“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(A few days ago Jane received in the mail a combination date book and calendar — quite an elaborate job, in color. [...] Leafing through it yesterday to see if Jane was mentioned — she wasn’t — I began reading some of the short items. I thought the book’s editor had changed his slant in the new work, for now I came across many more pieces about foolish governmental spending, corruption, and so forth I read some of them aloud to Jane. [...]

[...] Jane’s pace had been much faster than usual, and often much louder than it usually is. [...] Jane didn’t really want to take a break. [...]

(Now Seth came through with some personal material for Jane, then ended the session at 11:59 P.M. Jane was ready for still more work, and even thought of using our recorder. [...]

[...] In fact, Seth had much more to present on the subject this evening, so even though he didn’t say so Jane and I take it for granted that this session belongs in Psyche.)

The fact of this book is proof that the ego does not have the whole kettle of personality to itself, for there is no doubt that it is being produced by some other personality than that of the writer known as Jane Roberts. Since that Jane Roberts has no abilities that are not inherent in the species as a whole, then at the very least it must be admitted that human personality has many more attributes than those usually ascribed to it. [...]

(Ordinarily this session would have been held yesterday, but Jane wanted to try it on a Thursday for variety. [...]

[...] But overall Jane’s pace was faster and more confident than in the first two sessions dealing with Seth’s book. [...]

(4:33 p.m. Nobody, Jane noted as soon as she was out of trance, interrupted us for anything. I told Jane the session was again very good, like yesterday’s; it’s obvious that much of it fits our own situation. [...] After she’d taken her aspirin and Darvoset, Jane had a cigarette before I turned her.

[...] I visited him after leaving Jane at 7:00 p.m. He looked and talked much better. [...]

(Earlier in the day I had remarked to Jane that it seemed the adverb “far” was showing up in the material quite often. Now Seth-Jane leaned forward, smiling with mock emphasis.)

(Previous to the material given below, Seth delivered five pages of personal data for Jane and me. [...]

(11:15 P.M. Jane, out of trance, was surprised by the quick ending of the session.)

(Jane and I have been very upset over the holidays about her eye condition, and my chest disturbances. [...] Our original understanding was that the eye condition would pass rather quickly once Jane began to loosen up—but now it appears to be another fixed state in the general scheme of our lives. [...]

(“How is all of this hooked up with the walking difficulty?” By the question, I meant how has Jane’s walking difficulties through the years resulted from her feeling that she should be all those things Seth recounted at the start of this session—a TV personality, a great psychic, writer, and so forth. [...] However, the original question remains, and I explained it to Jane after the session; she suggested I ask it again next time.)

[...] I still felt we didn’t know the whole story about the eyes, as well as the other symptoms, and that Jane may have inhibited some material on those topics.

(I was also puzzled about our problems because, as I told Jane before the session, I couldn’t see where as individuals we were doing anything so terribly wrong. [...]

[...] Jane’s trance had been good. [...] And of course I’ve often seen her respond to this infusion of energy and liveliness, seemingly from a source beyond Jane as I know her. [...]

[...]

[...] Jane and I find the idea of the Speakers most interesting. [...]

[...] Jane said that after my questions she felt herself “go back and back and back,” as she talked about the Speakers.

[...] Jane has already discovered that she has very good abilities using A-1 as a “side platform.” [...] Trying my own version of this technique, I have been able to enter Jane’s knee for instance.

(No session was held Monday, since Jane needed to rest. [...]

(Jane’s interest in these possibilities began to grow after I described the 570th session in Chapter Seventeen to her — it will be remembered that Seth suggested I do this — and my progress was accelerated through Patty Middleton’s visit a week later, with her information about alpha states.)

[...] Jane’s trance had been deep, and my writing hand could attest to her fast delivery. [...]

[...] Jane was well dissociated, as she had been for most of the session. [...] Apropos of this, Jane said that subjectively the session had seemed about fifteen minutes long to her.)

[...] I was affected by the heat much more than Jane was; as usual, she seemed almost impervious to such distractions while she was in trance.

(Jane’s eyes remained closed for the whole session. [...]

[...] Jane was dissociated more than usual for a first delivery. [...]

(At the supper table tonight Jane and I discussed our painting and writing, and said we hoped Seth would discuss several problems that had arisen in these fields. I was particularly interested in the painting information, and spent some little time explaining why to Jane.

(Jane began speaking for Seth in her usual manner; voice on the quiet side, a few pauses, eyes open often, etc.)

(Last night in ESP class, Jane tried to contact a newly dead friend of some class members. [...]

[...] Jane came out trance easily, but said that once again it had been a deep one as has been the rule lately, and that even now at break she could feel Seth’s energy.

(Jane seemed to feel somewhat better today, and she described the way she was now attempting to look at the world in general and her own situation in particular. [...]

[...] Jane hadn’t seen that it was so late, she said.

[...] I’ll take another one — tulips this time — in to Jane tomorrow.)

[...] The book has just come out and we’ve seen reviews for it in many publications; the contrast between the reception accorded the book, and Jane’s, reminded me of my poor opinion of Prentice-Hall’s handling of Jane’s books. As I told Jane after the session, I realized that Prentice-Hall’s treatment of our books reflects our own ambiguous attitudes-—we want her books to be well known, but don’t want to get involved in the process personally—but, perversely, that doesn’t stop me from getting mad at Prentice-Hall, even if they are doing what we want them to. [...]

[...] When he left he took with him a contract signed by Jane for Oversoul Seven, plus two more Sevens, should she ever write them. [...] Today Tam notified Jane that Pocket Books had won the bidding—acquiring the rights to the three Sevens for $75,000.)

[...] It seems morally wrong—not so much to work at night as to sleep till noon (as Jane did today; although she hadn’t worked last night). [...]

(After the session Jane said she could feel a burst of extra energy from Seth. [...]

(A number of events, foremost among them the death of Jane’s mother after an illness of many years, caused us to lay these sessions aside after Seth finished his preface on April 10. Jane did manage to hold her ESP and writing classes part of the time; she also worked on her novel, The Education of Oversoul 7, which she discusses in her Introduction.

[...] Jane hadn’t looked at Seth Speaks for long periods during its production in order to avoid conscious involvement with it — but, she said recently, smiling, she plans to read and use this work session by session as she delivers it. [...]

(I’ll indicate Jane’s various states of consciousness as I usually do in these sessions, but the notes can only be hints from an interested observer. [...]

[...] End at 11:10 p.m. Jane holds her ESP class on Tuesday night each week. [...]

(During her delivery Jane had also “picked up” that Seth would soon finish this third section, and that the first three sections would make up Part 1 of the book. So far, Seth hasn’t designated or titled a Part 1.⁶ Jane had received more, but she was vague on it: “… something to do with how each of us could be our own dream-art scientist, mental physicist, and complete physician. [...]

[...] Jane had been in a deep trance for over an hour, yet she was out of it before I finished writing Seth’s last sentence. [...]

(Once again now, Jane wondered why the “more elaborate or complicated qualities” of her trances [she couldn’t really explain what she meant here] were necessary in order for her to deliver this book, as opposed to the “easier” ones she’d experienced for Personal Reality. I suggested she forget such comparisons and think that “Unknown” Reality simply required a different approach, for whatever subjective reasons, and that perhaps her constant questioning would be taken care of as her work on it progressed.⁵

[...] But actually his material therein [and part of the heading for Section 2] grew out of the discourse Jane had come through with on her own the night before the 687th session was held. [...]

[...] No one ever did come in to do Jane’s vitals. They hadn’t yesterday either, Jane said. [...] A nurse had brought in Jane’s Darvoset and aspirin, and that was it.)

[...] Jane took a break when we heard someone pushing what we thought was the medicine cart out in the hall toward our room. [...]

(I suggested to Jane that she end the session anyhow, since it was getting to be about as long as I could get typed this evening, and I also had to go food shopping.)

(From 6-7 PM this evening Jane and I attended a cocktail party given by Leonard Yaudes in his apartment downstairs. Afterward Jane, Shirley Bickford—one of Jane’s ESP class members - and I listened to the tape of ESP class, made last night. The tape contained some of the Sumari chants Jane has been giving in class recently. [...] I told Jane before the session tonight that I couldn’t give her much of any sort of answer to her questions about the chants or the Sumari development in general. [...]

[...] Jane and I figure that from now on they’ll probably be held irregularly into January, 1973; partly because of our holiday activities, which we enjoy, but also because this seems to be a natural time of rest for us — although Jane plans to keep her ESP and writing classes going as usual.

[...] “When all this started [in late 1963] about speaking in trance,” Jane said, “I used to feel that there was just one word available at a time, with nothing before it or after it — but now I sense whole blocks of material there just waiting to be given. [...] Before the session Jane had again been aware of several channels of information available from Seth.

(11:15 p.m. I chose a break in order to see if Jane still wanted me to ask Seth about the ideas she’d talked about before the session. [...]

(Jane began speaking while sitting down and with her eyes closed, in a voice a bit deeper than usual and with pauses.)

[...] Jane stared at me, then took a long pause with her eyes closed.)

[...] Jane had been dissociated as usual. [...]

[...] Jane sat waiting quietly, still in trance, then resumed when I sat down.)

[...] Jane was out of trance quickly. [...] This was a reference to the fact that Jane got “mad” at Seth—one of the few times this has occurred—at an ESP-class session last night, for some remarks Seth made concerning Jane’s tendency to intellectually categorize people. [...]

(Before tonight’s session I read to Jane this question: “In the 462nd Session, page 232, you say [meaning Seth] that any perception, however slight, alters every atom within our physical structure. [...]

[...] Jane doesn’t have much of a scientific vocabulary.”

(Jane began speaking for Seth in a fast and active manner, voice good, eyes open often, etc.)

(Jane’s writing on William James also developed into a book: The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher. [...] Jane displays those attributes in her own way, of course, yet their equivalents are inherent in each of us, waiting to be used.)

[...] Several times Jane remarked: “The delay seems real odd….” [...]

[...] Even Jane’s voice, speaking for him, had been somehow indicative of a summing-up.)

[...] Waking up now, he stretched, jumped down, then up into Jane’s lap as she spoke for Seth. [...]

(Five weeks ago [in the notes leading off Session 821], I wrote that Jane could resume work on The Further Education of Oversoul Seven — or Seven Two — at any time. [...] But now that her editor, Tam Mossman, has scheduled a visit to us at the hill house in a couple of weeks [on April 10, to be exact], Jane feels that she wants to study what she’s done on Seven Two, go over it with Tam, and perhaps take up work on it again.)

(Since Jane began dictating Mass Events 11 months ago, I’ve mentioned our checking the printer’s page proofs for two of her other books: Volume 1 of “Unknown” Reality, and Cézanne. [...]

[...] Seth returned at 10:37 with a good bit of personal material for Jane and me, then ended the session at 11:06 P.M.

[...] Jane and I try to keep in mind these passages of Seth’s from the private session for June 25, 1977: