“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

The following is most vivid to the students and happened right after the above. I said I’d try something, without giving any indication of what I would try. Though earlier, as mentioned, I did mention ectoplasm, perhaps several times. I concentrated on doing something to my arms, or having someone else do it. Mentally asked for help, think I had ectoplasmic arm in mind. Instead felt as if fingers of left hand were extending. Sally and Rose said that something was happening to my left hand, which was held out; arm resting on chair rest. (Don’t know if I felt the subjective feeling before or after their comments, but no suggestions as to hand was given by me, and I asked no questions, sitting with eyes closed, concentrating, rather in good trance, but aware of their comments. Sally asked me a direct question, and I couldn’t answer.) Here everyone in the room with the exception of Theodore who was in a poor position, reported the following:

Watching the hand in transition, changes apparent as they happened, joints and knuckles becoming very thick and large, flesh seeming to disappear so that hand became thinner otherwise,hand taking on the look of a very old woman’s, exceedingly bony, with the large, they said, exceptionally large, joints obvious; Rose frightened; Sally said the hand looked so stiff that it was here she asked me if I could bend the fingers, it was here I couldn’t answer her but did try to bend the hand; and at this point decided to give myself suggestions to come out of trance and for hand to return to normal. Afterwards, a comparison of hand as it was normally, with what they saw. I wondered if just the light? suggestion? But no suggestion had been given. My own hands are bony—but no, Rose said that my hand now was the normal hand of a young woman and it definitely had been an old woman’s hand; a very old woman’s hand. Everyone agreed on this—even Florence—but Theodore. He thought that perhaps my hand had gone to sleep—it hadn’t—don’t know how much time this took, perhaps ten minutes all in all, with hand manifestation taking up... three to five minutes?

Present were Florence, Rose, Rachel, Sally, Theodore, Vera. I believe three of them also mentioned a finger extension, that is, my fingers seemed to get longer and bonier; this was my subjective definite feeling; as definite as the extension sensation earlier over the head. (Theodore saw something with hand, but didn’t know what.)

During this same time that hand manifestation was going on, and seen by all but Theodore clearly, other manifestations were reported by Vera, and by her alone. She sat kitty corner from me, diagonally in a clear line. She said that she definitely saw something green, like a green line, going up and down in front of me; also another color, I forget; and that this continued while the hand bit did. Someplace in here, they also reported that part of the astral form was present; or at least the aura was visible down around the shoulders and waist.

I didn’t think to open my eyes to see hand bit for myself. Whether this would have broken trance or not I don’t know, but as a result I saw nothing at this time; but did have the definite extension feeling on hand. Once earlier, just before, candle spurted once. Felt that energy then “leaped” to me, or that I directed it to me. Simply don’t know whether any personality was present. Some thought they sensed someone. But the room was strange. Unstable elements I felt.