“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(It seems that last night John, while eating in a restaurant with a friend we do not know, was informed by this friend that the Elmira police had taken into custody a man who had been making the rounds of the Elmira pharmacies with a forged prescription for narcotics. This was not in the newspaper.

I do not mean to add to your chores, Joseph. Nevertheless, for many reasons tonight seemed auspicious, and there are a few things that I would like to add.

Usually we stick close to schedule, as we should. Nevertheless there are times that do not fall within schedule, and opportunities could be lost by denying them.

Once this is understood, all the rest of our material can be seen in the light of both logic and intuition. It is, indeed, time that such a book be compiled, and I do suggest that when it is compiled you ask Mr. Wollheim to write an introduction. We will go into this more thoroughly as we progress.

I have been prepared to give you this present information but a suitable opportunity did not seem to present itself. And I do feel a responsibility in helping you prepare a book from the material.

If you do not have faith in them, who else shall be expected to? Ruburt, in fear of being thought of as an hysterical woman, does hold back at times, as is somewhat natural, and within limits necessary.

My suggestion will be, therefore, that Ruburt do his own work in the mornings. Incidentally, I will make some effort to help him in this line, so that financially things will balance out. Afternoons, instead of working at the gallery, I would suggest that he busy himself with my book. Seriously, as he does with his own work, and that you continue to record our sessions.

I do not want you to take any time from your own painting to work on Book One of the Seth sessions, nor do I want anyone else to record the sessions.

You cannot get the results first for a test. It goes without saying that Ruburt’s technical abilities and know-how as a writer are developed. It is theoretically, but definitely, possible for an individual to suddenly perform an art for which he has in the past achieved no conscious knowledge or mastery, and to do it well. But usually expectations are just not that strong, and a conscious and unconscious preparation is necessary.

Yet the results, you will agree, were practical. I will cut one of our sessions next week very short, to make up for this one, but I do not believe that even now you realize the service that I am trying to do you both, and myself.

Ruburt will shortly come out of his daze. I imagine he will feel rather shocked. The decision, as always, is your own. I will not reprimand you if you do not take this course. I do say that it is the best one.

I have done my best. I am fond of you both. I have tried to explain my reasons for suggesting this course. I do not want you to feel under pressure from me, but in fairness to our relationship I could do no less than point out the course of less resistance, and of best hope of success.

(In the 68th session, July 6, 1964, page 221, Seth stated that our friend Bill Macdonnel, who was going to vacation in Provincetown, Cape Cod, for a few weeks, “will of course go to the seaside. There is a man, perhaps fifty years old, with whom he will become acquainted, or with whom he may become acquainted, with prickly hair. I see a rowboat with a symbol of some sort on it. I do not particularly see any women. That may be because my interests are somewhat different now, though this could be misleading.”

(In the 75th session, July 29, 1964, page 273, Seth stated regarding Bill: “Your friend has made two friends, one older and one approximately his own age. He is of course, or has been, near water. He has been at a bar with a large keg in it. There are two houses nearby, and a front room across from a beach. There is a boat and dock. I also believe he was in a group with four men, maybe something to do with a string of shells, also.”

(In the 68th session Seth mentioned a rowboat with a symbol. Bill recalls no such boat, stating he did not pay particular attention to boats. His acquaintance wore a cap with an anchor symbol on it, although we do not regard this as being what Seth referred to.

(The party broke up rather early that evening, and Bill then went to the Atlantic House bar with Garry and Larry, where he saw the keg. Bill states that another bar in Provincetown has many small kegs dangling from the ceiling as a means of decoration, but these kegs are quite small, and do not compare with the one in the A-House for size.

(Bill states it is his belief that the “two houses nearby” do refer to the two cottages mentioned above, one shared by Gary and Larry O’Toole, with the front room across from the beach, since they are not far down the street from the A-House bar.

(The front room overlooking the water is, contrary to expectations, rather an unusual one in Provincetown, Bill said, since the cottages are rather crowded in against other buildings in somewhat of a helter-skelter fashion, and actually most of them do not command a view of the water. In this O’Toole’s cottage was out of the ordinary. The bar in the cottage has a small beer keg, Bill said, but he does not believe this is the one referred to by Seth.