The Little Thread Which Grew - the Apollo '73 to Everything But

[SweetnessandLight]

Welcome any other newbies I might have missed!

Welcome Free and R-6!

Sorry guys, I've been busy doing mest work...up on my roof tacking down the tarps which blew loose in our last big windstorm...more rain coming tomorrow. Fighting entrophy here!

At the risk of leaning into the joker degrader territory, for which Lakey has ample repellent, D) I share the following which slays 'em on the elementary school circut:

"What is the color of a burp?"

"Purple!"

With all due respect to our darling Purple Haze!

O.K. That's about as jokey as I am going to get.

Carmelo, I can validate that Lakey is a darn good writer when he gets going...why do you think I've been encouraging him to go forth and blossom all this time?

I love Alan for all the good he did, and all the good he wanted to do, and will do in the future with the work he left for other people to take up and carry on with, use as a jumping off point, etc...

Former Athletes almost always develop knee problems later on in life. That should be the worst of our troubles!

Anybody been watching CNN?

Have I told you guys lately how much I love you all, and how proud I am of you for being such GOOD survivers and thrivers?

Thanks, Carmelo, for posting the pics of Alans Celebration of Life gathering...My cockles were warmed!

 

[SweetnessandLight]

Pain drives a person crazy.

This is the truth, in more ways than one. Why we should treat each other with grace, kindness and forgiveness for our grumpier moments.

 

[SweetnessandLight]

Three comments and one question -
Comment#1 - Have you checked our number of views (hits)? We are at 47,500, the 4th best ever on ESMB. The three ahead of us have had their threads going since 2007 and ours is going only really since mid October of 2009. The March beginning about my story onboard the Apollo grabbed only 2,200 hits, my CCLA story captured 4,500 hits and by mid November, 2009, we had 6,700. I thought that was successful and was going to call it quits but was encouraged to continue forward in this present format by Sweetness and Light and Carmelo. On Dec 3, 2009 we reached the 10,000 milestone. Since then we have ADDED 37,500 more views in one week less than 4 months. That is 10,000 hits a month! That is what we are getting right now and it is not letting up. Some people have dropped off and many have signed on. Just the 37,500 since Dec 3, would put is in fifth place all time. I would call these Power Stats. It is really remarkable that we have been able to do this on a forum such as this.

Comment #2 - That we have wandered off into another language. I like German and maybe 6 weeks ago, we translated a German poem or two by Goethe, using Heidrun's proficiency in German. Leon was also involved. Before that and after that, we speak totally English. Some people were introduced to the fine poetry of Goethe which has some very spiritual overtones. If that is your biggest criticism, we are doing pretty good!

Comment #3 - Carmelo should start a thread himself, containing the matter you want discussed. My take is that he is busy with business, family, helping his clients, posting here and on various threads all over the board and maybe he prefers to co host here rather than start another thread. I do not want to speak for him, but I will tell you this, if and when he wants to start his own thread, he will do so. He is not exactly a reticent type of individual.

Question - If this thread has caused you to loose interest, why do you still read and post on it?

I will tell you this in all honesty. This thread has far outstripped all expectations which I had hoped for. I desired to reach 10,000 hits as a goal and we are now at 47,600 and adding 2,500 a week with no let up. If the thread were to end tomorrow, I would yawn and post my views on other peoples threads or start a new thread myself on a specific topic. Up until two or three weeks ago, I believed that I had to host it or it would die out. What I saw was that when we hit a lull and there was no action for a day or two, when I personally got creative and came up with a clever post or two, the hits resumed immediately time after time. About three weeks ago, I noticed that there were no more lulls and if there was a short one, Carmelo or Roger B. or Sweetness or Mark Baker or Thetanic, Leon, Hedrun Beer or others would immediately post something and start our numbers rising briskly again. Carmelo just went berserk posting with great topics, great quality and innovations, such as beautiful photography, the use of Videos, stories of his family, his thoughts on Knowledgism, his early days before Scientology with his musician friends and various other topics.

I am not needed anymore.

I was thinking of taking a break from posting and seeing what happens. When we hit 20,000, Sweetness said I should just sit back and enjoy the ride. I thought if I did that, the thread would die out in maybe two months. Now I am sure that would not be the case. My God, if you apply look, don't listen you see a guy who was merely the Director of Disbursements at a Class IV Org nearly 40 years ago and he was able to start a thread and bring on board enough high quality contributors to pack on 37.600 hits in under 4 months and reach 47,600 overall, the 4th highest total on ESMB. That is a Power Stat!! I achieved that plus I wrote an accurate history of CCLA in the bargain. People can knock this thread all they want, I could care less. I set a goal and to date have quintupled my goal and my stats are in Power. I caused this and brought it about initially through my storytelling ability, a strong memory, a good education, good analytic ability, good critical thinking skills and excellent writing skills. What I am most proud of however, is that in an area where I never showed much strength, "people skills" I had the ability to pull in top level associatesl. My associates are so top level that I am no longer even needed here and I can participate, go along for the ride or walk away. I am very hard on myself when I do poorly or perfom below my abilities but in this instance where I actually performed way beyond what I thought my abilities were, I KNOW I DID A GREAT JOB, A SUPERLATIVE JOB, on this thread and am going to pat myself on the back.

I have decided to not post on this thread for 7 days until next Sunday and see how it goes. Some people such as Challenge and Ted may like it better here without me. I am curious and want to see what happens. Until next Sunday then, if the thread does better without me, I will take note of that and come up with an appropriate response.
Lakey

Yes, you have done a GREAT job with this thread Lakey, and we're all having fun with it and getting the benefit from it..

And I just want to say for the record...

I still need you!

Happy Pesach (Passover) to all our Jewish (and wannabe) friends... You know who you are! Happy Holy Week too, everybody!

 

[Alanzo]

Yes, you have done a GREAT job with this thread Lakey, and we're all having fun with it and getting the benefit from it..

And I just want to say for the record...

I still need you!

Happy Pesach (Passover) to all our Jewish (and wannabe) friends... You know who you are! Happy Holy Week too, everybody!

Hag Shameerik!

 

[CarmeloOrchards]

Alan was always affable with potential clients and those who were/are opinion leaders . . . . he reserved his grumpies for those "close" to him . . . and there is case phenomena behind that which is something we all have. This is not a critical of Alan, but instead a tech point to be made.

I've seen this case phenomena for ages. My understanding is not much further than when two people become closer to one unit of two, 2D, friends, whatever; then my judgmental buttons regarding myself or their judgmental buttons regarding themselves get misapplied to the other person. If neatness and order are important to the other, and they are of lesser importance to me, all Hell can break loose. Person B in the relationship actually sees person A as they are in their individual universe. You can a beautiful or handsome person (body) and a mean ugly hag in their private space. They can have an engaging social valence, and a nasty home universe.

On the other hand you can have an ugly countenance and a beautiful soul.

There are obviously lots of permutations and combinations.

Personally, I like having a mate, who sees me as I really am.

Alan's accomplishments are quite astounding, and to be honored and applauded. The other side of the coin is that a deeper understanding of his foibles and the immensity of the task he set himself and the issues he had to surmount to accomplish what he did is also appropriate. It will lead to a greater understanding of and appreciation of what he accomplished . . . . grumpiness and all!

But just like with LRH, and LRH tech, it helps to understand the man writing or speaking, in order to separate the prejudices, time and culture, blow hard aspects, etc.

Alan's talks, the same person, with the same set of foibles. Knowing what to not take literally, and what to believe is crucial to owning an understanding, not just a rote appreciation.

Just like in a Beatles anthology, there are great works, pure crap (Number 9, Number 9), mediocre, and loads more great.

Alan's works are like the Beatles. Some of it is crap. Much is great. Knowing the man helps me sort the wheat from the chaff.

When he bragged about how rich he had been, how he'd owned a home in Palm Springs, how his group had saved a pro football player's career, etc.

If you know the man, you know that he didn't own the house. It was Phil Spickler, not Alan, who audited the Forty Niners.

When Alan tells you how to get rich, and he was broke, you better not put too much attention on following his recommendations. He operated on faking it in the general culture.

BUT if he talks about helping people with auditing, you, me, or anyone, would be wise to listen good.

In an auditing session, he knew his business.

 

[CarmeloOrchards]

Thanks for the pic of Laurie’s daughter…gorgeous just like her mom. I was always amazed at how good Laurie looked considering the conditions we all lived with. To look that good all the time is testament to just how lovely she was. Look’s, voice, personality=true triple threat…what a tomata, huh?

Charlie’s last name says it all, “Rush”. He was the kinda feller you’d want with you on a road-trip to anywhere. He, along with Luten Taylor, Bill Potter, Neil Sefartti and maybe Craig Ferriera were the top talents, IMO. Luten was a cool cat…a Libs dinner with Alethia and Luten was as good as it gets.

Dan was massy and messy. He had the neurosis of Woody Allen sans the sense of humor. But, gotta tell ya, I know where some of his burden was coming from…he was El Ron’s A/V guy. He was getting peppered, pestered and painted--sometimes multiple times a day—with messenger runs or El Ron “hisself” about this, that and everything. The guy came up with some very clever stuff that might have made him some serious dough in the real world, but what he mostly got was ridicule and diffidence. Now, as far as the messy part goes…probably his mama. :wink2:

Good folks all…I hope all them are living well. I haven’t seen any of them in 25+ years.

If you google "Reed Slatkin" you can find that Dan got taken by the Scientology Class Vlll Ponzi scheme expert. Dan had to have money to be cheated. He's living with his wife (not Lynn) in Thousand Oaks. He was massey, before Sci, he is massey to this day. He is still brilliant. He's still "in" just out of the SO.

Charlie is in charge of the kitchen and all the workers in it at CLO on L Ron Hubbard Way in Los Angeles. He is responsible for feeding +- 1500 breakfast , lunch, and dinner every day. He's been doing that for some years. He looks great. He is buff. He glows as a being. He knows everybody, and everybody loves him. Charlie has been a Sea Org member for 38 years.

Laurie and Michael got divorced in the early 1980s. Michael married Kima, and they left the Co$ in the mid 80s. If you google "Michael Douglas" or "Kima Douglas" you'll get an earful. Michael died of cancer a couple of years ago on Kauai.

Laurie married Dave Engelhart. He has a facebook page, should you want to contact him. They are both at the Fort Harrison. Their daughter Jessica is beautiful beyond belief. All three are Sea Org. Laurie is probably head of the Estates Org, but I don't have current info. Last I heard Dave was on the RPF. Hard to say what is really going on. If anyone really knows, please PM me. Laurie has been a Sea Org member for 37 years.

 

[Ted]

That sentence in Red..... No, it was a short term thing, intense and on an area he was interested in, but she dropped off to do her other things.

She predated Ceil as a co-processing partner, though there may have been some overlap. Eric W had shown himself to be too flaky and behaved really too grossly unethically to continue with.

Alan and I both shared the view that we each found being processed by a female "better" and easier than being processed by a male . . . simple mechanics, the life-force flow and discharge is a little easier, we found. Maybe females find it "easier" and better being processed by a male?? Some may care to comment on this. There are technical mechanics involved in this that I might comment on at another occasion if I find the time.

The thing to know about Alan is that he often stayed connected to terminals and scenarios in order to study them and WTF is going on there. He was avidly into the acquisition of knowledge, and sometimes you need to stay connected to areas long enough to gain the knowledge needed to resolve such.

Rog

In theory there should not be a difference, but there is. I have had my best sessions with a female processor. The simple fact is, I enjoy talking to the ladies.

 

[thetanic]

In theory there should not be a difference, but there is. I have had my best sessions with a female processor. The simple fact is, I enjoy talking to the ladies.

And I find it easier to talk to men.

 

[DartSmohen]

Were you at the Ranch???

Carmello,

Interesting how you infer such detail of Alan's celebration memorial. From what I know, you were not even there. :confused2:

The photos displayed were taken by Ted D, who, I am sure, passed them around to all and sundry.

Perhaps you can clarify this small matter.

Unless, of course, you are TD and not EB.

Dart

 

[afaceinthecrowd]

If you google "Reed Slatkin" you can find that Dan got taken by the Scientology Class Vlll Ponzi scheme expert. Dan had to have money to be cheated. He's living with his wife (not Lynn) in Thousand Oaks. He was maasey, before Sci, he is massey to this day. He is still brilliant. He's still "in" just out of the SO.

Charlie is in charge of the kitchen and all the workers in it at CLO on L Ron Hubbard Way in Los Angeles. He is responsible for feeding +- 1500 breakfast , lunch, and dinner every day. He's been doing that for some years. He looks great. He is buff. He glows as a being. He knows everybody, and everybody loves him. Charlie has been a Sea Org member for 38 years.

Laurie and Michael got divorced in the early 1980s. Michael married Kima, and they left the Co$ in the mid 80s. If you google "Michael Douglas" or "Kima Douglas" you'll get an earful. Michael died of cancer a couple of years ago on Kauai.

Laurie married Dave Engelhart. He has a facebook page, should you want to contact him. They are both at the Fort Harrison. Their daughter Jessica is beautiful beyond belief. All three are Sea Org. Laurie is probably head of the Estates Org, but I don't have current info. Last I heard Dave was on the RPF. Hard to say what is really going on. If anyone really knows, please PM me. Laurie has been a Sea Org member for 37 years.

Thanks Carmelo,

I checked out the Slatkin stuff on Dan...I crossed paths with Slatkin once...my impression then (30+/- years ago) was that he was a train wreck a comin'.

I read the Michael and Kima stuff some time back. I knew Michael, Kima and David. Sorry to hear about Michael. Kima was a real pistol. David was a fine fellow but definately a 'lifer".

Good to hear Charlie is still Charlie...he's a special guy.

 

[RogerB]

Snipped . . . . .

When he bragged about how rich he had been, how he'd owned a home in Palm Springs, how his group had saved a pro football player's career, etc.

If you know the man, you know that he didn't own the house. It was Phil Spickler, not Alan, who audited the Forty Niners.

You're a little (or a lot) out of line on this CarmelO . . . . I don't ever recall him saying or claiming to "own" a home in Palm Springs . . . though I do know he stated he lived there . . . and that fact is verified by Dart who recounts on visiting Alan there "the day they met Bob Hope."

If he mentioned saving a pro football player's career . . . err, umm where? And "a" (singular) player is not a team . . . if Phil handled the 49ers Team . . . let him speak on that . . . did he not visit ESMB recently? I have in my possession something like 300 of Alan's taped lectures . . . and heard them all at least a couple of times, and don't recall mention of saving a team or the 49ers etc.

Though I know for a fact he did case advise a processor in Sydney name (?) Scott who wanted advice (given over the phone) to process John Newcombe in the early '60's and crack his success reluctance . . . Newk went on subsequently to win Wimbledon . . . and I think to be the only one to win Wimbledon in both the amateur and professional eras. Newk wrote of the session (describing being on the cans) and how it enabled him to be the winner he was.

When Alan tells you how to get rich, and he was broke, you better not put too much attention on following his recommendations. He operated on faking it in the general culture.

It is bullshit that Alan was "broke." And it is an unfair, inaccurate slander that he "faked it in the general culture."

For starters, I first met him in Melbourne in 1962 . . . . and I can tell you factually the son-of-a-bitch could earn big time money! He impressed the eyeballs out of me when he was describing what he did, how he did it, and how much he was earning doing it at that time. He was pulling down as much or more in a week as a skilled tradesman would earn in a year!

Alan didn't particularly have a goal to "make money" . . . he simply saw it as a needed and necessary skill and requirement to get the job done he had set himself to do.

He factually re-invested the money he made with his missions in funding and creating more missions and in funding training for his staff etc.

And sure, he lived a good life and enjoyed it! So what?!? Why choose to be a nothing or nobody?

You seem to forget he funded the ranch and the earlier Dallas Center . . . even in the face of it being sabotaged by "you know who."

Just to own the house he lived in Nacona, apart from sporting himself a new Mercedes, and to also have the $$$'s to commit to buying the ranch at his late stage of life . . . . and to do so for the benefit of others shows the facts belie your contention that he was "broke."

You need to check Alan's actual history. Sabotage by LRH cost him two fortunes that he'd built.

BUT if he talks about helping people with auditing, you, me, or anyone, would be wise to listen good.

In an auditing session, he knew his business.

Alan was certainly not "perfect" . . . . I think it was Nick or Ted that had been gracious enough to make that point many months ago while Alan lived and another was being unjustly critical, that none of us are perfect . . . and to point out the need to be kinder in one's attempt to put another down.

I don't know what's behind your criticalness of him, and invalid criticism I see it to be, as I don't know what might have gone between you. But it is not helping your cause to be inaccurate or to use rather negative generalities.

You, and a few others here, know that if anyone has a just cause to be pissed at Alan, it is RogerB. But the truth is, it is unnecessary and unproductive.

R

 

[CarmeloOrchards]

Carmello,

Interesting how you infer such detail of Alan's celebration memorial. From what I know, you were not even there. :confused2:

The photos displayed were taken by Ted D, who, I am sure, passed them around to all and sundry.

Perhaps you can clarify this small matter.

Unless, of course, you are TD and not EB.

Dart

The comments written regarding the photos in the first set were (in order):
These were taken in and around the big course room of the St. Jo Ranch. It is an old summer camp on the Texas / Oklahoma border.

This is Neville Chamberlain, Alan's long time friend

This is Dean Stokes, Alan's other long time friend, on the right. David Nelson, on the left is the new co director of the ACLC

the attendees listening to a speaker

chatting things over

a lifetime summed up in photos and writings

exterior shot of ranch cabins

and on the second set of photos:

Dean

better photographer

The first set was taken by MB, not "Ted"

The second set was taken by Tom, not "Ted"

You are right about EB.

What specifically did I say about the memorial that you found incorrect? It was vetted by two people, who were there.

 

[CarmeloOrchards]

Thanks Carmelo,

I checked out the Slatkin stuff on Dan...I crossed paths with Slatkin once...my impression then (30+/- years ago) was that he was a train wreck a comin'.

I read the Michael and Kima stuff some time back. I knew Michael, Kima and David. Sorry to hear about Michael. Kima was a real pistol. David was a fine fellow but definately a 'lifer".

Good to hear Charlie is still Charlie...he's a special guy.

Reed was a special guy too. Anybody who could cheat his mom, step dad, and sister out of millions is a real class act. Cheating hundreds of folk of $600 M was quite an achievement. Too bad he got severely eclipsed by Bernie Madoff.

Reed's step father, Joe, died last year. Joe was a champ, very nice, hard working. He raised Reed from age 15. His mom is still the nicest of people.

When Reed was 14, he walked into the garage, and found his father hanging from the ceiling. His uncle audited him on the experience. That is what led to Reed getting interested in Scientology. As a class Vlll, I guess he got caught up in trying to make enough money to survive. I don't know that many people could make a healthy living that way. When he made money the way he did with Earthlink, he must have hit a win that he could never duplicate again.

 

[CarmeloOrchards]

Roger,

the tape where he claimed the football success was recorded around 1992. I heard it in Dallas in 1995. I talked to Charley about it, and maybe it got pulled.

the mention of the Palm Springs house was in one of his talks that you and I both heard in Sept., 1995.

In terms of his vast research and help, versus minor out points, you are right. I was a schmuck to mention it.

I am no angel, nor paradigm of righteousness. We are all Sanpaku.

There were only two paragons of auditing skill that I learned from copiously. Alan and Phil Spickler.

I guess I'm more than a little ticked that he is gone.

 

[Mark A. Baker]

Roger,

the tape where he claimed the football success was recorded around 1992. I heard it in Dallas in 1995. I talked to Charley about it, and maybe it got pulled.

This may be wholly irrelevant but "football" can refer to:

A. the american popular ball game

B. soccer, the internationally popular ball game

C. rugby, the british popular ball game

All are played professionally and apparently Alan had associations with individuals involved in each, including his own early life involvement with professional rugby.


Mark A. Baker

 

[RogerB]

This may be wholly irrelevant but "football" can refer to:

A. the american popular ball game

B. soccer, the internationally popular ball game

C. rugby, the british popular ball game

All are played professionally and apparently Alan had associations with individuals involved in each, including his own early life involvement with professional rugby.


Mark A. Baker

And the Ozzie Rules game that Alan actually did play Silly game, but that's Melbourne-ites for you . . . they have a warped sense of the important (except our Dear Emms and Scooter . . . they pass with a push for a bit of help)

Rog

 

[hbeer]

Since that time, he had a major heart operation, his teeth removed because of cancer of the mouth (smoking too many stogies).

Is that now the official cause of death?


.

 

[hbeer]

Maybe females find it "easier" and better being processed by a male?? Some may care to comment on this.

That depends on the male. If he can manage to keep me in session, it's fine with me. My auditor can!

Certain [beautiful] faces could never keep me in session, regardless of their training degree. As soon as they become more interesting to me than my case, I'll stay in present time and refuse to look backtrack


.

 

[hbeer]

I've seen this case phenomena for ages. My understanding is not much further than when two people become closer to one unit of two, 2D, friends, whatever; then my judgmental buttons regarding myself or their judgmental buttons regarding themselves get misapplied to the other person.

Hmmmm.

For me it is like this: the more I treasure a person, the more I make sure that I never give them a hard word.

That's aside from the fact that I generally apply "no case on post" to all my hats in business as well as in life.

My auditor is the only one to receive my bad moods.

To my kids I apply lower tone levels as a part of strategy, sometimes.



.

 

[hbeer]

Winter's End

.


Winter's End

23.12.1982/01.04.2010

(c) 2010 by Heidrun Beer


I do not know how long it is that I
wander with my burden, through silence
miles wide deeply buried under snow,
while I am warming with my little breath
a whole season that's determined to insist
on coldness.

these too are prayers: marvel
at the livingness which while so near to death
is covered brilliantly with frozen beauty;
at the ice enclosing a forgotten aster blossom
in whom towards the valley's sleeping thirst
a lukewarm rain is waiting. and how no winter
subordinates all warmth:

there through the piled up snow
hastens the creek, as gladly as in summer.
he writes a message into the landscape -
for all the ice and snow up on his banks
he drinks into himself during his journey
into the sea, he lives on them, he grows
and swells and says all over, now and now
and now again:

behold! it thaws! it thaws!



.