“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Yesterday afternoon, November 28, while working in my studio in the back of our apartment, I had a vision of a painting. I recognized it as mine, or one I will do, of Bill Gallagher. I have been thinking over ways to do portraits of both Bill Gallagher and Bill Macdonnel.

(The vision was very clear, lasted for a long enough period to observe easily, and gave me strong thrilling sensations. It showed a life-size, full-face figure of Bill Gallagher wearing a long dark coat, as he stood against a somewhat stylized outdoor background of pyramid shapes in bright colors—either tempera or acrylics.

(His head was bare and his hair blowing in a wind. The portrait was life-size, from the knees up, very dramatic and bold in concept and detail, and very effective pictorially. I was delighted to see it, and was at once sure I was capable of producing such a work. The Gallaghers visited us Saturday evening, December 2. I did not see them arrive, but witnessed their departure. I had not mentioned the vision to them, and asked Jane to wait before she did so. As Bill Gallagher walked down the hall away from us upon departing, I saw that he wore a long black coat with I believe a hood upon it—a garment quite like that he wore in the vision, and one I possessed no special knowledge of in his wardrobe.

(The vision had one oddity—I stood at my desk working at something else when I became aware of it to my left. It was large, framed, and cocked at an odd angle to the floor, as if propped up by invisible hands. While I stared at it it appeared to be solid, and very nearly animated—note the wind effect mentioned earlier.

(When I became aware I was seeing it, I faced it and tried to prolong its existence. As soon as I realized this conscious effort I relaxed, in hopes that this would encourage its longevity, but the vision faded and did not return. I drew a quick very rough little sketch of it, dated it, then told Jane about it. I hoped Seth would mention it this evening.)

The vision that you saw was of a future painting that you will do.

(Rewritten November/2000: The vision grew out of Seth’s saying in the deleted 382nd session, on November 27/67, that I’d do well-known painting of Bill Gallagher. It will be based upon the conception of my painting of 1954 that I “sold to Sonja.” See session 584 in Seth Speaks, held on May 3/71.)

(“Now that I have conscious memory of seeing the vision, I’m wondering just how much this memory is going to influence my actual production of the work.”)

(Smile.) You would have been consciously aware of the painting whether or not you were consciously aware of the vision. It is you who think of the painting in terms of time, and who perceive it in this manner. (Sitting up as she spoke, Jane began to take off her sweater and shoes.) The painting exists and in one reality you have already completed it. In your present framework however you seem to be waiting for the developments to occur.