“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Since we had been taken by surprise by this development, we had made no plans to record the reading. I hesitated to interrupt, remembering Seth’s comments about the value of spontaneity. Jane’s eyes were open, but much darker and more luminous than usual. At times the almost deafening power of her voice, and its emotional content, were indeed thrilling. At the end of the reading Jane closed her eyes; when she opened them again she was out of the trance. She said she was subjectively aware of the gestures she executed with her left hand, yet she felt the hand was not really hers at the time. She felt that it was a fatter hand, belonging to a much heavier arm. Father Trainor, in the photograph we have of him, was a very heavyset man. Bill Gallagher felt that while she was reading Jane spoke with a brogue. Father Trainor was Irish.

(Her eyes remained closed this time, but she was very active in her delivery, using many voice effects and gestures—the most active, I think, since she began to deliver material while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Jane said later that the presence of Bill and Peg seemed to give her extra psychic energy somehow; that she felt a greet freedom while giving the session that was most enjoyable. Seth has remarked in the past about the special value and character of unscheduled sessions.

I must here express my gratitude indeed that Ruburt deign to allow this unscheduled session, particularly since we missed our own last scheduled one. But I shall not badger him, as I believe indeed he badgers himself enough. I will now take my leave and give you a short break.

Now, involving the performance on Ruburt’s part this evening, we have here once more another example of the nature in which action is changed by itself. For indeed, as it was possible for Ruburt to some slight degree to allow her friend to speak, nevertheless the action involved in the whole situation nevertheless changed not only Ruburt, but also necessarily changed her Father Trainor, in that any action of its own nature can never remain the same.

(Jane, smiling, leaned forward in her chair, eyes still closed, to question me solicitously. Actually, I was just about managing to keep up with her speed of dictation, but disliked interrupting to ask her to slow down since Seth was obviously in a rare mood—as witness his hopping, almost excitedly, from one topic to another. This manner was far different than our usual quiet, almost sedate sessions. Certainly Seth, or Jane, felt a keen enjoyment.

In a past existence the male in this room, during in fact two existences, was an extremely intelligent female of high standing. The woman was in the last existence a male. The husband in the immediately last existence was also a male, but in two lives previous to that he was a female. A wealthy one in one life.

(I had been trying to keep an eye on Jane’s features, but her speed of dictation kept me too busy for more than an occasional glance. I had noticed nothing striking, certainly, or out of the ordinary, since Seth requested that I watch her. Resume at 12:00.)

—of a gullible, pseudomystical type of temperament. Nevertheless I cannot help but grow annoyed when I am literally besieged with the protests meant to insist upon his sanity, the point being that if he is sane, then I must be some nefarious seven-eyed monster. He does indeed give acquiescence for these sessions, and I am indeed fond of you both. I have been aware that you do not care, particularly, for the opinion of your fellow men. But our Ruburt, who has never cared for the opinion of his fellow men, now rises up in great worry. What is he afraid of?

I will now suggest your break, and I will discuss to some greater degree data concerning your guests. And if I took time out for this discussion, it is indeed because for once I have grown impatient. For much of this on Ruburt’s part is indeed pretense—not conscious pretense, but pretense. He knows full well not only the importance of the sessions, personally, but he knows the far-reaching consequences of these sessions, and he is indeed quite able to deal with the consequences.

I am quite capable of continuing on without a break, but out of the goodness of my heart, Joseph, I will give your fingers a rest. You may take a break. If you and your guests are agreeable I will continue. Or if you are fatigued, you of course may be excused.

(Jane resumed in an active manner again, but with a somewhat quieter voice, at 12:30.)

Such a life reading would involve incidents from both past and present lives, including circumstances which, taken all in all, tended to bring about the illness. Such a malfunction is very seldom the result of circumstances that relate to one existence only, but you see they do involve—are you ready?

—for we find in all cases that creativity rises first in what you would term passive terms. The aggressive reaction is actually but the termination of a passive creativity. It is your confusion of terms, and the distortive nature of human understanding concerning sexual give-and-take, that makes you think that dependency is weakness. For in many cases dependency is a passivity that leads to creation.

I can hardly in one evening undo the distortive errors of a lifetime to date. It would be most advantageous if other sessions were held for the particular purpose of delving into the problem, but this session alone has already prepared the self to know the self, and here the personality will take strides forward. The condition will improve. Of this I am certain.

I am most pleased to meet with you both, and I have no doubt that we shall indeed have other communications in these sessions. There is, Joseph, an importance here that you have not seen, but perhaps at our next session I will make it clear.

(We have always thought of the 33rd session as furnishing the most dramatic display of voice changes on Jane’s part, both in volume and a lower register. I would say that tonight’s session saw Jane surpass those voice effects as far as sheer power and staying ability went by some little margin; but I do not think her voice dropped as low. Nevertheless it was very vibrant and strong, and Jane now told us she felt no aftereffects, her cold notwithstanding. She said that before the Father Trainor demonstration she had been concerned about her voice being able to give a session tomorrow night, Monday, let alone tonight.

(This time I sat at our living room table in my old accustomed place. Jane began to speak from the rocker but had uttered only a few words when she got up and took a chair at the table with me. I saw that her eyes were now open, and very dark and luminous. She was staring right at me. It will be remembered that in the 157th session Jane had mentioned that she felt Seth might try to have her speak with her eyes open soon, and while in a deep trance. In that session also, Jane had felt very restless, perhaps presaging such a change.

(Jane’s glasses were off as she looked at me, and she was also smoking. Her voice was very dry and quiet; at the time I thought this was because her cold was finally interfering with her voice, but events will show how wrong I was about this.

(I felt an immediate intimate involvement now that was quite new to me in the sessions. I would say this subjective feeling was enhanced because Jane was not actively pacing about as she used to with her eyes open, but sitting comfortably at table with me. I also knew that she was in a deeper trance. The direct stare of her eyes, very large, very dark, was at times disconcerting. This effect of course was heightened, now, because I began to feel that I noticed a change in her features.

There is much concerning the laws of energy which I have not yet explained to you, and so it is inevitable that our sessions are dependent upon his abilities to utilize energy. He has indeed done very well. But for a while yet we are still dependent upon his utilization of energy.

Indeed I do occasionally, as you saw this evening, badger him, but for his own good; and we are closer this evening than we have been for some time. Closer, in fact, than we have ever been, and I am permitted here with Ruburt’s eyes quite open, to sit with you and chat.

There were changes in his features this evening, and I tried to tell you to watch for them, but your notetaking apparently left you little time.

I regret that you must be so involved in your notetaking. This evening’s session, all in all, will be most beneficial to Ruburt, and I hope it will be beneficial to you. I must work along the lines of his development. This involves us in many circumstances that are necessary. I cannot get around him as far as his abilities are concerned. I will not push him. We would lose in the long run. The spontaneity of the whole night’s adventure, including the Father Trainor episode, was advantageous. He, Ruburt, is basically with me all the way, but he has Jane to contend with.

(Actually I was getting tired. It was one of those situations in which it was easier to keep going, however, than to stop and then start again. My writing hand felt a kind of numb fatigue, and my eyes burned from cigarette smoke; but Seth/Jane, staring at me and smiling from so close by, seemed set and able to go on forever.)

—but in gratitude for your fortitude. However, taking into consideration your willingness, I do suggest a break.

(I was already wincing, thinking of our neighbors on the floor above us, and below too. Earlier in the evening we hadn’t minded voice displays, but now I immediately became conscious of the power of Jane’s voice. I began to feel embarrassed.)

—that the whisper was involved. Tonight his abilities allow my communications to come through so well! But I could indeed blow apart the rooftops, in theory, if I so chose.

—but if you are looking for voice changes—

(The strange thing here was that by now even I realized that Seth could do just what he said he could, that he still had not hit the top of his, or Jane’s, ability to produce a really stunning effect. I have no real way of measuring the magnitude of what I was hearing, beyond stating that it enveloped me completely. I not only felt that everyone in the apartment house could hear the voice, but that it was audible on the street. I am still surprised that no one banged on our door and asked for quiet.

(Since Seth was obviously having such a good time needling me, I very nearly yielded to temptation and told him to pull out all the stops as far as voice effects went. I was curious to see what he could really do, through Jane. But I didn’t have the nerve, considering the hour and other people.)

You may if you prefer cut tomorrow’s session for this one, but I would suggest that you continue with the session as long as you can, for the benefits will more than make up for your discomfort.

Ruburt presently feels no discomfort. He may be slightly tired tomorrow, but that is all. The emotional rapport built up between us will reinforce our sessions in general, and you know how important this can be. I must still work within the realm of his energies, and I do not even now believe that you realize how much more effectively he is using those energies, nor what strains our sessions have put upon his ego, which he has managed to triumph over.

(Break at 2:18. Jane was again well dissociated, although she realized her voice had been sounding out. Her eyes closed briefly at the end of the delivery, and when they opened she was out of her trance. In being so preoccupied with noting the great voice effects, I had been, I realized, less observant of the facial changes I had been aware of earlier; but there had been no doubt of the emotional interchange.

(My feelings of relief at the quieter voice were almost premature. Seth couldn’t resist a few more blasts when Jane resumed, and these are indicated. These bits were loud, but didn’t quite hit the previous peak. They always were accompanied by a smile and an implied dare that I egg him on. I didn’t. Resume at 2:25.)

I can indeed feel you quail at the volume of my voice (louder again), considering the ungodly hour (louder yet, really loud, blasting out with a smile, to soon quiet again), and so I will lower it. But I would like it understood that now, if I so chose, there would be no doubt (louder, very loud) as to my identity (and now also deeper) or my abilities.

Therefore, though I sincerely regret, and with deep sympathy for your desires, I will here close our session—but only because I so sympathize with the lamentable weakness of your fingers. I have not been able to come through personally so well in quite a while; and if our situations were reversed I would not shut you off.

(I said this in spite of Seth/Jane’s exaggerated display of self-commiseration. I half-expected another voice blast, but it did not materialize.)

(I thought of recording this evening’s session earlier, as stated, but did not do so in the interests of spontaneity, a quality to which Seth attaches great value. To be ready to record an unscheduled session we would have to have the recorder set up and ready to go at a flick of a switch, constantly. To date our unscheduled sessions haven’t been that frequent by far, and there are actually few unusual effects to be noted.)

(My writing hand was tired, but since I had decided I could go on if necessary, I said nothing more about ending the session.

I will indeed close, but you will find that the benefits of this session are more long-lasting than either of you can now suppose.