Operation Clambake presents:
The NOTs Scholars Home Page
This web site is based on the original The
NOTs Scholars Home Page which was authored by David S. Touretzky and several anonymous
contributors. I have included most of the original text and added some new links.
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NOTs (New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans) are part of the formerly
secret "Advanced Technology" of Scientology,
the New Age religion founded in the 1950s by pulp science fiction writer
L. Ron Hubbard.
Scope and Purpose
This web site was created to promote the scholarly study of the NOTs
documents as both religious literature and historical texts. In particular, I
am interested in exploring the following issues:
- Scientology's view of the structure of the mind as expressed
in NOTs and its supporting materials, such as OT III and the Philadelphia
Doctorate Course. Are there similarities between the body thetan
interactions described in NOTs and the
Society of Mind theory proposed by artificial intelligence
pioneer Marvin Minsky of MIT?
- The spiritual phenomena and processes described in NOTs, and
their equivalents in other religions. How does belief in body thetans
compare with belief in demonic possession? In what ways does auditing out
BTs resemble exorcism?
- Origins and history of the NOTs issues: who wrote them, who
revised them, and what earlier source materials were drawn upon in their
preparation? Although supposedly written by Hubbard himself, David Mayo is
said to be the real author of some NOTs issues. What was the extent of
Mayo's contribution?
- The role of NOTs in the contemporary practice of the Scientology
religion. How are these documents understood and used by Hubbard's
followers today? Is NOTs being promoted as a cure for physical ailments?
This is currently being debated in
Religious Technology Center v H. Keith Henson.
Call for Contributions
Contributions to this web site are eagerly requested. Information,
commentary, and criticism of any aspect of NOTs may be submitted to
the originator Dave Touretzky.
The appearance of any essay on this site is not an endorsement of the
views expressed therein. It reflects only his (and some mine) editorial
judgement that the material is relevant to fostering scholarly discussion.
Church of Scientology Recognizes NOTs Scholars Page
- This letter was sent to
Dave Touretzky by Roger
M. Milgrim, noted intellectual property attorney at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.
- Dave Touretzky's analysis of Mr. Milgrim's letter
suggests that CoS has no case, and they know it.
- Dave Touretzky's reply to Mr. Milgrim points out
that he did not allege any specific illegalities on the web page, and cites
the decision of Judge Brinkema in
RTC v. The Washington Post with respect to fair use quotation and
trade secret issues.
Prerequisites for Beginning NOTs Scholars
Readers new to the study of Hubbard's thought will find the following
starting points essential:
The Origin of NOTs
- Excerpt from Bare-Faced Messiah by
Russell Miller. David Mayo is called in to audit a sick L. Ron Hubbard.
- Excerpt from Messiah or Madman by
Bent Corydon. Hubbard introduces the concept of "body thetans" in 1978.
- Excerpts from A Piece of Blue Sky by
Jon Atack. Mayo looks for "misconceptions" in Hubbard's auditing folders. Hubbard
later shifts the emphasis to body thetans.
- Excerpt from a 1996 letter
from David Mayo describing the origin of NOTs.
- Page 3 of NOTs 34,
masked, as filed with the copyright office. Notice at the bottom
of the page, the initials after "LRH" are blacked out. This was done for all 55
NOTs issues. In the Vorlon pack this line reads "LRH:dm:kjm". The "dm" stands
for David Mayo.
Provenance and Structure of the Vorlon NOTs Pack
The Vorlon NOTs pack was first posted to alt.religion.scientology on May 6,
1996, through the anonymous remailer service at Hacktic.nl. It was
reposted twice more within the week, via other hosts.
- Where did the Vorlon NOTs pack come
from? An anonymous writer claims that several versions of NOTs were
floating around outside of Scientology's control; that what appeared on the
Internet as the Vorlon pack was originally the "Larry West" pack; and that
for strategic reasons, RTC chose to ignore its circulation.
- The theft in Denmark by Robin Scott et al.,
described by Jon Atack in A Piece of Blue Sky.
- Decision in Religious
Technology Center et al. v Scott et al. discusses the role of Mayo in
developing NOTs, and contains some quotes that appear to authenticate the
Vorlon pack.
- Table of contents for the Vorlon NOTs pack.
- Notes on the structure of the Vorlon NOTs pack.
- "Vorlon Jr." debuts at XS4ALL. On August 18, 1996,
announces that NOTs will reposted.
On August 19, posts
ned1,
ned2,
ned3,
ned4,
ned5,
ned6,
ned7, and two versions of the NOTs
index.
Then confirms the reposting,
promising a key later. Posts some bogus keys, including
Babylon5 and
Morden. But Karin Spaink guesses the true
key: Xenu.
Finally, cancels his own postings
(a futile gesture) when it becomes clear his anonymity is not going to last long.
- Zenon Pannousis posted NOTs twice from Sweden. His ongoing battle with the
the Church is chronicled at this site in Sweden.
The NOTs Dictionary
A dictionary of acronyms and technical terms found in NOTs.
Remember to never go past a misunderstood word!
Demonic Possession in Scientology
- Major section: Reverend Dennis L. Erlich answers your
questions about demonic possession.
Additional questions are welcome. Post them to alt.religion.scientology with
"Demonic Possession in Scientology" in the header, and cc them to Dennis at inForm@primenet.com.
- A 1924 discussion of
exorcism reveals some antecedents of Hubbard's ideas about auditing out
body thetans. Jack Parsons notes: exorcists always ask "What is your name?" In
Scientology, it's "Who are you?".
- Chapter 7 of The Hubbard is Bare, by Jeff Jacobsen, discusses
the gnostic roots of Scientology, with particular reference to infestation
by "demons": the body thetans audited out on OT III and NOTs. (Readers may
wish to skip the first section, on Aleister Crowley.)
- Hubbard and the Occult, an essay by Jon Atack.
-
Catholic beliefs about exorcism compared to Scientology beliefs about auditing
out body thetans. By John Mark Ockerbloom.
- Possession by animal minds, not body
thetans, is the real cause of human aberration according to
ex-Scientologist (OT7) Michael Mourer. He agrees with Parsons that the key to
eliminating them is to ask them their names.
The Practice of NOTs Auditing
Medical Claims in NOTs
"Medicine has long acknowledged that in order to scientifically test the efficacy of a
new medicine, for instance, it must be compared to the effects of a placebo
administered with equal solemnity, ritual and belief. This is because the solemnity
and ritual and belief can themselves heal."
-- from Dr. Drown's Homo-Vibra Ray, another quack technology
Summaries / Thumbnail Sketches of NOTs
... if it was defendants' intention to make the technology public, they
could do so without infringing plaintiffs' copyright by creating and
publishing a noninfringing description of the procedure.
-- United States District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer, in
Religious
Technology Center et al. v Robin Scott et al., 1987.
Commentary on Individual NOTs Documents
When Scientology attacked the Internet, it smacked a hornets' nest.
Now it gets to negotiate with each hornet individually.
-- A peeved netizen on alt.religion.scientology
Many of the people on alt.religion.scientology first became interested in
Scientology as a result of the Internet war. Several have contributed
commentaries below. However, there is another group of people interested
in NOTs: the members of the FreeZone, who still practice Scientology but
are estranged from the Church. I am especially interested in receiving
FreeZone commentaries on the NOTs scripture.
Attention NOTs scholars: multiple commentaries on the same document are
welcome. There are many ways to analyze these writings.
- NOTs 1: NED for OTs RD, Theory Of
Bulletin date: 15 September 1978.
- NOTs 2: Why You Can't Run Engrams After Clear
Bulletin date: 15 September 1978.
- NOTs 4: Word Clearing and Information for Pre-OTs on NED for OTs
Bulletin date: 26 September 1978.
- NOTs 20: How You Operate A Meter
Bulletin date: 28 September 1978.
- NOTs 22: Anaten
Bulletin date: 26 September 1978. Issue IV.
- NOTs 23: Remnant Ridges
Bulletin date: 27 September 1978.
- NOTs 34: The Sequence for Handling a Physical Condition
Bulletin date: 14 November 1978.
- NOTs 36: Rockslams
Bulletin date:: 22 September 1978.
- NOTs 38: Basic Fear
Bulletin date: 7 November 1978.
- NOTs 45: Partially Blown BTs
Bulletin date: 10 February 1979.
- OT III and OT III Attest
Bulletin date: 18 November 1981.
Page originally made by David S. Touretzky
Computer Science Department & Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891
dst+@cs.cmu.edu, http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst