James Ray Attracted an Orange Jump Suit
This is James Ray’s Mugshot. Look at the disdain he has on his face. I guess he just isn’t thinking positively enough or he wouldn’t have to wear the colors of a con.
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A great story about the trial of James Ray is at Indian Country News here:
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.
The two sides will be on display in coming months now that prosecutors have charged Ray with manslaughter in a case that could send him to prison for more than 35 years. The 52-year-old Ray said nothing during his first court appearance last week, and his lawyer entered a not guilty plea.
Any evidence of illnesses at prior Ray-led events, cover-up or lying about incidents and testimony that Ray ignored signs of medical distress would bode well for prosecutors.
A detailed investigation found previous injuries at Ray-led events, and witnesses said Ray ignored growing signs that the ceremony had gone terribly wrong.
Should the case go to trial, testimony is expected to include cult experts, medical professionals, psychologists, American Indian sweat lodge leaders, former Ray employees and participants of various Ray-led events.
The ceremony was intended to be almost a religious awakening and the highlight of Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” retreat. About halfway through the ceremony, people began feeling ill, vomiting and collapsing. Three people who never regained consciousness died at hospitals – Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y.; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. Eighteen others were hospitalized.
It would be interesting to see whether the jury is influenced by any claims of brainwashing. The sweat lodge participants had endured five days of fasting, sleep-deprivation and mind-altering breathing exercises before the ceremony began.
For now, Ray remains in an Arizona jail on a $5 million bond – a figure his attorneys want lowered because Ray has no criminal history. He faces three to 121/2 years in prison on each of the three manslaughter charges if he’s convicted, with probation being an option.
How is it that the cult leader who believes so deeply in the laws of attraction finds himself attracted to the possibility of serving a century behing bars?
It’s easy to vilify Mr. Ray and applaud his arrest! Now, at least, he will be tried in court and made to face the consequences of his actions… but what of the REST of the self-help “industrial complex?”
I respectfully submit that we (consumers and producers of self-help) establish the “Association of Self-Help Professionals” or whatever name seems most appropriate to elevate the professional and protect the public.
All that is lacking now is the motivation and leadership. If you consider yourself a self-help expert OR if you are a consumer of self-help products, I urge you to consider working together to turn the Sedona Sweat Lodge deaths into a legacy that salutes the virtuous work of the earliest self-help experts like Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale and Dale Carneige, honors the efforts of legitimate, self-help professionals of today, and turns the deaths of those who died in the Sedona Sweat Lodge… Liz Neuman, Kirby Brown and James Shore into a legacy for the betterment of the self-help profession and society.
Any help you can provide in this regard would be greatly appreciated!
John Curtis, Ph.D.
Americans Against Self-Help Fraud
http://www.selfhelpfraud.com
“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it” – George Bernard Shaw
James Ray is exactly the type who would run and hide if he were let out before trial. He should stay right where he is.
I am a fan of the self-help movement, but I am deeply disgusted with the profiteering that is so prevalent. I guess it must be “ok” because our capitalistic system just makes it so one must have “no limits” on what a necessary income is. I’m sorry, but anyone who needs to make nearly $570,000 from a bunch of people seeking self-improvement/ enhancement has something wrong with himself.
One does NOT build an ipini (sweat lodge) with plastic covering. Anyone would know that such a covering doesn’t breathe. It appears as if the true selfish personality of Mr. Ray is being learned by all. The deaths were so sad and unnecessary. Mr. James Arthur Ray should be held completely responsible. He gives the self-help industry a very bad name. Let this be a lesson for those who are trying to make obscene profits from those who only want to better their lives.
I’ve worked in the self help industry since the early nineties. I met James Ray in ’99 and considered working with him … for a minute. I just couldn’t trade integrity for money as I looked into the face of a sociopath who had learned to see only what he wanted to see, rather than seeing all there is to see. While “mind power” can be beneficial, it can also be detrimental as this tragic incident has proven.
James Ray and others are deliberately harvesting millions of dollars from people who believe that anything is possible, and who feel they deserve everything they desire. James (and for that matter, take a look at Marshall Sylver) actually “want people addicted” to buying from them. They are highly successful at appealing to human greed and manipulating minds to serve their own purposes … ka-ching.