NAFPS Forum

General => Frauds => Topic started by: primrose on May 29, 2008, 11:27:30 am

Title: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: primrose on May 29, 2008, 11:27:30 am
I recently started reading the books from Mary Summer Rain, however I was told on another forun that she is a fraud and was referred to this website.
Is she a fraud?Please tell me.I, to be honest like the books a lot.

Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Laurel on May 29, 2008, 01:14:10 pm
'Fraid so.  The pages below are about cultural piracy in general, and are all good, introductory reading on the subject.  They all mention MSR.

http://www.bluecorncomics.com/newage.htm
 
http://www.awakenedwoman.com/cultural_theft.htm

http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/american_indian_quarterly/v024/24.3aldred.html

Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: primrose on May 29, 2008, 02:25:50 pm
Fair enough but, it only says:
Twinkie authors are quite common and often have a following. Jamie Sams, Ted Andrews, Mary Summer Rain, Sun Bear, and Brook Medicine Eagle are just a few that need to be avoided

What research has been done and where do they base there info on?
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: earthw7 on May 29, 2008, 02:54:10 pm
Summer Rain has been a fraud for a long time can't believe people still read  her stuff.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: educatedindian on May 29, 2008, 02:54:40 pm
This one isn't even close. Her books are widely held up as some of the worst and most stereotypical. Her main character is "No Eyes," an old medicine woman that, conveniently, no one else has ever met and who talks like Tonto:

"No-Eyes gonna be speakin' 'bout spirits who be stupid-dumb."

Many of her followers seem to come from militia types or survivalists, probably because of all those predictions which sound an awful lot like Christian End-of-the-World stuff, or the claims made about (not by) Nostradamus.

----------------------

Review of one of her books:

http://www.amazon.ca/Ancient-Echoes-Anasazi-Book-Chants/dp/1878901877
 Ancient Echoes is not about anything ancient, Mar 7 2000
By  Joseph Weixelman (Wayne State College) - See all my reviews
    
Claiming to contain the wisdom of the Anasazi, Ancient Echoes, is a disappointment. There is nothing ancient in the ideas expressed. Indeed, most of the ideas expressed are New Age ideas with no connection to the Anasazis, who were the ancestors of today's Pueblos. I found this book insulting to anyone who cares about the heritage of the Pueblos or about prejudices European-Americans maintain against Native Americans. The Pueblos hold that they are the descendents of the Anasazi and that the "Ancient Ones" never vanished. Scholars have long recognized the same. The National Park Service that maintains Anasazi archaeological sites at places like Mesa Verde, has also long recognized the link between Anasazis and contemporary Pueblos. Yet, this book ignores this knowledge in favor of the author's whim. Mary Summer Rain claims to have received the chants and prayers of the Anasazi through "spirit memory recall." However, the information this technique brought her does not square with the information Pueblos themselves give or with the information archaeologists can verify. Her chants bear no relation to Pueblo religious practice and her description of Anasazi society contradicts what is known for certain about the Anasazi. The "Anasazi" ceremonies suggested, like the Phoenix Dance, have never been known among the Pueblos. Indeed the very suggestion that this dance was held "twice a year" (p. 125) goes against Puebloan practice (see Alfonso Ortiz, The Tewa World, 1969). Similarly, there is absolutely no evidence that the Anasazi were enamoured with crystals, (pp. 98, 134, 144) that women were "welcomed into the Hunter Society" (p. 22) or that they traveled about in Star Vehicles (pp.118, 188). This book should be classified as fiction, or as a treatise on New Age thought. In no way should this book be taking as a serious portrayal of Anasazi life. Indeed, it perpetuates many stereotypes Europeans have long held regarding Native Americans disregarding the appeals of Native American scholars that non-Indians stop using Indians to legitimize their own beliefs.

----------------

Found this site that says her real name is Mary Leigh and she is Polish.

http://www.everything2.net/index.pl?node_id=1307379
Mary Summer Rain created by gleeme
(person) by gleeme (3.5 mon) (print)     ?   1 C! Fri May 24 2002 at 17:05:23

Full Name: originally Mary Leigh (Polish surname unknown), legally changed to Mary Summer Rain
Born: December 12, 1945 at 3:05 a.m.
Died: N/A, still living
Profession: author
Chosen Genre: 'Native American spirituality' (read: New Age)

Biographical Notes:
Mary Summer Rain is to Native Americans as Silver RavenWolf is to Wiccans. Of course, this comparison falls short in that Wiccans are not a racial/ethnic group, but rather follow a certain ideology by choice... still the comparison is a useful one. Both RavenWolf and Summer Rain have managed to garner some name recognition and a decent number of avid readers who use their texts as reference guides for spiritual practices. Both speak from positions of authority; Summer Rain, who has a measure of Shoshone blood, informs her reader that she is the final recipient of the wisdom of the Chippewa visionary No-Eyes. There's just one problem: even though they wrote with the best of intentions, both RavenWolf and Summer Rain have produced texts that are extremely watered down and overly-simple. The stereotype of the New Ager as a flaky culture vulture looking for easy answers and quick fixes, unwilling to engage in the sort of serious research and deep study that is necessary to truly embrace a pre-existing religion that one has not been raised to follow, is a direct result of readers relying too heavily on these sorts of books for spiritual guidance (some people would argue that serious research and deep study is necessary to truly embrace any religion, even if one has been raised to follow it. I would be one such person). Owning up as a fan of Mary Summer Rain when you're at a powwow is a surefire way to keep yourself from being invited to the 49-- it's like wearing a nametag that says "Hello, My Name Is Twinkie".

Perhaps it is this reluctance on the part of her readers to engage in research and scholarship that has resulted in the dearth of information available on Summer Rain via the 'Net. Despite the fact that Summer Rain has published two explicitly autobiographical works (Soul Sounds and Bittersweet), and most of her other books contain autobiographical information and are not meant to be read as fiction, I was not able to find one fan page devoted to Summer Rain that actually gave biographical information on her instead of ranting about her books. Fortunately, the website of her publishing company, Hampton Roads, has some excerpts from Soul Sounds that provide a few details about Summer Rain's background.

Summer Rain "can clearly remember [her] life before entering this earthly realm." In this state of pre-life, she was part of "the Great White Brotherhood"-- angels, "united in the way of being completed ones who carried out God's will", but divided into groupings such as messengers, light warriors, spiritual advisors, and those on physical missions. "Some were protectors (these usually were the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Ariel and Michael), some were direct intermediaries between The Brotherhood division heads and God". Summer Rain's established position in the Great White Brotherhood was Record Keeper, but the day came that she was selected for the great honor of a physical mission to Earth:

When the head of special projects approached me, I knew what was on his mind.

"We need you again," he'd said.

"Earth?"

"Yes. The Master sees a great need there. He wishes you to rekindle the ember again."

"But the others (the Starborn) will do that. It was foreseen and so deemed within the Plan."

"This is so, but humankind has strayed too far too fast. They will nearly destroy their planet before the Others' time is right. Humankind has fallen into the confusion and chaos Belial has brought upon them with a silken tongue, coated with honey, and the people are believing his words."

"Surely they can tell."

"It seems not, for Belial has cloaked his minions in spiritual robes, and they do magic and speak golden words while giving out concepts contrary to the Precepts. The fervent Christians have become arrogant, religious sects are killing one another, and the self is becoming paramount in their minds."

"Who do you see is required this time?"

"You."

"As who? What role?"

"As a white one who is not white, as a native one who is not native."

"Then what will I be?"

"A messenger."

Summer Rain goes on to explain that her mixed status is required in order to fulfill two prophecies, one Anasazi and one Hopi; the head of special projects informs her that "you will experience non-acceptance from both races. This is because your genealogy will have been tampered with for the sake of white propriety. You will have a fullblood relative who was given a fictitious French name. All evidence of native blood will have been eradicated from your family's historical records -- this you will have to deal with. It will not be easy." This placed Summer Rain in what she refers to as the Shadowland, the Way Between Races.

Summer Rain also explains that her husband and co-author, William Joseph, is a light warrior that has accompanied her on several missions in the past and that the head of special projects laid things out in advance so that they would meet when they were both 16 years of age. Summer Rain learns that she will not only have William Joseph's aid in this mission-- she will also have Archangel Raphael to serve as her protector, to keep the Sons of Belial at bay.

---------------

Mary Leigh has nothing to do with Natives, except very brief mentions of Shoshones and Chippewas to try to make her end of the world ideas seem legit, and to make money.

The two tribes are hundreds of miles apart, so why would one be given the alleged traditions of another? BTW, the second tribe generally prefers to call themselves Anishnnabe or Ojibwe. Chippewa is a label mostly used by outsiders.  

Archangels? That's Christian.

Belial? That's a Christian name for a demon, or the Devil himself, isn't it?

And the writing style itself and the way characters speak, don't they remind you of Conan the Barbarian comic books? It does to me, except when it tries to sound like a Hollywood version of the Bible.

I suppose the deeper question for you to ask yourself is, why do her books appeal to you? That will involved a lot of soul searching which I hope you are open enough to do. There are many far better sources out there to learn from.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: bls926 on May 30, 2008, 05:07:24 am
Fair enough but, it only says:
Twinkie authors are quite common and often have a following. Jamie Sams, Ted Andrews, Mary Summer Rain, Sun Bear, and Brook Medicine Eagle are just a few that need to be avoided

What research has been done and where do they base there info on?

This is a joke, right?

If you're serious, there's plenty to read right here on NAFPS.
Read and then decide for yourself.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: dualbuster on May 26, 2010, 05:06:33 pm
I just want to say that I've been a fan of Mary Summer Rain for a lot of years now and it pains me to be hearing some of this, even though I'm very open to it. Some things that were mentioned here I've never heard mentioned by MSR herself. For instance, she was a member of the "great white brotherhood"? I don't remember ever hearing her mention anything like that. If she claims that that is the case, that would greatly dampen her appeal to me, no doubt.
One of the things I respect the most about her is her feeling about accepting money for spiritual insight. In her book "Phoenix Rising" she mentions that she's received a lot of flack from the 'new age' community concerning her disgust toward those who charge money for spiritual services. To me, that says a lot about her character. I have to admit though that her book "The Visitation" about the archangel appearing to her stretches credibility and the book itself was a true bore that added nothing new to the discussion. One of her worst books.

Either way, I don't think it's fair to rail against her unless we're willing to hear HER side of the story. I'd like to know what she has to say in her own defense about these allegations. Right now I'm on the fence and would like to know more. In her book "Eclipse" (1999) she says she has no desire to use the internet, so apparently there's no direct line of communication to her. For now, I'll hold off on forming an opinion on this matter. That is, until I hear what she has to say about any of this. I just don't know.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Defend the Sacred on May 26, 2010, 05:31:12 pm
"Mary Summer Rain" or whatever her real name is, IS making money off newage seekers. She is selling "spiritual insight" in every book. Every gullible person who buys her books full of lies about Native peoples is doing their part to pay her mortgage.

Not every author has the temperament or inclination to play the part in person. It doesn't change the damage they do. For instance, neither Lynn Andrews nor Castaneda presented all that many workshops. But with their books that appeal to all the fantasies of colonialist pretendians, they raked in the dough and laid the groundwork for the people who do scam people face-to-face. So in terms of long-range damage, the newage/pretendian authors can be as bad as, or worse than, those who are selling services in person.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: dualbuster on May 27, 2010, 12:12:18 am
That's a very good point. I would love to hear what MSR would have to say about all this. I still don't think that all "fraudsters" can be put into the same category. What I mean is, although we shouldn't accept what they are doing, we should at least have the mind (and the heart) to seperate those with good intentions from those who are obviously greedy (like James Arthur Ray) who I don't see mentioned here on this message board anywhere (correct me if I missed it). But as for Mary Summer Rain, I have a feeling that she would open heartedly listen to the complaints made against her, as long as they were presented with dignity and respect. Maybe, just maybe, she made a few mistakes. But I still don't think that she's one of the worst offenders out there. But in this world, who knows.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Defend the Sacred on May 27, 2010, 02:26:20 am
(like James Arthur Ray) who I don't see mentioned here on this message board anywhere (correct me if I missed it).

... Twelve pages on him: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2380.0 

You know, you really need to use the search function. Otherwise you're just wasting people's time.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: earthw7 on May 27, 2010, 04:25:12 am
as a native person who live on the reservation among my people
I know our culture and  Mary Summer Rain is not native and is not
writing about the truth about our spiritualways.
I don't know what reservation you are enrolled in or what and
who your people come from. But I think you need to take off the rose colored
glasses and look at the truth.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Yiwah on May 27, 2010, 02:12:46 pm
That's a very good point. I would love to hear what MSR would have to say about all this. I still don't think that all "fraudsters" can be put into the same category. What I mean is, although we shouldn't accept what they are doing, we should at least have the mind (and the heart) to seperate those with good intentions from those who are obviously greedy (like James Arthur Ray) who I don't see mentioned here on this message board anywhere (correct me if I missed it). But as for Mary Summer Rain, I have a feeling that she would open heartedly listen to the complaints made against her, as long as they were presented with dignity and respect. Maybe, just maybe, she made a few mistakes. But I still don't think that she's one of the worst offenders out there. But in this world, who knows.



Pardon me but..."good intentions"?

I don't care how good your intentions are, if what you are presenting as 'Native spirituality' is utterly fabricated, or even worse...stolen outright.

No amount of good intentions make lies true, or make theft okay.

No one is stopping these people from making up their own spiritual beliefs.  Passing them off as ours, however, is unacceptable.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: nemesis on May 27, 2010, 02:25:33 pm
I just want to say that I've been a fan of Mary Summer Rain for a lot of years now and it pains me to be hearing some of this, even though I'm very open to it. Some things that were mentioned here I've never heard mentioned by MSR herself. For instance, she was a member of the "great white brotherhood"? I don't remember ever hearing her mention anything like that. If she claims that that is the case, that would greatly dampen her appeal to me, no doubt.
One of the things I respect the most about her is her feeling about accepting money for spiritual insight. In her book "Phoenix Rising" she mentions that she's received a lot of flack from the 'new age' community concerning her disgust toward those who charge money for spiritual services. To me, that says a lot about her character. I have to admit though that her book "The Visitation" about the archangel appearing to her stretches credibility and the book itself was a true bore that added nothing new to the discussion. One of her worst books.

Either way, I don't think it's fair to rail against her unless we're willing to hear HER side of the story. I'd like to know what she has to say in her own defense about these allegations. Right now I'm on the fence and would like to know more. In her book "Eclipse" (1999) she says she has no desire to use the internet, so apparently there's no direct line of communication to her. For now, I'll hold off on forming an opinion on this matter. That is, until I hear what she has to say about any of this. I just don't know.

So let's get this straight...

You come to a forum that is owned by Native Americans with the specific aim of exposing frauds who claim to be Native and / or who sell ceremony, thus hurting  and offending their people.

Someone asks a question about someone who even I (non NDN with little experience / understanding of NDN issues) know to be a fraud and you jump in to defend this person?

It is always very painful when someone we admire is knocked off their pedestal and exposed as being less then what we though them to be.  I can understand the temptation to stick your fingers in your ears and do the "la la la I'm not listening" thing.

You have to ask yourself though, why did you come here if you are going to refuse to respect the opinions of the very people who you purport to feel an affinity with?

Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: dualbuster on May 27, 2010, 03:56:17 pm
Quote


You know, you really need to use the search function. Otherwise you're just wasting people's time.

I will certainly do that. In the meantime, please find it within your heart to forgive me. I am lowly, and unworthy to be in your presence, but I will try my best to become better. Yeesh, what is it with some people here? I try to be decent and already 2 people on here are completely snotty! Please stop!?
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: dualbuster on May 27, 2010, 03:59:11 pm


You have to ask yourself though, why did you come here if you are going to refuse to respect the opinions of the very people who you purport to feel an affinity with?



What is it with you people!!?? I DO respect opinions of everyone. So what do you mean by "refuse"? When did I refuse anything in anything I've written here? Refuse? I'm incredulous over this. I'm here to learn all that I can. It just happens that I've been a fan of Mary Summer Rain for years and this is NEW to me. Get it? New?

I'm trying my best, please stop the cruelty everyone? I'm not your enemy. I'm here to learn.

Earthw7, I appreciate your views and I will definitely be giving this a lot of thought. Hearing  this about Mary Summer Rain is like being smacked in the head with a brick. I'm so hurt and disappointed over this.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: educatedindian on May 27, 2010, 04:50:21 pm
One thing that does stand out which makes MSR/Mary Leigh different from others is her audience. It is not, for the most part, Nuagers. It is mostly survivalists and Christian End Timers and back to nature types. So I'd ask anyone who finds any appeal in these books to keep that in mind, esp if they were raised in that sort of religious environment themselves. The appeal of the books is that it takes stuff straight out of the Book of Revelations and Holy Roller snake handling charismatic Evangelical Christianity and repackages it as "ancient Indian wisdom."

I received this below in an email a few days ago and they asked me to repost it. I can't vouch for the truthfulness of it. And honestly, much of it is hard to follow. So I will only post the portions that are potentially useful and understandable, such as the theory that neither No Eyes nor Mary Leigh were Native but the publisher insisted they pretend to be for money.

Again, this is edited, largely for clarity's sake, and no evidence was provided for the assertions.

------------------

....In the end its going to all come out and I think exposing this scenario will scare the hell out of others who think to speak of other cultures and their teachers as their guides in books...

I am working on a book right now that deals with things the AKA NO-EYES wrote about, it was meant for others to learn and i have been studying it for over 16 years, still I was first introduced to one of her books when i was only 9 (40 now), This book proves to the world that the things she spoke of (nothing to do with native ways) was correct. Later my buddy and I are going to tackle the Mary Summer Rain ordeal.....

I feel that with MSR, she obvious fell or exaggerated the story of NO-EYES....

....she isn't a threat really and thats because she is trying to reach out to the students of the person who taught  and told her those things, this is the true criteria of the NO-EYES books..its a map for those that were on that path from the teacher before MSR and need to complete the studies and hopefully write more things..without lying with stereotypes of people. yeah....

I started to read (haven't in almost two decades) MSR back in 93 or so. It was just when the first three books came out, though I didn't notice until later that they all came out pretty much at the same time....I discovered the little old lady named No-eyes and it really grabbed me, not because she was depicted as a Native American woman but because she seemed so "FAMILIAR" to me at the time. I of course didn't figure it out then, but it was just that intuition that she was a disguise of some sort. 

....when I first discovered MSR, it WAS in the section of Barnes and Noble under the category of NEW AGE. I think now, looking back, that was the biggest clue to what her work is, but The internet wasn't that big then, I don't even think Amazon existed and nothing was really categorized for others to define it. People were looking for a answer and instead of the word being  moved that it was NEW AGE, it was just passed about as this woman who had girls, a husband who moved from Michigan to Colorado to live a different life and then she meets this mystical woman who she calls NO-EYES. If I remember, she tells you she gave the woman the name NO-EYES because she was blind, but this was not her real name. This is true in the most literal sense as the woman she named NO-EYES was probably going BLIND at the time she and MSR spoke about many things, so it was not a difficult thing for her to give her this name.

I am going to say right now, NO-EYES was not Native American but was a woman of Caucasian descent. I cannot say this woman wanted to ever be considered as a Native American, in fact I am positive she didn't want to be considered this at all, and being a past writer of other books that were not of this spectrum, she knew if she wrote them in their fictitious form, people who read her other books would think she crazy or moving from other forms of information she gave in the past, which might seem that she was just trying to make money for a higher purpose that was very deal to her soul.

....Only one word can answer that: GHOSTWRITER. MSR was given INFORMATION the author had collected over the decades, but had no time to accumulate and write into books as she had other affairs going on at the time (and would die eventually, just like NO-EYES) and MSR wrote them. Now I spoke above saying the person who gave her this info did not want to be considered as a Native American but probably knew the book company that published MSR work accepted the fact that it would DRAW in those that were looking from something NEW....

Now in the past when the first book was publish, many who have the books today might notices the pyramid on the spine, this is the symbol or trademark of the publishing company Hampton Roads, if one looked on amazon at the NO-EYES series, you would notice these dates for the books:

Spirit song-copyright feb 1, 19993
Phoenix rising-feb 1, 1993
Dream walker-jan 1, 1993
phantoms afoot-March 1989
Earthway-july 1 1992
Daybreak-june 1,1991

these are the copyright dates published for the six no eyes books, notice they are in sequence of how to read them..but the copyrights are all sporadic. The first book was publish copyrighted in feb 1st 1993 by Hampton Roads under the name Spirit song: a introduction to NO-EYE, but what many might not notice is...the book was first published by DONNING publishing under the name SPIRIT SONG: THE VISIONARY WISDOM OF NO-EYES on April 6th, 1989. Actually Donning had published a few of MSR's NO-EYES series before Hampton Roads did (note...I don't know but they could be the same company, but I truly doubt it). NOTE: MSR said she had a difficult time getting anything published until after she met NO-EYES and wrote her story, but she also says in her Phoenix rising book which has a copyright of 1993 that the prophecies took place in in the late 80's, though it was released in the nineties...

remember NO-EYES is questioned to have died around 1984, but if we look up the first publishing or copyright of Phoenix rising by DONNING, it was 1987! Four years after NO-EYES died?, that and Phantoms Afoot? then the rest were written? It's very confusing to me, the only thought I can think of is...she was writing what was fresh in her mind and then copyrighted them...? I am inclined to think not as i am sure it was the publishing company that copyrighted them for her in a bundle at times.

If one takes the time to look. two of those books, Earthway and Daybreak are 1100 pages together, Daybreak being 624 pages and Earthway being 464 pages, one published in 91 and the next a year later in 92, either she was working very hard or this work was already written by another author who was dying and wasn't sure if she could get it all out in time, so she or the publishing company she frequented both had Mary Summer rain take the work as her own, of course using the original author as a fictitious old native woman, blind and wise beyond measure.

....no pun intended, but the similarities in all ways show that NO-EYES is this woman I am speaking of and no, I am not going to say her name. The reason is, I and a partner are writing a book on the subject. I am going to say, we aren't out to expose MSR for a fraud, its obvious this woman was put on a path and veered way off it, as you can tell in her other books. I Believe as a healer, the Earthway book is vital in everyday usage, whatever your heritage, the point is...it was not told to her by a old woman named NO-EYES, that's the ploy thought up by others and that's what's crushing about MSR and her work, she doomed herself to criticism...

ONE must think would the book have sold more if it was said to have been written by two white woman sitting in the forest or cabins or house in colorado, or does it sound more mystical that a old woman, blind, but still strong in visions, never seeing technology of the world but presenting it in a childlike manner to someone who knows what it is?

....One may notice that MSR has never had a website or gone down the road to making a profit on ANYTHING but her books. Many of the so called mystics out there, will write a book, then start a website where they are selling seminars in the deserts of Arizona of the rain forest of washington, there are toys to be bought, stones all kind of things. She has never done this because the person who was NO-EYES told her that the teacher shall never charge the student and so she stuck to this....

I guarantee you when the book is released MSR will not take any legal action, because when the i spoken, when its put in front of your face, you cannot deny and as a person of truth, I mean no harshness toward her, I just feel the truth must be stated. It is one word against another, but I know mine is the truth, and there is no picture of any woman named NO-EYES in Mary Summer Rains person...well not at least that one of a NATIVE indian, I guarantee there are pictures in her possession of she and the caucasian woman who gave her info she accumulated over the many decades.

....Its evident that some of MSR rain books are info from another author and then others are her own work, the heart in some of the books are those of TWO people.

AGAIN: the sad thing about the NO-EYES series is, it was depicted as this old blind woman to grab peoples attention and gain a monetary value for the publisher and obvious the writer gets a profit, but the true intent of those books..if they had just revealed the true person's identity, a white woman who had much knowledge from people and books she had read, things wouldn't have been as valuable, money wise for those that produced it, but it would have brought those that had read her books before closer together, instead it was and is planned as a game, or a challenge to see if those that followed the woman AKA NO-EYES can find MSR's work and notice that it is a continuation of the woman's work.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: dualbuster on May 27, 2010, 07:33:11 pm
Wow, I'm stunned. It really makes you question who can be trusted! One thing I can say about the "No Eyes" series is that I never understood how MSR was able to remember her conversations with No Eyes word for word since her experiences with her were from years earlier.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Forest on December 27, 2010, 02:54:42 am
Hello,

I am the one that sent the email to the MOD on NO-EYES really being a Caucasian and not of any native descent. We've been working really hard to close open holes in the fabrication that MSR actually met a native women in the forest of Colorado named NO-EYES. WE believe this is false and that the majority of the info (the useful info) was given to MSR by a Caucasian women who had accumulated the info over years.

The reason the character NO-EYES is called this is because she was blind, the Caucasian woman who had this info also was blind, or going blind at the time. how do I know this? Well she passed away from complication of a disease that can bring on Blindness. Also BOTH people, MSR and this woman resided in Colorado. If the info on MSR's name are correct (being Mary Leigh and her birthday being Dec 12th 1945, it would make sense that "NO-EYES" chose her to carry on the "TORCH" of New age info...yes I said NEW AGE..not Native. ) Dec 12 is a Sagittarius, those who look for (and Find) TRUTH, they are great communicator and attract many to their words,whether they be written or spoken. NO-EYES was a ARIES, both fire signs, if you know anything about astrology...you'd know that FIRE signs are hot with ambition. And what of Brian Many Heart....? Native....? NOT. WHITE..and dead now. he was a Capricorn who resided in Colorado too...a really cool dude who was just as MSR said he was...all about nature (figure that one out...that's a easy one).

I am sure MSR knew both of these people and gave them "native" names, plus the whole stigma of Native person ALWAYS giving something to a WHITE and then the white carrying the flame has been so played out time and time again...it's even surprising that her writers don't see the same, obvious "Dances with wolves" story plot. The women factor comes into play: "well why would a native woman give her peoples info away to a white...?"  Well most would say because she was a "WOMAN", Mother Earth...White Buffalo Woman...etc. I think that most of her writers are thinking in these terms, but its incorrect.

As I said, when I first read her No-Eyes series I was drawn to it, but not because it was a old blind native woman, more because it seemed "FAMILIAR," more deja vu...that I had read it before, in another fashion. I because suspicious when MSR wrote in her book that a ELDER had come to her door and asked her why he did not know all this...or something to the sort. I couldn't believe she would go to that extreme to say that another native would come to her and ask her for info, it made no sense and so the can of worms began to open.

The No-eyes series was a Primer to grab the writers attention to EARTHWAY. notice the TITLE: EARTH WAY...WAY TO LIVE UPON THE EARTH. If MSR had brought that book out first, NO ONE would have read it. Well the new age people would have, but that wouldn't have been enough,  because they have read it all, since the new again move in the late 1800's, this stuff has been repeated again and  again, to just write EARTHWAY, have it published and distributed, it would have sat on a shelf with other books of the same caliber. What was needed was a story line, and I am not going to say that Mary Summer rains story isn't true: That was couldn't get a thing published, that she and Bill moved to Colorado with their daughters and that she sat in the forest crying when she heard a voice say, "SUMMER RAIN!!" It could have happened that way..well maybe not in the forest, maybe MSR and Bill were having issues with money and a older woman who was known to give away gifts to people befriended her and saw something in her special and began to share with her over hours and hours of conversation info that many others in Colorado thought was for the BUNKERS of BUNKIEST, of course MSR saw different and together they sought to make something better for the world...But this woman..."NO_EYES" passed away and couldn't finish what she began, so MSR took the Reigns and continued it.

Ironically, this woman, the one that MSR is trying to pass off as Native, she had a daughter who was also a Sagittarius but passed away a long time ago, it makes since that she would become close to MSR who's birthday is said to be under the same astrological sign as her daughters. It's a Fact...a true fact that can't be hidden forever. I think the mistake that "No-eyes" and MSR made was choosing Hampton Roads as the Publisher, but HR had just started as a publishing company also and the No-eyes series helped them bring in more new age authors.

EARTHWAY begins to talk about deeper things one would assume after reading the NO-EYES series that a old woman who has been blind all her life could not describe, in fact, the book only mentions conversations between NO-EYES and MSR on rare moments, or moments to get your attention ("oh she's talking to NO EYES!!!"), to awaken you from the massive amount of info she is shoving down your third eye, info you are sure to begin to overseep in, a little of NO-EYES will surely get you more interested. what does the book talk about...?

the inside cover says

1)THE WEATHER AND HOW IT AFFECTS OUR HEALTH AND MOODS

2)THE SUN, MOON, AND PLANETS-HOW THEY INFLUENCE US PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY

3)DIET AND NUTRITION-LEARN A WAY OF EATING THAT IS BEST FOR YOUR HEALTH AND SPIRIT

4)YOUR PERSON LIFESTYLE-EXPLORE YOUR NATURAL PREFERENCES IN JOBS, HOBBIES, HOMES, ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE AND MUCH MORE; AND LEARN HOW  THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN EMPOWER YOUR LIFE

5)NATURAL MEDICINE-A COMPLETE LISTING OF HOW WILD PLANTS AND HERBS CAN BE USED TO TREAT A WIDE VARIETY OF AILMENTS (INCLUDING A LOOK AT HOW MODERN MEDICINE'S PHARMACOPOEIA DEPENDS ON THE SAME NATURAL SOURCES)

6)GATEWAY HEALING-A CLEAR AND COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE RITUALS YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND TO EFFECTIVELY APPLY THIS NATURAL MEDICINE

7)THE TOXIN OF NEGATIVE ATTITUDES-RID YOURSELF OF HARMFUL EMOTIONS AND DISCOVER THE POWER OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE

8)THE SECRET OF DREAM INTERPRETATION-A COMPLETE GUIDE WHICH DISCUSSES MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND VISION SYMBOLS.

MSR's style changes with this book, she begins to go outside of native wisdom and more into NEW AGE

Above I think I mentioned MSR's husband Bill, a fan of her told me that she wrote in a later book that Bill had passed away, self inflicted Suicide, that he tried to take her with him but failed. I find this odd, as this man was suppose to be her soul mate, a returned soul who bet up with her in this life again at age 16...he let her go off with Brian Many Heart, then was told by No-eyes (in EARTHWAY) that MSR would experience the side effects of Wisdom: THE KNOWING AND THE GREAT ALONE. No-Eyes states that MSR will want to live in solitude for awhile..alone, but later would return to Bill and their daughters.

It's interesting that MSR is stated to be born on Dec 12th, a Sagittarius, but the day of 12 is noted as, or reflected upon the 3 which is a Vibration of Jupiter, the Planet that rules what sign...? Sagittarius of course! Remember above on NUMBER 2, how "the sun, moon, and planets-how they influence us physically and psychologically," 1+2=3 and 3 is associated with 12, 21 and 30...all these numbers relate to 3...or Jupiter. MSR knew this because the lady who she calls No-Eyes taught this Knowledge to her. another tidbit of info. 30 is known as the number ....THE LONER-MEDITATION. So....SHE that is No-eyes and MSR were just speaking of what the SAG is known for..the Hermit...the wisdom seeker..the truth.

I am sorry is I lost you there, all will be revealed in the book.

I think EARTHWAY is MSR's greatest work, but some of the other books...tossed in typical goo are what her downfall is/will be.
F
NO-EYES was White, a woman who resided in Colorado, a woman who had wrote books already, books that had nothing to do with Native thinking, if she came out and wrote these books that dealt with some things in that category, she would have been shunned, ridiculed and laughed at by all. She instead choose Mary Leigh and MANY others, some who have gone on to write books on knowledge given them by this woman, and those books are in question about their truth too, they never made up a fake character, but this I do not blame MSR, but instead her publishers and the woman who gave her the info, to hide and conceal the truth so that more money could be made to accomplish what was needed to help the Earth, that's about it.

one interesting point, NO-EYES..or the lady who is really NO-EYES, when her obituary was published in the newspaper it also stated that she was not only a author but the founder of a Native American Religion. To this day, NO ONE has ever come forth stating they are a member of the Religion she supposedly started or that it exist, but it's very interesting that a White woman's obituary would state she started a new Native American Religion before her death.

I guarantee MSR knows of this religion and has been sitting on the notion of what to do. IF, the Internet had not been here (and "NO-EYES" was totally against it), I am sure MSR would have started this religion, (if its not already here,a secret between some.)because she knows it was started.

I'd love to hear what anyone else has to say about what I have written on the subject.

I don't consider myself a NUAGER, Survivalist or Christian End Timer, but If a Back to nature type would be categorized as one who wants to bring the Earth back to its original state of LOVE, then I'll take that status. I feel that IF MSR had stated who the REAL person was that gave her this info or led her down this road, she'd be respected a lot more and a lot clearer than what has been said about her. Maybe next time around.....lol.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Forest on December 27, 2010, 03:03:19 am
Also another note, I couldn't find any info on the death of MSR's husband, if that's true. a copy of his SS would have been posted after death, I found two William Joesph Leigh, the closest one died in Sept of 2009 at 94, with a Middle initial of A, I doubt she was married to someone born in 1915, though that would make him about 70ish in the 90's, doubt it was him and that he has even past, but possible he didn't want to put up with the mess set forth and asked her to cut him out of the books....?

The Author...both of them...its kinda funny...both their names are MARY and both were married to men with the name William too...
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: AuntieFran413 on November 26, 2017, 05:21:36 am
Good evening.  I came to this site last night looking for information on Mary Summer Rain.  I had seen her mentioned "as having been aware of the situation [political] as evidenced in her book published in 1971".  The only thing I noted was controversy over her actual name with mention of books published in the mid- to late '80s through early 2000.  Is/was Mary Summer Rain a legitimate author in the '70s? 

I'd love to get my hands on her book if in fact, it is hers.  If not, perhaps someone here can give me directions to somewhere I might find it.  Really and truly what I'm after is the ISBN number so that I can place an order for an inter-library loan.

Thank you for your help.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Laurel on November 26, 2017, 12:05:21 pm
Her name is not the only problem.

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1781.0

Does anyone else know of her publishing a book in 1971?
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Piff on November 26, 2017, 04:20:49 pm
We can search through here for her https://www.worldcat.org/ - although her real name of Mary Leigh might be too common to find easily.

A librarian will have access to OCLC which has way more listings that their public WorldCat (catalogs). But we probably need more specifics for them to use.

I'll try to help out on this too.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Piff on November 26, 2017, 06:07:29 pm
In 1985 she changed her name from Mary Sloan Leigh to Mary Summer Rain Sloan. Legal notice in Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph July 21, 1985.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Piff on November 26, 2017, 06:19:33 pm
Correction to the above: Mary Leigh Sloan to Mary Summer Rain Sloan. I got the order wrong earlier.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: AuntieFran413 on November 26, 2017, 06:28:30 pm
We can search through here for her https://www.worldcat.org/ - although her real name of Mary Leigh might be too common to find easily.

A librarian will have access to OCLC which has way more listings that their public WorldCat (catalogs). But we probably need more specifics for them to use.

I'll try to help out on this too.

Thank you so much!  I truly appreciate all the help I can get IF she was writing non-fiction before she turned to what Laurel's link (the page I found Friday night) shows to be a pack of lies.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Piff on November 26, 2017, 06:48:58 pm
From 17 May 1986, Gazette Telegraph, she claimed in an article that she is "part Shoshoni" and:

Quote
Summer Rain, the youngest of three girls, was raised in Detroit primarily by her mother. Her father was abusive and often absent, she says. Her Indian heritage was disregarded because "it was so far removed".

Summer Rain, a dark-complexioned woman with long, black hair and large brown eyes, won't say how much Indian blood she has.

"No-Eyes pointed out to me that there's no other nationality where people ask you how much (that nationality) you are" she says. "She said that there are full-blood Indians who don't have any Indian in their spirit ... I'm full-blood spirit, full-blood heart and mind -- and partial blood."
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: educatedindian on November 26, 2017, 07:21:38 pm
Now that her earlier legal name is confirmed, moved to Frauds.

Apparently she's branched out to faux Taoism (Tao of Nature) with mostly angry reviews from her followers, calling it preachy and condescending.

Another book claims to be Anasazi chants, but is filled with crystal teachings and "star vehicles."

Perhaps the only decent thing she's ever done is write a book for caregivers dealing with Alzheimers. The rest is incredibly destructive racist stereotypes.

This book, pgs 73 to 84, is very instructive. Leigh claims at various times to be NDN or not, to be Anasazi, to be white, to having a supposed Shoshone grandmother teaching her who was born in 1805, dying in 1907. Which would be 40 years before Leigh was born.
Later she switches to claiming this was her great great grandmother. (Which would make her 1/16 Shoshone or "Shoshoni" as she spells it.) Then again, she claims all these teaching were thru ESP. And later she claims both that she's not teaching NDN ways at all, and that non-NDNs are more NDN than fullblood NDNs. She even considers changing her faux NDN name but admits it'd be "bad for business."
 https://books.google.com/books?id=_NE1kxKz_lUC&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=%22mary+summer+rain%22+shoshone&source=bl&ots=zV2pE0W7
zb&sig=Ry0Ph6K0ZngNKAK4jIvYYpGHns4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM2Iru9tzXAhXDlOAKHVrCD
c4Q6AEIYzAR#v=onepage&q=%22mary%20summer%20rain%22%20shoshone&f=false

One supporter at the link says she's sold a million books. So anyone claiming she's not an exploiter for profit is completely wrong.

It is a hopeful sign that this thread is the top link when you google her fraud name.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Piff on November 27, 2017, 12:40:53 am
Name variations include Mary S.R. Sloan, Mary S Sloan, Mary R Sloan, Mary Summer Rain Sloan, Mary Leigh Sloan. I've not seen any mention of a husband prior to William (Bill) J. Sloan so I assume her birth surname is Leigh.

She was born 12 Dec 1945.

Her husband died 25 Jan 1996, they were divorced at the time, but having his name might help us figure out her actual genealogy. His parents were Harry Anthony Sloan and Bernadette Heuser.

Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: ThirteenMoons on June 11, 2021, 01:39:21 pm
To everyone claiming Mary Summer Rain is a fraud,

I just finished reading her book series. I had a dream one night about a blind Native American woman who came to me with an important message. That following morning, after taking my daughters to school, I drove out to the lake and spotted an owl in the center of the road sitting quietly. I pulled over and connected to him before he flew away. Suddenly, the dream I hadn’t paid much attention to flashed within my mind again causing me to remember. I googled my dream and was led to MSR book collection beginning at Spirit Song.

I, too, have a restless spirit in this society and I’ve longed to live amongst nature since I was a child. Sadly, my living conditions have always been crowded and overpopulated cities. I’ve never understood the people around me. My family was Christian but I never felt a connection to their religion or values. I longed for spirituality before I even knew what that meant. I began practicing Wicca because praising the Earth and Animals and being one with Nature and Earth finally felt right to my Soul. Wicca was just a temporary label that helped me identify my blooming spirituality and connection to my Souls past lives.

My family on my mother’s side descended from Native Americans but the bloodline stopped at my grandmother and the spirituality stopped at my great grandmother. As a child, I’d ask about that connection and try to receive as much insight as I could - although I never understood why until meditation progressed for me. After years of deep meditations and astral traveling, I learned why I felt so drawn to my long ago Native American history (I have no blood of this). It was from my Souls past lives. In meditation, I could finally connect to the different lives I’d had. I connected to my great grandmother as well who guided me, taught me, and showed me so much.

Upon reading MSR book, I have never identified or understood a stranger more. I could feel her pain as she is born white but her Soul is spiritual and at one point was connected to her tribe of family. But now, she leads a lifestyle cut off from that bc of her skin color. I feel the same enigma and frustration that she does. My Soul cries for Earth and what white man has done, but when I look in the mirror, I am white with pale eyes and hair.

Even if you felt her journey seemed “fraudulent” bc of your opinion and experiences - ask yourself what her intention was. She didn’t even want to initially publish the books because she feared the criticism her Soul deep down knew she’d receive. Her intention was clear in all of them - 1.) to help her readers see the world as she does... an Earth to be of and be connected to... an Earth to treasure and tend to... an Earth that is our mother 2.) to help readers understand afterlife and reincarnation 3.) to help others understand the Spirit 3.) to help awaken the world to the Ego and its demise and cruelty 4.) to help others lead a natural lifestyle in connection to the Universe 4.) to help others reevaluate their lifestyle choices 5.) to help others understand what is coming... everything that is energy has a threshold and Earth is close to reaching hers.

Her intention and every word supporting it was only positive and out of love. So if your culture or your experiences differ from hers and that makes you believe she’s some deceiving fraud, then you need to look within (everything we perceive in our mind is simply a reflection of ourselves). Why fight someone or something who only wants to bring goodness? Why call someone out who only wanted peace, love, and oneness for all of humanity? Why fight the same fight you are fighting? Maybe her words, labels, and experiences differ from yours but that is bc they are different... they are hers. Words and labels are meaningless... they hold your own truth and yours alone. If you “feel” her book, you’d feel the ultimate truth... the connection to the Divine... then you wouldn’t care if No Eyes was a real woman or maybe just a spirit she connected to in meditation that never actually existed in the physical realm... because regardless of how that experience was labeled... it doesnt matter. The meaning is the same regardless. And the intention holds true no matter what.

If everyone on the same side keeps fighting and trying to prove points, then we will never win.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Smart Mule on June 11, 2021, 02:08:04 pm
There's a whole lot of caucasity going on in your post, Thirteen. Your experience, as a potential descendant or not, is irrelevant. Native people have spoken out in this thread and they deserve to be respected. Factual documentation has been presented. Also, Wicca doesn't help your argument, it is rife with appropriation.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Defend the Sacred on June 11, 2021, 07:56:39 pm
Why fight someone or something who only wants to bring goodness? Why call someone out who only wanted peace, love, and oneness for all of humanity?

Your vision of humanity is white supremacist.

Your fantasy of whitewashed "oneness" exists without the voices or presence of Native people. It ignores the voices, lives, and realities of Native people who have said "No" to you and those like you. Non-Natives who believe this stuff "play Indian" in their all-white world because it makes them  (you, "ThirteenMoons") feel all warm and fuzzy. In your white-light bubble, there are no Indians, whether as spirits, or as real people. You are alone with your racist fantasies.

Indians are cardboard cutouts in your world, dead spirits, and you've filled in what you believe people should be saying to you. Yet here are pages of actual Indians talking to you, and you instead respond with insults and denials.

Native people have clearly said here that white fantasists like this may make other white people feel good, with their escapist fiction, but it's at the expense of Native people and cultures. As long as you come into Native spaces with these disturbing, condescending diatribes, you do your fan favorite no favors. You just reinforce what we already know - her work contributes to cultural genocide, and empowers white fantasists to believe they can be Native by simply imagining it is so.
Title: Re: Mary Leigh AKA Mary Summer Rain
Post by: Sparks on June 14, 2021, 10:45:48 pm
Mary Summer Rain's Facebook presence [Facebook Page and Group(s)]:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063480470075 [Mary summer rain] [Page  · 1,715 followers]
 — which MAY be her. All public posts date back to 2015. Many comments are more recent, I'll quote two:
Quote
Jamie Crow
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
My name is Jamie Crow. I am not a member of this group. I am a devoted follower of Mary Summer Rain and I will defend her good name in her honor. This "Mary summer rain" is NOT Mary Summer Rain, author of 35 books and champion of Truth and Honesty! If you are looking to connect with like-minded people concerning MARY SUMMER RAIN please search again. There are two beautiful and legitimate groups that will love to have you. The Original Mary Summer Rain Appreciation Group (the longest standing and original group on Facebook) and a second group Mary Summer Rain and Our Journey. You will be most welcomed in either group.

I alone am responsible for this post and its content. (1 year ago)
Quote
Daniel Wippert
Your a fraud and fake going to expose this mary of polish descend. Stealing indegouness culture for book sales. (16 weeks ago)

I could not find the Original "Mary Summer Rain Appreciation Group". I located the other one:

Fan group (private; 467 members): https://www.facebook.com/groups/marysummerrainandourjourney

Quote
About This Group
This group is not personally associated with Mary Summer Rain. She is not a member. That being said, Mary Summer Rain’s work has been pivotal in bringing us together here. She is the cornerstone on which we are founded. We are like minded in many different arenas. Our focus is Pure Love and Spirituality. It is a safe place to express our experiences, our strengths and our hopes. Anonymity is paramount to keeping the group strong.

Our group has evolved since it’s conception on July 17, 2015. In keeping up with the changes our Mother Earth is going through, we too have changed. The scope of our vision has broadened and it now includes amazing scientific findings as Spirituality and Science become One. We will always do our best to check the facts of an article when possible.

As I stated earlier, I ask that we all respect each other’s anonymity. If you have a personal issue with another member, please don’t post it in the group. It is your responsibility to Message that person and deal with it privately. Angry post directed at another member(s) will not be tolerated. It will be deleted immediately. Let Love be our guide.

This is an amazing time to be alive! I hope you will join us on this incredible Journey!

Also there is this one: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1314643061991225/
[Mary Summer Rain-Our Journey-Disclosure and The Next Level] [Private group · 126 members]

Quote
About This Group
UPDATED Mary Summer Rain-Our Journey-Disclosure & the Next Level.
All members of the original parent group Mary Summer Rain and Our Journey are automatically added to this group upon request to join.
This page was originally created to provide a place to talk about the Earth Changes and Disclosures of the Truth. Today is a New Day. Many, if not most, of the Prophecy of No Eyes, have come true. Interaction with other Life Forms has already begun. Soon the existence of our Star Family will be public knowledge. Governments of the world are in chaos and knowledge of worldwide corruption is coming to light every day. All over the world people are angry and take to the streets in protest. And every day a lot of us search the skies for a greenish hue, as we cannot forget No Eyes' warning.
No one knows how long before the Phoenix spreads its massive wings and takes flight over the New Earth. But, it is time for us to "Level Up" ... wake up and prepare ourselves for what might come.
Let it be known: THE INDIVIDUAL POST DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OR BELIEFS OF THE GROUP AS A WHOLE AND ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR.
Our purpose is to share ideas of how to survive these turbulent times and bring awareness to the disclosure of important information that has been denied to us.
Our Intention here is NOT to promote Fear and Anxiety. It is purely to share information. Proceed with consideration, Love, and Light to all!
Namaste.
History
Group created on September 19, 2017. Name recently changed from Mary Summer Rain - Earth Changes and Disclosure.

And for good measure, a fan group in Germany: https://www.facebook.com/groups/110487102368386/
[Mary Summer Rain. Weisheit der Shamanen (MRS. Wisdom of the Shamans] [Private group · 1 member]