“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Use your abilities (underlined); a fine idea, a good policy, an excellent course—but not when it is considered a commandment.

Now basically he has the sessions because he enjoys them, and so do you. On top of that, however, the whole idea of responsibility has played an overheavy hand, and it is this idea of responsibility—overplayed—that is to a large degree responsible for the idealized image of the public person with which Ruburt has unsuccessfully tried to compete.

(Pause.) You had some time ago an old newspaper article you had saved, on the dangers of using the words “should” or “would” too often—and there is perhaps nothing else you could do that is as detrimental to the true development of the natural self. Part of the difficulty in what Ruburt thinks of as the development of his abilities, or the more frequent insertion of inspirational work of his own, is the very fact that he feels so responsible to so thusly perform. All of these issues are highly important. The idea of responsibility, as described here, blocks creativity, hampers natural psychic and physical flow: “I should be doing thus and so.” “What do I like to do? What do I feel like doing? What makes me feel good?” Those questions are far more pertinent. When you want to do something truly there are usually few real impediments. Desire flows freely into action.

I will go into the question of Ruburt’s attitude toward me very shortly, as per your own question in a note. There is some application there, but the larger one applies to his own ideas of what someone in his position should (underlined) be doing, and the idealized image is partially a construct to which you also added details unwittingly in the past.

If you would remember natural selves, and your own characteristics, you would have a much better, clearer idea of what to realistically expect from yourselves, and you would let other ideas go when they conflict with your own quite definite inclinations. The full potentials of Ruburt’s abilities and of our work will result from following the natural contours of your beings, from whose resources your own individual and joint problems can also be eradicated.

Again, the old feelings about spontaneity of course apply, so read this session remembering other ones. I have myself in the past given a good deal of information about the conflicts that can arise when Ruburt overemphasizes the idea of work as opposed to creativity.