“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I did not know the contents of the envelope, nor of course did Jane. She had seen Don hand me the envelope on April 4, but since none of us had ever mentioned it since then I was hoping she had forgotten about it. After the session tonight Jane confirmed she had forgotten that I had the envelope. Even when the Wilburs arrived for the session tonight, Jane did not remember it.

(It was a hot, muggy night, and windows were open. The night seemed especially noisy, and Jane began speaking from the first in a heavier voice. Her eyes were closed, her pace good from the start.)

(“It’s okay so far.” Jane was speaking quite rapidly.)

I cannot emphasize too strongly however the fact that the ordinary standards by which you judge reality will not here apply. And Joseph, you must learn the new rules. Our small friend in the corner (Jane pointed to Ann Diebler) must learn the new rules. Now. Every image that you meet, and every experience, will be varied within its own framework. And do not forget that the experiences which you encounter will have an effect upon your own personality, as vivid or more vivid than the effect of any waking experience.

(A loud knock came on the hall door, but Jane continued.)

(Break at 9:22. The knocking came again, loudly. I did not notice, being busy writing, but Don Wilbur said the first knock really jolted Jane out of her trance, or at least the deeper stages of it, even though she continued speaking. Later Jane told me she had been very well dissociated. Her pace was fast, her eyes opened often, and she had used many gestures and much emphasis.

(Jane later said the interruption had been a shock to her. She was surprised, since interruptions have not bothered her the last few months.

(Our visitors did not know of the sessions. If they had noticed the rather strong Seth voice through the door—it was quite audible, we were sure—they gave no sign. The visitors left at 10:04. We had used the intervening time as a break, and Jane resumed in the same active manner at 10:05.)

(We had discussed this at supper time. Jane had noticed a close similarity in some of the effects described by Oliver Fox, and those she had experienced on her own while doing psychological time, as long as two years ago.)

Now, I am going to give you a short break to rid ourselves of the pussies. (Our cats were noisily playing at Jane’s feet.) Then we will briefly give the Instream material, and perhaps briefly also whatever envelope material you may have for me. Following this we shall return to the material which we have been discussing, for you shall be in need of it shortly.

(Break at 10:22. Jane was out as usual, she said, and the cats hadn’t particularly bothered her. We put them in the studio. Jane’s pace had been good, her voice fairly strong, her eyes open often. It had not been a quiet session. Besides the interruption there had been noisy neighbors downstairs, heavy traffic, etc.

(Jane’s voice was still good when she resumed at a slower pace, her eyes closed, while giving the 69th Dr. Instream material. 10:31.)

(Jane paused at 10:35. Without opening her eyes she took Don Wilbur’s envelope and pressed it to her forehead for a moment before lowering it to her lap. This was our 58th envelope experiment.)

(Her eyes still closed, Jane gestured largely with her hand and arm. She indicated a slope or angle upwards of perhaps 30 degrees, perhaps less; in a straight line, and quite definitely.)

Some distant connection with a mission. I do not know to what this refers (Jane shook her head) and with objects in a row, or a series, perhaps of numbers.

(Break at 10:45. Jane had been dissociated as usual, and her eyes had remained closed, through both experiments.

(Seth had a few comments on the envelope data after break, but the Wilburs and Jane and I had by then made the connections with the object. See the tracing on page 206, and the notes on page 207.

(“The impression of stairs or steps. Something ascending in this fashion, you see.” Here Jane gestured positively that something rose on the object at perhaps a 30-degree angle, perhaps less. This is my estimate. There are no steps shown on the object, but the brick walk is in perspective, and rises perhaps at a 20-degree angle from left to right. The separate bricks in the walk, which are not cemented together incidentally, could perhaps have led to the use of stairs or steps.

(Jane regretted having one impression while giving the above data that she did not give voice to. Once again, it is often left up to her as to whether to speak an impression aloud, pursue it, or choose to ignore it. She did not pursue this one. It was the word “stone.”

(Jane’s gesture, incidentally, was a smoothly rising one, as the brick walk smoothly rises on the object. She did not indicate the angular construction of stairs, for instance.

(“Also perhaps with a July date,” The date on back of the object is April 4, 1966. As soon as Jane saw this she said that she was subjectively sure she had interpreted the four date as July fourth instead of April.

(“Some distant connection with a mission. I do not know to what this refers” Here Jane shook her head in giving the data. We speculate that mission here refers to Don’s trip to our apartment last April 4, from his out-of-town residence, to tell us that he and his wife could not attend the 248th session after all; on this visit he gave us the object used this evening.

(“The F may refer to a person.” The fourth question asked about the F and O data. Marilyn and Jane thought the F referred to F as in feline, or the F sound in the name Lucifer, the name which Marilyn gave to her ceramic creation. “The O, I believe, is simply a shape, that is, a circle shape.” The ceramic cat is composed of forms circular in shape. See the tracing on page 206.

(Jane resumed at 11:15.)

Now I have been speaking of projection from a trance state. You may of course project from a dream, and not realize that you have done so. Upon awakening you may then be frightened to find the physical body in what amounts to a trance state, while the mind is wide awake. As I believe Ruburt told our small friend, such has been the case on rather frequent occasions with her. (Jane, her eyes open, pointed at Ann Diebler.)

(End at 11:37. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her pace had been rather fast, her voice good, her eyes open often. She said Seth could have continued indefinitely.)