Deaths at Sweat Lodge Bring Soul-Searching
New York Times
By JOHN DOUGHERTY
October 11, 2009
SEDONA, Ariz. ? Tucked into stunning red rock formations and canyons punctuated with splashes of green junipers, this town of about 11,500 has long been a high-end golf and tennis resort, the choice location for second homes of the well-to-do and a favorite destination for hikers, rock climbers, cyclists and sightseers.
It has also become world-renowned as a New Age metaphysical center, attracting seekers and followers of an assortment of spiritual pathways, many of whom believe healing energy is released from ?vortexes? that are said to be scattered among the rock formations.
Scores of self-proclaimed mystics, healers, channelers of past life experiences (and aliens), sacred touch massage therapists, wind whisperers and vision quest guides offer their services, often for a hefty price. Many of these spiritual pathways are based somewhat loosely around Native American traditions, including the ceremonial sweat lodge.
But the deaths of two people in a sweat lodge last week at Angel Valley, a New Age spiritual retreat about six miles south of West Sedona, is causing more soul-searching among New Age practitioners and concern among town leaders.
?We are severely impacted by the fact that this happened,? said Sedona?s mayor, Rob Adams. ?We need to get to the bottom of what happened.?
Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died on Thursday after collapsing inside the Angel Valley sweat lodge. Three other people were airlifted in critical condition to Flagstaff Medical Center.
?The people in the field will take a close look at their operations, absolutely,? said Marcus, an intuitive counselor ? a kind of spiritual guide ? who goes by only his first name. ?This is ridiculous, it shouldn?t have happened.?
At least seven other people have died in ceremonial sweat lodges since 1993 in the United States, England and Australia, according to news accounts compiled by Alton Carroll, an adjunct professor of history at San Antonio College who also moderates the Web site Newagefraud.org.
James Arthur Ray, a self-help expert from Carlsbad, Calif., led what was billed as five-day ?spiritual warrior? experience at Angel Valley, which concluded with a tightly packed sweat lodge ceremony. Participants paid about $9,000 each for the weeklong retreat, which included seminars, a 36-hour fast and solo experiences in the forest.
The authorities say that at any one time 55 to 65 people were packed for a two-hour period into a 415-square foot structure that was 53 inches high at the center and 30 inches high on the perimeter. Mr. Ray?s employees built the wood-frame lodge, which was wrapped in blankets and plastic tarps. Hot rocks were brought into the lodge and doused with water. Mr. Ray, who conducted the ceremony, left the area on Thursday after declining to give a statement to the police.
Sheriff Steve Waugh of Yavapai County said a death investigation would continue for several weeks. Mr. Ray, the Angel Valley owners, Michael and Amayra Hamilton, and all the participants are part of the investigation, the sheriff said. The results from autopsies that were conducted Friday have not been released and results from toxicology tests are not expected for several weeks.
Dr. Carroll, who is partly of Mescalero Apache descent, said the Angel Valley sweat lodge was the ?best example I have seen, sadly, in a long time of why it is extremely dangerous to conduct sweat lodge ceremonies without proper training.?
Katherine Lash, a co-owner of Spiritquest Retreat in Sedona and a veteran of more than 100 sweat lodge ceremonies, said she had never heard of a sweat being conducted with as many people as were involved in the Angel Valley event. ?In my experience it has been very rare to have more than 20 people,? she said.
Limiting the number of people inside a sweat lodge is critical because the person leading the event is supposed to carefully monitor the mental and physical condition of each participant, experts said.
?It?s important to know who is responsible for your spiritual and physical safety in that lodge,? said Vernon Foster, a member of the Klamath-Modoc tribe who regularly leads ceremonial sweat lodge events in central Arizona.
Mr. Foster said native people would use only natural materials in the construction of a sweat lodge. ?We would never use plastic to cover our lodges,? he said. ?The lodge has to breathe, that steam has to go someplace.?
Sheriff?s office investigators are conducting tests to determine whether any toxins were released during the ceremony. The authorities said sandalwood ?was thrown on the rocks to give the effect of incense.? A 2007 study by the National University of Singapore on the effects of smoke emitted by sandalwood incense published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials found that ?continuous and prolonged exposure to incense smoke is of concern.?
Ms. Brown, said friends in Cabo San Lucas, Mex., where she lived and worked as a interior house painter, was in excellent physical condition and regularly practiced yoga and enjoyed surfing. ?She was very beautiful and a very, very exceptional and unique person,? said Todd Clouser, a musician from Boston who met Ms. Brown three years ago.
Mr. Clouser said he was not surprised that Ms. Brown would attend a sweat lodge. ?It was totally up her alley,? he said.
Mayor Adams said that Sedona believed that people should be free to follow their spiritual path and that metaphysical services would continue to be an important part of the area?s economy. But, he said he shared concerns of some Native Americans who complain that non-natives are, at times, exploiting their sacred ceremonial practices for profit.
?If it is simply to make money, then that?s another issue,? he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/us/12lodge.html
James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
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David McCarthy
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2899
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- Location: New Zealand
- Contact:
This is so tragic,
these people were sincerely trusting in the "spiritual" guidance of this organization and lost their lives in what must have been a terrifying and cruel
death. I participated in a similar sweat lodge in 1994, I noticed blue tarps were covering the whole structure,
I was really concerned about the risk of suffocation but was reassured everything would be fine and to 'trust the spirit", I was led to believe it was a "purification" experience and to expect and overcome any challenges during the ceremony, "No Pain No Gain":-?
after about forty five minutes, during the third direction I felt terribly ill was about to collapsed, I managed to drag myself out just in time.
Since that experience I have learned that a "sweat lodge" was never intended to be an endurance test, nor for profit making...
David.
these people were sincerely trusting in the "spiritual" guidance of this organization and lost their lives in what must have been a terrifying and cruel
death. I participated in a similar sweat lodge in 1994, I noticed blue tarps were covering the whole structure,
I was really concerned about the risk of suffocation but was reassured everything would be fine and to 'trust the spirit", I was led to believe it was a "purification" experience and to expect and overcome any challenges during the ceremony, "No Pain No Gain":-?
after about forty five minutes, during the third direction I felt terribly ill was about to collapsed, I managed to drag myself out just in time.
Since that experience I have learned that a "sweat lodge" was never intended to be an endurance test, nor for profit making...
David.
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
Sweat Lodge Deaths Larry King Blog and RSE
How about we keep this blog going and bring attention to Larry King having jzrk on his show and never mentioning the channeling or things related to the school. Oh my!
http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2009 ... /#comments
""There is much on the news about the deaths of two people at the spiritual sweat lodge in Arizona. Yet, Mr. King, JZ Knight, labeled ?spiritual leader? and channeller of the 35,000 ?warrior? known as ?Ramtha,? has been a guest on your show more than once. In fact she has often joked about your ?starting at her breasts? while she was a guest. Perhaps a good story would be to take a look at what actually occurred in the past at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment Yelm, Washington, where JZ Hampton Knight places students through rigorous and dangerous measures. Take for instance something known as ?The Tank,? where people are blindfolded (sometimes 1000 at a time) and forced to find their way through a maze and underground pvc tubes to get to the ?void.? Take for instance something called ?sunset beach,? where students were forced to sit awake for three days in rain and freezing cold. Take for instance students are bindfolded, then duct-taped and must find their way around the property including the port-a-potties, slipping in mud and wading through a rocky creek. Take for instance 1000 people were blindfolded and instructed to run across a large field at full pace. Many were injured and the remainder were instruct to NOT offer help or have compassion, for these people ?created? their ?reality.?
Most important, take a look at the EnlighteMeFree website and read the stories of ponzi scams, concoctions of toxic potions to be ingested to ?prolong life,? proclamations of self-healing by doing a ?blue body trance dance,? and much more. You have had JZ Knight on your show as a ?spiritual leader,? yet her channelling Ramtha and absolutely NO former students have appeared. The Secret is based on the same concept. The arena in Yelm has held 1500 with no room to walk, let alone run out were there a fire. Wine is given to children if parents allow. Who is turning their head to this looming disaster? This is a doomsday situation, with JZ Knight in her Ramtha personality informing students to building Underground shelters to escape to when ?Jehovah? the warring alien returns with his ?reptilian alien army? who will ?eat? us. Not making this up. DO THE RESEARCH. Begin with Bravenet and then check out the site, EnlightenMeFree, and read of students? experiences over 20 or more years.
I was there for awhile. I saw it and lived it. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
""
Larry - your turn.
http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2009 ... /#comments
""There is much on the news about the deaths of two people at the spiritual sweat lodge in Arizona. Yet, Mr. King, JZ Knight, labeled ?spiritual leader? and channeller of the 35,000 ?warrior? known as ?Ramtha,? has been a guest on your show more than once. In fact she has often joked about your ?starting at her breasts? while she was a guest. Perhaps a good story would be to take a look at what actually occurred in the past at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment Yelm, Washington, where JZ Hampton Knight places students through rigorous and dangerous measures. Take for instance something known as ?The Tank,? where people are blindfolded (sometimes 1000 at a time) and forced to find their way through a maze and underground pvc tubes to get to the ?void.? Take for instance something called ?sunset beach,? where students were forced to sit awake for three days in rain and freezing cold. Take for instance students are bindfolded, then duct-taped and must find their way around the property including the port-a-potties, slipping in mud and wading through a rocky creek. Take for instance 1000 people were blindfolded and instructed to run across a large field at full pace. Many were injured and the remainder were instruct to NOT offer help or have compassion, for these people ?created? their ?reality.?
Most important, take a look at the EnlighteMeFree website and read the stories of ponzi scams, concoctions of toxic potions to be ingested to ?prolong life,? proclamations of self-healing by doing a ?blue body trance dance,? and much more. You have had JZ Knight on your show as a ?spiritual leader,? yet her channelling Ramtha and absolutely NO former students have appeared. The Secret is based on the same concept. The arena in Yelm has held 1500 with no room to walk, let alone run out were there a fire. Wine is given to children if parents allow. Who is turning their head to this looming disaster? This is a doomsday situation, with JZ Knight in her Ramtha personality informing students to building Underground shelters to escape to when ?Jehovah? the warring alien returns with his ?reptilian alien army? who will ?eat? us. Not making this up. DO THE RESEARCH. Begin with Bravenet and then check out the site, EnlightenMeFree, and read of students? experiences over 20 or more years.
I was there for awhile. I saw it and lived it. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
""Larry - your turn.
"I never really understood religion - it just seemed a good excuse to give" - Ten Years After circa 1972
ny times article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/us/22 ... =2&_r=1&hpShe also described a game ? enacted again at the retreat this month ? in which Mr. Ray wears white robes and plays God, ordering some participants to commit mock suicide.
For the ?vision quest,? the exercise that required spending 36 hours in the desert without food or water, participants had sleeping bags, but Mr. Ray also offered to sell Peruvian ponchos for $250, Dr. Bunn said.
Does the above sound familiar?
Jim Jones used to order parishioners to do "mock" suicide rituals a decade before the Jonestown tragedy.
Joe Sz
more nytimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/us/22 ... =2&_r=1&hpOn a conference call Mr. Ray held last week for sweat lodge participants, Dr. Bunn was shocked to hear one recount the comments of a self-described ?channeler? who visited Angel Valley after the retreat. Claiming to have communicated with the dead, the channeler said they had left their bodies in the sweat lodge and chosen not to come back because ?they were having so much fun.?
Dr. Bunn had a less charitable view: ?They couldn?t re-enter their bodies because they were dead.?
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
This is so tragic...
Breaking news: Inside accounts of James Ray sweat lodge tragedy and retreat by Cassandra Yorgey
Oct 16, 2009
http://www.examiner.com/x-11245-Philade ... nd-retreat . (DEAD LINK)
An excerpt:
People are flailing in seizures; others are vomiting violently, or foaming at the mouth. Bodies are lined up unconscious, some are blue from lack of oxygen, but for some it is too late, they are already dead. Survivors that are barely able to stand struggle to help the others, they have had almost no food or water for nearly three days, even longer without sleep. It looks like a war zone, but for the incongruent figure of James Arthur Ray (a contributing author to The Secret) who exits the sweat lodge and stands tall with a big smile, the only one able to stand on his own volition. He is not concerned with the medical emergency going on full swing around him. He is not worried about the health and well-being of his followers who have paid $10,000.00 (tack on an additional 5,000.00 or so if you include flights, room and board, and camping supplies) to attend his retreat. In fact, he and his team urge people to stop taking care of others and focus on their own journey, assuring them they are fine and only ?purging?. Someone finally realizes James Ray is not in control of the situation and calls 911.
Speaking of money, did you know neither James Ray nor Angel Valley has refunded any of the money they have collected from this retreat? I mean, obviously there will be lawsuits but it would be in good taste to refund the victims. It would be in better taste to also pick up the hospital charges, but James Ray is clearly not about accountability or decency to others.
Before the retreat even started, participants were advised to read The Holotropic Mind by Stanislav Grof and Hal Zina Bennett, as well as listen to a CD titled The Holosync Solution Awakening Prologue (the CD set is 175.00 dollars and not included in with the cost of the retreat, by the way).
Some people might find it more alarming that immediately upon starting the retreat participants shaved their heads ? before the sleep deprivation. Yes, even the women.
Day Two the sleep deprivation has begun - but that by itself is not enough of a warning to foresee this tragedy. The real warning signs begin with the James Ray Games. One of the brave and recovering victims described a game they all had to play in which James Ray played God. Yep, you read that right; James Ray cast himself in the role of God and would then command participants to die. He would point at someone and they would have to fall down and play dead. They would be covered with a blanket and if they moved another person would "die".
Kirby Brown exemplified the dangerous psychological twisting behind these games. After the game she was seen standing in line for the outhouse, clutching herself and crying. After another participant ushered her to the front of the line they asked her ?Why didn?t you just get up and go?? She looked up sincerely and said she didn?t want to ruin the game for others. It breaks my heart to know that James Ray took the life of such a compassionate woman away, a woman willing to suffer so others could benefit, but it also really pisses me off that he warped such a sweet motivation and used it masochistically.
?What was the motivation behind such games?? you are probably demanding of your computer screen right now. James Ray reasoned something along the lines of ?it demonstrated the transcendental nature of death? and explained how it would allow participants to leave behind their fears of death. He spoke of honor, integrity, and strength. He spoke of being reborn (These are not direct quotes, they are adlibbed from the memories of participants).
At the end of the second day the James Ray Vision Quest began. I personally have done several vision quests in the desert so I do have an inkling of an idea of what I?m talking about here. I find the biggest red flags of dangerous indoctrination to be restriction of water, food, or bathroom breaks ? So when I heard James Ray dropped everyone off in the desert with no food, no water, and nothing but a sleeping bag, the clothes on their back, and a notebook I start to sputter obscenities. No water, in the desert, for 36+ hours is dangerous.
Sleep was still hard to come by because most participants were not prepared for the devastating cold that comes over the desert at night. Participants were coerced into buying thickly woven Peruvian ponchos for additional charges of $250.00. While that price may seem exorbitant, one victim I interviewed was happy to have paid it, repeatedly stating that it was literally life-saving. The tightly woven material also kept out the intermittent rain, helping to keep participants dry. Still, sleep was hard to come by in those temperatures, being fitful at best and it hardly alleviated the impaired thinking that has become prevalent. It?s easy to see how thinking could become distorted at this point ? feelings of being ripped off by a leader and staff that didn?t give proper information about necessary equipment are battling with rationalizations of how at least they pushed the extra gear on everyone instead of letting them freeze to death.
When James Ray?s team finally returned to pick them up from their isolation (surprisingly enough, James Ray was not fasting on a vision quest during this period, nor were his staff ? makes you wonder what they were doing, huh?) the participants were all so happy to be warm, with food and water, and thrilled to be surrounded by all their new friends who were all equally excited about their amazing transformative experiences, that the measly hour or so they had to eat and rehydrate themselves flew by. Food was hardly touched, most people opting to drink water first which quickly filled their newly shrunken stomachs. Before anyone had a chance to really recover the participants were whisked off to a group meditation (led by James Ray) and then to the final piece of the James Ray Spiritual Warrior Retreat. The sweat lodge.
We?ve painted a picture of the participants mental state leading up to the sweat lodge, and we know what happened when James Ray turned the relaxing Native American equivalent of a sauna into an endurance competition. He not only encouraged participants to stay and push past physical discomfort, he also actively dissuaded people that wanted to leave. The phrase ?push through your threshold? was repeated often by James Ray. If participants didn?t make it to the door fast enough they had to wait for the next round. James Ray would slam the tarp shut shouting ?Too late! Door?s shut!? and as he was sitting directly next to the door he was escalating it into a physical confrontation (not to mention he was the only one getting reprieve from the heat. Others could not feel a thing when the door was opened) ? playing off something we are trained from birth to avoid. Throughout all this, James Ray is speaking words of encouragement. He speaks of how throwing up is good and actually purging (it isn?t. it?s actually a sign of dehydration and many other bad things), and explains that passing out is common (it isn?t). He encourages people who find it too hot to bury their faces in the dirt, because it was cooler. This is like telling people to stay in a sauna and if it?s too hot ? hey, just stick your face by the bottom of the door!
These honorable participants tried time and time again to re-organize and keep everyone safe, but at every stage they were thwarted by James Ray and his staff. Participants who expressed concern over others were told time and time again to focus on their own journey, and not to interfere with another?s. Once outside the enclosure some people were physically restrained from helping the rescue effort by staff members. One unconscious victim was dropped on their head while staff carried them out of the sweat lodge.
Breaking news: Inside accounts of James Ray sweat lodge tragedy and retreat by Cassandra Yorgey
Oct 16, 2009
http://www.examiner.com/x-11245-Philade ... nd-retreat . (DEAD LINK)
An excerpt:
People are flailing in seizures; others are vomiting violently, or foaming at the mouth. Bodies are lined up unconscious, some are blue from lack of oxygen, but for some it is too late, they are already dead. Survivors that are barely able to stand struggle to help the others, they have had almost no food or water for nearly three days, even longer without sleep. It looks like a war zone, but for the incongruent figure of James Arthur Ray (a contributing author to The Secret) who exits the sweat lodge and stands tall with a big smile, the only one able to stand on his own volition. He is not concerned with the medical emergency going on full swing around him. He is not worried about the health and well-being of his followers who have paid $10,000.00 (tack on an additional 5,000.00 or so if you include flights, room and board, and camping supplies) to attend his retreat. In fact, he and his team urge people to stop taking care of others and focus on their own journey, assuring them they are fine and only ?purging?. Someone finally realizes James Ray is not in control of the situation and calls 911.
Speaking of money, did you know neither James Ray nor Angel Valley has refunded any of the money they have collected from this retreat? I mean, obviously there will be lawsuits but it would be in good taste to refund the victims. It would be in better taste to also pick up the hospital charges, but James Ray is clearly not about accountability or decency to others.
Before the retreat even started, participants were advised to read The Holotropic Mind by Stanislav Grof and Hal Zina Bennett, as well as listen to a CD titled The Holosync Solution Awakening Prologue (the CD set is 175.00 dollars and not included in with the cost of the retreat, by the way).
Some people might find it more alarming that immediately upon starting the retreat participants shaved their heads ? before the sleep deprivation. Yes, even the women.
Day Two the sleep deprivation has begun - but that by itself is not enough of a warning to foresee this tragedy. The real warning signs begin with the James Ray Games. One of the brave and recovering victims described a game they all had to play in which James Ray played God. Yep, you read that right; James Ray cast himself in the role of God and would then command participants to die. He would point at someone and they would have to fall down and play dead. They would be covered with a blanket and if they moved another person would "die".
Kirby Brown exemplified the dangerous psychological twisting behind these games. After the game she was seen standing in line for the outhouse, clutching herself and crying. After another participant ushered her to the front of the line they asked her ?Why didn?t you just get up and go?? She looked up sincerely and said she didn?t want to ruin the game for others. It breaks my heart to know that James Ray took the life of such a compassionate woman away, a woman willing to suffer so others could benefit, but it also really pisses me off that he warped such a sweet motivation and used it masochistically.
?What was the motivation behind such games?? you are probably demanding of your computer screen right now. James Ray reasoned something along the lines of ?it demonstrated the transcendental nature of death? and explained how it would allow participants to leave behind their fears of death. He spoke of honor, integrity, and strength. He spoke of being reborn (These are not direct quotes, they are adlibbed from the memories of participants).
At the end of the second day the James Ray Vision Quest began. I personally have done several vision quests in the desert so I do have an inkling of an idea of what I?m talking about here. I find the biggest red flags of dangerous indoctrination to be restriction of water, food, or bathroom breaks ? So when I heard James Ray dropped everyone off in the desert with no food, no water, and nothing but a sleeping bag, the clothes on their back, and a notebook I start to sputter obscenities. No water, in the desert, for 36+ hours is dangerous.
Sleep was still hard to come by because most participants were not prepared for the devastating cold that comes over the desert at night. Participants were coerced into buying thickly woven Peruvian ponchos for additional charges of $250.00. While that price may seem exorbitant, one victim I interviewed was happy to have paid it, repeatedly stating that it was literally life-saving. The tightly woven material also kept out the intermittent rain, helping to keep participants dry. Still, sleep was hard to come by in those temperatures, being fitful at best and it hardly alleviated the impaired thinking that has become prevalent. It?s easy to see how thinking could become distorted at this point ? feelings of being ripped off by a leader and staff that didn?t give proper information about necessary equipment are battling with rationalizations of how at least they pushed the extra gear on everyone instead of letting them freeze to death.
When James Ray?s team finally returned to pick them up from their isolation (surprisingly enough, James Ray was not fasting on a vision quest during this period, nor were his staff ? makes you wonder what they were doing, huh?) the participants were all so happy to be warm, with food and water, and thrilled to be surrounded by all their new friends who were all equally excited about their amazing transformative experiences, that the measly hour or so they had to eat and rehydrate themselves flew by. Food was hardly touched, most people opting to drink water first which quickly filled their newly shrunken stomachs. Before anyone had a chance to really recover the participants were whisked off to a group meditation (led by James Ray) and then to the final piece of the James Ray Spiritual Warrior Retreat. The sweat lodge.
We?ve painted a picture of the participants mental state leading up to the sweat lodge, and we know what happened when James Ray turned the relaxing Native American equivalent of a sauna into an endurance competition. He not only encouraged participants to stay and push past physical discomfort, he also actively dissuaded people that wanted to leave. The phrase ?push through your threshold? was repeated often by James Ray. If participants didn?t make it to the door fast enough they had to wait for the next round. James Ray would slam the tarp shut shouting ?Too late! Door?s shut!? and as he was sitting directly next to the door he was escalating it into a physical confrontation (not to mention he was the only one getting reprieve from the heat. Others could not feel a thing when the door was opened) ? playing off something we are trained from birth to avoid. Throughout all this, James Ray is speaking words of encouragement. He speaks of how throwing up is good and actually purging (it isn?t. it?s actually a sign of dehydration and many other bad things), and explains that passing out is common (it isn?t). He encourages people who find it too hot to bury their faces in the dirt, because it was cooler. This is like telling people to stay in a sauna and if it?s too hot ? hey, just stick your face by the bottom of the door!
These honorable participants tried time and time again to re-organize and keep everyone safe, but at every stage they were thwarted by James Ray and his staff. Participants who expressed concern over others were told time and time again to focus on their own journey, and not to interfere with another?s. Once outside the enclosure some people were physically restrained from helping the rescue effort by staff members. One unconscious victim was dropped on their head while staff carried them out of the sweat lodge.
-
David McCarthy
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2899
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 1:09 am
- Location: New Zealand
- Contact:
How many times were we also instructed to comply with these terrible words from JZRamtha and her RSE staff....Participants who expressed concern over others were told time and time again to focus on their own journey, and not to interfere with another?s.
how many lives taken by RSE will it take to kick start an investigation to expose the truth about RSE ?
David.
The Milgram experiment was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram, which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience.
YouTube - Milgram Experiment (Derren Brown)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GxIuljT3w
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
-
Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
P.S. I think they do some kind of C & E!!! 
Prescott news, 19 Oct 2009
Written by Lynne LaMaster
An excerpt:
What Were the Participants Led to Expect?
In a July 2, 2009 guide sent to the participants of the Spiritual Warrior event by the James Ray International Team, it is written, "Keep in mind that we will be working diligently to make this event memorable. For this reason, it is important that we do not disclose any further information regarding the event schedule or planned activities. However, we will tell you that it is going to be an exciting, unforgettable and transformational week!"
They were also given copies of the Spiritual Warrior Release, Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, Indemnity Agreement and Disclaimer and the Participant Publicity Release Form. Each participant was required to sign these, have them witnessed and submit them at registration in order to gain admittance to the event. In addition, an Angel Valley Release of Liability and Acceptance of Responsibility Form had to be completed and turned in.
In the Spiritual Warrior Form it does say, "Please read carefully. By signing this agreement you are waiving all rights to compensation in case of injury."
The second paragraph reads:
I am fully aware and understand that I will be given the opportunity by the Company to participate in physical, emotional and other activities during the Event, some of which may take place outdoors and/or require the participants to be isolated from one another and/or include very loud music. These activities may include physical exercise (e.g., hiking, swimming, yoga, team games), Holotropic Breathwork (a psychotherapeutic approach believed to allow access to non-ordinary states of consciousness), a sweat lodge ceremony (a ceremonial sauna involving tight, enclosed spaces and intense temperatures), and/or a Vision Quest (a multiday, solitary, personal and spiritual quest in the wilderness without food or water) (the ?Activities?). I am fully aware that I may suffer physical, emotional, financial or other injury during any of the Activities and there is and can be no assurance or guarantee regarding my health or safety in connection with my participation in the Activities. I understand that (1) there are inherent risks in the Activities; (2) people may have been seriously injured by participating in the Activities; and (3) if I voluntarily choose to participate in the Activities, there is a risk that I may receive injuries requiring medical attention. I fully understand and acknowledge that there is no requirement whatsoever that I participate in the Activities. If I do choose to participate in any of the Activities, I affirm that I have not been nor will I be coerced or persuaded in any way to do so and I assume full responsibility for and risk of any injury sustained in connection with the Activities, whether caused by the negligence of Releasees or otherwise.
Towards the end of the waiver, you find, "I agree not to record by audio, video, photographic or any other means, any portion of the Event."
Prescott news, 19 Oct 2009
Written by Lynne LaMaster
An excerpt:
What Were the Participants Led to Expect?
In a July 2, 2009 guide sent to the participants of the Spiritual Warrior event by the James Ray International Team, it is written, "Keep in mind that we will be working diligently to make this event memorable. For this reason, it is important that we do not disclose any further information regarding the event schedule or planned activities. However, we will tell you that it is going to be an exciting, unforgettable and transformational week!"
They were also given copies of the Spiritual Warrior Release, Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, Indemnity Agreement and Disclaimer and the Participant Publicity Release Form. Each participant was required to sign these, have them witnessed and submit them at registration in order to gain admittance to the event. In addition, an Angel Valley Release of Liability and Acceptance of Responsibility Form had to be completed and turned in.
In the Spiritual Warrior Form it does say, "Please read carefully. By signing this agreement you are waiving all rights to compensation in case of injury."
The second paragraph reads:
I am fully aware and understand that I will be given the opportunity by the Company to participate in physical, emotional and other activities during the Event, some of which may take place outdoors and/or require the participants to be isolated from one another and/or include very loud music. These activities may include physical exercise (e.g., hiking, swimming, yoga, team games), Holotropic Breathwork (a psychotherapeutic approach believed to allow access to non-ordinary states of consciousness), a sweat lodge ceremony (a ceremonial sauna involving tight, enclosed spaces and intense temperatures), and/or a Vision Quest (a multiday, solitary, personal and spiritual quest in the wilderness without food or water) (the ?Activities?). I am fully aware that I may suffer physical, emotional, financial or other injury during any of the Activities and there is and can be no assurance or guarantee regarding my health or safety in connection with my participation in the Activities. I understand that (1) there are inherent risks in the Activities; (2) people may have been seriously injured by participating in the Activities; and (3) if I voluntarily choose to participate in the Activities, there is a risk that I may receive injuries requiring medical attention. I fully understand and acknowledge that there is no requirement whatsoever that I participate in the Activities. If I do choose to participate in any of the Activities, I affirm that I have not been nor will I be coerced or persuaded in any way to do so and I assume full responsibility for and risk of any injury sustained in connection with the Activities, whether caused by the negligence of Releasees or otherwise.
Towards the end of the waiver, you find, "I agree not to record by audio, video, photographic or any other means, any portion of the Event."
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Caterpillar
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you just can change the name there is no difference in the structure of the events. people who r sick on rse events get removed and died in the hospital. the italian translater went to a blue colege event. due to his poor living conditions he was infected with hepatites. they had to force him into the hospital [because he believed in the teachings and the bluebody healing] were he got in quarantine and died from liverfailure.
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Caterpillar
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Ex, was RSE ever ?investigated? for the deaths? What about injuries? Perhaps signing the above type document stops people from saying anything? However, RSE and other groups still have a duty of care not to cause harm to the participants.
I attended some RSE events where JZ as Ramtha mentioned that participation in the disciplines was optional. Hence, I slept in?
I attended some RSE events where JZ as Ramtha mentioned that participation in the disciplines was optional. Hence, I slept in?
why investigate he died of natural causes. also the women who shot herself in the baldhills is a suicide. though there is no need for the police to go out of theire way. i am realy eager to hear if the releases work in the sweatlodge cases. one possibility is when the relatives sue they never signed anything.
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
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Kirby Brown?s family on Larry King Live
$5K for victim ?laughable? (2.31)
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/200 ... nation.cnn
Sweat lodge family?s pain (15.50)
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/ ... s.long.cnn
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/200 ... nation.cnn
Sweat lodge family?s pain (15.50)
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/ ... s.long.cnn
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David McCarthy
- Site Admin
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Sweat lodge survivor recalls screams - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/22/swe ... index.html
CNN video linkThe self-help expert who ran the program said it has been a "difficult" period
but that he will continue his schedule of events despite the deaths.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/22/swe ... index.html
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
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David McCarthy
- Site Admin
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Sweat lodge deaths investigated as homicides - CNN.com
(CNN) -- An investigation into the deaths of two people who spent up to two hours inside a "sweat lodge" at an Arizona retreat last week has been elevated from an accidental death investigation to a homicide inquiry, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh told reporters Thursday.
Self-help author James Arthur Ray has hired investigators to investigate two deaths at an Arizona sweat lodge.
Authorities said James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, New York, died Friday at the Angel Valley Resort after spending up to two hours in the sauna-like sweat lodge. Nineteen others were treated for injuries. One person remained hospitalized Thursday in critical condition, Waugh said.
The dead and injured were attending a program by self-help author James Arthur Ray, authorities said.
A search warrant was executed Wednesday at the James Ray International offices in Carlsbad, California, the sheriff said. Authorities were attempting to determine whether documents exist on how to construct sweat lodges and on their proper use, as well as documents showing whether participants were advised of the risks of sweat lodges either before or during the program. They also were searching for rosters from past events, Waugh said.
Police would not say what, if anything, was found in executing the search warrant. Watch what goes on inside the 'sweat lodge' ?
Asked why the deaths have been classified as homicides and the investigation upgraded, Waugh said, "We believe there are indications that it was not accidental, and ... we feel that there should be some culpability on some individuals."
Those individuals could include Ray and possibly others, he said.
A spokesman for Ray said authorities should be focusing on the investigation rather than talking to reporters. "The Sheriff's Department is trying this case in the media," said Howard Bragman, noting that Thursday's news conference was the sheriff's second this week.
"There were no additional facts presented today; there were implications. I find words like 'homicide' -- when they don't have all the facts -- inflammatory and inappropriate at this time, and I think they're purposely inflammatory. ... Let's show as much zeal with the investigation and getting to the facts as they have in trying to tar my client," Bragman said.
The sweat lodge was meant to be a "spiritual awakening" exercise for the participants in the "Spiritual Warrior" program, Waugh said.
A sweat lodge is a dome-like structure covered with tarps and blankets. Hot rocks and water are used to create steam in the enclosed environment.
The owners of the resort built the sweat lodge, Waugh said, under Ray's direction. A nurse on Ray's staff was present during the event, police have said.
At least one of those who died was in the back of the structure, Waugh said. Ray was positioned near its door. There were no seats, he said; participants either sat or lay on the floor.
On Tuesday, Ray said he has hired his own investigators to determine what happened at his Arizona retreat, located in a secluded valley 20 minutes from Sedona. "I have no idea what happened. We'll figure it out," Ray said. "I've lost people I love and really care about."
Ray is the author of the best-selling book "Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want." Ray, described on his Web site as a "personal success strategist," has appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" and the "Oprah Winfrey Show," and is featured in the self-empowerment film "The Secret."
The use of sweat lodges for spiritual and physical cleansing is a part of several Native American tribes' cultures.
A traditional Native American sweat lodge is a small dome-like structure made of willow branches carefully tied together and covered in canvas. Rocks are heated in a nearby fire pit and placed inside the lodge, and water is poured over them to create steam.
(CNN) --
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/arizon ... index.html
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
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Caterpillar
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Ray Postpones Self-Help Events Following Sedona
Ray Postpones Self-Help Events Following Sedona, Ariz., Sweat Lodge Deaths, Victim's Family Calls for Arrest
By DAN HARRIS, LEE FERRAN, JAY SHAYLOR and JEN PEREIRA
Oct. 29, 2009
Quote: When dozens of fans and supporters for James Arthur Ray showed up for one of his events in Toronto Wednesday night, they were greeted by a handwritten sign saying the event had been canceled.
At the time no explanation was given, but one of Ray's former mentors, Bob Proctor, apparently convinced Ray to cancel the seminar just hours before it was scheduled to start, ABC News has learned.
In a post on his Web site today, Ray said he is postponing the rest of his events for the year to help "get to the bottom" of the incident in Sedona, Ariz., earlier this month in which three people died after attending one of his seminars in a sweat lodge.
"These families deserve to have the questions raised by the tragedy answered as quickly and authoritatively as possible," Ray writes on the Web site. "It's now clear I must dedicate all of my physical and emotional energies to helping bring some sort of closure to this matter."
But for at least one of the victims' families, closure is not enough -- the family wants Ray held accountable.
"I think he should take responsibility for his role in this incident," Andrea Puckett told ABC News. Puckett's mother, of Liz Neuman, died days after she slipped into a coma as a result of dehydration during an event called "Spiritual Warrior" in the sweat lodge. "Honestly, I think he deserves to be behind bars. I think that he was completely negligent and I believe that he is responsible for my mother's death."
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/inside-jam ... id=8939491
By DAN HARRIS, LEE FERRAN, JAY SHAYLOR and JEN PEREIRA
Oct. 29, 2009
Quote: When dozens of fans and supporters for James Arthur Ray showed up for one of his events in Toronto Wednesday night, they were greeted by a handwritten sign saying the event had been canceled.
At the time no explanation was given, but one of Ray's former mentors, Bob Proctor, apparently convinced Ray to cancel the seminar just hours before it was scheduled to start, ABC News has learned.
In a post on his Web site today, Ray said he is postponing the rest of his events for the year to help "get to the bottom" of the incident in Sedona, Ariz., earlier this month in which three people died after attending one of his seminars in a sweat lodge.
"These families deserve to have the questions raised by the tragedy answered as quickly and authoritatively as possible," Ray writes on the Web site. "It's now clear I must dedicate all of my physical and emotional energies to helping bring some sort of closure to this matter."
But for at least one of the victims' families, closure is not enough -- the family wants Ray held accountable.
"I think he should take responsibility for his role in this incident," Andrea Puckett told ABC News. Puckett's mother, of Liz Neuman, died days after she slipped into a coma as a result of dehydration during an event called "Spiritual Warrior" in the sweat lodge. "Honestly, I think he deserves to be behind bars. I think that he was completely negligent and I believe that he is responsible for my mother's death."
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/inside-jam ... id=8939491
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California Dreamin'
- Posts: 338
- Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:15 pm
But for the grace of God in showing me the way out of RSE, I was becoming someone who would do whatever test JZRK put me up to. Therefore, if a sweat lodge was to be the next "great teaching," I would have complied because of my misguided faith and brainwashing.
I was in the worms in the tank with a woman who was nine-months pregnant and due at any moment. Someone surely would have been gravely injured had she gone into labor. I can remember being stuck there with people who were absolutely paralyzed with fear and unable to move, and others trapped people would try to calm their fears by saying "you won't suffocate, holed have now been drilled."
It's truly amazing that more people haven't died at RSE during initiations. So many came so close.
I was in the worms in the tank with a woman who was nine-months pregnant and due at any moment. Someone surely would have been gravely injured had she gone into labor. I can remember being stuck there with people who were absolutely paralyzed with fear and unable to move, and others trapped people would try to calm their fears by saying "you won't suffocate, holed have now been drilled."
It's truly amazing that more people haven't died at RSE during initiations. So many came so close.
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Caterpillar
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First lawsuits filed in Ariz. sweat lodge tragedy
By BOB CHRISTIE (The Associated Press) Oct 30, 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... gD9BLNUF81
Quote:
The first two lawsuits in what could be a flurry of legal actions stemming from a deadly sweat lodge ceremony led by author and motivational speaker James Arthur Ray were filed Friday in Arizona.
One wrongful death suit came from the family of one of the three people who died after the Oct. 8 ceremony. A southern Arizona woman who was badly hurt also filed suit.
Ray is accused of negligence, fraud and other actions along with the owners of the Angel Valley Retreat Center, where his event was held, and other defendants.
Brown's family has hired a lawyer, Robert Magnanini, who also represents a survivor. Magnanini said he is gathering information and hasn't decided if a suit will be filed.
Following the tragedy, Ray vowed to continue holding the events and appeared at seminars in Los Angeles, San Diego and Colorado. But after he was criticized by survivors and his publisher postponed two book releases this week, he announced on Thursday that he was canceling his appearances.
Schmidt said. "And when finally it become apparent that this is a catastrophe, he runs away, which is probably the best evidence that he is a snake oil salesman."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... gD9BLNUF81
Quote:
The first two lawsuits in what could be a flurry of legal actions stemming from a deadly sweat lodge ceremony led by author and motivational speaker James Arthur Ray were filed Friday in Arizona.
One wrongful death suit came from the family of one of the three people who died after the Oct. 8 ceremony. A southern Arizona woman who was badly hurt also filed suit.
Ray is accused of negligence, fraud and other actions along with the owners of the Angel Valley Retreat Center, where his event was held, and other defendants.
Brown's family has hired a lawyer, Robert Magnanini, who also represents a survivor. Magnanini said he is gathering information and hasn't decided if a suit will be filed.
Following the tragedy, Ray vowed to continue holding the events and appeared at seminars in Los Angeles, San Diego and Colorado. But after he was criticized by survivors and his publisher postponed two book releases this week, he announced on Thursday that he was canceling his appearances.
Schmidt said. "And when finally it become apparent that this is a catastrophe, he runs away, which is probably the best evidence that he is a snake oil salesman."
Update on the investigation
Docs (documents) in fatal sweat lodge case show past problems
By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press Writer
December 28, 2009
Documents released in the investigation of a fatal sweat lodge ceremony show that people lost consciousness and others suffered broken bones at past events led by self-help guru James Arthur Ray, but Ray largely ignored the medical problems that arose.
Ray, who has made millions of dollars by convincing people his words will lead them to spiritual and financial wealth.
In documents released Monday, a man Ray hired to build the sweat lodge told investigators that he was hesitant to assist with the ceremony for a third year because participants previously had emerged in medical distress, and emergency help wasn't summoned. Theodore Mercer said the latest ceremony was hotter than in years past, but Ray repeatedly told participants, "You are not going to die. You might think you are, but you're not going to die."
Mercer's wife, Debra, told investigators that one man emerged from the sweat lodge halfway through the October ceremony believing he was having a heart attack and would die. She said that instead of summoning medical aid, Ray said "It's a good day to die," according to a search warrant affidavit.
When Ray was advised that two participants were unconscious near the end of the two-hour ceremony, Debra Mercer said Ray did not appear overly concerned and said they would be OK until the end.
Authorities have interviewed most of the more than 50 people who attended the event and detailed about a dozen of the interviews in documents released Monday after a judge ruled last week that they be made public.
Some of the people told investigators that Ray responded to cries for help from a man who was burned and warned other participants not to leave the sweat lodge during eight 15-minute rounds so they wouldn't also be scorched by the hot rocks in the center.
Others who were interviewed by investigators described suffering broken bones at other Ray-led events after being instructed to break bricks with their hands. Others said they vomited and slipped into altered states of consciousness.
Mickey Reynolds, who attended Ray's 2005 "Spiritual Warrior" event said it was implied the sweat lodge was safe since Ray had done the ceremonies before. Reynolds told investigators there was no discussion of safety procedures or a plan if something went wrong.
The owner of the Sedona retreat, Amayra Hamilton, said she told Ray in 2005 that he would have to change his ceremonies after a man became severely ill and she saw improvements the following year.
Richard Wright said he took part in the latest sweat lodge as a test of courage, enduring seven of eight 15-minute rounds. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident told The Associated Press participants never were asked to provide emergency contacts or answer questions about their health, and they never were given a clear picture of the effects of a sweat lodge.
Instead, they took Ray's word that vomiting and passing out were normal, he said.
"We all chose what we did," Wright said. "But again, if you make a choice with only having half the story, have you really made a choice?"
Full article:
http://www.komonews.com/news/national/80236467.html
By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press Writer
December 28, 2009
Documents released in the investigation of a fatal sweat lodge ceremony show that people lost consciousness and others suffered broken bones at past events led by self-help guru James Arthur Ray, but Ray largely ignored the medical problems that arose.
Ray, who has made millions of dollars by convincing people his words will lead them to spiritual and financial wealth.
In documents released Monday, a man Ray hired to build the sweat lodge told investigators that he was hesitant to assist with the ceremony for a third year because participants previously had emerged in medical distress, and emergency help wasn't summoned. Theodore Mercer said the latest ceremony was hotter than in years past, but Ray repeatedly told participants, "You are not going to die. You might think you are, but you're not going to die."
Mercer's wife, Debra, told investigators that one man emerged from the sweat lodge halfway through the October ceremony believing he was having a heart attack and would die. She said that instead of summoning medical aid, Ray said "It's a good day to die," according to a search warrant affidavit.
When Ray was advised that two participants were unconscious near the end of the two-hour ceremony, Debra Mercer said Ray did not appear overly concerned and said they would be OK until the end.
Authorities have interviewed most of the more than 50 people who attended the event and detailed about a dozen of the interviews in documents released Monday after a judge ruled last week that they be made public.
Some of the people told investigators that Ray responded to cries for help from a man who was burned and warned other participants not to leave the sweat lodge during eight 15-minute rounds so they wouldn't also be scorched by the hot rocks in the center.
Others who were interviewed by investigators described suffering broken bones at other Ray-led events after being instructed to break bricks with their hands. Others said they vomited and slipped into altered states of consciousness.
Mickey Reynolds, who attended Ray's 2005 "Spiritual Warrior" event said it was implied the sweat lodge was safe since Ray had done the ceremonies before. Reynolds told investigators there was no discussion of safety procedures or a plan if something went wrong.
The owner of the Sedona retreat, Amayra Hamilton, said she told Ray in 2005 that he would have to change his ceremonies after a man became severely ill and she saw improvements the following year.
Richard Wright said he took part in the latest sweat lodge as a test of courage, enduring seven of eight 15-minute rounds. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident told The Associated Press participants never were asked to provide emergency contacts or answer questions about their health, and they never were given a clear picture of the effects of a sweat lodge.
Instead, they took Ray's word that vomiting and passing out were normal, he said.
"We all chose what we did," Wright said. "But again, if you make a choice with only having half the story, have you really made a choice?"
Full article:
http://www.komonews.com/news/national/80236467.html
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Another Dimension60
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:28 pm
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
What search warrants were served in the Sedona Sweat Lodge tragedy? What were detectives looking for, and what did they find?
Jan 3, 2010
http://www.prescottenews.com/news/curre ... erved.html
James Ray?s Sedona sweat lodge stash: lessons in polypharmacy and endocrine pharmacology
Jan 5, 2010
http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2010/0 ... terone.php
Wow!
Jan 3, 2010
http://www.prescottenews.com/news/curre ... erved.html
James Ray?s Sedona sweat lodge stash: lessons in polypharmacy and endocrine pharmacology
Jan 5, 2010
http://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2010/0 ... terone.php
Wow!
Arizona news Jan 12
Sweat-lodge documents reveal chaotic scene
Arizona Republic, January 12, 2010
By JJ Hensley
The participants in James Ray's fatal sweat lodge outside Sedona describe a chaotic scene and a spiritual leader that was reckless and had admittedly "let his ego get in the way" during prior events, according to hundreds of documents released Tuesday morning.
The Yavapai County Attorney's Office released transcripts of interviews detectives have conducted with more than 100 people who attended Ray's Spiritual Warrior Retreat in October and many who attended a 2005 event where a participant also required medical attention.
The investigation into whether Ray committed a criminal act in October is ongoing and could be expanding to past years: a detective asks a 2005 participant if he would be willing to be a victim if investigators determine there might have been a criminal offense in 2005.
The documents released Tuesday confirm much of what the public has already learned about the events that took place on Oct. 8: More than 50 people gathered in a 415-square-foot sweat lodge after a 36-hour fast in the wilderness and quickly began to sense something was amiss as retreat-goers began vomiting, hyperventilating and urinating in the circle around the heated stones in the middle of the structure.
Ray encouraged some participants to stay in the sweat lodge even as others were beginning to pass out and become delirious because of the heat, and chided other retreat-goers as sacrilegious for trying to lift the tarps and blankets covering the structure. Participants also encouraged one another to remain in the tent. Participants exited and re-entered the sweat lodge throughout the ceremony, though some unconscious participants had to be dragged out by others who sensed something was wrong.
Ray referenced death many times during the retreat, including leading a game in which participants were warriors and Ray was God. The game ended with the participants "dying" and falling to the ground.
"It's going to feel like you're going to die. I assure you will not, embrace your fear of this," Ray told the participants in a meeting before the sweat lodge ceremony began, according to an investigator's interview with Randy Potter.
Three people did die.
Kirby Brown, 38, of New York, and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died at the scene after being overcome in the sauna-like hut on Oct. 8. Liz Neuman, 49, of Minnesota, was among at least 20 people taken to a hospital for treatment. Neuman died at Flagstaff Medical Center nine days later.
Ray has denied any wrongdoing and said he hired investigators to help Yavapai County authorities with their investigation.
But the documents released Tuesday show Ray had warning signs about his sweat lodge ceremony years earlier.
Mickey Reynolds, who had paid to serve as a "coach" for Ray at events, told detectives he made up his mind at a 2005 ceremony at the Angel Valley Sweat Lodge that he would never go in a sweat lodge with Ray again.
Reynolds said he left the sweat lodge after the sixth round of heated rocks were brought in.
"As I was recovering, the Native Americans who were tending the fire said, 'That guy's crazy'," Reynolds recalled. "And I said, 'What do you mean?' They go, 'We never do more than 20 stones and he's over 60 (stones)."
Daniel Pfankuch, another participant at the 2005 event, told detectives that he had paid $40,000 for him and his wife to attend Ray's events for a year.
Pfankuch ended up in the hospital after the 2005 sweat lodge, where doctors told him he suffered from heat stroke and severe dehydration.
Pfankuch also believed he suffered brain damage, telling the investigator that he was married with a six-figure income before the retreat and is now divorced and homeless.
The detective asked Pfankuch if Ray knew or should have known the sweat lodge could cause serious injury.
"He certainly knew afterwards, he told me that his ego got in the way and he needed to sit down and learn from this," Pfankuch said. "That he pushed people for his own gain, pushed people past what, 'cause he thought he could do it, handle it."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... s-ray.html
Arizona Republic, January 12, 2010
By JJ Hensley
The participants in James Ray's fatal sweat lodge outside Sedona describe a chaotic scene and a spiritual leader that was reckless and had admittedly "let his ego get in the way" during prior events, according to hundreds of documents released Tuesday morning.
The Yavapai County Attorney's Office released transcripts of interviews detectives have conducted with more than 100 people who attended Ray's Spiritual Warrior Retreat in October and many who attended a 2005 event where a participant also required medical attention.
The investigation into whether Ray committed a criminal act in October is ongoing and could be expanding to past years: a detective asks a 2005 participant if he would be willing to be a victim if investigators determine there might have been a criminal offense in 2005.
The documents released Tuesday confirm much of what the public has already learned about the events that took place on Oct. 8: More than 50 people gathered in a 415-square-foot sweat lodge after a 36-hour fast in the wilderness and quickly began to sense something was amiss as retreat-goers began vomiting, hyperventilating and urinating in the circle around the heated stones in the middle of the structure.
Ray encouraged some participants to stay in the sweat lodge even as others were beginning to pass out and become delirious because of the heat, and chided other retreat-goers as sacrilegious for trying to lift the tarps and blankets covering the structure. Participants also encouraged one another to remain in the tent. Participants exited and re-entered the sweat lodge throughout the ceremony, though some unconscious participants had to be dragged out by others who sensed something was wrong.
Ray referenced death many times during the retreat, including leading a game in which participants were warriors and Ray was God. The game ended with the participants "dying" and falling to the ground.
"It's going to feel like you're going to die. I assure you will not, embrace your fear of this," Ray told the participants in a meeting before the sweat lodge ceremony began, according to an investigator's interview with Randy Potter.
Three people did die.
Kirby Brown, 38, of New York, and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died at the scene after being overcome in the sauna-like hut on Oct. 8. Liz Neuman, 49, of Minnesota, was among at least 20 people taken to a hospital for treatment. Neuman died at Flagstaff Medical Center nine days later.
Ray has denied any wrongdoing and said he hired investigators to help Yavapai County authorities with their investigation.
But the documents released Tuesday show Ray had warning signs about his sweat lodge ceremony years earlier.
Mickey Reynolds, who had paid to serve as a "coach" for Ray at events, told detectives he made up his mind at a 2005 ceremony at the Angel Valley Sweat Lodge that he would never go in a sweat lodge with Ray again.
Reynolds said he left the sweat lodge after the sixth round of heated rocks were brought in.
"As I was recovering, the Native Americans who were tending the fire said, 'That guy's crazy'," Reynolds recalled. "And I said, 'What do you mean?' They go, 'We never do more than 20 stones and he's over 60 (stones)."
Daniel Pfankuch, another participant at the 2005 event, told detectives that he had paid $40,000 for him and his wife to attend Ray's events for a year.
Pfankuch ended up in the hospital after the 2005 sweat lodge, where doctors told him he suffered from heat stroke and severe dehydration.
Pfankuch also believed he suffered brain damage, telling the investigator that he was married with a six-figure income before the retreat and is now divorced and homeless.
The detective asked Pfankuch if Ray knew or should have known the sweat lodge could cause serious injury.
"He certainly knew afterwards, he told me that his ego got in the way and he needed to sit down and learn from this," Pfankuch said. "That he pushed people for his own gain, pushed people past what, 'cause he thought he could do it, handle it."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... s-ray.html
Thanks for posting that Joe,
The similarities between the behaviour of James Ray and Judith are unsettling to say the least.
"You can do more!"...rings in my memory as something that was often shouted by Judith appearing as Ramtha, when we were doing C&E (a hyperventilation exercise). We were not only instructed to over-ride our body's complaints or demands, but we were bullied into doing so. At no time was there concern for those in the audience who may have had medical conditions that would have been contra-indications to participating in such an activity...or other ones for that matter.
Alas, for those who did suffer injury or debility...well, there was another "discipline" for that.
It was not unusual for over 6 hours to pass while we were walking blindfolded on the field or in the tank, in all weather, without breaks, food or water. Those who left or needed to be removed were labeled as weak, unfocused...or worse.
IMO, what these "leaders" promote and have their followers participate in, has nothing to do with spirituality.
It is multi-level abuse for their own profit, plain and simple.
I hope and pray that the followers of RSE and other similar controlling/abusive groups find their way out with their spiritual, mental, physical and financial health intact.
Much love, Kensho
The similarities between the behaviour of James Ray and Judith are unsettling to say the least.
"You can do more!"...rings in my memory as something that was often shouted by Judith appearing as Ramtha, when we were doing C&E (a hyperventilation exercise). We were not only instructed to over-ride our body's complaints or demands, but we were bullied into doing so. At no time was there concern for those in the audience who may have had medical conditions that would have been contra-indications to participating in such an activity...or other ones for that matter.
Alas, for those who did suffer injury or debility...well, there was another "discipline" for that.
It was not unusual for over 6 hours to pass while we were walking blindfolded on the field or in the tank, in all weather, without breaks, food or water. Those who left or needed to be removed were labeled as weak, unfocused...or worse.
IMO, what these "leaders" promote and have their followers participate in, has nothing to do with spirituality.
It is multi-level abuse for their own profit, plain and simple.
I hope and pray that the followers of RSE and other similar controlling/abusive groups find their way out with their spiritual, mental, physical and financial health intact.
Much love, Kensho
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
James Ray's version
Here is James Ray?s version of the tragedy (via his lawyers), posted on his blog on Jan 13, 2010.
White Paper No. 1 & White Paper No. 2:
http://blog.jamesray.com/2010/01/import ... edona.html
His lawyers (JZ?s type):
http://www.mto.com/
Copied from above:
?Character, judgment, integrity, intelligence, leadership, reputation, effort, cooperation, good grammar, and a sense of humor.?
-- Roy Tolles, on just some of the things that make a great lawyer
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munger,_Tolles_&_Olson
White Paper No. 1 & White Paper No. 2:
http://blog.jamesray.com/2010/01/import ... edona.html
His lawyers (JZ?s type):
http://www.mto.com/
Copied from above:
?Character, judgment, integrity, intelligence, leadership, reputation, effort, cooperation, good grammar, and a sense of humor.?
-- Roy Tolles, on just some of the things that make a great lawyer
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munger,_Tolles_&_Olson
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Sad Grandfather
- Posts: 286
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- Location: Joe Reeves, Carthage, Mississippi http://joesue.com/
- Contact:
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
L i a r s
Hello Sad Grandfather
The ?pesticide? already exists here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIE3lDkjwS8
The New York Times
Sweat Lodge Deaths Not Criminal, Guru?s Lawyer Says
Jan 13, 2010
Quote:
The letters concede that Mr. Ray sought to encourage people through challenging exercises, including a ?vision quest? hike in the mountains before the sweat lodge. The participants all signed releases that stated death was a possibility, Mr. Li said.
But Mr. Li cast many of the activities as benign, saying they were like the games and role-playing found in many corporate retreats. The documents assert that Mr. Ray adapted much of his approach from his years as an ?internal trainer? with AT&T.
?This was a five-day retreat, not a cult,? Mr. Li said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/us/14sweat.html
The Arizona Republic
Lawyers: Deaths at sweat lodge weren't criminal
Jan 14, 2010
Quote:
In transcripts of investigators' interviews released Tuesday, a detective tells one of the sweat-lodge survivors that investigators are looking at a lot of avenues, but "we are going to be fortunate to get either reckless or negligent (homicide)."
A former prosecutor from Tucson who now works as a defense attorney said a criminal case against Ray could be tough to prove.
"You'd be lucky to get a manslaughter, and you'd be more likely to get reckless," Brad Roach said.
"I would not want to be a prosecutor and have to prove this case criminally. It would be so difficult to prove as adults that he had any control over whether they stayed or left. It might be a different story if they were children, if he had some legal obligation to help them make decisions."
Conflicting accounts
The key point, Roach said, will rest on what Ray said to make participants believe they should stay in the sweat lodge as temperatures approached unbearable levels.
The dozens of interviews with sweat-lodge participants released on Tuesday offer conflicting accounts of whether Ray was discouraging people from leaving, whether other retreatgoers were encouraging one another to stay or whether Ray was shaming and condemning those who decided to walk out of the covered entrance to the 415-square-foot structure.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... e0114.html
The ?pesticide? already exists here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIE3lDkjwS8
The New York Times
Sweat Lodge Deaths Not Criminal, Guru?s Lawyer Says
Jan 13, 2010
Quote:
The letters concede that Mr. Ray sought to encourage people through challenging exercises, including a ?vision quest? hike in the mountains before the sweat lodge. The participants all signed releases that stated death was a possibility, Mr. Li said.
But Mr. Li cast many of the activities as benign, saying they were like the games and role-playing found in many corporate retreats. The documents assert that Mr. Ray adapted much of his approach from his years as an ?internal trainer? with AT&T.
?This was a five-day retreat, not a cult,? Mr. Li said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/us/14sweat.html
The Arizona Republic
Lawyers: Deaths at sweat lodge weren't criminal
Jan 14, 2010
Quote:
In transcripts of investigators' interviews released Tuesday, a detective tells one of the sweat-lodge survivors that investigators are looking at a lot of avenues, but "we are going to be fortunate to get either reckless or negligent (homicide)."
A former prosecutor from Tucson who now works as a defense attorney said a criminal case against Ray could be tough to prove.
"You'd be lucky to get a manslaughter, and you'd be more likely to get reckless," Brad Roach said.
"I would not want to be a prosecutor and have to prove this case criminally. It would be so difficult to prove as adults that he had any control over whether they stayed or left. It might be a different story if they were children, if he had some legal obligation to help them make decisions."
Conflicting accounts
The key point, Roach said, will rest on what Ray said to make participants believe they should stay in the sweat lodge as temperatures approached unbearable levels.
The dozens of interviews with sweat-lodge participants released on Tuesday offer conflicting accounts of whether Ray was discouraging people from leaving, whether other retreatgoers were encouraging one another to stay or whether Ray was shaming and condemning those who decided to walk out of the covered entrance to the 415-square-foot structure.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... e0114.html
What a shame that people had their lives taken from them before action was brought against this profit motivated mind controller.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/03/ari ... A+Crime%29
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8497423.stm
James Ray surrendered to police at his lawyer's office and was taken to jail.
The deaths occurred at a retreat at the Angel Valley Retreat Center, 115 miles (180km) north of Phoenix, in October.
May others learn from this tragedy...
Much love, Kensho
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/03/ari ... A+Crime%29
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8497423.stm
James Ray surrendered to police at his lawyer's office and was taken to jail.
The deaths occurred at a retreat at the Angel Valley Retreat Center, 115 miles (180km) north of Phoenix, in October.
May others learn from this tragedy...
Much love, Kensho
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
Sweat Lodge Prosecutor Seeks Gag Order
Sweat Lodge Prosecutor Seeks Gag Order in James Ray Manslaughter Case
By James King in Death Lodge
Mon., Feb. 8, 2010
The prosecutor in the James Ray sweat lodge fiasco has asked a Yavapai County Superior Court judge to issue a gag order for those involved with the case.
The move is probably to prevent Ray's lawyers from polluting a potential jury pool by making the rounds on the talk-show circuit.
Ray was arrested last week and charged with three counts of manslaughter for the October deaths of three people in Sedona. After his arrest, Ray's attorney Brad Brian went on Larry King Live to dispute the prosecution's claims.
Check out the interview here.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sweat ... 3911013401
Ray's lawyers, according to the Associated Press, have agreed to do several other shows, too, and prosecutors want the publicity tour to stop.
In the meantime, Ray sits in a Yavapai County jail after the judge in the case set his bail at $5 million.
The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, where it is expected that Ray's attorneys will ask to have the bail amount reduced.
If convicted, Ray faces 12 1/2 years in prison for each manslaughter charge.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valley ... eeks_g.php
By James King in Death Lodge
Mon., Feb. 8, 2010
The prosecutor in the James Ray sweat lodge fiasco has asked a Yavapai County Superior Court judge to issue a gag order for those involved with the case.
The move is probably to prevent Ray's lawyers from polluting a potential jury pool by making the rounds on the talk-show circuit.
Ray was arrested last week and charged with three counts of manslaughter for the October deaths of three people in Sedona. After his arrest, Ray's attorney Brad Brian went on Larry King Live to dispute the prosecution's claims.
Check out the interview here.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sweat ... 3911013401
Ray's lawyers, according to the Associated Press, have agreed to do several other shows, too, and prosecutors want the publicity tour to stop.
In the meantime, Ray sits in a Yavapai County jail after the judge in the case set his bail at $5 million.
The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, where it is expected that Ray's attorneys will ask to have the bail amount reduced.
If convicted, Ray faces 12 1/2 years in prison for each manslaughter charge.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valley ... eeks_g.php
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Walk in the Park
- Posts: 48
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Guru charged in sweat lodge deaths says he's broke
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-na ... ge.Deaths/
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. ? A man who built a multimillion-dollar empire with a motivational mantra that teaches people to create wealth contends he's broke and cannot post bond in a criminal case that threatens the survival of his self-help business.
James Arthur Ray was charged earlier this month with three counts of manslaughter stemming from the deaths of three people following a sweat lodge ceremony he led last year in Arizona. His bond has been set at $5 million, a figure his attorneys say is "excessive and oppressive."
"Despite misconceptions perpetrated in the media, Mr. Ray is not a man of significant assets and certainly not the millions reported in the press," his attorneys wrote in documents obtained by The Associated Press from the court. The documents are now officially sealed.
Ray himself has touted his wealth and success in numerous media interviews and on his Web site, including an estimated $10 million in revenue in 2009 and a seven-figure advance for his book, "Harmonic Wealth" that hit the New York Times Best Sellers List in May 2008.
He told "Fortune Magazine" for an April 2008 article that his financial goal was $21 million a year and that he was sure there were limits, but "I am not aware of them."
But the court documents paint a much different picture, showing that he is severely in debt with a net worth of negative $4.2 million. Real estate makes up about $3.1 million of Ray's total assets of nearly $4.2 million, but he has little equity.
The properties include homes in Hawaii and Nevada, and rentals in California. Ray's Carlsbad, Calif.-based business, James Ray International, and a Beverly Hills mansion he recently put up for sale are not listed among the assets.
Ray's liabilities were listed at more than $8.5 million, much of which was unexplained in a statement of net worth.
In a financial statement filled out by Ray the day of his arrest, he wrote that he pays out $94,000 a month in expenses, including for rent and mortgages, utilities, insurance and vehicles. He listed his assets as $14,000 in a checking account and $220,000 in a retirement account.
Ray's attorneys said his financial stability has been shaken by withdrawals from bank accounts in the last several months to pay creditors and legal fees, including a significant retainer deposited in a trust account at the California-based law firm representing him.
Ray's attorneys say he has no criminal history, isn't a threat to public safety or a flight risk and cannot afford the bail. They are set to argue Tuesday in court to have Ray released on his own recognizance coupled with the surrender of his passport or have bail set at a minimum.
It's unclear what position the Yavapai County, Ariz., attorney's office has taken on the defense request to reduce bail. Its response to the motion is sealed, and a spokeswoman cited fair trial rights in declining to comment.
Ray has pleaded not guilty to each of the manslaughter counts. If convicted, he faces up to 12 1/2 years on each count, with probation being an option.
Prosecutors contend Ray recklessly crammed more than 50 participants of his "Spiritual Warrior" event near Sedona into a 415-square-foot sweat lodge, a sauna-like experience that uses heated stones to cleanse the body and is commonly used by American Indian tribes. Many participants have said Ray chided them for wanting to leave, even as people were vomiting, getting burned by hot rocks and lying unconscious on the ground.
Three people died ? Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. Eighteen others were hospitalized.
Ray's attorneys have called the deaths a tragic accident and said he took all the necessary precautions and immediately tended to the ill.
___
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. ? A man who built a multimillion-dollar empire with a motivational mantra that teaches people to create wealth contends he's broke and cannot post bond in a criminal case that threatens the survival of his self-help business.
James Arthur Ray was charged earlier this month with three counts of manslaughter stemming from the deaths of three people following a sweat lodge ceremony he led last year in Arizona. His bond has been set at $5 million, a figure his attorneys say is "excessive and oppressive."
"Despite misconceptions perpetrated in the media, Mr. Ray is not a man of significant assets and certainly not the millions reported in the press," his attorneys wrote in documents obtained by The Associated Press from the court. The documents are now officially sealed.
Ray himself has touted his wealth and success in numerous media interviews and on his Web site, including an estimated $10 million in revenue in 2009 and a seven-figure advance for his book, "Harmonic Wealth" that hit the New York Times Best Sellers List in May 2008.
He told "Fortune Magazine" for an April 2008 article that his financial goal was $21 million a year and that he was sure there were limits, but "I am not aware of them."
But the court documents paint a much different picture, showing that he is severely in debt with a net worth of negative $4.2 million. Real estate makes up about $3.1 million of Ray's total assets of nearly $4.2 million, but he has little equity.
The properties include homes in Hawaii and Nevada, and rentals in California. Ray's Carlsbad, Calif.-based business, James Ray International, and a Beverly Hills mansion he recently put up for sale are not listed among the assets.
Ray's liabilities were listed at more than $8.5 million, much of which was unexplained in a statement of net worth.
In a financial statement filled out by Ray the day of his arrest, he wrote that he pays out $94,000 a month in expenses, including for rent and mortgages, utilities, insurance and vehicles. He listed his assets as $14,000 in a checking account and $220,000 in a retirement account.
Ray's attorneys said his financial stability has been shaken by withdrawals from bank accounts in the last several months to pay creditors and legal fees, including a significant retainer deposited in a trust account at the California-based law firm representing him.
Ray's attorneys say he has no criminal history, isn't a threat to public safety or a flight risk and cannot afford the bail. They are set to argue Tuesday in court to have Ray released on his own recognizance coupled with the surrender of his passport or have bail set at a minimum.
It's unclear what position the Yavapai County, Ariz., attorney's office has taken on the defense request to reduce bail. Its response to the motion is sealed, and a spokeswoman cited fair trial rights in declining to comment.
Ray has pleaded not guilty to each of the manslaughter counts. If convicted, he faces up to 12 1/2 years on each count, with probation being an option.
Prosecutors contend Ray recklessly crammed more than 50 participants of his "Spiritual Warrior" event near Sedona into a 415-square-foot sweat lodge, a sauna-like experience that uses heated stones to cleanse the body and is commonly used by American Indian tribes. Many participants have said Ray chided them for wanting to leave, even as people were vomiting, getting burned by hot rocks and lying unconscious on the ground.
Three people died ? Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. Eighteen others were hospitalized.
Ray's attorneys have called the deaths a tragic accident and said he took all the necessary precautions and immediately tended to the ill.
___
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
James Ray released on bail
James Ray?s high profile court case can be viewed at the Yavapai County Superior Court?s website:
http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/docsyav/Default.aspx
James Ray released on bail
Verde Independent, 2/26/2010
By Jon Hutchinson
Staff Reporter
CAMP VERDE -- James Ray's motion to reduce his bail amount has been successful. The widely publicized motivational speaker charged with three counts of manslaughter, was released late Friday morning after a judge reduced his bail from $5 million to $525,000.
Three participants of the Ray's October Spiritual Warrior Retreat died as a result of the super-heated sweat lodge experience.
Ray has been held pending a $5 million bail amount since Feb. 3. Thursday, Judge Warren Darrow modified the bail to $525,000 Friday after a two-day long hearing to examine whether Ray was able to afford the higher release amount. The hearing attracted a courtroom full of reporters, family of victims and victims' attorneys.
An expert for the prosecution could only show that Ray's net worth was $2.4 million. A company official of James Ray International disputed that number on Thursday.
Ray had been held just under 23 days at the Camp Verde jail, since he was arrested at his Prescott Attorney Thomas Kelly's office. He posted a paper bond, not cash, to secure his release.
In addition to the reduced bail, Warren ordered that Ray not leave the state, except to stay at California residences. He was also required to surrender his passport and not travel overseas. He may travel within the United States with written permission.
Ray left the Verde Valley following the deaths at the sweat lodge at Angel Valley Oct. 8. The Yavapai County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's investigators then assembled dozens of interviews with participants, workers at the retreat site and others involved in the subsequent rescue.
Killed were 49-year-old Lizbeth Neuman of Prior Lake, Mich., who died in the hospital a week after the event. Two were dead at the scene of the retreat, 38-year old Kirby Brown, of New York and 40-year-old James Shore of Wisconsin.
A total of 19 participants were treated at one of three medical centers when participants collapsed, some with significant organ failure.
As many as 68 people are reported to have packed into a tarpaulin-covered dome at the remote retreat in Deer Pass Valley about 6.5 miles south of West Sedona along Oak Creek.
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID ... leID=35237
http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/docsyav/Default.aspx
James Ray released on bail
Verde Independent, 2/26/2010
By Jon Hutchinson
Staff Reporter
CAMP VERDE -- James Ray's motion to reduce his bail amount has been successful. The widely publicized motivational speaker charged with three counts of manslaughter, was released late Friday morning after a judge reduced his bail from $5 million to $525,000.
Three participants of the Ray's October Spiritual Warrior Retreat died as a result of the super-heated sweat lodge experience.
Ray has been held pending a $5 million bail amount since Feb. 3. Thursday, Judge Warren Darrow modified the bail to $525,000 Friday after a two-day long hearing to examine whether Ray was able to afford the higher release amount. The hearing attracted a courtroom full of reporters, family of victims and victims' attorneys.
An expert for the prosecution could only show that Ray's net worth was $2.4 million. A company official of James Ray International disputed that number on Thursday.
Ray had been held just under 23 days at the Camp Verde jail, since he was arrested at his Prescott Attorney Thomas Kelly's office. He posted a paper bond, not cash, to secure his release.
In addition to the reduced bail, Warren ordered that Ray not leave the state, except to stay at California residences. He was also required to surrender his passport and not travel overseas. He may travel within the United States with written permission.
Ray left the Verde Valley following the deaths at the sweat lodge at Angel Valley Oct. 8. The Yavapai County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's investigators then assembled dozens of interviews with participants, workers at the retreat site and others involved in the subsequent rescue.
Killed were 49-year-old Lizbeth Neuman of Prior Lake, Mich., who died in the hospital a week after the event. Two were dead at the scene of the retreat, 38-year old Kirby Brown, of New York and 40-year-old James Shore of Wisconsin.
A total of 19 participants were treated at one of three medical centers when participants collapsed, some with significant organ failure.
As many as 68 people are reported to have packed into a tarpaulin-covered dome at the remote retreat in Deer Pass Valley about 6.5 miles south of West Sedona along Oak Creek.
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID ... leID=35237
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Caterpillar
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:11 am
Exclusive: James Ray breaks silence after AZ jail release
http://www.abc15.com/content/news/north ... W9fdw.cspx
http://www.abc15.com/content/news/north ... W9fdw.cspx
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Another Dimension60
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:28 pm
James Ray found guilty over Arizona sweat lodge deaths
from an online newspaper today....
CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — A self-help guru was found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide Wednesday in a case that shined a spotlight on a deadly Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that ended in chaos, with participants vomiting, shaking and being dragged outside.
Jurors reached their verdict with remarkable swiftness: They took less than 10 hours to convict James Arthur Ray following a four-month trial that included hundreds of exhibits and countless hours of testimony.
The eight men and four women were given the option of convicting Ray of manslaughter but decided on the lesser charge instead. He faces a sentence ranging from probation to nearly 12 years in prison.
Ray fought back emotion as the verdict was read. His parents and brother sat behind him, while victims’ friends and family members held hands and looked on from across the courtroom.
Prosecutors asked that Ray be taken into custody immediately, but the judge denied their request.
More than 50 people participated in the October 2009 sweat lodge that was meant to be the highlight of Ray’s five-day “Spiritual Warrior” seminar near Sedona.
Three people died following the sauna-like ceremony aimed at providing spiritual cleansing. Eighteen people were hospitalized, while several others were given water to cool down at the scene.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys disagreed over whether the deaths and illnesses were caused by heat or unknown toxins. Ray’s attorneys have maintained they were a tragic accident. Prosecutors argued Ray recklessly caused the fatalities.
Ray used the sweat lodge as a way for participants to break through whatever was holding them back in life. He warned participants in a recording of the event played during the trial that the sweat lodge would be “hellacious” and that participants were guaranteed to feel like they were dying but would do so only metaphorically.
“The true spiritual warrior has conquered death and therefore has no fear or enemies in this lifetime or the next, because the greatest fear you’ll ever experience is the fear of what? Death,” Ray said in the recording. “You will have to get a point to where you surrender and it’s OK to die.”
Witnesses have described the scene following the two-hour sweat lodge ceremony as alarming and chaotic, with people vomiting and shaking violently, while others dragged “lifeless” and “barely breathing” participants outside. Volunteers performed CPR.
More than 20 people were transported to hospitals. Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee died upon arrival. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and died more than a week later.
In court Wednesday, members of Neuman’s family and a friend of Brown held hands and smiled when the verdict was read.
“Justice was served in there,” Neuman’s ex-husband, Randy Neuman, said later.
Mika Cutler, who Brown visited in Moab, Utah, the week before the ceremony, said: “There was not a moment in my mind that I didn’t think he (Ray) was responsible for this tragedy.”
CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — A self-help guru was found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide Wednesday in a case that shined a spotlight on a deadly Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that ended in chaos, with participants vomiting, shaking and being dragged outside.
Jurors reached their verdict with remarkable swiftness: They took less than 10 hours to convict James Arthur Ray following a four-month trial that included hundreds of exhibits and countless hours of testimony.
The eight men and four women were given the option of convicting Ray of manslaughter but decided on the lesser charge instead. He faces a sentence ranging from probation to nearly 12 years in prison.
Ray fought back emotion as the verdict was read. His parents and brother sat behind him, while victims’ friends and family members held hands and looked on from across the courtroom.
Prosecutors asked that Ray be taken into custody immediately, but the judge denied their request.
More than 50 people participated in the October 2009 sweat lodge that was meant to be the highlight of Ray’s five-day “Spiritual Warrior” seminar near Sedona.
Three people died following the sauna-like ceremony aimed at providing spiritual cleansing. Eighteen people were hospitalized, while several others were given water to cool down at the scene.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys disagreed over whether the deaths and illnesses were caused by heat or unknown toxins. Ray’s attorneys have maintained they were a tragic accident. Prosecutors argued Ray recklessly caused the fatalities.
Ray used the sweat lodge as a way for participants to break through whatever was holding them back in life. He warned participants in a recording of the event played during the trial that the sweat lodge would be “hellacious” and that participants were guaranteed to feel like they were dying but would do so only metaphorically.
“The true spiritual warrior has conquered death and therefore has no fear or enemies in this lifetime or the next, because the greatest fear you’ll ever experience is the fear of what? Death,” Ray said in the recording. “You will have to get a point to where you surrender and it’s OK to die.”
Witnesses have described the scene following the two-hour sweat lodge ceremony as alarming and chaotic, with people vomiting and shaking violently, while others dragged “lifeless” and “barely breathing” participants outside. Volunteers performed CPR.
More than 20 people were transported to hospitals. Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee died upon arrival. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and died more than a week later.
In court Wednesday, members of Neuman’s family and a friend of Brown held hands and smiled when the verdict was read.
“Justice was served in there,” Neuman’s ex-husband, Randy Neuman, said later.
Mika Cutler, who Brown visited in Moab, Utah, the week before the ceremony, said: “There was not a moment in my mind that I didn’t think he (Ray) was responsible for this tragedy.”
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David McCarthy
- Site Admin
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- Location: New Zealand
- Contact:
BBC News James Ray found guilty over Arizona sweat lodge dea
If there is any justice in this world and the government wake up and do their job of protecting their citizens....
JZ Knight and her RSE ringleader staff will also be called to account in a court of law.
Having witnessed JZK/Ramtha destroy the lives of RSE students under the cover and excuse of “ spiritual- enlightenment”
I think manslaughter would be a more a fitting charge and verdict for these monsters.
David
Also the BBC today
JZ Knight and her RSE ringleader staff will also be called to account in a court of law.
Having witnessed JZK/Ramtha destroy the lives of RSE students under the cover and excuse of “ spiritual- enlightenment”
I think manslaughter would be a more a fitting charge and verdict for these monsters.
David
Also the BBC today
BBC News 22 June 2011
James Ray found guilty over Arizona sweat lodge deaths
Ray, had argued the deaths were a tragic accident, but the jury disagreed
A motivational speaker has been found guilty over the deaths of three people who fell ill during a meeting at an Arizona "sweat lodge".
A jury found James Ray guilty of three counts of "negligent homicide".
The deaths occurred at the Angel Valley Retreat Center, 115 miles (180km) north of Phoenix, in October 2009.
Ray's lawyers said the deaths were a tragic accident, but prosecutors said he had failed to act when people exhibited signs of distress.
Sweat lodges are typically used by American Indians to rid the body of toxins by pouring water over heated rocks in the structure.
Emergency services were called to the sweat lodge after some of the 50 people at the event reported they were having difficulty breathing.
Two people fainted during the ceremony, and died later the same evening, and a third participant died a week later, after failing to wake up from a coma.
Eighteen people were taken to hospital reportedly suffering from illnesses ranging from dehydration to kidney failure.
Prosecutors said a reasonable person would have stopped the "abomination of a sweat lodge" when participants began showing signs of distress about halfway through the ceremony.
Mr Ray, who has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live, had rented the centre for his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event.
Reports said some of the participants had paid up to $9,000 (£5,650) for their stay at the retreat, which also reportedly included a 36-hour fast.
BBC link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13884063
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
Re: sweat lodge deaths
yes . the parallel to rse? override all signals from your body or the rest of your critical thinking to conger a fear artificially created, because a money greedy idiot tells you so and makes a lot of money with it.
Re: sweat lodge deaths
G2G posted this some time ago, which I copied and pasted, below. It is very well said, and it captures the essence of RSE as I knew as it took a turn to the bazaar, but I left before the wine ceremonies so I cannot speak to that. I personally saw people blindfolded fall into the river and hurt themselves badly, same with the experience of trying to find the tank coming through the woods. I heard the screams as I banged around in the woods, blindfolded, too, and later saw people with leg braces and severe injuries from falling into large holes, stuck on tree branches, dangling, and hanging there for hours until staff came to rescue them.This begs for national coverage before something terrible happens. CNN, perhaps? Anyone have any connections with the press? Perhaps Anderson Cooper? All the signs are present for a true disaster, similar to the sweat lodge in Sedona. Scary.
""There is much on the news about the deaths of two people at the spiritual sweat lodge in Arizona. Yet, Mr. King, JZ Knight labeled "
'spiritual leader' and channeller of the 35,000 'warrior' known as 'Ramtha,' has been a guest on your show more than once. In fact she has often joked about your staring at her breasts while she was a guest. Perhaps a good story would be to take a look at what actually occurred in the past at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment Yelm, Washington, where JZ Hampton Knight places students through rigorous and dangerous measures. Take for instance something known as ?
'The Tank,' where people are blindfolded (sometimes 1000 at a time) and forced to find their way through a maze and underground pvc tubes to get to the void.' Take for instance something called 'paradise beach' where students were forced to sit awake for three days in rain and freezing cold. Take for instance students are bindfolded, then duct-taped and must find their way around the property including the port-a-potties, slipping in mud and wading through a rocky creek. Take for instance 1000 people were blindfolded and instructed to run across a large field at full pace. Many were injured and the remainder were instruct to NOT offer help or have compassion, for these people 'created' their 'reality.'
Most important, take a look at the EnlighteMeFree website and read the stories of ponzi scams, concoctions of toxic potions to be ingested to ?
'prolong life,' proclamations of self-healing by doing a 'blue body trance dance,'and much more. You have had JZ Knight on your show as a 'spiritual leader,' yet her channelling Ramtha and absolutely NO former students have appeared.
The Secret is based on the same concept. The arena in Yelm has held 2000 with no room to walk, let alone run out were there a fire. Wine is given to children if parents allow. Who is turning their head to this looming disaster? This is a doomsday situation, with JZ Knight in her Ramtha personality informing students to building Underground shelters to escape to when 'Jehovah'' the warring alien returns with his ?
'reptilian alien army' who will 'eat' us. Not making this up. DO THE RESEARCH. Begin with Bravenet and then check out the site, EnlightenMeFree, and read of students' experiences over 20 or more years.
I was there for awhile. I saw it and lived it. It is a disaster waiting to happen. ""
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Sad Grandfather
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:18 pm
- Location: Joe Reeves, Carthage, Mississippi http://joesue.com/
- Contact:
Re: sweat lodge deaths
Yeah, how does Judy manage to have such a propaganda presense on the internet, bilk people from all over the world, and then NOT get investigated by the press or law enforcement? Could she be buying them off?
Down with Judith Hampton Knight!
Re: sweat lodge deaths
I thnk the best we can hope for in the near future is that Judy does something stupid that she can't get out of.
We were almost there in August 2009 when it came to light that Judy didn't pay her property taxes for three years. With interest and penalties, the tab came to almost $200,000. The Nisqually Valley News blabbed it and she did pay up (apparently after conducting a fire sale auction of some of Judy's antiques to raise cash). RSE was just a couple of months away from being foreclosed by the county.
RSE must really have had a lousy CPA, made really bad investments and has incredible arrogance to think it could evade paying its property taxes. As much as RSE charges for the, "events," it is hard to believe it didn't have sufficient income to have cash on hand to pay its tax obligations.
RSE likes to thump its chest about how it supposedly financially befits the region. Not paying taxes pretty directly shafts the city not to be able to provide good roads, not to provide fire protection and not to provide good schools for kids.
We were almost there in August 2009 when it came to light that Judy didn't pay her property taxes for three years. With interest and penalties, the tab came to almost $200,000. The Nisqually Valley News blabbed it and she did pay up (apparently after conducting a fire sale auction of some of Judy's antiques to raise cash). RSE was just a couple of months away from being foreclosed by the county.
RSE must really have had a lousy CPA, made really bad investments and has incredible arrogance to think it could evade paying its property taxes. As much as RSE charges for the, "events," it is hard to believe it didn't have sufficient income to have cash on hand to pay its tax obligations.
RSE likes to thump its chest about how it supposedly financially befits the region. Not paying taxes pretty directly shafts the city not to be able to provide good roads, not to provide fire protection and not to provide good schools for kids.
Re: James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
the nissqually news diden't allow several posts of mine regarding the barrels, ugs and other survival questions. she has her people in check. for normal people its not obvious how far greg simons goes in lieing for his school. for instant the 'no close relatieves' which came up on both resent deaths. then the generosity to do the memorial and burial.i think the background is a diffrent one: only close relatives can press an investigation. see the sweatlodgedeaths he nearly got away with tragig accidents but familiemembers pressed the investigation. the police doesen't investigate a suicide here in yelm, even the women heard voices, took prosac and drank. we, knowing rse,can put the peaces together. and again rse students don't complain about the 15. of june. paulsen and vanda r only coleteral damage on the march of jzr and followers.
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David McCarthy
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Re: James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
Kevin Graves editor of the Yelm NV News has consistently censored or totally ignored letters of criticism of JZ Knight/RSE.nissqually news diden't allow several posts of mine regarding the barrels
He went so far as to "loose" EMF documents I presented to his office containing evidence of abuse and deceptions by JZ Knight/RSEInc.
I gave up writing to his Newspaper after he edited out references to EMF.....
he has edited out all references with factual information about JZ Knights Omega scam.
The bottom line is the man is a pathetic excuse for a newspaper editor he is coward that doesn’t give a damn who pimps off JZ Knights RSE cult business..
While behind my back he call me crazy……
Follow the money...!!!!
David
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
Re: James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
Guru apologizes to families of sweat lodge victims
By FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press
November 17, 2011
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — A self-help author convicted in the deaths of three people following an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony expressed remorse Thursday, making his first extensive comments in open court before a prosecutor argued he should be locked up for the next nine years and called him a dangerous man.
Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow will determine James Arthur Ray's fate Friday after listening to six days of testimony in a mitigation hearing. The sentencing comes more than two years after Ray led dozens of people in the ceremony near Sedona with a promise that they would experience breakthroughs in their lives.
While defense witnesses said Ray is a compassionate man who should get probation and be given a chance to help others through his teachings, prosecutor Sheila Polk argued that his events progressively became more dangerous and he ignored the sweat lodge participants who were in distress.
She said Ray lacked internal boundaries as she argued for the maximum sentence in the case.
"The idea that this court should balance the value of Mr. Ray's teachings and this opportunity for him to reach people in the future against three deaths is distasteful," she said. "What Mr. Ray did with his power, with the trust placed in him is irreversible to some. Mr. Ray took that authority, that blinding trust that people seemed to have in him and abused it."
Defense attorney Tom Kelly said Ray never forced anything upon the participants who paid around $10,000 apiece for his Spiritual Warrior seminar that culminated with the sweat lodge ceremony, nor did he cause harm to others in prior events.
"To take that self-help industry, spin it into an argument that if you were to grant Mr. Ray probation, that he would go out and speak to people, causing them to harm themselves is nothing more than absurd," Kelly said.
If Darrow sentences Ray to prison, Kelly asked that Ray not be required to serve the time until the appeals process plays out.
Ray himself apologized to the families of James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y; and Liz Neuman, 48, of Prior Lake, Minn. Ray choked up as he waived his right to a restitution hearing and agreed to pay more than $57,000 to the families to reimburse them for costs associated with the trial.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't believe any amount of money can compensate the families for their loss."
He asked for forgiveness in a letter submitted to Darrow shortly after, saying he regrets "all my efforts to help people's lives has caused them so much pain."
Darrow is considering whether civil settlements Ray reached with the families would offset that amount.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... e168d831d9
By FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press
November 17, 2011
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — A self-help author convicted in the deaths of three people following an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony expressed remorse Thursday, making his first extensive comments in open court before a prosecutor argued he should be locked up for the next nine years and called him a dangerous man.
Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow will determine James Arthur Ray's fate Friday after listening to six days of testimony in a mitigation hearing. The sentencing comes more than two years after Ray led dozens of people in the ceremony near Sedona with a promise that they would experience breakthroughs in their lives.
While defense witnesses said Ray is a compassionate man who should get probation and be given a chance to help others through his teachings, prosecutor Sheila Polk argued that his events progressively became more dangerous and he ignored the sweat lodge participants who were in distress.
She said Ray lacked internal boundaries as she argued for the maximum sentence in the case.
"The idea that this court should balance the value of Mr. Ray's teachings and this opportunity for him to reach people in the future against three deaths is distasteful," she said. "What Mr. Ray did with his power, with the trust placed in him is irreversible to some. Mr. Ray took that authority, that blinding trust that people seemed to have in him and abused it."
Defense attorney Tom Kelly said Ray never forced anything upon the participants who paid around $10,000 apiece for his Spiritual Warrior seminar that culminated with the sweat lodge ceremony, nor did he cause harm to others in prior events.
"To take that self-help industry, spin it into an argument that if you were to grant Mr. Ray probation, that he would go out and speak to people, causing them to harm themselves is nothing more than absurd," Kelly said.
If Darrow sentences Ray to prison, Kelly asked that Ray not be required to serve the time until the appeals process plays out.
Ray himself apologized to the families of James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y; and Liz Neuman, 48, of Prior Lake, Minn. Ray choked up as he waived his right to a restitution hearing and agreed to pay more than $57,000 to the families to reimburse them for costs associated with the trial.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't believe any amount of money can compensate the families for their loss."
He asked for forgiveness in a letter submitted to Darrow shortly after, saying he regrets "all my efforts to help people's lives has caused them so much pain."
Darrow is considering whether civil settlements Ray reached with the families would offset that amount.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... e168d831d9
Re: James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
Self-help guru gets 2 years in sweat lodge deaths
By FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press – November 18, 2011
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — A charismatic self-help author who led an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that turned deadly will serve two years in prison.
James Arthur Ray was sentenced Friday to three, two-year sentences in the deaths, to run concurrently. Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow also ordered him to pay more than $57,000 in restitution.
"I see and I find that the aggravating circumstance of emotional harm is so strong and such that probation is simply unwarranted in this case," Darrow said.
Defense attorney Luis Li said an appeal was likely. "We just hope the process of healing can begin and the victims' families can find some peace," he said.
Ray had faced anything from probation to nine years in prison after being convicted on a trio of negligent homicide counts. Authorities originally charged Ray with manslaughter, but jurors rejected arguments that he was reckless in his handling of the October 2009 ceremony.
Prosecutors urged Darrow to hand down the maximum sentence to keep Ray off the self-help circuit and from harming others. Ray's attorneys said probation was best for a man who showed remorse, lacked prior criminal history and is the sole caretaker for ailing parents.
Ray's motivational mantra drew dozens of people to a retreat nestled in the scrub forest near Sedona with a promise that the sweat lodge ceremony typically used by American Indians to cleanse the body would help them break through whatever was holding them back in life. It was the culminating event of his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" seminar.
Participants began showing signs of distress about half way through the two-hour ceremony. By the time it was over, some were vomiting, struggling to breathe and lying lifeless on the ground. Two people — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee — were pronounced dead. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness. She died more than a week later at a Flagstaff hospital.
The trial was a mix of lengthy witness testimony and legal wrangling that lasted four months. Witnesses painted conflicting pictures of Ray, with some describing him as a coach who encouraged participants to do their best to endure the heat but never forced them to remain in the sweat lodge. Others said they learned through breathing exercises, a 36-hour fast, and a game in which Ray portrayed God that they dare not question him and lost the physical and mental ability to care for themselves or others.
Prosecutors contended that Ray ratcheted up the heat to dangerous levels, ignored pleas for help and watched as participants were dragged out of the sweat lodge. Ray's attorneys suggested that toxins or poisons contributed to the deaths, but jurors said that theory was not credible.
Ray's attorneys made at least nine requests for a retrial or mistrial based on what they say were errors by the prosecution. While Darrow ruled that prosecutors broke disclosure rules, he rejected each of the defense requests. The case is bound for appeal.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 8d5d5417dc
By FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press – November 18, 2011
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — A charismatic self-help author who led an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that turned deadly will serve two years in prison.
James Arthur Ray was sentenced Friday to three, two-year sentences in the deaths, to run concurrently. Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Warren Darrow also ordered him to pay more than $57,000 in restitution.
"I see and I find that the aggravating circumstance of emotional harm is so strong and such that probation is simply unwarranted in this case," Darrow said.
Defense attorney Luis Li said an appeal was likely. "We just hope the process of healing can begin and the victims' families can find some peace," he said.
Ray had faced anything from probation to nine years in prison after being convicted on a trio of negligent homicide counts. Authorities originally charged Ray with manslaughter, but jurors rejected arguments that he was reckless in his handling of the October 2009 ceremony.
Prosecutors urged Darrow to hand down the maximum sentence to keep Ray off the self-help circuit and from harming others. Ray's attorneys said probation was best for a man who showed remorse, lacked prior criminal history and is the sole caretaker for ailing parents.
Ray's motivational mantra drew dozens of people to a retreat nestled in the scrub forest near Sedona with a promise that the sweat lodge ceremony typically used by American Indians to cleanse the body would help them break through whatever was holding them back in life. It was the culminating event of his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" seminar.
Participants began showing signs of distress about half way through the two-hour ceremony. By the time it was over, some were vomiting, struggling to breathe and lying lifeless on the ground. Two people — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee — were pronounced dead. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness. She died more than a week later at a Flagstaff hospital.
The trial was a mix of lengthy witness testimony and legal wrangling that lasted four months. Witnesses painted conflicting pictures of Ray, with some describing him as a coach who encouraged participants to do their best to endure the heat but never forced them to remain in the sweat lodge. Others said they learned through breathing exercises, a 36-hour fast, and a game in which Ray portrayed God that they dare not question him and lost the physical and mental ability to care for themselves or others.
Prosecutors contended that Ray ratcheted up the heat to dangerous levels, ignored pleas for help and watched as participants were dragged out of the sweat lodge. Ray's attorneys suggested that toxins or poisons contributed to the deaths, but jurors said that theory was not credible.
Ray's attorneys made at least nine requests for a retrial or mistrial based on what they say were errors by the prosecution. While Darrow ruled that prosecutors broke disclosure rules, he rejected each of the defense requests. The case is bound for appeal.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 8d5d5417dc
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David McCarthy
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Re: James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
Related:James Arthur Ray: "I wish I could trade places with 3 that died at my sweat lodge"
By Lateef Mungin, CNN
November 26, 2013
CNN) -- In his prime, about five years ago, James Arthur Ray could draw a crowd of thousands. He was on the New York Times Best Sellers list. He had Oprah's stamp of approval.
To get the best out of people, the self-help guru was known for pushing them past their limits.
But in October 2009, Ray pushed too far. Three people died.
And Ray was sentenced to 20 months in prison for negligent homicide.
James Ray: I didn't know about dangers
Inside the Sweat Lodge Tragedy
Just months out of prison, Ray, 56, sat down with CNN's Piers Morgan on Monday night to express remorse.
Families of victims watching as guru in sweat lodge case goes free
"I think the most difficult thing I can ever imagine is investing your entire life in helping people, and then finding them getting hurt," he said. "It's just the antithesis of anything that I had ever stood for or wanted. And so that anguish has continued every single day since that moment."
The death's took place at a sweat lodge ceremony during the Spiritual Warrior weekend at the 70-acre Angel Valley retreat outside Sedona.
It was Ray's recklessness, prosecutors argued, that took the lives of Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, New York; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Lizbeth Marie Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minnesota. At least 15 others who took part in the ceremony became ill.
The lodge, made of willow trees and branches and covered with tarpaulins and blankets, was heated to a perilously high temperature, causing the participants to suffer dehydration and heatstroke, prosecutors said.
They also said Ray didn't monitor the temperature inside the lodge or the well-being of participants and was indifferent to those having trouble.
Ray, sometimes seeming on the verge of tears, admitted that he made mistakes.
"Was I arrogant? Yes. I have that characteristic, I can be arrogant. And I think there's a lot of hubris that comes in my former business. You know, people flying all over the world and asking me how to have a better life," he said. "It tends to go to your head. You know? You tend to think you've got all the answers, and so you get humbled."
But not everybody may be convinced that Ray has changed.
Family members of Brown, Neuman and Shore have said they will keep an eye on him should he attempt to rebuild his self-help empire.
They are upset at some of the practices in the Arizona ceremony that participants shaved their heads, meditated in the desert for 36 hours without food and water and then were told they would symbolically die and be reborn in the sweat lodge ritual, according to court testimony.
Ray said he will not do a sweat lodge again. He said he's lost all the millions he earned doing that work.
"If I could trade places with any of the three, James Kirby or Liz, I would do it," Ray said.
James Arthur Ray: Wish I could trade places with 3 that died at lodge - CNN.com
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/26/us/ja ... interview/
Public Speaking - People Die In James Arthur Ray Sweat Lodge! - Presentation Training - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5EpyLp6 ... 7A7B6#t=30
(EMF) Online Forum • View topic - Has the RSE corporation committed manslaughter?
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2215&p=17178#p17178
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....
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David McCarthy
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Re: James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths
Sweat lodge survivor tells how guru caused three deaths
Five days of fasting, sleep-deprivation and mind-altering exercises: Sweat lodge survivor tells how guru caused three deaths | Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... eaths.html
Sweat lodge survivor describes horror - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wskhWZ2x ... B6&index=7
"they endured "5 days of sleep deprivation, fasting and mind altering breathing exercises"
Sound familiar anyone?“Off to the side, a medical doctor participating in the retreat performed CPR on Shore and Brown with the aid of others. When Bunn asked if she could help because she knew CPR, she was told to stay back.
Ray was standing about 10 feet away, watching, Bunn said.
'He didn't do anything, he didn't participate in helping. He did nothing. He just stood there”
Five days of fasting, sleep-deprivation and mind-altering exercises: Sweat lodge survivor tells how guru caused three deaths | Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... eaths.html
Sweat lodge survivor describes horror - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wskhWZ2x ... B6&index=7
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people....