| Oct 13 @ 1:17 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event!
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lacyvsq
Posts: 6,176
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I went to a weekend event hosted by James Ray several years ago. One weekend with him was enough for me, but he had quite a following who signed up for all his events. He was part of the "The Secret".
Criminal charges may be filed against James Arthur Ray, author of self help books. Two people have died in a "sweat lodge" meant for spiritual cleansing for the 64 people squeezed into the small space inside.
According to local authorities, 21 people were taken to hospital for medical treatment who were inside the sweat lodge at the Angel Valley Spiritual Retreat in Arizona. One is in a critical condition.
Self-help author James Arthur Ray leased the facility for his "Spiritual Warrior" retreat that promised to "absolutely change your life." the event began on October 3.
Reportedly participants paid $9,000 to attend. They spent two hours in the sweltering heat before making emergency calls. source
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| Oct 13 @ 1:27 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event! |
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SensualGemini
Posts: 6,923
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...Guess some folks had more spirits than others to cleanse. 
...One size fits all was stupid, but I would imagine they all signed release forms.
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| Oct 14 @ 1:52 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event!
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lacyvsq
Posts: 6,176
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LOS ANGELES — The man in charge of a spiritual retreat last week in Arizona that left two people dead after they were overcome in a sweat lodge said Tuesday night he is "being tested" by the tragedy and has hired his own investigators to try to determine what went wrong.
The comments from self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray came during a seminar he held at a hotel in Marina del Rey, near Los Angeles. Ray broke down in tears as he addressed the deaths.
"This is the most difficult time I've ever faced," Ray told the crowd of about 200. "I don't know how to deal with it really."
An audience member asked Ray to describe what happened at the retreat, but he declined, saying only that he has hired his own investigative team and is cooperating with authorities.
"We're looking for answers," he said. "I'm as frustrated and confused as other people are."
Ray added that he wrestled with whether to go through with Tuesday's seminar, which he said was scheduled weeks before the sweat lodge deaths.
"My advisers told me, 'Don't do that. You don't know who'll show up. They're going to eat you alive,'" he told the audience. But he said it was important for him to keep his commitments.
"I'm grieving right now," said Ray, who received a standing ovation at the end of the seminar. "I'm grieving for the families."
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McFeeley also said he is concerned that Ray exhibited a "godlike complex" during the event that might have kept people from opting out of activities Ray acknowledged could cause "physical, emotional, financial or other injuries." [From my experience with Ray, i can well imagine that was the case.]
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Fire department reports released Tuesday show the incident wasn't the first involving a sweat lodge ceremony at the resort, the Angel Valley Retreat Center. Verde Valley Fire Chief Jerry Doerksen said his department responded to a 911 call in October 2005 about a person who was unconscious after being in a sweat lodge.
Angel Valley resort owner Amayra Hamilton confirmed that Ray was leading the sweat ceremony during the 2005 event.
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Authorities say 55 to 65 people attending the program were crowded into the 415-square-foot, crudely built sweat lodge during a two-hour period Thursday night. Participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 for the retreat. They were highly encouraged, but not forced, to remain inside for the entire two hours, authorities said.
The participants had fasted for 36 hours as part of a personal and spiritual quest in the wilderness, then ate a breakfast buffet before entering the sweat lodge around 3 p.m. A 911 call two hours later said two people, who authorities said were Shore and Brown, had no pulse and weren't breathing.
Autopsies on Brown and Shore were conducted, but the results are being withheld pending additional tests. Carbon monoxide poisoning was ruled out as a cause of the deaths and illnesses.
A statement released by the family of Liz Neuman, who remains in critical condition at the Flagstaff Medical Center, said she is in a coma and doctors are working to stabilize damage to multiple organs.
Two others remained hospitalized. Fire officials said the victims exhibited symptoms ranging from dehydration to kidney failure after sitting in the sweat lodge. source
This is really sad. It is an example of people wanting a change in their life and putting their faith in a man...who is after all, just a man.
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| Oct 14 @ 2:51 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event! |
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SimplyImp
Posts: 1,051
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This is really sad. It is an example of people wanting a change in their life and putting their faith in a man...who is after all, just a man.
You're right - this is really sad. I'm all for motivational seminars, but there does come a point where commonsense needs to prevail.
The families of these victims must be devastated.
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| Oct 14 @ 3:16 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event!
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lacyvsq
Posts: 6,176
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There truly is a cult-like atmosphere to James Ray's presentations. There are nonsensical rules to follow at times. I had left my water bottle in the auditorium during a meal break and went back in to retrieve it. The volunteer facilitators were all huddled in a circle when I went in and got something of a shocked look on their faces when I went in, and one rushed over to tell me I was not supposed to be in there!
...and for a time I fell under the almost hypnotic spell, aided by the long hours and the cheerleaders that surrounded the worshipers...
...and then somewhere I was trying to decide just how I could put together the $25k to get the deepest discounts on the remainder of his courses! 
...and I regained my senses...and found some things a bit odd and incongruent.
But I can understand how people can fall under the spell and leave rational thinking and behavior at the door.
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| Oct 14 @ 3:46 PM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event! |
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Paralegal_at_Law
Posts: 5,872
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There truly is a cult-like atmosphere to James Ray's presentations.
The words "James Ray's" are interchangeable parts with other proper names, including, but not limited to:
Barrack Obama
Michael Moore
Janine Gerafalo
Keith Olbermann
Rachel Maddow
Bill Marr
Or, you can simply insert the name of any other extremist leftist fellow-traveler "useful idiot" with access to a microphone, TV camera . . . or an internet capable computer with access to any forums or blogging web page.
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| Oct 15 @ 10:42 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event!
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SimplyImp
Posts: 1,051
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...and I regained my senses...and found some things a bit odd and incongruent.
But I can understand how people can fall under the spell and leave rational thinking and behavior at the door.
I can also understand how this happens. Having not only attended several motivational seminars (leaving my wallet and credit card at home) and witnessing how easily one can be influenced into spending the money.
I had a similar experience with a horse trainer. He stated he could ride an unbroke horse in two hours. Well, he couldn't - so he ran the horse for 12 hours without food or water, and still could not get near him. I was horrified and advised a seat mate that I felt sorry for the horse. She asked "Why? He's not doing anything wrong".
In the meantime, this horse had been roped around the fetlock (ankle) and his legs pulled out from underneath him as he ran. But the burn marks were "learn burns" and didn't hurt. IMO, the trainer was cruel and ruthless. However, the trainer managed to convince everyone that he was not doing - exactly what he was doing.
After the seminar, I asked the trainer a very pertinent question, that he could not answer. That was enough for me.
To this date, there are thousands of women that follow this method, completely and utterly drawn in by this guy, so enamored with him and his "training" method, that they spend thousands of dollars on.... nothing.
One of his methods is to have you video tape your horse as you're going through the "first level". Send the video to the trainer, and he will send back your video advising whether you can go to the next level seminar, or whether you have to take the first level over again.
I asked my doctor, who was taking this course, who she thought really looked at all the thousands of videos he received, as the trainer was constantly on the road 
I also laughed when one of the training methods was to have your horse back up from 30 feet away. Anyone can do that, but can you make it come to you?! 
__________
Hitler was also a spellbinding speaker. When my brother went to Germany and watched some of the footage of the propaganda films, he said he was glad he wasn't born or in Germany at the time Hitler was in power, as he said he would have been influenced to join Hitler.
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| Oct 19 @ 10:44 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event! |
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redhairNfreckles
Posts: 4,698
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Now that a 3rd participant has died I thought I'd post this email I received this morning from a very good friend of mine who happens to be 100% Native American.
[QUOTE][/QUOTE]Subject: re Statement from Chief Arvol Looking Horse"
Subj: Statement concerning Sedona Deaths
As Keeper of our Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, I am concerned for the 2 deaths and illnesses of the many people that participated in a sweat lodge in Sedona, Arizona that brought our sacred rite under fire in the news. I would like to clarify that this lodge and many others, are not our ceremonial way of life, because of the way they are being conducted. My prayers go out for their families and loved ones for their loss.
Our ceremonies are about life and healing, from the time this ancient ceremonial rite was given to our people, never has death been a part of our inikag’a (life within) when conducted properly. Today the rite is interpreted as a sweat lodge, it is much more then that. So the term does not fit our real meaning of purification.
Inikag’a is the oldest ceremony brought to us by Wakan Tanka (Great Spirit). 19 generations ago, the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Oyate (people), were given seven sacred rites of healing by a Spirit Woman – Pte San Win (White Buffalo Calf Woman). She brought these rites along with our sacred C’anupa (pipe) to our People, when our ancestors were suffering from a difficult time. It was also brought for the future to help us for much more difficult times to come. They were brought to help us stay connected to who we are as a traditional cultural People. The values of conduct are very strict in any of these ceremonies, because we work with spirit. The way the Creator, Wakan Tanka told us; that if we stay humble and sincere, we will keep that connection with the inyan oyate (the stone people), who we call the Grandfathers, to be able to heal our selves and loved ones. We have a “gift� of prayer and healing and have to stay humble with our Unc’i Maka (Grandmother Earth) and with one another. The inikag’a is used in all of the seven sacred rites to prepare and finish the ceremonies, along with the sacred eagle feather. The feather represents the sacred knowledge of our ancestors.
Our First Nations People have to earn the right to pour the mini wic’oni (water of life) upon the inyan oyate (the stone people) in creating Inikag’a - by going on the vision quest for four years and four years Sundance. Then you are put through a ceremony to be painted - to recognize that you have now earned that right to take care of someone’s life through purification. They should also be able to understand our sacred language, to be able to understand the messages from the Grandfathers, because they are ancient, they are our spirit ancestors. They walk and teach the values of our culture; in being humble, wise, caring and compassionate.
What has happened in the news with the make shift sauna called the sweat lodge is not our ceremonial way of life!
When you do ceremony - you can not have money on your mind. We deal with the pure sincere energy to create healing that comes from everyone in that circle of ceremony. The heart and mind must be connected. When you involve money, it changes the energy of healing. The person wants to get what they paid for; the Spirit Grandfathers will not be there, our way of life is now being exploited! You do more damage then good. No� mention� of monetary energy should exist in healing, not even with a can of love donations. When that energy exists, they will not even come. Only ‘after’ the ceremony, between the person that is being healed and the Intercessor who has helped connect with the Great Spirit, the energy of money can be given out of appreciation. That exchange of energy is from the heart; it is private and does not involve the Grandfathers! Whatever gift of appreciation the person who received the help, can now give the Intercessor what ever they feel their healing is worth.
In our Prophesy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, she told us that she would return and stand upon the earth when we are having a hard time. In 1994 this began to happen with the birth of the white buffalo, not only their nation, but many animal nations began to show their sacred color, which is white. She predicted that at this time there would be many changes upon Grandmother Earth. There would be things that we never experienced or heard of before; climate changes, earth changes, diseases, disrespect for life and one another would be shocking and there would be also many false prophets!
My Grandmother that passed the bundle to me said I would be the last Keeper if the Oyate (people) do not straighten up. The assaults upon Grandmother Earth are horrendous, the assaults toward one another was not in our culture, the assaults against our People (Oyate) have been termed as genocide, and now we are experiencing spiritual genocide!
Because of the problems that began to arise with our rebirth of being able to do our ceremonies in the open since the Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, our Elders began talking to me about the abuses they seen in our ceremonial way of life, which was once very strict. After many years of witnessing their warnings, we held a meeting to address this very issue of lack of protocol in our ceremonies. After reaching an agreement of addressing the misconduct of our ceremonies and reminding o
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| Oct 19 @ 10:46 AM |
I am glad I did not sign up for this event!
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redhairNfreckles
Posts: 4,698
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After reaching an agreement of addressing the misconduct of our ceremonies and reminding of the proper protocols, a statement was made in March 2003. Every effort was made to insure our way of life of who we are as traditional cultural People was made, because these ways are for our future and all life upon the Grandmother Earth (Mitakuye Oyasin – All my relations), so that they may have good health. Because these atrocities are being mocked and practiced all over the world, there was even a film we made called “Spirits for Sale�.
The non-native people have a right to seek help from our “First Nation Intercessors� for good health and well-being, it is up to that Intercessor. That is a privilege for all People that we gift for being able to have good health and understand that their protocol is to have respect and appreciate what we have to share. The First Nations Intercessor has to earn that right to our ceremonial way of life in the ways I have explained.
At this time, I would like to ask all Nations upon Grandmother Earth to please respect our sacred ceremonial way of life and stop the exploitation of our Tunka Oyate (Spiritual Grandfathers).
In a Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no ending and no beginning!
Namah’u yo (hear my words),
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle.
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