This book is the first Scientology book, riding on the heels of Handbook for Preclears (primarily a Dianetics book, but the first to bring up the subject of Scientology) and diving headlong into the topics of Whole Track, Thetans and auditing with the aid of the E-Meter.
Originally titled 'What to Audit,' the book presents a number of incidents commonly found by auditors when past lives were contacted in auditing. In this regard, it makes a good companion piece to 1958's 'Have You Lived Before This Life?' which presents cases of individual incidents contacted in past lives during auditing.
What the book is saying is, 'Here is a list of commonly found incidents on the whole track. Here are some hypotheses/theories behind them and other phenomena connected with them. Whether they are real, or dub-in, is irrelevant, as is whether or not you believe they exist (although the appearance of these incidents independently and commonly in whole track auditing lends support to the idea that these are real). It has been found, and you will find, that application of this material produces case gain.'
The book has been mangled over the years by misunderstanding. L. Ron Hubbard's first son later claimed to have written the book himself while high on Benzedrine (an assertion unsupported by the preponderance of evidence). When this book was originally produced, it was but a small booklet, inexpensively produced, and meant to accompany a number of other small, inexpensive publications (Electropsychometric Auditing, The Individual Track Map, etc.) and lectures by LRH bridging the gap in development between Handbook for Preclears and History of Man. As such, it represents only a small part of a much larger body of data which is typically not encountered outside of Academy training (correct me if I am wrong on this).
If you were to go the modern Church's route, chronologically reading and studying 'The Basics,' this is where the gradient bugs. I would actually recommend taking this book on after gaining a good understanding of Scientology as found in Fundamentals of Thought and Scientology 8-8008 first. An interesting historical side note, the publication of this book marked the departure of legendary science fiction guru Forry Ackerman from the Dianetics and Scientology movement.
This book is the first Scientology book, riding on the heels of Handbook for Preclears (primarily a Dianetics book, but the first to bring up the subject of Scientology) and diving headlong into the topics of Whole Track, Thetans and auditing with the aid of the E-Meter.
Originally titled 'What to Audit,' the book presents a number of incidents commonly found by auditors when past lives were contacted in auditing. In this regard, it makes a good companion piece to 1958's 'Have You Lived Before This Life?' which presents cases of individual incidents contacted in past lives during auditing.
What the book is saying is, 'Here is a list of commonly found incidents on the whole track. Here are some hypotheses/theories behind them and other phenomena connected with them. Whether they are real, or dub-in, is irrelevant, as is whether or not you believe they exist (although the appearance of these incidents independently and commonly in whole track auditing lends support to the idea that these are real). It has been found, and you will find, that application of this material produces case gain.'
The book has been mangled over the years by misunderstanding. L. Ron Hubbard's first son later claimed to have written the book himself while high on Benzedrine (an assertion unsupported by the preponderance of evidence). When this book was originally produced, it was but a small booklet, inexpensively produced, and meant to accompany a number of other small, inexpensive publications (Electropsychometric Auditing, The Individual Track Map, etc.) and lectures by LRH bridging the gap in development between Handbook for Preclears and History of Man. As such, it represents only a small part of a much larger body of data which is typically not encountered outside of Academy training (correct me if I am wrong on this).
If you were to go the modern Church's route, chronologically reading and studying 'The Basics,' this is where the gradient bugs. I would actually recommend taking this book on after gaining a good understanding of Scientology as found in Fundamentals of Thought and Scientology 8-8008 first. An interesting historical side note, the publication of this book marked the departure of legendary science fiction guru Forry Ackerman from the Dianetics and Scientology movement.
Where I stand
I am a...
Independent Scientologist
Pros and Cons (optional)
Pros
Concise. Very interesting. Highly unusual.
Cons
Not easy to understand without a firm grasp of Dianetics and Scientology. Commonly subjected to ridicule.
Self Analysis (August 1951): Possibly the best introduction to the subjects of Dianetics and Scientology. Self Analysis contains both a series of essays on the basic discoveries Ron had made up to this point in his research as well as an extensive auditing section that a person can do by themselves right at home. The book contains a special version of the Hubbard Chart of Human Evaluation and a series of tests one can do to discover where you're really at. Then, by applying the processes from the second half of the book, one is guided through a path of self-discovery. At the end, you will re-do the tests to confirm your improvement. How good can you get? These techniques have been in use for more than six decades and Ron referred to them again and again throughout his research, stating that the processes here were capable of curing any neurosis.
This is the starting point for anyone wanting auditing. You will be audited by L. Ron Hubbard himself through the pages of this book.
Find a copy in used bookstores or at Alibris.com, Amazon.com, eBay. Or you can buy a new copy from these Church of Scientology organizations (but once you give them your address they may continue to send you junk mail) Bridge Publications or New Era Publications.
