Squirrels and Change
L. Ron Hubbard defined “squirrel” as,
1. a squirrel is doing something entirely different. He doesn’t understand any of the principles so he makes up a bunch of them to fulfill his ignorance, foists them off on a pc and gets no place. (SH Spec 77, 611C08).
2. Those who engage in actions altering Scn, and offbeat practices. (ISE, p. 40). –v. change and invent processes. (HCOB 15 Jan 70 II).” In HCO PL 14 Feb 65, he defined “squirreling” as, “altering Scientology, offbeat practices. It is a bad thing.”
Comparing anyone who would try something different to a rodent is a travesty of reasoning. And an insult to the animal kingdom.
Scientology is the only modern organization of which I’m familiar where innovation is considered a crime—an actual crime by their own written policy.
Where trying to improve results by varying a process is the equivalent to stabbing your mother in the back.
Where technology developed decades ago is inviolate and must remain unchanged.
Where therapy with a low success rate is considered “workable,” and should not be tweaked, tampered with, or made better.
Then again, when dealing with religion, want of doctrinal change and innovation is par for the course.
From Stone Wheel to Crystalline Chip
Believing LRH’s tech could never be improved is akin to believing the 1969 VW Bug was the ultimate driving machine. Imagine if Henry Ford had declared his Model T Ford was the height of automotive technology and his engineers had thrown down their pencils and walked away from their drafting tables. Gild the assembly line, shut down R & D, and step away!
Thinking LRH had everything right is like thinking charcoal and hibachis are the ne plus ultra of cooking technology. Or that the Chinese had reached the pinnacle of mathematical computational ingenuity by their invention of the abacus. If medical scientists had stopped researching new forms of antibiotics after Sir Alexander Fleming had discovered Penicillin, half the world would be dead by now.
Imagine if the early designers of a particular technology had declared their discoveries and inventions could not be improved upon. And that questioning their methodology was a crime. Then imagine people accepting the hype!
What’s remarkable—and sad—is how cleverly LRH convinced so many people that only he all the answers. That deviating even slightly from his straight and narrow path to spiritual ascendancy would result in personal ruin—and even cancer! (Or civilization would crumble and die by omitting a Division 5 from his vaunted Organization Board.)
KSW is a masterpiece in brainwashing.
Curdled Pudding
If Scientology had grown and prospered as LRH predicted, I’d be more apt to believe that meddling with his methods was misguided. If Earth was anywhere near going “clear,” I might be more inclined to step back and allow his processes to play out. As they say, though, the proof is in the pudding.
Not only has Scientology been floundering for years, the organization has harmed thousands. More people have walked away than remain. The few left holding the cans are nearing an age when they will have to “choose a new body.” Drop by any of its churches and see for yourself. Each of four “ideal” orgs I’ve visited were as lively as a dive bar at closing time.
Catch-22 and Closets
Poor church leader David Miscavige is caught in a quandary. Per strict LRH policy, nothing about Scientology is allowed to be changed, altered, or modified. Not one word. Not one punctuation mark. Nothing. Nada. Bubkus. Research and development are big no-no’s. Changing anything LRH wrote is strictly prohibited. Even those parts of his tech and policy that clearly don’t work cannot be revisited, much less revised. Per Keeping Scientology Working, David Miscavige cannot change anything. His hands are tied. The man is stuck.
On the other hand, if he doesn’t adapt and try something new, Scientology will continue circling the drain and flush itself down the toilet.
One of his solutions has been to make changes in LRH’s tech and policy under the pretense that previous HCOBs and HCOPLs were altered by suppressive persons within the organization. DM maintains he’s simply restoring the tech to its original, unspoiled state. He’s done this in part by claiming he’s “found” original, unblemished, LRH work that was supposedly lost and/or hidden. In one of his more fanciful fairytales, he professed discovering a box of original, handwritten LRH papers in the back of a closet.
I can’t wait to see how he and his acolytes craft OT 9 and 10—and how many people believe the two levels were actually written by LRH.
The Purge
Since modifying LRH tech and policy is taboo, DM eliminated all the high-ranking Scientology staff that were in a position to oppose him by assigning them to the infamous Hole.
Enough said.
Failures
Unfortunately for Mr. Miscavige, all his changes to Scientology have been colossal failures. The “gains” from “Superpower” have been transitory, at best. Ideal orgs sit idle. Revamping Scientology dictionaries, courses, and rundowns haven’t caused a decline in “MU phenomena,” much less, an uptick in new Scientologists. “The Basics” hasn’t caused a resurgence of parishioners’ understanding of the universe, much less, fostered peace on Earth. Few non-Scientologists have ever watched anything broadcast from his new TV studio, much less, know of its existence. As Mike and others have highlighted numerous times, the Volunteer Minister program is a PR stunt. Returning OT 7s and 8s are not making a difference in their communities. Those left inside the bubble aren’t recruiting new members—numbers have been dwindling for years. Except to hasten the church’s demise, nothing David Miscavige has tried has had a positive influence.
All the while, movies, television, books, and social media have laid bare the crimes and unworkability of Scientology, making it a wonder that anyone walks in their front doors these days.
If David Miscavige is not the craziest squirrel, he is certainly the biggest.
Moldy Bread
Since DM isn’t allowed to change anything by LRH—overtly, anyway—what has he been doing? Ironically, the only thing left for him to “fix” is MEST (matter, energy, space, and time). For years now, he’s concentrated on buying and renovating superfluous real estate. He bought an old television studio even though he already had another “state of the art” facility in Hemet. Despite the world’s transition to the Digital Age, he continues churning out “new and improved” editions of LRH books and lectures, demanding that members complete their libraries. He’s increased the number of annual events, transforming them into slick, expensive, promotional extravaganzas. He’s made fundraising via smaller, local events, his biggest source of revenue. All the while, he invalidates members’ wins and gains by requiring them to redo all their courses and auditing.
Scientology has grown stale. Nothing new has come out of the organization in years. Regardless of the “tech” being renamed and repackaged inside glossy new binder covers every few years, it’s still the same old tech. The Survival Rundown is simply a conglomeration of old processes collected from past papers and lectures. Despite releasing new versions of Student Hat every decade or so, the raw bones of the course (misunderstood words, skipped gradients, and lack of mass) haven’t changed. And despite abridging and adding pictures to Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health, it’s still the same old book, containing the same old processes. As of press time, Dianetics has still not changed the world.
Last Words
I like squirrels. I admire their thick coats and bushy tails. They’re cute. Quick. Nimble. Industrious. Able to scamper up tall trees in a flash, fearlessly leaping from branch to branch. I love their ability to stuff insane amounts of nuts in their cheeks. Except for their tragic ignorance of traffic, what’s not to like?
Still not Declared,
Terra Cognita
Terra, I think that’s a great analysis from a technical perspective. Except, hasn’t Miscavige engaged in some real “squirreling” starting at least in the 1990s with the attempts to introduce the LOC and KTL courses? I suspect that those, by the way, may have been an attempt to try to borrow some successful ideas from LGATs that were then gaining traction, such as former mission holder Harry Palmer’s Avatar – which may have been part of why they reportedly had the unintended consequence of making people think for themselves, and about what they really wanted in their lives, which then lead Scientology to discontinue them.
Also, I think the Miscavige regime has effectively come up with a certain innovation, the very widespread and heavy-handed implementation of disconnection – not that it wasn’t already brutally abused at times under Hubbard – in an attempt to hold Scientology together. That has in fact been successful in keeping a large number of disaffected UTRs from defecting, possibly so much so that the CofS might already have crumbled had not Miscavige effectively made a change in policy application (which includes, of course, failing to publish declares, as they technically should be).
Trivia to add – Soon after I split scn someone gave me a cassette tape about Avatar. I’m pretty sure it was Avatar. The tape include an Avatar “session”. The idea as I understood it was that instead of running chains of incidents to a basic, you only needed to address the thought or consideration holding an item in place. A scientologist would argue that incidents have mass which needs to be discharged for the item to erase. (I’m using scn lingo here and like I said it’s just trivia.)
Also on the tape Palmer was talking about while “going through” the Wall of Fire and “writhing on the floor” it occurred to him that why not just sit back and look at what he thought about it rather than going through it. I don’t recall whether he was implying that the W of F was still real to him. Those were the days!
Do you still have the cassette tape? I have been looking for a copy for a long time.
No, it’s long gone. I vaguely recall that there were four or five steps in addressing an “item” with none of them directly addressing specific incidents, just the thoughts and considerations about the item.
Thank you for replying, ill keep looking for a copy.
Hi TC,
Off subject.
Your insightful articles are very appreciated and has helped me
on the road to recovery.
There is one subject I do not think you have ever broached and
that is scientologists tendency to believe in conspiracy theories.
Probably stemming from LRH and Mary Sue forwarding those
ideas (see “None Dare Call It Conspiracy” book) and LRH talk
about the bankers on the OT III tape.
When I left the Sea Org I used to listen to Riley, Hennecy et al
on the radio and they forward all these ideas but it wasn’t until
Trump these radical beliefs struck me as way off and sounding
very scientologese. And it makes sense that they vote to the
right and without concern for compassion, love and helping the
“downstats” (nor the environment IMHO).
Instead they embrace the Illuminates etc drivel. Even the large
fan base of Si-Fi amongst the cultist is to a degree indicative of
their farflung, off-center ideas.
LRH was deep into conspiracy theories going all the way back to the 50’s and probably earlier.
His streak of deep paranoia goes hand in hand witj that characteristic.
What an interesting read this thread has produced. It dawned on me reading it that there is a great deal of experience the commenters have accumulated by suffering through the Scientology experience. Among other things the obvious relationship between Hubbard and Miscavige is that they never applied the doctrines of Scientology to themselves – only enforcing others to do so. It rather simply exposes the fact Scientology doesn’t work except as a criminal enterprise.
Like the street smart drug dealer, they do not partake in their own manufactured or remanufactured product. All that crap about ethics and the greatest good etc is all just a ruse to get your money, your life or both. Hubbard may have been delusional but it does not alter the fact he was a criminal. Miscavige, well… he’s a thug, is batshit crazy & the type that jails are made for.
This made my head spin! Sad, fascinating, unbelievable and yet totally believable. So much craziness and contadictions. Being a scientologist would be completely exhausting.
It wasn’t horrific for everyone. With due respect to the people who experienced disconnection, bankruptcy and fair gaming, for me it was an adventure in life. I was out of scn by 1982 before Hubbard ramped up the sea org and put an iron grip on the organization and Miscavige took over and squirreled everything. I learned many things and had many interesting experiences as part of a united group. If I didn’t join scn I might have become a Moonie.
About a month ago I was chatting with someone about scn. I was explaining that when I was in scn I regarded it as a self improvement and self awareness group and even as a form of psychology. I sat down with people in formal counselling sessions and asked them questions to their benefit. As I was explaining this to the guy I realized that I couldn’t recommend scn to him or anyone, but my experience was what it was.
A good experience can come from anywhere. You could have gotten that somewhere else. But if you got benefits good for you. But it’s still a con from inception. I’m glad you are out tho. After reading about Hubbard sitting on his wife’s stomach and forcing her to have 2 abortions, not sure how meaningful his words could ever be as he was inherently evil. I’m really glad you are out. Life is the adventure. On your own terms. ?☺
There were books and magazine articles describing the dark side of scn back then but you had to go looking for them. The rank and file knowledge of such might be stated as “Who knew?” The internet changed all that.
The story you mention about Hubbard might be BS although plenty of other stories about him are well documented.
Nibs wrote that about his dad.
Richard,
Similar here. From 1967 to 1977 , I promoted Scientology just as you did. The pricing rape, the elimination of the ‘old’ OT processes, and the advent of the Sea Orgers in their brown shirts (Sturmabteilung ), spelled the end of my affiliation and affection for scientology. I still use some of the tools, but never hint to others where the ideas came from.
While I was talking to the guy I realized I was kind of justifying my previous participation in scn. Nowadays if you mention to someone that you WERE a scientologist they might look at you as a nut case. Not everyone, of course. A lot of people maintain an interest in the paranormal, the mystical and the occult.
Richard, you seem to be one of those relatively lucky to have been at the right place at the right time. I take it you weren’t at one of the missions that had already adopted Sea Org techniques like SRA sessions, or crush regging people and then helping arrange payment for auditing and courses through money from falsified loan applications.
And, do you have any idea if the staff serving you were paid and treated decently? They weren’t at many if not most missions, and after making their clientele happy, often had to do things like go out and spend their spare time scrounging used tires to sell, so that they could make ends meet.
Maybe I was lucky but I think what you mention came after I left. Staff pay was always meager but in the year or two so I spent as a staff auditor somehow I managed to get by. As far as I know scn expanded rapidly in the 1970’s. It’s total speculation on my part but maybe Elron decided that scn was growing TOO fast and clamped down on everything to slow things down. One man trying to maintain dictatorial control over tens of thousands of people or whatever the number was would be a daunting task within the confines of a cult/religion.
There used to be discussion about how or if scn, subject of, could be revised to be of benefit but that’s history. The brand name is too discredited and sorting out fact from fiction and true from false to produce a viable organization is highly unlikely. I carried forward some false beliefs and notions but I’ve looked at them and dismissed them.
Yes! Richard,
I remember the BTBs (Board Technical Bulletins of the 70’s) as an attempt to describe the tech in a coherent manner and with a logical flow, instead of bits and pieces of a single thought spread over a number of bulletins and years. I remember Ken Uquhart(?) being in the middle of that. And rumors that fresh packs of the organized tech levels were being proposed to Ron. Then he slammed that door and punished everyone involved in ‘squirreling’ HIS tech.
Levy (Titus Livius) (Roman historian) wrote that a Monarch soon became a Dictator, and then a Tyrant with the collapse of that government .
Machiavelli expanded on this in his “Discourses”. Damn! Humans just do not learn.
Richard, I also was fortunate to be somewhere far removed. It wasn’t until I went to California for some training, and started asking questions, that I really started to realize how much was wrong and how much we’d been lied to, particularly when it came to finances. It’s tough to confront such things, I know.
For a long time since, I’ve made an effort to ask insiders and old-timers about what was going on, in an attempt to understand the big picture. What I’ve consistently heard from people in the know was that things had gotten ugly early on at many of the orgs and quite a few of the missions, and that from the mid-1970s on most of both weren’t getting in enough new “raw meat,” in good part due to the end of the flow of young baby boomers – there was a struggle over a shrinking pie, though it wasn’t obvious everywhere, plus price rises and other subterfuges were used to keep GI up.
At the seemingly successful Riverside mission, fraudulent loans, child neglect by staff, and the hounding of people who tried to leave, went back at least as far as 1972-3:
http://www.forum.exscn.net/threads/riverside-mission.115/page-12#post-395603
Hard sell reg techniques at the mission included bugging rooms and culling PC folders for information, and even staff had to take out loans – “the reality was it was all about the money”:
http://www.forum.exscn.net/threads/riverside-mission.115/page-3#post-68218
Just how did you manage to get by? Did you have to work other jobs, or take out loans – as money was being sent “uplines” and added to reserves? Was there exploitative or abusive treatment of staff where you were?
I can only speak for myself. For most of my seven year participation I was public with less than two years on staff at the Salt Lake City mission and later at a satellite mission they started in Bellevue, Washington. I don’t recall signing any staff contracts and since I held no upper level positions I was able to come and go at times to do business out of state. Maybe I was considered part time staff but I don’t remember. I paid for any training I got outside of the mission which I got for free while working on staff.
Many scientologist ran unskilled or semi skilled businesses like house cleaning and house painting and allowed scientologists to work around their schedules. In LA there were also several legitimate scientology run sales organizations selling home improvements, water purification systems and so on and did likewise.
I never experienced any high pressure regging. The usual sales pitch was that if you didn’t immediately go onto your next course or action “the bank” would kick back in and get you – haha. Maybe if I was wealthy they would have turned the screws harder.
When the monthly price increases resumed I saw that “the reality was it was all about the money” and joined the Great Exodus in LA and split, even though at that time I had no disagreement with The Tek.
Very astute observation, Ann. Being a dedicated member of any cult is utterly exhausting. Robert Jay Lifton’s 8 Criteria For Thought Control clearly and succinctly demonstrate why.
Thanx Mark! I’m sure your comments have opened some eyes. There needs to be that moment of clarity where you can actually see truth. I enjoy your prose immensely my friend.
Very interesting Terra. I guess another way of saying it is that Hubbard was the first and original squirrel of the concepts involved and the beliefs put forward by Scientology. Follow the money very much applies.
Yes TC, well spotted. Another ironic example of the one hundred percent pretense. I was drinking that one up, and so excited about being at the forefront of a better civilization.
Bad squirrels, bad!
Although instinctively always wondered why the degrade of those lovely furry animals.
Just as I write this I just realize something about the speed of thoughts! Interesting how one can have a thought “flash” and either let it vanish as quickly as it came or grab it for further investigation. So fascinating! Because in this particular example, had I actually “grabbed” the thought and examined it I would have pursued it to find out where the term came from. Of course in this case nothing big would have come of it except that apparently it was slang for how squirrels can act really insane on the road practically darting under your wheels at the last minute and causing accidents.
But! Forgive me for straying a bit into this, but I could have reconciled my instinctive liking of those animals and objection to its degrade by lafayette: One can make a case of how a creature can have both a beautiful form and be full of pro-survival activities for itself and its kind, and at the same time act in a complete insane manner.
Anyways, how many times did I have those flash thoughts about the tech, LRH, and management and let them vanish.
It may be a good lessons-learned to grab those instant flash thoughts and pull the string on it. They might be as valuable as they are instantaneous.
Oddly enough Miscavige seems to alter or plain abandon whatever sensible things were in the material. Just amazing what worse and worse morass money-only motivation will guide you into.
It makes sense that suicide was one of L Ron Hubbard’s solutions to getting out of the pain he was in.
L Ron Hubbard was a criminal con man, a charlatan and snake oil salesmen.
L Ron Hubbard was the polar opposite of what his follwers believed him to be.
Hubbard was so utterly miserable even with a with a bunch of glassy eyed followers worshiping him daily. He reached depths of despair and depression – enough to end his life – even while sitting on the millions he amassed illegally and criminally.
L Ron failed at life, L Ron failed at death.
He withered away into insanity – that same insanity he cleverly convinced people they were escaping.
You better get out lurkers….this is what awaits you.
Scientology – the Bridge to Insanity, Suicide and Death.
Kev nailed it.
Scientology was born of El Con’s desire to give ” the gods ” a big fat middle finger whilst amassing dosh and power at the gleefully enjoyed expense of others, per his
” affirmations”.
Over 30 years after the passing of this fetid, runny turd, here we sit, discussing his utterly useless ” philosophy ” ,that’s the centerpiece of his criminal cult of theft and slavery. The utter depth of evil that he and his cult embody continues to elicit passionate commentary, dramatic disbelief, and intense disgust.
May it die out COMPLETELY, sooner than later!
I also agree with you and Kev – Mark Foster. You have a gift of expressing the actual truth about Scientology. You should be a professional writer if you are not already! I enjoy your posts.
Thank you very much Terra. You hit every point right on the head and reading it all just made my day. I was “in” for 40 years and had personal encounters with the Diminutive Midget. He reminded me of Adolph Hitler. Everything I witnessed in the years following his rise profoundly demonstrated that the end was coming. Today, all there is MEST. No Theta whatsoever. The only thirst is for money and every staff member is charged with a duty to sell anything they can. Even top auditors at Flag hitting up their PCs right after session! Sadly there is no one left to declare and remove the real SP behind this degraded debacle.
Our Dear Mike, this is such a piece of art & beautiful well said that it is read almost like a poem.
I hope it used as a wake up call for David Miscavige as it is so truthfully. I would assume that how somebody could go blind reading this. This is his time to “Do something about it or else”. Unless he is very unable, stupid and blind. And to David if he reads it “ Hey you David, wake up. See what’s going on around you, it is in your hands or you want Scientology for only one life time – Your Life Time, and then all go to the drains. There are lots of people that pay YOU (Scientology) bazillions of dollars … do something, reverse it, stop being selfish to the bone and you have more winners, people on lines to get services and more money”.
Mike, maybe I went a little too far, but there is possible that one person can change and reverse everything and it is you. If you would ever did
& said nothing, only, you wrote just this article, and spread it, you made a big difference in the wide world regarding this subject. This article is a key.
Great post terra. Very insightful. LRH is taking the faithful to the same place he went, which was nowhere. In his life, he never crossed the barrier between life and death to tell us the truth about it. Instead he commercialized his discoveries in hypnosis as a top priority (he was a well respected expert in the hypnosis field). LRH continued this commercialization of “feel good hypnosis” paying careful attention to what made him money and what gathered slaves to do HIS bidding.
Robert Almblad – that was a great assessment of L Ron Hubbard. Very Well Done! Thank you.
There’s a lot of truth in what you say Robert. It’s a pity that truth has been so costly to discover. The major lie in KSW is that Hubbard did NOT rise above the so called bank. The solution as to why human nature is so damn destructive to itself is just as evasive now as it was before, during and after Hubbard’s day. Which ever way you look at it, his organization grew only from tapping into the good side of human nature and exploiting it.
imo there is an incredible divide and possibly it’s untenable, between single human consciousness and that of the group. The intoxication from or anticipating great wealth and power is the most destructive force on earth.
When an aging author creates a religion, he has the power all authors wish for. Finally, he can dictate that nobody edits his work/legacy.
I am surprised that the midget did not hite the ” long island medium” from television fame to channel the hub-man and have the OT higher levels delivered to him. That sounds as crazy as the stuff he is doing now.
Excellent essay and covers the range of needed comments.
Looking back to the 70’s and the 80’s, I never really bought into Hubbard’s claims. I was always testing him for anything valid. How I ever made it to OT VIII only illustrates my duplicity.
Great post Terra
You are helping us all in taking apart the clever tactics LRH used to trick us into supporting Scientology.
Effectively you are Deconstructing L Ron Hubbard’s tech of Scientological think
A=A=A
Scientology and L Ron Hubbard
I cannot believe I got so into it and gave so much of myself
Wow – talk about a mind fuck !
31 years here and still recovering since 31 May 18, this year. A Memorial Day for Scientology. I woke up in the morning and instead of going to the .org for a session, instead I made my decision of one way out. I stopped answering phones calls emails and texts. And these were numerous. Made it clear to them that I want you guys out of my life. Don’t call me. I had the privilege to declare them suppressives. I’m going around spreading Scientology as suppressive cult to good standing friends and wogs that ask about it. I’m making sure that there would be no slight willingness in anybody that I meet and know to join it or think about it. I am still having hard time. It was life style I loved which there is no way back. I thought LRH and David Miscavige are genuine. I’m still getting upset how I could let myself duped for so many years. And for my help, these blogs are coming as big supporters. I’m going to use this article as a business card, and hand it out to whoever ask about Scientology. This article explain & has everything in it. This Memorial Day I buried Scientology in my universe and many others I meet everyday wether Scientologist/wogs. Thank you mike for the big contribution.
Welcome out, and hang in there.
Loads of stories and proof there are many things wrong with the COS in the big list:
http://whyweprotest.wikia.com/wiki/Former_Church_of_Scientology_members_who_have_spoken_out
Background:
http://www.reasoned.life/2018/02/spotlight-on-anonymous-big-list/
You totally rock. These are invaluable resources. Thank you for the work you do.
Wow, welcome. You’re a newbie here and I’d love to know what made you ditch going in that faithful day for your session. Was it what you heard in the media? the blogs? or your observations of the truth going on in the org?, etc. In a nutshell if you can, thanks.
Nutshell? Hell no. All the gory details at will.
Rip Van Winkle, Yes please on all the gory details! Do tell!
Welcome, $$$. I’m so glad you got out! I was never “in,” and knowing what I now know about all the awful things that scientology does to people, I thank God I never got anywhere near this accursed cult (I did have some people try to recruit me into EST when it was riding high in the late ‘seventies, but I wanted nothing to do with it).
You will find a lot of friendly support here and out in the “real” world. I wish you all the best in your journey.
Scientology road to the ditch: here are a variety of suggested actions for post-cult disinfection, in no special order, that I have found not only helpful, but essential:
Stop using the cult language.
Drop the attachment to and use of cult concepts such as the tone scale and
” ethics” ( and all of the other ones, too ); they are garbage.
Read the Affirmations of L. Ron Hubbard
Read the books about Hubbard by Jon Atack, Russell Miller, and Bent Corydon, among others, to thoroughly disabuse yourself of the concept of Hubbard as a philosopher or a great writer or a humanitarian or a researcher or a spiritual leader
Read about hypnosis; also check out Derren Brown’s videos about hypnosis on Youtube
Read some of Margaret Singer’s writing; that will lead you to other scholarly writing about the subject of cults and undue influence
Read about psychology and psychiatry; let your interest and curiosity drive what topics or areas you dive into; you will find ideas that Hubbard ripped off
and twisted. Regarding the e-meter, look up the terms ” wheatstone bridge ” and ” galvanic skin response “. Know that it doesn’t read minds or emotions or
” locate incidents on the whole track. ”
If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of shit you have to unlearn, ” one-stop ” sites like The Underground Bunker or lermanet.com have almost all of the data I have alluded to in one place.
In my not-so-humble opinion, the sooner you jettison ALL scientological concepts and beliefs, the happier and healthier( in all ways ) you will be. There are also conselors who specialize in dealing with clients who were in cults.
Finally, read about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: many long-term, ardent cult members who leave a cult experience many of its symptoms; I certainly did.
I offer these suggestions with respect for your courage and with hope for a happier future for you!
Carpe Diem!
This is beautiful Mark! I love seeing all this perfectly said. TY so much for all your insightful posts.
Thank you kindly. I appreciate the tip. ?
Great stuff today Terra.
Scientology’s founder, L Ron Hubbard was very clever on how to hornswoggle his followers.
Scientology peddles life improvement courses and counseling to help people be happy. Improve conditions, money and relationships.
Or, at least that is what I thought it did.
It was much more sinister than that. Just look at all the damaged people.
Scientology also peddles religion so it can enjoy all of the freedom of being a criminal, for profit organization that cannibalizes its members to amass billions of dollars so the leader at the top can play a little game. It destroys lives, shatters families and ruins people. Scientology hides behind the religious cloak and is immune from the laws of the land.
What your IAS donations pay for – sleazy lawyers and unethical private investigators that silences the critics from letting members still in and trapped – from knowing the truth about Scientology, the founder and the leader, David MIscavige.
Survey’s told Hubbard – people wish to be happy and don’t want to be unhappy. So – he used thought stopping techniques. L Ron Hubbard’s tech has clever tactics which removes mechanisms of the mind that trigger unhappiness and implant phrases and words Scientologists use daily.
The truth is – Happy people are more gullible.
It is easier to manipulate and bamboozle them when they are waxing enthusiasm.
Hubbard covertly also manipulated followers into not being enturbulating. It was low toned and evidence of being a crim and a degraded being. How clever of LRH – eh?
Here is an interesting article on happiness:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/supersurvivors/201810/three-negative-feelings-can-sometimes-be-good?fbclid=IwAR0XSK7eN-NEyd-E55xvzmEfWv2PSbpeLoPT3-mGVzunXdn9bqoGaENTwF0
I am curious how ex members think and feel about happiness and emotions? Is it okay to emote or do any of you still believe you are low toned if you express any emotions below 2.0 on the Tone Scale?
Once people are clear or OT they have been known to excuse behavior below 2.0 as being displayed “causitively”.
They “can move on the Tone Scale at a cause point” and “use any emotion at will”.
Below Clear, such behavior is blamed on the person dramatizing bank or being chronically low toned.
It’s like ethics officers, they don’t natter, they apply the ethics gradient of, “speaking derogatorily about the person”.
The HCO PL “Ethics Presence” has excused horrendous behavior.
,………
I never had an idea that all expressions of emotions below 2.0 was low toned because of the above.
THE SQUIRRELS REVENGE…….
No one, & I mean NO ONE is ever going to stop us….Leah & Mike are going to continue to bring the truth to light….
YOU wanna harass, follow, try to intimidate…PHOTOGRAPH……
WE CAN PHOTOGRAPH YOU AS WELL…
.
http://s1.1zoom.me/big0/804/Squirrels_Wild_Grey_449654.jpg
Wonderful essay Terra. Thank you for it. It’s so true that Scientology is a dead subject. It was dead when I was in. It was dead when I started in 1971.
Back then Hubbard declared that Scientology was 100% standard, 100% finished, 100% workable, 100% complete. All we had to do was put our feet on the bridge and become 100% free, 100% superior, 100% exterior, 100% cause, 100% powerful.
He stated he already did all of the work for us. No more work, no more development, no more no more no more.
Looking back on that, through what you wrote, this is the view that you inspired:
What science ever declares that it does not need to improve?
What Scientist ever declares they are the only ones to develop knowledge? In any subject?
What body of psychological knowledge ever declares that it will not evolve as society evolves it’s understanding of human life and it’s understanding of the mind?
The very idea that something can’t be improved upon is the death of evolving understanding.
Declaring that scientific understanding, of any subject, can only be developed by one man, is the mental rape of the scientific process itself.
Scientology is a fossilized specimen from the 1950s. Frozen in the stoney doctrine of KSW.
KSW is the doctrine that guarantees that the subject of Scientology remains a fossil frozen in amber like a prehistoric mosquito.
Any subject that declares it can’t evolve is already dead. The only thing keeping Scientology existing at all at this point is money and appearances.
Somewhere Hubbard said no man has a monopoly on truth. His genius was telling us this while at the same time declaring his monopoly on truth and punishing those that disagree.
He was a master of creating cognitive dissonance. He went into our minds and jack hammered down countless held down sevens.
“Somewhere Hubbard said no man has a monopoly on truth. His genius was telling us this while at the same time declaring his monopoly on truth and punishing those that disagree.He was a master of creating cognitive dissonance. He went into our minds and jack hammered down countless held down sevens.”
BRILLIANTLY said Brian, as always.
Yes. It’s funny how the more you read, look, examine, and reflect……. The more you see examples of Hubbard doing exactly what he decries and excoriates.
One off the funniest, to me, is all the paranoia on people being “plants” or “sent in” … and meanwhile they were breaking in government offices and stealing with abandon.
Thank you so much Ms P
Brian,
Once again you have spoken exactly to the topic of the blog. And expanded on it. I always enjoy reading your opinions.
In fact reading everybody’s comments is like having a conversation. And it also helps strip away stuck thinking for me.
Thank you for your opinions, your insights and your contribution to the conversation.
Yes, he’s a gem and good this way. Thanks from me too.
Well TC, if that article does not bring ole Eff Pee out of it’s hole perhaps nothing will. Nice job of laying out the predicament of Dave.
Wow Terra – thank you for your thought provoking and deprogramming data on how Scientology scams people by using KSW (manipulation tech) and keeps them trapped in the prison of belief.
There are many clever tricks L Ron Hubbard uses in his tech to trick, fool, deceive and manipulate members in to working for free, giving all money and assets to the cult and not talk about anything you see that is criminal within the cult.
Deprogramming is so important for ex cult members to do in order to lead balanced and fulfilling lives. I have been out for several years and know too many ex members who do no work to deprogram. I hate to say it – but they are still in Scientology.
You can leave Scientology but you can’t get the Scientology out of you unless you work at it. It is very difficult, IMHO.
KSW is a brain washing technique that works with the “repeater technique”. A very effective hypnosis command L Ron Hubbard uses to drive the information into the subconscious mind of his followers.
It actually builds the “circuits” Scientology claims to get rid of.
These manipulative techniques builds a Scientological Reactive Mind that is not based on truth – it is based on deceit, lies and manipulation. It is a mind filled with confusion coupled with commands to “act certain”. So there you have the fake and phony Scientologist pretending to be all theta and great – while lying to themselves and others how they really are doing.
Scientology is a dog and pony show, smoke and mirrors built with clever mind control techniques very hard to detect to the trusting soul who in unfortunate to wander into a Scientology Org.
L Ron Hubbard’s Toxic Tech creates an “A=A=A think” in the Scientologist.
For example, when someone points out criminal acts within the Organization, the Scientologist applies the tech “natter = overts”. The data regarding the criminal acts is dismissed and the person reporting it then becomes an “ethics particle”.
Natter = Overts
The person is labeled a lower condition, has to pay and make amends and the punishment works. Scientolgist’s learn early on not to even think about criticizing another Scientologist, L Ron Hubbard, David MIsdcavige or the Organization.
Pointing out the crimes within the Organization to the Organization = pain = expensive = humiliating = time consuming = threats of losing spiritual freedom = threats of losing family = total confusion.
So I better not even think about it. I will apply the tech – “look at that wall – thank you” the Scientolgoist says to himself or herself if they notice any “outpoints”. “Okay – good” is a command they give themselves over and over and over.
I must say, however, it was KSW and the Ethic’s tech that got me to get out of doubt and to finally walk away for eternity.
When you catch the Scientologists in their criminal acts and try to apply ARC and KRC and ethics tech to the criminal acts, you will be met with spinning, lying and cover ups. You will get gas lighted which will be painful and confusing.
You will then become the “ethics particle” and this is gas lighting and will drive people insane.
There are thousands of pieces of LRH tech that are used to envoke the thought stopping to a “insouciantly certain” Scientologist.
One of the successful methods L Ron Hubbard keeps his followers working for Scientology – is the repeater command to “be productive”. Keeping Stat’s and being accountable each week is his covert method. Upper management doling out ridiculous projects keep the Scientologist so busy, they have not time to think.
Scientologist’s (and ex members who don’t deprogram) keep themselves very busy, busy, busy so that they can not think about any of the “entheta”. It is a very effective thought stopping technique and it keeps Scientology rolling in the money and amassing billions of dollars while lives are destroyed.
Scientologist’s actually train to manipulate and trick each other out of money and into signing lawyered up contracts where they are trapped into working for free.
Scientologist’s are insane people – they are out of reality and delusional. They have delusions of grandeur about themselves, their cult and their lives.
Scientology and Scientologist’s are circling the drain and are dying a slow, painful death.
Death comes to all who do Scientology. They must get out and deprogram themselves from the TOXIC TECH.
Just walk out the door and start figuring out how you got duped. If you don’t – you will always “be a Scientologists” because the tech gets driven into your subconscious mind.
I know OT’s who left the cult but they won’t deprogram so they still are using Scientology, thinking in Scientologese and applying the tech to their lives because it is in their mind.
They are too toxic to be friends with.
They are bat shit crazy and will never get better because they refuse to look.
I hope some of the lurkers who won’t deprogram read this and think about it.
Ex members have to deprogram, IMHO.
HELL YES, WELL STATED, BAMBOOZLED!
I have been out 7 & 1/2 years and my deprogramming efforts commenced shortly after I left the cult. I operate with the assumption that I will spend the rest of my life ” de-programming ” , which is good, because it involves constant learning and evolving
and doing things that improve overall quality of life and relationships with others and self.
Indeed, in an attempt to keep parishioners interested and pouring money the sociopath leader came up with the GAT. Then the comas and semi colons and so on.
Cramming orders, instead of containing the usual “restudy HCO B…”, they came with “Do the GAT Drill #…”
Little by little the original HCO Bs were unmocked.
Yet, the GAT was an accumulation of various dispersed quotes from HCO B, very confusing but sure looked good. Yes, he is the main squirrel.
If I well remember KSW says something like ‘people will stay away in droves when tech is altered’, and there you have it; the hundreds and hundreds that have left the church since the sociopath leader took over amount to thousands = squirrel No. 1
His stats for disaster are the highest ever.
Squirrels collect nuts. Scientologists are nuts.
So that means squirrels collect Scientologists. 😛
Yes, and male Sea Org members soon become ship monks.
I know this is quibbling and kinda OT, but it’s chipmunks that stuff their cheeks (except for ground squirrels) But chipmunks are even cuter and faster than squirrels!
Squirreling sounds better than chipmunking.
On the Kettle call the pot black, this is Martin Gardner’s book, “Fads and Fallacies.” significant observation.
Gardner’s book puts all quacks/cranks of Hubbard’s era into the crank/crackpot pseudo-science category.
Hubbard unwitting never realizing (until very moderately in the end of Hubbard’s life as told in the final pages of Lawrence Wright’s must read Epilogue chapter of “Going Clear..” since it was not even historically ever hinted at that Hubbard had doubts about Scientology and the whole thing until Wright’s and Rathbun’s books detailed the admission of failure that Hubbard made to Sarge in the final months of Hubbard’s life), but Hubbard was priorly never publicly willing to admit his whole Scientology was basically crackpot (squirrel) on society’s more legitimate mental health tradition.
The argument of how to deal with mental health, Hubbard didn’t ever own up at all that Scientology’s a crackpot operation.
He only admitted to Sarge that he’d failed and he wasn’t “coming back to earth” once he “dropped his body [died]”.
So, all total, Hubbard failed to really call himself the crackpot pseudo-science that his Dianetics/Scientology quackery deserves.
Crackpot kettle failed to even call its own crackpot kettle crackpot.
“He doesn’t understand any of the principles so he makes up a bunch of them to fulfill his ignorance, foists them off on a pc and gets no place.” [Hubbard]
————–
“Hubbard was … never publicly willing to admit his whole Scientology was basically crackpot (squirrel) on society’s more legitimate mental health tradition.” [Chuck]
————–
Exactly, Chuck! When I read Hubbard’s words (first quote above), that was my immediate thought: He was talking about what he himself did in making up Dianetics instead of actually learning the methods of science and the field of psychology. He didn’t want anyone to do it back to him.
As someone pointed out over at the Bunker today, the best thing Miscavige did for the world was persuade Hubbard to destroy the missions and help him do it. I’d add to that the extent to which Miscavige has kept Scientology the same (notwithstanding a few semicolons). If it had diversified and adapted, the lies, manipulations, and abuses at its core would be so much more difficult to expose and prove. There would be more people with real “wins” from versions of Scientology that adopted better psychological principles. Far better for the rest of the world that people like John McMaster and David Mayo were cast out and Miscavige came out on top. He’s done a fine job of destroying this destructive meme put out by his Scientology crime family. That he’s wasted his whole life doing so is his own self-punishment. Well, that and the fact that the rest of the world can see perfectly well what he’s done and what kind of person he really is.
Cat W., Nice thought that Hubbard’s unconscious desire to have Miscavige destroy the Missions part of Scientology, was a correct overall conclusion
It sort of shell-shocked some of the Mission people. But we all deserved the cold shower wake up shell shocked for buying into and following and making money off the Hubbard charade blastworthy con “religion” quackery! Didn’t we!
How true the rest of the world can see perfectly well what Hubbard’s done and the kind of person Hubbard was. (Mary Sue thrown under the bus, but again, what thoughts I wonder she had about it all, as for the Hubbard family to even wish some of the wealth in inheritance from the Hubbard charade religion, that’s such an unworthy source of money to even wish to gain, really.)
There’s just no angle of good the more details I think of this Hubbard mess. Give the money back to the unwitting dupes, or give it to the governments tax offices and back into society’s overall pot.
Hi Chuck. I hope I didn’t come across as contemptuous of the people hurt by the Sunday night massacre or those cast out as SPs. Being cast out of a group unfairly is one of the worst things to endure, and all of you do have my sympathy. I just meant that in terms of the longer term, it’s better for the world for Scientology to have the ruthless jerk on top, depleting and ruining the destructive institution.
I also meant that the world can see what kind of person Miscavige is, though you’re right that that applies to Hubbard as well. I doubt either one of them had/has much benevolent intention, even unconsciously, but sometimes we luck out, and destructive things self-destruct. That wouldn’t have happened if a more compassionate person such as Mayo had won out. Then Scientology would have adapted and become less pernicious. Good in one sense — fewer people harmed by it in the short run. But I think Scientology had ruthlessness and exploitation built into its DNA, so it was better for the world in the long run that that become obvious. As it is. As it wouldn’t be if a less ruthless person or group of people had taken over after Hubbard’s death.
I believe that we are here for karma. Sorry, but LRH will come back to pay his deeds and money to the exact people he took the money from. What come around goes around. Your self test is the difference in the fate and standard of living that people are.
Before I got in Scientology, I got stuck and still am stuck in the “eternal return” idea. The universe if going through an infinite repeating and varying recycling so everything and everyone does everything and becomes everyone else, over and over, forever, in infinite karma repeating and varying pattern, forever, no beginning, no end a truly cosmic prison of infinitely doing everything forever, piece by piece.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_return
The only best practice to out step nihilism is the golden rule, treat others decently like one would like to be treated.
People do get into the whirlpool of “Who am I?” and “What is the meaning of life?” don’t they? I think the Buddha said “Stick with the breathing” or “Just focus on the breathing.”
Yes, Richard that is very good. He actually said “Strive on heedfully” sometimes translated as mindful. But you got it actually because it starts with breath meditation.
🙂
Kettle call the pot black.
Hubbard charging others with his own unrealized faults.
Outsiders non-Scientologists hearing of the details of Hubbard’s natter about the world have forever commented this “Kettle call the pot black” reaction.
The greatest high crime in Scientology is thinking.
or reasoning.
And be there and communicate. Lol. ?What a stupid ass. He created upside down world.
Scribe, that’s the greatest high crime in all religions. Trust me. I’m an escaped Baptist. 🙂
Who need religious. Just create your own. If there is something I learned from Hubbard is creating my own religious. Formerly Jewish, $cientologist, going self free.
LRH said, “For God’s sake, build a better Bridge!” Yet in other places he said to only hew to his words forever without any independent thinking. What cognitive dissonance is that!
California is burning big time. It will be good to see whether the VM’s in their yellow shirts come out to actually help with real help and not just WTH books.
ctempster ,
In every instance that I have seen the VMs in action they are a danger and liability to themselves and the incident that they try to influence. They are utterly incapable of help. They are broke-dick airheads.
There are training classes and drills performed by local, state and fed agencies: There are police, firemen, EMTs, and first responders who operate in a coordinated manner: There are indeed professionals for emergencies.. Were I still in active status and saw thee ding-dongs, I would instruct the police (security) to remove them well back of the exclusion zone and to arrest them if they try to interfere with our operations.
Running out of money pretty much trumps everything, second to that is getting old and/or sick.
I remember some years back in the also declining Christian Science that there was a proposal to rewrite the book “Science And Health” and edit out all references to Jesus as well as to rename the church “Religious Science” in order to make it more appealing to a larger crowd. In the name of tradition and Mary Baker Eddy, these ideas were shot down.
And so Christian Science continues to decline.
And so it is with Scientology.
speaking of squirrels…..
It’s November! That means……………….
F I V E Y E A R S O F N O S H S B C.
Five years! For five years, there have been no SCN dictionaries (at Flag anyway) No teck vols, no admin vols (except in the MAA area, for some reason, they can have one set)
No class 6 course, no class 8 course, no way to clear scn words unless it’s in a book glossary or a course pack glossary. Good luck in searching through all of them to find what you need.
……….
For anyone who was ever staff… this ..is just beyond all understanding. I know we swallow a lot of concerns and hide away our doubts.. but how the hell are they swallowing THIS?
How can a course sup run a course without course materials? Is the course sup supposed to now give his opinion on the tech?
Congratulations David, for all of your work to destroy scientology from top to bottom. I’m rooting for you all the way.
While at Flag, David came into the course room and announced that anyone who missed an F/N would be declared SP. The context I assumed was while on course. I thought that this guy was a lunatic.
Later in the day, notes were posted on hallway walls which stated that any CI heard was to be reported to RTC immediately. Now I realized that David was a paranoid lunatic.
The fact that David needs a security detail to walk the streets is that the whole planet is missing his withholds (according to Hubbard).
To: David Miscavige
From: Atilla the Hun
Dude, lighten up!
They have pilot that guarded well by the supervisors and provided as needed under their hawk eyes. That’s was at least at AOLA until this last May. When I was on staff we had the red tech dictionary and green admin. That was pretty good. It has been taken out and replaced by manufactured spiral makeshift.
Interesting. Those “pilot dictionaries” disappeared that night, along with everything else, and stayed gone for at least a few years. I wonder if Flag also quietly brought them back out. I’ve not been back for awhile. (Never again!)
It was so weird how they just gutted all the course rooms all over the place, during the dead of night before the GAT II release. After the event, the course rooms were gutted of everything that wasn’t GAT II.
Dictionaries, Teck Vols, KTL books, course packs, encyclopedias, all of it, gone.
In the Flag Building they had built in electronic dictionaries along the walls, but those ONLY contained the exact definitions you could find in the glossaries of the basics or new GAT II course packs. The course pack glossaries did NOT have definitions for every scn term used in the issues in the pack. They are not comprehensive glossaries.
meanwhile, back at the Flag AO, none of the course rooms had those screens, so you were just out of luck. And the VI and VII materials had not been updated, so there were just…no dictionaries for the words in those materials.
NO WAY to clear words. It was insane.
I’ve not been back in a little while, so I don’t know what changes have come round.
…
But we’ve not seen any new releases for the vols or the dictionaries.
…
Also it was incomprehensible to discover that class V orgs were still using the Vols and Dics.
Standard Teck?
Wow!!! It is truly remarkable. Is there a simpler way to say “Willful Self-Blindfolding?” It’s not willful ignorance because it’s something those in are not ignorant of. And it’s not delusion because it is not something the church is even hiding. How is this justified with those still in, especially the old-timers.
Seriously? No Tech or Admin volumes?? How is that explained?
I take it no OEC/FEBC either.
In a way, that’s not a big loss! 🙂
That big fat Super Power building? With the sprawling Qual Library, done up all fancy with tall dark shelves rising to high ceilings? ……
Not a teck vol or OEC vol to be found. Only things the shelves held were the basics and the course packs for the new GAT II courses.
There were 2 binders, “auditor reference packs”, vol 1 and vol 2. These were the only other resources available. Every single reference in those packs had been revised and dated with the GAT 2 release date.
,…….
(this was overwhelmingly hard to come to terms with, for me)
I told myself that the new dictionaries, OEC and Teck vols were probably just held up briefly. This weighed upon me as I returned on 6 month checks … as nothing changed.
There’s always a bit of a contradiction in talking about squirrels: scn is criticised because its tech is inviolable. Miscavige is criticised when he does change it. The tech doesn’t deliver what it promises, so Miscavige can change it all he wants for all I care.
I’m betting that OT 9 & 10 will consist of things written by Hubbard. It will be the old OT 4-7 processes recycled in some random fashion, pulled out of a hat by DM. The people who did all those processes will have all died, and the people doing the “new” releases will reach the end phenomena they’re told to reach. And if someone ever leaks the processes, and it is found out that they’re the old levels recycled (because all those old processes are out there), there’s a built-in justification – they never said there was anything wrong with the old ones. It’s just that the OT drug rundown and the NED levels were a necessary prerequisite to the “real” OT levels.
The real interesting thing to watch for is how many more 9’s & 10’s reach “Freedom Release” – that state when you cognite that you will NEVER step foot in the org again. Just as with OT 8, many who are anxiously awaiting the “real gains” will realize they don’t exist.
I think IF OT 9 and 10 are ever released, NO ONE will be allowed to achieve them. Every one who graduates OT VIII will be ordered to start at the beginning all over, again, even if they just finished VIII. They will be told that is the only way to prepare themselves for what is to be revealed in those levels. So, after another 30 years and million dollars, no one will be alive to see the imaginary wonders of OT 9.
Just a side comment: I attended Michael Chan last year one of his bombastic lecture. One of the example of abilities that one could gain In the OT 9 & 10 Would be in control over other people especially criminals off the other side street and stop them at will.There will be no criminality. And more of such that he is prohibited from revealing as of now. We are going into a new world. He was happy and the whole audience was ecstatic. At that moment, there was no end to my happiness and my friend. We postulated our future of going all the way to OT 10 and beyond.
If OT 9 &10 get issued they must be allowed to do it. I know already people that paid for it and when I was in the ship there were two OT 8 that came for eligibility of OT 9 & 10 fully paid. One of them was the red head Senior C/S of Las Vegas Celebrity org.
At one time, DM announced that the pre-requisites to OT 9 and 10 were all orgs the size of St Hill and the pre-OT had to do the SHSBC.
The sun will have turned into a red giant long before any of that happens.
…..since there is no SHSBC!
True . That was said for 20 years at the least .
In an article in its August 2010 issue, Playboy magazine described a dive bar as:
A church for down-and-outers and those who romanticize them, a rare place where high and low rub elbows—bums and poets, thieves and slumming celebrities. It’s a place that wears its history proudly.
Maybe the morgues should be remodeled into Ideal Jive Bars?
Xenu’s Son,
I realized Hubbard was himself a living crackpot who failed to notice his own “squirrel” quackery he was foisting on others, and calling people “squirrels” for not being standard Hubbard quackpots!
Crackpots thus, are Mobius strip linguistic twisters of logic and language.
Hubbard was one.
Martin Gardner’s “Fads and Fallacies” book has much valuable info on these types of pseudo-science cranks.
Hubbard was a strident strong willed crank wannabe, but even Hubbard privately admitted failure at the end of his life, as told in the final pages of “Going Clear…” by Lawrence Wright.