“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(This session was unscheduled. Jane had received a letter from her publisher today. We had been talking about Seth, also. Alone in the kitchen after supper, she wondered about a “little” session tonight, and received this:)

(I laughed. But Jane asked me to get pen and paper, so the session got under way in our living room. For the first time we did not use the Ouija board. The curtains were open, it was still light out, we could hear people talking downstairs and in the hall outside our door. Nothing seemed to interfere. During the session we observed no voice phenomena to speak of. There was a moderate darkening of Jane’s eyes.)

However your unbounded enthusiasm this evening made me hesitate to disappoint you. It’s so nice to be wanted. I don’t mean to be sarcastic, it really is. Though I certainly appreciate your interpretation, Joseph, as far as my comment on the lively arts is concerned, nevertheless though I enjoyed Jane’s little performance that is not what I was referring to. Incidentally, I rarely attend your little apartment unless in one way or another you ask me to, and tonight you were yelling my name from the rooftops, so to speak.

(Earlier this evening we had discussed whether I was really necessary to the sessions. I had wondered why Jane, rather than dictating to me, could not just sit down and write out the messages from Seth.)

My remark about the lively arts had to do with the method of communication we use at the present time. Jane is right in supposing that I prefer conversation, even though I admit this usually amounts to a monologue. And this is what I meant by the lively arts. There is little spontaneity involved in automatic writing, as far as emotional content is concerned. At least that is my opinion.

Even though I do not give you much time to comment, I still like a give-and-take mood, and the interplay of personalities that you get in this manner. Believe it or not, your comments are invited. I will even say welcomed. If Ruburt, or should I call him her, Ruburt, Jane-if Ruburt-Jane feels slighted since I address you so much more frequently, it is because your mouth is free to answer.

This is but a brief session. I do not intend to keep you very long, but I am pleased with the letter from Ace; and Jane is right, you have them hooked. And why not? My name was in the book. In any case the two of you are needed, as I mentioned earlier. For one thing we three have much in common. More in fact than you know thus far.

(“Seth, last night Jane had a lot of confused dreams, in which she seemed to be getting or giving instructions in life readings.”)

(I got Jane a match from my studio.)

(Break at 7:30. I now described to Jane an experiment of mine that I had tried earlier in the day. Standing in the middle of our living room and looking at various objects, such as a vase, a painting on the wall, a plant, etc., I had attempted to let my mind’s eye travel around these objects so that I could picture within the far side of them.

(Similarly, last night I stood at a window and looked out across the Walnut Street bridge. I visualized myself walking across this bridge, feeling the wooden flooring beneath my feet. I felt myself walk beneath the signal lights at the far end, and continue on up the street. I tried to reach out and envelop the feeling of the house and trees on each side of me, to sense them as if by touch as I passed each one by. Jane resumed dictation at 7:30.)

(“You’re a good kiddo,” was the ultimate compliment that Jane’s very reticent grandfather could pay her. He died in March, 1948, when Jane was 19.)

(End at 7:55.”Every once in a while,” Jane said, “he gets warm and emotional, and it always throws me. I never know quite what to do. And it does take something out of you. I’m amazed…” I could see that even after an hour Jane had tired somewhat, so I said good night to Seth aloud and ended the session. Jane had shown no voice or hand phenomena, nor had she any feeling of nervousness before the session began.