, or even in his 20’s.

When you tie these abilities to feelings of strong responsibility, serious work, too much, you limit them to whatever degree, and you limit your own expression of them. Ruburt’s held-over feelings about femininity make him try to be overly respectable in his work. The playful abilities find themselves in straightjackets. He becomes afraid of being ostracized. Your own seriousness about work in the past, your own attitudes, linger on in his. He took you too literally.

(11:01.) Now: if you believe me you can end all of this, and Ruburt can regain his normal flexibility. On several occasions in the past we had such sessions. You each managed for a time to achieve that level of intuitive understanding necessary. You followed my directions, and you saw results. I believe, now, if you saw the same results you would each have better sense than to let them go by the board.

Ruburt’s body, incidentally, has held out remarkably well through all of this. I suggest two sessions a week—one on thematic material, the book, or questions you might have in areas of your interest. The other a private session if necessary or desirable—or otherwise to deal with the subjects above.

1.) I want you to each reread the passages on the point of power in Personal Reality, and to apply it—that truth—to Ruburt’s physical condition. There is nothing in Ruburt’s body that cannot be vastly improved and corrected. He needs to regain confidence in his physical being again.

3.) You have to initiate some policy in the near future of meeting people. I will have suggestions. It does not matter if you think that any given contacts are “useless,” or that you do not reap intellectual benefits. The fact is that each of you need that contact. If you allow it, your own rhythms will become clear. Ruburt needs solitude, as you do, but also a format of an informal nature, for the emotions of others stimulate his abilities.

If you can only manage to realize that the point of power is in the present, in all areas, then Ruburt’s condition can dramatically improve in a short time. You are afraid of looking for improvements. You do not trust them. You think that because there have been failures in the past, failures are inevitable. Ruburt must reinstate a playful attitude mentally and psychically.

6.) To begin, I want Ruburt to walk from one end of the house to the other, three times a day.

Later, I will add to this. Try as hard as you can to consider this a challenge that rouses both of you to your greatest achievement, rather than as a condition that must be put up with—and do not concentrate upon it. Seeing people, as I mentioned, is important. It prevents Ruburt from becoming too reclusive.

(11:26.) Give us a moment.... Have him begin a dream notebook (7). I want him to think in terms of using his abilities. I want you to think of using yours, rather than either of you concentrating upon what cannot be practically done. It would be of help if your bed had a north-to-south orientation, decorating problems to the contrary (8?). Particularly in your location, this has added benefit. Let Ruburt try one out-of-body this week—simply try.

There are “evolutions” in our work and in your own work that are in the offing, and a new book for Ruburt if he remembers the playful attitude.