Avatar
Special Guest: Annabel
Annabel started taking Avatar courses in Queensland, Australia in 2016, when she was in her early 30s. She saw some red flags, but she only recently realised that there may have been cultic elements to her experience.
EPISODE DETAILS
Written and Hosted by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould
Editing and mixing by Matt Brazel
February 14th, 2024
49 mins 44 secs
Season 6
Season 6 presenting partner:
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Harry Palmer created Avatar after his presidency of the Church of Scientology's Elmira Mission ended in the mid-1980s, as a result of legal proceedings around trademark infringement. Avatar says that it aims to create an 'enlightened planetary consciousness' or EPC through its courses, which are expensive and numerous. Former students say they have been left with massive debts as a result of their course attendance.
EPISODE LINKS
Who is Harry Palmer? — archived founder bio on former Avatar website, May 2006
About Harry Palmer — founder bio on the Avatar website, accessed January 2024
The Quest — by Harry Palmer, Avatar Journal, Spring 1992
Living Deliberately: The Discovery and Development of Avatar — by Harry Palmer, Star’s Edge International, 1994
Harry Palmer’s Scientology Mission, Star’s Edge, and Avatar — special report series by Lisa Bennett, Elmira Star-Gazette, 2-7 February 1988
Church of Scientology Int'l. v. Elmira Mission — 614 F. Supp. 500 (W.D.N.Y. 1985)
Mr. Palmer is NOT a psychologist — archived blog post from Is Avatar a (psycho) cult?, September 2008
Galactic Confederacy Lecture — by Harry Palmer, Avatar Wizard Course, Orlando, Florida, January 1991
We'd like to welcome you to 'enlightenment' — by Russell Blackstock, NZ Herald, 17 August 2014
Simon Townsend Against Herald on Sunday, Zoe Dryden Against Herald on Sunday — NZ Press Council complaints, 2014
Interview with Margie - Ex-Scientology / Avatar | The Origins of the Avatar Course - Part 1 and Part 2 — Avatar Uncovered YouTube channel, 15 & 19 January 2018
On Avatar — by Elliot Benjamin, Ph.D., International Cultic Studies Association e-Newsletter Vol. 4, Issue No. 2, 2005
The Avatar® Course — accessed January 2024
The Avatar® Master Course — accessed January 2024
The Avatar® Professional Course — accessed January 2024
Avatar® Section V: Wizard Series — accessed January 2024
Affidavit Kathy Raine (1989) — verified by Avatar Uncovered in 2017
Avatar Uncovered — website maintained by former Avatar Master Amanda Reed, accessed January 2024
Behind the Scenes at Avatar — by Eldon M. Braun, updated October 2005
Letter — from Margie Hoffman to Michel Langinieux, 18 April 1991
AvatarOverdrive post — by Margie Hoffman-Glimm, 6 June 2002
Is the Avatar Course a cult — Quora forum post, accessed January 2024
Harry Palmer — About the Author blurb on Amazon, accessed January 2024
An Interview With Harry Palmer — by Matt Ding, HP Magazine, 1996, interview excerpt archived from About Harry Palmer website
Why I no longer deliver the Avatar Course — harleystrangelove blog, 15 April 2013
What is Avatar®? — Perspective I, 1996
Avatar? My Arse! — by Rolan Stein, The Boomtown Rap, 2 November 2007
Avatar Course Critical Reviews — Avatar Uncovered, accessed January 2024
Avatar: Scientology-style sect causes concern in Netherlands — by Anna Holligan, BBC News, 31 March 2018
Complaint Filed Against ‘The Avatar Course’ — Families Against Cult Teachings (F.A.C.T.), 13 April 2016
Review from the Spokesperson and Founder of Avatar Uncovered — Facebook post by Amanda Reed, 25 January 2018
Avatar | Scientology on A Shoestring — archived from the $cientology KILL$ website, 29 February 2004
Scientology-esque Avatar Master leads 'uncomfortable' council meeting prayer — by Erin Gourley, Stuff, 1 July 2022
The Compassion Project — The Avatar Course, accessed January 2024