“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(This time we had our windows completely shielded by curtains, as Malba had requested we do in the first session with her. Jane and I wore black clothing; our little table was draped in a dark red cloth, which we used because we had forgotten to obtain the black.

(Gradually our eyes became adjusted to the very dim light. Jane spent much time staring at her hands. She said that at times she could not see them in the dim light, although I could easily enough. Jane bent her head low to examine her hands, and she paid much attention to them for the rest of the evening; the session lasted until about midnight.

(I began to ask Jane questions, about anything. Malba came through after only a few. Jane talked in her own voice all evening, although the choice of words, the rhythm and phrasing and inflections seemed not to be hers. While talking she laughed rather often, and this was much different than her usual laugh. Malba’s voice on the whole was not as strong as Jane’s, and more petulant. One had the feeling that behind it was a rather mediocre intelligence; one that did not try very hard to concentrate and whose interests were, and had been, rather ordinary and at times shallow.

(There follows the facts Malba gave us as best we both recall them. I wrote the notes out immediately after the session, then Jane and I went over them, attempting to add anything either of us had forgotten earlier. Everything included here was definitely remembered by one or the other; nothing was added. If we were hazy in recollection or at all doubtful about anything, it was left out.

(Malba said that she is still a woman where she is; she can see herself; she is not transparent for instance. She can dematerialize however. She sometimes sees others, including Jane’s old friend Father Trainor; he is still fat.

(Malba could not explain what she did between visits with us. She “learned things.” She agreed with us that she knew more now than when on earth. She didn’t know when, if ever, she would move onto another plane. She remarked quite often that Jane and I were not at our best tonight and that she wasn’t either. She said that now she will often do things she doesn’t like to do, but could not explain when I tried to learn more. She did say everything was easier though. She said the population of Decatur was about 12,000.

(Our road atlas does not list a town called Decatur in either North or South Dakota, nor any town or city of 12,000, for that matter. Jane suggests that since Decatur sounds similar to Dakota I might have confused the two names. We will try to clear up the mystery next we meet Malba.)