“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

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.

I want here, Joseph, to make one note for our own benefit, that should be included with our material on the nature of action, if indeed our two visitors will for a moment forgive me. Are you ready?

(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.

(Jane now took one of the few brief pauses of the session.)

Tonight’s session, Joseph, is a rather important one, and the woman who is attending our session is also quite important, in that her abilities are helping me to come through with, I might say, crystal clarity.

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?

—a characteristic method, and an unwholesome one, of satisfying needs, a characteristic method which has been built up through personality patterns that have been adopted through many existences. For example, in one past life you attacked quite forcibly the female physical organs: an ovary with which you had great difficulty.

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.

(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.

(Jane had been staring steadily at me while she spoke, and this in turn impelled me to look at her as often as I could while I wrote. Her posture in the chair was an easy one except when she leaned forward to make a point, yet the feeling I had of another personality being entwined with hers persisted. I was discovering that it took some getting used to.

I have been with you this evening in a manner which has not been possible lately. We have been involved in variations of the trance state, while at the same time anxious to continue our material, so that the two ventures have been tied into one. It has taken me a while indeed before we could reach this point of more intimate communication.

(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.)

(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.

There is an emotional action, Joseph, in this session that is important; for our sessions deal with many layers, and I regret that this one layer is at most times neglected. I am endeavoring to give this evening’s session an emotional gestalt that will be an experience in itself, and in itself a lesson.

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.

You may take a break. I feel on the one hand that I am overstaying my welcome. On the other hand I know too well that this session will be more than worth your while. I suggest however that you take a break.

There will be other evenings like (louder, to soon quiet down) this evening, and there will be other demonstrations that will be of quite legitimate purpose. For on all occasions we find a desire for proofs and for signs, and although I find such desires on the one hand childish, on the other hand I find myself realizing that there is to some extent a legitimate claim, particularly on Ruburt’s part, considering the limitations of the human egotistical nature.