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Stage four needles, rock slams, floating TAs and me.

Rmack

Van Allen Belt Sunbather
I'm assuming most people reading this have read my recent posts about being the 'Examiner' at ASHO day during the period around 1980.

I also saw a 'Rock Slam' one time.

To quote the old Technical Dictionary;

"The following is the only valid definition of an R/S: The crazy, irregular left-right slashing motion of the needle and savagely, faster than the eye easily follows. The needle is frantic. The width of an R/S depends largely on sensitivity setting. It goes from one-fourth inch to whole dial. But it slams back and forth.A rock slam (R/S) means a hidden evil intention on the subject or question under auditing or discussion."

This guy was just sitting there, not moving, TR0-ing me to beat the band, but his needle was doing the funky chicken! I didn't know what else to call it, so I dutifully wrote "R/S" on his exam. Then the shit hit the fan.

I had some guy in my face saying 'do you know what calling a rock slam on someone implies?' 'Uh, not exactly sir, I just know that I saw one.' He glares at me and leaves.

I never heard anything else about it, and I was the fair haired boy in Qual for awhile, it seemed. I would feel more guilty about being a part of whatever nightmare descended on this dude, except I still to this day have no idea what was causing that needle phenomenon. I have theories, though.
 
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lotus

stubborn rebel sheep!
I'm assuming most people reading this have read my recent posts about being the 'Examiner' at ASHO day during the period around 1980.

I also saw a 'Rock Slam' one time.

To quote the old Technical Dictionary;

"The following is the only valid definition of an R/S: The crazy, irregular left-right slashing motion of the needle and savagely, faster than the eye easily follows. The needle is frantic. The width of an R/S depends largely on sensitivity setting. It goes from one-fourth inch to whole dial. But it slams back and forth.A rock slam (R/S) means a hidden evil intention on the subject or question under auditing or discussion."

This guy guy was just sitting there, not moving, TR0-ing me to beat the band, but his needle was doing the funky chicken! I didn't know what else to call it, so I dutifully wrote "R/S" on his exam. Then the shit hit the fan.

Was it Uncle Ron???? :blush:
 

Jump

Operating teatime
Not likely as sociopaths don't get reactions showing up on endo measuring devices. Set up your meter and put DM on it for full proof.


iirc there was a story told where Hubbard rockslammed at one point. Possibly I remember that incorrectly?


Edited to add:

From The Bunker http://tonyortega.org/2013/04/13/the-saga-of-david-mayo-scientologys-banished-tech-wizard/


THE BUNKER: Kima Douglas said that Hubbard had suffered a pulmonary embolism in 1975, and then in 1977-78 was very ill again, but he made her promise not to take him to a hospital. Instead, he turned to Mayo to audit him through his sickness, right?

JON: Yes, precisely so.

Mayo had succeeded to the fatal position of Hubbard’s auditor — all before him had failed and been cast into the outer darkness, including the first Class XII and supposed OT VIII, Otto Roos. As Hubbard’s auditor, Mayo had access to the great mass of auditing records of the Great OT. Like Roos, he found a great deal of discreditable material therein, including Hubbard’s astonishing multiple drug abuse. Hubbard said that people who “rock-slammed” on the e-meter had evil intentions, and, as Roos found earlier, Hubbard’s folders were littered with “rock slams.”

THE BUNKER: A “rock slam” meaning a particularly violent reaction by the e-meter’s indicator needle, slashing left and right in a crazy motion — and as you say Scientologists believe it indicates there’s an evil intention on the part of the person being tested.

JON: That’s right. Some people were expelled for a single rock slam. Hubbard managed hundreds. Mayo also realized, as Roos had before him, that many of the stories Hubbard told during auditing sessions were fabrications, simply because they contradicted one another. Hubbard picked Mayo because he was extraordinarily intelligent, systematic, and diligent. This is in part because Mayo was a physicist, and deeply imbued with scientific reasoning.
 
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iirc there was a story told where Hubbard rockslammed at one point. Possibly I remember that incorrectly?


Edited to add:
If you search the empty net, you will find a more detailed discussion about Roos, or by him, that goes into more detail, about how Hubbard wasn't doing well, so Roos FESed his folders top to bottom, Hubbard found out about the project, and began reading (not sure which) the w/s or the FES and saw the rock slams. Because some of the sessions done on Hubbard were audited by Mary Sue, he brow beat her to tell him the reads she saw were not R/Ses. It's worth finding and reading it.

Mimsey
 

Dulloldfart

Squirrel Extraordinaire
It's worth finding and reading it.

Mimsey

Here's one, excerpted from https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/roos/roos-books.html

Roos was by now a Class XII auditor, the top rank, and was auditing Hubbard himself, a dangerous task which proved his undoing. [Footnote: The auditing of members of LRH's family was case supervised by Ron himself.] The Commodore had some bad readings on the meter which were duly noted by Roos, but Hubbard would not accept these. The relationship which had flourished with LRH calling Otto up to his cabin to bounce ideas off him, deteriorated rapidly. Hubbard yelled and screamed to see his folders (which is not allowed). When Roos refused, Hubbard sent some "hefty guys" to collect them and became even more agitated when he saw some meter-reads which did not fit in with either his "tech" or his self-image. When Mary Sue Hubbard declared that LRH did not "have such reads," Roos knew his number was up.

The link has other citations.

Paul
 

Rmack

Van Allen Belt Sunbather
I also saw a couple of 'floating TAs' during my stint as examiner at ASHO Day.

A floating TA is where the needle is floating so far to one side and the other that you have to keep adjusting the 'tone arm' to keep the needle on the dial.

I remember this one girl who was a real shrinking violet type. She was painfully shy. I remember doing some kind of drill where we were using a video camera to record the meter and the pc, who happened to be this girl. Her needle would freeze if I glanced down at the meter, and wouldn't move much at any time. She was obviously very uncomfortable with the whole process.

One day, she came in for an exam, and she was just beaming. Whatever she had done in session, it had a profound effect on her. She picked up the cans, and I couldn't keep her needle on the dial, she had such a huge floating TA. I saw her a few times around, and she seemed to be reveling in her new ability to say 'hi' to people and not cringe and look away like before.

There is no doubt that sometimes people had very strong realizations in session that had a dramatic effect on their lives. It didn't work all the time on everybody, but if it was going wrong, the auditor would usually get blamed. The tech could never be wrong, which belies the fact that they kept changing it and adding to it. It was nuts.

Also, about this time price increases were happening at regular intervals, and it was just ridiculously expensive to get auditing. As a result, there was hardly any going on in our org, or anyplace else for that matter. The majority of ASHO's business was delivering the SHSBC (Saint Hill Special Briefing Course) mostly to people who had paid for it in the past before it multiplied in price.

We were making over 100 grand a week most weeks, but the actual stated goal of 'clearing the planet' was obviously not happening. I started noticing this, and other 'out points'. If this stuff worked, why wasn't it being priced to be within reach of any but the most wealthy? We could have handled many more people coming through the pipe, surely the added volume would much more than make up for charging less. And if it was our fault for being fuck ups, then why wasn't it being given to the staff to make them more able at their jobs? It just didn't make sense.

Of course, when everybody's stats went down, (including mine; number of exams given) it was our fault, not the exorbitant prices. I remember asking someone how the hell was it my fault that the number of people needing exams was dwindling, and how was I suppose to do anything about it when I was forbidden by policy to even talk to preclears other than saying 'thank you, your needle is floating' after an exam? You see, everyone had to have a stat, and mine was obvious, and everyone got punished when their stat went down, no exceptions. This guy says 'you should make it go right, you're a Sea Org member.' I responded by asking that if I was OT enough to effect the tech division's statistics sitting in a closet not talking to anyone, why the hell would I need Scientology?

I was accused of being out ethics, of course. You just didn't say things like that.

Scientology doesn't work on everyone all the time, and admin tech didn't apply to all situations, though it was forced on us as if it did. And if you mentioned anything of the sort, you were looked at like you had just grown horns and declared being in favor raping babies or something.

I wasn't long for this madhouse, and I'm proud of that fact. I only wish I had given a few of them a bigger piece of my mind before I left, but I knew it would be easier to just split rather than deal with their stupid 'handlings'.
 
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Dulloldfart

Squirrel Extraordinaire
Just for the record I saw a Stage 4 needle once, and a floating TA once, while doing meter drills. A couple of R/Ses too, but due to faulty leads only, no genuine ones that I recall.

Three times in my life I have been face-to-face with someone (apparently) so pure and radiant it was breath-taking. Once with a woman at exams; once with a nun who knocked on the door re a piece of furniture; and once a random girl outside a cinema. This is not the same as a stunningly-hot woman.

Paul
 

Rmack

Van Allen Belt Sunbather
Just for the record I saw a Stage 4 needle once, and a floating TA once, while doing meter drills. A couple of R/Ses too, but due to faulty leads only, no genuine ones that I recall.

Three times in my life I have been face-to-face with someone (apparently) so pure and radiant it was breath-taking. Once with a woman at exams; once with a nun who knocked on the door re a piece of furniture; and once a random girl outside a cinema. This is not the same as a stunningly-hot woman.

Paul

I take it you mean that only the R/Ses were caused by faulty leads, not the floating TA and Stage four?

As for Rock Slams, I only saw the one, and as I said, since I wasn't crammed or anything, something must have happened to exonerate me.
 

JustSheila

Crusader
I saw quite a few rockslams doing wordclearing. There was one guy who was known for it, sheesh, anyone could get an R/S out of him and it was the real thing too = all wild and slashing all over the place with no pattern. I was all freaked out, since I was new to scn and the SO and all, and the Qual Sec was like, "Oh, :yawn: you finally saw a rockslam on Joe Blow? Did you mark it in the Worksheets? Okay. Here's your cram for out-TRs.

The guy on the cans would always know what the needle did, too, 'cause when you do what the tek says and look for rings, buckles hitting cans and that sort of thing, they know. Who hasn't read the book of e-meter drills?

He'd get a wild expression on his face and I'd get lost 'cause I couldn't take the word to F/N so he'd end up in Qual, even with a huge F/N at exams. He was happy! He felt great! How/where was there anything evil?

In retrospect, I don't think it meant evil purps or intention-counter intention or any of that stuff at all. It happened when people got real excited but also weird, but then the R/Ses would disappear all on their own anyway and so many hours would be wasted trying to get a person to R/S on the same thing again. :shrug: I don't think an R/S meant what L Ron said it did.
 
On an earlier version of the Book of E-meter drills ( from 61 - edited by MSH) you were to make rock slams - I was able to do it, though painfully, and they were small and short lived. The needle did get that switchy nervous cat tail like characteristic. Then they revised the book and took out that requirement.

Mimsey

[video=youtube;Qs615QbDJYo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs615QbDJYo[/video]
 

Rmack

Van Allen Belt Sunbather
On an earlier version of the Book of E-meter drills ( from 61 - edited by MSH) you were to make rock slams - I was able to do it, though painfully, and they were small and short lived. The needle did get that switchy nervous cat tail like characteristic. Then they revised the book and took out that requirement.

Mimsey

[video=youtube;Qs615QbDJYo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs615QbDJYo[/video]

Yup, cats have natural needles, and his was R/Sing. :)
 

Terril park

Sponsor
Just for the record I saw a Stage 4 needle once, and a floating TA once, while doing meter drills. A couple of R/Ses too, but due to faulty leads only, no genuine ones that I recall.

Three times in my life I have been face-to-face with someone (apparently) so pure and radiant it was breath-taking. Once with a woman at exams; once with a nun who knocked on the door re a piece of furniture; and once a random girl outside a cinema. This is not the same as a stunningly-hot woman.

Paul

Never saw a stage 4. Rock slam definitely on my NED
internship. So wild I thought the PC would hear the
needle hit the pins and realize what was happening.

Had a floating T/A for a few days on meter drills.
This was after I cognited I was natural clear. At the
time none of us involved had heard of floating T/A.
My twins were perplexed. Me too.

"Three times in my life I have been face-to-face with
someone (apparently) so pure and radiant it was
breath-taking."

I was face to face figuratively with someone so radiant
my world changed somewhat. Separating from
my twin flame. Was beyond stunningly hot but in a
spiritual sense was more extreme.









stunning in a spiritual sense.
 

Rmack

Van Allen Belt Sunbather
Never saw a stage 4. Rock slam definitely on my NED
internship. So wild I thought the PC would hear the
needle hit the pins and realize what was happening.

Had a floating T/A for a few days on meter drills.
This was after I cognited I was natural clear. At the
time none of us involved had heard of floating T/A.
My twins were perplexed. Me too.



I was face to face figuratively with someone so radiant
my world changed somewhat. Separating from
my twin flame. Was beyond stunningly hot but in a
spiritual sense was more extreme.









stunning in a spiritual sense.

You guys are all idiots. I didn't see anything about my wife beyond the ordinary, I just knew from the benevolence of her countenance that she was special. We've been married for well over 30 years now.
 

Jump

Operating teatime
You guys are all idiots. I didn't see anything about my wife beyond the ordinary, I just knew from the benevolence of her countenance that she was special. We've been married for well over 30 years now.


^5





And beautifully said.
 

JackStraw

Silver Meritorious Patron
When I was a neophyte word clearer I got an R/S on a guy who was reading the definition of Death! :omg:

Another time I got a stage four: what a freaking needle action that was! As (I think) the definition said, like a metronome.

When I got the R/S I completed the word clearing and sent him to Exams (where he F/N'd) and reported the read to my best friend on staff, the OES. He calmed me down and asked if I did the drill, checking for physical causes, pop out the leads to see if it was the meter reacting badly, etc..."no,..." Ok, it may mean nothing...

But the leads had never done it before or since...

Fucking e-meters.

I blew the Pro Metering course at ASHO after failing endlessly (having passed it at my local org.

I had a video passed by the Pro Metering supes, the Deputy C/S and sent to RTC. RTC flunked me for the third read.
It was "latent". It took the metering supe 11 times watching in super-slow-motion to see that it was latent: like someone in session has the luxury of watching a replay 11 times in super slow mo to see if a read was accurate!

Like "Was that a false read?" didn't exist!

Any way, several attempts and other life considerations later I said "F*ck it! I quit!" and went home.

I mean even the Pro Metering supes were crammed for not passing videos when asked by qual. The supes themselves couldn't reproduce the desired results so why/how could anyone else? It's all BS!

F*ck 'em!

Jack
 

Rmack

Van Allen Belt Sunbather
I remember one time they were having the public attesting to, and getting a certificate for, all kinds of odd things. Realizations in session, cognitions, etc, whereas before it was reserved for completing bridge actions or other courses.

Does anyone remember this one ASHO day guy, he might have been a reg. Short, tubby, thinning dark curly hair, glasses. He got a large cash inheritance and then married one of the hottest women in the org and bought both of them their whole bridge. Obvious what was going on there.

Anyway, one day this guy walks in, apparently protesting this practice, picks up the cans and says 'I want to attest to the power to make my hair suck back in my head and save money on haircuts.' We both just laughed.
 

GE cmdr

Patron with Honors
I was accused of being out ethics, of course. You just didn't say things like that.

.

Of course, everyone is responsible for their own stats...except the reg. Did they not explain to you that the reason your exam stats were down was due to all your out-tech? If your tech was 100% in, people would just be pouring in off the streets. The reason why the reg is having such a hard time is because of your horrible exams.

I swear to god i would hear shit like that all the time. Even though LRH said GI wasn't the only stat...it was the only stat that mattered. Everyone could be in normal-power but if GI was down....entire org would be working a danger. And i hear the regs explain their bullshit to the EDs "Oh man, i went by the course room and i saw students with MUs. How can you expect me to get people to pay with this kind of out-tech in my org". And the EDs would just eat it up.
 
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