“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(“Realize that since ‘79 at least I’ve felt to some degree that I had to protect my work even against Rob, whose ill feeling at Prentice might.... make that situation worse. Make Rob ill, or contaminate his feelings towards Mass Events and Seth’s latest book: [See last PM Seth session, which Rob is typing as I write this.]”

(“But I don’t want to be in the position of finding out that that cat’s dead,” she said. “That’s really the rock-bottom thing in stuff like that....” And now she recalled a third incident she’d helped in, involving a young man in Florida who’d attended her class just once. She’d been correct in this case also, saying the person was not dead; he returned within the time she specified, also, namely one dating several months after his disappearance. She was eventually brought up to date on the situation by letter.

(Before the session I mentioned the question I kept in mind for Seth, concerning what the Sinful Self may have learned since this last series of sessions was started. I said it was essential that we communicate to that personification [named by Seth for convenience’s sake only] that its performance was quite destructive to Jane, and that it must release its hold. I wanted to know the Sinful Self’s attitudes toward the fact that it had rendered Jane literally helpless as far as her survival was concerned; she couldn’t take care of herself physically without the aid of others, I said, so this obviously implied that the Sinful Self was creating its own demise also. I wanted to know what it “thought” about such a contradictory situation, whether it understood the implications, and so forth. No matter how it must reason or react, it had to be concerned about its own survival—but in what ways, and based upon what knowledge and/or reasons? All of these points could be subsumed under the one broad question that I wanted Seth to go into when he’d finished with the Prentice-Hall material.)

In those situations natural leanings and intents help specify what is expected and not expected. Now in those terms, Ruburt has often expected too much from himself. Part of the reason lies in the pervading popular misconceptions about psychic ability. Part lies in the very fact of the unknown elements that are involved. He does possess natural desires, characteristics and intents that help focus his own activity. And he also feels strong disinclinations in some other areas. Those disinclinations are quite healthy indicators that in those cases he is straying away from the strong areas of his own proficiency and interest.

I suggest that such a statement be drawn up, for it would certainly help clarify many situations, and show Ruburt that he was performing very well indeed. The nebulous nature of the “psychic” has served to help build up a picture of an unrealistic superself (long pause), mentioned earlier, that is supposed to perform a dazzling array of activities, solving everyone’s problems, displaying all of the psychic abilities at once, from healing to finding a lost kitten.

He felt that he was at certain times caught between you and Prentice: more worried about dealing with your attitudes toward Prentice than he was about dealing with the situation itself, with Prentice. As he tried to comprehend it, he also felt that certain attitudes of yours toward the marketplace would spill over and threaten the unimpeded clear channel that he felt has been formed to convey his writing to the public realm.

(With humor:) He realized that the channel had some muddy spots in it, some impediments, that it ran more clearly in some areas than others. He did not idealize the situation, in other words. The entire situation, however, bothered him deeply, since he felt of course a great sense of loyalty to you even when he did not share a your particular beliefs at any given point. (Long pause.) He also, as he stated, was afraid that your attitudes would splash over to color your feelings toward future Seth books, and toward your future contribution toward them.

All of this existed, of course, in a situation in which the aspects of Tam’s position and the Prentice situation were themselves changing and uncertain.

(Long pause.) Added to this, the two of you had a tendency to concentrate upon the problems, which contributed in a large manner to the entire situation. It is important that Ruburt define what is expected of the practical self, and what falls outside of its realm.