“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

To some extent Ruburt is beginning to move in that direction now, in Psychic Politics—particularly with his codicils. First of all, of course, you do choose the culture into which you are born. The belief system is like a mental and spiritual climate. To some extent or another each individual alive alters that climate, so that even if there were no revolutions there would be constant change, sometimes gradual and sometimes sudden.

You have with all of this the natural need, again, to be accepted to some degree by your fellows, to find a point of relation, an accepted platform for relationships.

(9:58.) For a while, though he would not admit it, he felt that he would be welcomed with open arms by someone, meaning some system. The spiritualists, he found, would do so, and made overtures. The so-called occult groups would also, with their Gnostic brotherhoods. All he had to do was translate his experience into their terms, as before he felt he was expected to translate it into conventional religious, academic, or scientific terms.

Now while this journey went on, and while he traveled through systems, disregarding, finally, one series of beliefs after another, he still carried to some degree certain basic root assumptions, held in different ways by all of those systems. Still carrying some of these himself, and with my help, he began a study of the nature of belief itself.

(Pause.) He freed himself in important areas, yet all the time struggling against certain basic seeming inconsistencies. You are also tinged by some of these beliefs as he is, for they represent those cultural colorations upon which all of your other systems are based.

Ruburt suddenly found himself then exploring very strange grounds indeed—and without the earlier sustaining hope. For all the recognized systems were wanting. He did not have to examine each one minutely, for his abilities, after some familiarization, left him with the knowledge of their merits. The stated discernible hypotheses of the various systems are one thing—but their invisible root assumptions are something else. Ruburt tried to put his understanding to practical use in terms of daily life, your relationship, work, finances, his classes, yet he found himself with definite physical hassles. You have encountered them through your relationship with him. In certain areas you both have blazed ahead. Those deeply seated, invisible, cultural assumptions still operated, however. Some of them you both dismissed for the very simple reason that they never temperamentally suited you to begin with. Others you dismissed because you grew in wisdom.

The self is not trustworthy. That is another root assumption behind all of your systems, and here Ruburt was experimenting with that self.

The symptoms were based then on beliefs that he accepted—beliefs that are all quite basic in your civilization, invisibly entwined in all of those systems he thought he had dismissed.

If Ruburt now and then wants to cry on your shoulder, let him, and comfort him. It is natural enough when his body hurts. He would not do it freely, and only because he tries to hide such tears from you does the emotion seem so lonely. He is afraid you are afraid, as you are. But the feeling is never let go properly or healthily, and it is a natural reaction—not threatening at all.

(A note: It does seem a shame that Cultural Reality is there, ready for the giving or receiving. It’s transmission is a couple of years away, though, according to the way Jane and I have been producing these books. I did mention one thought to Jane that would speed things up. Simply let Seth dictate the book—any book—minus any notes on my part. Then I would only have to transcribe it and type the manuscript. Jane could write a lengthy Intro or Preface if she cared to, explaining all the mechanics, the trances, etc., connected with the book’s production.

(Jane said she thought the idea a good one. She also said that she felt our method to date had been “a very necessary one” for us—notes and all. It does seem Seth could do a book without notes. He would just proceed through each chapter, or session....)