A survivor
James Arthur Ray promised his sweat lodge experience would be transformational and he was right. In his last sweat lodge experience, three people died.
What are we to make of this over-the-top New Age guru and his kind? This article lays out the story well, but leaves us with a lot of questions about New Age entrepreneurs like Ray.
“Start living in harmony right now, and know that everything you want is within your reach.” That was a key message Ray offered. But who was he offering it to?
Mainly rich folks. His retreats cost between $10,000 and $20,000. You have to already possess quite a bit prosperity before you could take a trip with James Ray. So why did people do it? For self-improvement or a need to become even more prosperous? Maybe some were spending their life savings for a chance to be close to a New Age guru.
Ray told followers he planned to become the first new-age billionaire. In March 2009, Ray bought a 7,234 sq ft house in Beverly Hills for $4m. But it seems that the dark trickster caught up with the proposal: How about a small concrete cell to work off some karma?
We’re not against wealth or even opposed to obtaining a prosperous life through writing New Age self-help books. We’d be hypocrites to say otherwise. Yet, it seems that Ray’s life was not so different from born-again Christian evangelists who promise the world and the beyond as long as you can pay.
yes i agree, we can get caught up chasing the experience we never stop to consider the people behind it…until of course it is too late. i am not above religeous leaders being paid, i think we starve many of them in our self imposed humility but i do think material wealth often gets in the way of spiritual health
Nicely put, Brian!
I’m amazed…….I have to say that as an artist, I appreciate the intense beauty of things like Gothic Cathedrals……….I’m glad they built these beautiful places of worship. But it’s a long way, if you think of it, from Jesus of Nazareth, a wandering teacher who slept where he found a place to sleep, ate what he was offered, and never charged anything for his teachings. The Buddha was the same.
The Lakota sweat lodge is a way to purify oneself as a preparation for spirit and spiritual contact – one goes through a series of sweat lodges, for example, prior to undertaking a visionquest, the “calling for vision” in the wild. Harmony has to do with coming into Good Relationship with the tribe, family, and “all my relations”, all beings within one’s physical and spiritual environment. That’s considered the highest value, the only thing to really want. Ray so very much perverted, and dishonred, this wonderful tradition.
Dishonored, for sure. Desecrated might be closer to what he did.
oh, i, too, as an artist, as a human being can more than appreciate the absolute beauty of a magnificent architectural creation – and do – just as i do appreciate any other work of art – good point on buddha and jesus – you know, for a number of years, in certain sectors of the religious communities in the south, anyway, teenagers have worn these bracelets [rather like the friendship bracelet thing] that read WWJD – what would jesus do – in this case, i think i know – and you mention the lakota – just reminds me of my recent trip to north carolina where i met for the first time several members of one branch of my paternal family – seems our NC mcgalliard family also includes a large number of cherokee women and it was absolutely wonderful hearing some of the stories of the customs and beliefs of these family members some of whom were very well respected by all as great mid-wives – and i can’t wait to get to know more of these relatives from yesteryear –
BLERGH! If anyone should follow anything, it is their own heart and inner guidance. Surely, there would have been some part of their energy system screaming “GET OUT OF THIS TENT”
BTW, Site just took forever again, but didn’t crash.
M. too busy to look at my laptop atm.
OK, good to know. Thanks, Nat.
This story really bothered me when it came out.
I have been reading a lot lately and everything I keep reading comments that it is
desire for material things and wealth that slow our progress down.
I just dont know how anyone could think that by paying that much money it will enlighten you. For me that is one indication that it was suspect!
It upsets me when people take advantage of others like that.
Congratulations on your new book coming out in August, I cannot wait and I plan on buying the workbook for my 2 dearest friends and my daughters! You really are writing about important things that can open the doors to people without scaring them
It sort of boggles the mind that people think 10 grand buys you enlightenment!
And thanks, Vicki!
I read an article that estimated that it costs over $400,000 to achieve “enlightenment” in Scientology (which they term “thetan-free” or “clear”).
The mistress of disgraced politician John Edwards, Rielle Hunter, was a “New Age practitioner.” She would call her New Age guru long distance every time she bought a meal at a restaurant to ask if it was good for her to eat. It was pretty ridiculous her dependency on her guru, who charged beaucoup bucks for his “esteemed” and “enlightened” advice.
400K! Wow. So is that what tom cruise pays? I didn’t know this about Rielle. Bizarre.
The stuff about Rielle Hunter was written in Andrew Young’s book “the Politician.” He was the loyal political aide to John Edwards who was tasked with keeping Rielle away from John and Elizabeth as well as the press. His description of her matched my impression of her when I first read about her during the scandal. She’s a flaky party girl who likely read “The Secret” and became “spiritual” because of it! She gives the New Age movement a bad name. Or contributes to the bad image.
The number on the Scientology is how much it costs to take every auditing course that will pronounce you to be “Thetan-free” or “Clear”. I’m sure Cruise paid far more than that to the organization. But celebrities can afford Scientology. The average human being cannot. I’d rather keep my “thetans” and use the money to travel or to enjoy life or to help those less fortunate than me.
Thanks for the info, sansego. It sounds like a book I should read!
What the heck is a THETAN?!
According to L. Ron Hubbard, an evil warlord ruled the galaxy tens of millions of years ago. Aliens were dispersed throughout the galaxy and found a home in volcanoes on earth. Each human born on this planet is “infected” with this spirit, called “Thetans” and the ultimate goal is to spend $400,000 in auditing classes to be pronounced “thetan-free” or “clear.” Tom Cruise is supposedly at that level and beyond.
Like L. Ron famously said, the quickest way to become a millionaire is to create your own religion. He sure couldn’t do it writing second-rate sci-fi crap!
Years ago, one of my 8th grade english students came to me and confided she’s gone to a scientology meeting and would I please come with her to the next one? I told her I had a prior commitment and then begged her not to get involved.
I wish I knew what had happened to her. I wish I had done more than I did to discourage her.
I guess a lot of people are looking for ‘something’ though that are not too sure what it is. By charging a high sum it makes it appear to be something of value – so people fall for it. (It’s a ‘good’ sales technique). I prefer to follow my own path but many want to be led and are desperate for someone to tell them exactly what to do, so they hand over their cash. The religions are mostly failing peoples’ needs, so the not so reputable step in and fill the void.
I have never “followed” anyone. I read many different things by different authors, but have never felt I wanted to put too much faith in any one person. This case is exactly what is wrong with doing that. To blindly follow what someone tells you to do – all the while your little voice is screaming to get out of there – flies in the face of intuition. This guy was all ego. He just found a way to capitalize on it.
Karma. It can be a bitch sometimes…
he, along with many many others like him, found the way – and the audiences – and then, what of the audiences who pay??? well, i’ve said enough above – but –
Many Native Americans are profoundly angry at this tragic abuse, and complete misrepresentation, of their sacred purification ceremony. “Start living in harmony right now, and know that everything you want is within your reach.” …… how on earth can people fork over $10,000.00 greedy dollars, in a world of so much need and inequality, expecting to “get everything you want”, and equate that with harmony or “spiritual” anything?
I’ve followed this case for a while, and I agree with you that we are conditioned to accept authority as somehow having the “truth”. I think we also are a culture, created by marketing and consumerism, where people are conditioned to “buy” easy answers and instant fixes, be it a new pill, or a new guru with “the answer”. Thanks for posting!
great point on the native american perspective – i can only imagine as all their systems/beliefs/lives have been desecrated by this culture – the white culture – but look at the christian religion – as an example, the golden idol notwithstanding, the tenets of that religion to not worship the very thing they uphold the most – one has only to look at the gold and imported marble-inlaid cathedrals as but one example of greed and money idolizing within mainstream religious america and/or even new age spiritualism – what i am trying – poorly albeit it – is that, to me, any religion that requires the equivalent of palaces and castles and cathedrals the size of mt rainer in which to “worship” are already “worshipping” the very thing they allege to not be worshipping – the almighty dollar – i mean, go preach out of a tent and feed the hungry, help the sick and do good for all – work out of the heart rather than the golden mansion – but now, that’s just me –
I agree!
me too!
you’re exactly right – no different – to me, there’s that cult-ish-ness about most of these groups – and the why of it all seems really basic – to me, followers of such figures must be very emotionally/mentally needy and are drawn into the whole “come to the great father” thing of the leader – i’m reminded of the jim jones horror – while these followers certainly were not wealthy, the being drawn in and giving their all was the same – giving all – sadly, their lives –
It struck me that perhaps these people really needed a father figure!?
– T
i don’t even know how to say aloud that word that’s spelled “follow” –