All of them, those in power, and those who want the power, would pamper us, if we agreed to overlook their crookedness by wilfully restricting our activities.
Disclaimer: Dianetics and Scientology are trademarks of the Religious Technology Center (RTC.) These pages and their author are not connected with the Church of Scientology or RTC, or any other organization residing under their corporate umbrella.
This site is best viewed using a highly standards-compliant browser
By Michael PattinsonMichael
Pattinson's Experiences with Scientology - Part 1 Source: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/msg/f1aa1beac1962cae Part 2, 1973-1974I was studying Dianetics and Scientology in the Paris organization and, after finishing the study technology course, I started to be trained as an auditor so I could become "Clear" (advertised as someone who has no more aberrations, has perfect recall, is healthy with no psycho-somatic problems (mentally-related aberrations) and is far and away above a mere "human", according to Hubbard. I paid for some "auditing" (read "pastoral counselling" to be part of the religious presentation of Hubbard's writings etc...) and ran out some past moments of pain and unconsciousness and even "contacted" what I thought was a past life of mine, as a roman soldier. I got some relief from the stomach ulcer in one session too. It was a hard process to do, but I was determined to get to "Clear" and O.T. because I wanted the advertised attributes and freedom from pains, limitations and somatic-aberrations. I even audited staff members, and was fully in the swing of things, having believed the public relations and the staff encouragements with a trust that I had rarely given before. I was so trusting that I started to use the Hubbard business management books as part of my english lessons. That proved to be a vast mistake, as I was severely interrogated by a member of the cult's "Guardian's Office" (in charge of ensuring the continued existence of Scientology by any and all methods, legal or not) and was threatened, physically restrained in a small room in the attic and pressured till I agreed to stop using the books outside the organization. I had unintentionally tripped up on a strategic survival point that the Guardian's Office had implemented; namely Scientology was supposed to be a "religion" and there I was presenting its "business" aspect openly. It was a horrible experience as the person (Martine Pillet) was "O.T" and I assumed she had superhuman powers over me at the time, so I cried a lot then complied. The interrogation was very verbally brutal. I continued anyway, as I believed I had NO HOPE except in doing Scientology. So I had been shown, told and reminded of over and over. I continued to pay for courses and buy Hubbard books and eventually the Paris Organization moved to the 5th district, not by O.T. telekinesis, but in moving vans. We were then in the Rue Saint Genevieve, on the left bank of the River Seine. An old but tall building with no elevators and attic auditing rooms, it was bigger than the Rue de Londres space. It also had a big cellar. There we could do further communications course exercises, such as shouting as loudly as we could at a glass ashtray on a chair (Training Routine 8)to get it to lift itself into the air. We were, however, allowed to use hands to lift it, but I was convinced that this must be part of a real trip to telekinesis in my O.T. future. The Guardian's Office, full of hard-and-serious, non-smiling and sometimes uniformed (para-military) Scientology devotees was on the next-to-top floor. One day in 1974 one of these uniformed sailors of the "Sea Organization" actually asked to see me, and even smiled. To cut a long story short, I got recruited to be a staff member of the Paris Organization. I was told that I would be a very "elite" person bringing Mankind's ONLY HOPE to planet Earth (Hubbard's writings) and that I would be sent away to Hubbard's secret Ship to be trained to keep his technology pure in application there in Paris. I got rid of my apartment, stooped my career as an artist, put my stuff in storage and set off to Copenhagen, Denmark, where I would be briefed by senior Sea Organization officials and set-up for security clearance to go and be on Ron's ship the Apollo. Well, while I was in Copenhagen I was told I had to do a whole lot more training to be even worthy of being anywhere near L. Ron Hubbard. I would get trained in Copenhagen then get sent off. The berthing was in the Via Kochsvej at the Sea Organization's staff house. It was anything but "elite". In our dorm, which measured about 12 feet by 12 feet there were 13 beds! I hated that, as I was accustomed to having my own space. There was only 1 bathroom for about 25 people. Mornings were hell. The food was pretty awful too. Greasy and crude, we got to often eat beans and rice if the week's production statistics were lower than the previous week's levels. Yuk. There were also some horrible incidents where Sea Organization newbies (had only just signed their BILLION YEAR CONTRACTS to serve L. Ron Hubbard (yes, a billion; that's not a typo) were verbally and physically abused in a highly degrading manner by the "Commanding Officer" Judy Speer. For the new recruits "compliance" was everything. I had not signed a Sea Org contract, just a 5 year staff "contract" in Paris. After a few weeks of that I decided to move out to a hotel (cheap but clean) at my own expense. I actually had savings back then; something rare indeed among any Scientologists, as the cult normally swallows those up very fast. I continued my training in the Copenhagen organization, mostly with food and lodging at my own expense even though I was a "staff member". One time (1975) I was even called to duty as a staff member to go to Vienna Austria to help there as key staff members there had deserted the "church". Of course, I had to pay for it all room, food, travel, as no money was available for staff expenses...I was "doing my duty to humanity" and helping "Ron" to "Clear the Planet" (get rid of all humanity's aberrations). While in Vienna for about 6 weeks I did a good and conscientious job, and even worked with "missionaire" Guillaume Lesevre (who was a junior Sea Org member). He is now the Executive Director of Scientology world-wide. Back in Copenhagen I continued to do more training and auditing of others, as well as auditing others. I even audited a "fiendly" psychiatrist from Germany (Hubbard HATED psychiatrists but needed P.R. allies). I met some people doing "O.T." levels and was suitably impressed with their P.R and smug but teasing total silence as to what the "Confidential O.T. materials" consisted of. It took 6 months till all was done to go the the Apollo. I had to pack and get ready to leave and was not told where I was going. I was given tickets to Florida and ended up at Daytona Beach! Instead of being on the Apollo with Ron I was the first external "student" in the Neptune Motel with no Ron but with all of the Apollo staff. I was bewildered but very impressed. Ron Hubbard was "in a secret location", having come ashore with all his crew in the USA and abandoned the Apollo just days before. I found myself as a lowly Dianetics auditor in an internship with ONLY CLASS 12 AUDITORS (which were, and still are Hubbard's topmost auditors planet-wide). I had to do communications training exercises with them and I felt out-of-my-depth so much. It was intimidating but I could only do my best. I did, however, become good friends with many of the Class 12s for years afterwards. I was also put to room with a paying public client (Albert D. W) as he was suffering from total pessimism of ever getting results but paying vast amounts of money to get some. The Daytona organization known as Flag Land Base could not afford to lose such a wealthy and pliable client. He stayed. We stayed in the Neptune Motel till the real new Flag Land Base in the old Jack Tar Hotel in Clearwater was made ready. WHAT I SAW AND LEARNED AFTERWARDS:1."Clear" is, in my experience and that of others I have spoken with, not what it was advertised or purported to be in the Dianetics book I read. No perfect recall, no absence of somatics, etc; just not what was promised. 2.The Guardian's Office, under Hubbard's wife, was a criminal organization and 11 executives were convicted of crimes and even Hubbard's wife did prison time. As a Scientologist I was kept uninformed as to the real extent and nature of all the G.O.s criminality. It was supposedly disbanded as a result of the trials but in actual fact, as I have observed, the current "Office Of Special Affairs" OSA still bears a hideous resemblance and even some staff from that time. The thing that changed was mostly the name not the behaviors. 3.The centre of the Scientology regime (with no Hubbard since the early 1980s) is the Sea Organization and the commitment is one billion years, so fanaticism runs very high. A lot of Sea Org members are very nice people who have been hoodwinked, lied-to and disinformed about so so many things to do with how things REALLY ARE in Scientology. They earn about $60 a week plus dorm and food. The Class 12 auditors earn about the same; i.e. around about a dollar an hour cash, but their clients pay Scientology from $600 to about $800 an hour. They have no idea where all the rest of that money goes, about how it is channelled to groups of lawyers, secret bank accounts, paying to crush the livelihoods of management's perceived enemies (mostly, but not all, former members who either discovered the scam or those who will not knuckle under to the gold braid and bad tempers). 4. The shouting at glass ashtrays does not in fact produce any O.T telekinesis. 5. The way Sea Org members are treated is not much better than actual slavery, though the frequent briefings keep them in-line, contributing and producing despite the lack of valid exchange. They are convinced they are saving Mankind but in fact their efforts are used to make those at the top have vast funds available, privileges and operatives doing covert operations that the lower level Sea Org members would be shocked at if they knew. It is a kind of "duty-motivated slavery". 6.When I was told I was doing my duty, paying monies in large amounts and giving virtually free service to the cult to "help Mankind by helping Hubbard". I didn't know I was also inadvertantly helping the Guardian's Office commit crimes and ruin the lives of innocent people. 7. I was shocked to learn that the Scientology executives sentenced for crimes had done such extensive infiltration of the U.S. government. |