A Sethian and a Janeite

[Kyle]

As I revisit the older Seth books, I am struck by how personal they are, and the newer ones seem more personal still, as Jane's health declined. But from very early on, there is so much of the commentary, and often the dictation, that involves the challenge of Jane's (and Rob's) learning task, to put Seth's teachings to good use. It seems to me that a great deal of the authenticity of Seth's words comes from the personal references and interactions. This didn't occur to me when I was in my twenties.

I guess I find it easier to connect with Jane than with Seth. So, while I am a Sethian in spirit, I am also a Janeite at heart when it comes to, well, missing someone. It's easier to miss her, isn't it?

I have to confess, after writing this I found that 'Janeite' is a real thing about fans of Jane Austen. So, no, not that one, although Austen is great.

[Deb]

I'm with you, I've been a big Jane fan since day 1. And yes, it's easier to miss her, because for us in this lifetime she was a person to whom we can relate. The Personal Sessions books are of great interest to me. Just because the material was directed towards Jane and Rob doesn't mean anyone else can't get a lot out of them. The Early Sessions books are also incredibly valuable.

I don't know if you are aware of this, but when Mary Dillman passed away I ended up with a lot of her Seth/Jane stuff (some of which came from Rich Kendall) and the task of getting Mary's research submitted to Yale. Yes, she asked me and I agreed.

I have gigabytes of Mary's files to sift through, plus some physical stuff, and am now solely maintaining her website. If you're interested, there's a free download of the first part of the Village Voice interview of Jane and Rob here: https://sethresearchproject.com/shop-2/ .  Jane was a kick in the pants, her personal self was very different than her writing self, two different people really.

I also published the Little Book for Mary. It's a replica of a book Jane made for a neighbor who was having heart surgery. In the beginning Mary sent me photos of the pages in the book from a Yale library photographer, and they were horrible. After a couple of other failed attempts, Mary ended up sending me the book itself so I could photograph it. The experience of holding something in my hands that Jane had made was pretty amazing and I'll always remember.

I could go on, there's loads to share. I have an original painting of Jane's I'd like to share, a painting and sketch or two from Rob, and some amazing stuff such as the text from their personal journals. Those are of most interest to me... I want to get inside of their heads. So much to do and so little time.

And yes, Jane Austin was great as well. Just in a different way.

[Kyle]

Deb, yes, I downloaded that audio of the first part of the interview. I don't think I'd ever heard a decent recording of Jane's regular voice, and it was fascinating just to listen to her and Rob.

It doesn't surprise me that there's a lot to share, but holy moly, it sounds like you've got the mother lode.