“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Note that tonight’s session refers to the notes I wrote “on inspiration” at the end of the last session, for February 11. These concern my insight—a simplistic one to be sure—that one of Jane’s hassles results from her fear that Seth would take over if given the chance. My notes bothered her somewhat when she first read them, and she’d mentioned them several times since. Note, however, that I wrote that she feared Seth would take over—not necessarily that he would if given the chance—a big difference. But Seth seems to lay to rest our concerns here this evening.

(I mentioned black and white thinking in the notes, and Seth has also used that phrase several times recently. I remarked to Jane today, then, that what we need is more insight into the phenomenon of such thinking itself—for after all, that approach to life’s challenges has led to our problems, it seems to me. I meant, of course, that all of us indulge in such black and white thinking at times, on some subjects, and I added that I periodically have to catch myself when I overreact to certain events. The question is why the personality would choose to use black and white thinking to begin with, when the results are so often deleterious to the whole personality, if we can just dissolve such approaches.... I’d like Seth to comment.

(Once again Jane said the session would be short; she began speaking for Seth at a good pace.)

(Rather intently:) He would not have had the sessions to begin with over this period of time for your sake alone, or even for your sake primarily—they simply would have petered out. You do have a large role to play, however, and I will go into that more clearly along with the way that you might have sometimes misread some of your own attitudes. Nothing, however, would have kept him at the sessions for this amount of time unless he wanted them.

It seems to him as if he would—if he were using all of his abilities as he should—be a public figure. He would also be far more capable of helping people solve their problems through some kind of therapeutic framework. (Pause.) He would see to it that as many persons as possible had the opportunity to see a session, and he would furthermore also be developing his own psychic experience at a far greater rate. Against that kind of image, he feels inferior.

(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.

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.