Inside ScientologyCreated by American science fiction novelist L. Ron Hubbard in 1954, often called a cult, Scientology is one of the most fascinating and controversial religions of the modern age.
Ah, Xenu. To the uninitiated, it sounds like something from a science fiction novel. To those familiar, it may still sound like something from a science fiction novel. Xenu is the galactic overlord responsible for all of humanity's neuroses and problems, according to the teachings of Scientology. Xenu forced a bunch of thetans, or spirit-like entities, to hang around the Earth like a prison. These thetans attach to human bodies at birth and are the source of our mental anguish and addiction issues. Scientology teaches humans how to rid themselves of these thetans so they can "go clear" and lead a healthy, fulfilling life.Â
The space opera creation myth seems a bit bonkers, even for Scientology - do Scientologists believe in Xenu? For many, including Scientology's famous members, the allegory of Xenu serves simply as a spiritual reminder as opposed to factual truth. The details about Xenu's origins and his motivations are as confusing to outsiders as most beliefs of Scientology. He isn't God; he's an immortal being without a savior complex, unlike the major players in other religious belief systems.Â
Xenu is a tyrant that eradicated billions of beings to cut down on overpopulation in his own galaxy, sending lifeforms to Earth to make life easier on himself. Xenu has made it as impossible for these thetans to escape their Earth prison as Scientology has made it for members to leave the church.Â
Xenu Was A Genocidal Alien Overlord Of A 76-Planet Confederation Over 75 Million Years Ago
Xenu was the head of a 76-planet confederation 75 million years ago. His confederation was plagued by over-population, although exactly what type of being was over-populating the galaxy isn't clear; the beings are called "people" and "aliens" in different sources. According to OT III Materials (OT III being "Operating Thetan III," a special level of consciousness Scientology members strive towards), there were 178 billion beings per planet, and Xenu needed to do something about the problem.
Xenu concocted a ruse to get large numbers of people to come see him: he issued a tax on artists and criminals that required them to pay in person. Once the artists and criminals arrived, he had them frozen in an alcohol solution and put them on ships that looked like DC-8 airplanes.
Another version of the story is that Xenu simply had his men gather up large numbers of people, freeze them, and put them on the ships. Xenu then sent these prisoners to Earth, known then as Teegeeack.
Photo: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief / HBO Films
Xenu's Detainees Were Dropped Into 10 Volcanoes On Earth And Released From Their Flesh Prisons
Xenu put 13.5 billion beings on DC-8 style ships and sent them to Teegeeack, AKA Earth. Once he dropped them onto Earth, he put them in or near 10 volcanoes. He then detonated hydrogen bombs, depriving the beings of their bodies and releasing their thetans, or immortal souls, into the atmosphere. These thetans are what Scientologists today believe is plaguing humanity; they stick onto human beings in the form of addiction and spiritual harm.
Photo: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief / HBO Films
Once The Beings Were Nuked, Their Energies Were Captured And Distributed On Earth
After bombing the beings on Earth, their thetans were collected and frozen in an antifreeze-like substance. The frozen thetans were then packaged in boxes known as clusters and left randomly on Earth. Xenu left billions of disembodied, freaked out thetans unable to form their own physical bodies, so they attach onto humans in parasitic fashion.
The thetans that were released don't have any memories of what had happened to them - Xenu took care of that, implanting them with other "false ideas" about God and other religions as well as emotions. Thetans then bring these false ideas to humans when they attach to them.
Xenu Is Alive But Trapped In An Electronic Cage On An Unnamed Desert Planet
After condemning a massive amount of thetans to a fiery, volcanic death of the flesh, Xenu found himself at war with some of the thetans he banished to Earth. In OT III, the training manual given to Scientology members with the correct clearance, it states, "When through with his [Xenu's] crime loyal officers (to the people) captured him after six years of battle and put him in an electronic mountain trap where he still is."
Scientologists of this level are not allowed to talk about or even acknowledge the existence of Xenu, so gathering a more comprehensive history of what allegedly happened with Xenu is difficult. What is known is that Xenu is still alive on an unnamed desert planet, trapped in a giant, wiry, electronic cage on the top of a mountain.
Xenu Put Soul Implant Stations On Venus And Mars... And Also In Africa
Earth wasn't the only place where beings could be found, nor was it the only home to thetans. According to a former member of Scientology, Xenu also decimated the atmospheres of both Venus and Mars, killing any and all life. He then set up implant stations to which disembodied souls could return on Venus, Mars, and an undisclosed location in Africa.
Xenu's reasoning behind these implant stations? It was a power move. Xenu wanted to make sure that none of the thetans whose physically bodies he destroyed would return to challenge his authority. At these implant stations, thetans would watch thousands of movies, creating "engrams" or false memories. Some of these fake memories include the crucifixion of Jesus, religious creation myths, and acts of violence.
The soul implant stations are gender-specific as well; the adage "men are from Mars, women are from Venus," rings true in Scientology. According to a former Scientologist, "Thetans who were sent to Venus for implantation were sent back in long tubes to female bodies, and those from Mars were sent to male bodies."
Photo: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief / HBO Films
Xenu Set Up A Net And Buoys Around The Universe To Keep Thetans From Escaping
Xenu implemented additional techniques to prevent thetansfrom escaping - a net around the solar system that has a system of buoys. If any of the buoys are triggered, Xenu will somehow break out of his electric prison, return to Earth, and destroy it. The net-buoy system also prevents anyone from getting into the solar system, as there are entities that may want to communicate with thetans to hatch an escape plan.
But, there's more, according to a former member: "At some point after Xenu put us here, an invader force called the Fifth Invader Force came... without realizing that this solar system was screened off from the rest of the galaxy. They were defeated and also trapped here on Earth with us. In fact the moon is a space station they brought with them."
