“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The 76th envelope experiment was held tonight. The object was torn by me from pages 11 and 12 of the New York Times’ first news section for Sunday, November 6,1966. See the two previous pages. I chose the object at random by a method which will be explained later. Suffice it to say here that I did not see the object until Jane opened the usual double-sealed envelopes after giving the data. I did however know the object came from the New York Times. Results were good.

(I chose the object in the following manner. In my studio was a pile of old newspapers. Most of them were of the New York Times, daily and Sunday. I removed a few local papers from the stack. Backing up to the pile I pulled out a section without looking at it and tore off a portion of a page. I folded this behind me until I was sure it would fit between the regular double Bristols, and into the double envelopes.

(This procedure left me knowing only one thing about the object: that it came from some section of the New York Times, date unknown. Jane and I have often speculated on what part telepathy plays in the envelope experiments, since I usually am consciously aware of the object in detail. I thought the method used tonight might make ordinary telepathy harder to divine on Jane’s part. As it was we think the results were good; Seth evidently clairvoyantly read the object. If he got any help from me it was telepathy twice removed.

(After the experiment was over Jane opened the envelopes, and I picked up the newspaper from which the object had been taken. It turned out that I had chosen Section One of the New York Times for Sunday, November 6,1966, and from this had torn the object from pages 11 and 12. It also developed that I had leafed through this section of the paper in a casual way—without remembering the pages in question, 11 and 12—and that Jane had never seen it.

(“An impression I do not understand. Gubatorial, blue. Something in the vernacular.” This we regard as excellent data. Jane groped a bit on gubatorial, although I had no trouble putting down her pronouncement here. The data is made even clearer in answering the one question asked. The object features election day sales on both sides. Since the New York State elections, including that for the governorship, were due on November 9, it is apparent that Jane was trying for the word gubernatorial, with which she is not particularly familiar on a conscious level.

(“Liberal giving two—two of a kind—two a date, or 2:00 o’clock.” To the far left of the page 11 side of the object is the bottom section of a help-wanted ad by Macy’s in New York City. One of the headings in larger type is: Want a job with liberal discounts?

(“With a telephone or telephone call.” On the page 11 side of the object is a line of type below the illustration and just above the last line: Sorry, no mail or phone. On the page 12 side of the object, at the bottom, are three lines of small type containing many New York City phone numbers and addresses. Above this is the line: Mail and phone orders filled. Etc.

(“Early November or late October.” The object was torn from page 11/12 of the New York Times for November 6,1966. The object also contains references to the election day sales due November 9.

(1st Question: What’s that gubatorial connection? “I am not sure on this. A magistrate. An election of sorts. Either of these. An authority.” Jane came through with flying colors on this, as I sought more data on her “Gubatorial—vernacular” data interpreted on page 159. See page 152 and 153. It can be seen that election day sales are mentioned in large type on both sides of page 11 and 12 of the New York Times for November 6,1966. The New York State elections were due the next Tuesday, November 8, and included the governorship contest.