“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now: generally speaking, Ruburt enjoys our sessions, and considers them with a natural zest.

(10:05.) Ruburt’s abilities—and your own, for that matter—came to light because they are natural characteristics of your beings. They bring you enjoyment, fulfillment, understanding, excitement, discovery. Now that can be said of your painting and of Ruburt’s poetry. Ruburt writes poetry by himself, but left alone, enjoys reading it later to others. (Pause.) In a strange fashion he does not feel a responsibility to write poetry—he doesn’t use the ability because he thinks that he should. In fact, sometimes he writes poetry when he thinks that he should not be doing so, but instead doing something more responsible.

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.

Ruburt’s own material of late is excellent, and will help enlarge the picture. It came spontaneously and clearly. His body has been attempting to relax. When he feels like so doing, then such activity or lack of it is precisely what is needed at the time, and he need not feel that he should be doing something else.

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.

An organization is obviously not characteristic of two people who are very largely loners. Any kind of extensive public life cannot be reasonably expected from two people who value privacy to the extent that you both do. This does not mean, again, that black and white thinking is not involved. Ruburt has been straining to live up to an unreasonable image—sometimes with your unwitting assistance—an attempt that certainly has made him drag his feet, and one that is exhausting.

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.

(Pause.) Most people work so many hours, then relatively speaking follow their pleasures to whatever extent possible. Because you have no set hours in that regard, Ruburt has filled all of them with “I should do this,” or “I should be doing that,” or “What should I be doing now?” —and that alone blocks creative flow.

It is further inhibited if that sense of responsibility is wedded to solving the problems of the world or of correspondents, or when such an attempt is allowed to tinge any book sessions. I am not here referring to Mass Events, which was indeed directed toward the condition of the world, but to matters—whatever they may be—where Ruburt feels a responsibility on his part (underlined) for me to dictate specific material that might answer questions he thinks scientists or others might have in mind about any given subject matter; for I write from a different viewpoint, and our material is of course not to be dictated in any (pause)important way by the statement of your official knowledge at any given time. It is to rise beyond such categories. It is to present a larger thematic framework, which then can be used to put the world together in a different fashion for those who want to do so.

(Pause at 10:40.) In that regard Ruburt’s material is correct; simply by being itself our material serves its purpose—and its purpose is multitudinous.

End of session. Now Ruburt had the session because he spontaneously felt like having it—and my heartiest regards to both of you.