“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Tonight Jane said she thought she’d “done a damn good job” of keeping her mind off her condition, especially while painting and writing—all the time except when “something hurt quite a bit.” I saw her remarks as correlating with my primary question for this evening, since Seth has told us that her feelings of distress at such times result from her mental attitudes as much, or more than, physical circumstances.

For example, Ruburt might think “I must make up my mind, go out into the world, do lectures and tours, state my case, be an excellent example of the material, not only in normal physical condition but in glowing health.” or “I must stay at home, hide from the world, keep myself restrained lest I give into images of self-grandeur.” Either course, a true letting go of effort, leads to the realization that the impulses of the personality innately know if the self’s best paths. And only when someone begins to doubt those impulses and their validity do difficulties arise.

Ruburt did experience some fear, but overall has handled it well. I do want to make the point that that state of mind should be applied whenever possible to all areas of your lives. Now physically, the burning sensations are the results of stretching. Often, say, the back areas of the leg will be loose and comfortable while the topside knee portion might be sore. This means that the relaxation of the back muscles and ligaments is allowing new stretching of ligaments connected with the knee, and the condition might be reversed the next day, or in an hour.

It was natural enough for a while that Ruburt be quite aware of bodily sensation when he tried to “give up all effort,” but he is beginning now to sense the body’s pattern of activity, its relaxation, its stretching periods, and so forth. One important point: he gobbles experience, emphasizes it, studies it—and that quality also means that his bodily sensations are treated in the same manner. That is why the concentration upon the moment, upon his writing, upon, say, meals, immediately helps to take his mind off of his body. Remember desire in terms of Ruburt’s wanting to vacuum a rug, or whatever, and encourage those desires rather than an attitude of “I must do something physical today.”

So now we come to imagination and desire. When these are utilized properly you do not need effort, for effort becomes effortless. It is and it is not. When Ruburt feels he understands this, without taking any special time, let him think of using desire and imagination together, purposefully disconnecting them for this exercise from willpower or effort, and seeing himself shopping with you in a store, or walking a beach in Florida, or anything else that automatically comes to mind.