The South African Scientology field is being treated to some history lessons from some of its most illustrious members. While the church is busily trying to black PR the Joburg 18, they are simply sending out their stories. Anyone with half a brain can read this and the letter from Gaye Corbett and know without a shadow of a doubt “This is no SP, in fact, if someone declared her and her husband they are either insane or a sociopath.”
Thank you for standing tall Wendy and all the rest of the Joburg 18 and friends.
There was an old term “Founding Scientologist” reserved for those who had been involved in the very earliest years and had helped nurture the subject to adulthood. It is ironic that on Veteran’s Day we are reminded how little respect is afforded those whose shoulders today’s generation stand on. Miscavige era corporate Scientologists look upon these people with disdain (just peruse that list of the Joburg 18 again for proof) — they are reminders of a kinder, gentler Scientology that is anathema to the 21st century Vulture Culture that circles the few that have not yet been reduced to skeletons.
But I would wager that it is good people like Wendy and many who came before her and will follow saying “I have seen enough, I am not going to take this any more” that will ultimately bring about the badly needed reform and end the abuses perpetrated in the name of Scientology.
Hello to you all,
I am Wendy Bowman, one of the Jo’burg 18 who have been cast aside as an “untouchable”!
Little do they know the joy in our hearts that we are experiencing to be free to think, do and express how we feel without the shackles of the church limiting all.
Luckily I decided some time ago to operate independently.
With the help of some wonderful terminals that I have found outside the church who have given me the most incredible encouragement, validation and guidance, I have gotten myself back in the chair after 25 years absence and suppression of my ability, and am having the most remarkable wins as an auditor, and my pc’s wins are spectacular.
It is a joy to be winning in my newly created theta environment with such wonderful friends and family around me.
As some of you may already know, for a long time now I have been deeply concerned that LRH’s Tech and Policy has been steadily degraded and altered as the years go by. All reports I have made up to RTC have been ignored.
And for those who are still in doubt, you have to ask yourself ‘How come this is being allowed?’
Like so many others before me, it was the dreadful things that those within the church were doing that made me go into doubt; and then the revelation came, via the net, that I was not alone and that so much worse has been happening than I had ever imagined, and once I discovered that it gave me the courage to make the break and search for a satisfactory future SCN path for me and those I love.
That being said, here is my story:
In November, 1960 Alan Bowman was on his HPA at Fitzroy Street, London, having discovered Scientology in 1957 through a friend in his home town Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
One morning on his way to course, he saw me on the tube train and picked me up (literally) from a very dire place having spotted me as a likely prospect to rescue. He radically changed my life that day and gave me Scientology.
In the summer of 1961 I routed onto my HPA. In October that year Alan and I got married and we left for South Africa the next day. We both joined Joburg staff in 1962 holding various tech posts on and off through the 60’s. In ’63 we had 60 students in the Academy during the day, more at night! ( and today…. Oh dear … !!) We both had our Power Processing 1966
We spent many happy hours in the Jaffe Franchise in the early 70’s where we did our Student Hat, HSDC and PRO TRS, and received our Dianetics and EXP Grades to EP.
In 1972, we took our your family to East Grinstead where we lived for three years while we both audited up to OT III Expanded and at the same time I did the PRD, Academy levels, and XDN Course, plus interships, plus SHSBC and routed onto staff as C/S for the student auditors; while Alan did his SHSBC on FDN and worked during the day to support our family.
In 1975, we returned to Port Elizabeth, and became the major tech terminals for the PE Org for ten years, auditing and C/Sing. In ’78 we became NED auditors; In 1981 Alan did OT VI & V and we both did the HRD + internship and I was posted as ED for PE. In ’83 I did OT VI & V. Up to this point all our SCN activities were exciting and full of happiness.
But in 1983 things began to change. The tech started to be altered and I became worried that LRH was not on the line. I noticed he was no longer writing personal letters to me regarding my adaption of the tech for use in my Drama School as he had before. We started to receive quotas that were utterly impossible to achieve, and despite rising graphs, continual harassment came down the lines. Eventually a mission arrived in PE and embarked on a wild bait and badger session with me which resulted in my removal from the ED post having put my head on the pike for… (I still don’t know what!) and the mission retired to JBG.
I was replaced by one of our auditors. But 3 days later our newly posted ED refused to come to the ORG. She’d collapsed under the pressure of the post and resigned. On reporting this to CO FOLO and pointing out that I was all they had, she agreed , so I went back as Acting ED which I held for a further 2 years.
In 1985 we moved to Joburg, where I Sup’d for JBGN for a while, we both audited the JBGN staff, and I did the Senior Sec Checker’s and FPRD courses at JBG.
In 1986 we joined the SO. Alan was recruited to establish an AO in AF and I was to become an RTC Tech/Qual terminal for the orgs in Africa. I was routed to Flag for training, and Alan launched into AO plans, but once within the SO we were both rapidly disillusioned of our original agreed upon purposes.
At Flag, once I proved myself as a good auditor on my NED & Senior Sec Checker’s internships, HCO put out an order stating that I was placed on the Permanent Flag TTC line-up to be a FLAG Class IX auditor and if anyone removed me from this line-up they would be declared! When I protested and said that I had no intentions of staying at Flag because my husband is in SA, the Qual Sec told me to divorce Alan who was suppressive and find someone better at Flag, and the CO, Ron Norton, told me that that order included myself and if I left Flag he would personally see that I would be denied all my upper levels.
Although I was delivering high volume VWD hours in the chair, the stress and threats became so heavy that I became very PTS and thus very ill, and finally I was put into an ethics project, forbidden to talk to my daughter, who was also at Flag, and given Sec checking. They had taken my return ticket from me on arrival, so I had no way of getting home. I have never felt so effect or utterly trapped. Eventually I secretly went to the CMO Justice Chief to ask for help. He was my life saver, for he contacted CLO AF and liaised with them to pay for a ticket and helped me leave without anyone on Flag staff knowing, even my daughter, which for me was a terrible overt, because afterwards she told me that if she had known she would have come with me. How PTS can one go???
However on arrival in SA, I was immediately sent to relieve Alan on mission in Durban so he could return to his AO project. … so we still were not together! On completion of the Durban mission we were both sent to on a garrison mission in PE Org to get it out of insolvency. Once again we boomed PE over the next 6 months driving the stats into 5x and turning out highest ever auditors made, and we were happy.
However, it was not to last … before we had a chance to stabilize PE, we were called to CLO in Joburg, and the PE Org rapidly crashed back to insolvency after we left.
At CLO we were placed on garrison mission in JBG ORG- Alan as ED and I as OES. Although our stats were good, neither of us were happy there … the continual harassment, invalidation, screaming seniors, endless belittlement of the public, wrong indications, wrong conditions being enforced, wrong diet, insufficient sleep, terrifying targets … we both ended up going utterly PTS. We both left in late ’88. We were considered pariah and weren’t even allowed to attend events (though we were not declared). That took some months to recover from and I am amazed that I didn’t question more then. I’d certainly seen the light and yet I clung to the fact that the guys at the top would somehow get it right!! Oh, dear, what a mistake!
Anyway in the years since then we remained members of the church and were active members of various OTCs. I devoted many hours to assisting people through Ethics cycles and recovering them back onto training wherever I could.
But my doubts grew and with every course I did after I started to notice changes in HCOBs & PLs that were issued after LRH died. I refused to do GAT 1 as I considered it was a gross invalidation all previous training done per LRH’s checksheets both for myself and all other auditors. Alan and I did do the PTS/SP and Ethics Specialist courses, the Data Evaluators Course and all the BASICS and then I did SOLO 1 Retread, but finally stopped going on Org lines because I kept finding KSW & Tech degrade violations … I protested all, reported most over the years, but with failing enthusiasm as each was ignored by RTC. However, I steadily collected them.
When the Ideal Org scheme got under way our initial willingness steadily began to wane as the demands became more intense, until we simply said ‘no more’… Again such a violation of LRH’s viewpoints… Where’s the theta gone?!!!
I felt I could do nothing about it .. what else could I do? Then the answer came … In December, 2011 Hero and Chris Dresser gave us Debbie Cook’s letter to read and it immediately indicated all the by passed charge I had been accumulating because it reflected so much of my own experiences, and what’s more she was a person I actually knew and had grown to like and trust when I was at Flag.
I then got busy and started to search for another way to handle all this. I had come to realise that no help was going to be forthcoming within the Church so made it my business to steadfastly revise my rusty tech and to find safe terminals who I was certain I could trust who could help me expand my ability to apply LRH’s data for expansion up the Bridge as LRH intended … that I have found … I have no doubts about this … and I have really discovered who my true friends are through travelling this journey.
And now I’m declared for attempting to enlighten people regarding violations to KSW and Tech Degrades. And Alan, although not declared has resigned from the church.
So here we are Scientologists, real veterans, with over a century’s worth of Scientology experience behind us and much to come in the future.
It is with much love that I validate all those who have shown me such kindness and caring both within my loving family and among my wonderful friends … thank you to all of you
And I know Alan feels the same
Much love, Wendy and Alan
I came across this blog after watching The aftermath and saw a name I recognized.
Wendy, I’d like to know after all these years if you feel bad for the way you tried to force innocent people into this “religion” by enforcing compulsory Scientology training?
Dominique, If you knew Wendy, you would know that she didn’t try to force innocent people into the ‘religion’. That was more the acolytes of David Miscavige.
Thank you Wendy and Alan for speaking what you know to be the truth and for not cowering despite the awful threats and intimidation. If more people had done this decades ago, David Miscavige would have never been such a destructive influence on Scientology.
Good to have you out among the Indys Wendy and thank you for telling your story. Your story puts the truth out and benefits the teller and the reader. Welcome.
“Kinder, gentler” Scientology? That’s revisionist history at its best!
Maybe it doesnt matter to you, but there WAS a time when even inside churches of Scientology the general attitude was to try to help others and there was little, if any focus on money.
Hardly the state of affairs today.
I think that qualifies as “kinder, gentler” — don’t you?
Or is it simply that it is your opinion that everything about Scientology is unkind and rough?
Thou are so right , Mike.
Back in the 60’s we had such huge ARC amongst the group, staff and public combined … none of this segregation. And events were hugely looked forward to because they were such special occasions, full of fun, and not a whisper of fund raising or pressure reg’ing anywhere.
Wonderful times!
Wendy B
Anon – your opinion is welcome, but in this case incorrect. The Scientology world that I stepped into in 1972 was compassionate, open, alive and filled with a sense urgency — not to reg but to help others. It was kinder and gentler and I lament its loss every day. Just turn the pages of these posts and read the comments – you’ll see and hopefully feel the changes that all of us have endured. We wouldn’t be here, writing and contributing so diligently, if that were not the case.
I was on course at a mission for a year after I got introduced to Scn in 1970. That mission was the kindest, gentlest environment I have ever been in. It was much kinder and gentler than the university environment I had been in for the preceding 5 years.
Thank you Wendy for all you have done.
Wendy and Alan and the African 18…..bullets bounce off of people like you.
You are called Kah Kahn.
You have had the purpose to forward the subject of Scientology and have pursued it. A covert, psychotic, merchant of Chaos betrayed your trust for a while and diverted you attention for a little while. But now he has no power. The only power he ever had was the power you gave him. He will now disappear in your dust and be barely remembered as you continue on your journey and pursue your purposes. Welcome! And Godspeed!
Congratulations, and thank you, Wendy! Love to you and Alan from another long-time out South African!
Whether you are are of it or not, I have always had the highest regard for you and Allan. So when I moved on around 1980, happy as I was about “breathing fresh air” it was sad to know that I would be loosing touch with so many wonderful people. But here you are and I can say hello kiddo, missed you guys.
. ,, . ,
Welcome to the fresh air Wendy and Alan!
Should have been “Wendy what an amazing story and resume!”
Wendy what an amazing story resume! The list of accomplishments both you and Alan have accumulated to yourselves is really breathtaking. I feel humbled just reading your story because I know I am hearing from a founding Scientologist and just the kind of person LRH intended his work to be handed over to for its application.
I am not surprised that you have been declared. You simply know too much tech and must be a terrify figure for someone like David Miscavige to behold. For gawd sakes you and Alan with all you know could take over this hideous shadow of a church and have it back on purpose and booming in under a year.
Well done and God bless you and your family. I consider it a privilege knowing you if only through your story here today.
Thank you for telling us your story, Wendy. I’m so happy that you and so many others have pulled the plug on the support you once gave the “church.” That already does so much to further disable their scheme. Now there is so much more energy and theta that’s been let loose all you guys can do is expand and win! Congratulations!
Thank you al so very much for your validation and well wishes,
Much love, Wendy B
“So here we are Scientologists, real veterans, with over a century’s worth of Scientology experience behind us and much to come in the future.”
I’m sure Ron would be proud; I know I admire your integrity and courage to carry on. You are both true OTs. My respect to you both. ARC, Chris
What a track you and Alan have. So much sweat and tears and joy and help.
Great on you both now being out of that rathole and free to be yourselves.
Wonderful news. And I’m so glad to read that Hero Dresser is out too. I did my C/S internship under her many years ago and developed immense respect for her stability and her caring for preclear’s welfare.
makes me feel warm all over.
Leon Swart (ex-Cape Town Org way back)
Sorry Leon, I did my very best to get Hero to look, but she’s still very much “IN”.
Wendy B
Wendy, thanks for telling your story, it is so important.
warm greetings, and congratulations. Welcome to real life, freedom and integrity.
Bless you,
Hemi
Thank you Wendy and Alan for telling your amazing story and a very warm welcome in the Indie field. You are such power houses and with or without a “badge of honor” (= SP declare) you will be able to quickly dePTS, flourish and prosper again.
To prepare your exit by brushing up on your tech was a great move!
Having left in such large numbers (Joburg 18) has the ingredients of a superb group in S. Africa in the field that makes the products LRH wanted us to make. We are not into wasting resources.
Always available for help if you need it.
Greta
Thank you Wendy for your courage.
The cult is insane. I don’t know how many more of these stories are needed to convince people?
VWD Wendy on your story and lifelong contribution to the true spirit of scientology.
So who are the real scientologists – folks like Wendy and Alan, or the Almighty Pipsqueak and his minions?
It was a true release to spot the suppression. Enjoy your release.
Your story brought tears to my eyes…. I can sooo relate to so much of what you said. I’m so glad you and Alan are OUT and you have each other…. Bless you..
A big, warm hug to you, Wendy, and welcome out to you and Alan. Nothing this “church” can say can ever take from you what is yours, or change what really happened or the way things really went down. You know the truth, you know what you did to help, and nothing and no-one can ever change that. With love, validation and appreciation, welcome to the sunshine.
Some light entertaiment
http://otviiisgrrr8.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/sarah-palin4.png?w=500
Wendy, if I may be so bold, you have a gentle strength and beauty. I am happy for you, and look forward to an update from your wonderful life when you next feel like sharing with us 🙂
Wendy – thank you for speaking up!! The truth sets people free – not Disconnection and SP Declares!!
A golden rod is a badge of honour
What a beautiful letter. Thank you for your insight… and for freeing yourself. ! The SP Goldenrod papers are becoming a badge of courage. A Superior Postulate. A Super Person. A Successful Person.
I’m so glad to see that the independent field is getting stronger and stronger. With the best that Scientology has to offer.
So glad you are out and safe.
Thank you so much for speaking out! The world needs more people like you who are not afraid to stand up to the abuses of the “church”, who have the courage to know and say what they have observed, and say “No! It’s NOT okay!”
You are amazing. Thank you!
Wendy,
Your story will help many! Thank you for coming forward and congratulations on rising above the suppression and coming forward! I do believe the “Joburg 18” will go down in the history books as a move that helps significantly to end Miscavige’s reign of terror.
“There was an old term “Founding Scientologist” reserved for those who had been involved in the very earliest years and had helped nurture the subject to adulthood.”
5/7 Phil Spickler – 22d Advanced CC – part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3uA0bvsCWk
Wendy I had NO idea about your (and Alan’s) staff and Sea Org past. I am stunned to say the least. I am so happy to see that you are out, and I just know the credibility you carried within the org – speaking for the public for sure – will really make people sit and up and take note that you have been declared (or as Sinar says above so truthfully above- received your manumission papers!). And I so hope that Chris and Hero are out too. Wow – what a week its been. I hope to hook up with you soon – perhaps you can get me a step ahead? Very Well Done both of you!.
Hi Wendy M,
Sorry to say Hero is very much “in” … take a look at my reply to BP above.
Hope to meet with you very soon.
Love, Wendy B
Amazing story of unwavering personal integrity. It really helps to be well trained to be able to stand exterior and tell the difference when the Tech is being altered and degraded as it was with GAT I. I feel often like kicking myself for not seeing it. I admire you both!
Thank you for telling this important story, Wendy. This one has the stink of Miscavige all over it.
Thank you and Alan for being so strong and persevering through all of these trials. I am sure that South Africa and Mankind will be well served by your rediscovered freedom to help.
Wendy, thank you and you are definitely recognized by your courage and integrity. It is also very good to know you are now resuming auditing others with the tech you originally got trained with.
You have mine and many, many others support. Welcome to you and your friends.
Honored that you have spoken out.
As far as the C of $ is concerned all one needs to do is watch “Scoby Doo” on the Cartoon Channel and that’s the mind of David Miscavige.
You always make me laugh, Jose. “Scooby doobie do…”
WOW, Wendy, what an incredible history you and Alan have had in the Church. And you’re declared for trying to keep Scientology working. Disgusting!
I’m so pleased to hear the Dressers are also of like mind. 🙂
The end is nigh for that rotting organisation and it seems that, once again, you will be the pioneers to boom South Africa again, this time in the independent field. Power to you, Wendy and Alan, you have my utmost respect.
Hi Roxy, just to correct a point – Hero Dresser is definitely NOT of like mind. She was rapped over the knuckles by the Church and had to eat crow. She sent out a broad email stating how she had been thoroughly briefed (read “received a severe reality adjustment”) and was now fully in support of Ideal Orgs etc. It was patently obvious she was doing amends or a doubt announcement at the time. Now that Wendy has relayed it was Hero who gave her the Debbie Cook email, it all makes sense.
Thanks for the clarification, BP. Hoo boy, it’s sad that such an intelligent and well-versed-in-the-tech couple can roll over for SPs that way. I will feel very sorry for them when their rude awakening finally happens.
WOW! That’s an eye-opener, BP!! I never received that letter!
Surely I should have been one of the 1st people Hero showed that letter to, since she was the one that “contaminated” me?!!! Her amends and or doubt formula must have been very superficial, because she and I have been very close friends for many years and we often spent time together. I have known the Dressers since the mid 60’s!
Right up till very recently she has been extremely vociferous about the out tech of the orgs whenever we have spent time together., and that is exactly why I gave her a document containing some of the OUT-Tech references that I have collected. I had no sooner given her this than she sent me two extremely incoherent emails which were definitely written in rage and told me I was no longer her friend. And that was after 47 years of professed love and affection!
I am extremely sad that she has been so thoroughly indoctrinated. I did my best to get her to look at the facts, including this endless search for an Ideal Org for Joburg North when they own a perfectly good property already which could be developed onto a very adequate org. It is ridiculous to even entertain the thought that they could support another huge org in Joburg when the severely struggling JBG ORG is only a few miles down the road. The JBGN saga, which I have had much to do with, is another story I will write about another time)
I sincerely hope the Hero will wake soon because I have cared for her dearly and I know that despite all the PR she puts out she is sitting in a very bad place right now with many failed purposes and little hope for any further Bridge progress available to her
Love, Wendy B
Dear Wendy
All the same, I’m very glad you got Debbie Cook’s email from Hero – I was the one who sent it to them!
Well done on getting out! And thanks for your story.
Wendy, relaying your story, with Alan, speaks loud and clear! One is reminded of an earlier penalty for tyrants such as Mestcavige, and the widespread destruction he has caused.
I earlier times, this was unanimously dealt with, by decree: “Off with his head!”
Very much like Caligula, Calvin. Astounding similarities.
Congratulations Wendy & Alan! So glad you escaped that culture of hatred. It’s amazing how decades and decades of good people are being effectively wiped out literally overnight, only to rise from the ashes like Phoenix’s to carry on!
We are honored to have you with us in the Independent movement. Thank you and welcome.
Thank you Wendy and Alan for hanging on to your personal integrity and loyalty to LRH and his Scn. Your story is remarkable, and it is indeed a travesty to penalize true upstats.
Welcome to independence.
Perhaps in these times, the Goldenrod should be referred to as Manumission papers! Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves and those declared are free of Scn Inc suppression, Idle Orgs, GAGs and the Vulture Culture; free to move on up higher in all dynamics using the real LRH tech!
So true, Sinar. Great concept. Welcome Wendy and Alan!
I agree Sinar.
These days seems getting declared is definitely a release from that R6GPM calling itself the Church of Scientology.
Wendy,
Thank you for posting your story here.
Your experiences at Frag brought back memories…er…actually restimulated my own engrams of my own experiences there.
Yes I remember with not so much fondness how the place was supposed to be the “Mecca of Technical Perfection” . After watching “The Secret of Flag Results” and the “Case he Couldn’t Crack” etc, etc. then getting there and having my own “Severe Reality Adjustment”.
(Ron like Elvis had definitely left the building!)
Telling that a Senior HCO Terminal had to practically bust ya outa stir.
Should have put a sign at the reception of the FH:
“Welcome to Flag.
“There is no escape”
or
“Arbeit Macht Frei”
Anyhoo…
I’m glad that you are back in the chair again and doing what we should all be doing which is actually auditing.
Beats trying to clear this planet by building or renovating another stooopid building.
Just my opinion.
Anyhoo..
As Sinar says you should look on this declare (which is probably filed with so many lies and innuendo that it would make a former officer of the KGB’s Disinformation section practically giddy) as your Manumission or as the Emancipation Proclamation.
LR
“arbeit macht frei”
Really? You want to compare Flag to Auschwitz, on November 11th?
How very Homo Novis of you.
Gee and I thought trolls had a sense of humor.
Guess I was wrong.
RemoteViewed – someone should go and put a big sign up in front of Flag, renaming it, “Hotel California.” Maybe one of those trucks with a sign on the back of it. 😀
Also – thank you Wendy and Alan. I don’t know how many people are under the radar who feel that they can’t yet publicly announce their departure for family or business reasons. Probably thousands (I’d love to hear an estimate from Mike).
If I may speak for us IUR (Indies Under the Radar), thank you for speaking for us. We may or may not have such black and white stories but we understand and empathize with those who have been through this hell of invalidation, evaluation and the wrong assignment of beingness from this criminal leader and his slave-drivers. We have all had such in our own realms and gradients.
Again, thanks for speaking out and welcome to the light. 😀
Yep,
“you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.”
Pretty much describes my Flag experience.
Funny thing is that I used to play the above song all the time on the Juke Box they had in the laundry room because I was so homesick.
Indie8 if ya ever want to get in touch with me you can get me at archangel88(AT) hushmail (DOT) com.
Excellent way of looking at it, Sinar. I like that: Manumission papers. Perfect!
+1
Well done for coming out and speaking up. Thank you, Wendy.