“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(For the envelope test this evening I chose a piece of an old furniture label that Jane and I had peeled from the back of a bureau a couple of weeks ago. See the tracing above. I found the label, or rather part of it, in my studio this afternoon and decided to use it for the test. Since it was lying unobtrusively among my things on a shelf I thought Jane had not been aware of it. She later confirmed this, saying she thought I had thrown it out at the time we removed it.

(It will be remembered that in the 194th session Seth promised to discuss in the 195th session our cat’s rather frequent if brief bouts of illness. Since this was not done however, I mentioned it to Jane before this evening’s session. Jane said she had also thought of it. To avoid interruptions we used the back room, although Jane prefers the larger front room. She began speaking while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Her voice was average in strength, her pace rather fast although interspersed with pauses.)

(Break at 9:21. Jane was dissociated as usual for a first break. Her eyes remained closed, her voice even and rather fast, even with some pauses. For much of the delivery she sat leaning forward in her rocker, her head tipped down somewhat, and with her hands clasped as her elbows rested upon her knees. This has come to be something of a characteristic pose for her lately during the sessions; I do not recall seeing Jane ever use it outside of a session.

(Jane again sat leaning forward when she resumed speaking, in the same even voice, and with her eyes closed, at 9:30.)

(Jane, as Seth, smiled as she referred to Dr. Instream. Jane does know the suspected cat food, which is a combination of liver and fish. The worry referred to above concerns Jane’s interest in her ESP book; it took her publisher some time to let her know he was reading it, and as seen in the 195th session Jane finally telephoned the publisher to get the final okay on the book. Many sessions ago, as many as a hundred or more, Seth told us that animal pets would reflect the psychic health and concerns of their owners.

(Break at 9:55. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed. Her pace had been quite fast and sure, with the result that my writing hand was quite tired. Her voice had been average.

(As usual when giving the Dr. Instream material, Jane spoke at a slower pace. By now however the pace was not as slow as it had been during the first few such tests. I will indicate a few pauses and some strategic times. Jane resumed while sitting down and with her eyes closed, and in an average voice, at 10:05.)

(I handed Jane the usual double envelope. She took it without opening her eyes, then sat quietly for a moment while holding it in her right hand.)

(Break at 10:22. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed, her voice average. Her pace had been a little slow. She was not, she said, nervous while giving the Dr. Instream data. She said: “I did seem to see him standing with his mouth open in a characteristic pose, with a drink in his hand.” Jane said the impression was not too clear, and that she also had some impression of the living room and terrace of the Instream apartment, which we had seen in July 1965.

(Jane told me she was nervous, however, when it came to our own envelope test. She did not think I had a test for her. She said it was hard to say exactly when she became nervous, but that it was probably as I handed her the test envelope.

(Marathon is in the Florida Keys, perhaps 40 miles north of Key West. It is a beautiful place and Jane and I spent a winter there several years ago. We do have photographs of the place.

(Seth’s impressions do appear to be far-ranging, in connection with the old bureau and its label. Jane and I can make some connection with some of the material, but in the light of what follows we decided to wait. We will also try to verify some of the impressions through our landlord, Jimmy Spaziani. We do not know how much he can help, since he has owned our apartment house but a few years.

(Jane resumed with her eyes closed and in a quiet voice at 10:31.)

(End at 10:34. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes remained closed, her voice quiet.)

OCTOBER 8, 1965 FRIDAY     REPORT BY JANE BUTTS

(After Bill left Jane and Peggy sat talking while I read. As she talked Jane jotted down her impressions. I interrupted my reading to put myself into a light trance state, and then wrote down four more impressions. Three of these proved to be correct. I used the trance state rather casually, and later wished I had written down more impressions; but I was interested in getting back to my reading.

(Correct. The above impression and the following three were made in the light trance state. Bill said the description fits the stereotyper at the newspaper, and that the two of them discussed the ad this evening. Murphy, the stereotyper, whom I have never met, is according to Bill a large, rotund fat man. I have not been inside the newspaper building since Jane and I moved here five years ago.

(Tracing from my note pad of our title suggestions for Jane’s book on ESP and the Seth material.)