“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(After last Monday night’s deleted session [on December 1], I told Jane that I wished I’d asked Seth a second question when he’d given me the chance: I’m very curious as to why I’m so fascinated by those hilltop towns in central southern Italy, inland from Naples. I’ve read now that over 170 of these settlements, some of them dating from Norman times, have been devastated by the great earthquake of November 23. This event made me physically aware of that area in a fresh way—especially the isolation, and what I take to be my symbolic interpretation of a simpler way of life. As I wrote in the closing notes for the 929th session, I’ve been reminded once again of my feelings reincarnationally concerning those towns and villages. Fantasy must be involved also.

Therefore his relationship with Tam Mossman was quite valuable to him, for it took a good deal of the unpredictable nature out of free-lance writing; particularly where projects like books were concerned rather than short stories, and particularly in an area that was itself controversial. All in all, he felt that to be a fairly reliable and adequate framework, whether or not he might get better terms someplace else financially, or in other ways. He long ago settled upon you and his writing, however.

(Pause.) This material should be read in conjunction with the sessions just mentioned, dealing with his ideas about work and creativity. He felt threatened over the disagreements last year about contracts, about Tam’s frequent mention that he might leave. The matter of Yale led him in his own way to think of his work as if it were to be an institution, every word recorded, so that you only wrote down what you wanted other people to know—and therefore somewhat discouraged spontaneity of expression.

I am not agreeing here, necessarily, but stating his reaction. On the other hand, such an alliance seemed to bring some kind of prestige. He felt also that my ideas in Mass Events, and his ideas in God of Jane, were almost bound to bring about some controversy from the beginning—for reasons he largely worked out for himself—and they are related in his book.

His early writing, and his best later writing, spring alike from that realization, when he forgets ideas of our work’s responsibility, or how respectable he should appear, and simply does it because it is a natural expression of his being —one expression among others.

Now Ruburt’s hips are definitely changing their positions. Certain joints that worked very poorly are releasing, allowing portions of the body to move in new directions. His body is thrusting itself upward. Much work is done when he is in bed. It can be uncomfortable, but far less so with understanding and a bit of patience. He becomes frightened, for the reasons given in late sessions, and again, he can use as much reassurance as you can give him—as much understanding. And the better the communication between you, the better the entire situation.