“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(On Saturday January 8 Jane and I received a letter from Dr. Instream, asking that Seth do his best to give data on but one object during tests. Dr. Instream also mentioned his difficulty in attempting to repeat an experiment with ESP cards, involving odds of a million-and-a-half to one. Jane and I mentioned that we would like Seth to say something on both points in tonight’s session.

They are equipped to focus along particular directions. This material will be extremely interesting when we come to it. It is extremely difficult for a psychological structure to view itself, for in order to do so it must lift itself from the limitations and abilities of its own nature. In many realities such scrutiny is simply impossible, while the structure operates in a given fashion.

Gradually psychological structures are able to focus upon vaster areas, and in order to achieve proficiency in this manner you do indeed begin to build up layered selves that have been independent identities. These varying perceptive abilities organize so that their perceptive powers are pooled in a gestalt that eventually forms a new identity, a more complicated psychological structure that is capable of perceiving larger areas of reality.

I am speaking now of course of both of you. That is, each of you should by now be aware of such an emerging psychological unit. It is the result of your ability to step out of your own system to some small extent, for you cannot do this until you are ready. For the very attempt, or successful attempt, results in an extension of the self out of the system in which you were nurtured.

From the viewpoint of this emerging self you can view to some extent the system in which the earlier self was mainly imprisoned. Now I speak of imprisonment. I do not speak in terms of compulsory confinement however. Your perceptions simply kept you where you were. You could not clearly see even where you were, for the dimensions were not clear to you from the inside. You could not scale the wall, so to speak. You had to grow taller, if you will forgive me for using another analogy.

I do have a few words for Dr. Instream. I believe I mentioned earlier that an object will work best if it has emotional significance for him.

I have some impressions concerning the ESP cards. A student with brown hair. I seem to get the initial E, though I do not know if this is a first, last or middle initial.

I seem to pick up a similarity somewhere between Dr. Instream and the student involved—a similarity in name, I do not know. He believes and expects success in his hypnosis experiments, and that is why he attains success. We shall however achieve what we want.

Do you have a test for me Joseph?

Now. We shall see what we can do.

Something to do with money. Ruburt thinks of a money order. This is his personal association, because of your recent activities.

Your brother, pictures. An afternoon. Now a series of impressions having to do with the pictures taken by your brother Loren, of Ruburt.

Now. I saw immediately what we were doing here.

The November event I believe had to do with an occasion when your Ann visited here, but it is hardly adequate.

Contrary to popular thought, while everyone has so-called psychic abilities, they must be trained in specific areas of accomplishment. This is what we are doing.

(End at 10:57. Jane was dissociated as usual. Her eyes were closed for the most part. She said that in poor tests she is aware of a slight feeling of strain, mentally, that could be compared to the physical feeling of strain involved when she doesn’t do a Yoga exercise quite right, or goes a little too far without adequate preparation.)