“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Jane said later that listening to the tape did not “bother” her very much, although she felt some emotional and psychic reaction. On the tape she manifested many voice changes, while reading G. K. Chesterton’s narrative poem Lepanto, that were quite reminiscent of the way the deceased Father Trainor had read it. Afterward Jane endeavored to answer a question of Bill’s by reading a few lines from the poem aloud. Because of her cold and her still impaired voice, she thought she could get through a few lines at best.

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.

His personality, that is the Father Trainor personality, was of necessity changed by this communication in the same manner that any experience will always change any personality.

(When she resumed dictating, she expressed another change of mood. This time she was very grim. Her voice boomed out; the loudness, the determined tone of displeasure persisted. She was again very energetic, gesturing often.

(Bill Gallagher’s ulcer was not bothering him. He said he felt fine, and that it was a most welcome situation. I had not observed any change in Jane’s features, the few times I had managed to take a look. Bill however remarked that he thought he had detected a change; he thought Jane’s lower jaw line had become more rounded, losing a little of its angularity. As it happened Bill could see Jane full-face from his position on the couch. I sat beside him and saw more of the left side of Jane’s face, and Peggy from her position was looking at the right side of Jane’s face. Peggy also thought she noticed some change.

(In Volume 1, see the 68th session for some material on facial changes in Jane.

(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.

(Bill’s ulcer was still not bothering him, and he was still free of symptoms at 1:20 AM when Peggy and he left for home. Bill again mentioned that he thought he saw a change in Jane’s features while she was speaking, especially in the jawline and the shape of the face in general. I had noticed nothing. My writing hand felt only a mild fatigue.

(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.

(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.

(In trying to be objective, I can say that perhaps the change I became aware of was partly observed, partly subjective. Jane’s features were quite animated. Whereas I had not observed any changes in the first half of the session, I now thought her features lost some of their feminine characteristics and became more angular and drawn, as though a masculine presence was making itself seen deliberately. I believe her facial planes appeared to be somewhat older to me. I felt that possibly I was being observed by a masculine personality through the eyes, deliberately. The sense of involvement with a personality other than Jane’s usual one, which I know so well, was quite strong. I was, actually, more concerned with trying to decipher what change I was observing, than wondering if there was a change to be seen.

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.

The physical changes in his features were fairly obvious, and I am indeed sorry that you did not perceive their nature. I do not know if you can perceive the difference in the emotional proximity this evening between us now. And if I do badger Ruburt as I did this evening, it is because I too have an emotional reaction in all of this.

(In spite of her whispering voice Jane said she felt all right. My writing hand was beginning to feel tired. The feeling of change in her features and personality had persisted through her delivery. It once again manifested itself when she resumed, still in a quiet voice and with her eyes open again, at 1:49 AM.)

(Through this delivery, as before, I was still markedly aware of a change in her features that I thought probably part physical, part subjective. It was as though the Jane I knew so well had taken a step away from me and allowed another personality to come forward, bringing with it some slight physical change and a much greater psychological change. I was still intrigued that Jane could be in such a deep trance, yet so active and responsive in talking to me. She had no memory of the material.

—but if you are looking for voice changes—

—I could indeed give them to you so that there would be no doubt as to the origin of the voice involved. I could indeed, if I were so inclined, give you voice changes that would have the neighbors down upon your shoulders—

(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.

(It can also be noted that in the second half of the session Seth made no reference to my watching out for physical changes in Jane, as he had when Peggy and Bill Gallagher had been present. Bill and Peggy had seen changes. I observed my own set of changes later. It is my thought, at least at the moment, that Bill’s observations and my own would not coincide. This may be explained later.)