“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Tracing of the poem used as the envelope object in the 68th experiment, in the 281st session for August 29,1966.)

(The 68th envelope object was a poem Jane wrote to me on the evening of July 3,1966. It was written with a dark pen on a sheet of yellow paper, not punched, and the size of this page. The sheet was folded as indicated above, then enclosed between the usual two pieces of Bristol and inserted into the usual double envelopes. The back side of the sheet was blank. I knew nothing of the circumstances under which Jane wrote the poem, and hoped the data would fill me in. Details in their proper place.

Three people concerned. 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.

(See the tracing on page 1 and the notes that follow. As stated I knew nothing of the circumstances under which Jane produced the poem used as object. During the delivery of the data however I forgot this, and as a result it seemed to me that the data was off target. It was quite legitimate. But at the time I nearly asked Jane to try again, and was also somewhat at a loss as to what questions to ask. Had I asked Jane to try again it might have led to confusion.

(The object is a poem written to me by Jane on a sheet of yellow paper, in a dark pen, and dated July 3,1966. The back of the object is blank. Here is a brief summary of the circumstances under which Jane produced the poem; it will be expanded as the data unfolds.

(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 February 3, I believe.” We don’t know. The poem used as envelope object was written on July 3. If the Feb. 3 data is connected to the immediately following, we do not know how.

(“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.

(“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.

(“A yellow square.” The poem to me was written by Jane on a piece of yellow typing paper the size of this page, and folded as indicated in the tracing on page 1. Jane had an image of a small yellow square. The object was folded into a rectangular shape, actually.

(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.

(As stated, I had temporarily forgotten I knew nothing of the circumstances under which Jane had produced the poem used as object, and so wasn’t sure that Seth’s data applied at all. This left me wondering about what questions to ask. I decided to go along as usual.

(First Question: Can you say more about the yellow square? “I have the image of a small, neat yellow square, in a lower right hand position.” By now Jane had lowered the envelope from her usual position against her forehead, and sat with it dangling by one corner from her right hand; her right arm extended forward and down over the arm of the rocker. It is possible the yellow object inside the sealed envelope had settled into a corner. But it was a rectangular rather than square object.

(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.

(“However others are involved also.” Jane said this was a reference to me, lying asleep upstairs. She wrote the poem used as object to me. In physical terms I was quite close to the group as I lay asleep. They were sitting no more than 30 feet away; our bedroom being at the back of our apartment, on the second floor.