“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 45th envelope experiment was held during the session. See the tracing on page 72. The object is the flap of a letter that my nephew Douglas Butts and myself wrote on last Sunday, April 3, at my parents’ home in Sayre, PA. The tracing is drawn with the same blue pen, my own, that was used to write on the object. The object came into being when Doug, who is 14 years old, was showing me how he writes left-handed. We sat on the couch and used a folded newspaper for a support; this was not steady. I did not intend to use this object for the envelope experiment, but decided to on the spur of the moment after it was made. Jane never saw the object in its finished form before the experiment.

(She had seen the envelope from which the flap was torn however, in a casual way. The envelope enclosed a letter from Doug’s recently married sister Linda, who now lives in Brooklyn, NY. Both Jane and I read the letter yesterday; it was written to my parents. I wondered whether Seth would pick up any impressions connected with Linda, but he confined himself to impressions that originated yesterday as far as Jane and I were concerned. The N and Norcross indicated in pencil on the tracing signifies a blind embossed trademark on the envelope flap, but Seth said nothing about this either.

(“A connection with music.” As stated Jane and I visited my parents at their home last Sunday, April 3, and while there met my brother Loren, his wife Betts, and their son Douglas, who is 14. In this envelope experiment Seth again used the actual object as a jumping-off point for some of his data, and this is a case in point. Doug, who helped me author the object, is not musical; however both his parents are professional musicians; both are teachers; Betts teaching music as well as other subjects. Loren does not teach music anymore. For many years he was a pianist in a dance band and taught music at the same time.

(“A printed message.” The object contains writing. I wrote my own name and Doug wrote “Goodbye” and his name. The Norcross is printed, in that it is blind embossed. Jane doesn’t know whether she intended handwriting or printing in the data. We have had trouble with this category in previous experiments, Jane meaning one thing by writing or printing while I mean something else.

(“A connection with a child.” Doug is 14 years old.

(“The shape of something tall like a tree; waving lines, or wavering lines.” Jane said the tree data was her way, or Seth’s way, of leading up to the data re wavering lines. Doug and I wrote on the object while sitting on a couch. My signature is firm because I had the support of a folded newspaper in my lap. Doug’s is unsteady, or wavering, because he held the envelope flat against his leg and tried to write on it with no other support. As stated he was trying to show me how he writes left-handed.

(“Something outmoded or old-fashioned.” Both Jane and I think this applies to Betts, Doug’s mother. Betts took us for a ride Sunday in Sayre. When we drove past a house with a swimming pool Betts remarked that she was too old for such things. Jane and I thought this was unwitting negative suggestion, since Betts at 44 is 3 years younger than I am.

(“A connection with strong musical interests. The item belongs to, or did belong to, someone with musical interests. An instrument connected here I believe, perhaps indirectly.” Doug’s parents, Loren and Betts, have strong musical interests. As far as we know however Doug does not. Nor does his sister Linda, who wrote the letter and enclosed it in the envelope from which the flap used as object was taken. Neither Loren or Betts own any instruments except for a piano, which they both major in. Betts is choir director for her church. Would a piano or organ be the indirect connection? I did not think to ask.

(“I believe a male.” Doug, coauthor of the object, is male.

(“A connection with a camera and pictures.” As stated the object is related to transparencies, in that Doug’s father Loren brought his camera and transparencies with him. Jane heard our conversation about pictures and joined in the discussion. She did not know about Doug and me writing on the envelope flap, although she had seen the envelope and flap attached earlier in the day in a casual way.

(True. As soon as Seth explained the data I remembered that Doug explained to Jane and me that he was wearing a new suit. This was when he first arrived. The jacket has copper-colored buttons. Doug hung the coat up carefully after his arrival and we saw it no more that day.)