“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The peasant was poor because he was basically brutish as a result of his parentage. The gentleman was accomplished because a certain refinement came into his blood because of his royal—or nearly—parentage. The ownership of land of itself provided not only built-in social status, but an entire built-in world of privileged beliefs. A man of property, whether he be a scoundrel or a fool, was first and foremost a man of worth.

When all that was changed, as indeed it should have been (pause), the world underwent great changes. It may not have been much, but a yeoman’s son in the past would always be a yeoman’s son. He would follow in his father’s footsteps. He was not of equal value with a prince, either of church or state. His position was a poor one, yet its freedoms and limitations were known, and his value, whatever it was, was accepted as his station in life. He might be a good yeoman or a poor one, but a yeoman he was.

A person’s sense of worth became connected with the acquisition of land, though to a lesser extent, even as it had in Europe. Later the acquisition of technology’s objects became an added embellishment. A man proved his worth as he moved through the new society’s levels—an exhilarating experience after centuries of a stratified society.

In many past societies, soothsayers, dream experts, poets and artists were the most revered members, for they constantly replenished man’s creative abilities, allowed him to see his position within society and in the natural world with fresh eyes. He, or she, helped form the pattern for the society’s future developments, for its growth, for its give-and-take with nature.

(Pause.) Ruburt tried to prove his worth while being possessed of a fine intellect not considered womanly. All of this applied to your family situations. The more you each developed your individual abilities, the less you fit the sexual stereotypes to which your family (to me) in particular believed in so firmly.

Now you can drop such nonsense, and realize that often both of you have fought paper dragons. The same applies to Ruburt’s bouts with “work,” sometimes directly opposed to his ideas of creativity. He has to be “working” all the time, so people will see he is not just a dumb housewife. (I laughed.)

—in your thoughts. Try to realize that even in your terms there have been multitudinous cultures upon the face of the earth, each one defining for all time, with great moral rectitude, the roles of men and women. There have been freer, more exuberant beliefs systems, and there have been more limiting ones, so look at those of your culture as they influence you as simply one of the ever-varying social fabrications by which a man colors his days.