“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 44th envelope experiment was held during the session. See the copies of the objects on page 51, and note the copy on the back of one of them, above. These cards are mentioned on page 40 of the 243rd session; this gave me the idea of using them for an experiment. Jane had read the 243rd session recently but had not seen the cards. She hadn’t seen them since November 1962, in fact, for they had been in my files. I placed them between two pieces of Bristol and sealed them in the usual double envelope.

A connection with a merger, and something spontaneous. A meeting. A connection with a trip. Ornamentation connected with the object. Squares. A date on it. I think of July or April.

A connection with your place of employment. A large circular shape on a rectangular pattern, and movement. The object, the round object, seems to have something to do with motion.

(I was not at all sure the data on the family group applied to the envelope object, so I picked this subject.

(“Do you want to try naming the object?”)

(Jane said she knew she was going astray in the data when I asked about the family group, although the envelope objects do mention family groups. But the question confused her; this is the first time this has happened. Jane said she had an image of a “round object”, that had to do with motion, but had no idea as to what it represented.

(We made some connections ourselves, and Seth elaborated on others. At times during the data I wasn’t sure who was speaking—Jane or Seth. Sometimes when Ruburt was mentioned, I thought it was Jane saying so, rather than Seth. After the session Jane said she had no awareness along these lines, but one of confusion concerning the data. Knowing it was wrong somehow, she tried to be objective, to get back on the right track without knowing how to go about it. There was a confusion of levels, she said, that left her groping.

(“A connection with a merger,” We take this to be a reference to the “wife and self” written on back of one of the envelope objects; marriage, merger.

(“Ornamentation connected with the object.” We don’t see the connection.

(“A date on it.” Both envelope objects contain dates. Note that Jane doesn’t distinguish between singular and plural here—one of the points I hoped would be brought out in the experiment.

(“I think of July or April.” At the bottom of one of the objects is a reference to Spring 1963. Originally both cards were the same size, and contained two paragraphs of information. For some reason I do not recall now I clipped the second paragraph off one of the cards. Whether this contained a July reference, for instance, I cannot say.

(“A large circular shape on a rectangular shape on a rectangular pattern, and movement. The object, the round object, seems to have something to do with motion.” Again, we made no connections.

(“A connection with a family group, of one, five, three and two.” Both envelope objects refer to family groups. We are not sure what the numbers refer to. Types one, two and three polio vaccines are referred to on the cards, but this leaves the five to be explained. Nor do the numbers fit our family groups completely. In the phone book the school at which we received the vaccine on each occasion is listed by avenue, but no number is given.

(“A specific address.” The back of one of the envelope objects contains our address, 458 West Water Street, Elmira, NY, written there by me when we took Sabin Type I polio vaccine in October 1962.

(I now asked Seth to elaborate on the family group data. “The question, you see, leads Ruburt to think of a letter from your sister-in-law, concerning a change of dates for a family affair.” This does not apply to the envelope objects. Seth explains somewhat concerning why this data came about however.

(“For some reason I get the impression of the words organization with the family group.” Family groups are mentioned on the envelope objects, and the vaccine was distributed by the Chemung County Medical Society, an organization.

(My second question asked for more specific data on the July or April reference already given. “April 66. Now this is connected with Ruburt’s letter image. Personally, I have the impression of Ruburt’s father.” Again, this material is off. I could feel Jane groping about, trying to right herself. I wondered if I could cut across the confusion here by asking her to name the object, so that was the third question:

(This is the first time, I believe, that I have asked that the object be named intrinsically. Jane’s pace was the fastest of the evening when she resumed, again with her eyes closed, at 10:39.)