“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The object for the 71st envelope experiment was the first draft of a poem Jane and I wrote for Bill Gallagher’s birthday, which fell on Friday, July 1st. We wrote it first aloud in the car as we drove about. Jane then typed up what we could remember; we corrected it as shown on page 51, then Jane copied it over to give Bill, along with a cake. This first draft was typed on yellow paper; I folded it as shown to insert it in the usual double envelope, after sandwiching it between two pieces of Bristol. More details later.

(Jane resumed after a break, and her trance deepened considerably. Later she said it was her deepest trance ever. Jane began to speak in a halting manner, her voice dwindled, and she called my name as if in supplication. She lay on the floor on her back. She called me once again; as I went to her she burst into tears; her crying was strong and highly charged; it seemed obvious she was responding emotionally to an experience of Barbara’s of an early age; Jane seemed to have attained a state beyond words. It took some time for her to come out of the trance, with what little help I could offer.

(Jane was considerably frightened by this experience, since it was totally unexpected and we were not prepared. I was resentful to some extent, feeling we were on display in some manner. Jane told me that toward the end of the experience she felt as though she were in a deep pit with smooth sides. She had no images all evening.

(Jane began speaking in a rather unusual jerky manner, pausing after every couple of words. Her eyes were closed until otherwise noted. Her voice was stronger than usual, but not loud.)

It was of course an upsetting one. This does not mean that it was not a rather important occasion. Ruburt did not use his abilities in precisely the same manner in the past, simply because he was unable to do so had he been willing.

The development of abilities was necessary, and will show regardless of the particular way in which Ruburt may choose to use the abilities. The choice lies indeed with you both. It took a strong, remarkably strong, set of emotional conditions before Ruburt allowed himself as much freedom as the other evening.

Now, freedom does demand discipline. There was on Ruburt’s part a much more complete inner concentration, and for this initial indication a strong stimulus was necessary. As Ruburt suspects, granted the circumstances, subconscious controls were used. A time of safety was chosen.

It was a kind of avalanche, however. This was simply because Ruburt did not know how to handle the new conditions. Uncertainty in such beginnings are understandable. The girl actually helped, as perhaps a midwife might. I realized what was going to occur, and I could have helped, shielding Ruburt to some degree. However the experience was more valuable left alone in any case, since you see what the conditions can be, and you can choose for yourselves.

There are methods of course where the trance can be terminated gradually. It is not good to terminate that kind of trance too quickly. (Gesture, eyes closed.) The reassurance you gave, Joseph, was your best move. The support.

(Break at 9:16. Jane was dissociated as usual. Both of us were somewhat surprised at the early break. Jane’s eyes had stayed closed, her voice good. The peculiar pauses had more or less continued, although they decreased when she resumed at 9:26.)

The first such episode is bound to be somewhat upsetting. I would have intruded despite the fact that I was not welcome, but then I feared that to do so would confuse the issue for you.

The initial perceptions were picked up by the inner senses. A journey through time and space was involved. The medium through which Ruburt traveled was the emotional charge thrown out by the girl.

Now, to avoid confusion, the girl is not a medium as, say, Ruburt is, according to your use of the term. I dislike the term. But the medium through which Ruburt traveled was the electrical and electromagnetic medium sent out by the girl’s highly-charged emotional condition.

There was also a triangle formed by you, Ruburt and the girl, highly charged on a subconscious level, that added to the psychological climate. The Jesuit (Bill Gallagher) and the cat lover (Peggy G.) were balancing factors. All of these conditions, these balancing and propelling factors, were necessary for Ruburt’s first realization of this particular kind.

The earlier drinks of course let down his guard, but it was the caffeine in the coffee that allowed the system to alert and direct the inner abilities on this particular evening. (Impatient gesture.) You should not be so fearful that you attempt to hold down the abilities. Neither of course should you let them be used indiscriminately.

(This because Jane and I have vowed since Friday that there will be no more such uncontrolled episodes, even though good material was obtained.)

Subconsciously you went along, Joseph, as indeed you should have. Ruburt had your consent. This does not mean that more conscious control cannot be used, now that the development is known. It was not possible earlier.

(Break at 9:47. Jane was out as usual. Her eyes began to open toward the end of the delivery, her pace was better, her voice still on the stronger side.

(A note: The 71st envelope experiment was to be held this evening. Strange as it seems, I had forgotten the envelope object’s identity; I had prepared this envelope for the session due Monday, September 19; that session was not held and I saved the envelope. During tonight’s session I realized I had forgotten what the object was, even though I had chosen it. At least on a conscious level, this made it seem as though a stranger had prepared the envelope.

(Break at 10:10. Jane was dissociated as usual, and her eyes remained closed.)

(Seth gave us a little help after break, and although this was brief it filled in a good deal on some of the data we had been unsure of. For convenience’s sake it is better to include Seth’s later data along with our own interpretations, made during break, since emotional charges explain much concerning the material. For more detailed information on how the emotional charges influence Seth’s envelope data, see the 286th session.

(“The impression of something swirling about, as leaves in a wind.” Our interpretation here was that the swirling and leaves data referred to the mention of a garden in the poem used as object. See page 51. This may be correct. Also according to Seth after break however, the swirling was to have led Jane to frosting. The birthday cake we gave Bill Gallagher on July 1st was frosted. The poem used as object was written for this occasion.

(“And a staircase.” Jane at once interpreted this data as referring to the staircase she must climb in order to reach Peggy Gallagher’s office, on the second floor at the newspaper office where Peggy works. Peggy of course was present at the small birthday party we gave Bill on the evening of July 1.

(Another staircase interpretation here may concern our own steep flight of back stairs here at the apartment. We live on the second floor. Since it was a pleasant summer evening on July 1, we held the party out on the back lawn, leaving the cake upstairs in our apartment as a surprise for Bill. When the time came to get the cake Jane and I went upstairs together, lit the candles on the cake while hiding on the stairs, then carried the cake out to the party.

(“Six plus one.” Bill Gallagher’s birthday is on July 1—six plus one for a total of seven. The poem used as object was written by Jane and me for the birthday occasion which occurred on July 1.

(“Small wavering blue lines. Something written by an old hand perhaps, with thin wavering lines.” Jane’s corrections on the object were made with a blue pen, which appears quite dark on the yellow paper upon which the poem was typed. Her corrections are small, but not wavering. The old and wavering data puzzled us, and we missed out here because we did not interpret the emotional charges involved, as Seth did.

(“A small square, and perhaps a larger one.” Our interpretation here, without in any way being positive, was that this concerned the square cardboard cake box described earlier—which was square as we recall it—and the smaller birthday card. However we are not sure now whether the card was enclosed in a square envelope or a rectangular one. Taking literally Seth’s blanket notice after break that our interpretations were correct, this would include the above. We wouldn’t claim it on our own however.

(“I have a stable or horse connection.” This is another instance where Seth verifies our own interpretation. Jane very nearly did not mention her idea here, thinking at first it was too “far-out.” She finally told me that when she first looked at the envelope object during break, she read my penciled word “Man-a-me,” to the right of the poem used as object, as “Man-O-War,” which is the name of a very famous race horse. It is incidentally the only horse’s name that Jane knows, she said.

(“Green, perhaps a stamp.” No connections. There was nothing mailed in connection with the birthday party, or the object, etc.

(“Four three eight.” We think this a close reference to our address, 458 W. Water Street. The birthday party was held at this address and the poem used as object was given to Bill here also.

(“A connection with woods.” Our own interpretation here is that woods refers to the literal Biblical Garden of Gethsemane, which is spoofed in the poem used as object. Jane says the actual garden was not a formal garden, a cultivated type, but rather contained olive trees, etc., and much growth of this kind. Seth’s blanket endorsement after break implies, again, that this is the correct interpretation.

(First Question: Is this old hand male or female? “I am not sure, though I suspect male. The hand is not a typically male hand however, but more delicate perhaps.” Seth is correct, in that the old reference here does concern Bill Gallagher and his subjective feelings [the male], on the evening of his birthday party, for which the envelope object was written. Jane and I do not especially see any connection with the delicate hand reference however.

Our Jesuit felt very old on his birthday. It was that emotional feeling that was picked up. The swirling was to have led Ruburt to frosting, and did not. There is no need to go into the rest of the data. Your own interpretations are correct.

(End at 10:49. Jane was out as usual, her voice quiet. She commented that she wished the envelope data had been more specific, although it did contain some good points, and there seemed to be no doubt that Seth had tuned in on the correct situation, object, etc.