“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(When Bill and Peg Gallagher arrived, about nine, I drank two cups of strong coffee, rather than the wine that everyone else drank; so it must have been 10:30 or so before I had a glass of wine. Conversation was led by Barb, again, to her own life and so forth. The evening wore on. Somewhere in here I felt that I could have a Seth session regarding Barb. I said this softly to Rob and once to Peg; who knows about the sessions, of course. Barb knows hardly anything, though I think she knows about Seth in a general way. Rob shook his head and I didn’t particularly want to get involved anyway so I said no mentally. After a short while I no longer felt that Seth was around. A poor move. Barb heard me. Bill, it turns out, did not.

(Then—to me suddenly—in my own voice and without Seth, I began to give impressions about Barb’s past life. Saw no images at all, and had no idea whether anything made sense to her or was just subconscious fabrication on my part. No hesitancy either, though. The words just came. Very little memory of what I said but when I stopped Barb checked several points out as very good. I mentioned Greenwich, Connecticut; I didn’t even know there was a Greenwich, in Connecticut, though I am familiar with Greenwich, NY, and it seems to me I thought there was one in Vermont. Anyway Barb said she lived there some years back. Also mentioned particular initials—now I forget them—Peg took notes and will have them—and these were excellent, referring specifically to Barb’s boyfriend, Dick. The first initial was “G”, however. She told us his first name was really George; of course we were surprised, and had no idea of this. Something about a second child, a male, also hit her; and another point that I forget. There may be others, we haven’t checked the notes yet.

(Daily life must be maintained at a fairly balanced level however, regardless. If such episodes are upsetting then they are not to be encouraged. Does this mean that I should definitely see to it that such a situation never happens again? Or is that too rigid? I do know that an attitude of permissiveness, generally speaking, is definitely out. It does not seem necessary to refuse to discuss ESP under any conditions with anyone—little ESP was discussed the other evening though Barb asked me to hypnotize her several times and I refused. I think that night it was the charged emotional climate; Barb’s; and that perhaps it is simply certain individuals that I must protect myself against: I will not for example discuss ESP with Barb now. This might be it: the psychotic individual—and I knew that she was at least highly neurotic—may project so strongly that I pick up too much before I apply guards.

(These notes concern an incident that happened Friday evening, September 23,1966. A neighbor, Barbara Ingold, came up Friday about 7: with a shaker of stingers, one for Rob, Barb and myself. Rob was working. Barb and I drank our stingers and divided Rob’s. She talked about her past; suicide attempts, miscarriages, operations; very emotionally charged. I gave myself the suggestion that I would only react to constructive suggestions, to offset her emotional attitude. When she arrived, I was annoyed. We were going to have company; the dishes were to be done; I wanted to change clothes, etc. Mellowed by the drinks, I figured she might as well stay. She insisted on doing the dishes for me; she wants to buy friendship basically or make sure she is needed or some such.

(Toward the end of the session, I was in an emotional turmoil, still in trance and for this Barb told me at the time she had no explanation. [...] Most likely this was my interpretation of her giving birth to the child; she was supposed to have a Caesarean section but didn’t and was in labor 25 hours; a woman is described here, gray hair, buck teeth, yellow teeth—this, Barb says, is a description of the man’s mother—she wanted him to marry Barb: teeth not really buck but protuberant and yellowed; also gray hair. [...]

[...] A man with a bristly mustache and short bristly hair was mentioned in the first part of the spontaneous session for which no notes were taken; this referred, Barb said, definitely to her father. The main point is that then Barb told me that the male child referred to the illegitimate child of a girl friend and that all the other details given were correct, in reference to this child.

[...] [Later note added by Jane: Did Barb die in 1968? [...]

(Bristly hair & mustache—Barb’s father.

[...] Barb couldn’t go because she went.

[...] Gave up for adoption in February—Barb recalls whole episode well—emotionally upset.

[...] I also let loose with a few barbed comments, to the effect that she wasn’t about to let the body do its thing, no matter what it wanted.

[...] [He knows Barb and Jack Ebright—now separated—of Colorado Springs, Colorado.])

[...] New people were there to take care of her because Lottie and Darlene and Barb were pulled off for other duty—perhaps for some time. [...]

[...] I felt like directing some very nasty barbs at Marie — especially when I remembered those old photos of Jane that I’d looked at a couple of days ago. [...]