“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Concentration. (Jane dictates:) Yet ego is relaxed. The cat focuses upon one thing at a time even though it has no strong ego. So Jane concentrates while I give her the messages, even though it is not her ego which is concentrating. You get a subconscious focus different in many ways from conscious concentration. In this state the attention is focused inward rather than outward, and it is the inner senses more than the outer that are being exercised. The cat is doing the same thing in his way that Jane is, and in the particular situation you are thinking of his inner senses, that is the cat’s, were focused in my direction.

Incidentally I do have access to your conscious and unconscious minds, but only when you permit it. Consciously neither of you are aware of the subtle permission or refusal of permission that you yourselves give. And as far as suggestion is concerned, since you both have been reading along these lines, there is a point where the most suggestible of persons is beyond reach.

What they do is take quick glimpses of your plane—and hold in mind that the saucer or cigar shape seen on your planet is a bastard form having little relation to the structure as it is at home base. At a later date I may go into the inhabitants of that plane more thoroughly, but as it is I am not acquainted with them very much myself. There are so many things that you do not understand that I hope to explain to you. There are other things that you do not understand that I cannot explain to you, simply because they would be too alien now for your regular mode of thought.

(Tired consciousness sometimes yields good results; so may a clogged-up consciousness. The middle state is usually too concerned with practical matters. Bill Macdonnel should be good in seance sessions, though he is somewhat like mercury, changeable; at times he may not do well, other times good. James Spaziani might be good. [Our landlord.]

(Malba said connection with her could be renewed by asking questions. Seth, she said, was an excellent teacher, a philosopher where she was not. Don’t be discouraged, remember poor Ouija sessions before success. We have been preparing ourselves for this since before our marriage nine years ago, but marriage reinforced our energies. Ego spits like a cat to maintain conscious control, but will relax when it sees it can come to itself whenever it chooses. A drink helps, a darkened room, pre-seance preparation.

(We will get better results if we don’t look for cheap tricks; but even those who do have to have discipline; if you are sincere you need even more. The work with Seth is a lifetime project for us. We will get the material published and inform others. As a medium, I may be able to contact deceased friends and relatives. I will have to try our abilities via trial and error, since they vary with individuals. The York Beach experience was a trigger toward more conscious experimentation on our part.

(Speaking of worry, she said we were much better now along that line. Isolation was good when it expanded. When your mind is consciously tight it is like closing a switch; and when you open up you turn off the switch. Rob asked if I could travel in astral body outside room, she said possibly. We should experiment along our lines of interest: Bill with his travel experiences, Rob with his visions, me with my dreams of levitation. Malba said there is no sensation as far as medium is concerned when ectoplasm emerges.