Inspired by the Sweat Lodge Tradgedy in Arizona

There was a tragedy recently where three people died in a sweat lodge at Angel Valley Ranch in Sedona, Arizona.  Since I lived six years in Sedona and new Angel Valley Ranch well, it hit close to home.  I was always enthusiastic about sweat lodge and had attended many lodges myself.  I needed to have a better understanding of what happened so I looked into this a bit further.

The sweat lodge was part of a five day spiritual warrior retreat led by “Self Help Guru” James Ray whose popularity soared after appearing in the movie “The Secret.”  I watched the movie “The Secret” many times and was excited to see these principals and ideas I had been practicing for years being brought into the mainstream.  But I wasn’t really familiar with James Ray or his work up until now.  I had to look at a picture of him in order to remember which one he was.  He was a good looking charismatic man in his early fifties.  He was a self-made millionaire who charged between nine and ten thousand dollars to attend this five day retreat which ended in tragedy.

James Ray obviously had a huge following and many people made great life changes as a result of his work.  But something went terribly wrong in that sweat lodge on October 12th.  Not only did three people die in the lodge but many people were vomiting and passing out and an unknown number got very sick and had to be hospitalized.

The news suggested that James Ray who was all about pushing people beyond their comfort zone pushed a bit too far.  Although most of us can agree that it is good to get out of our comfort zone sometimes our comfort zone is what keeps us safe, literally!  At what point do we sacrifice our personal safety for the promise of personal growth?

As I looked into the story further I was easily able to identify what went wrong.  James Ray should never have been leading that sweat lodge.  Sweat Lodge is a Native American tradition that involves construction of a lodge out of  willow branches or other easily bendable wood and covered with blankets, skins and/or cloth tarps.  The water pourer has had many years of training in order to have the honor of tending the sweat lodge.  There are usually no more than 12 people in a lodge and it is the responsibility of the water pourer to be conscious of everyone in that lodge.  It is a great responsibility.  Read the rest of this entry »

I arrived at the Phoenix airport and discovered that my luggage didn’t.  I left in the morning from Spokane, Washington, went to Seattle, to Salt Lake City and finally to Phoenix.  I suppose it was just too much for the system this time around.  So I decided to take my scheduled shuttle anyway and have the airlines deliver my bag later.

After getting up at 4:30 a.m.  and dealing with the energy of airports and airplanes I was pretty exhausted when I landed.  However there was still the two hour journey to Sedona.  So I hopped aboard my shuttle with a driver named “Magic” a woman from San Francisco, A man from Glastonbury, a business man from Cottonwood, and a Psychic Medium and her son from the East Coast.

At first I found my little quiet place in the shuttle, closed my eyes and zoned out with to the sound of the conversation up at the front of the shuttle.  But as the journey out of Phoenix and closer to Sedona progressed, I couldn’t help but over hear some of the conversation bleeding through the sound of the turning wheels on the shuttle.  There was a “Divine Feminine” Conference in Sedona and on board with me were a couple of the speakers.  So the conversation was very metaphysical.  I realize if it were any other place the chances of catching a metaphysically oriented shuttle would have been extremely low.  But Sedona just draws those either teaching some sort of spiritual information or those seeking enlightenment. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m on the plane to Sedona, Arizona listening to five of the songs I’m working on for the new Emergence CD.  It’s good traveling music; kind of a ethereal realm meets technology.  I suppose it is a marriage between the two.

Sometimes marriage can bring together two things from opposite ends of the spectrum and blend quite nicely.  When it is two people trying to get along the difference can be what break the couple apart.  But when you marry two different sounds, schools of thought or even fashion statements it can really work well.  Perhaps if in our personal relations we would do better to appreciate the differences in our mate rather than searching for a clone of ourselves.  If we had another self we would likely be very bored, because there would be nothing to spark new ideas or challenge us to try new things.

However I realize how much I do like my own company.  When we get to this place where we really love to be with ourselves I think we have arrived.  We have come to a place of self actualization.  I love all those creative ideas always flowing through my mind, the music that comes through my soul and the crazy idealistic lifestyle I strive for.  I love that I am always working to be better and better in everything I do.  I love that I don’t believe in getting old, or fundamentalist religions.  I love that I try to eat only what grows naturally and in its natural form.  I love that I can talk to my son about pot and sex without it being any big deal for either one of us.  I love that I have pursued my ideas and made a life for myself that allows me to travel and embark on these awesome spiritual journey’s.  I love that I love!  And because of this I love myself!  Because of this I love others so much easier.  And I can accept the differences in others with interest and curiosity. Read the rest of this entry »