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 attendance.

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Links:

• Who is Harry Palmer? — archived founder bio on former Avatar website, May 2006
• 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
• We'd like to welcome you to 'enlightenment' — by Russell Blackstock, NZ Herald, 17 August 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
• Avatar Uncovered — website maintained by former Avatar Master Amanda Reed, accessed January 2024
• An Interview With Harry Palmer — by Matt Ding, HP Magazine, 1996, interview excerpt archived from About Harry Palmer website
• Avatar: Scientology-style sect causes concern in Netherlands — by Anna Holligan, BBC News, 31 March 2018

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