“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Jane of course had never seen this object, or any others like it, because I have never made them before. I made two of them on May 10,1966; I dated one of them and used the other in the envelope. The pigment color is quite dark, but not black. The stonelike or rough surface and the dark color enter into the experimental results.

(The session was held in the front room. Jane began speaking while sitting down and with her eyes closed, and in a quiet voice. In the beginning she used some long pauses.)

(Break at 9:25. Jane was “out” as usual, she said. Her pace had picked up considerably. Her eyes had begun to open, and she had lit a cigarette and sipped wine. She resumed in this more emphatic manner at 9:32.)

(Break at 9:59. Jane said she was well dissociated. Seth was giving her the material so fast that she had trouble keeping up with it; her delivery had been so fast I had barely managed to keep up with it, in turn. Her eyes had opened often; her voice had been good, her manner emphatic, with few pauses.

(It was now time for the 63rd Dr. Instream experiment. Jane’s pace now slowed as she sat with a hand to her closed eyes. Resume at 10:05.)

(Jane paused at 10:16 without opening her eyes. She took the envelope for our 54th experiment, pressed it to her forehead for a moment and then lowered it to her lap. Her left hand remained raised to her face.)

The question is not a good one. (Jane smiled.

With a block or blocks, as rocks or steps of stone. (Jane gestured, her eyes still closed.) Also a connection with a building that is not seen from the front but from the side, perhaps from a verandah.

(Break at 10:29. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed through both experiments. She said that Seth had felt like giving many impressions.

(As soon as she opened the double envelopes, Jane said the object looked like a man to her, with either horizontal edge uppermost, and that she thought this impression had given rise to the photograph data. See the tracing on page 162, and the description of the object on page 163. This marked the end of the session for all practical purposes as far as Seth was concerned. Jane and I made the connections we could and did not ask Seth to elaborate.

(“Dark printed matter.” As stated, the pigment used on the object is quite dark, a burnt gray brown, but it is not black. Jane’s impression of it, I noted, was that it was darker to her than to me. I don’t know whether Seth uses printed here to mean an ink applied to paper or newsprint, or just some other substance applied to a surface as in the case of the object.

(“A film connection, black and white.” As stated Jane at once thought of a man when she saw the object, and this she thinks led to the film connection. It comes up again, as does the black and white data. To Jane the color of the pigment on the object is quite dark.

(“Connection with an image of Ruburt. Black and white again rather than color. A connection with the early 1960s.” Again, Jane thinks the dark pigment on the object gave rise to this data, with the date perhaps referring to the year a picture of herself was taken.

(“A forthright statement, numbers, perhaps a room number. This leads Ruburt to think of Oswego and your stay there. A connection with a federation of some sort.” Again, this data puzzles us. The object has no connection with Oswego, NY. Jane hasused federation, and words like before re large buildings such as post offices, etc., so it seems that here federation refers to the college at Oswego, where Dr. Instream teaches.

(“A connection with a man, not yourself, perhaps with your landlord.” The paint blot on the object reminded Jane of a man, which could give rise to the man data here. However I am connected with the object since I made it.

(“The question is not a good one.” Just for kicks, I asked Seth if he thought the object was a photograph. This because of the numerous photo and man references in the data. At this time, of course, before Jane had seen the object, I had no idea that it would remind her strongly of a man, and hence possibly give rise to the photo data.

(“Also a connection with a building that is not seen from the front but from the side, perhaps from a verandah.” This building data could thus have resulted from the steps mentioned above. If Seth is talking about a photo here, Jane and I do not know offhand what one it could be. We have photos of buildings in our album, of course, but no specific building or location comes to mind.

(“Perhaps J B and a date.” Jane, or Seth, getting at the idea of photograph again. As stated earlier, I made two similar objects with the same pigment on May 10,1966. I dated and initialed the one not used in the envelope experiment; this gives an RB and a date, but I doubt if this is what Seth is getting at here.

(“I do not get the feeling that the object has to do with the immediate present, in that it was not a part of your experience, directly.” Just the opposite. The object was part of my experience, in the immediate past. Jane had never seen the object or any like it, since I had never made any before; perhaps this data came out because she herself was thus not involved with the object in any way.

(Jane resumed at 10:45.)