“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(On this visit also Tam read the 418th session, of June 24, 1968. In this session were perhaps a page and a half of Seth’s clairvoyant data re Tam and Miss Carr. This was given before any of us had met, and when any kind of communication between Jane and Tam was just beginning. Tam was able to verify quite a lot of the data; some of it referring to Miss Carr was good. The last name of Cecile Grossman, an editor at Prentice-Hall, was mentioned by Seth, for instance. Tam noted the correct data in the 418th session, so this material has now been checked at least once.

(4:05. We now thought this might be the end of the session. Jane’s trance had been good. Tam told us that he now does try direct healing on persons he passes on the street—one of the points mentioned by Seth. Tam hadn’t mentioned this to Jane before. Tam said a lot of what Seth commented on concerned ideas he, Tam, had been speculating on to himself.

(I ran an errand to the store not long after this. When I returned Jane and Tam informed me that Seth had come through again. This time the material concerned, among other things, plants and thoughts; Tam being very interested in plants and related subjects. Since we have no notes on this material, Tam said he would send us a brief resume of this last delivery, to include with these notes.

(The stage had been well-set for the afternoon session, however. Tam and Eve had arrived in Elmira the day before, and much of the ensuing conversation had been about matters psychic. Tam had witnessed a session before—the 434th on September 6, 1968—but Eve had not; she was a little nervous before the session began, and like many others was surprised by the session’s actual beginning and its manner of presentation.)

(Tam and Eve Mossman were witnesses to the session. Tam, the editor at Prentice-Hall who is in charge of the book Jane is writing on the Seth material, has been reading the book in manuscript today.

([Tam:] “Thank you.” Tam and Eve were married Saturday, September 13.)

([Tam and I:] “Good evening, Seth.”)

([Tam:] “Yes.”)

[...] When he and Tam began to reach a relatively workable relationship, therefore, he began to value this more and more. He felt that in the beginning Tam stood up for him at Prentice several times. And Tam, it seemed, kept his hands away from the manuscript itself in the one way that Ruburt clearly understood: he did not generally change the copy. As the years went by Tam and Ruburt arrived at certain methods of operation that suited Ruburt personally, and that were understood by both of them. [...]

(Long pause at 9:07.) In many ways Tam and Ruburt got along quite well, even though Tam was a good deal younger, where before Ruburt’s editors had been people a good deal older than he. [...] Ruburt signed for the book but had difficulty with his presentation, and it represented his indecisions, so Tam respectfully at first suggested large alterations. [...]

[...] He felt loyalty to Tam, who he felt was loyal to him. At the same time he did not idealize Tam, and was well aware of some of his natural failings.

(9:38.) He therefore became upset whenever there were difficulties in which you and Prentice disagreed, or you and he disagreed, and he became highly uneasy if you and Tam seemed to disagree. [...] He began to feel somewhat humiliated that as a woman he needed his husband to take care of such matters, and he felt threatened not only by such circumstances, but of course by the changes going on at Prentice itself and by Tam’s own growing restlessness. [...]

(Tam wrote Jane on January 2, 1973, asking for some material on his dream of the night before. [...] [Copy sent to Tam on January 12, 1973, of this portion.])

There is a connection between Aerofranz and Ruburt, as well as a connection between Tam and Nebene. Tam knew the purposes of Adventures from the beginning—as did Ruburt, but neither of them could act on that knowledge consciously, for it did not serve as yet their conscious purposes.

The dream was not simply Tam’s dramatization of a message sent by Ruburt, yet dramatization was involved. Ruburt acted out his ideas of a conventional medium for Tam, who in a dream state perceived Ruburt’s dramatization.

Tam received the basic message, though in the morning. [...] Some time ago, after Seven, he mentioned my book, my new book, to Ruburt, and Ruburt said he did not want to contract trance material ahead of time, so Tam let it rest.

(Tam Mossman and Eve Naudain, witnesses.

([Tam’s Notes:]The following represents a spontaneous session that occurred after Seth had been kind enough to come through three times for Eve and myself. [...]

([Tam:] “I’m afraid we can’t.”)

([Tam:] “Don’t worry, I’ll stick to bonsai!”

(Tam Mossman, of Prentice-Hall, was a witness. [...] At midnight, on September 5th, Jane gave a series of impressions for Tam, speaking as herself; Tam verified the psychological content of most of them. [...]

[...] Tam Mossman said: “Seth was certainly into my imaginative life; also, he has me pegged psychologically.” Tam said Seth’s data about his inner life was “especially true.” [...]

[...] Tam again verified the psychological content of the material, concerning all involved. Tam said he did not give us all the reasons for his verification because they were personal; but the data rang true to him.

(Tam was a little nervous as time for the session approached, and Jane was also. [...]

April 14 Rob decides we really have to do something to tackle my difficulties which have been more than considerable lately, he suggests I call Tam to see when Events is out; or if it is, since April 13 is date of arrival. [...] Tam said he’d call back; no books had come yet but should, as far as he knew. Then on April 14 Ethel Waters calls from Production at Tam’s insistence saying that after Events was delayed till May 14 because of the disclaimer problems; so it would come out the same month as God of Jane.... [...]

To some extent Ruburt does still set up barriers, when for example Tam comes, but that in its way is all right—a part of his nature. [...] He told himself he should be calm when Tam came, and trust himself and not be concerned, which is very logical. [...] His work, as you know, is highly important to him, and Tam is the representative, in terms of Prentice. [...]

Now Tam is a communicator, but not an originator. [...]

(Jane also discussed with Tam a number of points growing out of our last royalty statements; some of these are quite legitimate gripes that we’ve kept quiet about for some time. Her implications to Tam were clear enough—we hope: that for the first time she was thinking of alternate courses of action to being published by Prentice-Hall, perhaps trying other publishers, Eleanor Friede among them. [...] During the week after the Dutch edition arrived, we received from Tam the contracts for God of Jane and Mass Events, both of which contain phrases and clauses in an effort to get around Prentice-Hall’s habit of withholding percentages of earnings against returns. She told Tam she wouldn’t sign them, nor do I want her to. [...] As it is, Prentice-Hall is now applying earnings from the paperback Politics against the hardcover losses—a method Tam says is common in the trade, but which I think is ethically dishonest, to say the least. [...]

(Jane immediately called Tam, to learn that, ironically, all of the bigwigs at Prentice-Hall are in Europe, attending the book fair at Frankfurt, Germany, I believe is where it is. [...]

(Day before yesterday we received from Tam a copy of his memo to J. Nelson, P. Grenquist, and A. Freemyer; he’s checked the Dutch contract for Seth Speaks, and learned that it contained a clause prohibiting cutting. [...]

As yourself, you were the observer of the conflict, which took place at the table where Ruburt’s conversations with you took place, and his conversations with Tam over the telephone. [...]

(It was then I remembered hearing Tam mention his girl, Eve, over the weekend, for what this is worth. This morning after I left for work, Jane lay down to experiment with psy-time, and had a dream involving Tam Mossman; the location of the dream, and possible out-of-body experience, was in back of our apartment house, though, and not in New York City where Tam and Eve live. [...]

(Jane thought she had been thinking about a Tam or a Cam, which of course apply to Tam Mossman or Bill Macdonnel. [...]

[...] A letter was received from Tam Mossman of Prentice-Hall late in the week, but this contained no mention of an auto accident. Tam’s girl Eve was mentioned in a normal informative way, but that was all.

[...] At first I thought she was tired and simply didn’t want a session, after the intense weekend we had just spent with Tam Mossman, from Prentice-Hall. [...]

[...] Jane completed Seven Two in August, and set to work preparing the manuscript for Tam. Late that month — unbelievably to me — I finished my own work on Volume 2 of “Unknown” Reality, and immediately began to type the final draft of the sessions; as I finished groups of sessions I mailed them to Tam every few days, while at the same time collaborating with Jane on the table of contents for the book. On September 23 Sue delivered the completed appendix material for Volume 2, and I sent Tam each appendix, with its notes, as I checked it. [...]

(Resuming our chronology: On October 24, 1978, Jane worked out the Table of Contents for Seth’s Psyche, and started her Introduction for it on the 26th; we mailed Psyche to Tam in sections as we put the manuscript together, and finished with that endeavor on November 9. On November 14 Eleanor Friede visited us to renew an old friendship and to go over Emir with Jane. No sooner had she left than Tam arrived, two days later, bringing with him the copyedited manuscript² of Seven Two for us to check; on the 20th, our work completed on it, I sent it back to him at Prentice-Hall. [...] On December 7 the copyedited manuscript for Volume 2 of “Unknown” Reality came; it’s more than 900 pages long, and painstakingly checking every word on every page of that book kept us busy until Christmas Eve; I mailed it to Tam on December 26. [...]

(Now another event took place in October 1978 that is most important to Jane and me: Sue Watkins received the go-ahead from Tam Mossman to write a book on the ESP classes that Jane had conducted for some seven and a half years, from the fall of 1967 to February 1975. [...] It’s a project that Jane herself never figured she’d do, but wanted done — and Sue, who was a class member, is talented psychically herself, has a newspaper and reporting background, and is ideally qualified for the job.¹ (Conversations, we think, is sure to be published before Mass Events, since Tam is supposed to have Sue’s manuscript in hand by January 1980, for publication in the fall of that year. [...]

[...] Tam Mossman did visit later that month, and at his urging Jane did go back to work on Seven Two with her old enthusiasm.

(A few more notes from the Mossman phone call to Jane today: Tam told Jane the book on the Seth material was practically a certainty; that is, as certain as one can get until a contract is signed. [...] Tam also mentioned a personality like Hans Holzer, if RM. [...] Tam said he would like to visit us again before the holidays.)

(Jane had a call from Tam Mossman at Prentice-Hall today, during which we obtained some confirmation on points made by Seth in a recent session. [...]

[...] This was after she had gone through an auto accident; Seth has told us this accident is in reality two accidents, one involving B. Macdonnel in California, the other a future possible event involving Tam’s girl Eve, in or near New York City. [...]

[...] Today Tam Mossman confirmed that Eve does ride to work at Prentice-Hall with a woman fitting Seth’s description, including the age given; he said eve would ride with him on the specified days in order to alter the probabilities.

(I might add that on the telephone with Tam the day before yesterday I really lit into Tam—rather to his surprise, I think. [...] I believe my reactions, which were loud and clear, paid off, for Tam called Jane yesterday to find out, in his own way, whether I was mad at him personally. [...]

[...] As I’ve said to Jane more than once, “I wonder what we ought to know that Tam hasn’t told us”—meaning of course that every time a hassle develops with Prentice-Hall we find out a new batch of information that Tam has known all along but never relayed to us. [...]

[...] Jane still has on hand the contracts for Mass Events and God of Jane waiting for these to be straightened out: amended with Tam’s promised “superamendment” that’s supposed to protect us in the rights departments, paperback covers, and all the rest; jacket copy, etc. [...]

[...] Yesterday Jane confirmed with Tam by phone that we will take full control of foreign rights; not to try to make a lot of money, because we don’t think it can be done, but simply to prevent our being taken advantage of by any more foreign publishers. [...]

[...] Jane has already cleared the matter with Tam—who incidentally had a vivid dream Monday night, in which in distorted form he learned that Adventures was to go by the board. Many elements in Tam’s dream tallied with events depicted in this session, bearing out Seth’s contention that Tam already sensed the conflicts over Adventures, etc. [...]

[...] At the same time he hoped Tam would take Rich Bed, knowing he wouldn’t. Unconsciously Tam sensed that dilemma, as he senses this one. [...]

[...] Tam wanted another psychic book. [...]

[...] I mentioned three questions I hoped Seth would cover at least in part: Jane’s projected call to Tam at Prentice-Hall tomorrow morning, re substituting Seth’s new book for Adventures; Jane’s planned letter to Eleanor Friede about Rich Bed; and whether Jane should continue with ESP class.

Ruburt felt that you did not trust his relationship with Tam as far as the spontaneous handling of business was concerned, and that perhaps the dissatisfaction you expressed about Prentice had to do with a certain emotional sloppiness, where both he and Tam did not have the proper regard for detail, and lacked a kind of integrity that you valued.

[...] It is no coincidence that Tam is younger than Ruburt, for this to some extent helped water down the idea of Prentice as an authority figure. [...]

[...] This was merely to remind you of certain continuities without going over events already mentioned—so going back to the point in time mentioned earlier in tonight’s session: when Dialogues was finished Ruburt tried it out on Prentice, and felt briefly that Tam might take it. [...]

[...] Ruburt never thought Tam had any great understanding of poetry; but what good did Eleanor’s “superior” appreciation do if the book was refused after such compliments?

[...] Even today Jane talked to Tam Mossman, her editor at Prentice-Hall, about various matters involving the book. [...] We’ve even considered withdrawing Mass Events from publication, although Tam reassured Jane this morning that things would work out all right. [...] I mailed Tam a copy of it today.

Those same characteristics I have mentioned as applying to Prentice apply in their way to Tam, of course. [...]

[...] (Tam told Jane it’s putting disclaimers in all Parker books.) It knows how to deal with fiction. [...]

[...] In the inner order of events it has occurred, and Tam, not knowing I have said so, has picked it up. (See Tam’s recent letter, in which he described his dream in which he saw Jane fully recovered, etc.) But still in your time and terms I tell you to follow faithfully what I have suggested.

(Yesterday morning I took a call from Nancy Overton and Saul Cohen, who evidently will have the job of shepherding Jane’s work through Prentice-Hall, now that Tam has left. The call was in response to my letter to Nancy on October 22, re Tam telling Jane that Pocket Books had published the paperback edition of Seven II. Not so, SC explained, citing the mix-up surrounding Tam’s leaving and his own efforts to learn what was going on in the new job. [...]

[...] She wants to check the next five chapters before sending them to Tam, who will send them to SC when he edits them, but she hasn’t done any work on them recently. [...]

(A couple of days ago Jane received from Tam a letter written to Tam by Saul Cohen, the editor at Prentice-Hall who’s evidently been assigned to shepherd Jane’s work through production. [Tam is still her regular editor.] In the letter Cohen had good things to say about her work, and the chances that Prentice-Hall will publish Seven III, the first five chapters of which Tam has forwarded to Prentice-Hall. [...] Note: Cohen’s letter is dated October 13—yet according to Tam’s note on it, and postmark, he didn’t receive it until October 21—8 days later.

Tam calls! [...]