“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(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.

(For the record: In the 227th and 228th sessions Seth discussed the book of poetry Jane produced so quickly by using suggestions for abundant energy, and told us the book would be published. Jane had also finished the first third of her book on the Seth material itself, and felt it ready to send out.

(On Tuesday, February 8, she telephoned her publisher, Frederick Fell, in New York City. She read a few of the poems from the book to Mr. Fell over the phone and outlined her ideas for its humorous format, etc.; to her surprise he requested that she send him the manuscript for consideration. Jane had not been aware that he would consider poetry. Mr. Fell also asked to see the manuscript on the Seth material,and told Jane some of the plans he had for publicizing her ESP book, due to be published this May. The publicity may include adds in the New York Times Book Review; surveys taken by the publisher show the book should have a good reception and sale. Mr. Fell also told Jane she may appear on some radio and/or TV shows; this has been Jane’s idea also. Summing up, the publisher told Jane that once the ESP book is on the market and her name begins to be known through publicity, it will help the sales of future books considerably—namely the Seth material.

(Mr. Fell asked Jane to make a tape of her poems to send along with the manuscript, since he enjoyed her telephone reading. This was done this afternoon. The tape, the poetry book, and the Seth material will be mailed Thursday. Jane will be waiting to hear.

(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.

(The session was held in our front room. Jane began speaking rather slowly, with pauses. Her hands were raised to her closed eyes and she was not smoking.)

(This would be last Sunday’s unscheduled 230th session, during which Jane gave data on our life spans and those of Bill and Peggy Gallagher. It developed that some of this material was distorted.)

(Break at 9:06. Jane’s eyes opened and she was out of trance. I too had been aware of the traffic noise, although I had pulled our kitchen window closed, I thought, before the session. I now latched it tightly, which helped, and pulled the curtains over it to further deaden the sounds.

(Jane now resumed, still with pauses, at 9:07.)

(Before the unscheduled 230th session of last Sunday, Bill Gallagher had surprised Jane by telling her he thought she possessed healing ability. Seth discussed this ability in the 185th session, and he referred to it briefly in a few others.)

(Break at 9:30. Jane had been dissociated as usual. The traffic noise had not bothered her any more. Her pace had picked up; her eyes had opened briefly, quite often, and had been very dark. She had smoked a cigarette after the interruption.

(Jane’s pace had become much slower by now. She used many pauses, some of them quite long as she sat quietly with her eyes closed.)

(Break at 10:00. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her pace had picked up once more, her eyes had begun to open, and she had smoked a cigarette. The traffic noise hadn’t bothered her.

(It was now time for the 38th Dr. Instream experiment. Once more Jane sat with her hands raised to her temples; her eyes were closed. She spoke with many short pauses, but her pace was not too slow in actuality. Resume at 10:05.)

(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.

(“And here also with an unknown element.” referred, in my opinion, to the death of Ezra Havens, shown in the background of the photo. Ezra died of a heart attack in September 1964. Jane of course knew of Ezra’s death although she had never met him; she agreed with me that “an unknown element.” could be a reference to death.

(“A four.” Jane said this was a reference to the 4 in 42, on the back of the photo in the upper left corner.

(“A five six.” Note that Jane, or Seth, pronounced these numbers as five six, rather than fifty-six. Nevertheless I felt five six referred to the age of Ezra Havens when the photo was taken in 1960. As stated, Ezra died in 1964. Inquiring at the plant the day after this session, I learned that he had been 60 when he died; this of course made him 56 in 1960. Ezra had a history of heart trouble and his death from this was not unexpected.

(“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.

(However, we also have a small coffee table in our apartment, and it is painted white. Jane said she thought of this table while speaking for Seth, yet knew it wasn’t the right table. To avoid confusion in speaking the data she omitted the adjective white.

(“A mine.” This is interesting also. Speaking this word, Jane said, she had an impression of being underground, while not being specifically in a location such as a coal mine for instance. She was aware of sides of rocky earth, with the rocks visible. The sides were rather close together. Consciously of course Jane knows Ezra Havens is dead and buried. But while giving the data she had no impressions of Ezra. Looking back, she thinks she might have been trying to get at the impression of a grave while skirting around it. She remembers that she was going to elaborate on the mine impression by using the word underground; but instead of doing so she went on to the next impression.

(Jane now said she puts herself “in the hands of whoever or whatever possesses these abilities” during such experiments, and tries to stay out of the way of what will happen.

(Jane’s eyes opened and she smiled.)

(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.)

(Jane now took a long pause at 10:51. Her eyes were closed.)

(End at 10:58. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed. Her pace had been average.)