“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Both of us wanted Seth to discuss the sudden relaxation of her upper body that Jane experienced last Friday afternoon when we made love. She’s written her own account of this. But the event provided us with an obvious clue—any body that can undergo so spontaneous a change can hardly be one that’s permanently fixed in a stiffened condition.... We’ve already obtained some interesting pendulum answers, this morning, about the event, concerning emotional factors that lead to physical restraint. We also wanted Seth to comment on Jane’s eye condition, which lately has taken a variety of states, some of them momentarily excellent.

The points I have mentioned were highly effective, and they were the most easily and naturally accomplished. I will return to them in a short time. They led Ruburt into periods of time in which he enjoyed simple pursuits—the making of a meal, for example. The impetus further led him around the kitchen, usually in the chair, but often to take steps in a different way from one point to another. He was reacting to new stimuli, as is natural for the body. He stretched just about every muscle in a new way, and made new demands upon the body, that the body quite agreeably tried to meet.

You felt that love and devotion should be understood, and that they did not need to be stated. In a way, both of you meant different things by communication, and used it to express only part of the spectrum of your feelings. It is Ruburt’s nature to yell at the cat, but he feels the noise upsets you—a small point, but important.

Suddenly, however, the wells of love within you opened, uncritically. He felt that, and was moved, as always. But for all your talk about “wanting to help him too,” you seldom take the initiative in that regard. This time you began to caress him. The response was immediate, spontaneous, and as complete as the moment and his physical condition allowed. Many people spend hours, now and then, caressing each other’s bodies, massaging each other, or simply relaxing in such a way, whether or not a sexual encounter occurs or is expected.

It is legitimate enough, but whatever other feelings you might have had of a more positive nature you did not express, and so your day began on that note. Other people would read the same paper, yet all of them reacted in their own ways. If peace of mind is a goal, if it is, the late delivery of the paper is ludicrous. It is not allowed to color your day in such a way. The bodybuilder would dismiss it without a thought.

Now the bodybuilders and sports teams have coaches, who remind them constantly of the goal in mind, and arouse their enthusiasm. They say “There are odds, but we will beat them.” You need to be your own coaches in that respect.

Ruburt needs approval. He needs the verbal expression of love and affection, not only in regard to his work, which he appreciates immensely, but in terms of his person. He used to try to trick you into such remarks. Sometimes he pleaded, and finally he decided they were simply against your nature, and so he must forget it.

Now: use of the chair is important because it does increase his mobility in this stage; but also because it exercises the knees while the rest of the body is in a comparatively normal position, with the back, shoulders, and head fairly upright. It also provides exercise to the feet without the weight imbalance that presently operates when he walks.

The pendulum should be used to uncover feelings, to allow feedback between portions of the self, but mostly as a way of implanting new knowledge and constructive suggestions and feelings of safety to the “subconscious.”

One additional point: Ruburt can indeed recover. Not only that, but his recovery can be fairly easy, but your joint habits of pessimism color your attitudes. It is as if the team coach shouted “Try as hard as you can—but we will probably lose because that is the way it is.”

Now: you have begun to change that attitude. Simply keep in mind those significances. Notice how you are focusing. The bodybuilder does not think he is inhibiting his expression if he chooses to focus on his bodybuilding to the exclusion of distractions that may be quite real but detrimental to his purpose. Feelings of pessimism regarding Ruburt’s condition are detrimental. You both did very well on many occasions recently, so try to duplicate versions of the behavior I told you was helpful—and focus in those directions.