“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

[...] In this opening sequence, Jane, Bill, the members of the Potter family, and myself, were gathered in a living room. I was pulling out some of Jane’s drawings and paintings and showing them to Bill, and Jane, Bill and I were animatedly discussed them. [...] It then struck me this evening that the discussion between Jane, Bill and I, over Jane’s new work, bore some rather remarkable parallels to that opening dream sequence, and I wondered whether that portion of the dream could have been clairvoyant. [...]

(As Jane delivered the above material in quite an animated fashion, Bill picked up a piece of paper lying on the coffee table, and Jane’s pen. [...] I saw that he had roughed out Jane’s features, stressing her closed eyes. I also saw that he had drawn, upon the closed upper eyelid, an iris, thus superimposing upon Jane’s closed eye an open one. I nodded to Bill to show that I understood that he was seeing an eye or eyes upon Jane’s closed lids.)

(I had an impulse to try to get back to my studio to get some paper and a pen; this was followed by another impulse—to forget about notes for a change, even though Jane was obviously about ready to give a session. [...] Jane began dictation in a rather strong voice that was pitched somewhat lower than normal, and maintained it for the whole of the session. [...] There followed a rather strange procedure, for when Jane addressed either Bill or myself she kept her eyes closed but faced the pertinent one, and gestured in the correct direction also. [...]

(Bill Macdonnel explained that the superimposed eyes he saw upon Jane’s closed lids had no pupils, but resembled instead eyes clouded by cataracts. He also said that whenever Jane spoke to me and gestured in my direction, the eye effect followed, yet I noticed nothing unusual in Jane’s features. [...]

(It might be added here that last September 2, Jane’s dream notebook reveals, Jane had a dream involving Helen McIlwain’s brother. The brother has been dead for at least five years, and quite possibly much longer, Jane states. Jane remembers the brother rather better than she remembers Helen, actually. The dream involving the brother was a rather ordinary one, Jane believes, and at least on the surface does not involve clairvoyance. [...]

(It might be of interest to note that Helen McIlwain, the communicant in Jane’s dream of November 8, has been dead for perhaps two years. Jane’s mother so informed her in a letter. Jane had not met Helen McIlwain for at least fifteen years, she estimates, and remembers her best from her, Jane’s, grade school years.

[...] Jane received a hand-knitted sweater from her mother as a Christmas present. In her accompanying letter Jane’s mother wrote to the effect that she was sending the sweater ahead of time because she did not “expect to be around” by Christmas. I remember that Jane and I were struck by the tone of the letter, but in all honesty neither did we take it overly seriously. Jane may still have the letter. [...]

(Thus, Seth seems to be saying in the above paragraph that Jane received a communication through a personality that has been dead for two years. When Jane described her dream to me I had mistakenly taken it for granted that Helen McIlwain was still alive.)

[...] In this appendix I’ve put together some material on mysticism from Jane, Seth, and myself. [...] As in the Introductory Notes, I want to stress Jane’s role as the creative artist, disseminating her personal view of a larger inner reality, and her intuitive and conscious comprehension of at least some aspects of that reality; for such understanding can easily elude our Western-oriented, materialistic, technological outlook.

[...] Most of them had functioned within religious frameworks, and Jane and I saw how their various environments had given color and shape to their transcendent experiences. [I would add that in turn those experiences obviously enriched those environments.] But in spite of Seth’s material, Jane told me: “I’m not a mystic. [...]

(I reminded Jane that since she belonged to no religion now [having left the Roman Catholic Church when she was 19 years old], her mystical nature would choose other avenues of expression than religious ones; as in these sessions, for instance. [...] I added that within those religious boundaries, mystics across the centuries and throughout the world have given voice to the same ideas in almost the same words, and that as an “independent” mystic Jane was in a position to approach the situation from a freer; more individual standpoint: She would be able to add fresh insights to what is certainly one of the species’ all-pervasive, unifying states. [...]

(My own point in all of this is that Jane was different from her contemporaries in more ways than she realized. It was obvious to her in her youth that none of her friends wrote poetry, or talked about the subject matter of much of her own poetry.³ Jane intuitively felt her own nature, without trying to define it. [...]

(Once again Jane ate very little for lunch, although Georgia had said she did okay for breakfast. [...] Jane and Georgia talked and smoked while I was down to billing. Jane said she’d have a session later, then changed her mind as I got ready to do mail. [...]

(As I massaged Jane’s left leg, she made so much noise — moaning — that Georgia came in. [...] After the session I massaged all of Jane’s limbs — and once again achieved excellent results. Jane had more motions in her legs and feet especially. [...]

[...] Jane asked me to come down to 330 early, so I did. [...] Just as I was opening the garage door, I met a woman who had pulled into the driveway, who has a tumor and wanted to see Jane. [...]

(Jane wasn’t nearly as much in poor shape as she’d been the other day when I was called down to 330 earlier in the morning. [...]

(Seth said Jane and I should make a trip to New York this spring whether we are asked by anyone or not, meaning Jane’s publisher principally. [...] These contacts will grow out of our seeing the following people: Don Wollheim, an editor Jane has previously published with; her present publisher, Frederick Fell; Eileen Garrett; and Dick Roberts, a senior editor at Dell Books with whom Jane has published. We should set up appointments to see these people, and should make the trip whether or not publicity for Jane’s ESP book, to be published this spring, is involved.

(Without indulging in wishful thinking, Jane and I thought we saw some points of similarity in the above data and a miniature teapot, namely the fact that the test object could be held in the hand, had a connection with water, and an indentation. Since this was Jane’s first such attempt with the Gallaghers, I was curious as to what Seth would say. He now told me that the rock or stone impression was his error, and not Jane’s, or Ruburt’s.

(Somehow the conversation turned to the lives Jane and I had led in Denmark. [...] Jane and I have always been curious about these names.

(In talking about his voyages, Seth said that we would have to bear with Ruburt now, because Ruburt—Jane—knew very little about geography; this I can vouch for. Jane now spoke quite slowly, with her head down and her eyes closed, whereas before her eyes had opened often and her manner had been very animated and cheerful.

[...] As Jane and I were getting ready to eat lunch several staff people, including Cathy, Jan, Mary the head nurse, Dawn, Sue, brought in a large flat-pan cake decorated for the 30th anniversary of Jane and me. [...] Several of the girls took pieces with them as they went back to work, and Jane and I had some after lunch. [...]

[...] “More work is being done on that right elbow,” Jane said, and again began moving her right hand down past her thigh on the outside, even farther than she’d done at 3:49. [...] Then Jane’s left arm did better too. Jane rotated her hands, as she used to do, though not to any great degree. [...]

[...] Jane discovered that her right arm could flex more at both the shoulder and the elbow—especially the elbow—which is an excellent sign. [...] Then Jane learned that her right arm was behaving in a similar, if more limited, fashion. [...]

[...] I told Jane I’d just written a note for Dreams last week, about the general Iranian situation. I didn’t think that was why Seth had mentioned anything about the Middle East today, though; I hadn’t mentioned the note to Jane, either. [...]

(Jane and I of course clearly remembered the couple referred to by Seth in the above monologue. I recall that at the time Jane had seen them first, and pointed them out to me. [...] The woman’s face especially had reminded me of Jane, though she had indeed been fatter. [...] I recall also that Jane mentioned that she wanted to talk to them. [...]

[...] During it, I remarked that the next question I wanted to ask Seth was whether either Jane or I, or both of us, had ever unknowingly seen a fragment of the type our friend Bill Macdonnel had. Once again, pacing back and forth while I took down the message, Jane began to dictate:)

Please do not comment, because Jane is having enough troubles with me tonight as it is. [...] You can rely to some extent on Jane’s intuition, which has been strong in all her incarnations. [...]

[...] Such a thing is far from usual but possible, in which you and Jane transferred the bulk of your personalities into the fragments you had yourselves created. Jane’s intuition here was right. [...]

(I’m sure my improved attitude resulted from the last two sessions—plus other recent ones—but I have resolved anew that I must simply concentrate upon my creative work each day, see Jane and help her as much as I can, and spare my body consciousness the needless stress of worrying about the future. [...] I have also renewed my faith and expectations that Jane and I will get what we want. [...]

(I wrote the above material after Jane had lunch, and read it to her at once. [...] I asked Jane to be sure to not inhibit or turn off the spasms, or tighten up out of fear that something was wrong. [...]

(Not long after the session was over I told Jane I meant to ask Seth to comment on the vivid dream I’d had last night about the Gallaghers and an unkempt young man who was living with them. I’d described it to Jane earlier. [...]

(Jean Reome called this afternoon, is anxious to get back to work; talked to Jane also. [...] Margaret said that when she looks at Jane now she sees something beside skin stretched over bone. [...]

(3:40—3:48 yesterday: staff took Jane’s vitals, and a lady from housekeeping changed the curtains in 330 to much heavier and darker ones, trying to cut down the light that bothers Jane’s eyes even when the curtains are closed. [...]

[...] By now Jane was starting to utter cries and to breathe quite heavily as she moved. [...] Jane cried again. [...]

[...] After having a cigarette after lunch, Jane started reading the session for November 20, since I hadn’t typed up any notes yet for yesterday’s events. [...] Jane has read the session before, of course, but she read it once more and did very well indeed, as good as she had the first time, saying the type was very clear and bright at times. [...]

(I told Jane now that in my younger days I’d done almost the same thing, of course, letting others take paintings for which I was never paid. [...] I told Jane the dream had awakened strong urges in me to start painting in just that manner—and I knew that I could carry on just that way. [...]

[...] He too is upset that Jane is obviously much more uncomfortable these days than she used to be — than two months ago, say. [...] Jeff doesn’t suggest antibiotics at this time, but told me that the ulcers on Jane’s right knee and left hand won’t heal themselves, and that the new swelling on the top of her right shoulder may turn into another such area. [It didn’t.] Jane has a traveling infection, he believes, and he hopes it doesn’t get into her bloodstream. [...]

[...] I felt sad for Jane and what was happening to both of us. [...] When Jeff called I was reading the last portion of the first session in Jane’s book, The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events — for April 18, 1977, in connection with a note I’m doing for Dreams. [...]

[...] Jane was a bit better, yet still uncomfortable. [...] Jane knew of Jeff’s concerns.

(Jeff suggested that we do nothing at the moment, while he monitors Jane’s condition. [...] Later in the afternoon the cheeks and shoulder both looked a bit better, and Jane acted better.

[...] Jane, holding her neck very stiffly forward, spoke softly and without emphasis. [...] At the same time our cat Willy began to cry and try grasping at Jane’s legs and ankles. [...] But now Jane found it difficult to elude him, since any quick movement set up spasms in her neck.)

(At 6:00 AM Jane woke me to say that she was in the grip of an extremely painful stiff neck. By the time we obtained treatment for it the time was close to noon, so it seemed there would be no session this evening, or at most a few words from Seth acknowledging the seriousness of Jane’s predicament.

(Sunday, and until late at night, Jane had been reading The Winthrop Woman, a book about American colonial life in the 1600’s by Anya Seton. [...] Jane had forgotten it, she said, but now thought that upon reading the same book a few months ago, she had also developed neck trouble, although not to as severe a degree. [...]

(By 8:30 PM Jane felt a little better but obviously was in no condition for a session. [...] Even by 8:55 Jane still had no idea whether she would hear from Seth.

[...] Jane began reading yesterday’s session. [...] Jane looked puzzled, since she felt okay. Diana took Jane’s blood pressure and pulse. [...] “I don’t have any damn fever,” Jane said when they’d left.

(Jane didn’t call last night. [...] Jane was already on her back — she’d refused to go to hydro when they hadn’t come by 12:30. [...]

(Jane ate an average amount for lunch. [...] Jane said she got irritated at the questions, and I ended up feeling the same way. [...]

[...] Lynn came in to give Jane eyedrops, then left to get some iced ginger ale. I read to Jane what she’d given so far.)

(I’ve already cited Jane’s experience, as given in Chapter 17 of The Seth Material, showing that on rare occasions Seth Two and her feelings of massiveness can go together; but she can also be in an altered, massive state of consciousness without having a session, or she can be speaking for Seth. Seth or Seth Two — obviously, when either of those qualities combine with her massive perceptions, then Jane knows a multifaceted trance state. In Volume 1, Seth devoted much of the 681st session to a discussion of probabilities, or, in sum, All That Is, and interwound Jane’s psychic and physical experiences with that material: “The cellular consciousness experiences itself as eternal … Part of Ruburt’s feeling of massiveness² comes from the mass [life-to-death] experience of the body, existing all at once. [...] Beginning at 11:10 in that session, see also Jane’s own comments on her massive responses.

(With Seth’s help Jane first encountered the idea of Seth Two in the 406th session for April 22, 1968. [...] Most of that material hasn’t been published, although in Chapter 17 of The Seth Material Jane described Seth Two to some extent, including “his, hers, or its” intimate connections with Seth: the subjective pyramid or cone effects she experiences just above her head when contacting Seth Two; and the great energy she feels at such times. [...] The excerpts show not only something of Seth’s connections on the “other side” of Jane, but in one case her violent reactions of surprise and panic when she attempted to translate something of Seth Two’s reality in terms of our own camouflage world: She found herself deeply involved in an unexpected experience with “massiveness” — one of the subjects I want to refer to in these preliminary notes. [...]

(I’d maintain that Jane has been on a creative upsurge for a year now. [...] Jane also held her weekly ESP classes and writing classes, and continued her work on poetry and an autobiography [also unfinished]. [...] Jane’s daily predictions have been working out exceptionally well. [...]

[...] In Note 1 for Appendix 18, I wrote that I wanted to at least briefly discuss Seth Two in another appendix for this Volume 2, “the idea being that that material can be taken as an extension of the Jane-Ruburt-Seth study presented here.” The few references to Seth Two in Appendix 18 were all meant to be resolved below, including my note that “Seth Two exists in relation to Seth in somewhat the same manner that Seth does to Jane, although that analogy shouldn’t be carried very far.”

(Jane emphasized that she knows nothing of the history of the Caribbean islands, or their geography. [...] I am good at map reading, Jane very poor; if the place names were eliminated from a map of the Caribbean, Jane would be unable to fill them in, whereas I could do this easily. On the other hand Jane has an unerring sense of local direction, and mine is not very good.

(Jane put in her second day as a substitute teacher today, and was obviously tired by session time. [...] Also, Jane’s hip and foot had bothered her a good deal, and she told me that she had not been consistent yet in demanding the energy available to her, and in channeling it upon her books as suggested by Seth.

(Jane had mental images of some of the above material and that to follow, and these will be summarized at the end of the session. [...] I asked Jane if she thought it possible for her to be more specific about place names, initials, etc. [...]

[...] Jane was well dissociated this last delivery. [...] It is now Wednesday as I write this; yesterday Jane began putting Seth’s suggestions into effect; she was pleased to report no trouble yesterday or today, in contrast to her unhappy state of Monday, October 17. [...]

(Debbie Harris visited Jane last night. When I got to 330 this afternoon Jane told me about an excellent dream she’d had last night. [...] Jane also described to me how she negated some poor suggestions a couple of the people who take care of her had made this morning, concerning a couple of her bedsores. [...]

(At 3:56 Dawn came in to take Jane’s temperature—97.3—and her pulse. After Dawn left Jane said she felt motion in her hips for the first time. [...] “The first time I could move them,” Jane said. [...]

(Jane had an excellent lunch. [...] Jane was moving her arms and hands to some extent during lunch. [...]

[...] “Well, this session easily describes the most encouraging news yet,” I told Jane. [...] Jane could still feel the motion and its effects in her neck.

[...] I turned Jane on her back right away. [...] Jane didn’t say anything. Then when Steve and Tracy visited shortly afterward, they too had many negative things to say about many things — until finally Jane told Steve to quit dumping on her. Steve was also talking about the phases of the moon having influence on his behavior and actions, Jane said she didn’t believe in that. [...]

[...] Jane and I had moved back to 458 W. Water Street, only now the house was much bigger than it really is, had many more apartments in it — they were all in good shape, with numerous stairways connecting them on a split-level layout. [...] Jane was very active and healthy, walking about normally. [...]

[...] I began questioning Jane about her religious training in Catholic grade school. [...] I planned to look up the ages of some Biblical patriarchs, and wanted to know what Jane might have been taught about such people, and their ages.

(Carla interrupted our conversation to check Jane’s vitals — temperature 98.4. During our talk I noticed that it didn’t take my wife long to begin reacting emotionally to my questions, which I thought were innocent enough — but it was apparent that the subject matter of our conversation had an emotional charge for her. [...] However, after she realized what she was doing, Jane seemed to take my questions in stride, and even volunteered a lot of information I hadn’t asked for.

[...] As I discussed the events of today with Jane, and watched them on TV, it came to me that they might signal at least a beginning of those very beneficial world events Seth had referred to for the coming year in the session for December 28, 1983. Jane didn’t know, and I’m not leaping to any conclusions. [...] Fascinating to follow, I told Jane.)

(I left the house for the post office and to take Jane’s typewriter in for cleaning. So I was twenty minutes late getting to Jane’s hospital room 330 this afternoon. [...]

[...] A new nurse named Betty took all of Jane’s vitals. I worked on mail as Jane had a piece of candy and a cigarette. [...]

[...] The tray was late also, but Jane ate a good lunch.

And, finally, what of our efforts to handle the steadily increasing volume of mail that’s resulted from the publication of Jane’s books? (Incidentally, we have on file most of the letters and cards we’ve received over the years.) Our latest attempt to cope here consists of three pieces we’ve prepared for correspondents: a short form letter from Jane and me; a longer one dictated by Seth in April, 1975, soon after he finished Volume 2 of “Unknown” Reality; and a list of all editions of Jane’s books. (We prepared such a list in answer to many requests, and it’s being continually updated, of course.) Yet the form letters aren’t really a satisfactory answer for the correspondent who’d like a personal response from Jane and/or Seth; given our characteristics, they merely represent the best we can do within the time we have available. Jane handles most of the mail herself these days, and tries to add a few individual lines to each reply. [...]

[...] Although they bear my name, before I was finished with them I’d had plenty of help from my wife, Jane Roberts, and from Seth, the nonphysical entity who speaks through her while she’s in trance. In fact, Jane and Seth are the ones who so beautifully bring these notes to their conclusion; and in that order — Jane with some excellent material about her relationship with Seth, and Seth himself with his new letter to correspondents. Yet Jane isn’t particularly turned on by dates, session numbers, information about footnotes, and some of the other material I’ll be discussing here.

The firm decision to do this was made when we were visited by Jane’s editor at Prentice-Hall, Tam Mossman, and a business colleague who accompanied him. [...] Jane and I were really pleased, then, to get the official word. Not only would the expanded format be something out of the ordinary in itself, but it meant that with two volumes I’d have the room I needed for notes and references; excerpts from Jane’s ESP class sessions, as well as from “regular” sessions dated before and after the production time of “Unknown” Reality; a little of Jane’s poetry; and appendixes — all of which I thought would add extra dimensions of consciousness to the books. [...]

In Politics Jane also refers to certain blocks of material that first appeared in “Unknown” Reality, so I’ve adjusted the appropriate notes in the latter to account for their earlier discussion. Intrinsically there’s no conflict between Jane’s latest and Seth’s latest, however. [...] I simply want to stress that our overall goal is the publication of Jane’s books (including those produced with Seth), and that each work is a complete entity while containing within itself the necessary references to others in the series.

(Peggy told Jane that Gardner Road was in Horseheads, and that she would check the address there that Jane had given in trance. [...] Jane was much relieved after talking to Peg, saying that before the call she had been “very uptight” over any probabilities involving accidents and the Gallaghers.

(I explained to Jane now about her error re what day it was. Since this was Monday, and any possible event was predicted for a Tuesday, Jane decided to try again to reach the Gallaghers. [...]

(The session began with Jane giving impressions on her own while in a light trance state. [...]

(Jane has her own records of the preliminary data. [...]

[...] Jane and I met the Gallaghers accidentally at a dancing establishment last Saturday evening. [...] I took care to slip the wet label in a coat pocket when neither Jane or the Gallaghers were looking, and as it developed Jane had no idea of the test object for the session.

[...] It is interesting to note that when Jane resumed with the Dr. Instream material, we immediately became conscious of the traffic noise. I was of course aware of my own irritation; Jane concurred at the end of the session.

(As before, Jane’s “moment” was actually very brief, much shorter than many of her routine pauses. [...] Jane’s voice remained quiet.)

[...] Jane was dissociated as usual, she said. [...] Suffice it to note here that this was Jane’s third test before witnesses. [...]