“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(It will be recalled that in the 185th session Seth gave me some tips on how to help my hay fever through suggestion upon retiring at night. It has been a rough season and I was very uncomfortable over the Labor Day weekend. I had been using suggestion at various times through the day; trying Seth’s method, I noticed an amazing improvement at once. I slept well the night of the 6th, and sneezed but five times the whole following day. The improvement has maintained itself, and soon now the season will be over. I can truthfully say the change in my condition has been magical. I am on a much-reduced dosage of my prescription antihistamine. I have learned I can do without it, but taking the drug removes the last of the lingering traces. For some reason, the suggestions given before falling off to sleep are very potent.

(Ever since mailing in the finished manuscript of her ESP book Jane has been very restless. She is very eager to get to work on her next project, but keeps struggling among many ideas, notes, etc. I suggested to her that she skip tonight’s session if she felt so nervous, but she decided to hold it regardless.

(I had prepared the usual double test envelope earlier in the day, but doubted it would be used if Jane was not in a good mood for the session. This time I cemented a collection of used U.S. postage stamps, still on original paper, to a folded piece of white paper. See my tracing on page 250. I sandwiched this paper between two pieces of bristol board to prevent identification by touch, and slipped the assemblage into the usual two envelopes.

The conscious mind, the ego, must be momentarily diverted, so that the intuitive self is allowed freedom. He should know that inspiration does not come from the ego. He knows this intellectually, but upon this occasion he insists in using his ego as a whip to force speed. In the past he was more sensible in this respect.

Surely this is not too bitter a pill. It may require effort but relaxation is necessary, or the period of transition will be needlessly prolonged. He can do what he likes: putter in his apartment, visit friends, paint, read, walk. It would be preferable if he did change his environment during this period, physically, by walking outdoors or visiting.

The psychological-time experiments should also be suspended. When the conscious mind is so diverted the intuitions can do their work. You did well Joseph, teaching him discipline, but as he never goes halfway, so sometimes he learns his lessons too well. One point here also: you pace yourselves differently in your work.

(From the sketch on page 250 it can be seen that parallel lines, both horizontal and tall, or vertical, are present; these are the customary wavy lines of cancellation. See stamps numbered 1, 2, and 3 on the sketch. On the envelope paper beneath stamp #2 is a green printed box of the type used for prepaid mail, but I do not know if this is what Seth means by “lines on the other side.” This could also refer to the letters the stamps once serviced.

(No water scene appears specifically on any stamp, or a child. Men and women are shown. As far as I can tell no portion of an address shows, or a tavern or place of refreshment. Nor do we know what to make of “someone stubborn,” unless this was a personality trait of one of the people depicted on the stamps. I could speculate that Jane’s constant nagging at herself to begin another project was stubborn, in that she refused to relax. This is hardly the kind of test data we seek however. 3 6 is Jane’s age, but we discount this also.