“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Jane received her first intimation that something new might develop in the sessions when she was reading over last Wednesday’s session after supper tonight. She came up with the idea that she might give part of tonight’s session while lying down. Her first thought was one of acquiescence. Her second thought was one of panic, in that she wouldn’t know the passage of time as usual, etc.

(It might be interesting to note that at the time Jane received this idea, I was working on an index for the 35th session, of March 16, 1964. In this session Seth talked of having us try various experiments involving the use of the inner senses; tonight’s session was of course in the nature of an experiment. Jane did not know what session I was working on, and we were also separated by two rooms at the time.

(Then, lying down at 8:15 this evening, Jane felt that she went into a deeper trance state, one that was experimental and yet controlled. She was not particularly trying psychological time, yet she felt that she was familiarizing herself for a new development. She did not “see” or “hear” anything. She did not feel Seth around. She was, however, worried somewhat about what control she would have over the material if, in the prone position, she was in a deeper trance.

(Jane had no idea of the material for the session as the time for it approached, although she said her arms felt a “little light” from the state she had achieved at 8:15 and later. Nor had she been thinking recently along the lines outlined above.

(The session did begin in a new way. At 9 PM Jane was sitting opposite me at our living room table, where I take my notes. She took off her glasses as usual, but instead of rising to begin pacing about the room she remained seated. Her eyes were closed, and remained closed whenever she delivered material throughout the evening. Her voice was normal, her delivery rather rapid but with pauses. For the most part she sat with one leg drawn up, an arm resting upon the knee, her hand to her head as though propping it up. She held a lighted cigarette in the other hand.

He is also however somewhat anxious to develop his abilities, and if he is to do so we must progress. For future reference, Joseph, and I repeat future, you should not probably need this for awhile, the words “All right Jane, you’re back now,” will always suffice to return Ruburt to his more usual condition.

(Jane still sat opposite me, her eyes closed. Her delivery was easily heard, yet more halting in manner than usual. Her eyes were still closed. Her cigarette had now burned down, and to put it out she groped about for the ashtray on the table, as she talked.)

(I gave this answer almost as a matter of routine. It is now quite a few days later as I type this material, and Jane and I have had time to think it over. She has not shown outright opposition to experimenting, but from various remarks of hers I know she is still not enthusiastic about giving up any of the props she has become accustomed to—the pacing, the open eyes, etc. This is quite understandable. Jane’s hesitancy here reminds me of her hesitancy in the beginning sessions, when it early became apparent that she was receiving the answers to questions mentally, even though we were using the Ouija board. She did not want to dispense with the board for some time.

(As for myself, I have qualified the approval I gave, making it dependent upon Jane’s own approval. Our approach is cautious, as usual. I do not want to unwittingly push her into anything she does not really want to try. For the moment, then, we have decided to see what comes. If either of us does not like the developments, we plan to return to the method we have been using this past year.

(Jane’s delivery of the above material had been somewhat slow and hesitant, but clear. It gave me the feeling of being uneven, but I note that the typewritten copy reads as well as any of the other material. Her head was down much of the time, as though she might fall asleep. Her voice did not lose volume. She appeared to be restless now, shifting about on her chair. Some of the pauses between phrases were indeed quite long.)

(It was now 9:30. Jane’s delivery was very halting.)

(It was 9:35. Thus it took Jane five minutes to deliver the above two paragraphs. For the material on fragments see the very early sessions; it is scattered throughout them.)

(Jane used several long pauses delivering the above paragraph. One of them was so long I thought she had fallen asleep. She sat motionless on her chair, her head resting upon one hand. Yet her diction was very clear.)

(Break at 9:45. Jane’s eyes immediately opened as her head came up. She looked sleepy, and reached for her glasses. She did not smoke or drink during delivery. She said her state of dissociation was deeper, that she was “way out.” She heard her voice however, and my answers. She was surprised at the amount of time that had passed. She remembered the pauses, but had thought they were “nothing.”

(Jane was not frightened at the new development, but still felt uneasy about relinquishing control, as she put it, during a session. For instance, she worried about not knowing the time, yet once the session began she thought nothing of it. She did feel she had given consent for the experiment. She did not think Seth would try “pushing through” any startling information tonight.

(Jane moved over to the couch before the session resumed, and remained there once she began dictating again. Again her eyes closed, again her hand went to her chin, and again she used frequent and sometimes long pauses. Her diction was good. Resume at 9:59.)

(End at 10:16. Jane was fully dissociated as before, and again looked sleepy when the session ended. This time she was not aware of anything except her voice. She was not aware of the darkness. Her attention was elsewhere.

(Jane said it would be easier to block any material that frightened her while she was pacing about. The new method, when she sat quietly, with the added ingredient of the long pauses, made blocking probably more difficult. The pauses interrupted the sense of the material to some degree. This might remove the impact from words or phrases that ordinarily would alert her to block them.

(Jane was quite intrigued because she had no conception of darkness or light while delivering material. She wasn’t aware of using her voice. She heard the words after they were spoken, but could not retain them.

(While delivering the last paragraph of the session, Jane had the parallel perception or feeling that Seth meant she might receive visual data while dictating.)

(The following data are from Jane’s psy-time notebook: