“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(After the success of last night’s session, during which Jane manifested some startling phenomena with her left hand and arm, we were naturally curious to learn what Seth would have to say about it during a regular session with the board. We decided to try for another unscheduled session, rather than wait until next Monday, January 6, as we would have done ordinarily. We sat at the board, as usual.

Had I materialized my creature from outer space—I believe that is a current term, scoffed at and ridiculed—however, if I had materialized this image you would have really opened your eyes. Lines of communication were open and the entity merely slipped through, or partially through, momentarily. Even the shape of the features, never clearly glimpsed, were space distortions necessary to come through on this plane at all. As a stick thrown into the water seems distorted to those who watch, so this image thrown into your plane seemed distorted to you. But the distortions were what gave it any features at all. Without them, the distortions that is, you would have seen nothing.

The seeming dominance of the male in earthkind is merely because the aggressiveness of male personalities makes itself known quicker, and often with a vehemence. The basis however is very strongly female, since without the giving quality the aggressiveness would be but a stationary closed fist, incapable of motion and incapable of unfolding into other lives, as it must. The aggressiveness is a thrust for life and action against inertia, but without the acquiescence of the female quality, life would not open.

I would say something about the fifth dimension, although it is extremely difficult. You understand that I can only use concepts with which you are somewhat familiar. There may be times when I can introduce a completely new concept, but if so this will be a flash of intuition on Jane’s part.

Consider then a network of wires somewhat like, although different from, Jane’s conception of idea construction—a maze of interlocking wires endlessly constructed, so that looking through them there would seem to be no beginning or end. Your plane could be likened to a small position between four very spindly and thin wires, and my plane could be likened to the small position in the neighboring wires on the other side. Yet not only are we on different sides of the same wires, but we are at the same time either above or below, according to your viewpoint, and if you consider the wires as forming cubes—this is for you, Joseph, with your love of images—then the cubes could also fit one within the other without disturbing the inhabitants of either cube one iota; and these cubes are also within cubes, which are themselves within cubes, and I am speaking now of only the small particle of space taken up by your plane and mine.

We merely construct imaginary lines to walk upon. So real are the wall constructions of your room that you would freeze in the wintertime without them, yet there is no room and no walls. So in a like manner the wires that we constructed are real to us in the universe, although there are no wires. All is one, as you are one with the apparent walls of the room. Again the idea of transparency. The walls are truly transparent to me though I am not sure I would perform, dear Joseph, and Ruburt, for a party demonstration.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky that you don’t request a demonstration of the tree to grow up through your living room. You will have to forgive me but I am not really irritated, dear friends, with this desire for demonstrations. Ha, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. It is only that you are so innocent and I am so amused. You have so little conception yet of what is involved, and yet personally I found last night’s session enjoyable. Your friend however really would have intruded, in a bumbling but quite domineering manner, had I so allowed him. He is like a child begging for a piece of frosty cake, and I must admit I was tempted to shove his head in the frosting.

I would suggest in the future that you attend the board at regular sessions. It is better to meet with me less often, but on a regular schedule, than meet with me three or four times one week and none the next. A certain period of recuperation is necessary for all of us, for you two more, but it also involves me in shall I say extracurricular activities. This is my first lesson class.

From it is woven all material of your world and mine. If you consider the wires again, then you could view them as solidified emotion, woven together, however with a strong cohesive and stiffening power of the intellect. With feeling alone, although it is the basis, you would have an inconsistent, very precarious framework. Reason is the form that disciplines and upholds these frameworks.

I would suggest meeting twice a week at 9, if this is convenient. Once a week would be better than none. For my own purposes I prefer the hour of 9. The nights Monday and Wednesday should work out well.

In any case I wish you the best of luck in whatever experiments you would like to try. You can of course train your abilities to some extent in this manner. I will meet with you then Monday at 9 if that meets with your convenience. Regardless of what you may think I do have your convenience in mind. In some way I have not yet explained to you, your friend Mark is of a younger entity than yours—frisky like a colt.

Incidentally I know Jane’s old friend, Father Trainor, who also liked his food, perhaps too well. And so good night. At the end of a session I think it would be most cordial merely to touch your hands briefly to the board. You’re lucky that I don’t request you wear full dress clothing.