“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Today we received from the Museum of Modern Art an acknowledgment that William Rubin had received the Cézanne book I’d mailed him on October 17. In a note dated Oct 25 his assistant implied that Mr. Rubin would get in touch later, after the affairs connected with the Cézanne show there had subsided. He hasn’t looked through the book yet, however. I mentioned to Jane that it would be fun if Seth could give us a little bit on Rubin’s reaction when he saw the book on Cézanne—not on its contents.)

The neck ligaments, as mentioned, and the jaw area were particularly involved. Ruburt had some habits he was only vaguely aware of. He used to close his eyes tightly, often, when he sat down, tensing the knee ligaments and the eyes at the same time. This was because the knees hurt. In another learned response he did not look sideways. When he reached for something to the side he reached like this: his eyes did not follow the motion.

In other ways he did not use his eyes to follow sideward motions, and often tensed the entire head area when he executed any movement he felt was difficult. As the knee and neck areas began—as they are—spontaneous motions, unused activities of the eyes also began to show. They have not been synchronized. Part of this is because all the small ligaments in both the head and knee areas are released, or are being released. They are constantly exercising themselves, but are not themselves working smoothly.

Give us a moment.... (Long pause.) To some extent this has allowed the eyes to read now and then without glasses. The alterations in Ruburt’s knees, however, send various messages to the brain, for as he walks, due to the present activity, his position is not constant. He is not always so many feet, for example, from the floor. As the ligaments and muscles in the legs activate, they are learning to work together under entirely different conditions.

The varying pressure in the joints is also involved here, and all of these issues are connected with depth perception. The body of course knows your situations, and the demands put upon it. If Ruburt were a traffic cop, other methods would have been taken so that he would not get run down, for example. I understand your concern, and perhaps I should not comment, but if some of my suggestions had been followed, you would have had quicker results with the eyes. I know you both fairly well, however, so I usually give you a number of suggestions toward action, so that at least some of them (dryly) will be followed.

It is Ruburt of course whose moods are more noticeable, but he still should feel free to discuss his fears with you when he is in a poor mood. For even if you are not filled with faith at such times, you can usually recognize that his fears are exaggerated rather than realistic, even in those terms.

When you were working with sales the other day, you felt that contact (as described). You felt motion happening. Sometimes, perhaps, when Ruburt is listening to music he likes on his radio, let him try to get the feeling of Framework 2 again, without trying too hard, and imagine himself dancing, anyway he likes. This does not have to be long or involved.

Give us a moment.... If his knees could see, they would also be disoriented. (A great line.) The fear of the situation does not help, of course, for any such tension holds back the relaxing process—and the eyes are relaxing, and the neck and tendons, for example, letting go. Often at times when his vision is disorienting, that activity however also results in the better focus in reading that is coming about. Usually it is changes in focus that are involved. He will be reading fairly well, then perhaps look up at the television set, following motion of the screen, and then it will take time again—a few moments, perhaps before he reads well again. Or he will be reading well and look up, eyes roaming about the room, and then become disoriented visually.

Hot water on the knees will help, as does his new practice of hot water on the forehead. Sitting on the stool, he could apply hot water on the knees while letting them drop down.

You are beginning to awaken your faith, but still afraid to believe. Ruburt has had some excellent moments of such faith, however, and those moments add up. It is highly important that you continue thinking creatively in terms of his condition, of not being afraid to believe that he can indeed walk normally.

He must avoid contradictions, while at the same time not putting his normal walking into some distant future. You must believe that in Framework 2 all of the necessary procedures involved in his normal walking are now happening, and believe that improvements and obvious states of that process will occur in Framework 1. The evidence will appear in Framework 1 as you believe it. At the same time, however, you must not be ever-checking Ruburt’s condition for the evidence.

Again, the more normal activities, as with the dishes, et cetera, that Ruburt tries, the more he states his intent to do normal things. The more his attitude changes, the more flexible he becomes, the more freedom he allows himself. You must not be afraid to hope, for hope always leads to faith.