“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(For this evening’s envelope test I used two sales slips stemming from Christmas shopping Jane and I did. They are on paper the weight of this page. I put them down between the usual two pieces of Bristol, and enclosed them in the usual sealed double envelope.

(As soon as I fully, consciously, realized what was taking place, I reacted violently in the manner described below by Seth. Within a very brief period after this unfortunate reaction, I began to regret it, for I knew I had terminated something much too soon. I thought my reaction was a normal one, yet was angry at myself for reacting so strongly. My outcry, my thrashing about in bed and waving my arms, of course startled Jane; I believe she had not yet fallen asleep. I blamed myself for not knowing enough to suspend any conscious judgment; I felt I had enough background knowledge to go along with this vision, to see what developed, yet I had reacted in what I thought a foolish way.

(Strange to say, I did not come fully awake as one does when arising in the morning for example. I achieved a state close to waking only, in spite of my momentary panic. Jane began to question me; she told me the next morning that I described the vision to her while speaking in a sleepy monotone. I was conscious of doing this, and that it took some little time, yet felt no urge to prod myself wide awake. I recall that I felt it urgent that I tell her what had taken place as soon as possible. I thought of getting up to make a drawing of what I had seen, but decided I would not forget. This is certainly true; this vision is as vivid and clear in memory today as it was a second after it ended. I do intend making a drawing, in color, for those who may be interested.

(The session tonight was held in our large front room. Jane likes to use this room since it is larger than the back room we have used for the past few months, out of a fear of interruptions. She began speaking while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Her pace was good, her voice average.)

(Jane’s eyes opened. They were very dark. She stared at me and tapped upon the table for emphasis. Her eyes now opened frequently until break.)

(Jane smiled.)

(Break at 9:25. Jane reported that she had been quite well dissociated for a first delivery—far-out, as she puts it. Her eyes had been open more than closed, very dark as she stared at me. Her pace had been rather good, her voice average and quite amused at times, perhaps chiding in a gentle way.

(Jane’s eyes had now been opening often again.)

(I was of course much interested, and knew that Jane was too. Jane now closed her eyes and sat quietly for a moment.)

(Break at 10:05. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had been open much of the time, her pace good, her voice average. She said Seth could have continued in this vein, but stopped because the usual tests were due. Seth had the next thought or concept waiting, Jane said, and all she had to do was give voice to it.

(It was now time for the 28th Dr.Instream test. As usual Jane’s pace slowed considerably. She spoke with many pauses, sitting with her eyes closed, her head down, her left hand raised to her brow. Resume at 10:10.)

(Jane, her eyes still closed, gestured here as though to make this point clear.)

(It was 10:23, and this was our 25th envelope test. As usual Jane took the test envelope from me without opening her eyes. She held it to her forehead for a sentence or two, then lowered it to her lap.)

(Break at 10:30. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed and her pace had been slow.

(The test results this evening present a case where two separate events are combined in the results, as will be explained a bit later. At the moment I’ll list the correct pieces of information that Jane and I can easily identify.

(See the tracing of the two sales slips on page 179. The data contain references to both slips, although Seth or Jane did not identify them as such, or refer to the fact that there were two test objects, as I had hoped. Jane said that during the test she was not sure of the source of information, Seth or herself.

(“An engagement, as of an appointment or meeting,” applies to the S.F. Iszard sales slip. On December 21 last, Jane and I went Christmas shopping; we parted to get each other gifts, after making an appointment to meet at a certain restaurant downtown when our shopping was over. “A scramble” can apply to either or both slips, since when we went shopping on December 18 and 21 we found the stores very crowded. Some aisles were difficult to get through, there was waiting necessary to get into dressing rooms, etc.

(“A dark or darkish brown coat, the color of some uniforms,” is a reference to a sports coat of corduroy that Jane bought me for Christmas; this is indicated by the Penny’s sales slip for December 18. The coat is a close approximation of the color of the winter topcoat for the everyday U.S. Marine uniform. The Marine connection here will be apparent shortly.

(The rest of the test data appears to be all of a piece, and can be connected with a young friend of ours with whom I used to work. Two years ago the friend enlisted in the Marines and was sent to Alaska. He returned to Elmira over the holidays on furlough. I met him twice but Jane did not see him at all. She did listen to me talk about him, of course.

(Our friend wore his civilian clothes, so even had she met him Jane wouldn’t have been able to observe his uniform colors. It chanced however that while we were waiting in line at the post office to mail packages, we saw a Marine in uniform. Jane noticed its color—this was not the dress blues uniform—and questioned me as to the soldier’s branch of service, etc. Then when we went shopping we picked out my sport coat in a similar color, although I believe neither of us thought of any such connection at the time.

(Jane said that when she gave the data about “diagonal marks on the four corners of a rectangular piece of paper,” she saw such a piece of paper rather clearly within her mind’s eye, without thinking of it particularly as a photograph.

(Jane also said that when the information “An engagement,” etc., came through, it represented Seth’s effort to put her on the right track. She had our Marine friend in mind during the test, and he was engaged to be married at the time he went into the service. He is now married and a father.

(Jane resumed in the same rather fast manner, her eyes opening at times, at 10:40.)

(It was 10:55. I expected Jane to continue, but to my surprise I saw that she had left trance. Evidently there had been a misunderstanding on some level, or I hadn’t spoken clearly. Before we had time to discuss it she resumed, her eyes opened often, at 10:56.)

(End at 11:07. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had been open at times, her pace rather fast, her voice average.