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People Still Signing Up for Guru's Sweat Lodges

James Arthur Ray is out recruiting, and audiences are buying, despite deaths

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 22, 2009 5:43 AM CDT
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(Newser) – James Arthur Ray has hardly missed a beat since three people died in one of his sweat lodge ceremonies two weeks ago: The self-help guru is back on the road peddling his workshops, and many members of his audience seem unfazed by the deaths. "When you're pushing the limits, unfortunately, things can happen," one who recently signed up for a workshop tells the Los Angeles Times. "I'd rather live that life than be a couch potato."

The sweat lodge tragedy fits into Ray's oft-told story of triumphing over adversity, and he admitted at a recent recruitment session, with tears in his eyes, "I've taught that we're all going to have adversity and we can't run from it. I've certainly learned a lot in the past 10 days." But opponents of Ray's line of work are still hopeful, as one says, "that this will put a chilling effect on the self-help industry."

This Sept. 2007 picture picture provided by Rev. Meredith Ann Murray shows her with James Arthur Ray at the Spiritual Warrior Course at Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Ariz.
This Sept. 2007 picture picture provided by Rev. Meredith Ann Murray shows her with James Arthur Ray at the Spiritual Warrior Course at Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Ariz.   (AP Photo/Courtesy of Meredith Ann Murray)
This Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 picture shows the road leading to the Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Ariz.
This Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 picture shows the road leading to the Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona, Ariz.   (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
This undated photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows a sweatbox structure at Angel Valley resort in Sedona, Ariz.
This undated photo provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office shows a "sweatbox" structure at Angel Valley resort in Sedona, Ariz.   (AP Photo/Yavapai County Sheriff's Office)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
bewilderbeast
Oct 23, 2009 10:53 AM CDT
as long as they haven't had kids already, @Storm - in which case it's too late and they simply qualify as dorks. And @ultra is right: Where are the cops, dammit?
Nelstorm
Oct 22, 2009 5:13 AM CDT
When they keel over, these people should be nominated for a Darwin Award.
Yourself
Oct 22, 2009 3:18 AM CDT
i've experienced a sweat lodge, and the idea of paying that much money is INSANE, seeing as I did it for free. I can't imagine what the hell is wrong with the people that were there and didn't stop him when shit hit the fan. I can't imagine why people let it go so far into a mess. This whole story doesn't make sense to me, not one bit!

Channeler: Victims chose not to return to bodies because 'they were having so much fun'
New York Times

 
death • self-help • deaths • James Arthur Ray • sweat lodge • sweat lodge survivor

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