“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The session again was held in our large front room, and was not interrupted. Jane began while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Her eyes soon opened, however, and she displayed much amusement. Her pace was good, her voice average.)

Now. I have a few remarks to make. However you, Joseph, have been rushed with your notes, due to circumstances; and if you prefer we can then, after my few remarks, wait until ten o’clock for our Instream material. We are at all times flexible.

(A week or so ago I forgot to buy gasoline, and this led to a situation that could have been dangerous. When Jane and I were on our way to the home of the Gallaghers, who live on top of a steep and long hill outside Elmira, the car lost power, then stalled out on the hill. It was after dark, the road was slippery with snow; I had to back down the hill while Jane lighted the way with a flashlight, until I found a driveway. I did not realize I had run low on gas at the time, for the car started as we coasted down hill. We arrived home safely but the car would not start up again.

(The car operated well the day after the garage repaired it, saying the trouble was moisture in the distributor. The next day the car once again would not start. This necessitated another tow to the garage. To our surprise the second tow and repair were free, the service manager telling us there was corrosion on the coil connections, and that the mechanic should have noticed this and corrected it the first time the car was in the garage.

(The 220th session, containing Seth’s advice, was held while the car was in the garage the first time. After the session I made a conscious effort to improve my attitude about the car. By then I had the idea that psychological attitudes could affect the car, and had recalled that once before Seth had dealt with the car and our attitudes while on our way to a Maine vacation in August 1964. See the 80-81st sessions. According to Seth, Jane and I had succeeded in altering considerably the car’s oil consumption; and as evidence we had before us the fact that the car had used much less oil on the trip than we had calculated. See Volume 2.)

(Jane smiled again. I did find it interesting, especially when I contemplated trying to explain it to our service manager at the garage, who is a personal friend of ours, but does not know about these sessions.)

Something in the nature of a fabric with a wooden framework I believe, for our object. The color blue. The framework is used for support. (40-second pause.) Upholstery. Blue upholstery, with something like small tacks in it that are indented. A blue chair. This is our object. (Pause.)

Disturbing events today, I believe surrounding our Dr. Instream.

I have specifically given the blue chair as object. (Pause at 10:20.) I will ask you, Joseph, for our test, and I will then have a few general remarks to make concerning our tests at this point.

Now this remark leads Ruburt to think of Lois. Such personal connections are important for our purposes, so I mention them.

(“Now this remark leads Ruburt to think of Lois.” This is a good example of the way personal associations can work. Our friend Lois took some photos of Jane recently, for use on the dust jacket of Jane’s ESP book. The photos my brother Loren took were also to be used in connection with publicity for the ESP book.

He is doing very well. He will automatically improve. I want him to remember this, for there is no reason for him to blame himself when, as in our last test, we did poorly. There is no blame involved.

We work in our tests almost as one organism, as a gestalt, and you also have a part here Joseph. We were certainly specific with this last test, but there must be freedom first.

Now, I am fully prepared to speak on. However I am aware that we have approached the time of our usual closing, and you may continue or not, as you prefer.

(Seth’s statements on page 207, to the effect that even incorrect test data is legitimate to important layers of the personality, is probably an important one in our opinion. We have been aware of this possibility and plan to ask more questions about it. I do not recall Seth’s referring to this point so plainly before, although he may have. Jane and I do not recall reading anything treating with the subject, and wonder whether it could not be quite a valid field for investigation in itself.)