“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.

(This was her last conscious thought. Immediately the same voice effect again manifested itself in no uncertain terms, and Jane then swept through the long poem without pause. Her voice did not bother her; indeed it became very loud and powerful and dramatic, very vibrant. She remained seated. She held the book in her right hand, and used many gestures with her left hand that were unlike her usual mannerisms. Almost at once it became apparent that the psychic phenomenon taking place, whether or not it involved a medium’s contact with Father Trainor, was much superior to the version already on tape.

(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.

(Jane’s voice was rather loud, and it was to become much louder. Seth expressed much amusement at the beginning of the session.)

(Break at 11:27. Jane was fully dissociated, having no memory of what she had said. Her voice had been strong and varied throughout the delivery; she had smiled much and used many gestures, half of the time sitting on the edge of her chair. At times her voice had boomed out.

(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.

(Now, as if by way of punctuation, Seth/Jane’s voice really shouted out:)

(Now Seth’s voice really boomed out, even louder than before.)

(Seth/Jane’s voice was loud and scathing.)

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

(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.

(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.

(Break at 1:39 AM. Jane was well dissociated and did not remember any of the material. Her voice was practically a whisper now. When she stopped dictating her eyes closed, then blinked several times. When she looked at me again she was out of her trance.

(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.)

(During this break, since Jane’s voice had again been very low and dry, almost a whisper, I made the unfortunate remark that her heavy smoking this evening was responsible. This brought on her most spectacular voice display of any of the sessions to date, bar none. She began speaking in a voice that was at least as loud as that used in the Father Trainor experiment earlier this evening, and that was loud indeed. Resume at 2:05.)

The hoarseness on Ruburt’s part is not because of the endless cigarettes which he has smoked, for I could indeed continue along these lines, and with this voice, as long as I desired.

(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.)

(To my genuine amazement, Jane’s voice became even more powerful. This was an escalation in volume that was based on strength, sheer power. There was no hint of strain involved as she produced this blast. I would not have been at all surprised to feel the ceiling vibrate over my head as she spoke the last sentence above.

(Jane laughed as she finished the sentence. She stared intently at me as though daring me to ask her to be quieter. Her voice now surpassed by a good deal the Father Trainor experiment. It was not a deeper voice particularly.)

—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—

(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.

(Now, also, the voice had dropped somewhat in register. Jane grinned and leaned toward me.)

Do you require a trifle more? I am quite prepared to deliver. It is because Ruburt’s own voice is so unmelodious with his cold that any effects of that nature—

(And, magically, Jane’s voice dropped to its previous near whisper. By contrast this in itself was almost deafening.)

(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.)

(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.

With Ruburt’s consent however, and I have it, I could make such a blast of masculine voice that you would indeed be embarrassed when the neighbors complained (louder). It is to show my humorous consideration for your feelings that I do not so indulge (louder).

(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.)

(Jane’s voice had been quiet for some time now, and it remained so as she resumed at 2:46, again with her eyes open.)

(And even now, at the end of the session, I had been still strongly aware of something different about her, of a strong emotional involvement and immediacy. Her voice, her mannerisms in speaking, the steady way she stared at me, all contributed to this feeling.

(And once again, let it be noted that Jane suffered no aftereffects of any kind from this long session. Her cold was not affected either for better or worse. She had no voice fatigue. The next day she was not tired, etc.