“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Your attentions are indeed focused elsewhere. You are in a trance as well as Ruburt is in a trance state now. This is far from unusual. I use you, dear Doctor Instream, only as an example. Consciousness of any kind is merely the direction in which the self looks. I told you this at our brief meeting. Consciousness is the focus, the direction of focus. Your ordinary consciousness is as much a trance state as any trance state induced through hypnotism. Therefore it is nearly impossible to convince a subject in trance that something he does not see exists.

Though objects upon the table be dearly familiar to him, in his trance state he will not recall them. Any sentiment involved with the objects on the table, such sentiment will disappear and have no meaning. The ordinary state of consciousness is no different from that trance state. You have merely turned the focus of your attention into different realities. My attention, and my reality, is mainly focused in another direction.

Adequate scientific proofs, such as science so surely needs, requires the enlargement of consciousness; not, my dear doctor, on my part, but on the part of science. There are some things that I can indeed do, and I will do what I can. Nevertheless the fact remains that I am indeed extending myself, and my dear doctor it is science which is not extending itself, and it is science that will not meet reality halfway.

Therefore it is not overplaying the point to say that all psychic phenomena is caused by suggestion. For my dear doctor, without suggestion, without automatic and continuous suggestion, no human being would breathe one breath. I am indeed happy to be able to speak to you in this manner. There are several points that I would like to cover this evening, for I have you here now, you see, where you cannot talk back to me.

My dear Doctor Instream, I will speak slower, since my friends are having trouble keeping up their notes. We must also take this into consideration.

Therefore it is also highly difficult for me to prove my own existence to you, for you are not focused within my field of attention. You are focused within the physical universe. I will indeed go along with this endeavor. It is nevertheless a difficult one. I understand most thoroughly, my dear Doctor Instream; I know, again, with whom I am dealing. You, at this point in our acquaintanceship, have little to lose by being so kind to me, and so permissive and sympathetic in your attitude. I say this because we understand each other very well.

There is indeed no reason for you, in your position, to jump in with both feet and wild erratic enthusiasm. Nor, my dear doctor, is there any reason at this point why I should leap in with both feet, and with wild unrestrained enthusiasm. I am working through and with Ruburt. Ruburt is a writer by profession and I am, again, a rather sly individual, for Ruburt will express my views for me, and this is what I am interested in.

I am interested in education. You, my dear doctor, are interested in visual aids. This is all right. We are in a very basic manner interested in the same matters. It occurs to me once more that I am speaking too swiftly for our notetakers, and I will once again endeavor to slow down. As far, incidentally, as automatic speech is concerned, let me say that there is nothing compulsive in Ruburt’s speaking. He allows me to speak indeed. I have his politeness to thank that he does not interrupt me, but his speaking is not compulsive in that he is so driven.

All right now. You may be interested to some degree, dear Doctor Instream, in the sort of personality through whom I speak. I wanted a personality who was at the same time both intelligent and intuitional. I wanted an ego which was well balanced, healthy and strong. Yet I also wanted a personality which would allow itself the spontaneity necessary, and the inner freedom, so that such communications could take place. A personality without basic stability would not serve my purposes, and a personality that was too rigid in its beliefs and abilities would not serve my purposes well.

I know that our notetakers are by now weary, and I am indeed most appreciative of their efforts in my behalf. I will ask you to bear with me, dear Doctor Instream, and we will shortly return to our small chat.

I can indeed give you, and quite easily, evidence of clairvoyance, and I will in future sessions. But my dear Doctor Instream, what will this prove? It will not prove my existence to those who will not accept it. It will simply be said that Ruburt is clairvoyant.

For though we do have the same interests there are many areas in which we do not now agree. But I will see if I cannot bring you around; and if you will forgive me my dear doctor, this humility of yours is indeed overdone. There is nothing of what I have said that you do not understand, your comments to the contrary. You pretend with yourself. If you will forgive me, for I am speaking to you as one old crony to another, you are too sly to stand up straight and say who you are, and what you are, and accept the responsibility for your own abilities. You do not want the world mad at you.

What you have needed, and if you have the sense to perceive it, and I think you have, was a situation where both logic and intuitions were allowed full play. We will have much to do with each other, my dear doctor, and you know already that this case is one for which you have long waited.

You will not have the framework within which I exist. My existence is not dependent upon your recognition of it, any more than your existence is dependent upon my recognition of you. You will exist whether or not I admit that you are real. And so my dear friend, I shall exist whether or not you accept my reality.

And may I also say that if voice effects are necessary in order that you read my material, then my dear doctor voice effects galore shall you receive. (Very loud.) For I am above all things, once again, an educator, and as such like all educators I am sly, and you shall receive whatever effects you require in my good time. And you will therefore be intrigued enough to read the material which I have presented, and I will get my point across.

I am myself quite happy, and somewhat amused by our relationship, my dear doctor, for in many areas we are indeed very much alike. I know and I appreciate the fact that you are not a young man. I know indeed that you lean toward a belief in immortality, while at the same time you cannot entirely accept the possibility without some sort of scientific proof.

I am also quite aware of the cruelty that would be involved if I led you on in this endeavor without due consideration. I can only tell you that I appreciate both your objectivity and your beliefs. I will do my best, my dear doctor, to satisfy you in both respects. You may call it chance. You may call it if you choose coincidence. You may name it in whatever way pleases you: nevertheless, it is because of my personal rapport with you that I will bother with any displays at all.

Your terms mean nothing. If I sound aggressive, you must indeed read between the lines. I have said often that I am not humble, in your terms. Yet in many ways I recognize only too well the limits of my own knowledge and potentialities. You know what I mean, my dear Dr. Instream, when I say that this case will give you what you want.

I will now suggest a brief break, and we will then conclude our brief session. I regret, my dear doctor, that it remains a monologue.

I am no secondary personality. There is no case of multiple personality here. What you have if you take advantage of it, is Ruburt’s personality, which with Joseph’s help is capable and willing to perceive more than one reality at once. You will not, my dear doctor, get a second chance in this endeavor.

Let it not be said that I do not cooperate; and before twenty psychologists, my dear friend, we shall be most willing to comply. But we have our conditions, and if your conditions shall be met (very loud here, to slowly subside) my dear friend, then so shall mine. (Loud again.) We will give and take. I shall not give and give. If you consider this display a childish one, then let me remind you that I consider your requests in the same manner.