“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Quite rightly, he did not interpret the event in conventional terms, and Joseph did not suppose that James himself was communicating in the way usually imagined (but see the opening notes for this session). Joseph did recognize the excellence of the material. James was not aware of the situation. For that matter, James himself is embarked upon other adventures. Ruburt picked up on James’s world view, however, as in your terms at least it “existed” perhaps 10 years ago.⁶ Then, in his mind, James playfully thought of a book that he would write were he “living,” called The Varieties of Religious States — an altered version of a book he wrote in life.

(We were discussing the letter and half-facetiously wondering whether Seth might respond in any way, when Jane suddenly told me that she was picking up material on the “essence” of William James. Because of his own persistent melancholy, she said, James had been able to understand others with the same kind of disposition. As she continued to give her impressions, though, I wondered: Why James? He wasn’t mentioned in the psychologist’s letter, for instance. Why this picking up on, and identifying with, a famous dead personality? Most likely my own interest in James’s work exerted some kind of influence upon Jane’s newly developing abilities, I thought; but still, that didn’t answer my questions.

(At one of our breaks Jane said that she had picked up the title of the James book from which she’d been “reading”: The Varieties of Religious States — with only States differing from Experience in the name of James’s book in our physical reality. She’d also felt Seth around, like a supervisor, perhaps. She added: “I felt as if the James stuff was coming from a person who was very intent about trying to say something.”

(10:22.) Ruburt picked up on William James’s world view because their interests coincided. A letter from a Jungian psychologist helped serve as a stimulus. The psychologist asked me (deeper and with humor) to comment about Jung. Ruburt felt little correspondence with Jung. In the back of his mind he wondered about James, mainly because he knew that Joseph (Rob) enjoyed one of James’s books.

[...] Figure out James intro, etc. [...]

[...] And doing well with James.

Noon–12:30: James. [...]

3:20–4:10: James—very pleased—finished my notes Chapter 1.

In a manner of speaking, the gentleman’s (Hal) visit, while Ruburt is doing the James book, completes an intent on James’s part that he had in life. The event, again, in a way is even separate from Ruburt’s present connection with James, but followed as a result of James’s living curiosity regarding highly gifted mediums that might exist after his death.

[...] Dr. Hal had a teacher many years ago, a woman, who used to walk with William James; indeed, he read part of his Varieties of Religious Experience to her. James also discussed his own psychic experiences with this woman. [...] Interesting, that this information would come to us just as Jane is preparing her James manuscript for Prentice.

That James however is, of course, as he says the William James that he was —and yet is no more the same William James, as the child and the adult are one person and yet are not. [...]

In its own way, the James connection happened in the same fashion, for your desires and beliefs go out in all directions in time. [...] The particular connections here are too complicated to try to explain, but they do involve James’s intense interest during his life in the future of his own work, and in the state of the psychic field of the future. [...]

Worked well, James. [...] and I’m doing this James thing about leaving melancholy’s castle; surely there’s a connection. [...]

Thursday: 10:10 AM-12 —Good James.

[...] James

9:30–10:30: Copied James, then did dishes, had snack. [...]

11–Noon: Copied James, then lunch—walked out to porch. [...]

2–3 PM: Finished James chapter one; very pleased.

9:50–11:30: Type James. [...]

2:10–3 PM: 40 minutes James.

Nearing was born into the world just left by James, and he saw the industrial developments that at one time William James had anticipated with such vigor and optimism.

He became aware of the growing inequalities of government, and again saw in actuality the early industrial world perceived by James. But James was a gentleman by class, almost in European terms, and Nearing picked, say, the individualism of Whitman or even Thoreau over Emerson’s “inner independence.” [...]

Now: Few people would see any connection between William James and Scott Nearing, and yet both were in their own ways peculiarly concerned with “the American soul.” [...]

[...] But SN never met James, he told Jane in reply to her question.)

9:50–10:15 James. [...]

2 –3: Good—James (copy). [...]

[...] Did three excellent pages James—and would have done more except for day’s events—called Edna B. about Cézanne; Tam called; Peg called about those nuts; two fans arrived. [...] Remembered James, I guess,/ and return to natural data; asked for help from supernatural force working through nature and then concentrated on the TV while eating. [...]

[...] 3 hours good James. [...]

[...] Just now, reading a letter from the editor of an occult journal I found myself mentally responding in James vein, saying: I am somewhat judicious, and therefore waited before responding”—and suddenly I saw—that I WAS SOMEWHAT JUDICIOUS—I AM SOMEWHAT JUDICIOUS and in my mind I’ve thought that I was if anything overly spontaneous and therefore to be watched lest my spontaneity contradict my “reason” as if on my own I had no “judiciousness”—and not seeing in fact that the symptoms were the result of —over-judiciousness. [...]

[...] I have a symphony on the radio; am typing James—which is so good—and feel peaceful. [...]

1:40 PM–3:30: James. [...]

[...] Only occasional difficulty reading and hardly any copying James; so that I worked up to an hour and a half probably. [...]

Friday afternoon and Saturday—As I worked on James, I massaged my head, which certainly seemed to help the neck and other areas. [...]

[...] My eye troubles started the same spring that Seth started dictating it; I was doing James; Frank L. was building the porches; and the Gallery of Silence people were bugging us. [...] This idea also came back, reading a book on William James Peggy G. gave me for Xmas—his attitudes and mine so often seem similar—that he was determined to be daring, press ahead no matter what, explore consciousness—while at the same time being attracted to safety, disliking controversy, wanting peace, etc. [...]

[...] The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher: The World View of William James came the same way, like mental dictation; only where the Cézanne world view had specialized in art, the James world view was more comprehensive. It commented in depth upon our world since James’s death, and covered American history as it was related to spiritualism, psychology, and democracy.

[...] My own interest in art and Rob’s appreciation of Cézanne’s works helped trigger the Cézanne book, for example; and my own curiosity about William James and Rob’s appreciation of his work helped bring about the James manuscript.

[...] R. Reads chapter 1 James. [...]

[...] My eyes were bothering me some, but I typed some James this afternoon; then Frank came in at 3:30; and Margaret B. came in to visit; I was annoyed; tired of people about, etc., but tried to be pleasant; as we chatted I felt my right foot and ankle changing. [...]

(As mentioned earlier in this manuscript, Jane had received several pages of “James material” which she’d included in Psychic Politics, and Seth had given a session last year explaining her “subjective connections” with James. He hadn’t mentioned anything about a future James book though.

[...] She knew that it referred to William James — the American psychologist and philosopher who’d lived from 1842 to 1910 — and that a dream had been involved, though she’d forgotten it. [...]

[...] Began copying James—OK!

[...] Check chapter 3 James. [...]

Afternoon—type James—don’t really get much done—Frank comes in several times—

10:30–10:50: Very good start James preface.