“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(This was our first attempt at recording Jane’s voice during a session. We knew little about operating the recorder yet, although the night before Jane had successfully recorded a hypnosis session in which she had helped me with my back trouble.

(We had but a 5-inch reel, and since the hypnosis material was also on this reel we didn’t think we could record the whole Seth session, even with 4-track technique. But Jane set up the recorder, placed the mike on a coffee table near the center of the room, and ran a few feet of tape to make sure her voice was picked up from any part of the room. She then rewound the tape, recorded her name, the time and the date, and switched the set off. This was done by 8:45.

(Jane stood up. She switched on the recorder, then began to pace and dictate as usual.)

I know quite well that your toy is recording. This bothers me in no way whatsoever. Ruburt is aware of the droning of the machine but this will pass. And congratulations, my dear friends, on our 25th anniversary. You will be much older by the time I get through with you.

(By now Jane was pacing around the room at a fast rate, back and forth past the recorder. Her eyes had darkened. She displayed practically no voice or hand phenomena during the session.)

(Break at 9:27. I announced the time aloud, we made a few comments on how the session was going, then Jane shut off the recorder. She was not nervous by now, as usual. We had the machine set to record at the slowest speed possible, in order to make the tape last. When Jane felt Seth coming on again, she turned on the recorder, I announced the time, and Jane began to dictate once more. Resume at 9:31.)

Music exists and can be played on a phonograph. Sights can be captured by camera. But you do not expect music to come from a camera. You do not expect a phonograph to take pictures, yet while you are listening to music from a phonograph this does not mean, even to you, that cameras do not record sight. You are expecting the outer senses to do something they are not capable of doing, of receiving or performing in a way that is alien to them. You are expecting them to act like a camera that can pick up music, and because the camera does not pick up music you are saying that music does not exist.

(Break at 10:00. Before turning off the recorder Jane spoke into it, saying that if I could write faster she could talk faster. In regard to her fast pacing, she said it was no effort at all, that she felt as though she could “take off.” Nor does she have any idea “of what I am going to say next, or anything.”

(During break Jane had to flip the reel on the recorder because the tape was almost used up. This took a few minutes. When finally all was set, she turned on the recorder and resumed her dictating and fast pacing at 10:12.)

I think your new toy is fascinating. I did not have anything of that nature to play around with, and I doubt that Frank Watts even knew recorders existed. I hope that my friend Ruburt made the right adjustments.

(Break at 10:35. Jane turned off the recorder, not wishing to speak into it until her voice had “returned” to her. At times she felt this way subjectively about Seth taking over her voice, though outwardly during this session there had been little change. When Jane began dictating again, for the first time her voice became somewhat louder and heavier. Resume at 10:38.)

(Break at 11:10. Recorder off while we rested. Jane switched it back on and resumed her dictation at 11:15.)

(Along in here the recorder abruptly ran out of tape. The noise of the flapping end was startling. But the machine switched itself off, and Jane did not interrupt her dictation.)