Glossary of Scientology Terms

Acceptable Truth: A lie. Not the whole truth.

Auditing:  Counseling in scientology – procedures developed by L. Ron Hubbard designed to eradicate the reactive mind and make Operating Thetans (OTs). Most auditing uses an E-Meter. Auditing sessions are delivered by an auditor.

Blow:  Leaving without authorization. Usually used when someone escapes the Sea Organization (SO). Blowing the SO results in being labeled a Suppressive Person (SP).

Body Thetans (BTs): Disembodied thetans (the name for spirits in scientology) that were created in the cataclysm Hubbard describes in OT III. BT’s cause all sorts of problems, including illness.

Bridge: Shortened version of “The Bridge to Total Freedom”.  The series of steps created by Hubbard that every scientologist must ascend to achieve the state of OT and “full spiritual freedom.” It is divided into two parts: Auditing and Training (the study of Hubbard materials to learn how to be an auditor).

Cadet: A Sea Org member who is a child.

Case Supervisor (C/S): the person who oversees auditors and directs them on how to audit their Pre-Clears (PC’s)

Checksheet:  A list of materials that must be studied to complete a scientology course.

Clear:  A thetan (spirit) who has eradicated their “reactive mind” through dianetic and scientology auditing. A Clear is supposed to be a new type of man, rational, healthy and happy.

CMO:  See Commodore’s Messenger Org.

COB: Chairman of the Board. David Miscavige’s assumed title as undisputed leader of scientology.

Committee of Evidence/Comm Ev:  A scientology “justice” procedure that is like a trial.  There is a list of charges based on scientology “Crimes” and “High Crimes” and an appointed panel is supposed to gather and review evidence and determine guilt and recommend punishment.

Commodore:  L. Ron Hubbard appointed himself Commodore of the Sea Organization when he lived aboard a ship in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s from which he ran the scientology organization.

Commodore’s Messenger:  Originally a Sea Org cadet who ran messages for Hubbard. The Messengers eventually became the most senior officials in scientology.

Condition formulas: Formulas laid out by Hubbard to “improve conditions in life.” For “lower conditions” (when someone has violated scientology rules) they include penalties and requirements to make amends.

DBs: Degraded Beings.  A derogatory term in scientology for someone incapable of controlling their life and environment. Most wogs are DBs.

Declared: To be labeled as a Suppressive Person (SP). Scientologists in good standing may not have any contact with someone that has been “declared” or they are labeled either as Potential Trouble Sources (PTS) or declared themselves.

Dianetics: Released in 1950, Hubbard “discovered” the Reactive Mind and a system for eradicating it. He later lost the rights to the subject and invented scientology to take its place. Eventually, he regained control of dianetics copyrights. In 1955 he “joined” them and dianetics became a substudy of scientology.

Disconnection: The enforced severing of ties with anyone designated SP under threat of being labeled SP if you refuse. This results in destroyed families, people being fired from jobs and friends suddenly abandoning you.

Enemy: Anyone who opposes scientology or even questions it.

Entheta: Literally Enturbulated Theta. Enturbulated means upset, emotionally charged, disturbed — things in a bad state. Enturbulated theta is “upset” or negative energy. Usually used to describe “bad news” or anything that will “bring you down.”

Ethics: The department of scientology organizations that enforces the rules.

Ethics Officer:  Someone assigned a job in the Ethics Department enforcing the rules. In the Sea Org this is called a Master-at-Arms (MAA).

E-meter:  A scientology lie-detector device used in auditing and sec checking. It’s an electronic measuring device that records the level of resistance of a small electrical current passed through the body. According to Hubbard, it can read your thoughts and tell when you are lying. Scientologists believe this.

Fair Game:  The policy of scientology to destroy enemies through tricks, lies, smearing and harassment.

Flag:  This is the lead ship of a flotilla, but in scientology it means the “spiritual headquarters” located in Clearwater FL. This is where Hubbard moved his operations from his ship in 1975.

G.O.: Guardian’s Office. The Department in scientology organizations to deal with governments, media and “attackers.” It was headed by Hubbard’s wife, Mary Sue. She and 10 other GO officials pled guilty to infiltrating the US government and stealing documents. The GO was then disbanded – but replaced by the Office of Special Affairs (OSA)

HCO:  Hubbard Communications Office. A department of scientology organizations that deals with Communications, Personnel and Ethics.

HCO PL:  Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter. A directive written by Hubbard concerning the administration of scientology organizations.

HCO B:  Hubbard Communications Office Bulletin. A directive written by Hubbard concerning the “tech” of scientology – how to audit.

Hubbard, L. Ron: Founder of dianetics and scientology. His word is unquestionable and to be followed to the letter.

Master At Arms (MAA):  An Ethics Officer in a Sea Org organization.

MEST:  Matter, Energy, Space and Time = physical universe.

MEST Work:  Manual labor.

Miscavige, David: Leader of scientology. He seized power after the death of L. Ron Hubbard in 1986 and has maintained it since by removing all potential rivals.

Office of Special Affairs (OSA): The department of scientology that replaced the Guardian’s Office. They deal with government, media and “enemies.”

Operating Thetan (OT):  Operating Thetan is the advanced spiritual state promised after one attains the state of Clear. OT’s supposedly have superhuman powers and are free from the problems that plague homo sapiens. One achieves these states by advancing through the confidential “OT Levels” I – VIII on the auditing side of the “Bridge.”

Organizating Board (Org Board): The chart of a scientology organization showing seniority, functions and assignments. Hubbard claimed the organization of scientology is derived from an ancient galactic organizational structure, but improved upon by him.

OT III: The “Wall of Fire.” Hubbard’s space opera story of the evil galactic overlord, Xenu, who solved an overpopulation problem by rounding billions of people up and freezing their souls in glycol and transporting them to earth where they were dumped in volcanos and blown up by H-bombs. These spiritual beings are now stuck to humans in the form of “Body Thetans” or BTs. One gets rid of BT’s on the upper OT levels, they are the cause of unhappiness, unwanted emotions and physical conditions.

OT Levels:  The highest steps of the Bridge.

Out-Ethics:  Being in violation of scientology law.

Out 2D: In Scientology, the second dynamic refers to family, children, relationships and sex.   Out 2D is improper sexual relations.

Out-Tech (technology):  Not correctly following the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard

Overts:  A sin or a crime.

O/Ws: Overts and Witholds:  crimes and secrets.

PC or Pre-Clear:  The person receiving auditing, a “Pre-Clear.”

PC Folder:  A folder which contains the detailed notes of all auditing sessions a person receives.

Processes/Processing:  The specific steps to be taken in auditing.

PTS:  Potential Trouble Source: somebody connected to a Suppressive Person

R2-45:  Named after the .45 caliber revolver, this “process” consists of shooting someone in the head to separate the thetan from the body.  

Reactive Mind: The unconscious, stimulus/response mind Hubbard described in dianetics. The early levels of scientology are focused on erasing the reactive mind, but one of the secrets later disclosed is that you decide to “mock up” (create) your reactive mind.

RPFRehabilitation Project Force a “rehabilitation” program for Sea Org members who are trouble makers or failures. They are segregated from the rest of the group, do lower conditions, sec checks and manual labor all day. They may not speak to others.

Saint Hill (St. Hill): Hubbard’s home in East Grinstead, Sussex, England before he fled the country and formed the Sea Org.

Sea Org:  The most dedicated scientologists that form the highest echelons of the scientology hierarchy. Sea Org members live, work and eat communally and are paid a subsistence wage. They sign a billion-year contract dedicating themselves to achieving the aims of scientology.

Second Dynamic (2D):  In Scientology, the second dynamic refers to family, children, relationships and sex.

Security-Check (Sec-check): Interrogations done using the E-MeterShore flap:  Upset created with any locals (people living on land in the ports we visit)

Shore Story: An explanation to obscure the real activities. Originated aboard Hubbard’s ships as the story to be told to people in the ports they visited to hide scientology.

SPSuppressive Person.

STAND: A scientology front group that is run by OSA sea org member Ed Parkin. While pretending to stand up for “freedom of speech and religion” they are in fact a propaganda organ that smears “enemies.” 

Suppressive Person/Suppressive:  Someone designated by scientology as an “enemy.” SP’s are to be silenced or destroyed.

Tech: Technology. What Hubbard called his teachings. He claimed they were “researched” and tested and were based on science.

Thetan: Scientology for spirit. One of the 3 parts of man according to Hubbard, along with the mind and body.

TRs/Training Routine:  Drills used in scientology auditor training.

Wog:  Derogatory term for anyone NOT a Scientologist.

Xenu:  The evil galactic ruler from OT III.