staffmember1234
Patron
Seriously, does Excalibur actually exist? Has it ever leaked? Have any of you ever seen it? From a curiosity standpoint I would like to read it.
EXCALIBUR - Does it really exist? Seen it? On the net?
- Thread starter staffmember1234
- Start date
Veda
Sponsor
"Living is a pretty grim joke, but a joke just the same.
"The entire function of man is to survive. Not for 'what' but just to survive.
...
"I turned the thing up [The Dynamic principle of Existence: Survive!] so it's up to me to survive in a big way.
"Personal immortality is only to be gained through the printed word, barred note or painted canvas or hard granite. [Or stainless steel, or titanium, or by having 'L. Ron Hubbard' identified with people's 'survival!']
"Foolishly perhaps, but determined nonetheless, I have high hopes of smashing my name into history so violently that it will take a legendary form even if all the books are destroyed.
"That goal is the real goal as far as I am concerned.
"Things which stand too consistently in my way make me nervous. It's a pretty big job. In a hundred years Roosevelt will have been forgotten - which gives some idea of the magnitude of my attempt. And all this boils and froths inside my head.
...
"Psychiatrists, reaching the high of the dusty desk, tell us that Alexander, Genghis Khan and Napoleon were madmen. I know they're maligning some very intelligent gentlemen.
"...I can make Napoleon look like a punk..."
From L. Ron Hubbard's 'Excalibur' letter, August 1938
Hubbard's 'Excalibur', as far as I know, is not available anywhere. Gerry Armstrong read it in the late '70s, early '80s ("2 1/2 versions"), as did some others around the time it was written in the late '30s.
G. Filbert's 'Excalibur Revisited' had its title based on the incorrect assumption that Hubbard's 1938 unpublished manuscript 'Excalibur' contained, in condensed form, all of what later became the Scientology "Bridge."
Additionally, Filbert was supposed to have taken this off the 'Akashic records', just as Hubbard was supposed to have done (according to Filbert) after (according to Hubbard) he "died on an operating table." According to his diary, later revealed, Hubbard had a Nitrous Oxide experience at the dentist, after which he wrote 'Excalibur', a psychology & philosophy centered around the idea of "Survive!", through which he hoped to "smash" his "name into history." Hubbard's 'Excalibur' does not seem to have been "spiritual" in nature, having more in common with Nietzsche and Mussolini than with Buddha.
Arthur J. Burks on 'Excalibur':
http://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/burks.html
And some information from R.V. Young, under "Hubbard Archives":
http://www.lermanet.com/vaughnhot.htm
"In late 1981... over the months, with nothing else to do, I had a chance to read private letters, papers and manuscripts (including the three, yes, three, versions of the infamous 'Excalibur', which has to be the most overblown piece of hype ever produced..."
There are also at least 3 or 4 different stories, from Hubbard, re. 'Excalibur', a.k.a. 'The One Command'.
What all these stories, or "explanations" have in common is that they begin with someone saying, "Can I see a copy of 'Excalibur'?" And Hubbard responding [insert story #1, #2, #3, etc.] with "No."
Some more info on 'Excalibur' from Gerry Armstrong,
http://www.skeptictank.org/astrong7.htm
There is a BBC produced 'Secret Lives' (of L. Ron Hubbard) interview featuring Gerry of which the above is a transcription.
Even the current beleaguered "LRH biographer" (Official biographer #3), Dan Sherman, had some interesting things to say about 'Excalibur' in one of the 'Ron Series' coffee table books, revealing that much of Excalibur went into the theory part of 'DMSMH', also, a little bit of it can be found in the introduction of the book 'Self Analysis'.
This would have all been much simpler if Hubbard had just been on the level.
Hope this helps.
"The entire function of man is to survive. Not for 'what' but just to survive.
...
"I turned the thing up [The Dynamic principle of Existence: Survive!] so it's up to me to survive in a big way.
"Personal immortality is only to be gained through the printed word, barred note or painted canvas or hard granite. [Or stainless steel, or titanium, or by having 'L. Ron Hubbard' identified with people's 'survival!']
"Foolishly perhaps, but determined nonetheless, I have high hopes of smashing my name into history so violently that it will take a legendary form even if all the books are destroyed.
"That goal is the real goal as far as I am concerned.
"Things which stand too consistently in my way make me nervous. It's a pretty big job. In a hundred years Roosevelt will have been forgotten - which gives some idea of the magnitude of my attempt. And all this boils and froths inside my head.
...
"Psychiatrists, reaching the high of the dusty desk, tell us that Alexander, Genghis Khan and Napoleon were madmen. I know they're maligning some very intelligent gentlemen.
"...I can make Napoleon look like a punk..."
From L. Ron Hubbard's 'Excalibur' letter, August 1938
Hubbard's 'Excalibur', as far as I know, is not available anywhere. Gerry Armstrong read it in the late '70s, early '80s ("2 1/2 versions"), as did some others around the time it was written in the late '30s.
G. Filbert's 'Excalibur Revisited' had its title based on the incorrect assumption that Hubbard's 1938 unpublished manuscript 'Excalibur' contained, in condensed form, all of what later became the Scientology "Bridge."
Additionally, Filbert was supposed to have taken this off the 'Akashic records', just as Hubbard was supposed to have done (according to Filbert) after (according to Hubbard) he "died on an operating table." According to his diary, later revealed, Hubbard had a Nitrous Oxide experience at the dentist, after which he wrote 'Excalibur', a psychology & philosophy centered around the idea of "Survive!", through which he hoped to "smash" his "name into history." Hubbard's 'Excalibur' does not seem to have been "spiritual" in nature, having more in common with Nietzsche and Mussolini than with Buddha.
Arthur J. Burks on 'Excalibur':
http://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/burks.html
And some information from R.V. Young, under "Hubbard Archives":
http://www.lermanet.com/vaughnhot.htm
"In late 1981... over the months, with nothing else to do, I had a chance to read private letters, papers and manuscripts (including the three, yes, three, versions of the infamous 'Excalibur', which has to be the most overblown piece of hype ever produced..."
There are also at least 3 or 4 different stories, from Hubbard, re. 'Excalibur', a.k.a. 'The One Command'.
What all these stories, or "explanations" have in common is that they begin with someone saying, "Can I see a copy of 'Excalibur'?" And Hubbard responding [insert story #1, #2, #3, etc.] with "No."
Some more info on 'Excalibur' from Gerry Armstrong,
http://www.skeptictank.org/astrong7.htm
There is a BBC produced 'Secret Lives' (of L. Ron Hubbard) interview featuring Gerry of which the above is a transcription.
Even the current beleaguered "LRH biographer" (Official biographer #3), Dan Sherman, had some interesting things to say about 'Excalibur' in one of the 'Ron Series' coffee table books, revealing that much of Excalibur went into the theory part of 'DMSMH', also, a little bit of it can be found in the introduction of the book 'Self Analysis'.
This would have all been much simpler if Hubbard had just been on the level.
Hope this helps.
staffmember1234
Patron
Thanks! That is helpful! I have seen that Doc, but I didn't know about the Self Analysis thing. I hope one day it gets out so I can read it and not die to prove again that its all BS
SweetnessandLight
Crusader
From: http://www.skeptictank.org/astrong7.htm
"The key to Excalibur was this great realization by Hubbard of survive as being the one command that all existence and all life and all people have that became the basis for a lot of dianetics, and a lot of scientology...."
Thanks Veda...are you working on archiving all of this info? I hope so...we need to have it assessable for the newbies.
"The key to Excalibur was this great realization by Hubbard of survive as being the one command that all existence and all life and all people have that became the basis for a lot of dianetics, and a lot of scientology...."
Thanks Veda...are you working on archiving all of this info? I hope so...we need to have it assessable for the newbies.
HelluvaHoax!
Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on
Dear Staffmember1234,
Thank you for your inquiry about my client, Mr. Hubbard's, unpublished book Excalibur.
Our publishing company is delighted with your interest in this groundbreaking masterpiece. However, in all fairness, I must advise you that the previous persons who read the galley version promptly went insane or leaped out of skycrapers. This was a most unfortunate development due to the extremely beneficial information contained within it.
Had Mr. Hubbard's book not contained so much helpful information, he assures us that nobody would have been tragically killed.
Therefore, in your own interests, we regrettably advise you that we will not be sending you a copy and hereby enclose your uncashed check.
I myself have read the book and it is, I assure you, a bigger discovery than the wheel or fire. It will, when suitably published, change the course of human history and bring about a world without war, criminality and insanity. Others have expressed their concern that I might jump out of a skyscraper, but be assured I shall not. Neither have I gone insane as previous publishers, although many say this to me on a daily basis.
If and when we receive clearances from Mr. Hubbard, we will contact you that you might purchase a copy of Excalibur. The second chapter is even more astonishing than the first, for it contains the secret to the mysteries of the universe that can bring you riches beyond your wildest dreams and immortality. I will not say more right now.
Until then, I remain;
Sincerely Yours,
Mr. E. Sandwich
VP Sales
Universal Publishing Corporation
Demented LRH
Patron Meritorious
One of the few individuals who read the Excalibur manuscript wrote about it:
I'll try to remember some of it, chapter by chapter, and to
explain why it was so squirmy. For example, he
started with the very first life-the very first cells-how they
struggled for survival-how they tried to be and be"it" the
whole time. In order to do it, gradually thru the ages
theyassociated with other cells, one with another, and they
reached the place where they could divide so they would become
bigger. This is strictly science as far as it's gone.
After awhile, this conglomeration of cells
that would reach down a stream of warm water,
would bend its way back in order to catch more
-it would extend across the stream, or across
a little rill or something like that - and all
the time it was gaining more sensitivity and
ways of the world in which it finds itself. It
finds out ' that by working together, it can ac-
complish a great deal more: it can find more to
eat - it can eat more and grow faster. So the
idea is to survive and reproduce - and this is
what the early cell does.
Held begin to picture the ocean and the seas and ponds as having
the life cells growing on them like scum. These
are ourselves, our beginnings, our own beginnings because in the
womb we start in this very way.
Away back then, we began to develop motives for things. Now, itis
seldom that what we tell somebody our
motive is, is the real one -and
8 The ABERRE
this is where YOU Start to Squirm. Somebody will say, "Well, I 'd
like to do a certain thing, " " I would 1 ike to do
this with you, " o r something or other, and you look at this
person and realize, "I wonder why he ' s doing that."
And you look into yourself and think if you were doing that, what
would your motive be and whether you would
hide it. You think that perhaps he's hiding his real motive and
trying. to get you to do something because he's
giving you to understand that his motive is thus and so because
that appeals to your vanity-and of course this makes
you look at yourself to see about this business of vanity - and
why you're likely to do that. All the time, looking at
this other person, you can see squirmy things in him. You can see
squirmy things in him that make him look like
an entity peering at you thru gauze, or around a corner. You
don't see all of him. He'slike the iceberg that's
seveneighths submerged -you can't tel 1 anything about him.
As these things are pointed out to you by Ron in the ftrst
chapter, or thereabouts, you begin to see that the cells
in any body that you're looking at are all endowed with this
ability to survive - a determination to survive - and with
motives to survive that are sometimes extremely questionable.
When you look at a person, the lips may say one
thing, the eyes may say something else, or nothing, and the flesh
may say something entirely different. Literally,
your right hand doesn't know what your left hand is doing. You
shake hands, and this is a friendly gesture, but
behind your back you may be holding a knife to plunge into him
and he may be holding one for you. You can't tell
just by looking at people. One of the things Ron intended to do
with "Excalibur" was to make it possible to see and
Blah, blah blah.....
http://www.aberree.com/v08/n08p08.html
I'll try to remember some of it, chapter by chapter, and to
explain why it was so squirmy. For example, he
started with the very first life-the very first cells-how they
struggled for survival-how they tried to be and be"it" the
whole time. In order to do it, gradually thru the ages
theyassociated with other cells, one with another, and they
reached the place where they could divide so they would become
bigger. This is strictly science as far as it's gone.
After awhile, this conglomeration of cells
that would reach down a stream of warm water,
would bend its way back in order to catch more
-it would extend across the stream, or across
a little rill or something like that - and all
the time it was gaining more sensitivity and
ways of the world in which it finds itself. It
finds out ' that by working together, it can ac-
complish a great deal more: it can find more to
eat - it can eat more and grow faster. So the
idea is to survive and reproduce - and this is
what the early cell does.
Held begin to picture the ocean and the seas and ponds as having
the life cells growing on them like scum. These
are ourselves, our beginnings, our own beginnings because in the
womb we start in this very way.
Away back then, we began to develop motives for things. Now, itis
seldom that what we tell somebody our
motive is, is the real one -and
8 The ABERRE
this is where YOU Start to Squirm. Somebody will say, "Well, I 'd
like to do a certain thing, " " I would 1 ike to do
this with you, " o r something or other, and you look at this
person and realize, "I wonder why he ' s doing that."
And you look into yourself and think if you were doing that, what
would your motive be and whether you would
hide it. You think that perhaps he's hiding his real motive and
trying. to get you to do something because he's
giving you to understand that his motive is thus and so because
that appeals to your vanity-and of course this makes
you look at yourself to see about this business of vanity - and
why you're likely to do that. All the time, looking at
this other person, you can see squirmy things in him. You can see
squirmy things in him that make him look like
an entity peering at you thru gauze, or around a corner. You
don't see all of him. He'slike the iceberg that's
seveneighths submerged -you can't tel 1 anything about him.
As these things are pointed out to you by Ron in the ftrst
chapter, or thereabouts, you begin to see that the cells
in any body that you're looking at are all endowed with this
ability to survive - a determination to survive - and with
motives to survive that are sometimes extremely questionable.
When you look at a person, the lips may say one
thing, the eyes may say something else, or nothing, and the flesh
may say something entirely different. Literally,
your right hand doesn't know what your left hand is doing. You
shake hands, and this is a friendly gesture, but
behind your back you may be holding a knife to plunge into him
and he may be holding one for you. You can't tell
just by looking at people. One of the things Ron intended to do
with "Excalibur" was to make it possible to see and
Blah, blah blah.....
http://www.aberree.com/v08/n08p08.html
multixperience
Patron with Honors
Hello. If you are interested in Excalibur, it doesnt exist anymore in its original state. The original excalibur has all its data in the first books.
It deals only with the structure of Homo Sap. Its not Scientology...
SweetnessandLight
Crusader
Here is what Little Bear Victor had to say about it on another thread in 2008:
"About Excalibur (original manuscript)
Note: Anons are looking for the manuscript of the original Excalibur. This inspired me to write the following post over at Enturb, which others may find of some interest, so I am posting it here as well.
Since there are a limited number of people that have ever seen this particular book, I figured I should tell you what I know of it, since I happen to be one of them.
I had one opportunity to see the book, but as I had limited time I didn't read it in full. Nevertheless, I did read sections of it knowing this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
The content of the book is accurately relayed by Arthur J Burks, Gerry Armstrong and Robert Vaughn Young.
There are no big revelations in the book for anyone who has read Dianetics or later works on the subject, but it is written from a more, shall I say, pompous style. In other words, Hubbard was convinced that he had just learned the secrets of the universe and that it gave him the keys to all of existence, the way to achieve any goal, improve any aspect of life, master any subject, be the king of all existence. He suddenly knew everything. And he firmly believed that with this "knowledge" one could rule the world, align all data and advance every subject and science.
I personally believe this book is crucial in understanding how Dianetics and Scientology came about. This was the breakthrough. This was the original work.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the introduction which is not written by Hubbard but by one of his sci-fi author friends. It describes the nitrous oxide dental operation that Hubbard underwent, his near-death experience and his successful return from with with his memory intact and the secrets of the universe laid bare in front of his very eyes.
In my opinion this drug experience was THE experience that shaped Hubbards life and made him find his purpose (from his personal point of view) in life. It made him "the chosen one," so to speak.
The book goes through the various theories of Dianetics, but unlike the 1950 book Dianetics, doesn't include any therapy or means for anyone else to achieve or put into use the "knowledge" imparted. It was, as I said, a pompous statement that "with this knowledge everything you have ever dreamed of can now be yours."
The passage "The One Word" is indeed the first chapter of the book. That chapter has actually been published in one of the church "Ron magazine" PR publication series.
Moreover, as someone mentioned, the current Official CoS LRH Biographer is Danny Sherman, who has access to the Excalibur manuscript. In fact, Danny gave an event speech to Scientology publics, telling (his own version) of the story of LRH's dental operation experience. This event video may be available (???) although I have not seen it as yet.
As to other copies of the manuscript, unfortunately I don't know of any outside-the-Church copies. There are two copies I know exist for certain: One in the LRH Biographer files, one in the LRH House (Bonnie View). Both of them are on the Int Base, so you won't be able to get a hold of them.
Another place equally difficult to get to which more than likely has a copy is CST who is supposed to have the original of every single thing LRH has ever written (In some cases the only "original" they have is a copy already, but the most original version of any LRH writing goes to CST). So at least three copies of this manuscript exist.
As to the remark that there are three versions of the manuscript, this is also accurate -- even if you discount the non-LRH Excalibur Revisited -- but the only difference between the three as far as I could tell was the sequence and completeness or lack thereof of the three versions.
I would recognize and could authenticate the manuscript if you got hold of one. One thing that no one has mentioned is that there were a number of diagrams in the book, hand drawn by Hubbard. One of them was a copy of a diagram from a book by another author, which showed a conic representation of the history of evolution of life. As I recall, at the top of the cone was "the past" with a single living cell (unless it started all the way from the big bang, but I don't think so). More and more developed organisms were drawn in that developed through time. At the base of the cone was "present," with man and animals as they exist today.
There were several other diagrams in the manuscript.
The prospects of the Church publishing the book: David Miscavige has said he COULD publish the book without any great problem, that there isn't something extraordinary in it that would be totally new and strange to anyone who has read Dianetics. But he is not planning to do so. There are a couple of reasons for this:
Firstly, as has been said, the best reason is that it has more value as a "myth" than a published book.
Secondly, there are all the lies that have been told about it (it was stolen, lost, reading it will drive you crazy, and so on).
The third, and probably most important factor is that the sequence of the manuscript is not clear from any of the three copies and there are things that would certainly have to be edited out "for PR purposes." At least for the Scientology public. For instance, Hubbard was talking about women and sex much more freely. It was nothing shocking, but would reveal some of his attitudes about women and sex that would hardly be suitable for church publics.
As to getting a hold of a copy of the manuscript, unless someone can convert Danny Sherman from a true believer into a disbeliever and walk out with a copy of the manuscript, your best bet is to try and trace where those few copies went that did make it to the handful of original readers who supposedly went crazy. For while the LRH Personal PR Office and CST have done all in their power to find any and all LRH originals, correspondence and every piece of scrap paper or napkin LRH ever put a pen down on, I am certain that if anyone ever had a copy of Excalibur and the Church came to retrieve it, they would either say they didn't have it, or make a copy of it for themselves before turning it in.
So you might be able to find it. I say there is a small-to-fair chance, although it won't be easy.
Will that be cash, cheque or credit card?"
From: http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?6637-About-Excalibur-(original-manuscript)
"About Excalibur (original manuscript)
Note: Anons are looking for the manuscript of the original Excalibur. This inspired me to write the following post over at Enturb, which others may find of some interest, so I am posting it here as well.
Since there are a limited number of people that have ever seen this particular book, I figured I should tell you what I know of it, since I happen to be one of them.
I had one opportunity to see the book, but as I had limited time I didn't read it in full. Nevertheless, I did read sections of it knowing this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
The content of the book is accurately relayed by Arthur J Burks, Gerry Armstrong and Robert Vaughn Young.
There are no big revelations in the book for anyone who has read Dianetics or later works on the subject, but it is written from a more, shall I say, pompous style. In other words, Hubbard was convinced that he had just learned the secrets of the universe and that it gave him the keys to all of existence, the way to achieve any goal, improve any aspect of life, master any subject, be the king of all existence. He suddenly knew everything. And he firmly believed that with this "knowledge" one could rule the world, align all data and advance every subject and science.
I personally believe this book is crucial in understanding how Dianetics and Scientology came about. This was the breakthrough. This was the original work.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the introduction which is not written by Hubbard but by one of his sci-fi author friends. It describes the nitrous oxide dental operation that Hubbard underwent, his near-death experience and his successful return from with with his memory intact and the secrets of the universe laid bare in front of his very eyes.
In my opinion this drug experience was THE experience that shaped Hubbards life and made him find his purpose (from his personal point of view) in life. It made him "the chosen one," so to speak.
The book goes through the various theories of Dianetics, but unlike the 1950 book Dianetics, doesn't include any therapy or means for anyone else to achieve or put into use the "knowledge" imparted. It was, as I said, a pompous statement that "with this knowledge everything you have ever dreamed of can now be yours."
The passage "The One Word" is indeed the first chapter of the book. That chapter has actually been published in one of the church "Ron magazine" PR publication series.
Moreover, as someone mentioned, the current Official CoS LRH Biographer is Danny Sherman, who has access to the Excalibur manuscript. In fact, Danny gave an event speech to Scientology publics, telling (his own version) of the story of LRH's dental operation experience. This event video may be available (???) although I have not seen it as yet.
As to other copies of the manuscript, unfortunately I don't know of any outside-the-Church copies. There are two copies I know exist for certain: One in the LRH Biographer files, one in the LRH House (Bonnie View). Both of them are on the Int Base, so you won't be able to get a hold of them.
Another place equally difficult to get to which more than likely has a copy is CST who is supposed to have the original of every single thing LRH has ever written (In some cases the only "original" they have is a copy already, but the most original version of any LRH writing goes to CST). So at least three copies of this manuscript exist.
As to the remark that there are three versions of the manuscript, this is also accurate -- even if you discount the non-LRH Excalibur Revisited -- but the only difference between the three as far as I could tell was the sequence and completeness or lack thereof of the three versions.
I would recognize and could authenticate the manuscript if you got hold of one. One thing that no one has mentioned is that there were a number of diagrams in the book, hand drawn by Hubbard. One of them was a copy of a diagram from a book by another author, which showed a conic representation of the history of evolution of life. As I recall, at the top of the cone was "the past" with a single living cell (unless it started all the way from the big bang, but I don't think so). More and more developed organisms were drawn in that developed through time. At the base of the cone was "present," with man and animals as they exist today.
There were several other diagrams in the manuscript.
The prospects of the Church publishing the book: David Miscavige has said he COULD publish the book without any great problem, that there isn't something extraordinary in it that would be totally new and strange to anyone who has read Dianetics. But he is not planning to do so. There are a couple of reasons for this:
Firstly, as has been said, the best reason is that it has more value as a "myth" than a published book.
Secondly, there are all the lies that have been told about it (it was stolen, lost, reading it will drive you crazy, and so on).
The third, and probably most important factor is that the sequence of the manuscript is not clear from any of the three copies and there are things that would certainly have to be edited out "for PR purposes." At least for the Scientology public. For instance, Hubbard was talking about women and sex much more freely. It was nothing shocking, but would reveal some of his attitudes about women and sex that would hardly be suitable for church publics.
As to getting a hold of a copy of the manuscript, unless someone can convert Danny Sherman from a true believer into a disbeliever and walk out with a copy of the manuscript, your best bet is to try and trace where those few copies went that did make it to the handful of original readers who supposedly went crazy. For while the LRH Personal PR Office and CST have done all in their power to find any and all LRH originals, correspondence and every piece of scrap paper or napkin LRH ever put a pen down on, I am certain that if anyone ever had a copy of Excalibur and the Church came to retrieve it, they would either say they didn't have it, or make a copy of it for themselves before turning it in.
So you might be able to find it. I say there is a small-to-fair chance, although it won't be easy.
Will that be cash, cheque or credit card?"
From: http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?6637-About-Excalibur-(original-manuscript)
staffmember1234
Patron
HAHAHAHAHA!!! This really cracked me up, thanks man!
