“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

SESSION 218

(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.

(Today Jane read all day, finishing up J. B. Priestley’s book, Man and Time, which she liked very much. She had read nothing by Priestley before, nor by Dunne, mentioned extensively in the Priestley book. After supper this evening Jane told me she thought Seth had come through twice, briefly, as she went about her daily chores before the session. Both instances concerned the Priestley book, which had excited her.

(The session was held in our back room. Jane began speaking while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Before the session she had remarked that she hoped Seth would mention Priestley’s book. Her pace was now average to begin, but quickly speeded up.)

(Jane now smiled as Seth began to consider the theories of both men. Before the session she had hoped Seth would discuss them. As it developed, the session proved to be an unusual one.)

(Seth began dealing with these ideas in the very early sessions, mixing it in with reincarnational data. He elaborated to some degree in the sessions on the electrical field and related subjects: In Volume 3, see sessions 122-135.)

(The candle flame had not varied since the beginning of the session. It was not warm to the touch except at the edge of the lip, and even here it was only warm.

(Seth gave his first lengthy dissertation on the above theme in the 12th session, of January 2,1964. He places the subject under the general term of fifth dimension. He spoke on the idea for several typewritten pages; this was his longest delivery by a wide margin at the time, and Jane and I were quite surprised. See Volume 1.)

(It was 10:15. Jane took the usual double envelope from me without opening her eyes. Reading over the last session, she had been surprised to learn that she had held the test envelope to her forehead for a few minutes, since she didn’t remember doing this. Now, she once again pressed the test envelope to her forehead, this time more deliberately, and with both hands. She continued to hold it there. Her eyes were closed, her voice very quiet. This is the 23rd envelope test.)

(“The mention of a time” is easily accounted for in the same letter. In it my mother discusses the visit Jane and I were due to make to my parents on Sunday, December 5th. The date was not mentioned, just the word Sunday. My mother then canceled this visit of ours by telephone, and Jane and I then journeyed to visit my parents in Sayre, PA, on the following Sunday, December 12. It was on this visit that I obtained the test object used in the last session, the 217th.

(The monk mentioned by Seth refers to our friend Father Martin, who is mentioned in the 212th session. Apropos of this, Jane now said she remembered that Seth’s use of the word missionary did set up her own chain of association involving Father Martin. She said Seth put her back on the right track by mentioning this.

(Jane was again smiling. Seth devoted the 88th session of September 16,1964, to explaining what he meant by this. He had mentioned it before at various times without elaboration. He also dwelled on the subject to some extent in the 152nd session, the 157th, and others. Again, reincarnation is involved in a basic way.)

(Jane had looked at me for confirmation. See the 149-152nd sessions. Jane made the drawing referred to by Seth immediately after the 149th session. I have always intended to work up a finished drawing on the idea.)

(Seth began explaining his source and the source of this material in the very early sessions. In the 15th session for example he likened his state to the dream state of a physical individual. By the 24th session he was dealing with the problems involved in communicating with us. By the 63rd session he was explaining his state as energy not materialized into mass; this after telling us in the 54th session that Jane, Seth and I had been part of the same entity once; he could not tell us this earlier, he said, because Jane and I would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was part of Jane’s subconscious mind.

(In the 45th session Seth said a little to the effect that I assisted her in drawing upon the energy necessary for these communications. In the 88th and 152nd sessions Seth went into Jane’s third undifferentiated layer to some extent, then elaborated a little more on the relationship between us in the 157th session.

Because of this I have always leaned on the side of caution. But these strains, and this data, to some extent lift the number one self from the limitations of the number one time, and lends an advancement ordinarily not possible. For the number one time has changed for both of you since our sessions began, and it no longer seems the prison that it did earlier.

(In the 44th session, Seth began a list of qualities and attributes which are included in the spacious present. To date there are eleven of these: Value climate of psychological reality; energy transformation; spontaneity; durability; creation; consciousness; capacity for infinite mobility; law of infinite changeability and transmutation; cooperation; arrival and departure, meaning physical birth and death; and quality depth, the perspective in which an idea can expand, replacing our time and space.)

(End at 11:35. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had opened at times. The candle flame had shown no noticeable change of importance during the session; Jane said she had not been aware of the flame one way or another all evening. My writing hand was tired. Before the session Jane had been tired; she now felt fine. She said Seth could have continued all night.)

(While Bill and Peggy Gallagher were on vacation in Puerto Rico last October, Seth gave impressions concerning them in the following sessions: the 199th for October 18; the 200th for October 20; and the 201st for October 25. No correspondence, phone calls, etc., were exchanged between the four of us during this time.

(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.

(Seth’s statements are presented in full from each session, with the comments from Peggy and Bill just below each statement in italic type. The Gallaghers agreed on each answer, concerning the Puerto Rico material. They arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, October 17. We begin with Seth’s material on them from the 199th session for October 18,1965, at 9 PM.)

(From the 200th session, Wednesday, October 20,1965, at 9 PM. As usual Seth’s impressions are in regular type, the written comments of Bill and Peggy Gallagher in italics below.)

Your friends, my friends, the Jesuit and the cat lover are sleeping in a different room than they were at our last session.

(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.)

(Again on page 13, it is noted that Jane and I had not met the bride and groom. Later we found out that we had met them once, briefly, while they were engaged. Neither of us are acquainted with the other members of Peggy’s family, however, and at the time the 200th session was held neither Jane or I were consciously aware we had indeed met Peggy’s sister and her fiancé.)

(From the 201st session, Monday, October 25,1965, at 9 PM. As usual Seth’s impressions are in regular type, the written comments of the Gallaghers in italics below each statement.)

(Giving this material during the session, Jane felt the motion, very swift, of the turn.

(The Gallaghers believe that the following impression, given by Seth in the same session as applying to Dr. Instream, applies instead to them. Jane gave the data after the break which had presumably ended the Gallagher test:)

(At the end of the 201st session, concluding the Gallagher Puerto Rico tests, Seth stated:)

(Concluding the 197th session of October 11,1965, held a week before the Gallaghers left for Puerto Rico on vacation, Seth stated:)

(Bill Gallagher had a narrow escape from drowning while skin diving in Puerto Rico. He hardly lists this as a bizarre experience. Seth deals with it to some degree in the unscheduled 203rd session of October 28,1965.

(Bill did have one experience in Puerto Rico, however, that he said might be called bizarre. He is quite sure he hasn’t had any other experience like it, and believes that if he hadn’t been somewhat familiar with these sessions that this one too would have escaped his notice; that is, he would not have followed it through.

(In the 201st session for October 25, Seth commented: “...and incidentally, Ruburt’s experience in psychological time was quite legitimate.” Jane’s account of Friday’s psy-time experience was included in the 201st session along with our drawing; it is repeated here, with the addition of the Gallagher’s comments and Peggy’s drawing.)

(In Session 201, see the drawing I made following Jane’s instructions, after her psy-time experience. Note the similarities between that art and Peggy’s drawing above. I added the lettering to Peggy’s drawing, as well as to Jane’s second version of the same scene, shown on page 162.)

(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.

(As in the Puerto Rico experiments, Seth’s material is presented line by line, in regular type, with Peggy’s answers below. These answers are quotes from my notes made during the interview. Begin with Seth’s material from the 214th session for December 6,1965.)

A question-and-answer session.

([Peggy:] “Yes. A question-and-answer session was held after each speaker had finished his formal talk.”)

(Peggy said either 3 or 4 speakers addressed the seminar in the morning session on Monday, December 6.

(“You will meet a man you do not like” is one of the advance predictions given Peggy by Seth during the unscheduled session of December 3. Jane and I have wondered what part suggestion might play in such a case. Peggy told us she had also been aware of this, and that she could say that her dislike of the individual in question transcended any suggestion that conceivably could be operating.)

(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.)

(In the unscheduled session for December 3 Seth said Peggy would meet a woman dressed in green. Peggy met no such woman. After the cocktail party however, Peggy found she couldn’t remember the color of Mrs. Carlyle’s dress. She checked by phone; Mrs. Carlyle had worn a red dress. Later note by RFB: Red and green are opposites on the artisit’s color wheel.)

(We now begin with Seth’s material on Peggy’s Washington trip, from the 215th session, December 8,1965.)

(This is, also, one of Seth’s predictions given during the unscheduled session of December 3, before Peggy left for Washington.)

(See page 122. At the time of the 215th session, Jane said she believed the pocketbook data, above, applied to herself, and as it developed a lost pocketbook connection involving Jane did grow out of the 21st envelope test, held in the 215th session.

(Before our envelope test in the 215th session Seth added one more line to the Gallagher test material; see page 121:)

(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:)

(Tracing of the hospital visitor’s pass, furnished by Lorraine Shafer, and used as the test object in the 24th envelope test, in the 219th session for January 3,1966.)