“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(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.

My field is indeed education, and my particular interest is that these abilities of human personality be understood and investigated. For these are not, dear Doctor, these are not sudden unnatural occurrences.

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 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.

I am very happy that I have been allowed to speak directly to you. There is in our material, if you will forgive my lack of humility, some hints and some specific remarks that will show the direction in which we can operate. I will be more than happy to work for our common goal when I am dealing with a personality who is not stupid, who is open-minded.

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.

The increase in voice will not produce fatigue. It never does. Also, there is no invasion of Ruburt. The personality with whom I am working is intelligent. For reasons that I will explain much later, it was necessary that I align myself with a personality who is both intelligent and intuitional. I do not want to shove the ego aside. I have no need or wish to shove the existing personality aside. We get along well.

There is much here to be studied about personality. From your viewpoint the information available to you can be practically endless. There is much to be learned about perceiving other realities. Trance states are only a beginning. The self is made of action. Teaching the self to expand is most important, and the ways are not difficult... this is what makes the experiment interesting. This is not beyond human abilities. The structure of the personality makes this possible.

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 said it was best to pursue a policy of denying nothing, to ignore the criticisms and go our own way. We should avoid personal polemics in the field and not get involved; just as he has always gone his own way. Jane, as Seth, sat listening intently. She nodded.)

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 said that people often do get hurt, when instead they should be protected. He knows Dr. Rhine and another director personally, and voiced suspicions about their methods.)

[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.