“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

You would be working intensely when you work, and your relaxation periods would be far more refreshing. Your work would come easier. The irritations are caused by blockages. You do chores often when you feel like working, and often when there is no real necessity to do them. The few, very few, daily necessary chores are minute. On the other hand, you often work when you do not feel like it, but need other refreshment, simply because of course you have already tired yourself through the ensuing dilemmas.

It means trusting yourself, following your own rhythms, riding the thrust, the aggressive and joyful thrust of your creativity full blast, so to speak. But it also means no artificial rules. It is simplistic to say that you need food to work, and yet going out into the world in such a manner does indeed become its own creative endeavor when it is clearly embarked upon. If you follow my advice, a natural balance will result. The chores will get done, but they will no longer be chores. Your guests will be enjoyed because you will see them when you naturally feel so inclined.

(After Jane and I had spent an hour talking about the time spent in chores, seeing visitors, other interruptions, etc.)

You would not go shopping or do any chores you did not absolutely need to do. Your work would be clear and unimpeded. It would dictate what decisions you made. You felt like working and so you worked. It would make little difference, and this applies to each of you, whether you worked 12 hours for three days straight, or whether you worked more regular hours. Following your inclinations, you would discover your own prime working creative rhythm.

The chores that both of you think of are nothing compared to the chores of others. Only because you think of them as chores are they bothersome. [...]

If you were pleased with your work right now the chores of the house would scarcely take your notice. You would have them done, or do them, but your creative energy and your thoughts would be involved with your creativity, and the chores at times would give you a necessary enjoyed change. The chores you have to do, either of you, are laughable.

Ruburt fears that if he were suddenly better he would add to your distractions, so when distractions seem threatening to you he emphasizes the symptoms: if he were better, would you want him to do all the chores? [...] If he were better he could help you with the chores—but if he could, would you then withdraw to your studio and leave them all to him? [...]

[...] So you are encountering the evidence of your senses, so that the chores seem to hound you. [...]

[...] This means that housekeeping and life’s daily chores are a mark of the living vitality of the moment—a mark of physical life as you know it. [...]

In your terms, the ideal itself arises because of the intimate daily chores and activities of living; the sacredness of the body’s motion and all of those questions that arise between its motion and the time when it will be silent. [...]

[...] You bring into action, physically speaking, those greater powers of your being, and trust certain chores to be taken care of at that vast unconscious level, instead of, as mentioned this evening (in the session proper) working at a trial-and-error basis,

[...] You early used the word “chores” for activities in which Ruburt took a childish delight. With his literal-mindedness, and for reasons given in the past, he also began to think of them as chores. [...]

Your own speaking about distractions, chores contributed. [...]

[...] In your society however work often implies something you have to do, a chore that must be performed for monetary reasons. [...]

[...] He asked me to vacuum his room, nonchalantly as if it were taken for granted that I perform the chore. [...]

[...] The list grew and indeed Jane was to get some items and perform some chores I had forgotten to put on the list. [...] She was to do all the chores tomorrow, Tuesday. [...]

(One of Jane’s chores Tuesday, not on the list but performed along with the listed items, was to mail a package to Sarah Bernard, who along with her husband visited us from North Carolina over last weekend. [...]

[...] The shopping list reflected a list of undone or unfinished chores which Jane performed Tuesday, November 29. [...]

[...] I still read the deleted material for myself on most days, paint a little, do chores, work on the files, the yard, help Jane, record dreams—but I try to do all of these things at an easy pace while trusting that I’ll continue to reconcile opposing beliefs, and see more physical and creative improvements. [...]

[...] You have accepted certain impediments of a normal nature, Ruburt’s health difficulties, your problems with chores versus work, or hassles with Prentice—because you believe that in some strange fashion these connect you with others of your kind, and with physical existence itself.

You are, as he is, wondering how you will do what you want to, on your part—your painting, the book, renewed regular sessions, and regular chores. [...]

[...] This noon, for example, after going downtown, leaving your painting, you found that Ruburt wanted a few more windows done, and the innocent window became a symbol, combining the idea of chores with your fear: if anything happened to you, who would do the chores for Ruburt? [...]

[...] If you shovel you are not suddenly going to decide to devote yourself to a life of physical chores, and “meaningless” activity, and ignore your creative work. [...] If you paint or write steadily, that does not mean you will let all chores go. [...]

7. With the symptoms Rob does lots of chores I think he wouldn’t do otherwise, freeing me to work? Keeps me from wasting my time with housework; think it’s degrading for R. as a male to do chores so much so the symptoms give us both an excuse; also gives him an excuse for not knowing for sure what he wants to do, paint or whatever, he can blame it on lack of concentration because of me.

[...] The time spent in performing such simple chores as limping down the stairs and out to the car, for example, is far more on a daily basis than any that would be spent chatting with a neighbor, or even visiting, etc. [...]

In the past you often railed against Saturday chores while he was quite happily enjoying them. [...]

(Never in my wildest fancies would I ever consider adopting physical ailments in order to avoid doing such a thing as chores.)

[...] I was remembering now what Seth had said earlier in the session about Jane’s attitude toward vacations, chores, etc., being a waste of time since these things took her away from her work.)

I know that indeed our last session so involved you, Joseph, in lengthy notetaking, and typing chores. [...]

[...] She spoke while looking casually ahead for the most part, and performed such ordinary chores as putting out her cigarette, sipping from a glass of wine, sometimes rocking back and forth, etc.)

[...] When he is going about household chores for example, let him give his mind a rest. Concentrate upon the chores joyfully.

[...] His mind continues this activity even while the conscious self goes about its daily chores.

It is the ego, practically speaking, who attempts to do the distinguishing here; but the inner core of the self, the inner ego of which we have spoken, manages the basic chore. [...]

[...] I seemed to pick up impressions of Bill at the newspaper office, and follow him as he went about his chores. [...]

[...] It would save her going to the laundromat to do the wash, though it made no provision for the drying part of the chore. [...]

[...] He would accept the financial burden gladly, if he could combine it with his writing, and in return you would do much of the household chores. [...]

Any attempts on Ruburt’s part to help more in the kitchen or wherever, will for example now take time, in that you could perform the same chore far quicker —so you will run up against your old beliefs about the value and use of time.