“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 53rd envelope experiment was held this session. The object was the same object used for the last session, the 257th. See the copy of it on page 142, and the notes concerning it on pages 143 and 147, as well as our interpretation of Seth’s data concerning it; this also begins on page 147.

(This is the first time during the envelope experiments that the same object was used twice in succession. I was curious to see if Seth would repeat any of his impressions given in the 257th session. This he did do, though often approaching the same topic or impression in new language. We think the data from one of the experiments reinforces that of the other.

(Once before, in the first and 18th envelope experiments, an object was used that was similar but not identical by any means. In the first experiment in the 179th session, Seth came through with one accurate impression. In the 18th experiment, held during the 212th session, a few more impressions were obtained; but overall the results were interfered with by other factors in a way that doesn’t seem to happen these days. See Session 179 in Volume 4, and Session 212 in Volume 5.

(“Good evening, Seth.”)

(Break at 9:22. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her pace had picked up considerably and her eyes had begun to open often, to the point where she lit a cigarette and sipped wine. She said that if the above material represented what her dream meant, she had no memory of it consciously. I was about to ask Seth who gave Jane the data in the dream when break came.

(The idea in using the same object a second time in succession was to see whether Seth would come up with the same, or similar, impressions, both times. Seth does deal with some of the same impressions in both experiments, using different language each time, and this will be indicated where we think it occurred.

(We started out tonight by making our own connections, and Seth helps us on a couple before ending the session.

(Since these “try” or trial references are included on the object itself, we see a similarity in the above impressions and the “markings and dates” data Seth gives in the 257th session. See the notes on page 149.

(“Four. Seven.” Jane remembered writing the object early in April, and thought it quite possible these two numbers referred to April 7 as the specific day she did so. Seth confirms this after break.

(This would tie in with two impressions Seth gave last session: “The month of April,” and “A connection with markings and dates.”

(“A connection with mass, or a word that sounds like mas-todon.” Since mass was mentioned first, we think this refers to “en masse”, near the bottom of the object. There are also references to animals in chapter five; Jane discusses these under the chapter heading “Dream Symbols and Culture” on the object, and mentions that fire helped primitive man keep the beasts away. We thought the primitive reference might have conjured up mas-todon, and that this in turn would support Seth’s “Connection with an animal” data in the 257th session. After break Seth tells us we are right about mass, wrong about “todon.”

(A note here: On page 148, see our interpretation of Seth’s impression, “Anemia,” and Jane’s connecting this with our friend Helga Anderson. Writing of Father Ryan now reminds us that he died of leukemia—also a blood disorder as anemia is. Note that Seth merely said that anemia reminded Jane of Helga Anderson; Helga is not given as Seth’s impression. Perhaps the anemia impression is a distortion of leukemia. However, we think Jane’s Helga impressions and the interpretations leading to the envelope object and the dream book in general, to be legitimate.

(This echoes the “Connection with an animal.” data interpreted on page 149 of the last session. Note that Seth picked up data connected with this particular chapter heading several times.

(“White. Brown.” Seth gave this in answer to my first question, concerning colors connected with the object. Jane said this refers to an experience from her own childhood, which is discussed, again, under the Dream Symbols and Culture heading on the envelope object, in chapter five. Her experience involved a pair of her mother’s brown and white spectator shoes, and was connected with her mother’s illness. It made such an impression on Jane that even now she does not wear shoes bearing this particular color combination.

(This echoes Seth’s data in the last session under “markings and dates,” page 149, and “small round circle,” page 150, etc.

(“No, I cannot.” This in answer to my request as to whether Seth could say any more about the mas-todon impression, interpreted on page 3016.

(“It is not empty on either side. Rectangular with a border.” Here I asked Seth to try naming the object. I believe the answer refers to the photo of the deceased Father Ryan. See the notes following “A border…” on page 157.

(The envelope object was folded once. It bore typing and writing on one side only. Perhaps the folding, giving the impression of a layer of markings on more than one side, was confusing to Seth. He has sorted out such impressions before however. To me at least the border on Father Ryan’s photo is more of a border than the implied border on the object itself.

(“I suggest your break.” Seth came through thusly when I asked him about the “Four. Seven.” impression interpreted on page 157. Jane and I believed it meant the date, April 7, on which Jane wrote the page of manuscript used as object. Seth agrees after break.

(Seth gave 24 impressions about the envelope object in the 257th session. He gave 21 impressions concerning the same object in the 258th session. In the notes for the 258th session I note 11 impressions that could refer to the impressions given in the 257th session. This is not a strict total by any means; it could be more or less. There can be as many interpretations of this material as there are individuals, and nowhere did Seth say that the same object was being used in both experiments.

(Personally I believe it quite likely that Seth was perceiving impressions related to the object in some manner, or concerning the object itself, in both sessions. There are a total of 45 impressions from both sessions, and it seems that many of them were relevant to the object in some way.

(“Good night, Seth.”