Ray Arrested: Feb. 06, 2010 For Manslaughter: pleads "not guilty"
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UPDATE: 12-30-2009
- Affadavits paint the picture of that day. Participants were inside the
tent for 8- to 15-minute sessions. Superheated rocks brought the
temperature inside to an estimated 150 degrees, and soon people started
collapsing.
- 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.
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Authorities
and participants have said no one was forced to remain in the sweat
lodge, but they were highly encouraged to stay inside.
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Sheriff's
officials said they found nothing to explain how the three people —
Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y.; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and
Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. — died other than the extreme heat
inside the pitch-black sweat lodge — a 415-square-foot makeshift sauna
covered with tarps and blankets and heated with hot rocks.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?"
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- DATE: 8 OCTOBER 2009
- TIME: (1) - Participants entered the Sweat Lodge at 3:00 PM MST
(2) - 911 was called at about 5:00 PM with emergency vehicles arriving between 5:30 & 7:30 PM
- PLACE: Long: 111º W 52'
Lat: 32º N 48' 03"
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- The people who came for the Sweat Lodge got to Angel Valley on October 3rd, 2009 and checked in at 4:00 PM.
- Sunday through Tuesday afternoon was spent taking in Lectures & Seminars. Then, on Tuesday evening, at 10:00 PM, the "Vision Quest" began.
- The people were lead around the canyons in around the area and spent 36 hours fasting and doing "spiritual exercises".
- Thursday at daybreak, they got breakfast (eggs, fruit, cereal, and were told to drink lots of water). After breakfast ... more seminars.
- Then at 3:00 PM on Thursday, the Sweat Lodge itself began.
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Click Image to Enlarge FirePit inside Sweatlodge |
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- 64 people were crammed inside this small area (roughly 450 SQ ft) and all were huddled around this firepit.
- According to Ray ... this "sweatlodge" was built for up to 75 people.
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- The Sweat Lodge was conducted in 15 minute "rounds". Initially, 12 large "rocks were saturated with water with sandalwood thrown on top (for an incense like effect) and there was no opening to the lodge except during the intervals between "rounds" when more rocks were introduced. A total of 58 rocks were found inside. A nurse from Ray's staff was inside the dome during the exercise.
- 64 people went inside and initially 21 were reported to have been taken to the hospital.
- The door frame of the sweat lodge "dome" was of wood; tarps and blanket covered the structure. 3 people died, 2 women and one man.
- Within one hour one hour, people started vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing. But, Ray encouraged everyone to stay inside. Inside was total darkness. From that darkness; was heard: "I can't get her to move. I can't get her to wake up". Ray's response? "Leave her alone, she'll be dealt with in the next round".
- When one participant crawled toward the flap to lift it to get some air; Ray was heard to ask; who is letting the light in and committing a "sacrilegious act"?
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Initial Report
| ANGEL VALLEY, ARIZONA "SPIRITUAL WARRIOR" SWEAT LODGE RETREAT Update 10-16-2009: Police say the deaths were "not an accident" Homicide Investigation underway: 3 Dead
- JAMES ARTHUR RAY (author of The Secret)
- DOB: 22 November 1957 (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- Angel Valley Retreat:
111º W 52' 40" / 32º N 48' 03"
- Date of Incident: 8 October 2009
- Sweat Lodge Entered: about 3:00PM MST
- 2 People Collapse without pulse: about 5:00 PM & 911 was called.
- Fire Crews, responding to a 911 call; arrived about 5:30 PM to find CPR being administered to 2 victims.
- The Angel Valley Retreat Center was rented to James Ray for his "Spiritual Warrior" program which he hosted . The "Sweat Lodge" was 415 square feet and for 2 hours, that Thursday night, 64 people inhaled sandalwood & smoke in the sauna-like environment.
2 died at the scene (ages 38 & 40) while 21 others were hospitalized. This sweat lodge was built to hold 75 people. It had a wooden frame with tarps or plastic sheeting and blankets covering the outside.
- 21 victims were hospitalized for symptoms ranging from dehydration to kidney & organ failure. Others were treated for burns, respiratory arrest, & elevated body temperature. Autopsies have ruled out carbon monoxide.
- James Ray has a company called "James Ray International" based in Carlsbad, California. The Angel Valley Retreat Centre is owned by Michael & Amayra Hamilton, who rented it to Ray for a 5-day "Spiritual Warrior" Retreat. Hamilton says that Ray has held this event at her resort for 7 years without any problems. Other Reports contradict this assertion.
A flap was raised every 15 minutes to bring in more rocks. Water and Sandalwood were then thrown onto the hot, cantaloupe sized rocks. The Sweat Lodge was 53 inches high at the centre and about 30 inches high at the outer edges.
- The "spiritual warriors" (ages: 30's - 60's) fasted for 36 hours then had a breakfast buffet. They went to seminars, then entered the Sweat Lodge at 3PM where "Spiritual exercises" were conducted. On Tuesday, Oct 6th; at about 10:00 PM,, the "spiritual warriors" were taken into canyons around the compound to start their fast. On Thursday morning at Sunrise, they had: eggs, fruit, & cereal and were told to drink lots of water.
- The 2 hour Sweat Lodge ceremony took place on the final day of a 5 day "Spiritual Warrior" Program for which participants paid $9,695.00 per person...that is the price listed for the next program on Ray's website. Ray had stated that the Angel Valley Retreat offered an ideal environment for his teachings.
- With 64 participants, at $9,695 a person; That's $620,480.00 for Ray for the 5 day retreat. Ray was making $124,096.00 a day for his efforts.
- NOTE: Typically, a usual sweat lodge ceremony has between 4 - 12 people and only lasts about an hour. Also: no plastic is used. The ceremony is meant to be spiritual in nature, with no money involved.
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James Ray's Assistant Tells What Happened |
Click On Arrow to View Interview
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Texas Orthodontist, Beverley Bunn (Kirby Brown's Roomate) Survived The Ordeal and Gives Her Account |
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Click to Enlarge: James Ray |
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Click Image to Enlarge Sweat Lodge |
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Click Image to Enlarge Dismantled Sweat Lodge |
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"Another Son of a Preacher Man ..."
- The son of an Oklahoma preacher, poor; they lived in the church office according to Ray's own book. Ray observed his father working to help others but had no money for haircuts for Ray and his brother.
- Ray started a business called James Ray International in Carlsbad, California in 1992. The self-help industry takes in $11.3 billion a year. In 2005; $1.5 million of that was Ray's from his books, seminars and conferences.
- Then in 2006 Ray appeared in a documentary called "The Secret" wherein he and others promoted the philosophy that positive thinking will get you good things in life....oh, and he also appeared on OPRAH. His income suddenly jumped to $9.4 million as of 2007.
- Ray gives free 2 hour workshops in the U.S. and Canada. As of October 2009, Ray had conducted 41 of these events and 10,913 people showed up. Then; from that group of "freebees", 1,752 people enrolled in Ray's 2-day Harmonic Wealth Weeked at $1,297.00 a person which introduces people to Rays "Journey of Power Experience". So that's
$2,272,344.00 right there! Then, between August 2008 and August 2009; 3,281 people showed up for "Journey to Power" events. You do the math.
- For those that can't see him comin', Ray is a powerful motivator. Above are 2 video interviews with one of his assistants and one of the survivors of this sweat lodge tragedy. They speak about how they were impacted by James Ray then and now ... "before & after".
To quote one participant: "I think when you see someone who writes books and has CD's and has been on 'Oprah', I think you make an assumption about their qualifications".
He shouldn't feel too bad ... apparently 'Oprah' made the same assumptions. One might contend that the ability to make money is not mutually exclusive to having bad judgment. She is retiring at the end of this last season. Oprah says its cold in Chicago and she has a mansion in Montecito.
- According to the experts: the people that attend/fall prey to events that are so costly are usually already successful, but; can't seem to figure out just how its really happening.
They may see others who are smarter or more talented but who aren't making it the way they are. They may secretly believe their success (they've got $10,000 to blow on these sweat box seminars & feel good lectures) isn't happening from something they deserve or are doing; but more likely its the "luck of the draw" or "the genes"; on some level its been granted them ... and they really feel insecure, guilty or just plain bad about it.
So these "fortunate few" may fall prey to someone who will tell them they really are meant to have what they have and its all O.K. and they can even go out there and get more! Hey, they can even feel good about doing it! These 64 people paid almost $10,000 to "Feel better about IT" .
- Wonder how many hungry kids that $10,000 might have fed or how many animals might have been rescued? Just askin'.
- One Native American proponent had this to add: "The Native American Tradition exploited for a buck; psycho-babble equals Money in today's Kali Yuga world".
- In the Search for the Spiritual; maybe Spiritual Discernment would probably be a better place to start? Just askin'.
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- Uranus, Neptune, Mars, & Mercury are all in the 23rd Degree
- YOD: Mars Sextile Mercury; Inconjunct to Neptune:
"To Commit Blunders". "The tendency to harm others through falsehood or underhanded behavior"
- Neptune is Rising and Uranus is the Chart Ruler.
- An Interception: Pisces (Survival) in the First (the Self) and Virgo (Critical Thinking) in the Seventh (Others): indicating a "stalemate" or "catch-22" between Personal Survival on the one hand and Discernment (critical thinking) regarding "Others" on the other hand. Whether to risk "open conflict with others" (7th house) or "risk one's own personal survival" ... yet not being able to choose one over the other. Why the dilemma?
- The 2 "double signs" ruling house cusps (created by the Interception) are: Cancer (ruling the 5th & 6th) and Capricorn (ruling the 11th & 12th). The signs ruling the double cusps represent a "dilemma", resulting in lessons needing repeating as represented by the polarity of the double cusp signs. In the case of Cancer-Capricorn:
"an inability to resolve the desire of a child FOR a parent or authority figure combined with a desire TO BECOME an intrinsically worthy, parent or authority figure. So: roughly: Looking for someone to tell you what to do no matter how stupid; versus taking responsibility for one's own decisions and growth. This Interception would suggest that these issues were common to those in this gathered group of people; with lethal consequences for some.
- And what about the "pied piper" of this intrepid group of new age seekers? As the "Leader" (the Sun) is Opposite the "People" (the Moon); they really were never on the same page to begin with. The Leader (sun) is in the 8th and in fact; he comes to an end. Not only does he take a powder when things get rough; but the People (moon) get plastered all over the airwaves and the Internet as they go public (1st) and tell their story.
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Click Image To Enlarge Radix Chart |
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An amazing Dial chart. The MH = 67º 31' = AriesMost of the Info is on the Dial Itself: What is below wouldn't fit:
- Mars/ASC = Uranus: "To Intimidate Others". "Sudden Injury".
- Node/Kronos: = Uranus: "Sudden connections with the Authorities"
- Aries/Uranus = Saturn: "Sudden Events leading to separations"
- Mercury/Pluto = Saturn: "To Come to the Conclusion its time to Get Away or Leave"
- Saturn/EQA = Cupido: "Separation or to Leave a dwelling and then the area"
- Mercury/MH = EQA: "Discourse & Opinions Exchanged with Others; getting advice & information"
- Kronos/Poseidon = Hades: "Cultures of the Past: but a low or base endeavor"
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Click Image to Enlarge Chart |
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- July 25, 2009 - 1:40 PM: A Minnesota Woman (Colleen Conaway) jumps to her death from a San Diego Mall balcony. She was in town and attending one of Ray's Seminars. She had no ID on her when she jumped (None of the Sweat Lodge Participants did either). Ray & his staffers left the mall, knowing she was missing from the group. 2 Days earlier, Conaway was said to be "just fine, her normal self".
- May 2005: Disney World; A Woman (Diane Konopka) shatters her hand after Ray kept pushing her to break a board "to overcome her self-esteem issues" . After feeling humiliated and exhausted, she felt she had to "obey" Ray. She sued for an undisclosed amount which was settled in 2007.
- After the Sweat Lodge Incident, Ray high-tailed it out of town, contacting no one, speaking to no one ... abandoning the victms & survivors. He never contacted the authorities to give a statement (though he lied and told Kirby's relatives he was cooperating with the authorites & had already done so); he never spoke to the survivors. Ray sent Kirby's family a letter stating he had made a donation to the Surf Rider Foundation in honor of Kirby Brown; they never got the donation.
Ray also tried to give Kirby's family $5,000 for "expenses". Kirby had, of course spent double that to attend tjhe Sweat Lodge. Recently; Ray hired "channelers" to go the site of the Sweat Lodge and contact the "recently departed participants"; whom, duly stated: They had decided to "leave their bodies during the ceremonies" and "couldn't be happier".
| More Fated Matters:
- Saturn/Uranus: Leaving, Departing or Dying
- Vulcanus/ASC: Intimidated or Pushed by Forceful Influences in the Immediate Surroundings
- Jupiter/Admetos: To get into difficulties through gladly spent money & Seclusion
- Mercury/Poseidon: The Status of the Mental or Spiritual Perception
- Patagonia resident Sidney Spencer is still alive. She had to be air lifted out of Angel Valley and taken to a hospital in Flagstaff. Sydney suffered multiple organ failures, neurological issues and developed difficulty talking. She is recovering with family in Tuscon.
So, Is There A Moral To This Story? Unfortunately; "The Usual"
- Glib & Ambitious but Greedy Snake-Oil Salesman Dupes Would-Be Spiritual Seekers, Lacking in Spiritual Discernment, Common Sense, or Sufficient Executive Functioning.
- Too Easily Dazzled & Impressed by Those Who Are A Bit Better Informed Than They Are; Believing Celebrity Hype whenever Possible & Being a Media-Dream Believer. You Know, all it takes is $10.000 and you too can become Enlightened!
Thus giving weight to that old adage: What You Don't Know .... CAN... Hurt You!
Well, now, at least you know a little more than you did before! ← Is it just me; or can you smell it too?
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