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I thought it would be fun to inform others what I have been doing for the past two years since moving to New Haven and working with the Jane Roberts Papers archived at Yale University.
Although there are numerous metaphysical writings, the Seth/Jane/Rob material interests me because of its quality and depth. As far as I know, it is the only collection that encompasses the personal lives of the individuals producing the material. Not only are many personal sessions included in the collection, but they are enhanced by essays, journals, dream notebooks, unfinished manuscripts, correspondence, and poetry. This provides a very unique framework for the study of human consciousness.
There are thousands of projects and books that can be written using this information. My initial idea was to do compilations by subject and this continues to be a strong focus for me. However, as I work with the material I have become increasingly interested in arranging it in chronological order. Because of the immense volume of papers, I questioned if this was even possible. I felt the only way to accomplish this was to have the information available on computer. Then it would be possible not only to more easily locate information but also to organize it in innumerable ways.
Was I willing to become a typist? Would this give me value fulfillment? It didn't take long for me to realize this project required a lot more than typing.
As I started with my work, I noted that Rob's attention to detail made it rather easy to ascertain which Seth sessions were published. They were all typed with background notes. He even indicated when a paragraph was omitted from a book. Many of his other writings are typed, with some exceptions.
When I began with Jane's journals, I noticed that her creativity extended to spelling and vocabulary. For instance her use of the word bunked instead of bumped - doesn't bunked give a better description of the feeling? Since her journals were primarily handwritten for her own use, many of the words were abbreviated - after all she knew what she meant. An "s" substituted for words such as symptoms, Seth, spontaneous, Speakers, Sumari, sessions, etc. When I first looked at Jane's journals, I admit I felt helpless and hopeless. A few of my questions included: How can I ever transcribe this? Would I ever be able to read her writing? Is this an abbreviation and if so, what does she mean? Oh no, this sentence has more abbreviations than actual words!!!
As I key more of the material, I realize that an entry in Jane's journal about an event, a name, a book title or a date that was indecipherable, or incomplete, often can be filled in after reviewing Rob's notes, Jane's other notebooks, manuscripts, dream journals, correspondence, and other sources.
I have started a list of names - which currently numbers over 900. There are often multiple spelling versions of the same name. That has started another project - verifying name spellings, ascertaining relationships, etc. I have begun to extend my research to checking directories and other historical information. Although no verification will be necessary for this one, my favorite example of alternate spellings was the cats' names. Jane referred to them as Katherine and Willie, while Rob used Catherine and Willy.
While it is a great asset to have the material available on computer, researchers know the value of checking the original documents. After all, many clues are found in the handwriting and physical material that can't be expressed on a typed page. Thus came the realization that my date spreadsheets need to be expanded. In order to have this work assist others, the dates and file locations of all data must be identified.
When I moved here to do this work, I realized that it was a tremendous undertaking. I joked about it being my 30-year project. Now I don't think that time frame was an exaggeration - and much of the material isn't in the archives yet. Although I had some ideas for doing this project, I avoided being too specific on what I wanted to accomplish. It seemed that the material would introduce itself to me, and as it did I would be led by it, and by following my impulses the "job" would present itself.
Many times when I didn't know how to proceed I asked my inner self for guidance. It usually came in the dream state, and upon awakening I would have an answer. My future self has also come to the rescue on several occasions in meditations clearly showing me finished products.
At this stage I don't know what the final result of my project will be. I have no copyrights to any of the material. I do have a deep feeling that this is my value fulfillment, and I love what I am doing. And my main goal is learning and applying the Seth/Jane/Rob philosophy in my own life. While following this dream, I have been dealing with fears and limiting beliefs about supporting myself without a conventional job. However, I am determined that I can continue this work. And in this present moment I am able to do it and expect that I will continue doing it full time. And who knows what magic will be created?