“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(After supper on the evening of July 3,1966 Jane sat in the backyard. It was not yet dark. Also in the backyard were the girl who lives in the downstairs back apartment, Barbara, and her steady boyfriend Dick. Both are in their thirties. As they sat in lawn chairs, they asked Jane to have a drink with them. This surprised Jane, for she saw that Dick was angry with Barbara for teasing him about marriage. Also, Jane felt that being asked to share a drink with the couple was a gesture, and that when she accepted Dick was not happy about it.

(This in turn made Jane angry. Barbara and Dick went into Barbara’s apartment to mix Jane a drink. While they were inside, Jane wrote the poem to me that was used as tonight’s object.

(I had been moody myself that day, and finally lay down for a nap—hence the subject matter for Jane’s poem. Jane wondered why the couple asked her to share a drink if they didn’t mean it. Dick, especially, seemed to give Jane this feeling. Note that much of the data concerns the three people involved in the poem’s psychic surroundings at the time of creation; and that indeed this feeling on Jane’s part overrides the data pertaining directly to the object itself in most cases tonight. But Jane’s perception of the object was necessary in order for her to give the data pertaining to Barbara and Dick, and her own feelings.

(“Stirrup. No, something stirred up.” The drink that Barbara’s boyfriend Dick gave Jane, in the episode just described in the backyard on July 3,1966, was a mixed drink, a Wink-and-gin. This drink is the one referred to in the fourth line of the poem used as object.

(“Three people concerned.” As explained, three people were involved in the backyard episode during which Jane wrote the poem used as object: Jane, Barbara and Dick.

(“I have the image of a circular object within a rectangular one, or rather an oval shape as in a portrait of a woman that is oval, for example as in old-time valentines.” To Jane this refers to the fact that Barbara is an amateur artist. Jane doesn’t know however if Barbara has for instance ever painted such a portrait. Jane wished she had allowed Seth to be more specific here. Later note by Rob: Poem is a valentine of sorts; love poem.

(“A connection with a woman and a card.” This we think is more of the immediately-above data, an attempt to get at Barbara painting pictures.

(“Something spun, as cloth or material.” Jane is subjectively sure that this is an excellent reference to Barbara and her sewing ability. Barbara does a lot of sewing, and Jane has seen drawers of various kinds of material that Barbara has bought on sale, saving it for whatever use the future brings. Later note by Rob: Including sheets. Sheets and half dressed are mentioned in poem.

(“A distant connection in the past, with a gathering that was formal, I believe… not certain here… with dancing as at a wedding reception perhaps. Through personal association with my last remark, Ruburt is led to think of the coming D’Andreano wedding.” As stated, Jane was quite embarrassed at the teasing Dick had taken from Barbara about marriage the evening of July 3, and by Dick’s obvious anger. The wedding talk here thus links up with a wedding Jane and I attended perhaps nine years ago in Rochester, NY—that of my brother Dick and Ida D’Andreano. This was a formal occasion for which Jane and I were dressed formally, and at the lengthy reception afterwards there was much dancing, etc.

(“With a rose.” Jane thinks this a legitimate connection, but somewhat removed. Barbara, who paints, has painted a picture of a violin that she wanted to show me. I have also painted a picture of a violin. It was done perhaps twenty years ago and hangs in my parents’ home. My painting includes some wax roses.

(“Connection with a journey, and invitation.” Jane believes these apply in the following manner: Barbara’s boyfriend Dick lives perhaps 25 miles away, and thus had to journey to see her on the night the three people were grouped in the yard, when Jane produced the poem used as object. Invitation can apply through Barbara’s talk about marriage to Dick. It also applies through Barbara calling to me to join the threesome; she thought I was in the studio. I had instead begun taking a nap and did not hear.

(“With a brush or something that resembles it, with bristles.” Both Barbara and I use bristle brushes in our painting. In an oblique way this also leads to the next data.

(“1821 or 1812, perhaps Milwaukee or Wisconsin.” As Seth tells us after break, this is a poor connection referring to the Victorian room at the Arnot Art Gallery where Jane worked a couple of years ago—and is thus another reference to Barbara and myself being artists. We saw no connection for Milwaukee or Wisconsin.

(“The words ‘A fine form of a woman’.” Jane says this is a clear-enough reference to a remark Dick made when the group of three was sitting in the yard with their drinks, on the evening Jane wrote the poem used as object. Barbara asked Dick why he shouldn’t get married. Dick replied there was no reason he should, since he now sat with “two fine women,” both of them good looking; or words to that effect.

(Note that most of tonight’s data stems from the strong emotional charges surrounding the gathering of Barbara, Dick and Jane in the backyard, during the time Jane wrote the poem to me used as object. I had picked the poem as object in the frank hope that it would have strong emotional attraction for Jane. But this was overridden by the events and feelings engendered in the meeting of the three people.

(“Black and white. Please reply.” This is another reference to the upcoming wedding of Louie D’Andreano, to which Jane and I have been invited. The announcement was printed in black ink on white, as is usual. It also requested that Jane and I reply in writing as to whether we planned to attend. Once again, the D’Andreano wedding data, involving the present one concerning Louie, and the distant one concerning my brother Dick, is called up by Jane’s associations, because of the marriage talk between Barbara and Dick on the evening of July 3,1966, when Jane wrote the poem used as object.

(2nd Question: Who is the woman referred to in the card and portrait? “The woman I believe strange to you, or at least in different surroundings or attire.” Jane was puzzled here. At break she said this data was an attempt by Seth to get her away from the D’Andreano family, the members of whom we know relatively well, back to Barbara, the newcomer to our apartment house, who is a relative stranger to us.

(3rd Question: Who are the three people involved? “Two women perhaps and a man. One of the woman in the background.” As stated on page 6, three people, two women and a man, were involved in the circumstances surrounding the creation of the poem used as object, on the evening of July 3,1966: Jane, Barbara and Dick. In this context it would seem that Barbara would be the woman in the background, since the actual envelope object was an item of Jane’s. Other interpretations could reverse this order however. We could wish the data were clearer.

(“37 here and a magistrate connection.” Jane herself is 37 years old, and Barbara’s boyfriend Dick is either that age also or very close to it. The magistrate connection arises out of the wedding conversation which was a feature of the group’s gathering on the evening of July 3.

1812 (pause) was a distant connection at best. Ruburt and the man (meaning Barbara’s boyfriend, Dick) spoke of Jamieson. (The art director of the Arnot Art Gallery at the time Jane worked there). This was a poor association, leading to the Victorian room at the gallery, you see.