Monday, March 17, 2008

Scientology Advanced Courses

OT Bracelet
chakurakid15 asked about the "OT Levels" (also called Advanced Courses). These are higher levels of Scientology auditing. He asked all sorts of questions so I'll do my best to answer.

My Answer:
I've noticed that several people, chakurakid15 included, seem to have a wrong definition for the term "Thetan", it means: "an immortal spiritual being; the human soul. The term soul is not used because it has developed so many other meanings from use in other religions and practices that it doesn't describe precisely what was discovered in Scientology. We use the term thetan instead, from the Greek letter theta, the traditional symbol for thought or life. One does not have a thetan, something one keeps somewhere apart from oneself; one is a thetan. The thetan is the person himself, not his body or his name or the physical universe, his mind or anything else. It is that which is aware of being aware; the identity which IS the individual"

The amount of garbage I've seen on the Internet purporting to expose "what Scientologists really believe" is quite amazing. That people would spend their time and imagination dreaming it all up is even more amazing. Don't they have better things to do?

For example, chakurakid15 mentioned something about exorcise "evil spirits." We don't do that, heck, we don't even "exercise" 'em :) . You must be mixing Scientology up with some other religion.

What Scientologists actually believe, is simple: Scientology Beliefs. That is all we believe. With everything else in Scientology it is up to the individual to decide for himself or herself whether the information presented is true or not. You study something, you apply it to your life and you see if it works. That's all there is to it. As L. Ron Hubbard said: "Nothing in Dianetics and Scientology is true for you unless you have observed it and it is true according to your observation." (Personal Integrity by L. Ron Hubbard)

Personally, I've never come across anything in Scientology that, after careful and thorough personal inspection and investigation, didn't turn out to be true.

chakurakid15 was asking what you get out of the Advanced Courses. He had heard that after the eighth level "you get things like great strength, the ability to fly, and you can even change the way the reality around you is with just your thoughts". I don't know where you heard that, what I do know is that the gains from the OT Levels up to OT VIII are described in the "Ability Gained" column on the "Bridge to Total Freedom" and accurate data about the OT Levels can be found here: Operating Thetan Levels. I could repeat what is there, but I'm lazy, so please take the time to click and read.

Regarding your questions about space aliens, I will simply refer you here: Do Scientologists believe in aliens?.

I can tell you personally that I've been a Scientologist for over 30 years. I am near the top of the Scientology Bridge (on the auditing side) and have done most of the available Advanced Courses (some are not available yet). The gains I have experienced are so huge that it is difficult to describe them all without going on and on and on ad nauseam. So I'll try to sum it up in a few words: My life is great. I am happy. When I come across something in life that is difficult I can face it and handle it. The personal barriers I had in the past (shyness, various inhibitions, difficulties in certain areas of life, depression, random illnesses, etc., etc.) have all vanished like morning mist in the noonday sun. Life is fun and a blast. I look at life like an exciting adventure and I'm Indiana Jones!

Anyway, that's it on those questions.

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