“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Time may show that this session is one of the most significant to date, as far as demonstrations of the authenticity of the Seth Material are concerned. What I have recorded here is done with the utmost effort towards objectivity. Jane, Bill Macdonnel and I agree as to the contents, and our three viewpoints are herein presented. It might be added that Jane and I have no set opinions concerning the Seth Material. We are engaged in it and with it, and we record what we learn. We do not feel that at this stage any other opinion or attitude is needed. We let the material speak for itself.

(Bill Macdonnel arrived at 8:30 to be a witness. Our cat Willy was quiet for a change as session time approached. Jane also felt nervous. She began dictating on time, in a voice a little deeper and stronger than usual. Her pacing was average, her eyes darkened as usual.)

And good evening to our guest.

There is one point from our previous discussion that should be added to. It is in terms of a clearer definition. You call matter living or dead according to quite arbitrary designations. We have a step further here to take. In our last session, I mentioned that you considered live matter to be action in motion.

In terms of our discussion this is very important. No material object of any kind is formed without the cooperation and without the inner consent of the atoms and molecules that compose it. Form is not thrust upon matter.

Without such cooperation no physical construction would be possible. I will, if I may, use our glass again to make another point clear.

He creates an entirely different object, which his own outer senses then perceive. Since we have here this evening such an elegant and welcome guest, let us then perceive him in terms of a slight discussion of matter, in which he shall be our guinea pig.

(By referring to the floor plan of our living room at the end of this session, the placement of the three of us can be quickly determined. Seth, making the above statement, gave no suggestions as to what might transpire. Jane’s delivery was unbroken as she paced about the room at a rather fast rate. Her voice was also quite strong and deep, much deeper than usual, yet she spoke without apparent effort or surprise.

(From my writing table, to my right of the entrance to our bath, I could look easily at Bill as he sat in our Kennedy rocker, facing the bath entrance itself from the other side of the same door. As Jane continued her delivery I noticed that Bill was staring quite consistently into the open bath doorway; yet I did not pay great attention to this, taking it somewhat for granted that Seth would use Bill/Mark only as a talking point relating to whatever subject he discussed.)

(For one who felt poorly at the start of the session, Jane now said she felt fine. Seth had “knocked her out quickly.” Our cat, Willy, now became active as break wore on, and as he has done for most recent sessions. Willy began to stalk through the apartment, crying out; it was a cool night and no bugs were to be seen. Willy behaved in quite a scary fashion, looking all about him.

(At our request Jane remained standing where she was; she said that she “tingled” as she stood in the proper spot. She was not frightened, although uneasy when Bill and I first told her of what we saw. There was no doubt of what we did see. The effect lasted for perhaps a minute or two, the room was sufficiently well lighted [although not blazing with light; during her deliveries Jane usually has one 60W light on, but at break we turn more lights on; and if this bothers Jane while talking she automatically snaps them off as she paces about.] and Bill and I had plenty of chance to make sure of what we were looking at.

(This “hanging before” appearance, it will be remembered, is remarkably similar to the effect I observed when the same three of us experimented with our first and only seance. See the 11th session, page 56. In this one, as Bill, Jane and I stared into a mirror, the reflection of Jane’s head changed in size and shape, and finally appeared to hang in space just forward of the rest of her reflection. That appearance had taken place in much poorer light than tonight’s event, however. This time I could see in detail the changes taking place, and their end. [Session 11 is in Vol. 1.]

(I had heard a door slam next door, since it was a nice night and our living room windows were open. In the summer Jane likes the windows open, sessions or no, although I find traffic noises bothersome at times.

(We live on the second floor. The offices of Dr. Levine, our friend and physician, are perhaps forty feet away, on the ground floor of a house that he owns. The side entrance to his suite is directly opposite our windows, and we often see Sam Levine coming and going. He does much night work, and his office lights have many times been burning while a session was in progress.

(According to Seth then, Jane and I used our combined psychic strength or force to pull the bolt back. I remember finding the door, which was very heavy and thick, slightly ajar. This was accounted for to our satisfaction at the time of our second visit; trying to shoot the bolt from inside the porch, Jane and I found we had to exert considerable pressure against the door in order to line the bolt up with the door frame; and once shut the door was exceedingly sturdy. If Jane and I used psychic strength to open this door, it can be safely stated that the force required and exerted was considerable.)

We will use the appearance of my image later to advance our discussion on the creation of matter. You may now take your break.

(We were discussing the evening’s material when I happened to remark that it seemed as though a performer on television, for example, when viewed by others, might be created by millions of viewers, many of whom would be independent of each other as far as our conception of distance is concerned; yet all the images so created would overlap enough to be identifiable as the one performer.

We will have our promised party in your new house, and some party it will be. I have put it off for my own reasons, and will make up. You may by all means invite Mark, and we will really have some time. I am not any old fogy, and I may very well give you a taste of my sense of humor that you will not soon forget.

I do see in that large white room some occurrences on our party night, and I shall have quite a time watching your expressions. I might even greet you at what Ruburt calls your large French doors. That is an excellent idea.