Scientology is in part derived from, and shares elements with, a number of esoteric or occult systems. The extent of the influence of specific occult belief systems on Scientology is a subject of debate amongst scholars.
Hugh B. Urban, a scholar on religion who has written much about Scientology, writes that while some writers, such as Jon Atack, assert that Crowley's ideas on magic are at the core of Scientology, others, including Roy Wallis and J. Gordon Melton, have dismissed the connection between occultism and the Church. He argues further that the occult elements are combined with concepts in Eastern religions, science fiction, popular psychology and Hubbard's own thoughts, while confirming that there is one element that is related to the occult in the religion.[4]
Hubbard's early interest in the occult
Hubbard's beliefs and practices, drawn from a diverse set of sources, influenced numerous offshoots, splinter-groups, and new movements.
Hubbard's eldest son, Ronald DeWolf, related a story that L. Ron Hubbard had "first discovered Magick" at the age of sixteen when he read Aleister Crowley's The Book of the Law.[5] Author Jon Atack reports that Hubbard joined the Rosicrucian order Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) in 1940, completing the first two neophyte degrees. According to Atack, Hubbard's membership lapsed on July 5, 1940.[6][7] Although the details are not known to the public, it appears as though Hubbard was sued by AMORC for breach of contract after the advent of Scientology, with AMORC arguing that the terms within Hubbard's contract stated that he would not re-sell or distribute what he had learned within their order; and that he had indeed done so.[6]
In April 1938, Hubbard reportedly had a bad reaction to a drug during a dental procedure. According to his account, this caused a near-death experience. Allegedly inspired by this experience, Hubbard composed a manuscript, which was never published, with working titles of "The One Command" or Excalibur.[8] The contents of Excalibur formed the basis for some of his later publications.[9]
Arthur J. Burks, who read the work in 1938, later recalled it discussed the "one command": to survive, a theme that Hubbard revisited in Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Burks also recalled that the work discussed the psychology of a lynch mob.[10] Hubbard cited Excalibur as an early version of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.[11]
Hubbard was known to his associates in the late 1940s as a talented hypnotist.[16] During this period, he worked in Hollywood posing as a swami.[17] The Church says that Hubbard's experience with hypnosis led to his discovery of the principles of Dianetics as a technique for solving man's problems.[18]
The "Affirmations" is a document purportedly written by Hubbard in the late 1940s, a few years before he established Dianetics (1950) or Scientology (1952). The Affirmations appear to have been intended to be used as a form of self-hypnosis.
Many suggestions encourage Hubbard to believe in his own occult powers:
"You can do automatic writing whenever you wish. You do not care what comes out on the paper when your Guardian dictates."[12]: 53–4
"Nothing can intervene between you and your Guardian. She cannot be displaced because she is too powerful. She does not control you. She advises you."
"The most thrilling thing in your life is your love and consciousness of your Guardian."
"You can talk with her and audibly hear her voice above all others."
Another suggestion involves numerology: "That the numbers 7, 25 and 16 are not unlucky or evil for me."
Scholars have noted that the Affirmations contain themes that reappeared later in Scientology.[19] One Affirmation foreshadows Hubbard's future interest in mental healing: "You understand all the workings of the minds of humans around you, for you are a doctor of minds, bodies and influences."[20]Lawrence Wright suggests "Hubbard is using techniques on himself that he would later develop into Dianetics." He draws parallels with the practice of "auditing" used in Dianetics and Scientology, noting that the Affimations and Dianetics both involve tackling difficult memories that hold back mental and spiritual progress.
The Affirmations became public knowledge during the 1984 lawsuit against Hubbard's former archivist, Gerald Armstrong. In that settlement, Armstrong was required to return "all originals and copies of the documents commonly known as the 'Affirmations' written by L. Ron Hubbard". As religious studies scholar Hugh Urban comments, "here the church clearly indicates that the text was written by L. Ron Hubbard, and it seems difficult to understand why the church would file suit to retain ownership of the text were it not an authentic document."[21]
Dianetics
Hubbard conducting a Dianetics seminar in Los Angeles in 1950
In Spring 1949, Hubbard and his wife moved to Bay Head, New Jersey, residing at 666 East Ave.[22]
In a 1949 letter to Forrest Ackerman, Hubbard promises his upcoming work will give Ackerman the power to "rape women without their knowing it, communicate suicide messages to your enemies as they sleep, sell the Arroyo Seco Parkway to the mayor for cash, evolve the best way of protecting or destroying communism". Hubbard admits he has "not decided whether to destroy the Catholic church or merely start a new one."[11]
Author Jon Atack has noted Hubbard seems to have a special interest in the Roman goddess 'Diana'.[24] In 1946, using money from Jack Parsons, Hubbard purchased a boat named "Diane".[24][6] In 1952, Hubbard named his daughter Diana. Later, Hubbard named a sea org vessel 'Diana'.[24][6] Atack speculates "Dianetics" might be a 'double-entendre', and notes the existence of the earlier occult practice of Dianism.[24][6]
Philadelphia Doctorate Course
In December 1952, Hubbard recorded a series of audio lectures in which he connects Crowleyite magical rituals and the practice of Scientology.[25] Hubbard explains the use of Tarot,[14] and discusses "the magic cults" of the 8th-12th centuries. He recommends The Master Therion as "the only modern work that has anything to do with them". He describes the book's author, Aleister Crowley, as "my very good friend," though there is some question about his intent in this remark because Hubbard never met Crowley personally.[26] Hubbard also explains that Crowley signs himself "The Beast"; "The Mark of the Beast, 666.""[27]
In The Book of the Law, Crowley wrote "The whole and sole object of all true magickal training is to become free from every kind of limitation." Hubbard repurposed this for his movement, lecturing that "Our whole activity tends to make an individual completely independent of any type of limitation.... Old Aleister Crowley had some interesting things to say about this. He wrote the Book of the Law."[27] Ronald DeWolf, Hubbard's eldest son, wrote that "In preparation for the next day's lecture, [Hubbard]'d pace the floor, exhilarated by this or that passage from Aleister Crowley's writings."[28]
During the Philadelphia course, Hubbard jokes that he is the "Prince of Darkness", which is met with laughter from the audience.[29]
"Heidi Forrester" sex incident
According to a former member of the Sea Organization pseudonymously named "Heidi Forrester", in late 1975 she met with "a heavy-set older man. He had reddish grey hair, slightly long in the back. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants, black tie, and black shoes, highly polished."[27]
She recalls "He lay on top of me. As far as I can tell he had no erection. However, using his hand in some way he managed to get his penis inside me. [...] Then for the next hour he did absolutely nothing at all. I mean nothing!"[27] Author Bent Corydon opined that the incident sounded like "Black Sex-Magic".[27]
Afterwards, "Forrester" was ordered to magically conceive a child; When she failed to do so, she was declared to be in a state of "treason" and punished.[27]
Operating Thetan level VIII is the highest level of auditing in Scientology. It is known as "The Truth Revealed". It was initially released to select high-ranking public Scientologists in 1988.[30]
In OT VIII, dated 1980, Hubbard explains the document is intended for circulation only after his death. Its purpose is to explain the untold story of Hubbard's life's work.[31] Hubbard explains that the reader has "undoubtedly heard pieces of data over the years that hinted at the greater untold reality of my mission here on Earth" but "the story was never written, nor spoken... It is only now that I feel it safe to release the information".[32]
Hubbard mentions the Book of Revelation and its prophecy of a time when "an arch-enemy of Christ, referred to as the anti-Christ, will reign". According to Hubbard, the "anti-Christ represents the forces of Lucifer". Hubbard writes "My mission could be said to fulfill the Biblical promise represented by this brief anti-Christ period."[28]
In the document, Hubbard also teaches that "the historic Jesus was not nearly the sainted figure [he] has been made out to be. In addition to being a lover of young boys and men. he was given to uncontrollable bursts of temper and hatred".[30]
Authenticity
The document was posted to the Internet in 1995 as part of the Fishman papers. The Church of Scientology denies the document's authenticity, though notable defectors have described receiving the document as part of their training for the rank of OT8.
George White, a public scientologist who had received OT8 in the summer of 1988, says the document is authentic.[30][33] Frank Oliver, a former operative with Scientology's Office of Special Affairs, discovered the document in the church's archives.[30] Jesse Prince, former second-in-command of Scientology's Religious Technology Center, reports that OTVIII was revised after early participants were "horribly upset" by the content.[30][34]
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, Jr., Hubbard's eldest son, had been an active participant in the early days of Scientology. In 1959, he left Scientology and later took the name Ronald DeWolf.
In the mid-1980s, DeWolf gave a series of sworn statements and interviews detailing his father's history. DeWolf explained his father had been "deeply involved in the occult and black-magic." According to DeWolf, Aleister Crowley's death in 1947 was a pivotal event that led Hubbard to "take over the mantle of the Beast". DeWolf claimed that "Black magic is the inner core of Scientology", arguing that "my father did not worship Satan. He thought he was Satan."[5]
In 2014, Jamie DeWolf (Ronald's grandson) announced the discovery of Ronald DeWolf's unpublished memoir which had been written in 1981. That work discusses the Hubbards' history of occult practices.[35]
^"Other ex-members and critics such as Jon Atack have alleged that Crowley's magic lies at the inner core of Scientology. [...] Meanwhile, many scholars, such as Roy Wallis and J. Gordon Melton, have largely dismissed Hubbard's connection to Crowley, arguing that "there is no evidence that Hubbard's system of Scientology owes any great debt to that of Crowley." [...] In Hubbard's religious bricolage, occult elements drawn from Crowley were indeed one important element, but neither more nor less important than the many other drawn from pop psychology, Eastern religions, science fiction and a host of goods available in the 1950s spiritual marketplace." Urban 2012, pp. 92-93.
^Melton, J. Gordon (2000). Studies in Contemporary Religion: The Church of Scientology (1 ed.). United States: Signature Books. p. 67. ISBN978-1-56085-139-4. Retrieved May 15, 2015. In an off-the-cuff remark during the Philadelphia Lectures in 1952 (PDC Lecture 18), Hubbard referred to "my friend Aleister Crowley." This reference would have to be one of literary allusion, as Crowley and Hubbard never met. He obviously had read some of Crowley's writings and makes reference to one of the more famous passages in Crowley's vast writings and his idea that the essence of the magical act was the intention with which it was accomplished. Crowley went on to illustrate magic with a mundane example, an author's intention in writing a book.
