Alex Barnes-Ross sent us another interesting mailer that was issued recently by Scientology’s UK headquarters, Saint Hill, this time featuring a woman who has attained the state of “Clear.”
This is a major intermediate goal for Scientologists, who then often go on to the “OT levels” as they progress up the “Bridge to Total Freedom.”
We’ve seen many, many testimonials by Scientologists about attaining the state of Clear or finishing the various OT Levels, and they tend to all say the same thing, about how much more “aware” they are, how they know themselves for the first time, etc.
But this one was a little different. Ex-Scientologists will tell you that they often heard about founder L. Ron Hubbard’s goal of “making the able more able,” which implied that Scientology was not interested in the disabled.
But this testimonial from a woman named Katherine suggests otherwise, and we weren’t sure what to think of it. Give it a look, and then read Alex’s take on what he thinks is going on.
Spiritual Truth
When I was just 6 months old, I started to recognise some issues with my body. There were inconsistencies of muscle strength from one day to next, and it soon became clear to my family that I had inherited a genetic defect that results in episodes of muscular paralysis. My childhood consisted of daily, severe paralysis attacks, persistent bullying and crippling failed purposes. Despite this, I forged a grit and determination to never give up.
I first laid my hands on Dianetics in 1992. The concept of there being a way to understand what the mind was doing to the body just blew me away. The very idea that I was a spiritual being with a body and a mind, changed my viewpoint forever. Who cared about physical disability – I was a Thetan!
The State of Clear sounded like a far away Utopia. But I had a good track record of never giving up. So why ever not! After all, this was about my reactive mind and my analytical mind and this would be an activity that didn’t involve the frustrations of physical limitations. I was all in! What could go wrong!?
Well, it took several attempts over a number of years to get a doctor brave enough to agree to me doing the Purification rundown. But eventually my persistence won through and so my journey began.
Throughout my entire journey the staff at the mighty Manchester Org were nothing short of phenomenal.
As I kept progressing, one action after another, I began to feel free to talk about the condition without embarrassment, or fear of judgement, I was able to solve more problems in relation to everyday livingness, confront my transgressions against my body, de-stimulate upsets and change my mind about my survival this lifetime.
My grades and NED, as well as all the marvellous wins that came with each action, gave me the opportunity to handle the attention that was fixed on my body and allowed me to begin the journey of truly tackling my whole track.
And so to Saint Hill! Each visit would start with poor mobility and dragging the body around. My case would be unburdened a little more and I would win, spiritually, emotionally and physically.
It became a ritual on the last day of each visit, to walk up the steps that cut through the hillside to the car park, with no physical support, from the bottom all the way to the top, without help. And then came the Clearing Course. There have been so many wins throughout the course. The gentleness of each revelation, as layers of my case fell away, often brought me to tears. Some days I just didn’t know where to put myself.
I used to have a habit of colouring any optimistic joy with “yes but” or “it won’t last”. One day this just simply dropped away. My consideration of there being an otherness in my universe fell away too.
My cycle of action gained a crispness in execution that removed doubt from my space. My ability to flow help to another person multiplied. And through simple communication, I’m able to duplicate without any dilution or impurities – and have the freedom to be fully duplicated in return.
The Clearing Course has returned to me, the power of simplicity and the sheer grace of my spiritual truth. And my condition? Well I have no attention on it at all, and as you saw, I can climb stairs without a care. I realise that there is so much more to do, but this milestone of Clear is just so precious to the dreamer of thirty years ago who hoped that the Dianetics book would fulfil its promise.
Here’s Alex’s take…
At six months old, most people aren’t exactly capable of noticing inconsistencies of muscle strength between one day and the next.. Unless, of course, you are an ‘Operating Thetan’, in control of your body as a spiritual being. However, Katherine has not yet achieved this level, for she is only just ‘Clear’.
The fact she first bought Dianetics in 1992 and it’s taken her 33 years to get to this point on the Bridge to Total Freedom certainly raises an eyebrow. Scientology teaches that people with disabilities are “degraded beings” and ultimately responsible for the condition they are in — whether it be a result of an accident, or something they’ve had since birth. As such, there is no way they were going to let Katherine attest to the State of Clear unless she was able to rid herself of her disability.
Her comment on it taking a number of years to find a doctor willing to sign off on the Purif says a lot. Although Scientologists will tell you it’s because they “don’t understand the Tech,” I’m inclined to think their reluctance might be, perhaps, due to the dangerous cocktail of vitamins and sauna sessions.. (that, may I add, have resulted in numerous deaths in the US)
Although she stops short of saying Scientology outright cured her disability, she does mention she’s now able to walk from the course room to the carpark without physical help. Of course, I’m glad she seems to be improving, but if she is truly disabled, I am deeply concerned she may be exerting more, potentially damaging, stress on her body than is safe to do so.. all for the purpose of claiming she’s ‘Clear’.
This is a prime example of Scientology exploiting the vulnerable here in the UK and instead of seeking medical advice, this poor lady has turned to Scientology under their false promises ‘the tech’ can cure her illnesses. It’s not just quackery, it’s worrying and I hope the appropriate safeguarding authorities are keeping a close eye on Katherine’s welfare.
And to top it off, Saint Hill add the line "Remove restraints, misconceptions and misidentity as a thetan." The hypocrisy is deplorable.
Want to help?
Please consider joining the Underground Bunker as a paid subscriber. Your $7 a month will go a long way to helping this news project stay independent, and you’ll get access to our special material for subscribers. Or, you can support the Underground Bunker with a Paypal contribution to bunkerfund@tonyortega.org, an account administered by the Bunker’s attorney, Scott Pilutik. And by request, this is our Venmo link, and for Zelle, please use (tonyo94 AT gmail). E-mail tips to tonyo94@gmail.com. Find us at Threads: tony.ortega.1044 and Bluesky: @tonyortega.bsky.social
For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:
Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time
Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology
Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain
Here’s the link to today’s post at tonyortega.org
And whatever you do, subscribe to this Substack so you get our breaking stories and daily features right to your email inbox every morning.
Paid subscribers get access to a special podcast series…
Group Therapy: Our round table of rowdy regulars on the week’s news
Dang it, Alex! I was all set to sign up to get my botched hip replacement fixed, but now you've ripped off the bandaid, I see Clear--yeah, see what I did there, hahahaha
I'm just kidding of course, I would never join Scientology after reading the Underground Bunker and comments. Love y'all 💜
"...my transgressions against my body" -- in Scientology, it's always your fault.