NAFPS Forum

 And too many people who are claiming "sweatlodge" is "universal" are not even researching what their ancestors may have done; they are simply trying to excuse their misappropriation of NDN ceremonies. They are lazy and offensive and think people are too stupid to notice that if they call parts of their fake Inipi by terms in another language, no one will notice that their ceremony bears no resemblance to what their ancestors actually did.

I so agree with you. I will not use the name sweatlodge in the same sentance as James Ray!! this WAS NOT A SWEAT LODGE( it was a death chamber) Many of our people are up in arms about this terrible thing. This wasichu knew nothing of what he was doing. He speaks garbish, and all cult leaders are very charismatic. What he called a " vision quest" was not of our ways. These people put their total trust in someone who they felt  knew what he was doing, and indeed he did not. I would love to hear what went on in the chamber, I bet they were not offered water, as they were not even hydrated before going in. I will stop for now as I am very upset that once again the name of one of our sacred traditions, the inipi ceremony, is being misused instead of calling it what it really is. And NO the Inipi is not universal! >:(

Another question must be asked. Who if anyone passed to James Ray the right to make this quasi sweatlodge? Did he simply make this atrocity by himself, acting upon his inflated ego alone? Perhaps contacts among the media could find out. Shake a New Age bush and all kinds of connections emerge.

Quote from: NDN_Outlaw on October 21, 2009, 03:59:31 PM
Another question must be asked. Who if anyone passed to James Ray the right to make this quasi sweatlodge? Did he simply make this atrocity by himself, acting upon his inflated ego alone? Perhaps contacts among the media could find out. Shake a New Age bush and all kinds of connections emerge.

From what we've gathered here, James Ray didn't build the structure (can't call it a sweatlodge).  The owners of Angel Valley Resort (Michael and Amayra Hamilton) are responsible for doing that and IMHO also partially responsible for the pain and suffering caused as this structure was far too big and also made with plastic tarps.  Upon seeing the picture of it for the first time all I could think was "What the hell were they thinking!!" 

At the very least the structure has been destroyed and burnt.

Superdog

Sorry I could have made the question clearer. It's not who built the actual structure but who gave James Ray the authority to make what the New Agers call a "sweatlodge." Which person or persons told him to make this "ceremony" . Either he gave himself the authority or some one else granted him the right/ rite. Who was this person (or persons). The bliss bunny Bowen may know. Who ever they may be- if they may be- they should be made known.

AP Newsbreak: 1st sweat lodge survivor speaks out
Oct 21 01:00 PM US/Eastern
By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press Writer
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - A woman who took part in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony that led to three deaths has provided a dramatic account of the ordeal in an interview with The Associated Press.

Texas resident Beverley Bunn says spiritual guru James Arthur Ray pushed participants too far in what was supposed to be a life-expanding experience. Within an hour of entering the ceremony, people began vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing. Yet Bunn says Ray continually urged everyone to stay inside.

Bunn says by the time the ceremony began, the participants had undergone days of physically and mentally strenuous events. In one game, Ray even played God.

Bunn is the first participant inside the sweat lodge to speak out publicly about the events.

Officials say the deaths are homicides and that Ray is a focus of the investigation. Ray says he is deeply saddened by the tragedy.

Perhaps this will answer your question ,who gave him the rights:
Below is a statement from Chief Arvol Looking Horse on the recent "sweat
lodge" deaths in Arizona.
Part of his statement under post #34

Our First Nations People have to earn the right to pour the mini
wic¹oni  (water of life) upon the inyan oyate (the stone people) in creating
Inikag¹a  - by going on the vision quest for four years and four years Sundance.
Then  you are put through a ceremony to be painted - to recognize that you
have  now earned that right to take care of someone¹s life through
purification.  They should also be able to understand our sacred language, to be able
to  understand the messages from the Grandfathers, because they are ancient,
they are our spirit ancestors. They walk and teach the values of our
culture; in being humble, wise, caring and compassionate.

What has happened in the news with the make shift sauna called the sweat
lodge is not our ceremonial way of life!


This is not the vision quest James Ray speaks of and I am sure he did not do what Arvol speaks of above!

.

A longer version of that AP story has more details.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33415987/ns/us_news-life/?GT1=43001
updated 12:53 p.m. CT, Wed., Oct . 21, 2009
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - A woman who took part in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony said the spiritual guru who led the event pushed participants too far in what was supposed to be a life-expanding experience that culminated with people vomiting and passing out on the floor.

Texas resident Beverley Bunn is the first participant in the tragic incident to speak out publicly about the events that led up to the deaths. The 43-year-old told the AP that by the time the sweat lodge ceremony began, the participants had undergone days of physically and mentally strenuous events that included fasting. In one game, she said, guru James Arthur Ray even played God.

Within an hour of entering the sweat lodge, people began vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing. Yet Bunn said Ray continually urged everyone to stay inside. The ceremony was broken up into 15-minute "rounds," with the entrance flap to the lodge opened briefly and more heated rocks brought inside between sessions.

"I can't get her to move. I can't get her to wake up," Bunn recalled hearing from two sides of the 415-square-foot sweat lodge. Ray's response: "Leave her alone, she'll be dealt with in the next round."

By that time, Bunn said, she had already crawled to a spot near the opening of the sweat lodge, praying for the door to stay open as long as possible between rounds so that she could breathe in fresh air.

At one point, someone lifted up the back of the tent, shining light in the otherwise pitch-black enclosure. Ray demanded to know who was letting the light in and was committing a "sacrilegious act," Bunn said.

Charges could be filed
Investigators are considering bringing charges in a case that has cast a harsh spotlight on Ray, a millionaire self-help guru who led dozens of people into the sweat lodge during a five-day retreat that cost more than $9,000. He has hired his own investigative team to try to determine what went wrong.

Ray led the group in chants and prayers during the ceremony, Bunn said. People were not physically forced to stay inside but chided by Ray if they wanted to leave as he told them they were stronger than their bodies and weakness could be overcome.

Bunn lasted the entire two hours, but nearly two dozen others suffered serious injuries that sent them to the hospital.

Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., and James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, died upon arrival at a hospital. Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., lingered in a coma for more than a week before dying.

Sheriff's investigators in Arizona's Yavapai County are treating the deaths as homicides but have yet to determine the cause.

People ill at previous ceremonies
Investigators are looking into the construction of the sweat lodge, the fact that people had fallen ill at previous sweat ceremonies led by Ray and questionable medical care on site as they try to determine whether criminal negligence contributed to the deaths and illnesses.

Authorities have said a nurse hired by Ray was directing rescue efforts including CPR when emergency crews arrived. Ray is the primary focus of the probe but others also are being investigated, Sheriff Steve Waugh has said.

"I too want to know what happened that caused this horrible tragedy," Ray wrote on his Web site Tuesday.

He vowed to continue with his work.

"I have taken heat for that decision, but if I choose to lock myself in my home, I am sure I would be criticized for hiding and not practicing what I preach," he wrote.

The New Age spiritual resort in Arizona where nearly two dozen people fell ill and three died during a sweat lodge ceremony is owned and operated by a former Lancaster County businessman.

Paul Michael Hamilton, a 61-year-old former log-cabin builder who was born and raised near Lititz, and his second wife founded the Angel Valley Retreat Center near Sedona in 2002.

Hamilton said the creation of the 70-acre resort was the result of a "spiritual journey" and years of traveling across the United States and Europe following a divorce from his first wife.

"I began a journey of only doing what my heart was guiding me to do — following my excitement is another way of saying it," Hamilton said in an e-mail exchange. He declined to be interviewed by telephone.

"Angel Valley is a place where all are invited to use Nature and the Elementals to discover and to be One's True Natural Divine Self," Hamilton wrote. "It is about finding and living one's connection with God, with Spirit, with the Creator, or whatever name one wants to give to the Eternal Source of Life."

Court records on file here show that Hamilton changed his name. His given name was Paul Weidler Groff, and he last lived in the county on Westbrook Drive in Ephrata, according to records. He is a 1966 Warwick High School graduate and has four children from his first marriage. His ex-wife is a Garden Spot High School graduate.

Hamilton was president and owner of Lititz-based Century Log Homes Inc., which built and sold log homes here from 1974 through 1983. Hamilton then moved to California.

He said he and his second wife, Amayra, were guided to the property in Sedona by Archangel Michael and launched the retreat in 2002.

"Archangel Michael is one of the Archangels that is assisting mankind to a higher state of awareness and consciousness," he wrote in his e-mail. "I made my first conscious connection with Michael in July of 1995 and he has been with me since."

The resort offers a host of New Age and holistic services, such as "soul retrieval" and "angel healings," in which a practitioner connects with archangels it says are "strongly connected with and present" at the resort and channels their energies to help with healing clients.

The resort also was the scene of a now-infamous sweat lodge ceremony on Oct. 8. Three people died and nearly two dozen others were hospitalized after being overcome during the event, part of a five-day "Spiritual Warrior" retreat run by self-help expert and author James Arthur Ray.

Ray had rented the Angel Valley Retreat Center for the event.

Hamilton declined to speak about the incident and instead forwarded his prepared statement from earlier in the month that reads, in part: "We express our deepest feelings of sympathy, love and support for the families and friends those who passed on and for those who are still recovering. Our Angel Valley team is in pain and grief by what has occurred."

Between 55 and 65 people were in the makeshift sweat lodge over a two-hour period, and authorities said participants were encouraged but not forced to remain inside for the entire time. An emergency call reported that two people were not breathing and did not have pulses.

Sheriff's investigators in Arizona's Yavapai County are treating the deaths as homicides but have yet to determine the causes.

Investigators are looking into the construction of the sweat lodge, the fact that people had fallen ill at previous sweat ceremonies led by Ray and questionable medical care at the retreat as they try to determine whether criminal negligence contributed to the deaths and illnesses.

The Associated Press has reported that the sweat lodge was a temporary structure built with a wood frame and covered with layers of tarps and blankets. The ceremonies often are sponsored by American Indian tribes to cleanse the body and prepare for hunts, ceremonies and other events.

Ray is the primary focus of the probe, but others also are being investigated, Sheriff Steve Waugh has said.

Ray's pricey retreats are meant to push people beyond their physical and emotional limits. The "Spiritual Warrior" event is arguably the most physical of Ray's events. Participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 to attend.

They engaged in a 36-hour fast during a "vision quest" in the nearby wilderness and were served a breakfast buffet before entering the sweat lodge, authorities said.

Hamilton would not comment orally to the newspaper because, he said, his remarks have been taken out of context or distorted by other media.

"We've had so many things in the past week and a half where one thing is said and another shows up in the newspaper," he wrote in his e-mail.

Hamilton still has family in the county. His brother, Ray Groff, of Lititz, said he visited the resort about five years ago but doesn't understand much of what goes on there.

"There are so many unknowns I'd rather not go into it," Groff said. "It's a gorgeous place, though. He has the ideal property there. And there's been a lot of people who have gone there over the years.

"When I went out there, I talked to some of the people. They just love it. It's a peaceful area. It's just something. You get away from the telephones, the day-to-day."

The retreat is in a secluded valley about 20 miles from Sedona, a town 115 miles north of Phoenix that draws many in the New Age spiritual movement.

Angel Valley is surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest land.

Groff described his brother as a lifelong traveler. "He never really hung around here much, even when he was younger," Groff said. "He met this other woman, his new wife, over in Holland."

Hamilton's wife declined to comment extensively.

"It doesn't serve us to go in front of the camera. I hope people understand," she said. "We are still very traumatized by the incident ourselves."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

tmurse@lnpnews.com

Good video from Anderson Cooper 360.


http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/21/video-sweat-lodge-deaths-latest/



Sweat lodge survivor speaks 2:29
A woman who was in the sweat lodge when three people fell fatally ill describes the scene to CNN's Gary Tuchman.


http://www.blutalcity.com/2009/CRIME/10/22/sweat.lodge.deaths/index.html

In my email box this morning.

"Stealing religion ignored if it's Native

By Jim Kent | Posted: Thursday, October 22, 2009 5:00 pm |

Picture if you will: a Native American man in a priest's cassock, standing at an altar on a reservation anywhere in the state. He raises bread above a large gold cup and addresses the crowd around him: "We are all one in the body of the Great Spirit of Roslyn."

No, this isn't a new version of the Catholic Mass, nor is the man a Catholic priest. He just "digs" the Catholic religion, "respects" its history and culture and finds himself inexplicably "drawn" to all things Vatican. He wasn't born Catholic; never attended Catholic church or schools. But this recent hub-bub about Jesus Christ and the DaVinci Code has grabbed his "inner spirit." He's thinking that's because "way back" his ninth cousin on his father's side may have been 1/16 Catholic. He just feels it.

So, he did some research, sat in on some masses, picked up an abridged version of the Bible and decided he'd start his own congregation. He calls it "The Cody Two Bear Church of the New Holy Grail." Visitors "donate" $100 minimum for this unique spiritual experience that will bring them closer to the Knights Templar, Christ and Mary Magdalene while discovering the healing capabilities of candle wax - long used in the church, but with little awareness of its true powers. Retreats are available at a higher cost.

Yeah, I'll be surprised not to get e-mails from someone upset just by the mention of this fictional scenario. Imagine the reaction if it actually took place, regularly, across the country. It does; just not with the spiritual teachings of Christianity, Judaism, Islam or any of our other "major" religions.

But just suppose it did. There'd be hell to pay. From the local diocese to the Holy Land, the earth would tremble with accusations of blasphemy and calls for eternal damnation. Yet, it's perfectly all right for anyone to practice, preach and sell the spiritual ceremonies of the Native American cultures - and with little or no repercussions; even when it results in death.

I'm referencing, of course, the recent Arizona fiasco where three people paid $9,000 each to die in a sweat lodge under the guidance of their white "spiritual leader." Unfortunately, this doesn't surprise me. What does is reports that the white "medicine man" who hosted this "Spiritual Warrior" event "declined to be interviewed" by the local sheriff's department after the deaths. Declined? I'm trying to picture any Native American "declining" an interview in a similar situation. Right, that would happen.

And though this tragedy occurred several states away, the same circumstances that led to its disastrous consequences happen right here in South Dakota. Needless to say, local Native American e-mail lines were hopping with references to similarly questionable activities - both on and off the rez - in "the land of great places."

I can't speak to all of them, but I have lost track of the number of white folks who've invited me to their "sweat" somewhere in the Black Hills. Those claiming "true" respect for the Native American culture reference ancestral "Celtic sweats" they're imitating. Nice try. They may have had sweat lodges in Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden, but they didn't use sage, sweet grass, Native American drums or Lakota spiritual terms.

Have I been? Yes, to many over the years and across the states - at the invitation of Native American elders (those are the folks who aren't white "spiritual leaders" and don't charge money).

The elders tell me it's hard to be Lakota. No kidding. In what other culture do they "honor" you by stealing your religion and then destroying its principles along the way?

Jim Kent lives in Hot Springs. Write to kentvfte@gwtc.net. Find all local columnists and more at the Journal opinion site: www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinions/

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/article_103bc67e-be8f-11de-b1a6-001cc4c002e0.html  "

Another article with Arvol´s statement:

http://www.blackhillsportal.com/npps/story.cfm?ID=3492


We are so deeply honoured that our film "Spirits for Sale" on You Tube has been included in the statement.
Thank you, Arvol, and BlackHills Today!
I hope the film will keep bringing awareness all over the world.

Anderson Cooper, People magazine, and a paper in Tucson all asked me for comment. Hopefully this will help push for Ray to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

We've gotten quite a few compliments in the mail that I posted here.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1235.msg19707#new

And a single piece of hate mail I posted online here.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=1846.msg19708#new

Rezerella brings us this video about DeathRay and his DeathTrap. Show it to all the others out there doing the same thing, but who just haven't killed anyone yet: Wannabe NDN

And hey, you can dance to it ;-)  Those of us old enough to remember may have some seventies flashbacks.

I'm not sure where to put this? My bold.


http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/fromcomments/314664.php



Is there recourse if your healer doesn't balance your chakras?
By Tim Steller
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.24.2009
By Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star

Arizona has no shaman licensing board, no reiki review center and no sweat-lodge inspection department.
That means that in Tucson's booming alternative-healing sector, the practitioners operate in a largely unregulated environment.
For customers, word of mouth, the Internet and the free market tend to guide their decisions about whom to see for sessions that can cost $100 or more per hour, local practitioners said. If something goes wrong, the practitioner won't have a license revoked, but customers can take some recourse by voting with their feet, spreading their opinion, complaining to the Better Business Bureau, or in extreme cases, filing a civil lawsuit.

Perhaps the most extreme case of something going wrong happened in a crowded sweat lodge near sedona on Oct. 8, leading to the deaths of three people and the injuries of about 20 others. Sidney Spencer of the Patagonia area was one of the people in the lodge during the multi-day Spiritual Warrior seminar led by James Arthur Ray, said her attorney, Ted Schmidt. She is recovering in Tucson after suffering what appears to be neurological problems in the two-hour sweat lodge session, Schmidt said.

Schmidt could not envision a regulatory structure that would work for the variety of practitioners working today, he said.
"You could single out sweat lodges and say, 'Let's establish licensure regulations for running a sweat lodge,' but there are so many other activities that these shamans and such do, that it's hard to imagine licensure for all the different activities that they do," he said.

A few alternative approaches are licensed: acupuncturists, massage therapists, naturopathic physicians, homeopathic physicians and chiropractors all have state boards regulating their practices. But the unregulated alternative healing methods available in Tucson are numerous. There are shamans, energy workers, sound healers, reiki practitioners, life coaches, and medicine men and women, among many others. And healers' services are available in places ranging from small home offices to large wellness resorts like Miraval Life in Balance.

"Tucson is quite a spiritual mecca," said Nancy Newton, who opened A Wild Purple Ranch and Retreat on the Northwest Side last year. "When I got to Tucson (in 2001), I knew it was going to be a place for me to become spiritual."

Some Tucson practitioners bridge the unregulated and regulated worlds: Lynne Namka is a licensed psychologist using mainstream approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, but she also maintains a practice as a shaman carrying out "soul extractions" and other alternative activities. To stay in good standing with the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners, Namka keeps the two activities separate, she said. She has one Web site, Tucsonshaman.com, for her alternative practice, and another, Angriesout.com, for her psychological practice. She has separate fee structures for the two activities, and she only files insurance claims for her psychological practice.

In an industry without broadly enforced standards, practitioners work to highlight the validity of their training. Often that comes in the form of abbreviations after their written names that can be hard for the untrained eye to discern.

"CSP," for example, stands for Certified Shamanic Practitioner. "CHTP" means Certified Healing Touch Practitioner.
"We're such a degree and certification-based society," said Tamra RowlandZaher, a certified shamanic practitioner in Tucson, explaining why people use the titles. "You're talking about an area where people are using their gifts."

On the Web site of Newton's ranch, she spells out her qualifications in more direct words: "Nancy Newton is an adopted medicine woman of the Nemenhah Tribe."

The Nemenhah band, as leader Philip "Cloudpiler" Landis calls it, is not a federally recognized tribe. Rather, Landis said, it is a branch of a Native American church. Using that status, Landis offers "spiritual adoption" in exchange for a donation.

Through this adoption process, he explained, the adoptee can become a medicine man or woman and be protected by the Native American Freedom of Expression and Religion Act, or NAFERA. As part of the adoption, the Nemenhah Web site says, the adoptee takes part in a "Sacred Giveaway" in which they make an "offering" of $250 at the outset, and $100 per year thereafter.

But some question the legitimacy of Landis, the Nemenhah and the titles he bestows, which also include "principal stone carrier." One critic is Al Carroll, who operates the Web site newagefraud.com.

Asked whether being a Nemenhah medicine woman would protect a person under the act, Carroll wrote: "No. I doubt any lawyer would argue that either. Legally, Indian is a legal term that only applies to those enrolled in a federally recognized tribe."

Alternative practitioners say many of their clients come to them through word of mouth, referred by friends who have benefited from seeing the practitioner. RowlandZaher said she only takes new clients by referral these days.

Some clients find practitioners by attending fairs and open houses that happen occasionally and are attended by a variety of practitioners, said Newton. Her ranch and retreat has hosted several such fairs to show people the services the ranch and its main healer, Darrell Hicks, offer.

She and others suggested that potential clients use their intuition — an important power for many alternative healers — in deciding whether to go with a given practitioner. Then afterwards, they can judge whether they got what they wanted.

It may not be easy argue with a practitioner that your chakras weren't properly balanced, but it is possible to file a complaint if an agreement or contract isn't followed, said Nick Lafleur, of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona.

"If they came to us with a complaint, we'd contact the business and mediate so that both sides reach some kind of understanding," Lafleur said.
In the case of a greater problem, such as sexual abuse or fraud, attorney Schmidt said, that's what county prosecutors and the Arizona Attorney General's Office are for.

Contact reporter Tim Steller at 807-8427 or tsteller@azstarnet.com