“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.

(After several sessions involving various kinds of personal material we hoped to get back to the theoretical kind. The session was held in our living room as usual. Jane began speaking with her eyes closed and at a rather slow pace. She was not smoking.)

(Break at 9:30. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her pace had continued to be broken by pauses, some of them long. Her eyes had begun to open occasionally toward the end of the delivery and she had sipped wine.

(Jane was speaking rapidly now and her eyes were opening at times. Now she thrust an arm straight out toward me.)

(Break at 10:09. Jane was more dissociated than she had been for her first delivery. Her pace had become much faster. Her eyes opened often toward the end of the delivery for whole sentences at a time. She spoke with many gestures and her voice was a bit stronger.

(It was now time for the 53rd Dr. Instream experiment. As usual Jane’s pace now slowed down somewhat. She sat with her hands raised to her closed eyes. Resume at 10:15.)

An interlude that was not pleasant at approximately 3 PM this afternoon for our friend, and a letter or package that was difficult to open. This being separate and not connected with the unpleasant episode.

(Break at 10:35. Jane was dissociated as usual, she said. Her eyes had remained closed through the experimental material. Her pace had been fairly good.

(Before she opened the envelope, Jane told me that while giving the data she had a most definite impression of something connected with photographs and music. As will be seen she was correct on both counts. Jane said she had “two lines of consciousness,” and that Seth wanted to lead her very carefully between them. She followed his lead successfully.

(“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.

(“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.

(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.)

(“Was she surprised that we held the session?”)

(In the past Marian had always told us the idea of witnessing a session was too scary. Hence our surprise last Saturday, when on a visit to her place she agreed to listen to Seth with no pressure from us.

(After the session was over at 1:30 AM, Marian’s husband Jimmy arrived home from work. Marian told him about the session. Jimmy then wondered aloud if Seth could tell him about “anything significant” that was going to happen to him within the next six months. We were drinking coffee by then however and Seth did not come through. Jimmy’s question prompted my next query however.

(“What did Jimmy mean when he asked whether anything significant was going to happen to him within the next six months?”)

Give us a moment here. (Pause.) He was thinking of his health, and also of money difficulties of which we have earlier spoken.

(During the 247th session Seth told Marian that Jimmy’s health was good. Seth devoted much of the 229th session to what he said were tax and money problems involving Jimmy. As stated at the time, Jane and I have no idea as to the validity of the 229th session. The material was quite detailed; we have yet to hear or see anything to back any of it up. In a recent session Seth said that probabilities might enter in with this data, but that is all we know. Saturday night Jane and I did wonder why Jimmy asked the particular question he did. In the 229th session Seth gave a March 15 date in connection with Jimmy’s supposed tax troubles.)

(End at 11:00 PM. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes began to open at the near-end of the delivery. She said Seth was warm and emotional at the close, and would have continued had we asked.