“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(This session was not expected on our part, and took place without the use of the Ouija board. Since Seth had stated that unscheduled sessions would be the exception, Jane and I were waiting for the regularly scheduled session of tomorrow, Wednesday.

(As the three of us sat at the table sipping wine and discussing Seth, Jane began to get nudges from Seth every so often. It will be remembered that during the 21st session Seth had wanted John to stay as a witness. But tonight, since it was getting late and I had doubts about my ability to keep up with the dictation, I thought it better that we pass up the chance. I also thought Jane would be overly tired. John offered to leave, but I said aloud that we’d rather wait for our regular session time.

(This statement, Jane informed me, made Seth boiling mad. She insisted that I get pen and paper, that we have a session now with John as a witness. So the session began. At its end will be found a copy of John Bradley’s handwritten, dated and signed statement that he was a witness.

(Through this session Jane’s voice was rather stronger and a bit deeper than usual. Her eyes darkened as usual, her pacing was slow. She later told me that at the beginning she was very nervous, since this was her first time before a witness. In addition we had more lights on than usual, and this bothered her at first. But the feeling soon left.)

Our sessions are important, after all, and not to be put off at the mood of the moment. As Ruburt told you, I was here at the regular hour last night and aware of the happenings in the household. I was of course perfectly willing to let last night’s session go, understanding the circumstances.

This evening however was different. You were polite to your guest and I recognize his presence. You were not, however, as polite with me. Ruburt was dubious about a session with company present. However he was willing to listen to me irregardless, and I must admit that in no way do I understand your cutting me off in such a brusque manner.

This is in itself an expression of the dualism of which I have spoken. Evolution does not of course apply only to the human species, and as I have said consciousness on your plane exists in all things. When your friend asked his question he was, I believe, referring to the point at which self-consciousness entered into so-called inert form.

You know now that so-called inert form has consciousness. To some degree it even possesses self-consciousness, and so there is no point at which self-consciousness entered, so to speak, with the sound of trumpets. Consciousness, to a degree, was inherent in the first materialization physically upon your plane.

So-called human consciousness did not suddenly appear. Our poor maligned friend, the ape, did not suddenly beat his hairy chest in exaltation and cry “I am a man.” There was no such point and this, if you will forgive my pun, is my point.

The beginnings of human consciousness, on the other hand, began as soon as multicellular groupings began to form in field patterns of a certain complexity. While there was no specific point of entry as far as human consciousness was concerned, there was a point before which human consciousness as such did not exist. Self-consciousness did exist. The consciousness of being human in your terms was fully developed in the caveman, but—and I cannot emphasize this enough—the human conception was alive in the fish.

This human self-consciousness existed in psychological time and in inner time long before you as a species constructed it in terms of your particular camouflage patterns. For your friend’s sake I will simplify this, saying that human consciousness was inherent and latent from the beginning of your physical universe.

(Break at 10:57. John Bradley reported that Seth as he went along began to answer each question he—John—thought of as soon as it came to mind. Jane and I suggested to John that he write a statement as a witness to the session. Break ended just as John, trying to get entity names versus personality names straightened out, was wondering how to address Seth in his statement. Resume at 11:05.)

There are many times that our paths have crossed, and that is why I wanted you here, and why you happened onto the art gallery where Ruburt is employed. Not that free will is not involved, because it certainly is involved. Only that old friends have a way of meeting. And I was not joking when I spoke of a predisposition to gout, for you have also been lecherous in your way.

(Now it was John’s turn to laugh. Neither Jane or I have met his wife.)

He was in a different position when he was a woman, and if I may give away secrets, he was beaten by one pigheaded husband who had a snout to match.

This was in Belgium—and I will not be tricked, my dear Joseph—it was in Belgium in 1632, and our Philip in a rather sensational case for the times actually brought this husband to a village trial, a particularly unusual occurrence at that time. His name was Yolanda Schrav—

S-c-h-r-a-v-a-n-s-d-a-t-t-e-r. He was at the time 33 and had been caught in an act of shall we say indiscretion, for which he was severely and unjustifiably beaten. Unjustifiably because the pigheaded husband was, forgive my pun, a bore. And he now, as John, is familiar with this previous husband in a business relationship.

(Break at 11:28. Jane said that while delivering this material she once again lost track of herself and her surroundings completely. She was not aware of John, myself, or the room. This was the first occurrence of such depth since the 23rd session. Jane had of course met my eyes many times as she paced back and forth rather slowly; her voice had been rather strong. Resume at 11:35.)

(End at 12:00 midnight. We did not use the board to bid Seth good night. And again, Jane while delivering the above material was unaware of her surroundings; she “returned,” however as soon as the session ended.

(John Bradley finished his statement as a witness, signed it and left for Corning, N.Y., where he had a motel room. He requested a copy of the session, with the thought of possibly trying to verify the data given by Seth concerning his past lives. It was by then close to 1:00 AM.

(Walking into the living room before preparing for bed, I was surprised to find Jane standing silently at her desk. Staring at me, she then pointed to a pen and paper she had evidently placed there on the desk. As I sat down to write she began to dictate. Resume at 1:35 AM.)

Ruburt picked up some communications from me last night. One which he did not get clearly was that you can take some consolation in the fact that your whole self is not as deeply affected by your present parents as you would suppose, and I promise to help you attain further important freedoms from any bad influences along this line, in a manner that will still allow you to help them without hurting yourself.

(Jane said then she had felt for some time that Seth was more emotionally involved with me than with her. However, she had never mentioned this, to the best of my knowledge.

(In bed finally, Jane received two brief notes from Seth, rather incomplete. The first concerned condensed time; that is, in what may be a split second to the entity, the incarnated personality will experience a time duration of say, 70 years. The second note was a joke of sorts: Just because Seth apologized, I was not to get a big head.

(I, the undersigned hereby certify that I was present at the above numbered session. With me were the principals through whom and to whom Seth spoke.

(In this session Seth spoke of my past life and attributed my current patterns of life to the lessons learned by my previous existences. Of immediately provable fact is that during the session Jane [Ruburt] spoke with a deeper voice than usual, she had a definite Boston accent on certain words. Prior to the start of the session I had, in conversation, asked Robbie [Joseph] a question involving his point of continuous existence versus evolution. Seth answered my questions and while he was giving his general answer, other related questions would creep into my mind and these would immediately be answered by Seth. This happened so frequently that towards the end of the session, when I would think of a question I would have immediate confidence that it would be subsequently answered.