“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The second session was held at our apartment Friday evening, December 30, with Jane and me, Wesley Swan, Bill Macdonnel, Pat Norelli and Claire Crittenden present. Seth discussed computers and their future use; Wesley Swan agreed with the data. Seth also gave a good deal of personal data concerning a Brian Houlihan, a friend of Pat’s and some data concerning Claire and Pat, and answered questions from all of us. Evidently a good amount of the data was correct, being called so by Pat and Claire, although without notes we cannot check. One interesting bit: Seth named Claire’s birthday correctly—as falling on February 13, but missed the year by one. He said 1948 when the correct year is 1947.

(The envelope object for tonight was a card sent to Jane by Caroline Keck, conservator of paintings for the Brooklyn Museum, in 1964. See page 230.

(Jane began speaking in trance while sitting down. Her eyes opened often; her voice was on the quiet side, with brief pauses as a rule.

(At 9:39 Jane took the sealed double envelope from me for the 81st experiment. Her eyes closed she held it to her forehead in a horizontal manner.)

Do you have any questions? (Jane lowered the envelope briefly.

(Break at 9:52. Jane eyes remained closed for most of the experiment. She recalled some images, which will be discussed in place as they occurred.

(As usual I placed the object between two pieces of Bristol, then sealed it in two envelopes. Jane had not seen it since August 1964, since it has been in my files.

(See page 230. The object is a card, blank on the reverse side, written to Jane by Caroline Keck, conservator of the Brooklyn Museum; it was mailed to Jane in early August, along with a copy of the book, Is Your Contemporary Painting More Temporary Than You Think? and a mimeographed list of various addresses furnishing technical help and supplies regarding the conservation of paintings. The list was also compiled by Caroline Keck; the book by Louis Pomerantz.

(Caroline Keck sent Jane the items to give to her in appreciation for a pen and ink drawing of a pigeon I gave to Caroline Keck. In July 1964 Jane worked at the Arnot Art Gallery, and Caroline Keck and her husband Sheldon spent some time there then, putting the gallery’s collection in shape. Jane liked Caroline Keck, and the two got along well. The drawing of the pigeon was among a group I had exhibited at the gallery at the time the Kecks were present; they saw it and admired it. I never met the Kecks, but told Jane to give the drawing to them.

(“A yellow square.” No connections. The object is printed on card stock with a light cream tint, but not yellow. Jane, oddly enough, said she had an image of a yellow square.

(“Black print or lettering or writing in a right hand corner, extending outward toward the center.” See page 230. Jane said this data is correct, in that it referred to the Brooklyn Museum and Caroline Keck by name on the object, in the upper left corner. To Jane, this reading matter does project toward the center of the object.

(“A framework within a framework.” Somewhat vague, but we believe legitimate. Jane said the Kecks worked with frames and pictures while at the gallery in July 1964. A painting could be a framework, fitting within another framework—the frame. Could also be a generalization, referring to either the Arnot Gallery here in Elmira, or the Brooklyn Museum mentioned on the object, or both.

(The equalization, Jane believes, refers to the book by Louis Pomerantz, that along with the object and the mimeographed list were mailed to her by Caroline Keck from Brooklyn, NY, in August 1964. All three of these items refer to the conservation of paintings. The title page of Louis Pomerantz’s book shows that it was published by A Chicago Chapter Artists Equity Publication, 332 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago 4, Illinois. Artists Equity Association is dealt with in the book’s forward also.

(“And a JB.” Later Seth confirms that JB refers to Ruburt or Jane. Good data. The object is addressed to Jane. See page 230.

(“This leads Ruburt, now, toward a connection with the woman with whom she works.” This is valid data, we believe. Jane’s present working situation is much like that she worked in at the gallery in July-August 1964. Now, as then, she worked with a woman superior. Both women had M initials also for the last name—Masters at the Gallery, Methinitus now at the nursery school at the Jewish Community Center.

(The object itself also refers to a situation where Jane worked closely with another woman—namely Caroline Keck, when doing conservation work at the gallery in July 1964. See page 230.

(“A connection with light.” A reference to Caroline Keck, author of the object, and her husband, Jane said. The Kecks brought special equipment to the Arnot with them to examine the gallery’s paintings; among this equipment was a certain kind of light. Probably ultraviolet or infrared, though at this date Jane is not sure.

(“Several small letters or numbers, and a stamped card, from a distant place.” See page 230. The object contains small printed letters in the address in the upper left corner. It also contains numbers in the date. It is a card, but is not stamped; instead of being mailed alone it was enclosed in a small package or envelope with Louis Pomerantz’s book and the mimeographed list described earlier; and all addressed to Jane.

(“A connection with something bound, as a book.” Possibly the book by Louis Pomerantz, mailed with the object to Jane. Some distortion possible, as seen by Seth’s answer to the first question.

(“An invitation to attend.” At this date Jane cannot recall. The Kecks are well known in their field, and it is possible some social affair was held for them while they were in Elmira and at the gallery doing their work. Jane could have been invited to attend. She knows she attended no such affair in their honor, but doesn’t know, now, whether she was asked to.

(“Connection with a man also. With you and another man," Some distortion develops here, but we think this legitimate data. See the copy of the object on page 230. Note that Caroline Keck writes Jane that her son Larry appropriated my drawing for his own use. Jane looked at me when she gave this data, incidentally.

(“and some connection with the date 1 1492, perhaps leading to an historical event.” With the date 1492 I thought Bill Gallagher cropped up in the data; this reference growing out of the other man reference; Bill and I had been discussing old sailing ships the other evening, and various dates, etc., some of the time in Jane’s presence.

(The word “museum" has historical connotations, and the Kecks deal with old paintings, often of historic interest, so Jane is correct when she asserts that old paintings such as those the Kecks handled while in Elmira in August 1964, are also historical events.

(1st Question: What’s that connection about a book? “It seems as to be an old book. A bound one, with a dark color such as brown on the cover. The side of pages when the book is closed seem dusky in color, like old gold color. The book having a connection with a desk, and another location.” Again, distortion. Jane said that here she confused old paintings and old gilded frames, such as the Kecks worked with at the Arnot, with old books. Quite possibly the book is Louis Pomerantz’s modern one, as described. The cover of this book is a rusty red. Also it may have laid on a desk, and it was sent to Jane from another location—Brooklyn, NY.

(2nd Question: Who does JB refer to? “Here, to Ruburt.” Correct. The object is addressed to Jane. See page 230.

(3rd Question: And the G? “A large capital G is the impression. A fancy G.” Again, some distortions evidently. As will be seen Jane here thought of our friend Bill Gallagher, hence the capital G.

(4th Question: Who is the other man referred to besides myself? “Something to do with an animal in a tree, that I do not understand.” I had been hoping Seth, or Jane, might come up with Caroline Keck’s husband, Sheldon, or her son Larry, who is named on the object itself. See page 230. Of course I was involved with another man, and this involvement Seth picked up—since my drawing was appropriated by Larry Keck, as noted on the object.

(“The other man, a friend rather than a relative.” Here Seth, or Jane, veers toward Bill Gallagher again, it seems. I had not met either Caroline or Sheldon Keck, nor Larry who was in Brooklyn.