James Arthur Ray, the Sedona fiasco, and discernment on the spiritual path

This idiot has been fooling around with forces he obviously knows nothing about , for way too long i might add. he is a disgrace to Spirituality andto Native American culture and the entire concept of what being a warrior and true healing is about! not to mention,his complete lack of Respect and humility for "the Ways" of the Inipi. I don't believe the Spirits are done with him!!(my deepest condolences to the families of those who have suffered at the hands of this self-proclaimed "Guru")If ,as he has proven to be so far, he is the complete and witless dolt and greed monger he appears to be and actually tries to continue with his so-called "work" no, the Spirits will not be done with him!! I am Saddend that anyone would continue to follow this jerk. Here I will quote Dino Butler,(though I seriously doubt jimmy Ray Dumbass even knows who that is) and because jimmy here sooo fits the description! Quote" Most Christians are a lost people with no identity to the Land.The only God they have is thier technology which will destroy them because of the GREED it demands.I do not fear thier materialistic power and thier brutality cannot harm me, it will only take them further from thier Spirit which, will only bring me closer to mine. My love for my People and the Land is my Strength; And that is something they cannot touch, because it is a Power they DO NOT UNDERSTAND" end quote. I would say this to jimmyboy: The TRUTH IS A HARD PATH but its not rocket science-- you can hire all the Speciaists you want-- those people died because of your GREED,CONTEMPT,and DISRESPECT for the cultures of "The People"and ALL People who pray the true ways of Inipi Wakan. The Inipi is NOT A PLAYGROUND!!! OR A BUSINESS TO BE EXPLOITED!! TAKE NOTE HERE JIMBO AND PROMPTLY STEP DOWNFROM YOU SELF MADE PEDASTAL BEFORE YOU HURT MORE PEOPLE: SOME THINGS ARE NOT FOR SALE YOU STUPID, FOOLISH, PITIFUL MAN!!!!

OUR BOUNDARIES HAVE BEEN DISREGARDED
I am so pleased to view an article such as this and have posted many comments on the Internet these past few weeks, hopefully this one will not be removed from this site.
What seems to have happened at the Sedona sweat lodge is extreme negligence, there was no real preparation, IE. no knowledgeable pipe carrier, etc., this appears to have been done out of pure greed. The organization preys upon the American baby boomer dream mentality by appealing to their aspirations of assumption of lifelong prosperity and entitlement stemming from the 1950's non Native mentality of the privileged middle class suburban baby boomers desire to continually aspire to be the first kid on the block with the very latest and greatest,, ironically, these same baby boomers who rejected their very own elders traditional values, regarding them as ignorantly old fashioned in favor of always adopting the newest fad, which now is to emulate Native American Spirituality and healing. Indians are healing from the atrocities that happened in our very own lifetimes and this is what is being falsely emulated in a great number of variations across the country. We didn't get our freedom of religion until the 1970's. How sad it is see our way of healing ourselves being marketed as a new age commodity with no knowledge or regard, but Indians such as myself are the elders now that pass our ways on for our youth that is still being affected through our onslaughts of atrocities and the results directly stemming from them. This organization is no different than those type of people who never fought for our country that hang around the local VFW collecting other people's war stories then claiming the honor & glory as their own. If you haven't been through the work and the battle then you can't claim the glory! If they had they would have some residual effects of PTSD, which by the way, only recently is being acknowledged as caused by Historical Trauma, and consequently they would understand the outrage this has caused Native Americans, not only because of the blatantly misappropriation of our spirituality but also the negative repercussions this may have on our most sacred practices. Our 'boundaries' been disregarded;

In James Arthur's website he states the following:
"This is the defining factor of real wealth... And, after all, isn't true Harmonic Wealth what you really want and deserve?...blending the latest and greatest findings....yet you've been brainwashed to think that only sweat and hard work will get you where you want to be. Here's a better way...Let the journey be your roadmap to an abundant, wealthy and fulfilled life.Yesterday's biggest nerd is today's richest man in the world (and he doesn't even have a college degree). You'll define and enforce your own boundaries without someone else telling you what they should be...There is no sacrifice only greater and more magnificent results, wealth, adventure and fulfillment."

In humanistic, relationship-based schools of therapy there are 'BOUNDARIES' in the therapeutic relationship, this however is not only being crossed by this organization but it is 'expected' of participants to completely and grossly disregard the true spirituality of very people it has been blatantly misappropriated,,, fabricated parodies such as this, are compromising to our culture.
LINDA MEDLEY (currently a Chippewa in Michigan)
(Member of Chippewas of Nawash Unceded Nation and Walpole Island First Nation Unceded Territory)

I am glad to see that you are knowledgable about your own belief system. But I am sad that you are not so knowledagble about others beliefs. This is why we have wars and many other problems in society because we are so free to judge others without truly knowing what they believe. There have been many posts on the internet that have been posted without the knowledge of what James Ray Believies and have taken out of context things he has written or said to support there own belief systems just as people have for years done with the bible and other holy books. You believe yourself to have a supperior belief system to others, but this is only stupid and sad because although you point out that he dose not have a college degree, you have not taken the time to actually find out the truth about what he believies. Like I have told my childern and there friends for years before you judge others and hate them find out everything you can about them and then you can even hate them more. I am sadden by you and everyone like you who have used this oportunty to post there hateful believe systems about a man or a belief system they no only enough about to expell there hatefulness. I hope that you truly review your own belief systems and any others you believe to be inferior to your own and grow to truly undersand what own belief system teaches I am ashamed for you.

Tammy wrote:

I am glad to see that you are knowledgable about your own belief system. But I am sad that you are not so knowledagble about others beliefs. This is why we have wars and many other problems in society because we are so free to judge others without truly knowing what they believe. There have been many posts on the internet that have been posted without the knowledge of what James Ray Believies and have taken out of context things he has written or said to support there own belief systems just as people have for years done with the bible and other holy books. You believe yourself to have a supperior belief system to others, but this is only stupid and sad because although you point out that he dose not have a college degree, you have not taken the time to actually find out the truth about what he believies. Like I have told my childern and there friends for years before you judge others and hate them find out everything you can about them and then you can even hate them more. I am sadden by you and everyone like you who have used this oportunty to post there hateful believe systems about a man or a belief system they no only enough about to expell there hatefulness. I hope that you truly review your own belief systems and any others you believe to be inferior to your own and grow to truly undersand what own belief system teaches I am ashamed for you.

Who exactly is this post directed at?

Tammy wrote:

I am glad to see that you are knowledgable about your own belief system. But I am sad that you are not so knowledagble about others beliefs. This is why we have wars and many other problems in society because we are so free to judge others without truly knowing what they believe. There have been many posts on the internet that have been posted without the knowledge of what James Ray Believies and have taken out of context things he has written or said to support there own belief systems just as people have for years done with the bible and other holy books. You believe yourself to have a supperior belief system to others, but this is only stupid and sad because although you point out that he dose not have a college degree, you have not taken the time to actually find out the truth about what he believies. Like I have told my childern and there friends for years before you judge others and hate them find out everything you can about them and then you can even hate them more. I am sadden by you and everyone like you who have used this oportunty to post there hateful believe systems about a man or a belief system they no only enough about to expell there hatefulness. I hope that you truly review your own belief systems and any others you believe to be inferior to your own and grow to truly undersand what own belief system teaches I am ashamed for you.

No where in my comments do I ever claim that Native peoples have a "supperior belief system" although this motivational profiteer seems to be attempting to market one comprised of butchering our rituals for profit, nor do I claim others belief systems are "inferior" to any others. There is no hate here,, only from people like you who twist others words into their own fabrications and apply their own hatefulness by using words like "superior and inferior" and presumptiously assume "hatred" is behind this, which must be a part of your own psyhological makeup and own limited inner understanding of the world at large. The only shame here is that people like you use words like "hate" there is no hate here except from you, why assume standing up to tyrants is "hate"?

Sedona Atrocity
Just over the past decade or so I have been noticing that the word 'Sweatlodge' has begun to be commonly used in casual conversations by a staggering number of non Indian peoples in their conversations, so very casually, as if it had always been a part of non Indian mainstream Americana, and sadly now in the media over the recent deaths in Sedona Arizona. The use of this word currently in the media is very wrong. I have also seen that there is a case against the US Government concerning these deaths, but I feel someone needs to stand up and face the true perpetrators of this atrocity by addressing the media and people such as the organizations and corporations who perpetuate this sort of thing,, and boldly put the blame where it belongs,,, the government doesn't have anything to do with the way it's citizens either unknowingly or else greedily, have yet again, in this day and age, shamefully found yet another way to perquisite the American Indian yet again, is there absolutely no limit to some peoples greed? The way our national newscasters customarily, unknowingly and continually inadvertently have been misrepresenting this recent event is inadvertently perpetuating the prevention of cultural awareness.... the use of the word 'Sweatlodge' in the Sedona atrocity is outright wrong. The James Arthur Ray's organization did not hold a sweatlodge, that was not a sweatlodge,,, the media and those repeating the news should reject calling it 'The Sedona Sweatlodge',,, and call it exactly what it is,,,'The Sedona Atrocity'.
Linda Medley (Chippewa in Michigan)