“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(We lunched with Dr. Instream at Howard Johnson’s, adjacent to the campus. This interlude was longer than we had anticipated, and after the talk had dealt with matters psychic for some little time Jane announced that she felt uneasy. She thought Seth could give a session. Dr. Instream then suggested that we go to his office where it would be private and quiet.

(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 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.

(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.)

I will not endeavor to go into this in any detail at this time. We will work within these limitations and see what we can do. The human is not innately limited... the waking state, as I have said often, is as much a trance state as any other state. Here we merely switch the focus of attention to other channels. All that is required is that we switch the attention... consider merely that all types of awareness are trance states... consciousness is the direction in which the self looks.

([Dr. Instream:] “I’m in over my depth... need time to consider what we can do, what your ideas are.”)

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.

I quail before such a possibility. I can to some extent deal with the skeptic. With the gullible I cannot deal. We will indeed at all times try to be as reasonable as possible. I do become impatient. This is a characteristic of my own. I try not to let it direct my relationships.