Yesterday was L. Ron Hubbard's birthday.

This is probably the biggest holiday for Scientologists.  Of all days we celebrate, this one is the most important, because Scientology is entirely based on Ron's work.

And this is a very special year to celebrate, because this year has been such a resurgence for Scientology.  It started last July when Ron's basic books and lectures were released.  I've never seen so many people actively on lines, studying in the org, and winning in life. 

And that certainly includes me!

It's pretty amazing that despite pretty primative conditions, sleeping in the open or in shacks, living in the same environment as the survivors of Typhoon Durian, these Scientology Volunteer Ministers look about as happy as anyone could be. 

That's the amazine thing about helping people, when you really know how, is that's how you feel at the end.

I love the Scientology Handbook for that very reason.  Boy does it give you a set of tools you can use to tackle just about anything someone needs to improve in life.

 

And what a church this is - the Church of Scientology of Berlin is just about the most impressive, beautiful building I've ever seen.

The architecture is so sleek and streamlined.

The decor inside is fabulous.

The videos, explaining every facet of Scientology - well, it is simply the best!

You could bring anyone here, and even if they knew nothing about Scientology, by the time they finished the tour they would not only know what Scientology is about, they'd also have tools they can use to help themselves in life.

I think the thing that really sets the Scientologist apart is his knowledge and willing to help others, and this church is totally set up to help the community.

So I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about it!

It was a complete surprise to all of us two weeks ago when David Miscavige  announced the Berlin church was going to open on the 13th or Jan.

And I think its incredible that less then two weeks later 5000 Scientologists showed up for the grand opening. Don't you?!!!

 A Danish Scientogist has created a beautiful book and web site where he documented the work of the Scientology Disaster Relief Team in Asia following the tsunami.

The author/photographer, Thorsten Overgaard, described the odyssey and how he came to be a part of it, in these words:

"The wrong thing to do is nothing."

That is a quote from L. Ron Hubbard that resonates as a profound truth for me and how I think and how I work.

My two biggest regrets in this life were (and are) that I didn't drive to Berlin the night the Berlin Wall fell and that I didn't go to New York after September 11. In both cases I had a strong urge to go, but something in me said, "be sensible."

We all carry an urge in us to reach out and do something as well as a voice urging us to be sensible and behave as if everything wrong is somebody else's problem.

In the instance of the tsunami in South East Asia my urge to reach out and help conquered all my fears of strange diseases, pictures in my mind of dead bodies floating in a sea of chaos and a generally low knowledge about Asia and the people living there.

496 Scientologists from all over the world as well had that strong urge to reach out and help their fellow men. Strong enough to have them arrive in Asia. To them the After The Tsunami project is dedicated.

As a volunteer from Los Angeles said "Home in LA they [Asians] were just somebody living on the other side of the highway. I never talked to any, nor knew their problems in life. Now I know many people here with whom I have personal relations. People I have helped and who will be my friends for the rest of my life."

If you think about it for a while, isn't it strange that a person from LA travels to Asia to help? When in the middle of it, the answer to the question "What are we doing here?" is quite obvious. When in Asia, being able to help people in a crisis like this - there is no more important thing to do in life.

As Herbert, a real estate agent from Germany said after he had been in Sri Lanka for two months: "I left my real estate business just after New Year and came here. Both my wife and my partner in the real estate business understood and support me. My partner takes care of business while I'm here. He has to. As long as there is somebody here I can help, I'm staying."

Part of the story is that every single person on the Scientology Tsunami Relief Team have not only uprooted their life, income and whatever projects they were in the middle of at home. They have also paid the cost of their flight ticket themselves. And they continue to pay the costs of their daily expenses; approximately $26.00 per day that goes to a bed, some food, transportation and telephone cards necessary for internal communication between teams. 

From Denmark five people arrived: A acupuncturist, a millionaire, a workman, a student and I. That's quite a varied cross section to find among just five people. At the same time in Denmark about three staff in The Church of Scientology worked full time to provide support and back up to the five of us who would be working in the field. Each country had a similar picture; a variety of people arrived and back home a number of staffs in the churches and among parishioners worked to back up the activities, making sure that friends and family at home got daily updates on what was happening in Asia. continued>>

 

IAS Event....Coming around the corner!

 

 The IAS event is only 10 days away - not even.

And the grand opening of the London org is 12 days from now.

I wonder if David Miscavige will officiate at the grand opening.  I expect he will!

It's only a few weeks till the annual IAS event.

I hear there will be more people there this year than at any previous one.

I especially look forward to seeing Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center.  He is usually the master of ceremonies of the major international Scientology events, and he is always on hand at the IAS anniversary event.

This is my favorite Scientology event, because it focuses on the activities Scientologists are doing to create a better world.

Every year in late October or early November, Scientologists form all over the world congregate in the UK to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Scientologists.

I remember when it was founded -- back in 1984.

In the 22 years since, there has been such incredible expansion for the Scientology religion, and I'm sure a large part of that is the IAS itself.

You can read more about the International Association of Scientologists at their web site: www.iasmembership.org

I have such fond memories of living in East Grinstead.  I'm from America - originally on the East Coast and transplanted in California.  But I've spent a total of three years and some months in England on four separate occasions and it is a second home to me, which is how I came up with the title of this blog.

This photo of a typical East Grinstead garden reminded me so much of my time there.

Last year I was in England in April and May.  Oh how I miss it.  I forgot how you can smell the earth.  I forgot how early the sun rises and the sound of the birds.  Just thinking about it makes me feel homesick.

And as much as I love the environment, really the most special thing to me about East Grinstead is Scientology.  This is where L. Ron Hubbard lived for nearly a decade and it is the hub of Scientology in the UK.

 

Two of my friends are moving to England this week their going reminded me of the summers I've spent there.

The cold, damp, drab, uncomfortable England transforms every spring into Magnificent England, and stays that way until it reverts to its alter-ego in November.

I could do without English winters altogether.  But if that's the price to pay for the summers, then so be it.

But while this may appear to be the nearly perfect environment, all is not well in England, and what David Miscavige said in his speech, This is Scientology, applies here and everywhere -- 

Today we live in a world increasingly obsessed with science. Yes — we can send man to the Moon, explore the surface of Mars, and even survey the galaxy with NASA probes. With advanced computer technology, and satellites circling the globe, we can communicate to anyone, anywhere on Earth, and in an instant.

Yet with all of that — everything science has brought us — there is a void. In fact, it's a chasm. And at the bottom of that chasm are the humanities. So, it shouldn't surprise any of us that with all the high technology of this 21st century, science can't yet prevent war.

Mr. Miscavige goes on to give solutions too -- he describes various aspects of Scientology that address society's problems -- all on a very personal level.

I have always wanted to help people but before I started studying Scientology books I found it a very frustrating activity.  And the best I could do was sympathize, and sometimes just lending an ear would help a friend pull through.  But when that wasn't enough I had nothing to fall back on.  No real technology.  And clearly, with all the pill-pushing going on these days to solve these kinds of things no one else has worked it out either.

But that's changed now and I CAN help people.  And I'll tell you, there's nothing that makes me feel better than being able to help when a friend needs a hand.

 

I found this little write up about the Saint Hill Gardens  on http://www.aboutbritain.com/images/attraction/SaintHillManor1.jpg

"One of the finest Sussex sandstone buildings in England, Saint Hill Manor was built in 1792 by Gibbs Crawford. A subsequent owner, Edgar March Crookshank, greatly expanded Saint Hill through the addition of wings onto the Manor.

"Other owners of this fine building including Mrs. Drexrel Biddle the American Ambassador's wife, who commissioned the delightful 100ft Monkey Mural, painted by Sir Winston Churchill's nephew. There are 145 monkeys in total and 20 different species. 'Much as I tried to prevent it happening, the monkeys resemble human beings,' John Spencer Churchill wrote in his autobiography. A capuchin monkey painting under a tree, portrays Sir Winston Churchill.

"During the second World War, Mrs Norman Laski generously accommodated Royal Air Force officers, patients of Sir Archibald McIndoe, the pioneer of plastic surgery at East Grinstead's Queen Victoria Hospital. In 1959 the final owner, acclaimed author and founder of the Scientology religion, L. Ron Hubbard, bought the Manor from the Maharajah of Jaipur.

"Saint Hill is situated in 59 acres of landscaped gardens, woodlands and lake, open to the public all year round."

All this is very true but Saint Hill is a lot more.  It is where L. Ron Hubbard did many thousands of hours of research, recorded hundreds of taped lectures which he delivered ont he Saint Hill Special Briefing Course, and where he codified Scientology spiritual technology so that it is all now laid out in a very gentle gradient enabling anyone to attain spiritual freedom.