“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Jane and I attended the Hypnosis Symposium at Oswego State University College at Oswego, NY, on Friday evening, July 9th, and on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11, at the invitation of Dr. Instream, codirector. I had written to Dr. Instream on June 1,1965 and sent him sessions 138, 141, 142, 149, 153 and 154, plus lists of the inner senses and the basic laws of the inner universe as defined by Seth. [Jane calls the good doctor Instream in The Seth Material, C1970.]

(We had no real opportunity to talk with Dr. Instream until Sunday evening at his home, after the symposium was over. During our discussion Dr. Instream revealed that he had mailed the sessions listed above to his friend Dr. Gardner Murphy, at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, and asked for his opinion. Jane and I answered Dr. Instream’s questions as well as we could, and made an appointment to attend his Monday morning class at the college. This was to be followed by lunch with him before we left to visit my brother Bill in Rochester.

(Dr. Instream asked Jane how much of the delivery she could remember, and Jane replied that she retained a generalized memory of what had been said. Dr. Instream said the voice effect was somewhat unusual, and questioned us about Jane showing fatigue afterwards. We told him that Jane had little if any fatigue after such displays, no matter how long they might last, and referred him to the 158th session as an example. This session was among those I had left with him Sunday evening.

(Times noted indicate when Jane was in trance and when she came out of the state. When she remained in trance while Dr. Instream was speaking she listened to him intently, sitting with her eyes closed and her head cocked forward. Her voice was fairly strong as before, and very briefly at times it hit a stronger volume. She resumed as Seth at 1:59.)

(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.)

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.

I am somewhat concerned. When Ruburt’s book is published the fact of the sessions will be known. We have not had to deal with this in the past. I make no effort to direct Ruburt’s writings in any manner. What Ruburt has said in his book has been up to him, and therefore we have to deal with the results.

The meeting between the two was indeed upsetting to him.

Nevertheless, he recovered rather quickly. The experience did him much good... a practical example... had it not happened now, a much more vicious attack would have occurred at a later date.

[The other director] is too much concerned with his own personal image. He does not want to be involved with anything that may fail... this is a personal concern of his. His ego is such that it makes him, in a strange manner, often prevent the sort of effects that he seeks. He asks too much, and receives too little. He will always be that way.

(Dr. Instream agreed with Seth’s brief sketches of Dr. Rhine and the other director. He said that Dr. Rhine’s sweetness had led him into traps where his controls were not rigid enough during experiments, that his disposition was of the type that would not make him crack down. On the other hand, the other director was too strict. Dr. Instream used these examples to point out how important the correct methodology was in trying to obtain proofs in psychic investigations.