“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The object for the 70th envelope experiment was the first draft of a letter I wrote tonight, to a local dentist. It concerned the recent sale of a painting to him, made through our friend, Marie Colucci. Details later. Jane had not seen this draft, or even the final copy of the letter, although she knew I was writing it this evening. I sealed it in an envelope when finished; then showed this to Jane and asked her to mail it tomorrow morning. I briefly and roughly described the contents, however.

(The object was folded as indicated, placed between two pieces of Bristol, and sealed in the usual double envelopes.

(Jane began speaking while seated. Her eyes were closed, her pace good. Her voice was distinctly heavier and louder than usual. It easily rose above the considerable traffic noise coming through our open living room window.)

(Break at 9:31. Jane was well dissociated, she said. Her eyes remained closed. Her pace was fast, her voice still heavy and quite a bit deeper.

(Her manner was the same when she resumed at 9:40.)

(Break at 9:55. Jane was again far-out. Again her pace had been fast, her voice strong; the exception now was that her eyes, very dark, began to open at times.

(Her eyes still closed, Jane took the envelope from me for our 70th experiment, and held it up to her forehead with her right hand. It was 10:01. Her pace was good, and grew faster as the experiment progressed.)

(Break at 10:18. Jane was again well dissociated, as she had been all evening, she said. Her voice was not as loud this time but her delivery had been fast, as though she wanted to give the data without thinking about it. She reported no images that she remembered. Her eyes had remained closed.

(“Four square, or four squares.” This is a reference to the fact that I have four paintings to show Dr. Lodico, in answer to his letter. As stated, Jane did not see either the first draft of my letter, which was used as object, or the final copy, which I had sealed in an envelope. I did ask her to mail it, though, and described its contents roughly.

(Four specific paintings were discussed between us, and I priced each one with Jane present, so that she could quote prices to the doctor should he call while I was away. This data is reinforced by the next data, and vice versa.

(“Connection with October, and four, or perhaps 64.” Without seeing it to make absolutely sure, Jane and I are reasonably sure that the abstract Dr. Lodico has purchased from me was painted in October, 1964. I am sure I did the painting at least two years ago. I have the habit of dating my paintings, so will be able to check this data when I visit the doctor’s office. If no notice is added to this data at a later date, it can be taken as correct.

(“Some distant connection with an opera, opera house or music.” This baffled us at first. We missed the actual connection, and Seth helps out later. At this time Jane said one of the abstracts being offered to the doctor reminds her of music. She was going to tell me this before the session, but did not.

(“Familiar.” Jane was vexed at herself here, for she realized now that when giving the familiar data, she was going to say something about a familiar location, meaning the location of our apartment as something familiar to us. Our address is on the letter used as object.

(“A name with seven letters.” Lodico has six letters. Colucci has seven letters however, and Jane was subjectively sure this is the name referred to, especially when taken along with the next data.

(Jane was sure Andy Colucci was the name referred to here, and Seth confirms this after break.

(Jane had no idea as to this building’s location in relation to Dr. Lodico, although of course she has seen it often. After the session, although it was late, I suggested we walk the few blocks to check out the above data. Arriving there, we saw that Dr. Lodico had no office in the building in question. Instead we discovered his office—and that of his father—to be in a conventional two-story building across the street from the building with a flattish roof.

(This was the first time either of us had specifically noted that Dr. Lodico had his office in a certain building that both of us had driven past many times. His sign is fastened to the wall of the house beside an office door, beneath a porch roof, and would not be readable, probably, from a passing car.

(Both of us are very familiar with the medical building with the flat roof, since it is of distinctive design, whereas Dr. Lodico’s office across the street is housed in a conventional building we haven’t paid any particular attention to. I may ask Seth to straighten us out here, next session, since after break he told us my first interpretation of this data was correct; actually it is not correct.

(3rd Question: Can you be more specific about the two men and the woman? “A photograph, connected with Ruburt. Having to do with the past rather than the immediate present.” This is associative data, Jane said, and came about because of the geometric data above. The geometric data recalled Jungle Gyms to her mind; these in turn reminded her of a photograph of herself, which she still has, that was taken of her at a playground in Saratoga Springs, NY, with a Jungle Gym in back of her.

The lace was a very distant and distorted connection. Ruburt was thinking of a lace altar cloth, which was to have led him to a religious connection. I use his associative processes, you see, but this was short-circuited here. (See page 35.)

The opera here though was a legitimate connection, having to do with the way the mass is sung at Mount Savior’s. The Gregorian chant is what we were after here. This was quite legitimate.

(After the session Jane said she should have caught this connection, since she was brought up a Catholic and is quite familiar with the chant, mass, etc. This music is among her favorites. Remember that I mentioned Mount Savior specifically in the letter used as object. The lace data might also fall into this category.)

The opera, I might add again, was a good connection, that you would have ordinarily missed.

(End at 11:11. Jane was well dissociated again.)