“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Perhaps we should be flattered that the last we heard of the bidding saw Bantam making an offer to Prentice of $50,000 for the present Seven, plus the next two.... Jane spoke to John Nelson this evening before the session; he called her from his place, after failing to reach her this afternoon. As far as we know, the set-to is cleared up now, Jane is free, etc. Grace gave John sales figures for Seth Speaks which are much too low, so we really have little idea of how the book is selling, judging by those. Actually, Grace told Jane last week, and John this week, that the book is “a smashing success,” whatever that means, and is in its sixth printing. We aren’t due to collect royalty money this month from Bantam, however, which means the original $35,000 isn’t eaten up yet by sales. Some $12,000 to go.

Listen to your own conversation. When your friend Leonard comes and speaks of taking time out, you say “I wish I could afford such luxury,” or some such. You think of yourself as virtuous. The idea of not having enough time becomes your badge of virtue, showing that you are hard-working and not “an indolent artist.”

(9:40.) You have built up the idea of free time being wrong, sinful, no matter what you tell yourself about wanting more of it. That is one thing. Deeper, however, is the fact that the belief in an unsafe universe sets up certain habits of resistance, and more practically, of self-protection. The resistance is protective. It shows itself in fears that seem perfectly realistic, and indeed highly practical—the feeling itself is not let go of easily, for you and others rely upon it. It is a state of alarm and readiness. You are so used to feeling unsafe that you consider alarm of one kind or another as a realistic approach to life.

Your ideas of time however are detrimental. They were formed in line with the old beliefs, and so of course that seemed utterly appropriate. In some important areas, however, your own beliefs have changed lately.

Now our books themselves released their own energy into your world. The ideas were and are needed. Their richness brings about the financial richness, which is as you know assured. It is not virtuous to remind yourself of the poverty of others. In the old line of thinking such a remark would be considered unfeeling. When you dwell upon, for example only, New York’s economic status, you keep the feeling of threat going. In realistic terms this applies to some extent to you and New York City as well. As inappropriate as this might sound, thoughts of your own fortunate financial situation help you increase that abundance—but it also helps to increase the abundance of others.

Now about Pocket Books. Interesting and amusing. The woman there (Pat Golbitz) picked up all of your own negative ideas—yours and Ruburt’s—about Fell and Prentice, and aimed them at John (Nelson). This confirmed John’s belief that he is not understood. He would not feel it safe to be understood in an unsafe world.

You can have more on my book whenever you want it. Because of your joint ideas of time, Ruburt sometimes considers it a threat to your future time. This attitude will vanish on both of your parts as you become more proficient with the ground rules of a safe universe.