“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

SESSION 238

(An unscheduled session was held this evening. It was witnessed by four people, and interrupted by a fifth. This account is written the following morning after a review of the main points with Jane. No notes were taken at the time of the session.

(It will be remembered that during the unscheduled session on last Sunday, February 27, and during Monday’s regular session for February 28, Seth had mentioned the possibility of witnesses for last Wednesday’s session, March 2. Moreover he mentioned the possibility existed for two sets of witnesses, and for four people, perhaps even five. When no witnesses appeared for Wednesday’s session Seth said in answer to my question: “I was being cagey. I merely said their attendance was possible. My time elements were simply off here, unfortunately.” Jane had smiled broadly while giving this answer.

(Two sets of witnesses did attend tonight’s unplanned session, the Gallaghers and Marilyn and Don Wilbur. Jane began speaking as Seth at 11:45 PM, continued until about 12:15 AM, took a break during which the Gallaghers left, then resumed briefly, from about 12:30 to 12:45 AM with the Wilburs present. The session might have continued but was interrupted by the visit of a friend who does not know of them. We do not often get visitors after midnight; this friend has visited us perhaps three times in the last year, so we can say his arrival was unexpected.

(It can be said that since the Gallaghers and the Wilburs both know of the sessions, and that they visit us regularly, an unscheduled session is hardly unusual with these two sets of witnesses. It can also be said however that we do not easily hold unscheduled sessions, although from the record it might seem they are held rather often. Jane and I usually go out of our way to avoid them because of the extra work involved, etc. Hence the late starting hour for this one.

(Since the conversation revolved around matters psychic and nonpsychic, the stage was set rather effortlessly for Seth’s appearance, although as stated neither Jane nor I actively encouraged the session. Everyone was in an excellent mood however. Soon after she began speaking for Seth, in a quite low and pleased voice, Jane launched into the reasons for Bill’s response to the painting. It marked Bill’s emotional perception, according to Seth, of Seth’s presence in the painting, earlier in the evening. Hence Bill’s feeling of an extra quality of life in the work. This event thus meant that for the first time Bill felt an emotional rapport with Seth, although previously he had been intrigued intellectually by the material.

(Seth went on to explain that with the exception of me everyone else in the room, including Jane, still had doubts as to what he was, that I accepted his explanation of his personality, and that this was a help in the sessions. This led to an exchange concerning secondary personalities. Seth said that in the future we would have many exchanges with psychologists and other scientists. Seth told us he knew how “their minds worked,” and that when they thought they had him pinned down as a secondary, he would have a surprise for them, a demonstration. He did not go into detail here and I did not press for particulars because I was not making notes. I believe such events lay quite well ahead of us however.

(Seth took a break at 12:15 AM, during which the Gallaghers left. He resumed at about 12:30, until interrupted at 12:45. The interruption marked the end of the session.

(The Wilburs have witnessed a few unscheduled sessions. Their first experience is mentioned in the notes for the 206th session, of November 8,1965. Their next is mentioned in the notes for the 214th session, of December 6,1965. The unscheduled session was held on November 5,1965; see page 57.

(During that session Seth gave Don Wilbur a little information concerning a job change he was contemplating. I made no notes during the evening, but Don took down the data pertaining to him. It amounted to perhaps a medium-long paragraph, and included a description of a building he would visit, its offices, and a man to whom he would apply for employment. Don’s wife carried the notes in her handbag for some weeks. Don never did see about the job he was thinking of, in December, because his present employment kept him too busy during the winter months. He and his wife lost track of the notes, and Jane and I had forgotten them long ago.

(Seth was going into the relationship between predictions and probabilities when the session came to an end because of the mentioned interruption. As stated, two sets of witnesses had been present. A fifth person had also appeared, causing the end of the session after one set of witnesses had left. See page 326.

(Front and back tracings of the insurance slip used as the envelope object in the 38th experiment, in the 239th session for March 7,1966.)