Scientology® Lives

TV and Scientology

2011-01-19T08:49:00.004-07:00

Last night my favorite TV show curdled for me for a few minutes. The lawyers couldn't mount an adequate defense for their client so they tried to discredit a witness by bringing up the fact that he was a Scientologist. In doing so, they thought they would pit the witness against the jury foreman, a psychiatrist. The lawyers lost and their client was found guilty anyway.

I've read that the writers of this show are trying to show the characters' sleazy sides, I guess in order to give the audiences something to think about as if we don't have enough to think about already. (I do see the irony, yes I do waste some time watching TV occasionally). They did a good job with that in this episode!

Great things about this mention of my religion in this show:

Millions who have never heard the word "Scientology" now know it's important enough for a hit TV show to incorporate into a story line.
Those same millions know that Scientologists think psychiatry is a dubious line of work.
An untold number of viewers who have been duped by a psychiatrist, now know they can get support from a very organized group of people, "those Scientologists"!
You can't buy that sort of air time to get the message out. Thanks for the boost, CBS!

image from google search

Church of Scientology of Colorado

2011-01-08T08:11:00.002-07:00

The C of S just secured a new location near Coors Field in downtown Denver - 44,679 square feet at 2300 Blake Street. Much beautifulness!

Get the Psychs Away from Kids

2010-12-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

2010-11-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Supporting Great Music

2010-10-03T08:19:00.004-06:00

Listening to great gospel music streaming from WWOZ this beautiful fall morning. Membership drives are going on right now for a lot of public radio stations so it's a good time to jump on board and support them!

Organizing

2010-09-24T08:43:00.003-06:00

Our business is somewhat seasonal and we're in our Mabon or Mean'n Fo'mhari or Winter Finding dip. (I'm not a Wiccan or Druid or Teutonic but thought these other names for the Equinox are cool).

We been going like mad for months now and now we're getting organized a little. One thing my son suggested is to use The Basics of Organizing. One exercise we've been doing is to sort out all the different jobs that we do. Some go by unnoticed, but are really necessary. If you're interested, you can read this booklet and take a free course to see the Scientology approach to organizing here: Volunteer Ministers. Click on "Online Training" then "Basics of Organizing". Short but sweet.

A Scientologist's life continues...

2010-09-19T08:43:00.004-06:00

It's been a busy year and I've let this blog languish for a while. What have I been doing in my life as a Scientologist? This year has been full of change with one of my kids getting married, another off at ASHO in LA. We've had a stellar year business-wise, something we had to create with the current economy. I helped good friend in the form of a Scottish Terrier move on to his next adventure. This has been a big gardening year. I got to spend more time with my son's fiance who is a gem. Recently, I've been volunteering with a disaster relief agency to help displaced people affected by a big wildfire. Oh, and I've been listening to a series of lectures by our Founder, L. Ron Hubbard (more about that later).

If you found your way here to see more about Scientology, you might enjoy this from the Church of Scientology Youtube channel:

Youth For Human Rights

2010-08-21T07:59:00.001-06:00

Quit Drugging Those Kids, Y'all!

2010-08-08T11:25:00.001-06:00

My sentiments exactly!

Flag

2009-09-05T08:07:00.002-06:00

Now that the summer rush is winding down, we're putting our plans together to go to Flag later this year. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the new Super Power building is coming along and checking out the area for possible longer stays in the future. I can't believe some of the low housing prices there.
The Flag tour comes to Denver tomorrow and should be a lot of fun!

Community

2009-08-30T09:40:00.003-06:00

I started helping a volunteer group at my local church and found a great group of people. I wondered what kinds of activities they were working on and found out: fundraising for a new building, researching local history, helping translators, printing promotional material, organizing the filing area, grading extension courses, selling books, among other things. Nice people, fun group.

You

2009-07-27T13:47:00.000-06:00

Seasons in Colorado

2009-02-24T09:18:00.007-07:00

One thing good about Colorado is the weather. I don't know when I took this photo, but it could be any season of the year. We've been in the 60's the last few days with daffodils starting to pop up. Now I have no excuse to stop me from clearing out the winter mulch and cut back the remaining seed heads leftover from last fall.
This will be an interesting year for business. The economy blew apart right as we were entering our slow season of the year. This winter hasn't been much different from past years but we have been promoting like crazy. Feels like a good year is coming.

Media Psychiatrists

2008-11-24T07:50:00.005-07:00

Grahame has posted what looks like the entire "Making a Killing" video on his blog. They say that the incredible is often invisible to people and this will go a long way toward helping people understand the problem.

The American Psychiatric Assn is revising their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and want to include:

"Apathy Disorder,"
"Parental Alienation Syndrome,"
"Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder,"
"Compulsive Buying Disorder,"
"Internet Addiction"
"Relational Disorder"

The way it works is, the psychiatrists vote on whether or not certain behaviors indicate mental illness. Sort of Godlike, eh? Then the Big Pharma manufactures the drugs to 'cure' the behavior.

Yes, it's disturbing, especially when you start noticing psychiatrists shaping public opinion like Charles Krauthammer on Fox (who the Financial Times listed as the most influential commentator in America) and "The Infinite Mind" host on NPR , Frederick Goodwin, (who Slate Magazine noted is a paid lecturer for some of the drug companies). Let's get them off out backs!

Understanding Words

2008-11-09T10:06:00.003-07:00

Doh! I can't believe it. I've just discovered a word that I have misunderstood for at least 30 years. I knew all the definitions but had used the wrong one all this time. Finally understanding it thoroughly by looking up the history of the word has left me elated!

Greta Van Susteran

2008-10-06T18:50:00.003-06:00

I picked up on Greta again during the conventions and started checking Gretawire. She seems to be having a lot of fun with the election and is getting high ratings for cable shows. She's come a long way from covering OJ.

The Colorado Economy

2008-10-04T12:37:00.003-06:00

Colorado has slowed down like the rest of the country but not to the levels of some other areas.

Real estate sales are down over the last year but our RE-related business is way up. Why? We didn't pay attention to the news about the economy. We decided to effect a boomlet for ourselves and started promoting like crazy. We gathered together work crews that wanted to make money with us and took off. We only turned down jobs that were way out of our abilities to handle them and took everything else. Even though the season flurry of activity has passed, our stats are doing well. Yours can do. Just don't listen to depressing people who tell you otherwise.

~Flourish and Prosper~

Mental Health Bailout

2008-10-01T21:32:00.002-06:00

from politico.com

"...And tucked away in the tax provisions is a landmark health care provision demanding that insurance companies provide coverage for mental health treatment—such as hospitalization—on parity with physical illnesses.

Really a bill onto itself, the mental health parity measure has been a bipartisan priority for top lawmakers in both chambers but has stalled because of disagreements again over how to pay for its estimated $3.8 billion five-year cost. In the current climate, that seems to be no longer a stumbling block, and if the Treasury plan becomes law, it will also."

How urgent can this be if they are throwing all this other crap into the bailout?

Wouldn't you like to have had the opportunity to express your opinion about helping the rest of the country pay for "mental health" services? If the House passes this bailout with this addition, all our insurance costs will go up and you can look forward to more "mental health" screening.

High Summer

2008-08-18T11:20:00.002-06:00

I love zinnias. An acre of zinnias wouldn't be too many.

Civic Duty

2008-08-13T18:10:00.002-06:00

I have definitely entered the Civic Duty phase of my life. I had a feeling it would happen after the kids were up and out of the house. Yesterday was my first experience as an Election Judge in the Colorado Primary. It was like this for a good part of the day, thanks to mail-in ballots, but enough people came in to make it interesting. The November one should be a blast!

Inside Scientology Churches

2008-08-03T08:09:00.002-06:00

Church Management recently release a video that shows what Scientologists actually do inside our churches. You can see it a the Scientology Video Channel on the Beliefs and Practices menu. We saw it last night at a summer gathering where we were joined by actor Michael Roberts. He was so funny! (in spite of the 100+º temps we had yesterday.) Anyway, if you're curious, take a peek at the video.

Rural Fire Department

2008-06-08T11:26:00.003-06:00

The local Emergency Squad did a Jaws of Life demonstration at the rural fire department's open house. Really impressive. They popped the windshield just as I was walking up and had the 'victim' out within 10 minutes. This crew was mostly in their 20's and 30's, all heros or heros in the making. They have all my admiration.

Bringing Order

2008-05-20T10:18:00.004-06:00

I'm doing a CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) class to make myself more competent in case of emergencies and future disasters. Quite an education! (It's just make-up in the photo from a mock disaster). I've learned:

Sympathy is more for the person giving it than for the victim - better to be effective.
People will flock to points of order. Any order is better than no order in some cases.
Teamwork is imperative. Don't leave your buddy.

I've learned a lot more but some of these lessons have to do with deep, personal response to the situation as well as hands on details. I highly recommend the class.

Mississippi

2008-05-05T15:25:00.003-06:00

The other day I had to catch a train in Jackson, MS. We had some time to kill and so we dropped by the Mississippi Art Museum and saw a traveling exhibit of art inspired by Hurricane Katrina.

I spent some time paying respect to the experience of the people portrayed in the photos. They were mostly character studies of people surrounded by their local devastation with a little text explaining the circumstances. I read story after story, then lo and behold, I saw mention of volunteers with "Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Scientologists and Jews being the largest groups that came to help". Wow - what an unexpected acknowledgment! I know I was there along with hundreds more Scientologists but there is never a mention of it in the mainstream press. This person who put together the display knew we were there.

Funny thing, I told my brother that I went, but he never had any interest in my experience or any questions about it. After he read that little text, he finally asked me about it. Seeing something in print written by somebody he has never met gave the experience validity.

Earth Day Colorado 08

2008-04-22T08:12:00.003-06:00

"Safeguard and Improve Your Environment" is one of the precepts from The Way to Happiness and while I'm great at safeguarding my yard, it needed some improvement in the area of upkeep. A winter windstorm blew down some of the fence latticework that we replaced but it was too cold to paint. I just got around to it this week and once I get started painting I keep going. It was a beautiful day in the 70's, clear blue skies and I had lots of avian company. After a while in the sun, the shade of the lilacs provided some nice relief.

Yesterday we went to the city's free mulch yard and picked up a couple of barrelfulls. I also got some soaker hoses for the newly dug garden area along the fence and some extra hose for the new cistern. Things are coming along.

Colorado Depression Solutions

2008-04-17T13:20:00.003-06:00

Get some exercise! Finally, the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer. Take a walk every day and look around.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Get some sunshine on your face everyday. (don't forget the sunscreen)

Eat well and take B1.

Actively seek inspiration. Track down whatever inspires you.

Experts

2008-04-13T09:23:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about Experts lately since I recently went to 2 different workshops put on by Experts. The workshops were basically: the Expert reads the text of the overhead message shining on the wall.
I can read faster than they can talk and point the laser light, so tedium set in.

But on the subject of Experts, I've noticed that people seem to use Experts as a substitute or via for actually contact with a subject. In the past, a lot of knowledge was passed person to person, coming from friends and family. People now need help with raising children so they make an appointment with a psychologist. They need to get the weeds out of the yard so they hire a gardener to come once a week.
Don't have time to spend with the dog - hire a dog walker. Can't figure out that too much food and too little exercise = fat? Hire a personal trainer.

Hire someone else to do it or get advice from an Expert about how to react to it. What I see missing is a direct contact with Life.

Really Using Scientology

2008-04-10T07:59:00.003-06:00

When I was younger I was stranded in Iran with no way to get back. Thanks to a serendipitous encounter at a phone center, my friend and I found ourselves on a truck convoy driving back to Europe through the Turkish mountains.

A fellow traveller was an Italian returning from a year in India with his Guru. He was very calm and peaceful, a shining example of a happy spirit. That is, until a couple of days into the trip after spending time in a truck cab with a driver who was going through a psychotic break and would not stop talking. The guy staggered out of the truck looking for a cigarette, pleading for one of us to swap trucks with him. He had totally lost the serenity that he achieved during his year long quiet-time after getting smacked down by the physical universe.

I went through a slightly similar experience myself recently. When I returned from a several month long Scientology retreat, I landed myself a huge pile o' bitter choleric hateful antagonism from an unexpected source. At the time, I was also reading "Science of Survival" which goes into detail about the entanglement of life force with the physical universe. Reading that book gave me the understanding I needed to weather this situation and move on.

The thing about Scientology is that with auditing, you can get a bunch of spiritual improvement and feel great. The training, though, is the life raft that will keep you afloat so you don't have to stagger around looking for someone to bail you out of bad situations.

Internet Attacks on People with Epilepsy

2008-04-01T20:48:00.002-06:00

A group of hackers are trying to make Scientologists fear them.

They are also trying to cause people with epilepsy to have seizures. They hack into websites of interest to that population and install links to pages with visual images that induce seizures.

This is entertainment for these people. Go figure.

Season's Greetings!

2008-03-23T10:46:00.004-06:00

I had a great time this weekend with our Women's Auxiliary helping with an Easter Egg candy free-for-all. Last night we went to the annual LRH birthday event and I was delighted with all the expansion going on with Scientology around the world. I also got to see some footage of my buddies in the Translation Unit at the Advanced Organization in Australia.

Whatever you are celebrating this week: Easter, Ostara, Purim, Naw Ruz, The Arrival of Spring, or the various Rabbit Gods , I hope you have a Happy Holiday today.

More from the Factors

2008-03-20T09:08:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking more about the Factors in Scientology (see Feb 25th post) so here are a few more:

7 And from the viewpoint to the dimension points there are connection and interchange. Thus new dimension points are made. Thus there is communication.

8 And thus there is light.

9 And thus there is energy.

10 And thus there is life.

Recent events in my life have been reminding me how important communication is since it leads to more life. Here's the link again for all of the Factors.

Disaster Relief Training

2008-03-09T10:38:00.004-06:00

I went to a day-long 'Be Ready' training put on by the local Office of Emergency Management. I've been drawn to this kind of training since I went with some other
Scientologists to help with the Katrina disaster relief effort. Even working in a well organized group, I realized that I was really unprepared for the reality of a disaster area. Things like being in sweltering heat all day and night with no relief, sharing portable showers with a thousand other volunteers, long traffic lines, and the general disarray that is part of the situation.

The training was fascinating and I'm looking forward to the 32-hour CERT training that follows later this year.

2008-02-25T08:41:00.004-07:00

Some people seem to be concerned about Scientology 'beliefs'.  Well, Scientology is not a faith-based religion. When my sons asked me about God, etc, I would ask them, what do you think?  I personally think that any being is capable of coming up with his own conclusions.

So when I read

"What is true for you is what you have observed yourself.
And when you lose that you have lost everything." in Personal Integrity I totally agreed.

People who are looking for more can read The Factors :

1.Before the beginning was a Cause and the entire purpose of the Cause was the creation of effect.

2 In the beginning and forever is the decision and the decision is TO BE.

3 The first action of beingness is to assume a viewpoint.

4 The second action of beingness is to extend from the viewpoint, points to view, which are dimension points.

5 Thus there is space created, for the definition of space is: viewpoint of dimension. And the purpose of a dimension point is space and a point of view.

click on the link for the rest.

"Not In My Body, Not In My Town!"

2008-02-20T15:21:00.005-07:00

While our city council wrestles with citizen requests for them to call for the president to be impeached, citizens in Santa Cruz are calling to declare their town a Psychotropic Drug Free Zone. What a great idea! Great slogan and cute little mascot, too.

School Shooters

2008-02-18T08:21:00.005-07:00

From Natural News:

NaturalNews) It comes as no surprise to anyone who's been following school shootings all the way back to the Colombine High massacre in Colorado: Every young, male shooter that has gone on a killing spree in the United States also has a history of treatment with psychotropic drugs -- typically SSRI antidepressants. These shootings have three things in common: 1) The shooters are young males. 2) The shooters exhibit a mind-numbed disconnect with reality. 3) The shooters have a history of taking psychiatric medications.
...
Psychiatric medications, of course, are well known to cause extremely violent thoughts and behavior in young males. This is actually acknowledged by the FDA and is found in the black-box warnings printed on the packaging for such drugs. In Europe, the prescribing of many such drugs to children and teens is actually illegal. But in the United States, where psychiatric medications have become the "new medicine" for American youth, nobody seems to pay attention to the simple fact that every school shooting we've seen in the last decade has been committed by a young male with a history of treatment with psychiatric medications....

2008-02-13T10:18:00.003-07:00

I read a letter to the editor in Variety magazine defending our rights to religious freedom. The writer brought up other religious beliefs including:

Eve came from Adam's rib
Red Sea parted for the children of Israel
God spoke to Moses from a burning bush
Jonah lived in a whale
Christ rose from the dead & walked on water
Eating Christ's flesh and blood is a good thing
Angel Moroni descended into upstate New York to show Joseph Smith the buried golden tables
and then there is the one about all the virgins in heaven
and sitting for long hours brings enlightenment
and coming back in the next life as a different life form
and not being able to open an umbrella on the Sabbath
and poking totems with sharp objects creates effects in the real world
and the well known man-is-only-a-body theory from the psychiatrist's sacred tomes

Personally I think the world would be a better place if everyone spent time on spiritual matters. What a rich and full experience to have a conversation based on beliefs and ideas. And that would be a very high toned conversation.

Take a look at this Chart of Human Evaluation checking Column 10 Speech: Talks-Speech: Listens. You can see what kind of communication you can expect from different types of people.

2008-02-10T08:09:00.001-07:00

In Science of Survival, LRH writes about the methods that people use to handle others:

enhancement

punishment

nullification

If you take a look at this, you can sort the people in your life into these different categories. It's obvious that people who are focused on the latter two are really unhappy to start with. What a waste of a life!

2008-02-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

I tend to forget about posting here, being a busy Scientologist and all. There's been a lot of noise about Scientology lately. I wonder if these people have lives of their own? I mean happy, thriving, prosperous lives full of love and friendship. I think that someone with a full personal life wouldn't have the time or attention to try to stop others from living their lives as they choose.

Here's a quote from L Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology:
"Beware the person or group who fights Scientology, for that person fights truth - not the truth of natural laws, but truth about himself. It's well worth knowing, we assure you."

2008-01-31T12:59:00.001-07:00

Hmpf...

I ran out of things to say for a few days there.

I've been hanging out with some friends, organizing paperwork to prepare for doing our taxes, & getting back to reading Science of Survival. What a great read.

I'm also doing some volunteering for our local Office of Special Affairs. Winter's moving right along. This is a friend who likes to sit on my lap.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2008-01-26T15:16:00.001-07:00

Do you remember studying these words?

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."

These two ideas can get lost, even in civilized company:

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Local News

2008-01-23T11:12:00.001-07:00

A mountain lion was shot twice with rubber bullets this morning after he was found sleeping in a local back yard. He ran off into the Open Space area.

Build housing in mountain lion habitat and you're going to run in to this occasionally. The biggest predator I've seen in my yard is the next door cat who stalks the birds at my feeder, though something killed the ducks we had a several years ago. And the bunny went missing. And Chuck the turtle was gobbled up.

There's plenty to eat here: squirrel, deer, foxes and come to think of it, I'd better keep my Scotties inside unless someone is with them.

image from polyland.calpoly.edu

Colorado Sunset

2008-01-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

................I should have gotten the same camera phone that my son bought...

Official Church Response to Cruise Biography

2008-01-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Today show has posted the truth about this stupid book and its stupid author.

It begins:
"For the last two years, the Church of Scientology requested to be interviewed or be presented with any allegations so we could respond. Morton refused despite our insistence in offering our cooperation. At no time did he request interviews nor did he attempt to get any information from us. Accuracy and truth were not on Morton’s agenda.

While making all sorts of bizarre and false allegations about Mr. Miscavige, the Church’s ecclesiastical leader, Morton at no time ever attempted to contact, speak to or interview him."

" Review: New Cruise biography comes up empty"

2008-01-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Does Andrew Morton even have a life of his own?

from the article:
"Tom Cruise" begins, "If truth be told, Tom Cruise Mapother IV has always been something of a ladies' man" (should any biographer open with "if truth be told"?) and ends with this thunderclap: "Perhaps the most complex character he has ever played is Tom Cruise himself." Between those sentences resides a 323-page air sandwich.

Now let's just get back to enjoying that nice big smile courtesy of msnbc.

2008-01-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

The director of our local Scientology Mission also runs Missions in Nepal and the Philippines. Just recently, the Philippines started delivery of the Purification Rundown . Did you know that the Philippines is a major exporter of meth-amphetamines for the planet? With the Purification Rundown the people there will be able to think more clearly and escape the trap of drugs.

What About the Sea Organization?

2008-01-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

Last fall, I spent several months in Los Angeles with members of the Sea Organization at the big Scientology church on Sunset near Vermont. The SO members never cease to amaze me with their purpose and dedication and ability to get things done. They are great people as a group, dedicated to helping us move toward greater spiritual freedom.

There's more information about the Sea Organization here and
here.

"Doctors are required to do this with each patient, although parents and children are not legally required to comply."

2008-01-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

I was sent a link to a missive about the Massachusett's mandatory mental health screening.

It's a terrible idea since the current bureaucratic 'solution' is to drug the hell out of anyone who doesn't match some pre-determined model of 'Normal'.

I hope there will be lots of commentary about this horrible program but I hope that the important message - that no one is legally required to comply - will be the heard loud and clear. Unused programs are more likely to be discontinued.

Teens and anti-depressants

2007-12-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

The FDA has warned that taking anti-depressants increases the risk of suicide but people are still drugging their children. Unbelievable.

They call them anti-depressants. Remember "double-speak"?

from wikipedia: Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a communication bypass.

Fox News did a story about this recently.

Scroll down to "Teens & Anti-depressants".

2007-12-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

I have a profound respect for this man, L. Ron Hubbard. He's provided me with multiple enormous leaps in my personal evolution as a spiritual being, for which I'm eternally grateful. This photo taken during his plant research phase that was touched on in The Secret Life of Plants by Tompkins & Bird.

photo from L. Ron Hubbard, a Profile

Another turn around the sun

2007-12-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Solstice everyone! It's going to be dark for a while tonight so go outside and check out the Ursid Meteor showers. Faint though they are, the idea of being showered by falling stars is a delightful one to me.

Back to Basics

2007-12-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

smiley face on Mars from nasa.gov

The other day I had to deal with a customer who was neglecting a bounced check she wrote to us but was just so darn friendly!

I had just read the Chart of Human Evaluation in Science of Survival and recognized that what she was doing was criminal no matter how sweet she was. It was great not to have to wonder how to handle it. I cheerfully let her know that no payment would mean the local District Attorney's Bounced Check office would handle it if she didn't want to.

You can get the book online:
http://nep.goldenageofknowledge.net

Americans in Good Mental Health

2007-12-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.gallup.com/video/102847/Americans-Good-Mental-Shape.aspx

A Gallup poll shows that most Americans consider themselves healthy mentally. This certainly counters what the pharmaceutical companies would like for us to believe! The poll mentions that people with higher incomes are generally happier. So they are saying that flourishing and prospering #21 are good things to do. Ok, well, if that's what they are saying, I'm not going to argue with them.

Time Flies

2007-11-17T10:43:00.001-07:00

Sheesh, it's already November 17 and Thanksgiving is next week! So much has happened during the last month. I went to Author Services for a tour and got an idea of some future releases coming out which sound like a lot of fun. It's a little bizarre to be passing Christmas trees for sale when it's 85 degrees out but still grooving on being in LA.

Heading over to Yuca's Hut for some yummy carne asada for lunch.

2007-11-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Click here to view other Public Service Announcements

2007-10-23T21:51:00.000-06:00

Fire

Why bother?

2007-10-16T12:27:00.000-06:00

Someone reminded me recently what a waste of time it is to live your life based solely on reactions to other people living their lives. I knew it but I forget it sometimes when I'm all bent out of shape about something that someone did or said. Always reacting to reactions has nothing to do with being cause in your life. And if you're not causing your life, who is?

It's really a matter of keeping in two-way communication, don't you think?

Welcome to Clearwater

2007-09-26T09:49:00.000-06:00

I had to look at this a minute to see the welcome message. Pretty Cool!

Home again

2007-09-20T20:15:00.000-06:00

We just took a 3000 mile road trip to the Gulf Coast. Beautiful places all along the way but Kansas really satisfied this time. Salina has a great Italian restaurant called Martinelli's, corner of Walnut and Santa Fe. Huge meatballs that melt in your mouth.
Beautiful old houses in the downtown area. We had a huge and beautiful blue sky all the way home today.

two of the loves of my life

2007-09-06T08:58:00.002-06:00

The Basics

2007-09-02T10:21:00.000-06:00

I finished the new edition of Dianetics: Modern Science of Mental Health as part of the new basics series. What a pleasurable experience. The book itself is a delight to hold and read. The text is like an entirely different book from earlier versions. I don't know what the earlier editors were thinking when they worked on those editions but I'm really happy that the
RTC sorted it all out.

Control

2007-08-22T08:52:00.000-06:00

I took some time off from my training to get my son through his Upper Indoc training. It was interesting to work with him since these drills deal with controlling people on various levels, from physically guiding a person's body around to guiding someone with intention alone. Last time we did these, he was much younger and had some back-off on controlling his mom. After several years and a bit more training, he had no problem this time around.

So many Scientology drills serve to put a person in control of his life, personally and in wider spheres. In order to complete this drill, you have to be able to operate at the top of this Emotional Tone Scale at will. (click on the scale to embiggen). Pretty fun stuff.

Skype

2007-08-16T09:39:00.000-06:00

Skype is down, first time since I started using it last year. This is what I use to help the Asian translators who are working on LRH materials. It's a pretty good tool - free phone calls.

On another topic, I noticed that Blogger is much more compatible with Firefox than Safari. I get more usage out of the tools with Firefox.

What else? We're into the dog days of summer in Colorado but at least the heat is dry and nights are cool. We had a great soaker from the monsoon yesterday. Lots of hummingbirds enjoying my Mexican Sage, honeysuckle and 4 o'clocks.

China tells living Buddhas to obtain permission before they reincarnate

2007-08-06T09:53:00.000-06:00

Ridiculous Headline

Tibet’s living Buddhas have been banned from reincarnation without permission from China’s atheist leaders. The ban is included in new rules intended to assert Beijing’s authority over Tibet’s restive and deeply Buddhist people.

“The so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and invalid,” according to the order, which comes into effect on September 1..."

wow!

2007-07-18T08:13:00.001-06:00

All the Basic Books of Scientology have been revamped and re-released as incredible pieces of work. The management of our Church continually amazes me with the attention to detail they are giving to ensure the future of Scientology. In a nutshell, these books are pure L Ron Hubbard with no editorial alterations. The alterations that existed before were, to put it mildly, distracting from the message. Each book is now accompanied by the lecture series that Ron gave after the release.

My summer is cut out for me. I'm doing all the extension courses.

Youth for Human Rights Int'l

2007-07-11T18:19:00.000-06:00

Nice poster. The PSAs on the YHRI website are cool, too.

???

2007-07-11T18:06:00.000-06:00

I dunno...something big is going to happen this weekend. I keep hearing about it but when I walked into the courseroom at the Church in Denver, I knew that it was really going to reach me somehow. Everything had been reconfigured and new equipment was there. They had to get an event venue that was twice as big as the last one to hold everyone who is going to be there.

Should be interesting!

Something Happened

2007-06-30T11:51:00.002-06:00

That last trip to LA really changed my outlook in several ways. As far as Scientology goes, I'm keeping it up much more now that I'm home. I resumed my course at the Colorado Org and have been running into a lot of old friends.

This summer a lot of blue jays have been at my bird bath. Considering that we are on the outermost edge of their world, I consider myself lucky to have them as visitors.

The BBC and Scientology

2007-05-16T10:22:00.000-06:00

The BBC is doing a story on Scientology. Here's how the interview process was carried out.

May 9th

2007-05-13T09:17:00.000-06:00

Last night was the big celebration for the anniversary of the first appearance of Dianetics. We saw several amazing stories but the one that impressed me most was the story about a man who picked up a copy of the book somewhere in Cameroon and started telling people about it. Now hundreds of people in little villages in that part of Africa are auditing each other in little houses or out in fields or by a fire somewhere.

I think that most people don't realize that for the cost of the book, anyone can try Dianetics anytime, anywhere. Heck, a library card will get the book if there is a problem with spending the money. Dianetics can cause real and definite life changes for anyone and it can happen without going near a Dianetics center or Church of Scientology.

Add another to the list

2007-04-18T11:25:00.000-06:00

Cho Seung-Hui, Duane Morrison, Jeff Weise, Jason Hoffman, Elizabeth Bush, T.J. Solomon, Eric Harris, Kip Kinkel - all on anti-depressants when they went on their shooting sprees. Google "anti depressants and violence" and see the articles for anyone to read.

Everyone wants to help in times like this. Scientologists do, too.

Reaching the World

2007-03-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the language options on the Holiday Catalog page and thinking about the people I've met who would use the other versions: Swedish, Spanish, Russian , Japanese, Italian, Hungarian, Greek, German, French, Dutch. I'm sure a Chinese version will be available in the near future since quite a few Taiwanese are doing services in Los Angeles as well as in Taiwan.

Here's a good article about the publishing system used for Scientology Magazines.

Storm work increases Church of Scientology attendance in La.

2007-03-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

I went to LA and MS for a few days to help other Scientology Volunteer Ministers after Katrina and know how hard they worked. It's great to see an article about C of S in Lousiana:

Storm work increases Church of Scientology attendance in La. LAFAYETTE — The volunteer ministers the Church of Scientology brings to respond to disasters come out of many walks of life.

Dentists, office managers, roofers and the actress who gives voice to Bart Simpson all donned the church’s bright yellow T-shirts and went to work.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, about 1,000 volunteer ministers from across the United States and Canada came to Louisiana in clusters of about 300 at any given time, church officials said. They worked with other faith groups and the Red Cross to assist and in some cases run the shelters.

While other faith groups that responded — Catholics, Baptists, Methodists — already had a large presence in the Gulf Coast region, the Church of Scientology is relatively small.

However, the visibility and goodwill earned during relief efforts following hurricanes Katrina and Rita created momentum that has helped the church open new missions in the region and see increased interest at the ones it already had.

“We grow as much as we help people,” explained Craig Gehring, an employee at the Church of Scientology’s Mission in Baton Rouge.......

February in Hollywood

2007-02-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm coming to the end of a fabulous month in LA. I am so happy to have missed all the cold and snow in Colorado and I'm so pleased to have found the LA Day Org. The delivery team there is great and I was able to move quite a bit with my auditing. Very nice crew, nice space.

I also spent time working on my training at ASHO which is always a lot of fun. Took a lot of walks around the Los Feliz area, met a lot of people from all over the world, got some interesting insights from a seminar and a memorial service, and took a few rides around the area with Victor.

All and all, a great holiday.

Scientology and the media

2007-02-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I just googled 'Scientology' in the news to find out:

The ex-Spice girl won't become a Scientologist. Ok, shrug, so what? Does this mean people can be friends with Scientologists without becoming a member of the church? I think it does - at least that is my experience. Most of the people I know are not the same religion.

Tom Cruise is/is not the Scientology Christ. Anyone reading the original story that said: someone who knows Tom Cruise said that someone high in the Scientology church made this statement. Does anyone else notice the utter lack of source for this comment? Someone said that someone said.... So anyway, no, he is not - there is no equivalent of Christ in this church.

Jennifer Lopez's dad has been a Scientologist for 20 years. Who knew? So does this mean you can have relatives who are Scientologists and not be forced to be a Scientologist? Why, yes, I do believe here is one example of that possibility.

I don't understand why some people have their panties in such a wad about what we do, think, believe, practice. Don't these people have lives of their own to fiddle with?

DVDs

2007-01-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Church Management took on the task of restoring film of LRH lectures and they do an amazing job. Last night, we watched a restored version of "An Introduction to Scientology" which was filmed back in the 60's. I admit that watching the original version made me somewhat uncomfortable - something about the blue tint. The new version is a whole new experience.

My hubby and son just returned from an intensive training trip to LA. It's great to have them back!

The Holidays

2006-12-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

We went to a party at our local Mission recently to kick off the holiday season. December is a notable month for us: we celebrate Christmas still and I like to acknowledge the Solstice in some way each year. Both mothers/grandmothers died in December so that makes it more meaningful for the family.

I got to thinking about Scientology and the holidays, went on a search and found this list. I was surprised to find so many. Some of the holidays have big events, some are noteworthy in other ways. One thing I've learned over the years: Scientologists love a gathering.

Dianetics-The Evolution of a Science

2006-12-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is probably old news but I just found this book (the whole book) online.

Chapter titles:
Ch. 1: Your Mind's Potential
Ch. 2: What Life is Doing
Ch. 3: "Demons" of the Mind
Ch. 4: The Basic Personality
Ch. 5: The Exterior World and Interior Aberration
Ch. 6: Misconceptions About the Mind
Ch. 7: The Analytical Mind
Ch. 8: Tracking Down Irrationality's Source
Ch. 9: The Villain of the Piece
Ch. 10: Development of Technique
Ch. 11: Application
Ch. 12: The Hope for the Future
Read About the Author
Glossary

I've been working on "EOS" with Thai and Indonesian translators. Pretty cool to find it online.

George Tooker

2006-11-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Way to Happiness

2006-11-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Way to Happiness Foundation has some great Public Service Announcements on their rennovated website. They cover these subjects:

Take Care of Yourself
Be Temperate
Don’t Be Promiscuous
Love and Help Children
Honor and Help Your Parents
Set a Good Example
Seek to Live with the Truth
Do Not Murder
Don’t Do Anything Illegal
Support a Government Designed and Run For All the People
Do Not Harm A Person of Goodwill
Safeguard and Improve Your Environment
Do Not Steal
Be Worthy of Trust
Fulfill Your Obligations
Be Industrious
Be Competent
Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others
Try Not to Do Things to Others That You Would Not Like Them to Do to You
Try To Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You
Flourish and Prosper

Scientology Webcasts

2006-11-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

Finding out how other people weave Scientology into their lives is interesting to me. For some, it's a purely personal subject. Others feel the need to export what they learn into society.

At New Civilization Podcasts, you can hear how some people use Scientology in their lives. Topics include:
Bob Adams, former NFL football player, on a Scientogy Anti-Drug Campaign
Brian Gardner, a drummer, on Performers Against Drugs
Dave Sanders, management consultant on Business Consulting
Karen Kay, novelist, on writing Romance novels
and others on the topics of education, relationships, and putting a new civilization here.

The Scientology Mission of Lafayette, LA has an interesting collection of radio interviews about some of their volunteer activities. Marie Pace interviews a Judge, a State Representative, a General (re: Katrina relief) and has other programs about Dianetics, Scientology, ADHD Solutions, Education and Psychiatry.

People are Strange

2006-11-08T21:16:00.003-07:00

Several years ago I read that Denver was the city with the highest number of psychiatrists per capita. I never could validate that stat but the Front Range does seem to be a breeding ground for all sorts of mental practitioners. CU has a huge Psychology Dept and the Front Range is full of all sorts of therapists. Maybe this is why I HAVE TO GET OUT OF TOWN! on a regular basis? ".

Translating

2006-10-23T08:01:00.000-06:00

Recently, Guinness World Records awarded L Ron Hubbard with two new world records: he is the world's most published author (1084 works) and the world's most translated author (71 languages). To help with that last, I've been working with translators (mostly in SE Asia) online as they work to get LRH's books published in their languages. Mostly, I'm clearing up definitions of words using Onelook.com. Onelook was created by a Denver Scientologist who later sold it.
Scientologists value a good dictionary! If you don't understand it, what good is it?

That was fast

2006-10-05T09:26:00.000-06:00

Almost time to go home. Dear hubby came out and we drove to Hermosa Beach last weekend. Great pier, surfers, dolphins, fishers. Ate at Scotty's on the Strand.

This has been a good trip with lots of headway made. This particular course is really interesting in the personal transformation that has to occur in order to get the product of the course. You really have to be in Present Time, full of intention and light emotionally to make it all work. You just can't buy into any kind of discouragement. More than anything, the course is teaching me persistence and courage.

Great weather, great room, great roomies in the Texas dentist an the Boston writer. Back in about a month.

Crickets of East Hollywood

2006-09-29T22:48:00.000-06:00

Almost one week has flown by since I arrived for course at the American Saint Hill Organization in Hollywood and now I'm listening to a mixture of nature and big city sounds outside my window. The weather has offered up some wonderful days with spectacular sunsets. At night I see Griffith Park Observatory lit up outside my apartment window.

This trip is going very well since I have a friend from home to work with on our E-Meter course. She is on a longer term course of study than I am, the St Hill Special Briefing Course. People are here from all over the world now: Europe, Asia, Africa. Maybe I mentioned before that scores of students are expected within the next 6 months as a program to increase the number of highly trained Scientologists worldwide. The place is so busy as it is - it's hard to imagine where they will fit everyone.

Anyway, a good week with lots of production. I saw my first turning leaves and if that's happening here, I know fall has really arrived. Going to the beach this weekend after my dear husband arrives - just to stretch the summer out a little more.

Living Things

2006-09-11T13:29:00.000-06:00

This whole summer has been about the 5th Dynamic for me. I put in another Grape vine and moved the original one to a place that the deer can't get to, added a Trumpet Vine to the fence row as well as a Rose of Sharon and some funky little evergreen. Moved the little Locust to a more logical place. 2 Rose bushes went in: one to the front terrace, the other by the driveway. Found a deer-proof place to dig in a couple of Tomatoes also near the driveway. Put some Maximillian Daisies, some gorgeous Salvia bushes, some Cosmos and moved a Blue Mist Spirea all along the driveway, too. A Sand Cherry went back by the fence where the free moss rock ended up. Moved the Vinca and Sweet Woodruff under the Elm where the patio went in. Started some Bamboo from a broken piece and I think the Rose of Sharon branch is rooting. Creeping Jenny went in along the west side of the house where the new walkway is going in. Put some more Echinacea in the front and started some from seed. Also started some Chocolate Flower and hope it will last till next year. Jacob's Ladder, Rudbekia, Coreopsis, Zinnias and a few Marigolds went in by the solar fountain. Oh, and the Portulaca! Beautiful color this year!. Added a couple of tiny evergreen bushes of some sort to the front walk but I'm not sure what if they will make it.

I took down the Hummingbird feeder this year - or maybe the wind blew it down - but who could tell? The Hummingbirds have been all over my Honeysuckle and red 4 O'Clocks which are growing in crazy masses. A Downy Woodpecker made it to my bird bath this year and the little Goldfinches stuck around in spite of no feeder for them. The Deer family keeps coming around - mostly the mom and 2 fawns but then a family of 5 appeared last week. The neighbor dogs are finding their way here - the Basset Hound and the Scottie and don't want to leave when it's time.

it's either this or give them my password.....

2006-09-03T13:55:00.000-06:00

Technorati Profile

Finishing up

2006-08-29T08:13:00.000-06:00

LRH talks about putting order into an environment quite a bit at times and it always inspires me to action. The last few months I've been working on putting my home in order. Started with youngest son moving out and needing to do something with his room and developed into all sorts of cleaning, painting and organizing projects. There is one countertop that has been the bane of my existence for years that no longer is. My bathroom is now a pretty place where I enjoy spending time (for aesthetic reasons as well as the other reasons). My sunspace has been cleared out for more passive solar gain and the knee walls painted after 20 years.

I noticed somewhere along the line that if I feel that I'm not comfortably in present time, I can handle that by finishing something I've started or just putting some order in - even a litte bit. And I've noticed that finishing up cycle of action has the effect of inspiring me toward future projects.

Speaking of future projects, I started knitting again! Something led me to the Mason Dixon Knitting and the world of warshrags, cotton yarn, Chinese Waves etc. The pink is a girl's scarf, the other started as a dish rag but is going to be a big scarf:

Snake in the Bush

2006-07-06T14:19:00.000-06:00

We often look out the window and see deer in the yard but hardly ever snakes. And never a snake in the bush. Isn't this worth two in the hand?

Growing Up

2006-07-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

My son went with me to LA and stayed another couple of weeks after I left. He was working on his Professional TRs Couse which is a requirement for his auditor training. TRs= training routines that increase communication skills. He came back a changed person. Hard to put my finger on it exactly, but definitely a more substantial being. Now, he's considering a change of course in life: he may just get on with his Auditor training rather than finish college. He's finding that being on the Dean's List and graduating summa cum laude doesn't hold his interest like it did before.

Either way is fine with me. When we were homeschooling, his dad and I were of the opinion that following an interest is more valuable to a life than filling the requirements of a prescribed curriculum that everyone else is doing. He had every opportunity to be as creative in his education as he wanted to be, but often chose routes similar to the rest of the American school system. It will be interesting to see what he decides about branching off into new territory.

Gone and Back Again

2006-06-20T21:48:00.000-06:00

Just returned from a couple of weeks on L. Ron Hubbard Way in LA. I had a great time, mostly working with my son to help him complete a course. When I wasn't helping him, I was training to improve my skills at operating an E-Meter. It's been a while since I audited anyone, so it's been really good to refresh.

There were lots of Taiwanese Scientology students staying in our apartment building and I heard that more are coming to train. 40 Russian Church staff members will be arriving to train during the next year, as well.

I went to a Flag Event while I was there. I'm used to about 200 people at local events but there were easily a thousand at this one. Jenna Elfman talked for a while, something I don't normally see locally. Pretty fun.

Weather was great, roaming around the Los Feliz neighborhood and Griffith Park were fun, the trips out and back satisfied. Altogether, a good trip.

Wallace Stevens and Me

2006-05-22T23:26:00.000-06:00

It's been some time since a poet has reached out to me from his grave but Wallace seems to be doing that now.

the well dressed man with a beard

After the final no there comes a yes
And on that yes the future world depends.
No was the night. Yes is this present sun.
If the rejected things, the things denied,
Slid over the western cataract, yet one,
One only, one thing that was firm, even
No greater than a cricket's horn, no more
Than a thought to be rehearsed all day, a speech
Of the self that must sustain itself on speech,
One thing remaining, infallible, would be
Enough. Ah! douce campagna of that thing!
Ah! douce campagna, honey in the heart,
Green in the body, out of a petty phrase,
Out of a thing believed, a thing affirmed:
The form on the pillow humming while one sleeps,
The aureole above the humming house...
It can never be satisfied, the mind, never.

De Kludge

2006-05-16T08:20:00.000-06:00

I've been cleaning out the house and yard this year. Maybe it's because I'll soon have an empty nest. Maybe it's that general universal shift that is going on now as things right themselves. Whatever reason, I've been finding lots of space that I had forgotten about. I'm relishing the motion of 'move it out' if I don't really like it or no one is owning it. I found a blog that a Scientologist contributes to: Living an Organized Life which might be helpful. My biggest realization along the lines of dekludging is that organization and convenience aren't always compatible.

More about me

2006-05-13T07:46:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been spending my online time assisting the translators. The process fascinates me - seeing how they interpret the language, how well versed they are in English generally, what sort of words and phrases stump them.

My dear son is enjoying his first cruise on the Freewinds. My other son got his first piercing after he turned 18.

Recycling water

2006-05-05T19:33:00.000-06:00

Such a yoyo. Now we are having cool wet weather which is fine, but enough of the cool! I grew up in the South with plenty of water so I cherish any form or precipitation here.

We had a drought for a few years after the turn of the century which was profoundly uncomfortable for me. When humidity is in the teens, everything feels crackly. We got some cisterns to catch rainwater, then found out that it's illegal to do that. We did the normal water-saving actions in the house. Also tried a variety of ways to recycle grey water from our clothes washer for use in the yard (also illegal, as we discovered). Our first attempt was to attach a hose to the exhaust hose that emptied into the yard but something about the distance the water had to travel affected the motor in the machine - it had to work harder to get to get the water out so the motor would start smelling. Then we got some 5 gallon water jugs. I would stop the machine at the spin cycle, divert the exhaust hose into the jug, start the machine, stop it when that one filled up, change to the other jug and repeat for the 3rd one. Then I would have to cajole the men in the house to lug the jugs out into the yard to spill them. Good thing we were all in agreement about doing this. After one summer of this, the washer gave out so we invested in a front loader which uses a fraction of the water and spins so much water out that drying time is less. Then the drought broke.

Regarding my life as a Scientologist, I made my Amtrak reservations for my next trip to theAmerican Saint Hill Organization this summer. Looking forward to that very much. It's great fun being around thousands of Scientologists. I've been working nightly online with people who are translating L Ron Hubbard's works. I found out that Ron is now the most translated author. Guiness presented the verification certificate to the agency that licenses LRH's works back in Oct 2005. Beyond that, it's our busy season so the phone is ringing off the hook, the dogs need walking and playtime, my adult children are still interested in my attention part of the time and the garden is always beckoning with weeds to pull and projects to continue. Life is good.

Le Jardin

2006-04-27T11:57:00.000-06:00

I've been working in the yard, cleaning grass out of beds. This is something that never ends since I refuse to use chemicals out there. Not your typical yard and yes that is a compost heap along the fence. Luckily we have understanding neighbors but we were here before most of them so who cares? Our eccentric gardening style is grandfathered in.
You can see a little bit of the first wrinkle of the Rockies from the patio. There is a much grander view from the front of the front yard.

The Day After Earth Day

2006-04-23T21:08:00.000-06:00

Well, today was pretty quiet. Yesterday I worked at a fundraiser for the Humane Society called "Puttin' on the Leash". Pretty fun. I spent some time working with a Hungarian translator on a passage that he was trying to understand. Also put out some comm to try to find some people who want to help in other times zones. They have had good response with finding help in the US but being awake at the same time is helpful -the translators in Asia like to sleep when we are awake here.

I listened to a lecture by LRH from the '50s when he started Clearing people. When you train as an auditor, you practice a specific communication formula to use when auditing. I've had my attention on one aspect of it for some time. Listening to Ron handle a situation in the lecture showed me how to really do it. "Aahhhhhh. I get it now." was the feeling.

Then my husband started feeding me delicious peanut butter cookies.

Yesterday

2006-04-16T08:58:00.000-06:00

I worked yesterday and spent some time helping a Chinese translator via Skype. I just recently downloaded it and like the way it works. Sort of like a grown-up AIM.

Last night we watched "Collateral", not because Tom Cruise is a Scientologist, just because it's On Demand this month with HBO and hubby had never watched it before. The story and the acting fascinate me, Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise both in roles that are out of their normal range.

Brazil

2006-04-14T16:14:00.000-06:00

I just heard more about Brazil on the radio - the fact that next year they will be self sufficient in terms of fuel for their vehicles. These people are making it out of sugar cane residue. You'd think that Americans would decide to make this happen here, wouldn't you?

I'm watching a goldfinch enjoy the feeder in the front yard. I'm thrilled that there are clouds of light green around the trees now.

I worked today and will work tomorrow. Listened to a tape by LRH about using an E-Meter. I trained as an auditor but it was so long ago that I'm re-doing some of it. Pretty interesting tape.

Conference on World Affairs

2006-04-12T19:08:00.000-06:00

We went to the CWA keynote lecture given by Jim Woolsey. I had never seen or heard an ex-CIA director before and thought he gave an interesting view of "Energy, Security and the Long War of the 21st Century". The subject was balanced by a hopeful scenario of how we can step out of our dependence on oil from the Mid-East. Take a look at what Brazil is doing.

We've been working on a patio in the yard, walking the dogs, swimming and doing a little with the business. We must be on vacation.

More Taxes

2006-04-08T18:56:00.000-06:00

Sorry, too busy to tell say much about the busy life of a Scientologist since I'm doing our business taxes. If you want to read about what some other Scientologists are doing, you can read about Volunteer Ministers.

I went to Louisiana to join the VMs with the Katrina Relief effort back in September. It was an extraordinary experience for me: I had never seen Scientology in action in the Deep South much less Scientologists helping out in a disaster. We checked in at the Mission in Baton Rouge then filled our car with people to take to Gulfport, MS to a high school where the Georgia National Guard and other volunteer groups were staying. We helped sort medical supplies the first day and helped move everyone the next day to the CeeBee Base. There were several hangers full of people - evacuees and volunteers - staying there, sleeping on cots and depending on port-a-potties and portable showers. Just the food service for the volunteers required a few hundred people. Later, we took a group to Pass Christian to help out. We found a makeshift point of distribution that an interesting group had set up - sorted food in the Salvation Army tent and clothes in the main tent.

One thing that Scientologists offer in the way of relief is a Nerve Assist as well as other assists that help lessen present time discomfort. You can learn these on the web at that last link and try them out at home if you're interested. It was a hoot to see the National Guard members receive the assists, then turn around and do them on their pals.

But that was a world away. Back to taxes.