“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Late last week Tam Mossman called Jane to tell her that he’s begun work on her contract for the publication of If We Live Again. I wrote Tam this morning, asking questions about what long-range plans Prentice-Hall may have for the 15 books Jane and I have sold to the company. [That total includes Mass Events, God of Jane, and the poetry book, all of which are yet to be issued.] In the private session for September 22—one of his series on the magical approach to life—Seth had told us that our work is “protected.” I’ve been curious about that statement ever since, and mentioned it to Jane today in connection with my letter to Tam.

She was quite upset after our nap this afternoon because we’d overslept; she regretted the lost time. We had to eat supper later than usual. This evening, however, Seth used my interest in the question of protection beautifully as he discussed a facet of Jane’s abilities that’s strongly related to his concept of value fulfillment. Because of that relationship, this session fits very well into Dreams even though it’s not book dictation.)

(9:50. I was surprised that Seth suggested a break—a rarity in the sessions these days. Then Jane said that she had called for the break because she was out of cigarettes. She was giving the session while sitting in her wheeled office chair. At that time of night she wasn’t about to use her typing table as a support while she “walked” from the living room, where we were having the session, around the room divider and out into the kitchen to get her smokes; instead she remained in her chair and maneuvered herself along with her feet. I told her the session is excellent. “I see it led to something after all,” she called out.

All of our discourses were related to tonight’s material, if only intuitively. Jane got herself back into position across the coffee table from me while I described what I’d learned lately about Cro-Magnon man, who had lived in Europe some 35,000 years ago. The Cro-Magnon are of the same species, Homo sapiens, as modern man. They displayed an exquisite artistry in their toolmaking, painting, and religion—indeed, in their whole culutre. Next we talked about early man in Palestine, before 3000 B.C.

Then somehow our conversation led me to wonder whether our cat, Billy, is color-blind, as we’ve heard most animals are. So far Billy had spent the session beside me on the couch, alternately napping and preening himself. I’d been admiring the loving care with which he’d addressed himself to each portion of his body. In the light from the lamp above and behind my right shoulder on the room divider, his greenish eyes were so beautifully colored, yet mysterious, that I found it hard to believe he can’t see color. I also asked Jane about what use the gorgeous colors of Billy’s luxurious fur are to him if he can’t appreciate those patches and stripes of sienna, black, warm gray, and pure white. Or do his colors serve other purposes for him that we’re unaware of? Intuitively, I felt that more is involved here than questions of camouflage and protection—that at the very least there must be connections between Billy and his colors in this reality and his source in a nonphysical one.⁴

Jane was interested in our talk—mine, mostly—but finally she revealed that it was better for her when Seth didn’t take a break: “I like it when he zooms right through to the end.” I replied that my questions carried no hints for material from Seth. “Yes,” she said, “I guess if no one had anything to say, we’d sit here like dummies.”

10:40 P.M. “Well,” Jane laughed, as soon as she was out of trance, “you did get something out of break….”

I told her the material is fascinating in its implications. It’s an excellent point, I said, that in her ability to tap into a seemingly endless amount of Seth material, she strikes a parallel with early man and his capacity to carry all personal, cultural, and historical information within himself. As early man functioned on his own, without writing or any of the other modern conveniences of communication that we have, so does Jane function through Seth. I speculated about what reincarnational connections might exist involving Jane and ancient men and women. Seth has never discussed the subject, nor have we asked him to. His potential for oral history appears to be unlimited.

1. See Chapter 6 of Adventures in Consciousness for Jane’s description of how she became aware of “Helper” early in November 1971—a little over nine years ago. She’s sent Helper on journeys to many who have requested aid of various kinds. She still does. Numerous people have written of beneficial events taking place in their lives when Jane did her thing for them, but she’s kept no formal records. We’ve often speculated that just knowing Jane cared enough to send out an emissary like Helper was (and is) of psychological benefit to at least some of those in need, helping them generate positive actions on their own.

4. Checking after the session, I learned that cats are believed to have weak color vision. That is more than I’d expected, I told Jane, yet I still find it hard to believe that Billy, for example, doesn’t have a much keener sense than that of his own colors.