[religious brainwash] Lets Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology #5/195

He said that during counseling so many
people had spontaneously volunteered “past life” incidents that he had had to
accept it as a reality. Auditing is virtually impossible without such a belief.

By the time I became involved in Scientology, “Clear” was no
longer the ultimate attainment; now there were levels beyond. Hubbard used the
word “thetan” to describe the spirit, the “being himself,” and beyond “Clear”
were the “Operating Thetan” (OT) levels. Here the individual would purportedly
break away from the limitations of human existence. Having completed the “OT
levels” one would be able to remember all of one’s earlier lives, to
“exteriorize” from the body at will and perform miraculous feats.

Such ideas were completely foreign to me. Interest in
psychic abilities is frowned upon in the Zen community as a distraction from
the road to wisdom. What I wanted from Scientology was emotional equilibrium,
so I could win my girlfriend back, make a successful career in the Arts, and
concentrate on achieving Enlightenment. But gradually I was absorbed into the
pursuit of the state of “Operating Thetan.”

By this time I had a fairly well developed picture of
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. His voice on tape was rich and jocular. Photographs
of Hubbard in Scientology magazines and on the walls of the Mission showed a
smiling man, not a dry philosopher, but a man of action with a tremendous love
for humanity, who had devoted his life to the solution of other men’s ills.
Hubbard seemed to be a true philanthropist; a learned man with a grasp of
science and a comprehension of the mysteries. Hubbard had a sense of humor, and
was given to anecdotes. He was not trying to impress anyone with his intellect;
instead he wanted you to help yourself, and all mankind, by using the subject
he had developed. This view of Hubbard is shared by all devoted Scientologists.

By the summer of 1975 I was coming back onto an even keel.
My life revolved around Scientology, and I had put my ex-girlfriend out of
mind, although the subject had never been addressed in my counseling. I had
abandoned those of my friends who were not interested in Scientology, because
my lifestyle had changed so much, and I had made new friends - all of them
Scientologists.

I had a powerful feeling of comradeship for the Mission
staff, and wanted to become one of their number. I knew that they took only a
day off each week, and worked all the weekday evenings too. From their comments
it was obvious that the pay was very low. Even so, I wanted to work with them.
I was told that I would have to “petition” the Guardian’s Office of the Church
to obtain permission to join the Mission staff and that I would also have to
become more highly qualified in Scientology.

In order to qualify for staff, I would have to do Auditor
training courses which were only available at a “Church of Scientology,” or
“Org” (for “Organization”). The nearest was in Manchester, and was in a
partially condemned building in the Chinese district. Some of the walls had just
been painted purple to try and brighten up the remarkably dingy premises. There
was only one student there. The “Registrar” was too insistent, even
belligerent. He seemed to take an immediate dislike to me. I decided to go to
Saint Hill instead.

1.Hubbard,Scientology: A History of Man, p.5.

2.Letter to US Navy from Flag Operations Liaisons Office East US letter to
US National Personnel Records Center, 28 May 1974. Hubbard navy records.

3.Flag Divisional Directive 69RA “Facts about L. Ron Hubbard Things You
Should Know”, 8 March 1974, revised 7 April 1974.

4.Hubbard,“My Philosophy”, 1965,Technical Bulletins vol.6, p.1.

5.HCOPL “Dissemination Drill” 23 October 1965.

6.HCOB “Training Drills Modernized” 16 August 1971, issue II.