We don’t always see the newest issue of the Freewinds, a Scientology publication that gets passed around a little less often than Impact or Celebrity or International Scientology News.
But a new edition made its way to us, and it contained a story we thought you’d want to hear about. We’d been hearing some things about New Jersey dentist Louis Feldman. He’s an OT 8, the highest level of spiritual achievement that a Scientologist can attain. And he penned an article in Freewinds about how he’s gone back down to the bottom end of the Bridge to do low-level courses like the Student Hat, a basic introduction to learning.
Why? Well, Louis says he’s getting ready for the next great Scientology advance, the release of levels OT 9 and OT 10. He’s also reportedly been telling people that he’s been given the role as ambassador specifically to prepare people for the release of the new levels. We wanted to ask him about that, but the number at his dentist’s office asked us to enter a code to access a voice mail system. Odd.
We’ve been hearing for years about OT 9 and 10. The story Scientology leader David Miscavige wants followers to believe is that L. Ron Hubbard had planned to reveal new material up to OT 15 at some point, but that the world simply wasn’t ready for anything above OT 8 until certain prerequisites were met. It’s one of the many things that Scientologists continually hear in order to convince them to keep giving money and keep doing prerequisites — some day, OT 9 and 10 will be released, but only when they’ve done enough to deserve it.
Says Louis…
Right after my wife and I completed the Competence and Leadership Course, I did my new Student Hat Course and my prerequisites for New OT IX and X. My wife completed four courses and the Purification Rundown. We were able to significantly create effects on the fourth dynamic by using our new leadership drills to bring order and large contributions to the IAS.
Translation: We’re such powerful beings now, we can convince other people to give more cash to Scientology!
As we said, we’ve been hearing about OT 9 and 10 for a long time. Karen de la Carriere reminded us that years ago, Scientologists were told the names of the higher levels: OT 8 (“Truth Revealed”) would be followed by OT 9 (“Orders of Magnitude”) and OT 10 (“Character”). In 2013 we published a first-hand account by a Scientologist who attended a Michael Chan lecture about the unreleased levels. Chan goes from org to org, trying to whip up enthusiasm to get flagging Scientologists to pay more money and complete more levels. During his lecture, he claimed that once they could get to OT 9 and 10, Scientologists will then be able to add 60 years to their lifespans, and they could also mock up clones of themselves! Wow.
So why hasn’t David Miscavige released this miraculous technology already? Who wouldn’t love to have a personal clone army to take care of all those pesky chores?
Well, a couple of years ago, former top Scientology executive Mark “Marty” Rathbun rained on everyone’s parade. In one of his books, Rathbun asserted that Hubbard had not, in fact left behind any OT levels above OT 8. Miscavige, he claimed, was just pulling everyone’s leg.
But hang on. We keep hearing from more and more sources that Scientologists are told that the release of OT 9 and 10 is actually imminent. We have to admit, we once doubted that the Super Power building would ever open, but it did. And GAT 2? Miscavige saw that through. And really, what’s to prevent Miscavige from releasing something he calls OT 9 and 10 — who would be in a position to judge whether it was really material that L. Ron Hubbard had written? And why are OT 9 and 10 always mentioned together, rather than separately?
We turned to one of our experts on the tech, Claire Headley, and asked her these questions. This was her response…
I know no OT levels were developed past OT 8. I heard a rumor that there was a transcript of a meeting or meetings Hubbard had with Ray Mithoff where he supposedly gave his idea of what those upper levels are, but I never saw those notes. They were kept in a safe in Miscavige’s office.
I don’t give much credence to the names necessarily (“Orders of Magnitude”). Hubbard was all about his names and labels as you know.
But as to why two OT levels, I’d say the answer to that is that they go together so to speak. Like OT 1-3 is a package deal, you can’t finish OT 1 and not immediately go onto OT 2. Plus if it’s a package deal, it’s instantly a double revenue scenario when packaged that way.
I had wondered while I was still there if Miscavige would make the running program (the “Cause Resurgance Rundown”) an OT level. Or take parts of the L rundowns and turn those into OT Levels, since those are not part of the required Grade Chart steps. But I never had a distinctive idea of what OT 9 and 10 were, and I absolutely know they were not being worked on in any of the 14 years I was at the Base.
Another thought on this, as far as I know for many years it was always promoted to the public that when all orgs achieved Saint Hill Size, that’s when those levels would be released according to instructions from Hubbard. Obviously that target has not been accomplished, so I’m curious what their spin on that is.
But yes, Miscavige could and would package anything and then sell it to the Scientology public as “the real deal” and who’s to say otherwise?
Yes, it should be obvious even to Scientologists that the orgs today aren’t anywhere near “Saint Hill Size” — the elusive measuring stick related to Scientology’s boom times in the early and mid 1960s, when Hubbard was running Scientology from his UK headquarters at Saint Hill Manor. But perhaps Miscavige is desperate enough to sell new, expensive higher levels that he’ll waive that requirement.
We’d love to hear from our techies — if Miscavige is about to reveal OT 9 and 10, what might he put in them? And will they pass muster with his followers?
Karen reminded us that some people have been waiting a really long time, as this 1987 receipt shows…
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BOOK NOTES
We didn’t get a chance to include photos in our book, so we’ve posted them at a dedicated page. Reader Sookie put together a complete index and we’re hosting it here on the website. Copies of the paperback version of ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ are on sale at Amazon. The Kindle edition is also available, and shipping instantly.
Our upcoming appearances (and check out the interactive map to our ongoing tour)…
July 12: Washington DC, Center for Inquiry (with Paulette Cooper)
July 14: Hartford, MARK TWAIN HOUSE (with Tom Tomorrow)
July 17: Denver, The Secular Hub, 7 pm (with Chris Shelton)
July 20: Dallas, Times Ten Cellar, 7 pm (with Robert Wilonsky)
July 22: Houston, Fox and Hound, 11470 Westheimer Road, sponsored by Humanists of Houston
July 24: San Antonio, Folc Restaurant, 6 pm
July 25: Austin
July 29: Paris (with Jonny Jacobsen)
August 4: London, Conway Hall, (with John Sweeney)
August 24: Boston, Boston Skeptics in the Pub, 7 pm (with Gregg Housh)
Sept 15: Arizona State University
Sept 23: Cleveland
Sept 24: Minneapolis
Sept 27: Portland
Sept 28: Seattle
Sept 30: Vancouver, BC
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 1, 2015 at 07:00
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Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of LA attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer
The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill
The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
