8. What is a Thetan and an Operating Thetan?
Description
This article is from the New Readers Scientology FAQ, by rkeller@netaxs.com (Rod Keller) with numerous contributions by others.
8. What is a Thetan and an Operating Thetan?
Answer By: Rod Keller <rkeller@netaxs.com>
Hubbard defines the Thetan as a creator of things, which cannot be
measured. (paraphrased from Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought,
p.69) It is usually described as the Scientology equivalent of the soul.
The name was probably intended to make Scientology sound scientific.
Scientologists believe that the Thetan usually resides in the skull, but
can "exteriorize" and see places and objects that would normally be
hidden from view. Descriptions of exteriorization are anecdotal. No
double blind experiments have been reported on alt.religion.scientology.
Operating Thetan refers to people who have taken courses to reawaken
abilities they possess as Thetans, but that have been forgotten. These
abilities are supposedly to control any part of matter, energy, space or
time (MEST). Examples that have been reported are stopping the rain,
rolling marbles on a table, preventing traffic accidents, quelling
riots, and killing Communism. Again, no double blind experiments have
been reported on alt.religion.scientology.
Answer By: Elizabeth McCoy <emccoy@jade.mv.net>
The easiest parallel is that a Thetan is a "spirit" or "soul." However,
one does not *have* a Thetan -- one *IS* a thetan. The body is not the
self, it is merely the tool that the self uses to play the Great Game of
Life.
An OT is a thetan who's less likely to be affected by things unknowingly.
That's really simplistic,though -- one would do better to find an org and
ask to read the Scientology terminology dictionary entry on the subject.
Answer By: Mark Adams <adams@psilink.com>
Thetan is a coined term used within the CoS and the Free Zone.
It represents the portion of you that is not Matter, Energy, Space or
Time. The term spirit and soul were not used, as they're commonly seem
used in a manner that could be confusing.
Specifically, you may remember hearing that children's pray, 'Now I lay
me down to sleep'. Note that in this prayer, one line is "I pray to God,
my soul to take". Note the possession. "My Soul."
You are a thetan. Not "you have a thetan". The thetan is that portion of
individuality which makes you you, which does not require a body to be.
Operating Thetan describes a state of being where one no longer requires
a body to operate. Since originally defined, various gradations of OT
have been defined and redefined to describe attributes and skills of a
Spiritual Being who can function with or without a body. By operate, I
mean able to be at cause.
This includes communicating, creating, changing, destroying.
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