“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(As usual to begin we sat at the board, in our living room with the shades drawn and a soft light on, shielded somewhat from my view. At the appointed hour Jane and I touched our fingers to the board but did not ask any questions. The pointer began to move.

(By now, Jane was hearing the answers within, in advance of the board’s spelling. But we continued with the board.)

Besides normal reasons (Jane dictates:) he was psychically inclined, at a time when Jane was young and herself close to a past life. She sensed his deep and personal inner awareness. It confused and haunted him, since his inarticulateness applied also to thoughts within himself. He felt strongly but could not explain. In his solitary nature he came close to being a mystic but he was unable to relate his personality as Joseph Burdo with the social world at large, or even to the other members of his family. There was a block, regrettably. He felt strongly his connection with the universe as a whole and with nature as he understood it. But to him nature did not include his fellow human beings. The solitariness that besieged him—because it did besiege him—is dangerous to any personality unless it comes after identification with the human race.

He never forgave his own children for growing up, nor did he forgive his wife for tending to earthly ways. Yet he related his own body, at least until the very end, very well with nature. He considered that he aged as a tree will age, but perversely he felt that others aged to spite him.

You must of course use discipline in personal relationships, but you must have personal relationships, as I think you are beginning to learn. You have both expanded in that direction and that is good.

As for your straight lines and curves you realize, I know, that there are really no straight lines and curves, but that they are symbols. Otherwise your dissertation was excellent. Action is solidified, or should I say transfixed, in a painting and yet even in a painting action is never really solidified or transfixed, but continually fluid.

Perception of beauty through the senses is the trigger on your plane for subsequent inner perceptions. The two are so closely bound, through music for example, which can only be appreciated through the senses. Psychic actions take place which lead the individual beyond the senses. There is much more to be said here. There is a phrase which I will explain at a later date—inner senses—which you will find extremely interesting. By this I mean senses within the senses. I would use behind the senses but I believe this would lead to confusion.

(The reader will note that I did not ask Seth to comment on my writings concerning art, but that the subject came up during the monologue. I had given Jane my copy to read earlier in the day. We wondered if this method of acquainting both of us with involved questions before the session began might not save asking the question during the session itself.

(Break at 10:25. At last break 35 minutes ago, Jane had already said that she was exhausted. Her voice by now was even rougher, and now as then I suggested that we end the session. But she wanted to continue, mainly because Seth was coming through so well. Jane resumed dictating at 10:27.)

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.

The action and counteraction is the time trigger. To you this will be almost unbelievable, but on some other planes motion is simultaneous and time unknown. To me time can be manipulated, used at leisure and examined. To me your time is a vehicle, one of the several vehicles by which I can enter your awareness. It is therefore still a reality of some kind to me. Otherwise I could not utilize it in any manner whatsoever. As an example of my good intentions I will end this session.

I see you both now very clearly and I must say that I approve of what I see. I will try to answer a few questions but let us keep these few moments in a light and pleasant vein. This is something of an experience involving your so-called emotions in these sessions for perhaps the first time.

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 am not some old fogy. Now and then old Frank Watts comes through simply because he is the latest independent materialization, and is used to taking things upon himself. I have not assimilated him completely but you can believe me, I intend to.

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.

You are the damndest notetaker I ever saw Joseph, you take the proverbial cake. I know you’re tired but I’ve really enjoyed myself at your expense. From utter mercy I will now stop and let you go to bed.

(Yet for my book I tried crystal gazing, using a round glass vase filled with water. I saw nothing but the usual reflections that could be expected. When Rob finished work in his studio at around nine, I told him about the experiment which was unsuccessful as far as I was concerned. I mentioned that the experiment was fascinating because of the natural effects of reflection, etc., and as far as I know I was myself at this time.

(As nearly as I can recall it was then that I began to feel strange, as if something were going to happen. I put this feeling down to imagination. Almost at once I felt dissociated, drowsy, and sat in the rocker without rocking. My eyelids felt very heavy, my head slumped sideways. I could hardly keep awake but at the same time my senses were extremely acute; I could hear every sound in the house. Rob asked what was wrong. I answered that I felt very odd and unlike myself.

(A few quotes from the three handwritten pages Jane attempted while in the trance state… Most of this writing was extremely small and quite unlike her normal hand. Twice she made determined efforts to write larger; when she did she wrote very large and with much force, and the letters leaned at odd angles and had a stiff feeling to them. She also tried twice to use the typewriter. The first time, at about 10:45 PM, she could not exert enough pressure to use the keys; the second time at about midnight was more successful, but still uneven in pressure and lacking punctuation and capitals.

(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.)