1 result for (book:tsm AND heading:"chapter three" AND stemmed:close)
[... 2 paragraphs ...]
“We began by sitting at a small table in our living room. We covered the table with a piece of dark material. The kitchen opens off the living room, so we closed the blinds in both rooms and pulled the curtains over them.
[... 13 paragraphs ...]
“After the break, Seth told us to shut the door leading to the bath. The living room side of the door holds a full-length mirror, and Seth told us to look into it. Since the mirror is tall and narrow, we had to crowd in close on three sides of the little table, in order to see our reflections. Jane sat in the middle. Her lips were very close to my ear as she talked. I could hear and feel each breath, each swallow she took. Her voice dropped considerably in volume and I really had the sensation that she was indeed speaking for someone else (rather than for a subconscious personality, for example, who just called itself Seth).
“ ‘Now the three of you see your reflections clearly in the mirror, just as you should. Watch, for I’ll change Jane’s image and replace it with another,’ Seth said. And Jane’s image did begin to change. Her head dropped lower. At the same time, the shape of the skull changed, the hair grew shorter and fit about it much more closely. The shoulders of the mirror image hunched over, and grew more narrow. And then the head in the mirror tilted, and looked down, while Jane herself sat with her head erect, staring straight ahead into the mirror.
[... 22 paragraphs ...]
Then, with strong humorous accents he spoke about the Ouija board which we still used to open and close sessions. “It is a matter of formality in that it renews contact in a familiar manner, and also, I have always been partial to formality to some extent. The board gives us a breathing spell and is a method of saying good day or good evening, or tipping one’s hat. I’m also of the opinion that small ritual tends to emphasize data in the mind, and set it off to advantage, in the same way that good cuisine is set off by fine dishes. … At the end of a session it would be most cordial to touch your hands briefly to the board. You’re lucky that I don’t request you to wear full-dress clothing.”
[... 6 paragraphs ...]