“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(In a further effort to relax, Jane worked on a painting of her own until 8:30 PM. John arrived at 8:35 with his materials and a bottle of wine. After the glaring distortions of last session Jane had decided that she must relax, witnesses or no, so as the time for the session approached the radio still played, and we played with Willy, our cat, and exchanged banter with John.

(Now John had finished his chart in the studio. While Jane continued to pace about the room, dictating in her clear strong voice, John entered, poured himself a glass of wine and lit a cigarette. I pointed to a pad and pen I had laid out in case he wanted to take his own notes. But John shook his head and settled down on the couch. Jane continued without a break.)

When and if you become proficient in the use of the third inner sense, then and only then will you be able to receive such concepts. When cognition is more or less spontaneous, then you can appreciate a concept on its own terms.

As an analogy, you live in a self-constructed box with certain self-constructed senses to enable you to perceive the boxworld that you yourself have created. Any true concept has its origins outside your box, and continues beyond it.

The third inner sense, as I have told you, will enable you to some extent to free yourselves from the constructions of past, present and future, and will permit in theory instant cognition. As far as practice is concerned you will never achieve such instant cognition, but you will be able to set aside now and then the boundaries of time, and you will be able at least to glimmer the reality and the concepts of which I speak.

No concepts can be boxed in. The reality with which we are concerned flows through your camouflage world, forms the material with which you build your constructions, permeates every atom and molecule in your world, but does not originate in your world. That is, it does not originate in your camouflage world.

This inner ego knows the outer ego well. The outer ego is but a counterfeit image of the inner ego. The outer ego as a rule is not aware of what you may think of for now as the thoughts or communications of the inner ego; but the inner ego knows every step you take, every particle of air you breathe, every dream you have; and it is the source of your own personality and is the representative of the entity of which it is part.

I am very glad that this is not test night. Shall I give you all gold stars? Nevertheless, at least you do remember to some degree. It is not remembering with which we are concerned, however. The inner senses, and this should help Philip, the inner senses deal with direct perception of reality, of inner reality.

The outer senses do not deal with direct perception of reality. The outer senses themselves are camouflage patterns, part of the necessary and essential physical body camouflage. They, the outer senses, are perceptors of camouflage patterns. They were developed on your level, to deal with your world. They are useless outside of your world. They are useless in themselves as far as enabling you to perceive inner reality. This is not their function.

The inner senses belong to you as inhabitors of a spontaneous inner reality universe. They, the inner senses, are your regardless of the particular camouflage plane you might inhabit at any given instance. Only by using the inner senses can you perceive while on your plane the inner reality of which it is part.

I have mentioned earlier the peculiar problems of your scientists as with tools and instruments they attempt to reduce reality to their terms. Any instruments made on your plane are like your outer senses, constructed to perceive camouflage patterns. The instruments of the scientists, and the outer senses themselves, are camouflage patterns and cannot, and never will, dissect themselves.

The fact remains that the inner senses are equipped to let you perceive inner reality. You can use them; and for Philip’s information the evidence of the inner senses is immediate, and vivid, and direct—much more vivid, Philip, than for example your camouflage experience of the color red. Everyone sees red differently. There is no absolute objective red but only gradations of the idea red.

You do not even perceive camouflage reality with your outer senses with any dependability. Telepathy, which belongs to the inner senses, is used constantly. Without it your languages would be meaningless. The inner senses, Philip, experience direct data instantaneously.

The table, and I’m afraid this is somewhat review, Joseph, the table as you know is not solid. Your scientists know this. Your outer senses lie when they experience the table as solid. You know this. The inner senses are not so deceived, and never have been. The inner senses experience directly the reality of which your matter is composed.

You are always receiving data from the inner senses. It is sifted through the subconscious, and when you receive it directly, or more or less directly for the first time, it can be frightening merely because of the unfamiliarity, and because of the unusual vividness. This is why I have said that the inner senses present their own evidence.

You cannot displace it completely, except at your own peril. Nevertheless you can learn to trick it. You can learn to cease focusing now and then and let the inner senses look out through the ego’s eyes.

Philip, earlier, mentioned hypnosis. Existence on your plane or any other plane is merely self-hypnosis. As far as an analogy is concerned, this one is very nearly perfect. Your existence, and mine for that matter, on any particular level is predetermined by complete concentration or focus of inner selves upon the particular universe in question. And your camouflage patterns can most aptly be compared to the hallucinary effects created by the hypnotist upon his subject.

Only in this case the hallucinary effects are actual constructions upon the plane in question, and involve problems that must be worked out. The hallucinations appear more or less consistent merely because everyone on that particular level is under the effects of self-hypnosis, and because they have already constructed hallucinary senses, the outer senses, in order to perceive the hallucinary world that they have created.

(Break at 10:35. Jane was dissociated as usual. During break John wondered about the practicality of idea-concept application in the camouflage world. He was interested because he said he had been considering, lately, his own approach to certain problems in the business world. He is a drug salesman.

I certainly do not understand, and never have, your ideas of practicality. Your misconceptions along this line are serious, and are caused to a large degree by your complete inability to look ahead even in your own terms.

The inner senses try desperately to make their knowledge plain to the individual. It is communicated through what you call hunch or intuition. It represents actual knowledge of a definite and unerasable reality.

The so-called practical solution would find you out of the organization within two years. Is this practical? Your ideas of practicality are not mine. On the other hand there will be men who will have the same sympathies as your own, and with whom you will make contact within the company, if you avoid these so-called practical solutions.

Practicality is what works, if you will forgive the colloquialism. I will not attempt to tell you what to do. Make your own decision. But a man operates to capacity, and operates in a most practical manner within your own camouflage system when he is himself.

The manipulation of camouflage material depends to a large degree upon the outside ego’s confidence, and the outside ego’s confidence is only strong when it follows the inner ego’s pattern. You can for a while fake the sort of disbelieving belief required, but your ability to sell is based upon your own confidence as an integrated and principled personality. Practically you would find your ability minimized, and do you speak to me about practicality?

There are personalities who are naturally equipped to understand if not to flatter, while having at the same time keen minds. These men will flatter your head of state through understanding, and this is important. You will ride with these men if you are true to your own instincts.