“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(We read that in ordinary terms highly creative people [like Jane] usually generate large amounts of theta and low-alpha waves pretty constantly while doing their thing. Measuring and recording brain waves is a complicated task, however; not only is it important which areas or lobes of the brain are monitored — if not all of them — but because of the mechanical limitations of the EEG itself much that goes on in the brain is necessarily missed. In addition, the two hemispheres of the individual brain often show variations in electrical energy states. But most importantly, we think, while the EEG can indicate broad categories of brain activity, it can hardly probe the participant’s very individual and subjective content of mind within this camouflage [physical] reality. Nor at this time, given the minimum premise that Jane’s speaking for Seth constitutes any indication of “paranormal” activity, do we think that her performance could be identified as such per se on the graphs of her brain waves. The state of “EEG art” isn’t that advanced yet [if it ever will be]. Presumably, however, when speaking for Seth, Jane would show definite changes in all frequency areas in both hemispheres, with the theta and delta ranges altered the most. We also think that her EEG readings would vary once again when she spoke or sang in Sumari, her trance “language.”

(Later in Chapter 20 of The Seth Material, Jane quoted Seth from the 463rd session for February 3, 1969. While discussing the impossibility of any medium being an absolutely clear channel for paranormal knowledge, even when “in a trance as deep as the Atlantic Ocean,” Seth had some extremely interesting things to say about the nature of perception in general. Presenting a few sentences from that session here serves two purposes: I can remind the reader of important material, and in Note 24 I can offer some unpublished extensions of it from the next session.)

Two quick reminders: 1. Clairvoyance (“clear-seeing”) is the paranormal perception of events or objects regardless of distance, and without help from another mind. 2. Telepathy is the communication of thoughts or emotions between minds, regardless of distance. In actuality, it’s often difficult to tell whether clairvoyance, telepathy, or both operated in a given instance. Nor am I noting here how the use of these phenomena may be connected to the perception of the past or future.