The desire to write was not conservative, but in many ways his attitude toward it became so. His attitude toward his publisher has largely been the same. Ruburt is certainly not considered conservative, and yet a need for safety and security certainly added an overly heavy hand in his approach to life—particularly of course where the world was involved.

The impulse allowed Framework 2 to operate, pulling in new probabilities. They are not “old” probabilities. No probabilities are old. No matter how far into the past they may seem to go, they emerge freshly and newly at the point of activation. For Ruburt in a way it was an expression of daring, partially the result of your suggestions, and his growing understanding that he had become not too spontaneous, but too conservative. Our sessions also helped.

No one in his childhood, in his 20’s, or in your early relationship, ever warned him that he could become too conservative. It certainly did not seem that he was being overly cautious in any regard, and yet when his sexuality was perhaps most noticeable, he made sure he took up with a man, Walt, who could not take advantage of it—a very cautious step for all of its unconventional overtones.

People expect conventional behavior, so his spontaneity was then more apparent, and often frowned upon. The conservative behavior that, for example, kept him a virgin into his mid-twenties, was never understood by others—no one, for example, would have thought him at that time a virgin.

[...] The object is a card, blank on the reverse side, written to Jane by Caroline Keck, conservator of the Brooklyn Museum; it was mailed to Jane in early August, along with a copy of the book, Is Your Contemporary Painting More Temporary Than You Think? and a mimeographed list of various addresses furnishing technical help and supplies regarding the conservation of paintings. [...]

(The envelope object for tonight was a card sent to Jane by Caroline Keck, conservator of paintings for the Brooklyn Museum, in 1964. [...]

[...] All three of these items refer to the conservation of paintings. [...]

[...] Remember that the Kecks were called long distance in Brooklyn, NY, from Elmira, by the Arnot Gallery before they made the trip to Elmira to do conservation work, for instance.

At the same time dreams have their startling qualities, promoting the insertion of unexpected developments, in which case they appear to deal with the breaking down of conserving principles. In this fashion they also mirror your more exterior behavior, conserving what you know already, and yet introducing new patterns, new spontaneous orders that would sometimes seem to run against conservative issues. [...]

[...] conservation of knowledge. [...] They conserve available information by weaving it through the other structures of your experience.

THE MAGICAL APPROACH, AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN “CONSERVATION” AND SPONTANEOUS DEVELOPMENTS

[...] Beginning of the next chapter (11), which will be entitled: “The Magical Approach (very long pause, eyes closed), and the Relationships Between ‘Conservation’ (very long pause) and Spontaneous Developments”—and give us a moment.

[...] When I started doing this, I aroused the protective elements—the conservative elements—of my personality... [...] the creation of something new that disrupts the conservative principles; and that freedom is paramount. [...]

Philip’s connection with the conservative groups, politically speaking, will strangely enough have something to do with the promotion which can be later expected. This connection will not have to do with the fact that his group is conservative, necessarily, but will have to do with the fact that he exerts leadership in that area.

Oddly enough, the fact that the movement is conservative will work to his advantage in very strange ways. Though they may not agree with his political beliefs, they will on the other hand trust his integrity because the movement is conservative. [...]

His political movements are being closely watched by one man in particular, but the interest is being caused by his ability to organize, rather than because the political movement involved is a conservative one.

Ideas about conservation enter in as a result of my comments about alternate sources of energy, of course, and these are related to a number of deep desires that Jane and I have. [...] Jane and I are more than ready to make those sacrifices; indeed, we live very conservatively even now. [...]

[...] It certainly should be obvious to Ruburt now that his personality contains some quite conservative aspects—a marriage going into two decades and more does not exactly make one worry about promiscuity. [...]

In the past, Ruburt didn’t realize fully that his nature was both flamboyant and conservative—that his nature was protected by a natural inner caution that would make the path for his flamboyancy clear. [...]

Be conservative in your approach there. [...]

[...] He has not learned to conserve his energies, but to use them at all it seems that he must allow them almost to explode, so that there is little reserve. [...]

[...] It will perhaps seem like a conservative program, and he will do all of the work.

[...] It matters little where the papers are kept; and the very academic characteristics that invisibly but definitely add their aura to Yale’s hallowed halls also means that the papers will be treated fairly, conservatively, and without any evangelical air.

[...] Now, I have been a liberal from way back, and yet there are certain circumstances indeed where I become very conservative. [...]

[...]

[...] (Taurus.) It is one, for reasons incidentally that I will give you at a later time, that brings the flowering of ability in later years, and that also provides, when strong talents are present, a conservative countering measure.

[...] As Jane said, “Scott conserved his energy, but he seemed to do well enough, although his movements were slow, especially walking and sitting down. [...]

Individuals feeling this way will be very uncomfortable when they mingle with others of a different race, creed or color, and despite themselves may be revengefully conservative in dealing, for example, with problems of a community nature. [...]

[...] Trees are great users and yet conservators of energy, and they automatically provide much vitality to areas in which they are plentiful. [...]

[...] At certain times universities are avant-garde, and in other periods of history they are instead highly conservative. [...]

They have been conservative in many ways—but neither have they exploited Ruburt’s abilities, and neither have they made any attempt to tamper with the message, and some houses would have. [...]

You may take a conservative rest period, or I will answer questions first if you prefer.

[...] But the pressures of work, plus our own conservative attitudes about personal publicity, have led us to pass by other such opportunities.