“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 23rd envelope test was held this evening during the session. For the test object I used the front of an envelope addressed to Jane and me by my mother. I folded it once as indicated, enclosed it between two pieces of Bristol, and sealed it in the usual double envelopes.

Priestley does not go far enough with his time one, time two and time three, but he is fairly correct up to that point. In a different way he says many of the things that I am saying. I have told you that upon physical death the ego becomes the subconscious in the next existence, and that its conscious knowledge is retained electromagnetically.

Now. Priestley puts it somewhat differently but the results are the same. According to him the consciousness, the individual consciousness of time one, becomes something else at physical death, and the consciousness that is part of time two in physical life becomes dominant in the next existence. There is one large difference here between us however, and I believe an important one. Priestley’s individual, after death, with his dominant time two consciousness, has available to him what was time one during physical life.

Time three, after the individual’s physical death, becomes for him what time two is for him during this existence. It is therefore available only to the same degree that time two is available to him now.

Priestley’s concept here becomes more limiting than he realized. At this point Dunne overtakes him precisely where he and Dunne disagree. For once having hypothesized times one, two and three, Dunne continues onward as is the case, and Priestley simply stops here in this particular respect.

I suggest a brief break, and we shall continue along these lines, for we are able to go ahead where Priestley and Dunne were not. We are able to do this, or I am able to do this, precisely because I am from beyond Priestley’s time one, two and three, and therefore free of the distortions which even he is unable to avoid.

There are two particular points that I want to make this evening, if at all possible.

A framework. Two people. An assortment of objects or shapes.

Now. Something square, as a plot. A connection with four other people, and a road, or road shape. Unusual shadows. A cake. Something that two people know, and two other people do not know.

(“A framework” refers to the clear-cut single-line frame that borders Washington’s portrait on the current five-cent stamp. The envelope is addressed to “two people,” meaning Jane and me. The “assortment of objects and shapes” refers to the words making up the letter.

(“Something that two people know, and two other people do not know,” is good, since my mother’s letter specifically concerned such a situation. Jane and I were the two who did know, and my parents were the two others who did not know. This matter was straightened out on December 12.

Having read Priestley’s ideas about Dunne, Ruburt now wonders if I am not a future self of his own, according to Dunne’s ideas; that is, if I am not one of those future selves of which Dunne speaks, or if I am not consciousness number two, or three even, of Priestley’s concept.

(The Gallaghers went over Seth’s material with us orally a day or two after returning from vacation; this was on the evening of the unscheduled session for Thursday, October 28, and I had time for but a few quick written notes. We obtained this written account from them later, and in the course of checking data with them several times Jane and I soon realized much effort could be saved by getting a written account as soon as possible after any such experiment.

(Thus Jane and I followed this procedure concerning the data Seth gave on Peggy’s business trip to Washington, DC in December. A written question-and-answer period was held with Peggy a day or two after her return. Peggy cooperated wholeheartedly and gave much information. I stressed that we did not want to put words into her mouth concerning Seth’s data, and she agreed that we did not.

They think of an island that sounds like Sumatra, but is not. It is two words. More like San Mutro, though I do not believe that is exact.

(See the notes on page 13 of the 200th session. Peggy’s sister was married on Saturday, October 16; the bride and groom left immediately for Puerto Rico on their honeymoon. Peggy and Bill left for Puerto Rico on vacation on Sunday, October 17. Jane and I were told that the two couples had no plans to meet in Puerto Rico, oddly enough; we recall Peggy saying for instance that she would not want to honeymoon with relatives close by. But these plans were obviously changed, the two couples soon meeting in San Juan.)

A cloth, like a handkerchief, laid upon the table, and a candle. Red, I believe... Now I think of two candles, and the piece of cloth is white, the cloth on the table.

([Peggy:] “This is a good description of the guest house where we stayed on St. Thomas on Friday and Saturday, October 22-23. The guest house was two story, and built on the side of a steep hill; it had the feeling of being raised up because of this. It had a long porch with a railing and benches.”)

(Seth gave data on Peggy’s trip in the 214th and the 215th sessions, December 6 and 8. He also gave some preliminary data on the trip during an unscheduled session held on December 3; Peggy took a copy of these predictions with her to Washington. Seth listed nine predictions and Peggy verified three of them. Seth gave them in Peggy’s presence; his score in the two sessions held while she was in Washington was much better.

(She returned to Elmira on December 9 and a written question-and-answer session was held on December 10. Jane and I made an effort to obtain detailed answers to Seth’s statements, and Peggy cooperated in excellent fashion. The interview lasted about two hours. Once again, we stressed that we did not want to put words into her mouth concerning Seth’s material, and she agrees that we did not.

(Tests resulting from this upset led to the medical opinion that Bill has two ulcers. However a recheck of old X-rays seems to show that the second ulcer had previously existed, but had not been detected. Needless to say, neither Jane nor I had seen Bill, or heard from him, since the unscheduled session of last Friday, December 3. We saw him later in the evening of December 10, after the interview with Peggy.)

([Peggy:] “Yes.” Seeing the above word in the material caused Peggy to say that it was quite unusual. At the seminar Peggy was surprised to hear the name of Secretary of Defense McNamara brought up rather strongly in connection with Sargent Shriver and the poverty program. The connection being a comparison of the two men’s tactics in running their respective departments. Peggy said the point was hammered at more than once during the seminar.)

(Peggy believes this is a reference to the bus ride to Camp Kilmer. As stated before, two aides accompanied the twelve reporters. Not unusual, then.)

(Peggy said she attended two meetings at Camp Kilmer that were held in a moderate-sized auditorium.)

(Peggy verified three of the nine predictions Seth gave in the unscheduled session of December 3, prior to her Washington trip. Two of the three correct items have been listed in their place in the above material. The third prediction, listed on page 108, is this:)