“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

I always enjoy these pre-discussions. Ruburt’s character analysis never ceases to amaze me. My welcome to Philip. My memory fortunately is much better than Ruburt’s.

(Jane’s voice now became quite amused; she smiled at John and me as she paced back and forth. Miss Callahan’s name enters the discussion because we were discussing her before the session.)

I throw in dates for your convenience, because you like to check me so well. I give you an August 12 to 15 date on your Miss Callahan, and an August 24 date to be cautious yourselves. I do not anticipate any great difficulty for you on that date, but an unpleasantness could definitely arise. I will give your Philip in advance a September 2 date, and then with everyone’s permission I shall continue with the discussion on the nature of matter.

A V comes to mind. Whether this is the person directly involved, or a person causing the difficulty I do not know. Ruburt is so preciously guarding me, and so afraid that what I say may not prove true at all, that he does a beautiful job of blocking me when he gets the chance.

A pun. It is as you know an extremely difficult topic because of the limits of your own conceptions. Philip may not be able to follow me too well, since he has not heard, nor read, any previous discussions on matter. But this again will not matter.

I have said more than once that I am no spooky spirit indeed. Nor am I dead. Your egotism, imagining that what you cannot perceive must therefore be either dead or nonexistent, does not even trouble me.

(Now Jane picked up a book of paper matches and held it up before John and me as she paced back and forth.)

(This is but the beginning. Today I listened for the noise again but heard nothing. I then continued putting myself in a light trance, suggesting that my subconscious would give me an experiment that would prove the validity of clairvoyance, premonition or prediction for the chapter I was working on. I was thinking in terms of an experiment for the reader to try.

(A woman bending down, picking something up, looking at me with casual friendliness and smiling.

(I knew I was in a good state, but it occurred to me that I needed someone to ask me questions, or that I should somehow direct my purpose and energy. I repeated a few times that I stood by Rob’s chair again, but nothing happened. Then on impulse I said mentally: “What’s wrong with John Bradley’s neck?” [Visiting last night and witnessing the 63rd session, John had remarked about the feeling of a lump inside his throat or neck, yet could not find any lump.]

(I was so startled and shocked that I came to instantly. I was shaking with amazement. The voice was very impatient in tone. As I snapped to I was answering it aloud, but cannot remember what I was saying. The sound of the voice was very loud—it scared me as a sudden loud sound will. I had the feeling that I could have asked more and that it would have been answered, but this was right after I came to. I regretted coming to, as the answer I received was the kind that makes you want to ask more questions.

(Friday 6/19, 9:30 PM: Halfway through my induction into the desired trance state I became aware that my forearms and hands once again felt quite enlarged intrinsically, and also quite far apart, perhaps 6 feet or so, although as I lay on my back on the bed my hands were so close to my sides they touched my hips. At the realization of the above, my familiar thrilling sensation swept over me quite strongly, with some duration. It still lingers as I write this.

(I then finished my self-induction. Some time later, it seems, I became aware that I was watching a youngish woman in a polka-dot dress, white dots on black or a dark color, climb up three or four back-porch steps and enter a house, with a screen door closing behind her. She might have been carrying something. At the foot of the steps stood a little girl looking up at her disappearing mother. [I do not know how I felt so sure this was mother and daughter.] The little girl, with brown long hair and some kind of short nondescript dress, stood with her back to me. I then heard her say very clearly, in a high-pitched little girl’s voice: “You got the ball? You got the ball?”

(In answer to the little girl’s question, I said, “Here’s your ball, little girl.” I then realized that I saw a darkened ball something like an old tennis ball, lying in grass in front of me and somewhat to my left. I impulsively stooped to pick the ball up—and then on the bed I twisted my body with the effort; this was enough to break the transmission, although I don’t believe I came out of the desired state.

(I might add here that this is the first time I remember that while in the state I attempted to deliberately perform a physical act. I think I may have touched the ball; certainly my left hand was curved and grasping as though about to pick up such an object. I have no memory of the little girl’s reaction, or if she heard me. After turning on the bed, I did try to recapture the picture, and asked the girl a question about her name, to which I received no answer.