“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I would like to ask Seth if I was using my inner senses during the following episode, without being aware that I was doing so.

(Before starting work this afternoon I studied my favorite tree for a while, noticing that the force of the wind had begun to peel back large sections of bark from some of the middle limbs. One of these limbs arched up over our lawn toward our living room on the second floor, and the jutting-out bay windows of the apartment beneath us on the ground floor. I remember thinking that if this limb should fall, it would be long enough to strike the house.

(I wonder: Watching the tree, did my inner senses tell me the limb would fall—information that I casually disregarded? Or is it just coincidence?

(At 8:30 this evening Jane had “not even a glimmer” of what Seth would discuss for the session. She did not say so, but by watching her I saw that she was becoming nervous, as she has quite often. She said that sometimes for a period of perhaps two weeks, she will have an idea of what Seth will talk about; then will begin a longer period during which she has no advance ideas. At 8:55 this evening she still had no idea of what she would be talking about. At 8:59 she had “just a tiny glimmer.”

This naturally is an answer again to Ruburt’s constant questioning. Sometimes, without your confidence, Joseph, I would certainly have a difficult time trying to get through to Ruburt. He is however under a considerable strain, as undoubtedly he has told you. The ego rears its head, in this case a rather attractive head, and the ego makes its protests.

To say I am energy is no lie. It is actually truer than many designations that would sound more authentic and complicated. I am a personality in essence-energy form. This in no way implies that I am a spirit, nor does it imply that I am some weird sort of granddaddy longlegs of science fiction. What I am is difficult to explain because of the limits set not only by your own knowledge but by the present method of our communications.

It is even difficult for me to answer that, since you are partly on the track and partly way off. The emotional aspect of course would be the personality-essence. However it also has a structure that is very simple, but to you would appear complicated to the extreme. This is because of your present habit of thinking in word patterns rather than energy transferral complexes.

I do have a structure nevertheless, and I can change or interchange the components of that structure so as to appear or operate under vastly different conditions. During these sessions I use my basic energy components in a different manner than I would under other circumstances. In other words, I change the alignment of my components, focusing my powers into one particular direction.

If you wanted to enter a very small space you would, I presume, get down on all fours, hunch your shoulders and crawl in this imaginary hole headfirst.

This would involve manipulations of muscles that would result in a temporary change of shape, a somewhat superficial but real adjustment of the physical body in its relation to space, and a consequent change of focus or direction in so far as the forward low thrust of the body into the hole. On a much different level this is what is involved as far as I am concerned in my attempts to enter your small entryway. On my part however the necessary manipulations amount to a transformation, and I have much greater freedom here. It is as if you could actually make your body smaller than the hole you wished to enter, in a much more appreciable fashion.

I do not believe though I am not certain that Ruburt would go along, certainly not in such a positive manner, if it were not for your acceptance.

You however are not so afraid of your own abilities. I am speaking now of psychic abilities and the reason is again personal, since you have been aware of them in a somewhat different manner. You appear to others as dependable, responsible and disciplined. Ruburt, with a different appearance and with different personal background, particularly involving his mother, has been fearful of displaying characteristics that he would consider emotional because the emotional is such a part of his personality, and there has been a distrust here of the strong parts of his personality.

Yes. A witness now and then would probably also help Ruburt’s confidence, if you know of any persons.

(Now, Jane’s voice, which had been stronger than normal through the whole session, began to take on added timber; that is it began to grow deeper more than it increased in volume. I felt that this trend would continue. Already her voice had changed more than it had in any session except the 14th. She gave no sign of concern or surprise.)

If Ruburt were going into very deep trance states such precautions would not be necessary. I prefer this sort of give and take however, which means that in many instances we must go slower, but we will be more sure of our results.

Always with Ruburt’s permission, and for that matter indirectly with your permission, for if Ruburt sensed you were against such a circumstance he would not give permission. There is here a gestalt and a delicate balance among us.

(For now Jane’s voice was very deep and strong and vibrant. Listening as I wrote, I had flashes of feeling that it belonged to someone else entirely. I would say that it perhaps was even more pronounced.)

Any such signs involve camouflage patterns and do not actually represent direct experience. This is not, for example, my voice. It is a representation or approximation of my voice for your edification. Furthermore in your terms I do not have a voice. Nevertheless it is a valid representation and if I must say so myself, and that’s a pun, the voice is very much like the voice I would use, though Frank had a different one.

Concerning your tree: You were aware that the tree would fall. You received this inner data at noon but you ignored it. In this case your outer senses served to restimulate the inner data. The noise of the wind and so forth gave you a glimmering of the earlier data that had not reached your consciousness.

(“What was the distortive word in the Kennedy poem? I’m sure Jane would like to know.”)

Your divider is an excellent camouflage pattern. In case you wondered Ruburt’s weekend fling with the furniture was a result of various things—an inner, unrecognized knowledge that her publisher would put off the book for now, and a burst of doubt over these sessions coupled with worries concerning your parents.

(After the session, Jane said that along with this answer she also received the thought from Seth, which she did not give voice to, that even though Miss Callahan did not pass away by April 15th the date would still be a significant one for her, a time of change; but whether for the better or worse Jane did not know.

Your personality will also grow through such contacts. I hesitate to point this out, or rather Ruburt is hesitating about letting me point this out, but your present father’s personality would not have been half as hampered had he allowed it such contact. You do not have to fear heredity here of course, but rather examples received from him when you were very young.

I do not know about our friend of the frequent apparitions. You would have to try him.

(Here Seth referred to Bill Macdonnel. Bill is a schoolteacher in his mid-twenties, and one of our friends who has known about these sessions from the beginning. He has read much of the material, and participated in the seance we tried. He has quite often expressed a desire to witness a session. In past sessions Seth has given Bill the name of his entity, Mark, and answered for Bill several questions that we relayed. And of course we have been thinking lately that Bill would be an obvious choice for a witness.

(End at 11:50. Jane was of course quite tired. During delivery she had been quite dissociated. She said that the deep voice was absolutely effortless as long as she went along with it, but when she would think about it, it would get hoarse. I noticed that this happened several times, though not to any great degree.

(Jane also received a thought concept from Seth concerning his method of thinking. It was brief, but to the effect that if he were with a roomful of people he would not confront each one in turn but “experience” them altogether, using his inner senses to appreciate as a whole all the personalities and emotions about him.