A banner put up in honor of Kirby Brown which calls
James Ray to account for the unnecessary deaths of
her and two other sincere trusting people who died at
Ray's "Spiritual Warrior" program. (Photo courtesy of
Lisa Brusseau)
James Arthur Ray, the self-help guru/con-man who presided over the deaths of three of his followers/customers on October 8 in the deadly sweat lodge fiasco in Sedona, AZ is now facing more calls for justice. A Canadian man, Dennis Mehravar, has joined Sidney Spencer's lawsuit, the Oglala Lakota Delegation of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council has brought a new lawsuit against him and his co-defendant Angel Valley Retreat Center, and the family and friends of one of Ray's deceased victims, Kirby Brown, have put three large banners up stating, "BE ACCOUNTABLE JAMES ARTHUR RAY. YOU WERE TRUSTED BY OUR FRIEND KIRBY BROWN AND NOW SHE AND TWO OTHERS ARE DEAD!" One is up on a building that Ray has to see when he goes to his office!
Lisa Brusseau, who was a good friend of Kirby Brown's and who is one of the people responsible for putting the banners up, wrote in an email, "We know there is not one thing we can do that will bring Kirby back... but it is our intention to do whatever we can to make sure that James Arthur Ray never again holds another seminar or retreat as long as he lives. We would also greatly enjoy seeing him penniless and behind bars for his 'sacrilegious act he has committed.'"
The lawsuit filed by the Oglala Lakota Nation is claiming Ray and his co-defendants committed wrongs against them as mentioned in the 1868 U.S. Treaty with the Lakota Nation. The plaintiffs believe that Ray and his co-defendants, in this case his co-defendants are: The United States of America; Attorney General Eric Holder; The State of Arizona; Governor Jan Brewer; Attorney General Terry Goddard;and Angel Valley Retreat Center violated Article 1 of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 by desecrating their "Sacred Onikig'a by causing the death of Liz Neuman, Kirby Brown, and James Shore. (all non-Indians)"
Hopefully these actions of resistance to James Ray will stop other sincere people from falling victim to him and his sales-pitch. However, he still has another "Spiritual Warrior" sweat lodge program scheduled for September 18-23, 2010. Maybe by then he'll be out of business.
Comments
Criminally negligent he may be, but you have no basis for calling this man a "con man." Is this what passes for journalism at Examiner.com? Good to know. Now I know what to avoid.
"Con Man" might not be appropriate, but "Predator" seams to fit. This man stood at the door of the sweat lodge and decided who was to stay and go? Maybe "False Profit" is a better term?
Negligence and manslaughter don't seam to fit???
I agree with Single Mom in a Shoebox. Ray may have his faults, and he may have been very stupid and even delusional, but calling him a con-man is rather presumptuous.
Hey, Chris -- spend 300 hours researching the guy, and you too will see him as a "Con Man".
Calling James Arthur Ray a con man is polite. He's running a pretty standard manipulative fake guru con. Do some research, then dig deeper.
Dear Single-Mom-in-a-shoebox. Its looks like you've been in your shoebox much too long. JAMES ARTHUR RAY!!! is a damn "CON MAN"
I suggest you get back in your shoebox.
Ask James what he use to do in Marietta, Georgia for fun in the early 1990's
There are a lot of people out there who really know this guy before he became a pro con man. I'm sure there are also a lot pics of him that are damaging to his reputation. in those day's he called himself (Jamie).
Even his calf muscles are fake, ask him about the implants he got in 1991
Bob: Interesting that you would be allowed to continue publishing such a wildly opinionated and undisciplined rant. Perhaps Examiner needs to vet their writers more responsibly. This piece, like so many of yours--is filled with half-truths, rumors, innuendo and zero fairness or perspective. You don't bother with labeling James Ray an "alleged" deadly con-man. You label him guilty without a trial-by decree as it were. You should be ashamed to be writing such stuff. This is not news--it is raw opinion and you act as newsmakers judge, jury, and conscience. Who are you to do anything other than present the facts to your readers and leave the legal sentencing and trial to the professionals? Report the news--don't make it. Examiner must concerned about potential legal expenses. I recommend a beginners journalism class!!
This guy is a con-man if I ever saw one (my opinion). I think the Nakota nation is right to sue him for stealing and bastardising their ceremony for his fat wallet. He also stole from many other scacred traditions, and true, honest, humble teachers such as Byron Katie. He stole from her too and because he had no clue of how to use a sacred practice she created, a woman commited suicide while doing Ray's bastardised version in July of this year.
Let this be a wake-up call to the whole retarded "guru" industry.
This "Examiner" has low-life so-called, "reporters" writing for them.
"We know there is not one thing we can do that will bring Kirby back... but it is our intention to do whatever we can to make sure that James Arthur Ray never again holds another seminar or retreat as long as he lives. We would also greatly enjoy seeing him penniless and behind bars for his 'sacrilegious act he has committed.'"
What a mean, vicious person! What I think is sacrilege and profane is that this friend of Ms. Brown would make a banner with her photo and plaster on an overpass! That, to me is committing a sacrilegious act! This is not honoring Ms Brown in any way. It's displaying her death in a disgusting way as a mockery...a circus act! Why not treat her death with some type of dignity and honor?!
I agree completely with you, CarolAnne. I understand that the victim's families are angry, but to go this far? It's ugly. They tell him to "be accountable" There is a criminal investigation going on--even if James Ray wanted to say anything, he wouldn't be able to. I would assume everything he does or says "can and will be used against him" Even though so many want to condemn him, James Ray did not intentionally murder these people. To be so vicious in attacking him is not going to bring anyone back, nor help the pain of loss. The entire thing is sad for all involved. Mr Ray may still be breathing, but he lost every part of the life he knew, too. I know that makes many people happy. Human nature at its best! Sad and pathetic.
I still just cant believe how he handled this - how can he just leave the scene etc.. ?
I think this would look a lot different if he would have stayed there with them , went to hospital,Been totally involved -- Shown he cared ,taken responsibility , grieved with the family's went to the funerals ....(even if he didnt really mean it )
This looks like a totally subconsious sabatoge on his part.
This is what really has me puzzled .
how he can just not be available and be HIDING !
He is really MAKING IT SO MUCH WORSE !
What would I have done if I had been the person in charge of this event that had gone so unintentionally bad? I haven't been able to honestly answer this question, because NO ONE knows what they would've done. Sure it's easy to say, in retrospect, how differently you would've handled this. OF COURSE you would've stayed there and assisted the ailing. You would've went to the hospital, attended the funerals and grieved w/the victim's families--because they would have appreciated your presence and allowed you to grieve right along with them! Yes. Sure. Nice thoughts, but not a likely or possible scenario. I'm positive, at the moment James Ray realized this was a major tragedy, he went into shock. Who wouldn't have? I'm also quite sure he was instructed by his lawyer not to talk until it could be determined what was going on. Immobilized by his own fear, he listened to the instructions of what he should, which he did. I don't believe there were any other choices for him.
James Ray is finally doing what he has promised. This tragedy will absolutly increase Ray's future would-be client's financial wealth. He is increasing peoples wealth by merely ceasing and desisting from conning them into giving it to him. Their physical health is improved too as they don't have to undergo his sickening exercises.
This, as all tragedies will protect people (in this case from Ray) in the future. In that respect there is some positive meaning and outcome to deaths and illnesses that occurred in Sedona. They died so others may live or not get sick in the future.
Do you think that maybe he HAS to "hide" because whatever he --would've done-- did-- or tries to do-- will never be good enough to so many people? Unfortunately, he can't undo what happened, but when he sent the gesture of money to the victim's families to help pay for some expenses, he was condemned. If he would've given more or less $$, he still would've been condemned. "No good deed goes unpunished" is a true statement.
Btw, there is no "making it worse". That was the starting point the day this tragedy happened.
Amayra Hamilton, one of the owners of Angel Valley Retreat Center stated, “We feel that filing whatever lawsuits against whoever can be sued, is NOT (her emphasis) a solution for a theme that needs to be addressed by each and everyone of us, yourself included: do we listen to ourselves what is right for us, and, as a leader, do we listen to our hearts and be aware of our responsibility? As we see it, acting and reacting based on judgment, anger and revenge is not honoring those who lost their lives, on the contrary. We truly want to honor the ones who died AND (her emphasis) the native traditions that feel offended and hurt, which we understand, we have chosen to approach it from our heart and make something positive out of what happened. That is the path we choose to walk. We highly appreciate that the indigenous people and those who feel a strong connection with them, get together to show the world the beauty of their traditions, to share the essence and power of their ceremonies and
(cont')...power of their ceremonies and increase awareness. That, if we all do learn our lesson, may prevent that incidents like what occurred would ever happen again.”
AGREE!
OMG... I would love to speak with you... I also have stories and would love to hear yours...
It seems you have stirred up the hornet's nest, Bob. Good for you! Stand up for what you believe, despite not-so-veiled threats of law-suits and insults about your journalistic expertise. If anyone does their homework, they will agree with the opinions you offer in your article. (someone needs to do their homework on Byron Katie, by the way) Hitting these money-worshiping, wolves in sheep's clothing in their pocketbook is EXACTLY the correct thing to do. It's obvious, from the comments, that the spin-doctors and apologists are working overtime; thanks for your side of the issue.
Read the New York Times article entitled "For Some Seeking Rebirth, Sweat Lodge Was End ". Stunning and revealing, to say the least. A 2007 Spiritual Warrior attendee describes the following: "She 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"
BTW ... Things have changed over at JRI. The doors are locked and all the signage has been removed from the building! We will probably find him grieving in a hole under a house like Saddam Hussein? I bet he wishes he would have stayed with the group at the hospital. He would have been able to live through this with a little bit of dignity!
The threat now is James Ray will probably flee the country.
BTW ... Things have changed over at JRI. The doors are locked and all the signage has been removed from the building! We will probably find him grieving in a hole under a house like Saddam Hussein? I bet he wishes he would have stayed with the group at the hospital. He would have been able to live through this with a little bit of dignity!
Robin and SaraL; I agree with you in some ways, AND if you have read how James Ray has acted throughout his retreats and seminars, through his ego, with manipulations etc., then you probably would have thought otherwise. This is big wake up call to "well meaning" spiritual leaders. Though I have done extensive research into this matter and James, and see that he fell real hard for several years ago. But many of us human being don't see the manipulation with his charm, beautiful and powerful NLP'ing. He is also very extreme, and I am not surprised this tragedy happened... Also, it will be interesting to see if he is truly deeply spiritual, and walks his talk about taking responsibility. And he was not the only person in shock. Everyone was, and everyone tried to help.
Athena,thanks for your insight on this subject, but I question your comments by asking you if you have ever even attended any of JR's seminars? I'd say anyone teaching any subject could be considered egotistical and manipulative, depending on the recipients perceptions. People can't base James Ray's entire life/career/character on this tragic event.(though many are)
If you went out and killed some people while driving your car, would you want everyone judging your entire life on that one terrible event that you didn't intend to happen?
I know he wasn't the only person in shock, but he was THE person in charge of this event and his position was unlike any of the others. You can't compare. Maybe he didn't react in what would be considered a "correct way", but everyone acts differently in crisis.We have no idea what really occurred-who helped who didn't, etc. No one knows, but everyone keeps making their own assumptions based on pure opinion/ignorance.People seem to thrive on trag
It's amazing to me that people were so quick in calling James Ray a vicious, crazy, con man murderer, but this guy, HASAN murders 13 people in cold blood and with great INTENT and no one is talking about it!!! Crazy ass world!!
Robin, you seem to be either naive, not very educated, or have led a sheltered life if you think "No one knows, but ... etc" and worst of all "If you went out and killed some people while driving your car, would you want everyone judging your entire life on that one terrible event that you didn't intend to happen?".
Do you know you are inherently excusing "drunk driving?" by making such a statement?
You're not one of James Rays groupies are you? You sound like one.
You are evidently the naive, uneducated one here! I was not referring to a drunk driver!! I was OBVIOUSLY stating an example of another tragic type of event that could occur to ANY ONE at any time! An unintentional accident. Also, unless YOU were there, NO ONE does know exactly what happened. Were YOU there? You sound like you're as educated as the self proclaimed 'writer' of this article. Pitiful.
Hopefully James Aurthur Ray will not only be tried by public opinion, but by a jury of his peers? Robin says, "I'm positive, at the moment James Ray realized this was a major tragedy, he went into shock." Yes he did, He just killed 3 and injured 20? I call it drunk driving with a commercial license and fleeing the scene of a crime?? Robin, Step away from the Bong!!!
While saddened, not at all shocked having had a taste of several seminars, yet still attempting not to judge. Beyond that, 94% are already dehydrated even drinking enough water, then you take that away for nearly 2 days and enter a sweat lodge and wonder what happened. I fully believe in accountability, self-responsibility, common sense and never giving your power away to anyone or anything. Having difficulty understanding lawsuits by anyone other than attendees and/or them being against anyone/thing other than James Ray.
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