170 Seths Deafening Voice and the Invisible Table

Insight Report: The "Sly" Educator and the Trance of Reality

Welcome to the deep dive into Session 170 of The Early Sessions, Book 4 of the Seth Material, recorded on the evening of July 19, 1965. Grab a drink, kick back, and let’s explore what happens when a "personality no longer focused in physical reality" decides to show off some vocal pyrotechnics at a friend's house.

This session was recorded at the home of Bill and Peggy Gallagher in Pine City, NY. It’s got everything: technical difficulties with a Sears Silvertone recorder, Seth calling scientists "fuddy-duddies," and a very loud demonstration of what Jane Roberts’ vocal cords could do when she wasn't technically the one using them.

Key Insights from the Session

• The Reality of the Trance: Seth drops a truth bomb on Dr. Instream (and the rest of us) by explaining that our "normal" waking life is actually just another form of a trance. He argues that consciousness is merely a direction of focus. If you’re looking at a table, it exists; if your focus is elsewhere, it doesn’t.
• The "Dilemma" of Proof: Seth explains why providing "scientific proof" of his existence is such a headache. He uses a chillingly simple analogy: if a man in a trance is told a table doesn't exist, he won't see it. Similarly, science is "in a trance" focused only on the physical, making it nearly impossible to see anything else.
• Mental Suggestion as the Foundation: According to Seth, reality isn't a hard, cold fact; it’s built on automatic and continuous mental suggestion. He claims that without it, you wouldn't even take your next breath.
• Vocal Power without the Fatigue: To humor Dr. Instream's request for "visual aids" (or in this case, auditory ones), Seth cranks up the volume. Jane—who Seth calls "Ruburt"—began speaking in a voice so loud and deep it made the witnesses' ears ring. The kicker? Despite hours of "bellowing," Jane’s voice remained perfectly fine, showing no signs of strain.
• The Sly Educator: Seth repeatedly refers to himself as a "sly" educator. He’s not interested in being a circus act; he wants to get his ideas across. He’s willing to pull a few "magician’s tricks" (like clairvoyance or loud voices) if that’s what it takes to make "supposedly sane men stand up and listen."
• The Swasoowan Statue: In an informal post-session chat, Seth gave some unsolicited historical data on a Tibetan statue owned by the Gallaghers. He traced it back to a 12th-century origin (reproduced in the 18th century) involving a Jesuit missionary named Father Hogan and a move from Hong Kong to San Francisco in 1905.

Selected Quotes for Analysis

To illustrate Seth’s wit and his perspective on reality, here are some highlights from the session:

• "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."
• "I am as I told you an educator, and as such my main concern is with education, is with ideas... and as a practical personality I am as sly as any psychologist ever thought of being."
• "If I materialized in full sight of twenty good and weighty witnesses, what indeed would this prove to those who would not accept the proof? They would indeed insist that twenty good and worthy witnesses were under the influence of suggestion."
• "Though I have Ruburt speak in tones as deep and ungodly as a frog’s, this will mean nothing... Those who will not see, will not see. And those who will not listen, they will not listen."

Find and explore the archives at the New Awareness Network website and bookstore: sethcenter.com/the-early-sessions.