“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(As referred to in the last deleted session, Saturday evening we were visited for a half hour or so by Scott and Helen Nearing, who were participating in homesteading workshops at Mansfield State Teachers College for several days. They are very nice people. He is 95, she is 78. As Jane said, “Scott conserved his energy, but he seemed to do well enough, although his movements were slow, especially walking and sitting down. But he appeared to have the use of all his faculties. Helen was very agile. Scott Nearing was quite interested in how well the Seth books were doing, whether any of the “leading magazines” had interviewed Jane, and so forth. The reasons behind his interest are brought out in tonight’s session, and in Jane’s own brief summary of the visit in her notes.

(Odd notes: Today Jane received the contract for Emir from Delacorte, but is not about to sign it yet. She wants to talk it over with Tam. And Tam was interviewed today by Jim Poett who is still tracking down witnesses relative to the article he’s doing on Seth and us for the Village Voice. Tam is to call Jane following the interview, or if it’s too late Jane will call him Tuesday morning—which she did. She learned much about both the contract and the interview.

(This evening we watched a movie on HBO before settling down for the session. Jane was very restless, and had been so for much of the day. She wanted action, was full of nervous energy. Several times today she walked a few steps, with either the aid of the kitchen counter or her table, and did well.

(I should note here that SN was evidently born in 1883, and that WJ died in 1910—which leaves a period of some 27 years during which their physical lives overlapped. So either Seth is in error here, or his words carry a symbolic meaning. But SN never met James, he told Jane in reply to her question.)

(10:28. A note: The next day, Jane and I saw the Nearings in color on a national TV broadcast from the festivities at Mansfield. It might also be of interest to note that the younger man—with wife, whom none of us met—knew in Mansfield of the Jupenlasz family. They were probably my parents’ closest friends in Mansfield, and the Jupenlasz girls, Matilda and Gertrude, used to baby-sit for Loren and me. I learned to my surprise from our chauffeur that the father, Fred Jupenlasz, whom I remember well, had only recently died at the age of 85. For some reason, I’m not sure of the first name of Fred’s wife, whom all of us liked very much. In later life she was severely crippled with arthritis. In vivid memory is a picture of her attempting to get out of the family car in front of 704 N. Wilbur Avenue, in Sayre, after Fred had driven the family over to see my parents for a visit—probably on a Sunday.