Jane Roberts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Roberts
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Jane Roberts
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| Born | Dorothy Jane Roberts May 8, 1929 Albany, New York, US |
| Died | September 5, 1984 (aged 55) Elmira, New York, US |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | Skidmore College |
| Genre | Paranormal |
| Literary movement | New Age |
| Notable works | The Seth Material, The Oversoul Seven Trilogy |
Dorothy Jane Roberts (born May 8, 1929 – died September 5, 1984) was an American author and poet. She was also known as a psychic and a spirit medium. Jane Roberts claimed to channel a personality who called himself "Seth." Her books about Seth, known as the Seth Material, made her famous in the world of paranormal events.
Contents
Jane Roberts' Early Life and Career
Jane Roberts was born in Albany, New York. She grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York. Her parents divorced when she was two years old. Jane lived with her mother and grandparents. Her mother became very ill with rheumatoid arthritis. Jane had to help take care of her from a young age.
Jane also faced health challenges as a child. She had problems with her stomach and an overactive thyroid gland. For a time, she lived in a Catholic orphanage. This was while her mother was in the hospital.
In 1945, at age 16, Jane got her first job at a variety store. She later attended Skidmore College from 1947 to 1950. She went there on a scholarship for her poetry. After college, Jane worked many different jobs. These included writing for a newspaper and working in a radio factory.
Jane married Walt Zeh, a friend from Saratoga Springs. They were married for three years. In 1954, Jane met Robert Fabian Butts, Jr., an artist. Jane and Rob married on December 27, 1954.
Jane Roberts wrote many types of books. These included poetry, short stories, and books for children. She also wrote science fiction and fantasy novels. She was the only woman invited to the first science-fiction writer's conference in 1956.
In 1960, Jane and Rob moved to Elmira, New York. There, they started recording what Jane said were messages from a personality named "Seth." She then wrote several books about this experience.
The Seth Material: Messages from Another Dimension
In September 1963, Jane Roberts had a strange experience. She was working on her poetry. Suddenly, she felt a rush of new ideas. She felt as if the normal world was very thin. It was like it was hiding many other layers of reality. She felt like she was pushed through this thin layer. After this, she started writing notes. She called them The Physical Universe as Idea Construction.
Before this, Jane and Rob did not believe in extra-sensory perception (ESP). But after this event, Jane started remembering her dreams. Some of these dreams even showed her things that would happen in the future. This made them curious. They decided to explore ESP more. Jane even got a book deal to write about how to develop ESP.
In late 1963, Jane and Rob started using a Ouija board. This was part of Jane's research for her book. On December 2, 1963, they said they started getting clear messages. These messages came from a male personality. He later said his name was Seth. Soon after, Jane said she could hear Seth's messages in her head. She no longer needed the Ouija board. She would just speak the messages out loud. Rob would write them down.
Jane Roberts said that when she wrote the Seth books, she would go into a trance state. She said Seth would take control of her body. He would speak through her. Her husband, Rob, would write down everything she said. They called these times "readings" or "sessions."
On January 17, 1964, Jane channeled a woman who had recently died. This woman told Rob that his and Jane's work with Seth was a very important project. She said they would publish Seth's writings. They would also help share his ideas.
At first, Jane had doubts about Seth. She wondered if he was just a part of her own mind. She even went to a psychologist. But she felt that Seth seemed wiser than the psychologist. So, she stopped worrying. She felt that the Seth material was much better than anything she could write on her own. She believed it helped her access deep knowledge.
Jane also claimed to channel the ideas of other famous people. These included the philosopher William James and the painters Rembrandt and Paul Cézanne. She said she did this through a process called "automatic writing" on a typewriter.
For 21 years, until Jane's death in 1984, she held over 1500 regular sessions. In these sessions, she spoke as Seth. Rob wrote down the messages. He used his own shorthand system. Sometimes, they would also record the sessions. Seth's messages were mostly talks on many different topics. These were later published as the Seth Material.
Hundreds of people saw Jane channeling Seth over the years. Some attended her ESP classes. Jane never charged for private sessions. But she did charge a small fee for her ESP classes at first. When her books became popular, she stopped charging for classes too.
The early Seth material was summarized in a book called The Seth Material. Starting in 1970, Jane wrote books that she said Seth dictated. She said she was only the medium, not the author. There were ten books in this "Seth books" series. The last two books were not finished because Jane became ill. Rob Butts added many notes and comments to all the Seth books. This made him a co-author. His notes explained what was happening in their lives. They also included letters from readers and experts.
Jane also wrote a series of novels called The Oversoul Seven Trilogy. These books explored Seth's ideas about reincarnation and "oversouls" through a story.
According to Jane, Seth described himself as an "energy personality essence." He said he was no longer living in a physical body. He was also separate from Jane's own mind. When Jane spoke as Seth, her voice became deeper and more masculine. It also had a unique accent. Even her cats seemed to notice the change! Unlike some other psychics, Seth's messages were clear and easy to understand. Later books built on the earlier ideas. They even included "Practice Elements" to help people try out some of Seth's concepts.
Seth also talked about some world events. These included the Jonestown tragedy and the Three Mile Island accident. He also offered a different idea about how the universe began. It was different from the Big Bang theory or Intelligent Design.
Later Life and Legacy
Jane Roberts' father died in 1971. Her mother died six months later. In early 1982, Jane spent a month in the hospital. She had many health problems. These included an underactive thyroid gland and vision issues. She also had a staph infection from the hospital. She got better for a while. But she died two and a half years later in 1984. She had been bedridden with severe arthritis, like her mother. Jane Roberts was cremated.
After Jane's death, Rob Butts continued to protect and publish the Seth texts. He made sure all the recordings, notes, and drawings went to the Yale Library. Rob later remarried. His second wife, Laurel Lee Davies, helped him with his work. Rob Butts died in 2008. Jane Roberts Butts and Robert F. Butts Jr. are buried together in New York.
Many groups have collected quotes from Seth's teachings. They have also made audio recordings of Seth sessions. They continue to share the material through classes and events.
Seth's Ideas and Influence
Jane Roberts' writings suggest that everything has a mind. This idea is called panpsychism. She also wrote that we create our own reality. She believed that "beliefs create reality." She also said that "the point of power is in the present." She encouraged people to heal themselves by changing their beliefs.
In the late 1970s, scientists thought viruses were just harmful. But Seth said that "viruses are necessary for life as we know it." Scientists have since learned that viruses are very important. They help keep living things healthy.
Different Views on the Seth Material
Not everyone agreed with Jane Roberts and the Seth Material. Some people outside the paranormal community had different opinions.
The poet Charles Upton thought that Jane Roberts might have been afraid of death. He believed that the Seth texts misunderstood both Christianity and Eastern religions.
James Alcock, a psychology professor, thought that the Seth material was unusual. He said it could have been a trick. Or it could have come from Jane's own mind without her knowing it. He felt there was no need to think it came from a supernatural source.
Some religious groups have warned people about reading channeled messages. John MacArthur, a Christian pastor, called The Seth Material a "book entirely written by a demon." The Urantia Foundation, a New Age group, saw it as a sign of "Devil possession." Some videos even claimed Seth was "a demon from hell contacted through a ouija board."
Science writer Karen Stollznow said that much of Roberts' work was "criticized for being a rip-off of Christian and Eastern philosophy." She noted that Seth's ideas influenced authors like Deepak Chopra and Louise Hay.
After Jane Roberts died, some people claimed to channel Seth. However, in Seth's first dictated book, Seth Speaks, he said that messages would only come through Jane. This was to keep the material pure. Jane Roberts also wrote that Seth denied communicating with others through automatic writing.
Complete Writings
Here are some of the books Jane Roberts wrote:
- Roberts, Jane (1966). How To Develop Your ESP Power. (Later called The Coming of Seth.)
- Roberts, Jane (1970). The Seth Material.
- Roberts, Jane (1972). Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity of the Soul.
- Roberts, Jane (1974). The Nature of Personal Reality.
- Roberts, Jane (1975). Adventures in Consciousness: An Introduction to Aspect Psychology.
- Roberts, Jane (1975). Dialogues of the Soul and Mortal Self in Time. (Poetry)
- Roberts, Jane (1976). Psychic Politics: An Aspect Psychology Book.
- Roberts, Jane (1977). The "Unknown" Reality Vol. 1.
- Roberts, Jane (1979). The "Unknown" Reality Vol. 2.
- Roberts, Jane (1977). The World View of Paul Cézanne: A Psychic Interpretation.
- Roberts, Jane (1978). The Afterdeath Journal of An American Philosopher: The World View of William James.
- Roberts, Jane (1979). Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers. (Children's literature)
- Roberts, Jane (1979). The Nature of the Psyche: Its Human Expression.
- Roberts, Jane (1981). The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events.
- Roberts, Jane (1995). The Oversoul Seven Trilogy. (This book combines three earlier novels: The Education of Oversoul 7 (1973); The Further Education of Oversoul Seven (1979); Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time (1984)).
- Roberts, Jane (1981). The God of Jane: A Psychic Manifesto.
- Roberts, Jane (1982). If We Live Again, Or, Public Magic and Private Love. (Poetry)
- Roberts, Jane (1986). Dreams, Evolution and Value Fulfillment. (Two volumes)
- Roberts, Jane (1986). Seth, Dreams and Projections of Consciousness.
- (1993). A Seth Reader. (A collection of writings edited by Richard Roberts.)
- Roberts, Jane (1995). The Magical Approach : Seth Speaks About the Art of Creative Living.
- Roberts, Jane (1997). The Way Toward Health.
- Roberts, Jane (2006). The World View of Rembrandt.
- Roberts, Jane (1997 and after). The Early Sessions. (Nine volumes of early Seth Material sessions.)
- Roberts, Jane (2003). The Personal Sessions. (Seven volumes of deleted session material.)
- Roberts, Jane. The Early Class Sessions. (Four volumes.)
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Jane Roberts
See also
- Stewart Edward White
- New Thought
