“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I asked that Seth comment upon Willy’s behavior, if he cared to, after dictation. Then Jane said, “I knew I was feeling funny tonight. Now l get it. It’s like I’ve got three channels from Seth going at once….

(“I’ve even got directions.” She pointed off to her upper right as she sat in her rocker. “Seth comes through on his book from here, on this channel.” Next she indicated her lower right. “Then over here, immediately available, is Seth on you and me and Willy. And also on the portrait you asked me about the other day — the one you just finished.

(“Over here now,” Jane said, designating her upper left, “is Seth on what you were just saying about peer groups — how young people feel it’s so important to fit in with their own kind, and why. And why I felt that way, but you didn’t. Hey, I’ve even got a bunch of history about that, all ready to deliver — a lot of material on each idea…. I was really confused for a while, yet now I see that each thing’s separate, already prepared by Seth. You’re not going to get two sentences about one subject, then switch to another one….” Jane laughed. “Which channel do you want?”

(“I’m keeping my mouth shut,” I said, joking. “How about going back to the book?” I thought doing that would help her control the proliferation of channels until we could learn more about the development. The possibility had been indicated often: witness Seth’s ability to discuss a variety of subjects with the members of a group, even if they were strangers to Jane. The new step in her abilities would be her conscious awareness of the blocks of material already prepared and awaiting delivery. Jane promptly agreed to resume book work.

(“I’ve never felt just this way before — like I’ve been programmed in advance. It’s as though I need three voice boxes. That’s really weird. I do get it as sound, though. If I could talk three times at once, I could deliver finished material on those three things. Now I have to pick the right channel to get Seth back on his book; and it almost seems that if someone else came here now and mentioned a subject, I’d have that information all ready too.

(“Each channel is as clear as a bell. There’s no static or bleed-through between them. There: Now I’ve just got another one”— Jane pointed to her lower left — “and it explains all of this.” She laughed again. “Just call me station J-A-N-E….”)

(Jane said she believed that “Seth could do three books at once, a chapter at a time on each, and with no confusion among them. Right now I feel that this whole book’s just there, ready to be given for the writing down.” Her very active dream life had evidently included a lot of preparation for it, she added, but I didn’t ask her any questions that might open up more channels.

Now: Ruburt’s sensing of the channels does represent a development and has been possible for some time; but it is only now entering his experience. Do remind him of his success in this and other areas, for the feeling and reality of success can and will be carried over.

I will end our session. I will see to it that I speak about your painting before or after book dictation. (Louder, jovially:) I am on channel one this evening. My heartiest regards.

(A note added a few days later: This session was held on Wednesday. We had guests the following Friday evening, and as Jane described the multiple-channel effects to them, she realized that she was tuning into some of Seth’s backlog of data about peer groups and the need to conform. Seth hadn’t actually given us the material during Wednesday’s session, nor did he now — instead Jane verbalized it on her own to some extent. The next morning I asked her to note down what she remembered of it.

(“Telling Rob and our friends about the channels that I became aware of in the last session,” Jane wrote, “I suddenly began drawing upon the one with the information about conformity and the need for individual expression.