(“Of the book, or the Seth material?”

(I should add that after reading her the poetry and her new dictation, I read her the last three sessions for Seth’s The Way Toward Health, given on June 24, 26, and 27. [...]

(Jane’s Seth voice was average, her delivery good. [...]

[...] “Whatever happens, Bob, I’d like all of the material published someday, if it can be done. [...]

1. In larger terms Seth’s ideas as to what the “whole self” is take in a great deal — with reincarnation and probable personalities, for instance, being only two of the concepts involved. [...] See both The Seth Material and Seth Speaks.

[...] During our drive back to Elmira this morning Jane said, “Somebody’s working on Seth’s book, I can tell you that. [...]

(“Good evening, Seth.”)

2. A reminder: Seth usually calls Jane by her male entity name, Ruburt — and thus “he,” “him,” etc.

(John Bradley requested a copy of the material pertaining to him. He left for his motel, taking with him a carbon of Volume 2 of the Seth Material for copying. [...]

(At 8:00 PM John Bradley arrived to witness the session, and to inform us that his friend in his hometown, Williamsport, PA, had finished copying Volume 1 of the Seth Material and was ready to begin Volume 2.

[...] Of these two families John said that the name of one of them, Snyder, immediately popped into his mind as Seth gave the pertinent material. [...]

[...] Note that two families with children live three doors from John; the Snyder family especially came to John’s mind as Seth gave the material on pages 159-160.

(A note: as of now my original single and/or double spaced typewritten record of the Seth material is 4,636 pages long. [...]

(Intrigued by giving such different and difficult material, Jane checked a few reference books before Pat Norelli’s Thanksgiving visit from Boston. [...]

(In the opening notes for the 711th session, I referred to Seth’s deliveries in ESP class on the previous evening, October 8, 1974. When Jane and I received the transcript of his material at next week’s class, we saw that it ran to five single-spaced typewritten pages. Seth talked about many things, but his remarks here, as I’ve put them together, mainly concerned a subject he’d first discussed with members of class just a week ago [on October 1]¹ — the “city” they could start building in their individual and collective dream states:)

2. Seth didn’t quote Jane’s little poem exactly from 26 years ago, but paraphrased it. [...] Once again in an early work we see clear signs of the Seth material to come (in 1963). [...]

[...] When Ruburt (as Seth calls Jane) was a young girl he wrote a poem in which he declares:

(In that class session Seth had much more to say about the dream city. [...]

[...] 11:13 P.M. Jane said she remembered Seth saying that both of us had been Speakers. [...] Then she had felt Seth return with the mention of the millions as an answer, blunting any particular uniqueness in the fact that both of us had been Speakers and were now producing the Seth material.

(After the session I wondered if the Seth material itself could be a distorted version of the Speakers’ messages. [...] Actually, she felt, the Speakers’ material was “probably more poetical.”)

(“Good evening, Seth.”)

[...] “Buried” is the word Seth wanted here; I questioned him to make sure.

[...] The photographs will be used in Jane’s book on the Seth Material.)

[...] He makes a good point, saying that the normal ego cannot know unconscious material directly. He does not realize, however, nor do your other psychologists, what I have told you often—that there is an inner ego; and it is this inner ego that organizes what Jung would call unconscious material.

[...] We hadn’t asked Seth to comment.)

(“Good evening, Seth.”)

Our own tests gave me a standard against which to measure my performance and Seth’s, providing an immediate check of accuracy and teaching me to sharpen my subjective focus to go from the general to the specific. All of this training was important as far as my reception of the Seth Material itself was concerned. Seth has often spoken about the necessary distortions that must occur in any such communications, and he is most concerned that the material be as little contaminated by distortions as possible. [...]

We were in the middle of a Seth session and Seth was giving his impressions of the Gallaghers’ trip. As I sat in my favorite rocker speaking as Seth, suddenly I found myself in the back seat of a cab. [...]

[...] Later, Seth was to give us instructions. As a matter of fact, as I write this book, Rob and I are just starting a joint series of projection experiments that Seth initiated. These first instances greatly increased my confidence in Seth’s abilities and my own.

[...] On occasion Seth and I can take turns talking so that I can go in and out of trance in seconds. Sometimes it seems I merge with Seth, feeling his emotions and reactions completely, rather than my own. [...] Other times, though less seldom, I am in the foreground and Seth advises me as to what to say.

Perhaps it’s been remiss on our parts, but Jane and I haven’t concerned ourselves with any connections her Seth may have with ancient Seths. We don’t believe such relationships exist on any kind of personalized basis, although someday we’ll ask Seth to comment here. We think the name of Jane’s Seth came about through much more pragmatic needs. In Chapter 1 of The Seth Material, Jane quoted Seth-to-be from the 4th session for December 8, 1963, as that personality came through on the Ouija board (which we’d used to initiate these sessions): “You may call me whatever you choose. I call myself Seth. [...] Once Seth gave us a name by which to call him, we simply began using it. I’m sure that at the time Jane had no conscious knowledge about Egyptian, Hebrew, or even Christian origins or uses connected with the name, Seth.

[...] The 32 people crowded into  our living room enjoyed rich, active, loud, and even profane exchanges among themselves, with Jane, and with Seth. “Fuck you, Seth!” one girl screamed — which daunted that worthy not at all: Class members hardly agree with Seth or anyone else all of the time. [...] She also took time to sing very delicately in Sumari, in contrast to Seth’s powerful deliveries. [...] We’re to get a transcript of the evening’s Seth material at next week’s class.*)

6. About Seth’s reference to the myths connected with his name: Set, or Seth, was an Egyptian god of evil (with an animal’s head) whose complicated origins could, it’s thought, reach back in antiquity to at least 7500 B.C. In Judaism, of course, Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, after Cain and Abel (Genesis 4 and 5). (As one correspondent wrote us: “Seth is also a Hebrew name meaning ‘appointed’ — i.e., the appointed one.”) However, some very early priestly genealogies omit Cain and Abel, and consider Seth as the oldest son of Adam; in the second century A.D., for instance, the Sethites, who were members of a little-known Gnostic sect, thought of Seth, the son of Adam, as the Messiah. Seth also shows up in writings of the ancient occult religious philosophy, the cabala, which was originated by certain Jewish rabbis who sought to interpret the scriptures through numerical values; the soul of Seth is seen as infusing Moses; he was to reappear as the Messiah….

(Jane also came through with material about Atlantis right after the 708th session was held, less than two weeks ago; see Appendix 14. [...] But it’s also quite interesting to note that on both occasions Jane tuned in to data on Atlantis within hours after Seth had discussed ideas involving alternate realities.)

[...] I had left Artistic in 1972, to concentrate upon helping Jane with the Seth material. [...]

[...] I wanted a word from Seth on what our reactions should, or could, be, in light of yesterday’s session about living in the moment.

[...] The other was Seth’s comments on a very vivid and long dream I’d had last night.

[...] I also felt that the idea of authority was somehow connected with my shaky right hand, and since this aspect of the dream wasn’t discussed today, I’d like Seth to comment on it tomorrow if he has a session. [...]

(I wasn’t at all sure, but I wondered whether Seth’s second delivery might have been in response to the talk Jane and I had had recently, in which I’d tried to explain my own ideas about the extent to which one could go with personal challenges like illness, say, or work, or whatever. Some of it had been based upon bits of Seth material that had come through lately, along with my own long-standing ideas. [...]

[...] Behind the importance of the letter as a triggering agent, however, there is, as he knows, much material still dealing with the so-called sinful-self material that I will be giving you shortly. [...]

[...] Her Seth voice was surprisingly strong, with the usual pauses.)

[...] She had been aware throughout the session of Seth’s stronger voice and more forceful delivery. [...]

[...] “I was getting a lot of other stuff, too, but it doesn’t belong in the book so Seth didn’t say it,” Jane told me, “about different people we met during the flood thing.” Since she had spoken quite steadily throughout her delivery, I began to speculate about some interesting questions: Was it possible for her to experience two channels “at once” from Seth? [...] Or even if her awareness had alternated between the two, why hadn’t this interfered with her spoken material?

[...] They found themselves alone with the Seth material, their paintings, and other manuscripts of Ruburt’s. They had been using a mild version of self-hypnosis to produce a calmness and reduce any panic. [...]

(“Good evening, Seth.”

Now: Dictation: Ruburt and Joseph (as Seth calls Jane and me) have always seen themselves in a one-to-one relationship with nature and with the universe. [...]

[...] I had written to Dr. Instream on June 1,1965 and sent him sessions 138, 141, 142, 149, 153 and 154, plus lists of the inner senses and the basic laws of the inner universe as defined by Seth. [Jane calls the good doctor Instream in The Seth Material, C1970.]

(To digress a moment: As predicted by Seth in the 168th session of July 7, Jane and I did find ourselves involved with three men in particular, one of whom is younger, at the symposium. [...] On Saturday evening he leafed through some of the Seth material briefly, then pronounced it the work of a clever schizophrenic. [...]

[...] Jane and I received two brief letters from the director, concerning the Seth material, on March 23,1964 and April 23,1964. Jane then went into trance again, and began speaking as Seth in a strong and assured voice at 3:00.)

(This first part of the session is verbatim as usual, until the interchange between Seth and Dr. Instream began at 1:59. Here the pace began to speed up as the two talked back and forth, and in the interests of spontaneity, and because this was a new development in the sessions, I made no attempt to slow Seth down, nor to record every word Seth or Dr. Instream spoke.

[...] At the same time I was thinking over Seth’s material in this session so far. I remarked to Jane that if we paid attention to that material, then instead of turning away the people who would be influenced by the newspaper notice, we might be able to influence some of them to buy Seth/Jane’s books.

[...] I did think that practically all of our unannounced visitors were young people because the Seth material attracted them much more easily than older generations. [...]

(As we sat for the session on Sunday night, I read last night’s material to Jane. A few moments later, when he came through Seth took up where he’d left off in mid-sentence:)

(“Good evening, Seth.”)

(The circumstances surrounding Jane’s delivery of Seth’s Preface, while she was in trance, are given in the 685th session for February 25, 1974, in Section 1. After a break midway through the session, Seth began the material below at 10:57 P.M. He always indicates each word, phrase, or sentence to be underlined. This time he also called out each paragraph as he went along, and some of the other punctuation; to show Seth’s own sense of organization on such occasions, I’ve left a few of his instructions in place in the first three paragraphs.)

1. Seth first announced his presence by name to Jane and me in the 4th session, held on December 8, 1963. See Chapter 1 of The Seth Material.

2. Seth’s two previous books are Seth Speaks and Personal Reality — but they’re also Jane’s too, of course. [...] Then in 1976 it was issued in paperback by Pocket Books, New York, N.Y., 10020, under a new title: The Coming of Seth.)

NOTES: PREFACE BY SETH

[...] The writer has obviously learned much from reading the Seth material, and revealed insight as to why he and his lady had chosen to marry to begin with. [...]

[...] In the meantime, here are Seth’s chapter headings for the second volume, to show the direction his material takes:)

When I began putting together Seth’s dictation for Dreams, and adding Jane’s and my own notes, plus excerpts from other relevant sessions, it soon became obvious that the entire work was going to be too long for one volume. [...] At first I was sorry for the reader’s sake to think of Dreams being interrupted, yet glad for myself, for in addition to presenting Seth’s book dictation I was given the space in which to develop those other personal and secular themes of Seth’s, Jane’s, and my own that I think add even more dimensions of meaning to Dreams.

[...] Then this afternoon she picked up from Seth that in a new chapter he’d explain how physical deformities are, among other things, manifestations of the great range of abilities encompassed within our species’ genetic pool, and that we retain such flexibility in case wide changes are ever needed. [...] She thought Seth might comment tonight upon the correspondent’s situation.

From 1963 until 1966, Rob and I worked alone, holding the twice-weekly sessions and following Seth’s instructions. I had several spontaneous out-of-body experiences during Seth sessions and while doing the exercise Seth calls psy-time. These checked out in physical reality and are recorded in my book, The Seth Material. Some of these episodes concerned strangers who had written to me. [...]

[...] I was incredulous at the instructions and information given by Seth, yet I’d already had enough experience to know that Seth’s “theoretical material” worked. As we followed it, our own results brought the material itself to life.

[...] Before I give some examples from our records, here is some of the material on projection that Seth gave us during that time. [...]

(Since Seth makes further reference to this incident, I’ll describe it briefly, though waking projections will not generally be discussed in this book which is devoted to dreams and related material. [...]

(Seth Two is dealt with at length in Chapter Seventeen of Jane’s book The Seth Material. [...] In the outline Seth gave for this book before dictation began, we were told that Seth Two would be explained. Some of our questions for Chapter Twenty had concerned Seth Two also. [...]

[...] Some have been given in Ruburt’s class sessions, and some, though few, have appeared in The Seth Material itself.

[...] I now watched a transformation begin to take place in Jane, as our familiar Seth retreated and Seth Two began to come to the fore. [...] Jane has often told me that whereas she feels Seth come to her in a very warm and alive and friendly manner, she feels her consciousness going out of herself to meet Seth Two — “up the invisible pyramid like a draft up a flue.” [...]

(At this writing we do not know which pope Seth referred to. When I came to type up this session I wondered if Seth-Jane’s mention of the third century might be an error. [If so, I hadn’t been quick enough to catch it; I could have asked about it at once.] Since Seth gave A.D. 300 in the class session for last May, I personally think it more likely that his papal incarnation followed this date, taking place in the fourth century. [...]

(Yet she found the changes frightening, although she kept in mind Seth’s material that the fright was not to be feared but understood as expressing buried fears, to put it simply. [...]

[...] Tam as editor did not go for his first—or that is, Ruburt’s first presentation, however, but suggested the book that ended up as The Seth Material. [...]

He trusted you in the manuscript itself of a Seth book to provide the accuracy of record, in which he felt he was himself relatively deficient, and also to contribute the background material he felt so necessary, yet which he found difficult himself, and he valued of course your loyalty, support, and inspiration. [...]

[...] The question I asked at its end—about what effects my opinions of Prentice-Hall might have had on Jane over the years—has been on my mind ever since I asked it, and Seth replied that it was “too big a subject” to go into at once. [...]

(A note: Jane spent a large part of her working time today rereading her manuscript, The Physical Universe as Idea Construction, and writing new material related to it. [...] For more on Idea Construction see The Seth Material and Seth Speaks.)

To this end, through Ruburt, I am producing the continuing body of the Seth material, and books, each in a different way geared to these goals. In my present book, The Nature of Personal Reality: A Seth Book, I am including techniques that will allow you and thousands of others to use these ideas in normal daily living, to enrich the life that you know and to help you understand and solve your problems.

(Seth’s joking remarks about “the book” refer to this one. In some recent deleted material he had discussed Jane’s initial uncertainty about signing a contract for the publication of psychic work before it had been produced. [...]

(Tonight I asked Jane if Seth would deliver his promised letter for correspondents. [...]