Looking for advice.

[olska]

...
Will you get super powers? Probably not. You may get a better memory, more importantly I think you can learn techniques that can help you remember things from your past that are long since "forgotten". You may see claims of Clears having photographic memory and such but I would just say they tend to have "average to maybe a little above average, working memories - but they have tools to get way down in there and get the other stuff out if they really need to".
...
Kate

That may be the case for some -- seems nearly everyone has a different experience with scientology.

Before I got involved and did any scientology training or processing (at about age 30) I had a sometimes-functioning photographic memory. It worked when I needed it. Lost it after scientology training and processing.

before scientology training and processing, I read rapidly and tested with very high retention rate. after scientology training and processing, reading was a laborious process and for years i stopped reading for pleasure because it was just too much trouble! Never retested the retention rate.

Now, after 30 years free of scientology, I can read for pleasure at a fairly rapid rate, but with both pleasure-reading and reading to learn something, I often find myself going over and over and over small segments of material without "getting" it. this did not happen before scientology.

I'm past 60 so it's likely there are other factors affecting my cognitive ability. But I first noticed these unpleasant effects in my mid and late 30s, right after scientology.

A friend, in when I was, now also "out," commented to me years ago that she had lost her short-term memory as a result of scientology. She didn't read much for learning new skills, but she also read a lot, rapidly, for pleasure, and also lost that ability. Haven't asked her recently if it ever came back. At the time, I was still enthralled and didn't want to believe her. I do believe her now.

Make of this what you wish.

[kate8024]

You're able to take this book seriously after all that "scientific data" on Piltdown Man which is a proven hoax? Or has that section been deleted in the DMized versions?

It's from that very book that the Operation Clambake Message Board gets its name. I hope you don't get burned playing with fire.

Well if taking the book "seriously" means with a grain of salt and in the context of dealing with probably unexpected things that may come up during auditing then yes.
Does it make sense when you look at our evolutionary tree? No.
When you start taking yourself, as a Thetan, GE's and BT's into account there is plenty of room for incidents similar in nature to the ones described come up. Before I read A History of Man while I was working through some of the items in Self Analysis I had this powerful sensation that in that memory I was a bird - which confused the hell out of me, because it kind of didn't feel like it was "my" memory, and my understanding of the GE didn't reconcile with remembering being a bird, so I kind of filed that one for "to look into". Reading the various sections in A History of Man, I saw that this was a way to explain the phenomenon I experienced, it fit nicely both with that experience as well as my expanding understanding of both Scientology. Does it make sense if I consider a purely naturalistic point of view and examine the evolutionary tree and such, nope.

But I'm fine with that because of one magical word: context.

EDIT: forgot to mention that yes the piltdown man section is still there, but at least in mine it specifically says its not describing the literal piltdown man, just a class of incidents which can seem to occur to a similar species, such as some form of early man.

[The_Fixer]

How much would they freak if I mentioned xenu? Suppose I brought it up like "I read this stuff on the Internet, what's the deal with xenu?"

That quote would be a dead giveaway to your game. I guess a lot of them would then assume you are only there to stir the pot. Reading about Scn on the net is strictly verboten and you may find yourself getting the cold shoulder....

These people may be stuck in a "blonde moment" incident by being Scientologists, but they are not necessarily all THAT stupid.

[Dulloldfart]

Or has that section [Piltdown Man] been deleted in the DMized versions?

The 2007 book has the exact same text as a couple of earlier versions I checked, except "demonstrating dangerous" has been changed to "demonstrating dangerousness" in the 2007 version. Which seems like a sensible change, in my opinion.

Paul

[Veda]

-snip-

one magical word: context.

-snip-

Here's some context for you.

From Hubbard's 1938 mission statement, written in a letter to his first wife, in which he discusses his unpublished manuscript 'Excalibur':

"Living is a pretty grim joke, but a joke just the same.

"The entire function of man is to survive. Not for 'what' but just to survive...

"I turned the thing up [The Dynamic principle of Existence: Survive!] so it's up to me to survive in a big way.

"Personal immortality is only to be gained through the printed word, barred note or painted canvas or hard granite.

"Foolishly perhaps, but determined nonetheless, I have high hopes of smashing my name into history so violently that it will take a legendary form even if all the books are destroyed.

"That goal is the real goal as far as I am concerned.

"Things which stand too consistently in my way make me nervous. It's a pretty big job. In a hundred years Roosevelt will have been forgotten - which gives some idea of the magnitude of my attempt."


And from Hubbard's (self) 'Affirmations' of the late 1940s:

"You can be merciless when your will is crossed and have the right to be merciless...

"Your writing has a deep hypnotic effect on people and they are always pleased with what you write...

"Your psychology is advanced and true and wonderful. It hypnotizes people. It predicts their emotions, for you are their ruler."


Does the below video sound familiar?




Alan's Walter's 'Opening Pandora's Box', Part One:

http://forum.exscn.net/showpost.php?p=64&postcount=1

Part Two:

http://forum.exscn.net/showpost.php?p=67&postcount=2

Part Three:

http://forum.exscn.net/showpost.php?p=68&postcount=3


The first few pages of the 'Sole Source Myth' thread established - loosely - its template: primarily informational, with concentration on those parts of Scientology that are commonly presented to new Scientologists, and which could reasonably be considered "positive" in nature.

The "positives" of Scientology are what usually attract a person, and often keep a person involved. A thorough examination of these "positives" and their actual origins can have a freeing effect.

The 'Sole Source Myth' thread. Somewhat derailed after page 4 (I'm pretty sure that the exploitation of the process of abreaction is discussed or at least mentioned in this thread. If not, it should be added):

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthrea...le-Source-Myth

'On the union of psychotherapy and spiritual exploration', 1937:

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=18114


The Blueprint for the Scientology Operation:

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthrea...tics-revisited

[StickbyMe]

Most Scientologists have never heard of it. It's on OTIII and beyond. It costs a lot of money to get there, plus you have to pass all these eligibility thingies to be deemed acceptable...

I doubt that's true anymore. It's become too much public knowledge outside the church. When protesters chant the name Xenu, how can you keep the public from hearing it? I'd be interested to know what the church tells its parishioners on the subject.

[Claire Swazey]

I doubt that's true anymore. It's become too much public knowledge outside the church. When protesters chant the name Xenu, how can you keep the public from hearing it? I'd be interested to know what the church tells its parishioners on the subject.

They would have no context. Shouting "Xenu" at someone who's not done the level, who has not read anything about it, that's just going to be a syllable.

And, I know for a FACT that there is NO WAY that the cult would unbend to clue them in even a little. The cult's tactic is just to say picketers are wrong and bad. They would never ever ever explain the xenu thing. If asked, cult staff would just say it's wrong, it's bullshit, and then they'd fuck with the Scientologist's (the person who'd come to them to ask them about it) eligibility.

Plus, most staff haven't done OTIII anyway.

[Herpderp69]

I never understand how instead of just refusing to talk about xenu, they actually deny his existence.

[Claire Swazey]

A couple reasons. If they've never heard of him, they will think you are lying or full of shit or whatever if you mention it.

Also, if they have done OTIII or beyond, any "confidential" level, really, they take an oath to not discuss it.

My sympathies are with the Scientologists on this one.

[Mark A. Baker]

I doubt that's true anymore. It's become too much public knowledge outside the church. When protesters chant the name Xenu, how can you keep the public from hearing it? I'd be interested to know what the church tells its parishioners on the subject.

As Fluff says, it means nothing to anyone who hasn't done III and the church does not offer explanations to the ot levels. Moreover anyone discussing ot materials is automatically considered to be in serious 'ethics trouble'.

That's the way it IS whatever you may prefer to believe.


Mark A. Baker