“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.

As mentioned before, he was told to slow down, told he would burn himself out before he was twenty. He climbed through belief systems with an unerring sense of direction, but as he toppled one there was always another. When he finished with the Catholic church, for example, he was certain that the secular, academic world offered the answers to the questions ignored, he felt, by religion. But that world of beliefs also was found highly limiting.

(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.

Ruburt felt that anyone who went outside the established systems would meet ridicule, so he protected himself against it. He did his thing, but he set about creating an environment of “safety,” and he would not go outside of it. He would not have to deal with so-called skeptics on the one hand, nor would he allow himself to be set up as an occult priestess on the other. Nor would he be an object of ridicule to neighbors, for they would not see him that much.

The body’s discomfort as he wrote would also tone down his inner pursuits enough so that he could intellectually handle them.

Now only a belief in hostility would justify such behavior. The behavior also says “Look at me. You can’t attack me because I am in such poor shape. It would not be fair play.”

As mentioned earlier, Ruburt’s sex, as Jane, was also connected, for he carried the beliefs of his culture that a woman would be ridiculed twice as quickly as a man. In the meantime he seemed to have, in a certain way, nothing concrete to offer in terms that he felt people could understand—nothing for them to grab a hold of.

This is also based on cultural-sexual beliefs. He is afraid that you will not love him if he does not take the traditional woman role, and that if he does not he has no right to expect such gallantry. Both of you, however, were highly suspicious of sexuality in connection with your work, and you, Joseph, did feel it a trap, which is why you married late. Ruburt tried to hide what he thought of as characteristics that would frighten you—but the need itself was only camouflaged.

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.

Its restraint holds back other expressions of love on both of your parts, and of laughter. The body condition itself will respond as this session is understood. You have made preliminary necessary changes. He actively wants to move about here, inside and out. He is moving somewhat faster overall, and overall he is somewhat straighter, though not always. You are each afraid of giving much notice, however, for fear you will be mislead. He would go in stores more, but he is afraid of humiliating you.

Your own natural feelings toward him, your own natural sexual feelings, with their naturally allowed sexual gallantry, would clear that point. In the past, the long past, he discouraged your sexual gallantry in his concern for proving himself independent—and also, then, because he felt on the other hand that if he endorsed it you would feel that he was tacitly demanding conventional female protection. He has grown more wise since.

(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....)