Sweat Lodge "Guru" Proclaimed it was a "Good Day to Die"

The "Sweat Lodge" tragedy in 2009 was tragic, and so completely and utterly senseless. But Native American witchcraft has become more popular in recent years, as more people began to search for spiritual meaning in their lives, and unscrupulous Indians, recognizing the opportunity to make some quick wampum, have exploited this to the limit.

Indian "shamans", "healers", and so-called medicine men have come out of the woodwork as never before, offering every kind of pseudo-New Age remedy, course, or seminar imaginable. The worst of the worst, make a business out of it, taking upon themselves the mantle of a sort of Native American guru, who is tapped into supposed superhuman "spiritual powers" and tribal knowledge inaccessible to ordinary mortals.

My late Native American husband had been asked to be a tribal leader and take part in the Native American religion, sweat lodges, and ceremonies, but he shunned the notion, and said he felt pursuing these practices was ludicrous. That it was one thing to have knowledge of tribal traditions, (many of which are questionable), but quite another to pursue them. Especially in view of the fact that Native Americans are living in the post modern world, partaking and benefiting from modern resources, including access to more enlightened spiritual venues than the "Great Chieftain", Shaman, Medicine man approach to spiritual guidance. I agree with that.

However, at last check, James Ray's devoted followers were just as enthusiastic and adamant about proclaiming his innocence of any deliberate wrong doing in the sweat lodge deaths. Nevertheless, people were hurt, and some of them died. This tragedy has the stench of Jonestown surrounding it, just on a smaller scale. Who knows what might have happened if James Ray had attained a larger following.

This is yet another example of when people begging looking to a man, a human leader for guidance and knowledge, instead of to their Creator.

That fact wouldn't deter entrepreneurial Native American con-artists such as James Ray from setting up shop, and for big bucks charging folks for his 'inner wisdom'. We can see how his 'inner wisdom' played out in the Arizona sweat lodge tragedy. A quick thinker at the trauma scene, to cover his tracks, he apparently proclaimed that "it was a good day to die". He stood back and did nothing to either prevent or help those who were in physical distress, or dying.

It was reported by some of those attending, that the psychological message at Ray's seminar had the undertones of mind control and manipulation. People were told they could leave the sweat lodge at any time, but if they did, they would be considered failures, and failures for the duration of their lives. They would have failed Ray's "Spiritual Warrior" course.

In order to save his skin from criminal prosecution James Ray will probably play the "Freedom of Religion Card" to avoid criminal prosecution. However, there have already been two wrongful death suits filed against him.

How close this scenario is to the theme of other "prayer only" cults who allow babies, small children to die of medically treatable conditions, shunning all forms of medical treatment. It's become the mantra of these cultish groups to proclaim that when it's your time to die, you will die, which is nothing more than a form of fatalism. Doesn't this have the same familiar ring, in a way, as James Ray's proclamation, "It's a good day to die"? Sad, tragic, and illogical but the drums are still beating, calling the devotees back to the camp.