“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(The regularly scheduled session for last Wednesday, July 14, was not held because Jane and I were on vacation.

(We had indicated to Dr. Instream last week that we would record a session upon returning home, and ship him the tape for his own use. Jane and I had not used our recorder much lately, so we practiced with it last night, establishing proper distances from the microphone, and volume settings. The session was recorded with the Gallaghers as witnesses, at their home, and turned out well. There follows the little talk Jane gave on tape before the actual session began:

(“This is Jane Butts, speaking in my usual voice. My husband, Robert Butts, and I live at 458 West Water St., Elmira, NY. The date is July 19,1965, the time is about 8:30 PM. The following Seth session, number 170, is being recorded at the home of Bill and Peggy Gallagher, Pine City, NY, with them as witnesses.

(Note that Jane did not include the speed, 3 3/₄, in the above announcement.

(Jane had felt for several days that Seth would address the session to Dr. Instream, and so he did. Jane’s eyes remained closed for the entire session. She began the session while sitting down. More or less as I had anticipated, she began speaking too rapidly for me to take notes effectively, although at times during the session I was able to keep up with her. Peggy Gallagher also took notes. Thus this session is taken from the tape itself, largely, and necessitated replaying it several times.

(Jane actually began speaking at 8:57. Her voice was stronger than usual from the beginning, her manner active. The recording was begun with the footage set at 000 prior to Jane’s introduction, on Monaural One, Side One.)

(Break at 9:12. Jane had been dissociated as usual. Her eyes had been closed and she had remained seated for the entire delivery. Her voice had been stronger than usual, and she had spoken at such a rapid pace that I had not been able to keep up with her in my notes. The bulk of the above delivery is thus taken from the tape. The delivery ended with the footage registering 333 on the recorder, Mono One, Side One.

(Jane resumed in a slightly slower manner, but still too fast for my notes, at 9:20.)

(Jane had slowed her pace somewhat, and I was now having some success in keeping up with her. Peggy Gallagher evidently was having better luck; she had been writing steadily ever since the beginning of the session.)

(Break at 9:35. Jane was well dissociated as usual. Her eyes had remained closed, she had remained seated. Her voice had been strong and expressive, if somewhat on the same keel throughout the session so far. The voice effects began to show themselves after this break. Footage at break was 552, Mono One, Side One.

(Jane resumed at a good pace and in a good voice, still seated and with her eyes closed, at 9:46.)

(With the above paragraph Jane rose to her feet and her voice grew stronger. She did not move from her position before her chair, and thus the distance from her face to the microphone did not vary a great deal. I believe it increased a little. I know the angle changed somewhat, since we had set the mike on the table so it directly faced her when she was sitting down. Now she spoke from above it, but we believe the stronger voice more than made up for the increased distance, and was still able to show the variation in the volume of Jane’s voice as the session progressed. She took to her feet at about 9:50.)

(During this paragraph Jane’s voice really grew in strength and volume, although it was to become stronger later on. She began to approach the volume of the voice used in the 158th session. When these effects came on, Jane usually stood upright, with her head back to some degree; this made me think of a trumpet. Strangely enough however her mouth did not open more than an inch. And of course during these effects she displayed no evidence of strain. This voice is not a shouting voice, but simply an innately stronger voice.

(The massive voice effects continued from now on in greater or lesser degree; they will not all be listed. One will have to listen to the tape of this session to really achieve any idea of the voice range Jane displayed.)

(Jane’s voice had been very strong, very loud. Now it began to diminish.)

(Break at 10:06. Jane was dissociated as usual. She remained standing until break, with her eyes closed. Her voice was strong, quite loud at times, somewhat slower, and at times had humorous overtones. Footage 762, Mono One, Side One.

(I now had to resume the session on Mono One, Side Two. I made a brief announcement of this on the tape. I also announced the times of breaks on the tape. Jane resumed while sitting down and with her eyes closed, and in a good voice, at 10:18.)

(Jane now stood up again. As usual she remained just in front of her chair, her eyes closed, her hands thrust into the pockets of her slacks.)

(Jane’s voice again climbed the scale in volume. It became very loud and strong, rising and falling. During some passages, up until break time, the volume of sound she produced made my ears ring. I would say that in these passages she exceeded the effects produced in the last part of the 158th session. It will be remembered that the Gallaghers were witnesses to the first part of that session.

(As before, Jane, on her feet again, stood just before her chair, threw her head back, and let the sound pour out. Much of the time the great voice was humorous. She smiled often while speaking, gesturing freely. She was obviously enjoying herself.)

I may not know what is right for it, but I certainly know what is wrong. What is wrong is your limited perception. What is wrong are the arbitrary limitations which you have set upon reality; and these limitations, while set by you, nevertheless operate as if they were absolute. I say again, if any small and simple treats of voice (louder again) will serve to make supposedly sane men stand up and listen (louder, strong, very strong; Jane’s head was thrown back as though to let the great voice out unimpeded) then so I will speak out in loud and hearty tones. (If possible, even stronger here. Then the voice began to soften. Jane displayed no strain or fatigue.)

(Break at 10:40. Jane was dissociated as usual, she said. She had remained standing until break, with her eyes closed. She felt no fatigue from the voice effects. Her pace of dictation had been somewhat slower and I had been able to keep up with her. Footage at 412, Mono One, Side Two.

(Jane resumed while sitting down, with her eyes closed and in a good voice, at 10:56.)

(Jane stood up once more before her chair. Her eyes were closed. She was smiling and gesturing. Now as she spoke she leaned forward some of the time, as though getting restless at merely standing upright in one spot. And again her voice began to display pyrotechnics, first loud, then soft; partially indicated in the following paragraphs.)

(Break at 11:18. Jane was dissociated as usual, and was not displaying any undue fatigue from the long session. She remained standing until break, her eyes closed all the while. Her voice had been good, yet quieter than the really strong display of the earlier delivery, and I had been able to keep up in my notetaking. Peggy had no trouble either. Footage at 686, Mono One, Side Two.

(I did not know exactly how many feet of tape were left on our recorder, due to inexperience, yet saw that the session would have to end before too long or we would run out of tape first. Although Seth/Jane started out in a relatively quiet manner on this last delivery, another voice display, perhaps even better, began to develop. Jane resumed the session while sitting down and with her eyes closed. Her pace was faster, and after a few sentences she rose to her feet once more. Resume at 11:29.)

(Jane’s voice had been slowly growing in volume since last break. Seth now pulled out more stops than ever before, I believe. The voice display now became deafening. My ears rang, off and on, for the next few paragraphs. I saw Peggy and Bill blinking. Jane merely stood in front of her chair, head thrown back. As stated before she exhibited no strain in producing these stunning effects. The electric eye on the recorder closed, meaning that it was recording, as far as I know, at maximum volume.)

(End at 11:45. Jane had been dissociated as usual. She remained standing in her accustomed spot until the end of the session. Her eyes had remained closed, her voice had been good all the way, with some very strong and vibrant passages. In my opinion these exceeded the loud passages in the 158th session. Jane had cleared her throat a few times toward the end of the session, but now displayed no strain, or unusual fatigue.

(This point was abundantly made, for although we did not know it at the time, the session was due to resume at midnight. At the moment the footage scale on the recorder read 860, Mono One, Side Two. We had a little tape left, so I decided to use it to demonstrate for others the fact of Jane’s immunity to voice fatigue. The following is taken from the tape verbatim, and includes a statement from Bill Gallagher, who witnessed the session with his wife Peggy. It was made immediately after the end of the session; perhaps a few minutes were lost here when I made a false start on the recorder, due to inexperience, and had to start the exchange between Jane and myself over.

([RB:] “This is Robert Butts. All right Jane, how do you feel?”

([Jane:] “All right already.” [Voice light and chipper.]

([Jane:] “Same as ever.”

([Jane:] “Never does.”

([Jane:] “You know I don’t.” [Laughing.]

([BG:] “This is Bill Gallagher. I want to verify the fact that the 170th Seth session was held in my home on Holden Road, where it was witnessed by my wife and myself on July 19,1965, from 8:57 to 11:45. What you hear on these tapes has in fact occurred, and Jane was within view at all times; and I don’t know what else I can add, other than the fact that it was a very astounding presentation.”

([Jane:] “This is Jane Butts. I just wanted to add that Peggy and Bill, in some way we don’t understand, seem to be of a great help in our sessions. And whenever they come to our sessions I seem to feel some kind of reinforcement that I don’t quite understand either, that appears to be most helpful.”

([RB:] “This is Robert Butts again, speaking two days later on July 21st. I would like to add that the 170th session, which you have just heard, and which formally ended at 11:45 PM last Monday, July 19, resumed that night at midnight. It involved an informal exchange between Jane, Seth, Bill and Peggy Gallagher and myself, and lasted until about 1:30 AM. Our tape was almost exhausted and so it was not recorded. Seth also stated he did not care particularly to have it on tape, or have notes taken. During this exchange Seth was in an excellent good humor. I joked with him about the voice display, and he responded with another which was both stronger and longer-lasting than the one on tape here. Our ears rang, really, before it was over. And when it was over at last, and we were all weary, Seth, or Jane, was as capable as ever. Jane had no voice strain or fatigue that we could detect. Seth said he could continue until dawn, and I believe it quite possible. Jane just threw her head back and let the sound come out.”

(The session resumed without preamble at midnight. Our active discussion after I had finished with the tape brought it about, and it involved an exchange between Jane, Seth, Bill and Peggy, and myself, in the manner of the 169th session held in Dr. Instream’s office.

(Seth was rather loathe to discuss the statue at first, but kept throwing out bits of information about it in between his protests. During this time Jane remained seated, her eyes closed. The statue, of a mythological or Godlike being in a sitting position with its arms upraised, did come from Tibet, Seth said—a small area in a southwestern corner of the country. I asked him for the name and he said he did not think Ruburt could pronounce it. The closest he could come via spelling was S-w-a-s-o-o-w-a-n. Swasoowan.

(I joked with Seth about the great voice effects, and Seth agreed that he had not yet reached the peak in voice effects, at least as far as volume went. Whereupon Jane rose to her feet again and treated us to a voice display that in my opinion exceeded to some small degree the voice effects we had taped this evening. This was a prolonged display that lasted more or less for the balance of the session, and seemingly could have continued until dawn without effort on Jane’s part, just as Seth said. The volume of sound hurt my ears at times.

(What I think could be a very important point now came up when Peggy asked Seth about the question of proofs. Seth said that proofs she would accept would not be accepted by science. One proof to come, he said, would involve very strong facial changes in Jane during sessions. When I asked if these could be photographed he said yes.

(To recap: Seth also said, referring to photographic proof of facial changes in Jane, that if she took the photographs for instance [Peggy is a reporter for the Elmira Star-Gazette], she would be accused of collusion with Jane and myself.

(Jane’s poetry and my paintings were good, and would achieve their own kind of immortality.

(There was more to this part of the session, but I believe that between us Peggy and I covered most categories discussed. End between 1:30 and 1:45 AM. Jane seemed as fresh as ever. The rest of us had had it.)