“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

I would heartily suggest that you and Ruburt consider (underlined) the possibility of buying Paul’s cottage. The consideration itself is what I am after —the willingness to explore a probability that has come into your attention—because in so doing you remind yourselves of the freedoms that are (underlined) available in your terms, and because such a consideration, among other things, will allow you to automatically see your beliefs from a different focus, through another picture frame.

The same ingredients of your lives, yes, but with different light thrown upon them, so that newer understandings can sometimes appear that were not clear before. Such a possibility is feasible, containing in fact many desirable—and most desirable—elements; the presentation of a second frame of reference, a second environment that would still be your own. Period. The probability is in fact most intriguing, since it would offer you a home away from home that would still represent largely an investment rather than primarily an expenditure —as would, say, a series of vacations. A place of relative privacy, and yet one in which you would not be unknown or isolated, one in which in fact the 458 West Water Street connections would continue to operate, with Paul of course as mediator. (We had lived at 458, three blocks from downtown Elmira.)

In a fashion this would indeed represent a very desirable arrangement over a period of years, one that Ruburt could take advantage of, one that could serve you by also presenting you with a different framework through which to view your painting and visual world, one in which the idea of water as motion was always present.

Such a consideration, however, immediately shakes old beliefs and fears in a kind of clamor. Some old beliefs would rise to the forefront of attention that until now have remained generally in the background. Ideas of virtue, spareness and artistic single attentiveness as opposed to the idea of extravagance, the scattering of energies, or pleasure as a tempting disruptive force; all such beliefs are suddenly shaken up in a new bag, so to speak, so that you can distinguish between them with some new understanding.

I am of course quite aware of the danger of flooding that can occur under such circumstances, but I would like you both, as freely as you can, to explore that consideration. It does represent a rather significant probable development. Any decision is of course your own—but the overall willingness to explore the creativity possible in such a probability is perhaps more important than any choice you make.

The entire affair is highly intriguing. There are elements in it quite evocative of man camped about any lake, of his relationship with nature and with water, and with his sometimes seemingly contradictory desire to be apart from his fellows while still united somehow with a larger fellowship. It would give you the chance to explore different aspects of nature, quite simply, some different species of plants or animals, but one in which water itself is the ever-pervading main element.

(The session subject matter was quite unexpected by me, though Jane had had plenty of intimations beforehand, it developed, without telling me. This afternoon as she worked answering mail she began to get “stuff pretty strong on it from Seth.” At the same time, she rather wished Seth would forget about it—probably because she knew what our reactions to it would be.

(Of course, I was nonplussed, thinking at once of the extra work involved in first purchasing, then second running a second establishment, when it seems that I barely manage to find the time to do what I’m doing now. I understood Seth’s material on the subject, and even agreed with it, I told Jane after the session. I added that it wasn’t a question of money, meaning that I thought the money would be provided should we decide to undertake such a project. But the time.... and I did fear that the extra work couldn’t but help cut into painting time, or typing time, or whatever. Jane agreed....)