SI March April 2010 pgs:SI J A 2009 1/22/10 11:39 AM Page 19 NOTES OF A FRINGE WATCHER M A R T I N G A R D N E R James Arthur Ray: New Age Guru and Sweat Lodge Culprit n recent years Sedona, Arizona, has become a popular haven for New IAge cults of all shades. Why Sedona? Partly because of its superb scenery and sunlight, and partly because of the belief that it swarms with invisible “vortexes” from which one can draw cosmic or spiritual energy. There are also nearby Indian tribes with herbal remedies and powerful witch doctors. On October 8, 2009, at a New Age retreat in Angel Valley, Arizona, near Sedona, another of Oprah Winfrey’s and Larry King’s guests ran into deep trouble. More than sixty followers of James Arthur Ray were crammed into a small tent Ray brought to an unbearable tem- perature with heated rocks. At the end of the first session of what Ray calls a “sweat lodge” meeting, guests were throwing up and passing out while Ray stood guard at the tent’s flap entrance to prevent guests from leaving. By the meeting’s end, some twenty followers were taken to hospitals where three died: Kirby Brown, thirty- eight; Liz Newman, forty-eight; and James Shore, forty. Who the devil is James Ray? He was Martin Gardner is author of more than sev- enty books, most recently The Jinn from Hyperspace (Prometheus Books, 2008) and When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish, and Other Specula tions About This and That (Hill and Wang, 2009). James Arthur Ray SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March / Ap ril 2010 19 SI March April 2010 pgs:SI J A 2009 1/22/10 12:18 PM Page 20 born and raised in my hometown of The Secret.” The Secret is a film based on die under Ray’s care. His Beverly Hills Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his father was a best-selling (thanks to Oprah) book mansion cost $4 million. pastor of the Red Fork Church of God, with the same title. Ray appears in the Before entering one of Ray’s sweat a Pentecostal congregation, for ten years. film, helping explain how to obtain any- lodge programs, everyone must sign a After graduating from Tulsa’s Webster thing you strongly desire (see “Secrets waiver. It reads: “I am fully aware that I College High School, James worked at and Lies,” SI, May/June 2007). may suffer physical, emotional, finan- several Tulsa jobs before entering a I once saw a sign in a Tulsa bar that cial, and other injury during any of the junior college, where he failed to gradu- said, “It is better to be rich and healthy activities.” This, of course, is intended to ate. For a short time he was a sales man- than to be poor and sick.” Millions of get Ray off the hook if bad things hap- ager for AT&T. Americans want to be healthy and rich. pen to a follower. However, the waiver In his 2008 book Harmonic Wealth, This yearning has spawned a variety of says nothing about suddenly dying, so it Ray says he wandered for ten days in the self-help scoundrels who have become may not be so easy for Ray to tap dance Sinai Desert, ending up at a mountain millionaires from their books, lectures, out of lawsuits and criminal charges of cave where it is said Moses was handed and classes. negligent homicide. In addition to the the Ten Commandments. “This is In a lengthy article in The Arizona three who died in Sedona, at least seven where it all came together for me,” Ray Republic, Ray’s views are described as a other needless deaths have occurred in writes, “where the final pieces of har- “cobbling of religions, ancient mysticism, sweat lodges in England and Australia. monic wealth, and the quantum physics modern science, and far-flung philoso- I should add that Ray heads some- I had studied for a decade, took form.” phies.” Steve Salarno, author of SHAM: thing he calls the World Wealth Society. Quantum physics? Did Ray study How the Self-Help Movement Made Amer - This is an inner circle of a few dozen quantum theory at the junior college he icans Helpless, recently de scribed Ray’s foolish followers who pay nonrefund- attended or just read books about it? Did opinions as a “psychological bouillabaisse able deposits of $20,000. And what is he take a course in quantum mechanics at drawing on random elements of the New this gullible group’s goal? It is nothing Tulsa’s great center of learning, Oral Age and other facets of harmonic psy- less than to transform the world into a Roberts University? In his book, Ray chobabble.” A far cry from the primitive utopia where everyone is healthy, happy, claims he interviewed Peruvian Andes fundamentalism of Ray’s father. and, above all, rich! shamans and Amazon witch doctors. Like so many self-help charlatans, Does Ray actually believe the piffle Maybe they taught him quantum theory? Ray has quickly become a millionaire he preaches? Who knows? ! On his travels he wandered through the several times over. In 2008 his company, catacombs, the Egyptian pyramids, Paris James Ray International, raked in $9.4 Notes museums, and a huge castle in Portugal. million. The Harmonic Wealth week- 1. Doughtery, James. 2009. In quest of spiri- tual rebirth a witness sees a grim ending. The New Ray sells a DVD titled Quantum end offered by his company costs York Times, October 22. Crea tions. He describes it as providing a $1,297 for those willing to pay it. Of 2. Harris, Craig, and Dennis Wagner. 2009. “specific plan to achieve exactly what course, such weekends lead to even Cracks form in motivational mogul’s empire. The Arizona Republic, October 12. you want out of life, using quantum more expensive tutoring. The event that 3. Books by Ray: The Science of Success (2003), physics strategies as discussed in the resulted in three deaths cost $9,695 per Practical Spirituality (2005), Harmonic Wealth movies What the Bleep Do We Know? and person—almost ten thousand dollars to (2008), The Seven Laws of Wealth (2009). Announcing New Online SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Newsletter The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Features include photos, guest-authored articles from key magazine have created one more way for readers to keep up figures in today’s skeptical movement, introductions and suc- with news and events. The inaugural edition of the electroni- cesses of skeptics’ groups, reports from events and conven- cally delivered Skeptical Inquirer News (yes, SIN) launched tions, news of investigations, updates on developing stories, December 17, 2009. With this free monthly e-news publica- matters of concern to the skeptical community, legislation tion, CSI will keep readers updated on new material, activi- and policies to keep an eye on, links to media stories featur- ties, and events of interest to the skeptical community. ing CSI members, and more. 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