“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(“Good evening, Seth. Well, do you want to continue where you left off last time?”)

(“Do you want to do that now or would you rather wait?”

It was an unfortunate defect in the personality. The psychic nature grew in an oddly distorted manner in some aspects and yet remained stubbornly shrunken in others. From early age however Jane drank in his feeling of completeness with nature, and it had much to do with her later development. She now displays in some instances her grandfather’s closed attitude toward people. At times both you and Jane reinforce each other along these lines.

Such relationships, disciplined of course, will nevertheless yield richness for both of you that neither of you would get in any other manner. You do not have to take hordes into your house. On the other hand all stages of relationships are necessary, and a casual give and take between you and friends will expand your spirit in ways that neither you nor Jane personally can do alone. I am going into this matter because it has concerned both of you at various times, and I would like to state that your work will not suffer by expending energy in these other directions.

I am speaking now of disciplined relationships. When you avoid them or attempt to avoid them you both do so out of fear. Your personalities, work habits and goals are well set and secure enough not to be threatened in such a manner. You also Joseph have much to offer other individuals and through giving you yourself will grow.

As far as the ink sketch is concerned, do not forget that while your man was imprisoned by his senses, in trying to reach beyond them in your physical universe your man could not perceive anything at all; and yet it is through these very earthy senses that he has a chance to glimpse beyond, or indeed realize that there is a beyond to glimpse.

I suggest you break. Quietly however, do not crash into pieces.

To some extent though to a much lesser degree you can do this on your own plane, but in a weak fraction of a dimension. That is, you can perhaps sense or remember an earlier moment intuitively or capture an earlier moment visually as in a photograph, or audibly as in a recording. You can through motion pictures refer back to past time, capturing the visual and auditory data of a moment and even the apparent motion of its sequence. Viewing through your so marvelous television—ha—a historical moment for example you can refer to much that has passed.

But this referral itself involves time. The time that you spend watching such a historic moment takes up an identical amount of time in the present. Therefore one minute of such a past referral costs you one minute of present time. Also you end up short-changed. You give up your precious moment in the present but you do not have a complete moment of the past to show for it.

When I refer back to myself or back to what I have said in an earlier session, I do not expend an identical amount of time in doing so. That is, if two hours of your time were necessary for me to give you certain material it does not take me the same amount of time to refer back to the whole body of the same material.

Basically this is a gem of a description, if I do say so myself. The sad part is that you probably won’t be able to understand it. It all takes time! As I try to counteract your ignorance I couldn’t resist. I mean it kindly, you have no idea of the difficulties involved in explaining time to someone who must take time to try and understand the explanation.

I felt extremely pleased with your frames of mind this evening. I would continue if I did not have your physical limitations to contend with. For some reason I am able to come through very well, and when this happens I like to take advantage of the opportunity. After all, do you blame me? I admit that I miss you occasionally between sessions, dear friends; and Ruburt, your voice almost reminds me now of your old one.

I realize that you both are tired. I enjoy speaking with you and wanted merely a few moments of what you might be pleased to call normal conversation. Friends do not always talk of high and weighty matters, and at times when we have the energy left over from our philosophical dissertations, then let us now and then indulge in at least some pleasantries.

Previously we have been too concerned with other matters for any interchange of an emotional kind, and if Ruburt’s voice sounds rather dreary in this transitional phase I myself am in a very playful, I might say frisky, mood. By all means ask any questions and we will see what we can do.

(“Do you have friendships on your plane, as we do here?”)

I have friendships where I am of course. The one thing about your plane that makes it such a tempting field of endeavor for all of us here is of course that we still have ties of an emotional kind, and we attempt, though clumsily, to make contact with friends. As you yourself write letters to friends in strange countries and do not forget them, so we do not forget.

(“Do you have a sense of play and relaxation on your plane?”)

(“Do you also experience such emotions as anger?”)

It’s almost impossible, I can see, to talk with you in a conversational manner for purely mechanical reasons. If I speak quickly in ordinary tones through Ruburt you simply cannot write fast enough to take the words down. Some night I will speak to you as I choose for my own enjoyment. We shall have an interchange, and for that one night the notes will get the boot. I promise to speak on fairly personal and inconsequential matters so that you do not miss my pearls of wisdom.

The one thing that pleases me immensely is the way Ruburt can translate at least a few of my humorous remarks and inflections of my natural speech. It is difficult to carry to you at this point but I have hopes of doing better. Ruburt’s voice is an experiment. The immediacy of our sessions would be enhanced if more of my personality could come through. I could go on quite happily, you might say blithely, for hours but I shall not. I would if I thought I could get away with it.

I like Jane’s plant very much. Green things are a touchstone of your existence. You notice I do not use the word planet but plane, since you do not have the whole kettle to yourself.

As a man’s voice I fear Jane will sound rather unmelodious. I do not have the voice of an angel by any means, but neither do I sound like an asexual eunuch, which is all I’ve been able to make her sound like all night. And incidentally, Ruburt, you were a good brother at one time. The so-called male aspect of your personality has always been strong, but by this I mean powerful. Without the loyalty that you are learning as a woman your character had serious defects. And there, I said I would not get into anything serious.

If ever your wife’s features change imperceptibly some night as we talk, I suggest you do not mention it till the end of the session. Ruburt makes a lovely woman, though he would have been horrified at the transformation.

(I do feel strange though, no doubt about it Rob say I’m just wiggling my fingers.

(This is a test taste. How do you like it. It’s alright silly. Silly sassy

(I can add one fact to Jane’s account. By experimenting we found that she could make a rapid decisive movement while in this trance or dissociated state, but only with great effort. For example, in the kitchen I had her try to lift an empty cup up from the counter. Jane found that the only way she could do this was to concentrate as best she could on what she wanted to do, then make a supreme physical effort. As a result her hand holding the cup would fly up head high suddenly, then just as suddenly bang the cup back down on the counter.)