“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Generalized body changes since the last session Saturday night: More loosening in neck, ligaments, chin and face area; walking is easier but still requires support – legs tremble and have trouble supporting weight, but knees move better. “Shitty,” Jane said with a rueful laugh. Right foot looser and looser, but no help walking. Head and back more flexible; eyes not quite so red—“in and out” of focus in a period of minutes, yet Jane could see to work part of the time today, as Seth suggested.)

In other kinds of systems, great premiums would be put upon your work. I want you to understand, personally, the importance of such suggestions—particularly when they have authoritative backgrounds.

The work of the jaws necessitates the actions occurring, and if the new jaws end up with new teeth (humorously), that must not be considered a failure or a tragedy. That fear is precisely what keeps Ruburt from saving the teeth so far. The teeth business has to do also with Darwinian concepts of age, with thought of the animal not surviving, and in your world that is ridiculous. The fears behind the fears are groundless. He must not be so afraid, then, of losing the teeth—and then perhaps he can save them. But in any case you both lay highly negative and unwarranted suggestions in that area.

Your own behavior with your parents, with Ruburt, your attitudes toward your painting and outside jobs, Ruburt’s attitudes toward children, his work and you—all of these were so influenced. You set up defenses, privately and jointly, providing justifications, so that you could do your own thing, and “hold your head up” in the world of those beliefs. When you wanted to quit your job you became ill so that no one could blame you. That was years ago, when you were working full time. This would give you parental acceptance.

Illness is a face-saving device, socially, often occurring where private beliefs and feelings find irritation with mass beliefs. Our sessions began, and you managed to make other changes or compromises: you worked part time, and so did Ruburt. This had some advantages, but also many points of conflict. When either of you were offered jobs with advancement, you avoided them like the plague—idiotic behavior in Darwinian and Freudian terms.

Yet those terms influenced you both. You were involved in work that required growing trust of the self. Your painting required it, but Ruburt’s position required it still more. The self could be trusted least of all, however, so that Ruburt felt a necessity to criticize his procedure and performance, lest he was leading you and he both down a Freudian garden path.

As a woman Ruburt was in a worse position than you from both theories. He took greater precautions, therefore. Now that is the climate in which you began our work.

(12:01.) You have learned much, but until lately you always interpreted your position in the light of Darwinian and Freudian concepts. You want the books to sell well. That is natural. Your natures however are not particularly competitive. There is no reason to feel that you should (underlined three times) “be out there selling books.” You naturally both concentrate on ideas. Left alone, that concentration will naturally seek expression, amplification, and might result in, say, if you wanted it, some tours. But many of your ideas there are your attempts to bring your work into Darwinian terms.

Ruburt’s return to his writing will again trigger psychic response and creativity. With that work the comparatively few visitors will fall by the wayside in importance, and Ruburt’s condition will improve more smoothly, with his main concentration elsewhere. Your preoccupation with such matters has certainly hampered your creativity.