“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 54th envelope experiment was held tonight. The object was a homemade pattern made on light-colored paper, with hand-ground gray brown earth color for pigment and polymer medium for binder. It was folded once as indicated in the making. The effect is like an inkblot, except that the quality and texture of the paint is much superior as far as charm goes; this particular hand-ground pigment, which I make myself by heating a certain Italian earth color, has a texture like fine cement or roughened stone. Since it is a heavy-bodied pigment, it was built up in spots on the object as much as 1/32 of an inch thick. The whole pattern was made up of lines and white spots which do not show very well in my tracing. I placed the object, folded once, between the usual two pieces of Bristol and sealed it in the double envelopes.

A film connection, black and white. A decoration, or something memorized, as four score and seven years ago… That is, a phrase known to many, and rather cliché.

Connection with an image of Ruburt. Black and white again rather than color. A connection with the early 1960s.

No more than I have said. If the object is not a photograph, it is closely connected. I have the impression of a black and white photograph.

Something overturned. The feeling of a fluid dark color, broken by white shapes that appear like blocks. Perhaps some connection with a pond or pool shape. The object marked in the middle of the back, in pen or pencil.

(“A square object, perhaps a small square shape at the top center of the object, balanced by another shape at the bottom center.” Throughout the data Seth keeps attempting to refine this shape or block image, with some success. Although none of the shapes on the original object are square, they do give the impression of being balanced one upon another. Any object produced like the envelope object will give a feeling of balance, no matter what the design, as long as both halves are printed or impressed in full. On the original many small white interstices show that are not visible on the quick tracing. It seems Seth had a correct impression.

(“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.

(“The square shapes again, now, as in small patterns.” Seth’s refinement here is to the point. The original object contains a multitude of fine patterns made by the rough paint when I pressed the folder paper together. It is very charming; the patterns are almost like the veins in a leaf. Flecks of white scattered throughout also.

(“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.

(“No more than I have said. If the object is not a photograph, it is closely connected. I have the impression of a black and white photograph.” Presumably because of the reasons cited above. My second question asked for elaboration on the decoration data, and resulted in some more information.

(“The feeling of a fluid dark color, broken by white shapes that appear like blocks.” The wet pigment used to make the object was a fluid dark color, of course. Seth now uses the block data to refer to the whites scattered through the object on the original. Some of the whites are of a block shape, roughly, but more often simply irregular just as the pigment is.