Harry Palmer (Avatar)
Encyclopedia
The Avatar Course, often simply called Avatar, is a series of LGAT self-development
courses founded in 1986 by Harry Palmer and run by his privately held company, Star's Edge, Inc., which trains and licenses Avatar Masters (teachers) to deliver the Avatar Course worldwide.
The Avatar course in essence claims to identify and remove limiting beliefs ("belief management") so that students can become more effective in life
.
In 1975 the Elmira Mission incorporated under the name the Elmira Mission of the Church of Scientology and the following year it gained a license to use all Scientology trademarks and service marks held and controlled by L. Ron Hubbard
. In exchange for that right, Palmer paid 10% of the Mission's income as a tithe
to Scientology. Six years later Hubbard assigned his rights in all Scientology trademarks to Religious Technology Center
(RTC), which the Church of Scientology
had organized especially to own and protect all Scientology trademarks. RTC immediately increased the licensing fee. On September 9, 1982 Palmer signed a new License Agreement requiring the Elmira Mission to pay 15% of its income as well as additional fees to RTC in order to continue using the Scientology trademarks. When in November 1984 Palmer ceased making any payments to the Church of Scientology, the Church filed a lawsuit against Palmer and the Elmira Mission for trademark
infringement.
The Church won on appeal and the court seal
ed details of the settlement.
About this time Palmer produced the first of the Avatar-related materials, including the Thoughtstorm Manual.
On 28 February 1998 (in a court case he lost against former employees before the State Labor Board) Palmer mentioned the renaming of "the Church of Scientology, Mission of Elmira, Inc. [...] on March 11, 1987, pursuant to Federal Court Order, [as] the Center for Creative Learning".
The original Avatar materials made extensive use of Scientology terminology
. Harry Palmer sold them to other Scientologists, claiming that they achieved "end of case" and "cover[ed] the entire Scientology Bridge
, the Buddhic path and beyond." Many of the terms continue in use in Avatar , such as "Rundown"
, "Identities", "handling"; and Avatar offers similar courses of the same names ("Integrity Course" and "Professional Course").
In addition to this history, similarities to Scientology in policies, structure, secrecy, and doctrine taught in higher levels have caused European news articles to refer to Palmer's Avatar Courses as "Scientology-Lite", picking up a term originally coined by Texas
columnist Roahn Wynar.
in the Milky Way galaxy
. The tale includes his version of Scientology's Galactic Confederacy: picturing Earth as one of the planets seeded with life, and suggesting that humanity risks destroying itself through a "blight bomb" that stops photosynthesis. The introduction and end-comments indicate that Palmer does not regard the story as symbolic, but as a representation of fact.
Other references to Palmer's claimed extraterrestrial knowledge and experience occur rarely, but exist in other speeches and texts, such as an excerpt from "The Translurian Record"
and his claim to have read firsthand the equivalent of the "Prime Directive" of Star Trek
.
(or alternatively that he majored in Educational Psychology
) . In his book Living Deliberately, Palmer claims to have majored in Educational Psychology as part of the Triplum Program at Ithaca College
. In fact he received a Bachelor of Art in English from Ithaca College
in 1969 and a Masters in Education from Elmira College
in 1971, and gained certification to teach English in secondary schools. Neither Ithaca College nor Elmira College ever offered a major or minor course of study in Educational Psychology; and Educational Psychology never formed part of the Ithaca Plan (Triplum Program).
The Florida Department of Health
investigated the academic credentials of Harry Palmer in 2005/2006. The Department found that he used the term "psychologist" illegally and made him sign a cease-and-desist
agreement.
As well as blaming his claims as an educational psychologist on an unnamed Dutch journalist, the biography on Palmer's website calls him a "lifelong educator" though he was only a teacher between 1969 and 1972, which is consistent with previous biographies published by his company.
The copyright claim related to a self-study course Braun developed called The Source Course, which Braun billed as "an analog of the Avatar Course", "a refresher" for the Avatar Course, "a take-home manual" for graduates of the Avatar Course, and the "equivalent" of the Avatar Course materials. A preliminary injunction against the work failed, but the appeal concluded against Braun.
These and other course instructions and workbooks are collectively known as "the Avatar materials".
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
courses founded in 1986 by Harry Palmer and run by his privately held company, Star's Edge, Inc., which trains and licenses Avatar Masters (teachers) to deliver the Avatar Course worldwide.
Structure
The first version of The Avatar Course was released on 15 October 1986. the course had five sections: licensed Avatar "Masters" teach the first three (this is sometimes promoted as a business opportunity); Star's Edge, Inc. teaches the two advanced sections.The Avatar course in essence claims to identify and remove limiting beliefs ("belief management") so that students can become more effective in life
Personal life
Personal life is the course of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity. It is a common notion in modern existence—although more so in more prosperous parts of the world such as Western Europe and North America...
.
Scientology Origins
Palmer and his partner, Avra-Honey Smith, ran the Elmira Church of Scientology officially for over 10 years, until 1984, when he ceased to make payments and was sued by the Church of Scientology for trademark infringement. As a result of this lawsuit, Palmer renamed his "Church of Scientology, Mission of Elmira, Inc." to "the Center for Creative Learning" in 1987.In 1975 the Elmira Mission incorporated under the name the Elmira Mission of the Church of Scientology and the following year it gained a license to use all Scientology trademarks and service marks held and controlled by L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
. In exchange for that right, Palmer paid 10% of the Mission's income as a tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
to Scientology. Six years later Hubbard assigned his rights in all Scientology trademarks to Religious Technology Center
Religious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
(RTC), which the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
had organized especially to own and protect all Scientology trademarks. RTC immediately increased the licensing fee. On September 9, 1982 Palmer signed a new License Agreement requiring the Elmira Mission to pay 15% of its income as well as additional fees to RTC in order to continue using the Scientology trademarks. When in November 1984 Palmer ceased making any payments to the Church of Scientology, the Church filed a lawsuit against Palmer and the Elmira Mission for trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
infringement.
The Church won on appeal and the court seal
Record sealing
Record sealing is the practice of sealing or, in some cases, destroying court records that would otherwise be publicly accessible as public records. The term is derived from the tradition of placing a seal on specified files or documents that prevents anyone from reviewing the files without...
ed details of the settlement.
About this time Palmer produced the first of the Avatar-related materials, including the Thoughtstorm Manual.
On 28 February 1998 (in a court case he lost against former employees before the State Labor Board) Palmer mentioned the renaming of "the Church of Scientology, Mission of Elmira, Inc. [...] on March 11, 1987, pursuant to Federal Court Order, [as] the Center for Creative Learning".
The original Avatar materials made extensive use of Scientology terminology
Scientology terminology
Scientology terminology consists of a complex assortment of jargon used by Scientologists in conjunction with the practice of Scientology and in their everyday lives. It is difficult if not impossible to understand Scientology without understanding its terminology the way Hubbard defines it.L...
. Harry Palmer sold them to other Scientologists, claiming that they achieved "end of case" and "cover[ed] the entire Scientology Bridge
The Bridge to Total Freedom
According to sources, a Scientologist moves up The Bridge to Total Freedom, or simply "The Bridge", to a state of Clear when they have freed themselves from their "reactive mind". Purportedly , this takes place beyond training sessions in Church of Scientology auditing, and is said to be a lifetime...
, the Buddhic path and beyond." Many of the terms continue in use in Avatar , such as "Rundown"
Rundown (Scientology)
In Scientology, a "Rundown" is the term created by L. Ron Hubbard to apply to a series of Scientology and/or Dianetics procedures designed to address a specific area in depth.-Cause Resurgence Rundown:...
, "Identities", "handling"; and Avatar offers similar courses of the same names ("Integrity Course" and "Professional Course").
In addition to this history, similarities to Scientology in policies, structure, secrecy, and doctrine taught in higher levels have caused European news articles to refer to Palmer's Avatar Courses as "Scientology-Lite", picking up a term originally coined by Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
columnist Roahn Wynar.
The Galactic Confederacy
At the first Wizards Course in 1991, Harry Palmer introduced the story about the history of consciousnessConsciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
in the Milky Way galaxy
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
. The tale includes his version of Scientology's Galactic Confederacy: picturing Earth as one of the planets seeded with life, and suggesting that humanity risks destroying itself through a "blight bomb" that stops photosynthesis. The introduction and end-comments indicate that Palmer does not regard the story as symbolic, but as a representation of fact.
Other references to Palmer's claimed extraterrestrial knowledge and experience occur rarely, but exist in other speeches and texts, such as an excerpt from "The Translurian Record"
and his claim to have read firsthand the equivalent of the "Prime Directive" of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
.
Controversy of Harry Palmer's Education and Credentials
From a 1991 issue of the Avatar Journal, company literature and associated websites started portraying Harry Palmer (born April 3, 1944) as an Educational Psychologist, including claims that he received a Masters in Educational Psychology from Elmira CollegeElmira College
Elmira College is a coeducational private liberal arts college located in Elmira, in New York State's Southern Tier region.The college is noted as the oldest college still in existence which granted degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men...
(or alternatively that he majored in Educational Psychology
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop, often focusing...
) . In his book Living Deliberately, Palmer claims to have majored in Educational Psychology as part of the Triplum Program at Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
. In fact he received a Bachelor of Art in English from Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
in 1969 and a Masters in Education from Elmira College
Elmira College
Elmira College is a coeducational private liberal arts college located in Elmira, in New York State's Southern Tier region.The college is noted as the oldest college still in existence which granted degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men...
in 1971, and gained certification to teach English in secondary schools. Neither Ithaca College nor Elmira College ever offered a major or minor course of study in Educational Psychology; and Educational Psychology never formed part of the Ithaca Plan (Triplum Program).
The Florida Department of Health
Florida Department of Health
The Florida Department of Health is responsible for protecting the public health and safety of the residents and visitors of the State of Florida. It is a cabinet level agency of the state government, headed by a State surgeon general who reports to the Governor...
investigated the academic credentials of Harry Palmer in 2005/2006. The Department found that he used the term "psychologist" illegally and made him sign a cease-and-desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
agreement.
As well as blaming his claims as an educational psychologist on an unnamed Dutch journalist, the biography on Palmer's website calls him a "lifelong educator" though he was only a teacher between 1969 and 1972, which is consistent with previous biographies published by his company.
Harry Palmer, Star's Edge versus Eldon Braun
In 2000 Harry Palmer sued Eldon Braun, a former Avatar licensee and Palmer critic, for copyright and trademark infringement, unfair competition, breach of contract, intentional interference with a business relationship, and libel. In 2005, the court awarded Palmer $36,000 in damages for copyright infringement, $20,000 for libel damages, and $364,527.68 in attorney’s fees, with all other claims dropped or dismissed.The copyright claim related to a self-study course Braun developed called The Source Course, which Braun billed as "an analog of the Avatar Course", "a refresher" for the Avatar Course, "a take-home manual" for graduates of the Avatar Course, and the "equivalent" of the Avatar Course materials. A preliminary injunction against the work failed, but the appeal concluded against Braun.
Published works
Star's Edge, Inc has published all the works attributed to Palmer :- The Thoughtstorm Manual: An Evolution In Human Thinking (ISBN 1-891575-03-1) - a group exercise handbook originally published pre-Star's Edge in 1986
- Living Deliberately: The Discovery and Development of Avatar (ISBN 0-9626874-3-X) - the story of how Harry Palmer developed the Avatar materials, including an overview of the course exercises. The Avatar website offers a free e-version, including a "Publisher’s Note and Disclaimer" which states: "...The characters and events described in the text of LIVING DELIBERATELY are intended to entertain and teach rather than present an exact factual history of real people or events."
- Resurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness (ISBN 0-9626874-9-9) - the workbook associated with Section I of the Avatar courses.
- The Avatar Master's Handbook (ISBN 0-9626874-8-0) - associated with Section IV of the Avatar courses
- Love Precious Humanity: The Collected Wisdom Of Harry Palmer (ISBN 1-891575-23-6) - a book of quotations from Palmer
- Inside Avatar The Book: Achieving Enlightenment (ISBN 1-891575-13-9) - a collection of previously published articles
These and other course instructions and workbooks are collectively known as "the Avatar materials".
Further reading
Court material- Church of Scientology International, Religious Technology Center and Scientology Missions International v. The Elmira Mission of the Church of Scientology a/k/a Church of Scientology, Mission of Elmira, a/k/a Dianetics Center, a/k/a Scientology Elmira, a/k/a Center for Creative Learning, Harry Palmer and Avra Honey-Smith — ruling in motion in case CIV-85-412T, United States District Court, W.D. New York, ruled August 1, 1985
- Church of Scientology International, Religious Technology Center and Scientology Missions International v. The Elmira Mission of the Church of Scientology a/k/a Church of Scientology, Mission of Elmira, a/k/a Dianetics Center, a/k/a Scientology Elmira, a/k/a Center for Creative Learning, Harry Palmer and Avra Honey-Smith — final ruling in case CIV-85-412T, United States District Court, W.D. New York, argued December 6, 1985, decided June 23, 1986
- U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (April 9, 2002): PALMER v BRAUN
- U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (July 13, 2004): Harry Palmer Star's Edge vs. Eldon Braun (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
) - UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA (11/18/2005): Harry Palmer Star's Edge vs. Eldon Braun (PDF)
- Situation Report (Star's Edge response to Braun court case)
External links
- Official Avatar Website - includes links to free materials (mini-courses), short bio of Harry Palmer, Avatar Course student experiences, etc.