Tag Archives | James Arthur Ray

Trial Of New Age Guru Reveals Bizarre Practices

By majestic on March 9, 2011 in News 10

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office photo of James Arthur Ray, after his arrest on manslaughter charges. In October 2009 reports of mutliple deaths at an Arizona sweat lodge retreat led by New Age guru James Arthur Ray (one of the “teachers” in the hit movie and book The Secret) rocked the self help world. Now that he’s on trial, details of his bizarre practices are emerging. Mark Duncan reports for the Daily Courier:

Echoes of a lost life hung thickly over Judge Warren Darrow’s courtroom Tuesday after a jury heard the recorded voice of Kirby Brown, one of three people who died after a sweat lodge ceremony near Sedona in 2009.

The deaths led to charges of manslaughter against noted motivational speaker and author James Arthur Ray, who has pleaded not guilty.

“When we started the (Samurai) game, I was like you,” Brown said on the recording, which was made just before she and the other attendees entered the sweat lodge. It is a segment from recordings made during four days of Ray’s October 2009 Spiritual Warrior Retreat.

… Read the rest

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James Arthur Ray, New Age Guru, In Court To Defend Sweat Lodge Manslaughter Charges

By majestic on February 5, 2010 in News 0

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office photo of James Arthur Ray, after his arrest on manslaughter charges.

Maybe we’ll finally learn what really went on inside the infamous Arizona retreat held by one of the teachers from The Secret, James Arthur Ray, now that he’s in court, although so far he’s keeping quiet. From Forbes:

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — Self-help guru James Arthur Ray says it was all a tragic accident when his followers began collapsing one by one in a sweat lodge at his retreat, with three of them dying. As unfortunate as the ordeal was, he says the participants knew about the risks the ceremony presented.

Prosecutors say it’s a blatant case of manslaughter by a man who recklessly crammed dozens of people in a 400-square-foot sweat lodge and chided them for wanting to leave, even as people were vomiting, getting burned by hot rocks and lying lifeless on the ground.

… Read the rest

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For Some Seeking Rebirth, Sweat Lodge Was End

By majestic on October 22, 2009 in News 4

A little bit late to the party, the New York Times finally reports on the now infamous James Arthur Ray sweat lodge death scandal, managing to dig up some rather peripheral figures such as Page Bryant, a psychic in Waynesville, N.C., “who was among the first to claim in the 1980s that Sedona had several “vortexes” of high energy — the initial lure for the legions of seekers … [and] became fed up and left nearly two decades ago ‘because of the craziness I saw going on in the New Age community.’”

The Times does fill in some details I haven’t seen reported elsewhere though, so for those still interested in the rise and likely fall of Mr. Ray (star of ‘The Secret’ and profiled in the disinformation book Beyond The Secret), here’s an excerpt:

SEDONA, Ariz. — Midway through a two-hour sweat lodge ceremony intended to be a rebirthing experience, participants say, some people began to fall desperately ill from the heat, even as their leader, James Arthur Ray, a nationally known New Age guru, urged them to press on.

… Read the rest

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James Arthur Ray’s Sweat Lodge Death Count Rises

By majestic on October 18, 2009 in News 2

I posted a story earlier this week about new age guru James Arthur Ray’s culpability in the Arizona sweat lodge deaths. Now a third victim has died, as reported by the BBC:

A woman taken to hospital with multiple organ failure after attending a spiritual retreat in Arizona has died.

Forty-nine-year-old Liz Neuman was one of 21 people taken to hospital after the sauna-like experience on 9 October.

It brings the total number of deaths from the event, run by self-help expert James Ray, to three.
The deaths at the Angel Valley Retreat Center, 115 miles north of Phoenix, are being treated as homicides, but no charges have been laid.

Emergency services were called to the sweat lodge after some of the 50 people at the event reported they were having difficulty breathing.

Those taken to hospital were said to have illnesses ranging from dehydration to kidney failure.

… Read the rest

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New Age Mafia Rivalry Causes Deaths?

By majestic on October 15, 2009 in News 3

Long time visitors to this site will know that Jaye Beldo has been a contributor and friend for many years. These days he runs lavacocktail.com and is reporting a bizarre story about one of the stars of the movie/book phenomenon The Secret (for more on that check out the disinformation book Beyond The Secret):

A new mafia rivalry may be to blame for a couple of sketchy, sweaty deaths.

Two people recently died at a “sweat lodge” retreat in Arizona hosted by New Age author James Arthur Ray. He charged $9,000 a head to stuff 64 people into a tiny, sauna-like room covered in tarps and blankets, promising they’d be spiritually cleansed by the ritual.

Two people died and many suffered oxygen deprivation, but visionary Jaye Beldo thinks a curse may be partly to blame.

In addition to Ray’s own negligence, Beldo believes the retreat was sabotaged by a rival “New Age mafia” that’s jealous of Ray’s success.

… Read the rest

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