By Debra Lynne Katz (www.debrakatz.com)
INGO SWANN AND SCIENTOLOGY – I have been reading Ingo’s book “To Kiss the Earth Goodbye” – thanks to Chris Georges who lent me his $100 out -of-print copy. (There is something very terrifying about me reading out of print copies – I just know I’m going to spill my coffee on it or forget not to bend the pages or roll over on it when I fall sleep with it in bed). There are some aspects of this book I like such as when he discusses the challenges of being a research subject in parapsychology studies. I also found it useful to understand that when he seemed to be exhibiting PK skills it happened while he was remote viewing – this taught me that if one wants to an altar a material object then he/she should observe it clairvoyantly in as much detail in the act of doing that may be exactly what has an effect on it – that observation paired with an intention.
However, I do wish he had gotten more into his own personal life. “To Kiss The Earth Goodbye has been referred to as an autobiography….but as far as autobiographies go it’s about as revealing as a stripper tossing off their rain coat and galoshes who then has a full suit of clothes underneath, including slippers, and then exits the stage, grabs a burger and goes home to watch some reruns on TV. Since he wrote thousands and thousands of pages of material all about his thoughts and ideas in other books, I would really have liked for him to focus on himself in his own autobiography! Maybe he just wrote it too soon. (I mean, sure, I plan to write an autobiography, but I have to wait till a whole bunch more people die before I tell all!!!). He did mention his connection to Scientology right at the end and gave a reference that I located on Daz Smith’s site. (Thanks Daz!).
This includes a couple interviews Ingo did for a Scientology publication and in reading them it’s so bizarre because you can tell he is being so careful to use their language and to do all he can to stay within the boundaries of what they find acceptable. His tone in both articles reminds me of how a celebrity in North Korea might discuss their experiences in remote viewing (or anything), knowing full well it’s going to be scrutinized by their beloved leader, Kim Jung-un. Got to tow the company line. I certainly understand why he found certain ideas within Scientology helpful, such as “auditing” ones own thoughts. I come from another lineage of psychic training starting with Louis Bostwick who was also a Scientologist before denouncing the church. In fact Louis was said to have influenced Ron Hubbard before he even came up with Scientology, as Louis discovered a way to overcome one’s own mental programming that places limitations on ones own life and intuitive abilities and that is very much what I work with and teach in my clairvoyant programs. But still, the difference between how Ingo normally writes about society repressing one’s thoughts and behaviors and then to read these Scientology interviews in which you could almost feel an underlying fear of not wanting to rock the boat, demonstrates Ingos Chameleon-like mastery to adapt his words and manner to what ever group he is speaking to at the time.
One can imagine what it must’ve been like to walk out of the lab at SRI or out of a meeting with military officials and to step into the doors of the church – not much different than an undercover CIA operative moving from a meeting at headquarters to lunch with the terrorists he surveilling, to dinner with the wife and kiddies who really don’t have a clue what Dad does for a living. These are the things I wished he had really opened up about in his autobiography – that only skims the surface of his own feelings, inner conflicts and relationships. In fact he does this a lot more in his book “Penetration” which thankfully is back in print and at the top of my favorites list. The good news is I recently discovered that the graduate school I am going to in the fall, at University of West Georgia, just so happens to be the very place that Ingo’s personal collection of writings were donated to. I knew they had been donated somewhere and had hoped I might visit that library some day, but didn’t realize until I applied there that that’s the very place. So guess where I will be hanging out in all my free time!!
Here is the link about Ingo’s Scientology connections. Unfortunately nothing here is really that compelling if you have a quest to understand how Ingo’s work as a psychic or designer of CRV may have been influenced by his Scientology training and background – (and if anyone has further citations, please post here!) but it does give you insight into how involved he was and what a chameleon he was:
Debra Katz 