“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(At my request, Jane repeated the word psychio-physical for me. Again, Webster’s Unabridged for 1951 lists no such combination. Along with extral value, used by Seth in the last session, this makes two such recent instances of unfamiliar words.)

Here we run into something that will be difficult for me to explain to you. Any particular self theoretically could expand his consciousness to contain the universe and everything in it. The closed-in, solitary, isolated self of which you are so proud is, as I have said, an arbitrary formation, containing the core of identity; and you seem to prefer, psychically speaking, to stay at home.

(Later, Jane told me that as she was delivering this material aloud, she also contained within another parallel channel of thought from Seth, as she often does. This time she was quite aware of Seth’s concern lest anyone, upon reading this section of the material, commit suicide in a misguided effort to prove that it is possible for the consciousness to get along without the physical body. Jane said that at times she is aware of as many as three separate, parallel streams of thought, at the same time as she is giving voice to one of them.)

(At this moment I heard clearly the crunching banging sound of an automobile accident, through our open windows. Our living-room windows command a good view of our street, one of the main ones in Elmira, but a quick look told me the accident was out of our visual range. Jane heard it too, but merely cast a casual look through a window. As with the burning chicken described in the last session, she paid no attention; during delivery she seems to be largely impervious to distractions.)

The consciousness, with its source in the inner universe, being not bound by time or space, is in a position to expand along the lines that I have mentioned. The physical body in a large degree is not. Do not mistake me. For practical purposes, theory aside, you could not maintain allegiance to your plane, live out a normal life span for example (and this is necessary) while separate from the physical body.

(Again, I became aware that my right hand felt enlarged; the feeling had subsided but now returned, and with an increased intensity. It was somewhat of a handicap in writing; the hand, having a different feeling as it held the pen, made me concentrate more on the simple physical act of putting the words down. And I saw Jane rubbing her hands together as she paced back and forth while dictating.)

(I was now most interested in taking some measurements from both Jane and myself while our hands felt this way, as Bill Macdonnel had helped me do in the 47th session, when we found definite physical evidence of finger enlargement. Not being able to do this at the moment however, I did recall Seth’s very definite statements in the 49th session, page 63, concerning his most conservative attitude toward demonstrations.)

My most beloved friends, this is one of our best sessions to date. I think of you most highly, and I respect you both, not only as excellent pupils but as dearest friends. I will hereby close the session. Let me tell you, Joseph, that your room divider has proven of great psychic value to you both; and you have not had any gum boils since I suggested putting the refrigerator in the kitchen.

(Self- Sunday 5/24, 9:45 PM: We had spent the day driving about the countryside. Now in the desired state I had several short experiences where I was gliding along different highways, up and down hills, around curves, etc. Do not recall being in a car, or that Jane was with me. Very pleasant.

(Then came a rather unpleasant experience. Driving or gliding along river road just north of Chemung NY, with fence on my right so that I could not get off the road, I saw sweeping down the hill some distance ahead of me a big tractor-trailer truck—on the wrong side of the road. This experience had duration enough for me to consider the best way to avoid it. It did not swerve about, merely headed straight for me until it loomed up enormously right in front of me. There was no crash but I was frightened; part of the time I saw the truck through a veil of white. Then I realized I had plenty of room to pull off the road to the left, and so would be safe.