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Homicide investigations continue in James Ray sweat lodge death cases
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Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh is conducting hom-
icide investigations into the three deaths at James Ray's
"Spiritual Warrior" sweat lodge program. (AP Photo)
The deaths of three people who perished in a sweat lodge on October 8 while taking part in self-help guru James Ray's "Spiritual Warrior" program are still being investigated as homicides by the Yavapai County, Arizona Sheriff's Office. The Associated Press reports that the investigations will be completed and forwarded to prosecutors next month. The investigation involves hundreds of interviews and is also looking into past James Ray events. In 2005 at a prior "Spiritual Warrior" sweat lodge program one participant became unconscious and had to be brought to a hospital for medical care.
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office would like former participants who have knowledge of the Spiritual Warrior seminar at Angel Valley Retreat, to contact them by e-mail at www.ycsoaz.gov or Yavapai Silent Witness 1-800-939-3232.
It appears that James Ray hasn't yet spoken to investigators in the case. Instead, Ray hired his own team of investigators of the sweat lodge deadly fiasco and, according to his site, has instructed them to share with the Yavapai County Sheriff what they learn! He's not meeting with them himself. Right after the tragedy happened he "abandoned" his paying customers! Having his representatives meet with the authorities instead of doing it himself is in line with his actions the day of the deaths. He talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.
James Ray associate, Mickey Reynolds, told the CBS program, The Early Show, that after Ray appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show his ego exploded.
The tragic sweat lodge fiasco brought in about half a million dollars for Ray. Ray's income was about $1.5 million a year until he was on The Oprah Winfrey Show. After that endorsement his income shot up to over $9 million! It's sad and it's incredible how much people will unquestioningly trust celebrities like Oprah Winfrey!
One way to protect ourselves from deadly con-men like James Ray is to be more independent. We need to know that in spite of the promotion of heroes that we're supposed to worship and be in awe of, we're all just people. None of us has all the answers. Anyone who pretends they do is nothing but a charlatan. A poster back in the 1960s summed it up well with a picture of the Pope dressed in full regalia sitting on a toilet!
Some books that help give direction in daily life as well as how we relate to "the big picture" and which help people to protect themselves from cults and people like Ray are: Meditations by Roman Stoic Marcus Aurelius; Discourses of Epictetus (another Roman Stoic); The Art of Living by Epictetus; Letters From a Stoic by Seneca; The Age of Reason, The Complete Edition by Thomas Paine.
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