On October 8, just a few weeks ago, three people died and 19 others were hospitalized when self-help wealth and abundance guru James Ray “led” a sweat lodge at a “retreat” called “The Spiritual Warrior” in Sedona, Arizona. Prior to the sweat lodge, participants had just come off a 36-hour fast. There were supposedly more than 60 people in the lodge, and each had paid $9,000 for the experience. Ray was responsible for who left the lodge and when.
I have read that James Ray has gained notoriety by preaching his gospel of abundance on Oprah, Larry King, and "The Secret," the wildly popular guerilla-marketed DVD that introduced many to the Law of Attraction.
I was saddened to hear about this awful loss of life. When I googled James Ray and found his website, I was angered. When I clicked further and saw his video, I became disgusted.
I am no stranger to "The Secret," to abundance consciousness, transformational seminars, and even sweat lodge ceremonies. I’ve paid thousands for my own transformational education, having been through much of the Landmark curriculum and even the New Warrior Training Adventure. I’ve been to Agape Church, which is Ground Zero for the Law of Attraction in Los Angeles, the City of Attraction. So I know whereof I speak.
The profound Dr. Carl Hammerschlag makes some great points about what a sweat lodge ceremony can be like when practiced conscientiously. I invite you to read his blog. He is slightly more generous with Ray than I am. Slightly.
There are many who doubtless will express their grief for the victims more eloquently than I. For me, the biggest charge for me is the terrible God-washing that James Ray, CEO of JRI, a multi-million dollar business, is guilty of. I don’t know the extent to which Ray really believes what he’s teaching, but let me tell you, it’s not what has been understood as spirituality for most of human history.
Watch James Ray’s video for a taste of this God-washing, this spiritual snake oil.
You’ll notice that he talks about such concepts of “The Law of Attraction and the Six Other Laws of the Universe.”
According to Ray, “All true wealth and abundance that you choose for your life is yours for the taking when you understand how the universe works.”
Ray understands how the universe works? And he can boil it down to seven laws? Impressive! Pardon my sarcasm. Or don't.
Ray continues: “Do you ever feel that no matter what you’ve accomplished at this point, that there is still something missing? Well, not to worry. Many people feel the very same way, and quite frankly I did at one point in my own life as well. And then I learned the secret of creating harmonic wealth in my life. That’s a life that is wealthy and abundant in all key areas -- financial, relational, mental, physical and spiritual… Understanding these fundamental laws makes you able to succeed …no matter what happens in the world around you. You can attract complete and total harmonic wealth to you every single time ... Money is the foundation ...
“… True wealth is abundance and prosperity in every single area of your life and this is not only a possibility I assure you, it is an absolute certainty when you have the keys. Once you have the secret, the real secret, your life will never be the same. So all you have to do is fill in your first name, your email address … Come on, you deserve it… And you know what? I’m so confident these technologies and tools will transform every single area of your life, just like they have mine, and countless thousands of others…”
For Ray, “understanding how the universe works” means figuring out a way to get 60 people to pay him $9,000 each (That’s $540,000 for a weekend, folks) and propping himself up as an example of how this prosperity is possible for anyone and everyone.
I don’t have the stomach to research Ray’s teachings to find out what these other six laws of the universe are. I probably don’t have the budget for it either. But I do know a few of the basic laws of spirituality. They are:
- Be humble.
- Trust.
- Look for ways to serve others, without desiring anything back.
- Love, even when it’s uncomfortable and you don’t want to.
- Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things (stuff you need) will be added unto you.
- Financial wealth is not a birthright; rather, it is more likely a hindrance (and face it, it's hell on our natural resources).
Neither Buddha nor Christ, the two most influential spiritual teachers the world has ever known, preach the gospel of abundance. Christ of course promised that his followers would have abundant life, but then again, he also challenged them to sell everything they had, give their money to the poor, and to share their possessions as community (definitely not wealth, says James Ray!). Buddha taught that attachment to wealth and ambition lead to suffering.
Any true law of universe needs to apply right now, to everyone. Not just the out-of-work software engineer, the guy who works in the bakery, or the commodities trader on Wall Street, but also that woman in New Guinea who was publicly gang-raped at gun-point, the child soldier in the Congo, and the guy on death row at Ellis Unit in Texas for a brutal homicide.
James Ray devotes a few pages to the Sedona tragedy on his website, tucked out of the way so as not to compete with his brand. In one of these pages, he says:
“People are throwing out accusations and disparaging me and our mission. Yet despite that, and despite considerable criticism, I have chosen to continue with my work ... I have taken heat for that decision, but if I chose to lock myself in my home, I am sure I would be criticized for hiding and not practicing what I preach …
“I want to use this forum to address the families of those whose lives were lost, James, Kirby and Liz. I have reached out to all of the families personally, but feel the need to say more. I feel your pain. I accept your anger … I believe the best way to honor their amazing lives and everlasting memory is to continue this important work. Please join me in a moment of silence to pay homage to their lives and to pray for the speedy recovery of others taken ill.”
A moment of silence?
Mr. Ray, you are at cause for the death of these three people, and the suffering known only to those who have lost people they loved to the needless, stupid, senseless acts of others. Don’t you think that justifies at least a month of silence? Shut the hell up and take a few months off. You can afford it, I’m sure.
A true “spiritual warrior” understands grief. Evidently you do not.
