“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(To digress a moment: As predicted by Seth in the 168th session of July 7, Jane and I did find ourselves involved with three men in particular, one of whom is younger, at the symposium. Two of these men are physicians in their fifties, with whom we became rather well acquainted at lunches, etc., and exchanged addresses. The third man is a psychology instructor at the college, perhaps in his late thirties. On Saturday evening he leafed through some of the Seth material briefly, then pronounced it the work of a clever schizophrenic. This upset Jane briefly but she recovered well. During our Sunday evening visit, Dr. Instream demolished the young psychologist’s diagnosis rather easily.

(Seth also said in the 168th session that we would make an appointment, as we obviously did to see Dr. Instream privately. Over coffee Monday, Dr. Instream asked if we had read F. W. H. Myers’ Human Personality. Seth had said we would be asked to read a book, but Dr. Instream did not insist that we read this work. We also bought two books by Dr. Instream at the college bookstore Monday noon.

(This is but the second session we have held outside of Elmira, the other being the 89th, of September 19,1964, held at my brother’s home in Rochester, NY, before three witnesses. Jane was now a little concerned at having a session away from home and in daylight. At the same time she had wanted to hold a session for Dr. Instream, feeling this would explain more about the sessions than any other method could.

(Jane began speaking while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Her eyes remained closed for the entire session. Her voice was stronger than normal, and echoed somewhat in the crowded office. At times it became louder, but never approached the volume of the 158th session, for example. Her pace was rather fast, and she used many gestures while speaking as Seth. I had to ask Seth to slow down several times during the first part of the session.

We are dealing with inherent abilities of human personality, whether or not the personality is focused within physical matter, but I am indeed aware of the difficulties which shall be encountered. I appreciate your interest and concern. I have some difficulties with Ruburt’s own rather stubborn attitude at times; but we must also take this into consideration, and so we shall.

I will indeed see what experiments can be made, working within the limitations that are, unfortunately, what we now have to deal with. At a future regular session, I will endeavor in a more specific manner to discuss what can be done here, and what cannot be done. We can do much, much we cannot do. But since we do understand both the potentialities and the limitations, then we can indeed make the best of what we have.

I have said this often, but I meet you for the first time: I am indeed no misty-eyed ghostly spirit, materializing in the middle of the night. I am simply an intelligent personality no longer bound by your physical laws. Nevertheless these are limitations, when I must accept these physical laws in order to prove to pompous nincompoops that what we, you and I, know exist does in fact exist.

I will seriously endeavor to do what I can do, considering our circumstances. We need have no worries concerning the personality with whom I work, since there is by now some sort of a rapport that will work for us. My cooperation can be counted upon. It goes without saying that all of this cannot happen overnight, but we shall begin.

For Ruburt’s and Joseph’s sakes, I stayed well within the bounds of propriety. I do not overtly speak out against men who have no imagination, and little concept of any reality but their own. But if we work together, I will reserve for myself the privilege of saying to them what I choose. Otherwise I shall work well within the bounds of propriety. But if they will deal with me, so shall I deal with them.

I will not keep you. Like myself, you are a busy man. But I will see what can be done, and we shall work along those lines, taking into consideration the potential, and quite human, limitations.

(End at 1:50. Jane had been fairly well dissociated, she said. Her eyes had been closed, her voice good but nothing exceptional.

Irregardless of our particular interests, I look forward to long conversations with you on less formal topics... like yourself, I am independent. We have many fields of common interests... the personality should always be considered in an elemental way as patterns of action. It is never stable. When you attempt to tamper with various levels you change it. When you crack an egg to discover what is inside you ruin the egg. There are other ways to get inside the egg, and they are not too difficult to do... you have the sort of mind, Dr. Instream, that will be of great benefit to us here. We do not need a hammer to crack the eggshell. I am an egghead, but I do not need a hammer to be cracked.

Your attitude may enable us to get some proofs. But others who say this does not exist will never get proof. All of our evidence will not be of a nebulous sort. If we succeed, some of it will be definite.

We will make definite efforts in that direction. There will be a time lag while I build up Ruburt’s acceptability in this direction, but I anticipate no difficulty. My boundaries are different than yours...we will attempt to discover what we can.

For my own enjoyment I use such tricks at times. Such effects have served to increase the confidence of Ruburt...I am not a pompous ass. The voice can occur at any time, but it is hardly the kind of evidence with which, Doctor, you are concerned.

(Dr. Instream talked of bringing a couple of others into the sessions but did not mention them to us by name. He stressed that it was best to be very careful about inviting others to participate. Also he mentioned that he would like an example of voice effects on tape, as long as we had a recorder, and we discussed mailing the tapes to him from Elmira. Jane then went back into trance as Seth again at 2:48.)

We will, as a gesture of good will, see that you will have a voice display on tape. I realize that this is but a gesture on my part. Then we will consider more serious possibilities, as far as evidence is concerned.

I am an excellent debater. I can hold my own in any conversation. Forgive my lack of humility. I can hold my own with your good doctor in New York, I can take him for you... I also know my own limitations, but I do respond to human relationships.

The peoples of the East know more about this, but they have closed their eyes to the human conditions of existence... they live in poverty and filth, and there is no real reason for this. Experiments in expansion can be carried on that I will be glad to discuss with you... they can be for the use of any intelligent personality.

([Dr. Instream:] “I can help Ruburt meet such problems... some people get steamed up over this subject. The criticisms could hurt if you weren’t prepared... but we can ignore such critics.”)

Yes, but you have had to put up with very much. This is indeed unfortunate. Your own potentials should have been given much greater reign. The human personality continually both amazes me, amuses me, and completely appalls me. Charlatans are often more deeply rewarded... I ask you to forgive my extended monologue.

([Dr. Instream:] “No, that’s all right, it gives me insight... tells me who I’m dealing with. The book will be criticized... a barrage of criticism. It can’t be helped... but Ruburt must be rendered unsusceptible....”

That sweetness allows for spontaneity, and explains why many of his cases succeeded. But for entirely different reasons Dr. Rhine also gets too involved, and the end result is the same... we can get effects, but the laboratory atmosphere will not help us.