“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(We’ve also talked over Seth’s answer in the last session about why the subconscious doesn’t back off when it’s obvious that it’s gone too far in a protective role, say. I said that I understood his answer to my question all right, but yet that I felt there were still things there to be discussed; that in individual cases, for instance, the subconscious could go too far when there was no need to, and that in such cases it seemed to ignore the wishes and desires of the conscious personality involved. I felt, then, that there should be a more intimate give-and-take between all portions of a personality. Since in numerous cases throughout the species’ history, I added, this hadn’t happened, I thought there could be important insights there that we might learn from Seth. But primarily, my original question had to do with Jane’s own case, and at this time that was the one we were still interested in gaining insight into.)

Ruburt is beginning from his own position, and he is seeking the normal, free motion of his body. All of the equipment is there, and there are no disease elements. The body has not been used, however, in a normal manner. As mentioned, when bodybuilders build up certain muscles, they do indeed experience great distress at times. They understand the reason for the discomfort, for they are building muscle—but in their cases they often overdo it. Nevertheless there are others with whom they can share their discomfort.

The reasons behind the condition, causing the condition, brought about the secondary group of mental habits. The bodybuilders look forward to their workouts, for they have a purpose in mind. Ruburt instead developed habits that discouraged him from using his body, except in certain ways. As much as possible, I would like Ruburt to remember these comparisons, for he is just becoming aware of certain habitual thoughts that accompany motion—walking, say, or getting up or down. With your help, he has tried to temper some of these.

Now: you are working very well together, and your suggestion about the use of the chair (to get around the house) was the result of Framework 2 creativity. It took Ruburt a day or so to accept it. He was afraid of wheelchair connotations, but he triumphed over that negative idea. Your suggestion was important for several reasons. It was practical, and could be done at once. Its most important benefit, however, was that it freed Ruburt from mentally seeing himself in only one corner of one room, and immediately aroused his normal leanings toward love of whatever home you share.

It rearoused his desires to clean—desires that had been inhibited. Immediately he began to think in terms of physical activities he wanted to perform. Physically used in such a manner, the chair does exercise his knees and feet, while his weight is not upon them entirely, and his thoughts are not on exercise.

(10:05.) Give us a moment.... You cannot say that any of Ruburt’s attitudes were “wrong,” nor can you say in larger terms that his method was “wrong.” You cannot say, and should not, place moral connotations in such situations. Each personality is different, and affects the body in a different way. You think of health as physical only. If you think in terms of an unhealthy relationship, for example, then you may at least begin to glimpse the ways in which individuals will seek prerogatives, so each case must be seen separately.

Rest your fingers.... Ruburt’s particular case is rather clear and exaggerated in that respect. It is not murky at all. I have given this material in the past. He thought of his father—he thought of his father—as spontaneous, free, and undisciplined, as somewhat stupid and somewhat dangerous. He thought of his mother as possessing a strong will. His mother was authoritative to a degree. His father was lax. He feared his mother far more, however, and he tried to temper his own behavior, to ally the intuitions and the intellect or will.

He wanted to use his intuitive abilities fully, but felt that great caution must be used. He thought mainly of the health of your relationship together, and the health of his work. He became divided, seeing these as opposing tendencies in his personality, rather than as complementary ones that quite naturally met in his personality, so one was set against the other. Much of this appears in your pendulum work of late, but you both then project those ideas upon the world, so that you think of your readers as overly credulous, or of critics who are overly critical. This leads of course to people who are for you, but dumb; or against you but intellectual.

One flower may die before another. One may be blemished and the other not, but none are the less flowers for that. Ruburt was convinced he needed certain protections. His judgments, and yours to a lesser extent, can be regarded as the flower’s blemishes, though I am aware it is not easy for you to see this in that light.

It is imperative, however, that you make an effort not to think in terms of “the symptoms” any longer, but instead to think of ways that Ruburt can condition his body, realizing that he need not be at the mercy of old fears.

One was at a time when Ruburt began Rich Bed and the first draft of Adventures. He was examining beliefs, expressing aggressions naturally, and freeing his spontaneity. This led to the birth of new creative material as well. His beliefs and hopes arose again later when I gave the sessions on spontaneity and work that I want him to reread. But those probabilities did not materialize.

Ruburt is doing well with the point of power exercise, and I suggest he take the same amount of time to open himself up to intuitive material from the library, or otherwise. It is natural-enough that when he is beginning to use his body more that at times he becomes more aware of it, and of the time involved, and so forth. He must also remember Sumari time, for the creative imagination works no matter what you are doing.