“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

We are dealing with delicate balances that must be maintained. With the schedule that I have suggested the inner energies are vividly and intensely focused, but for a short period of your time. This allows for an excellent utilization of the abilities already developed, and permits, again, excellent concentrated inner focus. Too many attempts at this time do not permit this brief but excellent intensification, and can lead to that peculiar semitrance state in which Ruburt found himself last week.

I do not approve of a whole day being given over to the sort of experimentation carried on by Ruburt last week in the Father Trainor sessions. In one respect I do agree with Ruburt, in that any future experiments with friends would be of better advantage carried out using chairs at a table, and actually making as few suggestions as possible.

A few drinks, again, are even beneficial, but too many drinks do not belong.

I quite understand Ruburt’s curiosity when Father Trainor’s voice did indeed come through, although far from perfectly. And it did represent another phase of Ruburt’s developing abilities. But these abilities must be trained. I do believe that Ruburt has learned an important lesson. As his abilities do develop, it is even more important that he take walks, and that some frequency in daily contact with others is maintained.

I do not mean daily social hours. Now and then experiments with guests are fine. However, his energies on weekends as a rule should be more outgoing, and I am sorry that it has been necessary to curtail your dancing activities. Going out is an excellent way of recharging energies, by contrast. Spontaneous short humorous plays, such as you sometimes do with your recorder, is an enjoyable relaxation.

I am not saying that you should not talk about our sessions or allied subjects with friends, only that one night or sometimes two, of social discourse should certainly contain some more outward enjoyments. It would do Ruburt no harm either to resume his painting. His time as a rule is very busily engaged, and usually with mental work. It is all the more important therefore that his leisure have some outward aspect to it, and when possible of an active nature.

Surely you can have enjoyable evenings at home without experiments, though again at times these have their place. Our sessions themselves are always in a state of becoming. We hope to become more proficient. I do not want Ruburt to become overinvolved. I would prefer that he channels his new abilities mainly, though not exclusively, in our sessions.

I do not see any other adjustments needed at this time.

I am very pleased with both of your experiments and with your progress, and particularly, Joseph, with your portrait work. You will do very well along this line.

One small note. Upon another occasion I would like to speak about Mark’s recent seizure. He is very loyal, particularly to you, Joseph, and is indeed in his own way as trustworthy a friend as you have ever had; this having to do with past experiences also.

My very best wishes to you both. We shall have an excellent session Wednesday, when I hope to finish up some of the material which we have been discussing, at least. Even I, through you, look forward to your springtime. If now and then you ever want an additional session, under most circumstances I will agree. I do not mean extra sessions for witnesses particularly, since these sessions are open to anyone who is sincerely interested. I simply mean that if you ever feel the desire for an additional session, I would comply.

Again, my best and most fond wishes to both of you. I do not mean to be hard with Ruburt, but I did wish to make necessary suggestions which I felt were needed now.

(End at 10:37. Jane was well dissociated. Once in a while Jane and I have discussed extra sessions, but usually we do not have the time, particularly when other experiments like the one involving Father Trainor crop up. Occasionally we would like a session dealing with some specific problem, and may try this approach. Also one involving questions and answers.)

(When I finished this I kept wondering about it. Why hadn’t I thought to record it? What was the change in my voice? Had I imagined or elaborated on perhaps just a small change? I tried to do it over, on tape. The reading this time was not as striking as the first time, but still there was certainly something definitely going on.

(After lunch I decided to try again. At lunch I played the tape for Rob, then while posing for him I suggested to myself that I would go into a trance as soon as I began to read, and that Father Trainor would indeed use his voice to speak through me, if he was available. I then started all over again with the readings. Except, for what reason I do not know, I turned the recorder on but forgot to depress the “record” button.

(This performance was as good as the first one. I felt carried away by the voice, almost outside of myself, very light and disconnected from this voice. But I do recall that the book itself, which I held as I paced, was heavy. I grew cold and tingled as I read. My hands perspired quite a bit, perhaps from holding the book. Rob came out of his studio to listen to me. When I discovered that I had recorded nothing this time I felt cheated, because to me this reading had been most unusual.

(I was so angry that I did the whole thing over again. Lepanto is a four-page poem. This time the performance was about like the second one, already recorded. Perhaps if I feel subjectively right about doing it again, I may try it tonight. I don’t know where the volume comes from, the deep manlike tones. Perhaps it is what actors call merely projection, breathing from the diaphragm. I wasn’t conscious of breathing any differently than usual, but if this was a subconscious production that wouldn’t make any difference. But where would the male aspect enter, unless it be a woman’s attempt to mimic as best she could the voice of a man she had admired?

(This voice was not the Seth voice by any means. Even at its strongest Seth’s voice is a dry and intellectual one. The Father Trainor voice was very emotional by contrast. I do not believe that the Father Trainor voice at its best exceeded Seth at his best, and vice versa.