“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The objects for the 57th envelope experiment were two leaves taken from our poinsettia plant. The plant is an old one, and one of our favorites. We see it every day of course but I was sure Jane wasn’t aware of these two specific leaves separately. The plant also has an interesting history, which will be brought out later. I taped the leaves to one of the two pieces of Bristol used in these experiments, sandwiched it against the other piece, then sealed the two in the usual double envelopes. Note that the word “top” is penciled on the back of the Bristol; this was done by me after the experiment, but before Jane saw the objects, as will be shown later.

(Jane had been housecleaning, and to air the place out all the windows were open, still, at session time. Thus Jane began speaking in a voice quite a bit stronger than usual, evidently to counter the constant street noise. Her eyes soon began to open; she began speaking with a smoking cigarette in her hand. Her pace was fair.)

(Break at 9:28. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes had opened often, and she had smoked and sipped iced tea. Her pace had been average.

(A question had occurred to me as Seth spoke and I voiced it now: Were any of the results of our experimental data, involving either Dr. Instream or our own envelopes, the result of unsuspected projections on Jane’s part? Seth refers to the question later in the session.

(Jane resumed in the same manner at 9:35.)

(Eyes open.) In any case this future self of yours heeds what you say. Now, in the actual future you are the self who one way or another, you see, hears the voice of his past self. (Jane leans forward, knocking on the tabletop for emphasis, eyes wide.) Perhaps in a dream, or perhaps in a projection, made into the past.

(Break at 9:57. Jane was well dissociated. Her pace had been average but her manner very emphatic. She had smiled often and used many gestures. Her eyes had been open for paragraphs at a time. She had been aware of nothing but the material, she said.

(It was now time for the 66th Dr. Instream experiment. Jane sat with a hand raised to her closed eyes. Resume at 10:04.)

(At 10:13 Jane took the envelope for our 57th experiment from me without opening her eyes. She held it to her forehead with its long axis horizontal, as she almost always does. This position is rather important to the results of the experiment, as will be shown. Jane remembers holding the envelope in this fashion, and I watched her do so.)

Also something in the center of the oval. (Jane now lowered the envelope to her lap with her left hand, sitting however with her other hand still to her closed eyes.) Two horizontal lines, rather widely separated from each other.

A small starlike shape, perhaps in the lower right hand corner, holding the object this way. (Jane gestured with the envelope which she now held so that the short dimensions were horizontal to the floor. I noted this position and watched her closely to see if she changed the envelope’s position as the experiment continued.)

I have the impression of two dark horizontal lines, one rather toward the top and one rather toward the bottom. (Jane again gestured with the envelope. She held it in the same position as noted before, the small dimensions parallel to the floor. She hadn’t changed its position by idly turning it, for example.) Both inside, but just an oval shape. Holding the object this way. (The same gesture again.) Now I suggest your break. Unless you have any more questions.

(Break at 10:25. Jane said she was really “out.” Way-out, she said, not aware of anything but the data and the connection to or with her mother, Marie. Her eyes had remained closed through both experiments, her pace had been good.

(Jane always sits quietly for a few moments after leaving trance until she is fully oriented. This gave me enough time to once again see that she held the envelope in the same position relative to the floor. I called her attention to this, then marked the outer envelope “top”. Next I marked the inside envelope the same way, then the two pieces of Bristol the same way as Jane watched. The two leaves were sandwiched between the Bristols. Note the top marking in pencil on the back of the object, as indicated on the tracing on page 189.

(Jane had one image which will be mentioned in place. We were able to make quite a few connections, and Seth helped us with one after break. The session was over now however for most practical purposes. Since the object did not originate with us, we were not able to make some connections which we supposed were probably valid. The history of the poinsettia plant which furnished the leaves used as objects will unfold to some extent as we interpret the data.

(“Again, I have the impression of something round—more oval, perhaps. Fairly large in the center of a square or rectangular object.” As noted Jane held the envelope to her forehead with the long axis parallel to the floor. No matter which long edge was uppermost this places the large poinsettia leaf in the center of the card as far as the short edges are concerned. Even so the large leaf would be off center, either above or below, as far as the long edges are concerned. I hoped Seth would mention two objects, but he did not.

(“Two horizontal lines, rather widely separated from each other.” Since Jane had held the envelope to her forehead in the position above indicated, it can be seen that the “spines” of the two leaves, taped to the Bristol, would be roughly horizontal to the floor and thus to her vision. Provided Seth gives this data in our terms in such cases. We wondered if by horizontal Seth, or Jane, could possibly mean parallel, since the leaves are quite parallel to each other on the Bristol.

(“A small starlike shape, perhaps in the lower right hand corner, holding the object this way.” By now Jane had lowered the envelope to her lap while giving the data, and held it with a short edge up as explained. See my indication of this by use of the word top on the back of the tracing on page 189. I determined this as explained low on page 193. With the object held in this position, it can be seen that the smaller of the two poinsettia leaves would be in the lower right hand corner or the lower left hand corner, depending on whether the piece of Bristol to which the leaves were taped had the leaves facing toward Jane or away from her.

(Seth uses the word perhaps here, so he may not have been sure, or Jane may have been a bit unsure. He does mention right hand corner. We believe the starlike shape a good reference to the internal pattern of the leaf. This kind of radiating line pattern is one which Jane uses in her paintings, and in past experiments has been interpreted as “sun shape,” “star shape,” etc.

(“A connection with 1961.” The plant from which the two leaves were taken was once the property of our neighbor here in the apartment house, Miss Callahan, an elderly retired teacher. Jane first saw it in Miss Callahan’s apartment at Christmas of 1964, when Miss Callahan received it as a Christmas present.

(Jane immediately realized a poinsettia connection with 1961, however. In 1961, shortly after we had moved to Elmira, a friend with whom Jane worked at an art gallery gave her two poinsettia plants that we had for several years. This is easily remembered because the two 1961 plants are the only other poinsettias we have ever owned. We have for instance never bought a poinsettia plant for ourselves, or as a gift, etc.; the two 1961 plants and the plant which furnished the objects for tonight constitute the only three poinsettias we have been involved with. The 1961 plants were outright gifts. The third plant I found on the back porch of the apartment house last winter, where it had been discarded by Miss Callahan. More on this later.

(“Yellow and red.” The plant I acquired secondhand via Miss Callahan is the only poinsettia we have. The two 1961 plants died a couple of years ago. Oddly enough, none of our three plants have ever bloomed for us. Their blooms are red leaved, of course, with brilliant yellow centers; I have painted poinsettias many times on my job, for greeting card designs. Interestingly enough, Jane used to see our present plant in bloom in Miss Callahan’s apartment, before Miss Callahan disposed of it.

(“Ruburt here thinks of his mother, Marie. We will simply mention it.” We don’t know the source of this data. A childhood association of Jane’s, involving poinsettias?

(“A connection with the month of February.” We don’t know. At first Jane and I thought this might refer to the month I found the discarded poinsettia on the back porch last winter. It was a bitterly cold day and the plant had begun to wilt when I found it at noontime. However, upon reflection we realized we had the plant with us last Christmas.

(“Something on the back or inside of the object. Did the object once open up? The impression of continued writing. A connection with a note, I believe, or a card that opened, with writing or copy on an inside page. Orange. The orange seems to be connected with black also. Or dark color. Perhaps like dark lettering.” These impressions came together, and we can offer no connections. Seth seems to be quite insistent upon the subject of writing or a note, so they may be valid. As stated, Jane saw the plant which furnished tonight’s objects, as a Christmas present in Miss Callahan’s apartment at Christmas of 1964. Jane considers it possible that here Seth is getting at the idea of a folded note or card being attached to the plant when Miss Callahan received it as a gift. However Jane can recall no such note or card upon seeing it in 1964. Nor can we check with Miss Callahan, who has suffered a considerable loss of memory as a result of a series of strokes since 1964.

(“The impression of a water connection.” There can be at least two. As stated, today the plant which furnished the leaves used as objects sat on our bathroom windowsill. Due to the architecture of our bathroom this puts it within a foot or so of our sink. Also, since it had been quite a hot day, Jane watered the plant again at supper time—something she usually doesn’t do at that time of day.

(My first question asked Seth for more data about the two horizontal lines. See page 194. “I have the impression of two dark horizontal lines, one rather toward the top and one rather toward the bottom.” [Jane gestures.] It will be remembered that when Seth gave this data the first time, Jane held the envelope to her forehead with its long dimensions horizontal to the floor. As explained, this meant the spines of the two leaves were also roughly horizontal to the floor and her insight. Seth elaborates a bit here now, although Jane now sat holding the envelope in her lap, and with its short dimensions parallel to the floor.

(More data follows from the first question: “Both inside, but just an oval shape. Holding the object this way.” [Jane gestured again, the envelope in the same position, short end up.] From this we infer that Seth refers to the spines of the leaves, and not their stems; yet mention is made only of an oval shape, singular.

(I now asked Seth to name the object: “I have the impression, holding the object this way” [gesture in the same fashion as above], “of a rectangular object, a card that is connected with a picture”, resulted in Jane having a mental image here. She saw, she said, the rectangular shape of the Bristol to which I had taped the two leaves. She also had an image of something darker in the center of the rectangle, and interpreted this as a picture instead of “something real.” Upon seeing the object, Jane realized the dark areas of the leaves matched the dark areas she had seen mentally, yet the image hadn’t been sharp enough to see as leaves; it came through in a generalized picture interpretation instead.

(Jane resumed briefly at 10:47.)

(End at 10:48. Jane said Seth felt fine and could have continued indefinitely.)