“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(At 6:00 AM Jane woke me to say that she was in the grip of an extremely painful stiff neck. By the time we obtained treatment for it the time was close to noon, so it seemed there would be no session this evening, or at most a few words from Seth acknowledging the seriousness of Jane’s predicament.

(Sunday, and until late at night, Jane had been reading The Winthrop Woman, a book about American colonial life in the 1600’s by Anya Seton. Last night she was unable to get to sleep, thinking about the book, and surmised that in some way the book had roused her subconsciously. Jane had forgotten it, she said, but now thought that upon reading the same book a few months ago, she had also developed neck trouble, although not to as severe a degree. The book dealt extensively with the sufferings of women in childbirth, and their lot in general, in those days.

(At 9:00 PM Seth came through. Jane, holding her neck very stiffly forward, spoke softly and without emphasis. She paced slowly; I could not tell if her eyes darkened. At the same time our cat Willy began to cry and try grasping at Jane’s legs and ankles. He’s done this before at sessions. But now Jane found it difficult to elude him, since any quick movement set up spasms in her neck.)

(As we sat talking about the reasons for Jane’s painful neck, Seth came through again. Jane resumed pacing and dictating at 9:12.)

I would add one brief note for Ruburt’s edification. Surely he must be aware that his mother’s characteristic pose in bed was one that necessitated a complete turning of the upper body, whenever she wished to look one way or the other; and that her neck, because of her arthritis, could not turn normally.

The wry neck enabled Ruburt to identify with his mother, and therefore avoid such punishment. At the same time, the wry neck itself inflicted a punishment in place of the imagined and feared greater punishment which Ruburt felt his mother intended, the imagined punishment being a basic and infantile terror of being pulled back into the womb.

(End at 9:25. Jane was more dissociated during this last delivery, although still conscious of her very sore neck. She also felt that somehow Seth had overridden her to some degree in order to get the material through. Jane said she had cringed, mentally, at Seth’s use of the word infantile. She also felt a little better at the end of the brief session.)