They STILL don't have 50,000 completions on the Basics? OMG. You realize this is not "Full Basics Completions" -- there are only a handful of those. No, this is the total number of BOOKS and LECTURE SERIES that have been read by ALL SCIENTOLOGISTS over 10 YEARS, in the biggest "push" in scientology's history. Every single scientologist they could get their hands on has been ordered, cajoled, pressured, threatened, begged and bribed to "get through the Basics"... This includes all staff and Sea Org members. Remember, the "Basics" is 15 books and 10 lecture series, any one of which … [Read more...]
Doomsday Demographics
Another in the weekly series from our old friend Terra Cognita. Doomsday Demographics With the exception of a couple of old-timers, everyone in my bustling Scientology mission back in the day was in their late teens and early twenties. Now? The demographics have completely flipped. Everyone’s grown old; most are in their sixty’s or seventy’s; a smattering of thirty-something, second-generation staff round out the ranks. From what I can tell from all the pictures of Scientologists in magazines and promo pieces, this trend has spread worldwide. Ideal orgs have done nothing to reverse this up … [Read more...]
Scientology Strip Club
The latest offering from Terra Cognita. Scientology Strip Club LRH wrote, “When a person is not functioning well on his post, on his job or in life, at the bottom of his difficulties will often be found unknown basic definitions and laws or false definitions, false data and false laws, resulting in an inability to think with the words and rules of that activity and an inability to perform the simplest required functions.” HCOB 7 August 1979, False Data Stripping. [All subsequently quoted passages refer to this bulletin.] I found the full text here LRH declared, “There is no field in all … [Read more...]
Missions Impossible
The world of scientology missions is even grimmer than scientology orgs. Here is the latest news from the "ideal" Mission in Ocala. This Mission was opened by John Travolta and Kelly Preston in their hometown as a gift to the community. They fully renovated a building and it was one of the first "ideal" missions. There were a few "celebrity" that came before it: Jenna Elfman in SOMA SFO opened to great fanfare and now an empty shell. Anne Archer's Santa Monica Mission - opened and then closed almost as fast. Isaac Hayes and Lisa Marie Presley in Memphis - sold off by Benetta Slaughter and … [Read more...]
Religious Graveyard
Our weekly installment of wisdom and thought/argument provoking from Terra Cognita. The Religious Graveyard Once religions reach a tipping point, they’re hard to close down. After accumulating thousands of well-to-do followers, amassing a fortune in real estate, accruing Midas-like money, and establishing a worldwide presence, religions are damn hard to get rid of. Not only has too much been invested in the physical infrastructure, its faithful have devoted too much of their spiritual lives to let go. The written word is more resilient than we mere mortals. Organizations can be d … [Read more...]
Scientology and Reason
Another article from our old friend Terra Cognita Scientology and Reason – or Reasonableness Another big Scientology catchword is “reasonableness.” Loosely defined, reasonableness is the condition of being reasonable—which on the surface, seems like a good trait. To reason means to think logically; to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises; to conclude or infer. According to Random House, the word reasonable means, “in accord with reason or sound judgement; logical; capable of rational behavior, decision, etc.” LRH put his own spin on the word. From the Scie … [Read more...]
OT VIII is Lame
The OT VIII success stories circulated by the Freewinds are really lame. No wonder it's a ghost ship. Two of them were sent to me recently. And they are notable for what they DON'T say. They repeat, mantra-like, that OT VIII is "the first actual OT level" (funny, all those other ones used to be "actual" OT levels too) and the supposed remedy for amnesia on the Whole Track. That is a very bold claim. Sort of like "exterior at will with full perceptions" which the L's are supposed to provide. One would imagine that someone who had gained the ability to recall everything on their Whole T … [Read more...]
PTS to the Middle Class
Another in the series of ongoing articles by Terra cognita PTS to the Middle Class In HCOB, 16 April 1982, More on PTS Handling, LRH famously wrote, “The bulk of your PTSness may very well be PTS to a class, the middle class, of which their particular SP is simply a member.” SP stands for Suppressive Person. I mentioned their characteristics several weeks ago here at Mike’s. Basically, SPs are extremely bad people whose whole purpose is to do others harm. PTS stands for Potential Trouble Source and is someone connected to an SP. This connection can be with a present time SP—a boss, friend … [Read more...]
Scientology’s Answer to Perfect Recall: The File Clerk
Another in the ongoing series of essays from Terra Cognita Scientology’s Answer to Perfect Recall: The File Clerk Is it just mine or is your file clerk on sabbatical, too? Apparently, my guy’s been on vacation from just after I first walked through the front doors of that mission years ago. The file clerk I’m talking about is the one LRH described in DMSMH, who’s able to go back and grab any of the trillions of incidents on one’s time track—the consecutive record of mental image pictures, from “when it all began” to present time. All that’s necessary is to “direct” this little gu … [Read more...]
Scientology, Where You’re Always Worse Off than Everybody Else
Another in the continuing series of provocative essays from Terra Cognita Scientology, Where You’re Always Worse Off than Everybody Else Is it just me, or did other people feel slightly unworthy inside the bubble? On one hand, all Scientologists are taught they’re more able than anyone else. On the other, there were always members who were: Richer More successful More creative Friendlier—without being “theety-weedy” Who kept stats and applied the Conditions Who used a personal Admin Scale Who went exterior at will Who always gave the best wins at events Who didn’t drink wine (last ti … [Read more...]