“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Our landlord and his wife, James and Marian Spaziani, were scheduled to attend tonight’s session, and to arrive by 8:30. The Spazianis have known about the Seth material from the beginning, and have read some of the earlier sessions; indeed, it was Jane’s borrowing Jim’s Ouija board in November 1963, that led to the flow of the Seth material.

(In spite of the fact that we are all good friends, Jane grew somewhat nervous as the day wore on, because the Spazianis had never witnessed a session, although both of them are interested in ESP, and Jim has read a great many books on the subject.

(By 8:40 the guests had not arrived, and Jane was up from her nap. Before laying down she had instructed her subconscious to inform her as to whether we would have witnesses, but upon arising she still had no answer. Jane then expressed a desire to obtain in the future as firm a commitment from witnesses as possible, well in advance of the session in question. Since we do not have a telephone last-minute verification is difficult, and we may have a phone installed.

(After supper Jane had read the two dreams quoted previously involving my father. My dream notebook lay open on the table. As session time approached Jane no longer felt nervous. I could tell however that she was somewhat tired, and when she began delivery I thought her voice had a peculiar, flat, expressionless quality that could be the result of fatigue. She spoke very deliberately, in measured phrases, in a voice somewhat lower than usual, but not loudly, and as though she were giving a lecture before a number of people. Again her glasses were off, her eyes very dark. Her pacing was also quite slow.)

(Break at 9:28. Jane was dissociated as usual. She had begun the session without her glasses but now put them on.

(I was somewhat concerned because once again she said that she was tired, and I felt her voice revealed her fatigue rather plainly. We discussed various alternatives, finally deciding that Jane would sleep for at least half an hour before a session whether witnesses were due or not, and whether they were present or not. We also talked of moving the beginning time ahead an hour to 8 PM, at least during the winter months when it gets dark early.

(Again in the same rather flat and deliberate voice, although it was a bit stronger now, Jane resumed at 9:34.)

(Again, see the 87th session for Jane’s dream.)

(Break at 10:50. Jane was fully dissociated, so far-out, she said, that she had no conception of the passage of time, whether five minutes or two hours passed. Actually we had missed two breaks. Toward the end Jane’s voice had become quite dry and hoarse, and I had been on the point of asking for a break when Seth did take one.

(Actually, I had been well aware that Seth was skipping breaks, and had watched Jane rather closely to see if she became uncomfortable. This was her longest uninterrupted delivery by far since the sessions began last November 1963, and she appeared to go through it without any visible change in manner beyond the quite natural hoarseness toward the end. As for myself, I can state that by the time break arrived my right hand and arm ached all the way up to my shoulder.

(Since Seth had not actually discussed the very beginning of my first long dream, Jane and I spoke of this during break. It was a mistake, for no sooner did the subject come up than Jane began again with but one minute’s rest. As it was, she remained seated at the table, sitting with her eyes closed and her glasses off. Her voice, surprisingly, was quite at ease.)

(End at 10:55. Jane was dissociated as usual. She said that while she was delivering the above material on one level, she also received the thought from Seth “on another level” that she should sleep for three-quarters of an hour after supper on session nights. She has reported this dual reception on a few occasions before, and as before she said she was able to give voice to but one level at a time.

(The pastel drawing of Jane’s that I saw in my dream was so vivid that I still retain it clearly, and plan to do an oil painting of it soon. Both Jane and I of course have been aware of her artistic ability, and I have made various attempts to get her to use it more regularly. Although she understands perspective which I have tried to teach her, she has no feeling for it, and prefers to work without it; she calls her work primitive, and it has a childlike quality when she is left alone to paint her own way.

(Jane, washing her face in the next room, agreed with me. Then to my surprise she came through again, striding out into the living room, speaking in a rather deep voice. Again she was without her glasses. Resume at 11:00.)