“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(See the tracing on page 211. For the test object I used a wallet identification card that I picked up two years ago in an empty house that Jane and I nearly purchased. Both of us had met the owner of the house, Jim Birch, a few times. He had changed jobs and left Elmira at the time we were interested in his house, in June 1964, however. Seth dealt with the purchase of this house in several sessions, saying it would be a good one for us psychically. See these sessions among others: 65, 67, 69, 71, 74, 76, 77, 79, 82. See Volume 2.

The past exists as a series of electromagnetic connections, held in the physical brain on the one hand, but it also consists of the same sort of realities retained in the nonphysical mind. These electromagnetic connections can be changed. The present exists as a series of electromagnetic connections in both the brain and the mind, and this is the only reality which you are justified in giving to your present.

There is of course a composite past that is composed of such individual electromagnetic connections, and this composite past is not the same past that once existed, in those terms. The past itself is being continually recreated by every individual, as attitudes and associations change. This is an actual recreation, and not a symbolic one. The child is indeed still within the man, but he is not the child that once was, in those terms. For even the child within the man continually changes, and again I am not speaking of symbolic change.

In all of these instances however there are uncertainties, for probable future events can be foreseen as clearly as events that will more actually occur. No event is destined to occur, and it can be changed, not only before and during, but after its occurrence. Again, I do not speak symbolically, and I am leaving myself open to many strong critical remarks which cannot all be answered in one evening.

For our object, a ring. (Pause.) I believe a gold one. That is, a gold band. (Pause.)

(I joked that I thought “A black and white photo.” meant the wallet identification card had been placed next to a photo in the wallet. There is a “Stubbing of the toe.” incident in my brother Loren’s family—one of a humorous nature that has become kind of a standing joke.

As a matter of fact, our own test was a fairly good one. Unfortunately you cannot check up on the impressions with the owner of the card, and there is little reason for me to go into the various episodes connected with the card.

Some of the points did concern your attachment to the house which at one time was owned by the owner of the card.

I will make one small comment here. Ruburt’s association with the trailer was caused by the fact that the owner of the card has a male child, who was somewhat unmanageable. And the owners of the trailer, also living in the country, have a child of similar nature.