“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 32nd envelope experiment was held during the session. The object was a black and white Polaroid photo, taken of myself by a coworker in September 1960, at my desk at the Artistic Card Co. in Elmira. The older individual in the left background of the photo, Ezra Havens, figures in the envelope data, also. The friend who took the photo caught me by surprise during a lunch hour; hence my position in the act of stretching, and the startled expression.

(I placed the photo between the usual two pieces of Bristol and then sealed it in the usual double envelope. This photo had laid in my files for several years. Jane had seen it a long time ago, I knew, but certainly not recently. Since it was a photo of me I felt it would have an emotional attraction for her.

(Last Friday Jane received a letter from Fate Magazine, to the effect that they would like to see, on speculation, an article dealing with Seth and the envelope experiments.

Do you have an envelope for me?

(It was 10:15. I handed Jane the envelope for our 32nd experiment. As usual she took it from me without opening her eyes, and held it against her forehead throughout. She spoke with many short pauses.)

(Break at 10:20. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed, her pace not too slow. While she was giving the envelope data some snow broke loose from a steep third floor roof of the house, and came crashing down on a porch roof not far from our living room; the house shook. Jane heard this, she said, but was not bothered by it. But she now said the earlier interruption caused by the traffic had disturbed her, and she felt she hadn’t been at her best afterwards.

(See the tracings of the envelope object on page 267, and the notes on page 268. Jane and I could make connections with the object and Seth’s data, and these are noted below as usual. Seth later adds to our interpretations.

(“February.” I thought another vague reference, to the fact that I had just found the envelope object in my files on this day in February 1966.

(“I do not know to what this refers, but a twist, or something twisted.” referred I thought to myself, caught in the act of stretching in the envelope photo.

(“A lifting up. Something rising.” Both of us thought this a clear reference to the action of my stretching arms in the envelope photo.

(“Ruburt’s impression of a table...and rounded objects and colored.” In the photo I am sitting at a drawing table. Rounded objects and colored I thought another reference to “something circular.” listed above. The table data brings up another instance of the fine discrimination necessary to Jane in giving such experimental data. She said she had an impression of a table while speaking for Seth; not only this, but of a white table. In the envelope photo it can be clearly seen that my drawing table is covered with white paper, for cleanliness while working. This is still my habit.

(“Two people coming upstairs. Perhaps your stairs.” No one came up the stairs of our apartment house while this data was being given. The art room at Artistic, where the envelope photo was taken, is located on the second floor. Since the photo was taken at noon it is possible people were using the stairs at the end of the hall. But the impression is too vague.

(End, presumably, at 10:45. As we sat talking I told Jane that Seth had discussed some of the points mentioned in the envelope data, but that since he said good night I didn’t press for more information. Yet I had the feeling Seth would continue, if Jane were willing. She said she was, and resumed at 10:46.)

(Remember, the envelope photo was taken in 1960.)

(This is a reference to the last bit of envelope data.

(Tracing of the wedding announcement used in the 33rd envelope experiment, in the 233rd session for February 14,1966.)