“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Two events transpired today [Thursday, July 30] that Jane handled very well. Both involved communication with the public—a sense of responsibility—which we now know to be a source of constant tension for her. But when they were over I told her she responded well to them, and she seemed pleased that she’d taken positive actions re them through the telephone.

(One event concerned the telegram from attorney Thomas Bernier in Roseburg, Oregon. It arrived late this morning. When Jane called him the lawyer told Jane that his client was a 27-year-old schizophrenic who’d confessed to killing a certain woman he’d met in a Seth class both attended some years ago. He had confessed to her death several times, but no one believed him—until the last time, evidently. Now he was on trial. Jane didn’t ask for details on the case, but instead explained to the lawyer something of Seth’s ideas so that the attorney could use that material in his defense, making it clear that above all Seth was not for violence, even though the prosecuting attorney was evidently trying to make the defendant sound as though it was okay to kill because reincarnation was a fact: Since we all lived other lives, no one could really kill anyone. I sent Bernier a book list. Interestingly, in the small town of Roseburg he’d been able to buy James and Cézanne and ESP Power, but no other Seth books.

(Jane was angered by this material [the second batch; I’d already sent Tam the first communication, asking for his help], and decided to call the medium, Thomas Massari, since a number was listed. She thought I didn’t want her to call, but I told her to do as she pleased. Jane talked to Carole, the medium’s wife who works with him, and stated clearly that she didn’t want others claiming to speak for her Seth—who, incidentally, had told us years ago that he spoke through no one else but Jane. [It would be interesting to get material from you-know-who on this whole question of others claiming to speak for Seth.] No shouting or anger was involved in the call. I’d been concerned lest Jane become involved in an unpleasant situation that would have repercussions via symptoms —the idea of publicity, of public display, which she doesn’t want—just when we were trying to learn more about the subject as she reacted to it.

(Jane hung up seemingly satisfied, but I still wonder. We did agree that there must be a least unconscious cheating going on, on the medium’s part, else why keep the Seth name all these years and speak so cleverly in imitation of Seth, who has garnered at least some sort of reputation, thus making the road easier for any other Seth? See the attached material. Jane plans to call Tam tomorrow to tell him what she’s learned, and to ask him to return the first material concerning the Massaris. [She’d also called Tam today before contacting the lawyer and the medium’s wife.]

(August 7, 1981. Last night Jane was faced with a little dilemma: She felt Seth around after supper, but also had the idea that we go to bed at 8:30 and get up at 4 AM to “work.” I agreed. We started out with the best intentions, but ended up sidetracked—for Jane was so restless she couldn’t sleep at all. I got her up at 11 PM, made her something to eat and drink, got her situated in the writing room, and went back to bed. She wheeled herself back into the bedroom at about 4 AM, and went to bed with my help. I got up at 7 to paint and she slept until 10:30. She’d enjoyed her nighttime hours alone, though.

(Lest some hypothetical readers of this material in the future regard Jane and me as idiots, incapable of learning, I’d like to note in our own defense that we’ve made many efforts to put the symptom situation out of mind as much as we’re capable of, yet it doesn’t leave us. My own idea about holding off on Seth’s latest book, Dreams, is not that it will force any solution, but merely, hopefully, prevent things from getting worse. As I asked Jane the other day when she talked of resuming work on that project: “Can you stand any more complications?” I meant of course, that after 17 books, we’re at our present situation, so I have difficulty understanding how doing another book will suddenly, magically, turn anything around for us as long as we stay on the same old course.