For those who have served

Warning: I'm sorry to disappoint those who live for the snark, but today's post isn't a snarky one. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming soon.
~CC

Most of us know the story: on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, The War To End All Wars was formally brought to a close with the German signing of the Armistice Treaty. That was in 1918, and, of course, what would later be designated as World War I did not mark the end of war at all, but merely the beginning of a whole new era of warfare. Nevertheless, November 11 became a day to honor veterans of that bloody war, and, later on, veterans of all wars. In the United States we know it as Veterans Day, and in other parts of the world it is Remembrance Day.

Veterans Day gives me cause to acknowledge and celebrate the veteran I live with, Ron Kaye. And I'll tell you right off that this post won't even begin to do him justice; these are just a few things off the top of my head.

The first thing that comes to my mind about Ron is that he is always doing what he can to help make things better for others – people and animals alike. Whether it's taking a day to go into Houston to tend to his aging "second parents," or spending hours helping our friends at a local goat dairy dig a trench to help fix a broken well pump, or helping to save the life of a colicky horse, he's there. He has helped his own children through some very rough spots as well, providing stability for them in the years following his divorce, and doing his part to nurture them through a tragic incident that nearly tore their lives apart when they were young adults. He has always been there for them, and for me as well, even when we didn't make it easy for him.

He's there for strangers too. A few months ago there was a grisly car crash on the relatively quiet country road that runs by our home. Some local teenagers had apparently had way too much to drink, and their car veered off the road, plunged through a fence and plowed into a tree. Since the road is about a half mile from our home – we have a long driveway – we weren't aware that anything was going on till the local law enforcement got to the scene and we saw the flashing lights. Without even hesitating, Ron ran up to the road, found out what was going on and asked what he could do to help, explaining that he had been a field medic in the military. Immediately he was handed a pair of disposable gloves and told, "There's one over there in the trees." Not knowing what he'd find, Ron raced over to where a young man who had been thrown from the car was lying bleeding. It was impossible for Ron to discern the extent of his injuries, but they were obviously pretty bad. All he could do was keep the young man immobilized and give what comfort he could till the EMTs got there. I do not think it is an exaggeration to say he helped save his life. I think what he did was heroic. Yet he shrugs it off, saying, "I just did what anyone would do."

Ron is the most kindhearted, loving, and even sentimental person I know, but he isn't afraid to go "toe-to-toe" with anyone, whether he's sticking up for someone he loves, advocating on behalf of a client, or calling someone out for their b.s. (I firmly believe it was his willingness to call things as he saw them that was instrumental in the breakdown of our "friendship" with a person who later became a well-known hustledork.) He has also gotten into his fair share of conflicts while arguing his point of view about various matters such as spirituality, social issues, or, especially, politics. Although he is always respectful and never abusive, he is sometimes...well...adamant. Some people have trouble with that, if they happen to hold an opposing view. Some have hurled abuse at him for his so-called "liberal" views. Some, not knowing his background but basing their judgment solely on, say, the fact that he was opposed to the U.S.'s 2003 invasion of Iraq, have accused him of being a contemptible '60s-era hippie who sat in a custom-painted van, smoking dope and listening to Grateful Dead tapes, while laughingly avoiding the draft. Little do they know... Some folks simply cannot understand how a person can be both a "liberal" (or a holder of anti-war views) and a veteran who actually volunteered for a cause beyond himself. These days, it seems he's getting some guff for expressing opinions that are not rabidly anti-Obama, and that are pro-health care reform. And so it goes.

In the years since he served, I think Ron has managed to make a good life. He has two fine kids (I can't take any credit for that, but I adore them). He does work he loves. And he has made me happy for sixteen years and counting. Most important of all, he has an uncanny ability to see into people's hearts. I sometimes wish more people could see into his.

So anyway. Here we are, on the 90th anniversary of the first official "Armistice Day" (it was first observed on November 11, 1919), which eventually morphed into Veterans Day. If I were you, I'd celebrate it by saying a big "Thank you" to the veteran(s) in your life. A big hug probably wouldn't hurt either. And if you're a veteran yourself, or currently serving, you have my thanks, and a big virtual hug as well.

PS ~ Here is a link to Ron's blog.

* * * * *

I've always liked this poem by the late French poet Louis Aragon, who was a part of the French Resistance during World War II. This translation is from the (out-of-print) 1976 book, Literature and Liberalism: An Anthology of Sixty Years of The New Republic, edited by Edward Zwick.

The Waltz of the Twenty-Year-Olds

Good for the wind, good for the night, good for the cold
Good for the march and the bullets and the mud
Good for legends, good for the stations of the cross
Good for absence and long evenings. Funny ball
At which I danced and, children, you will dance
To the same dehumanized orchestral score
Good for fear, good for machine guns, good for rats
Good as good bread and good as simple salad

But here is the rising of the conscript sun
The waltz of the twenty-year-olds sweeps over Paris
Good for a shot of brandy at dawn and the anguish before the attack
Good for the waiting, the storm and the patrols
Good for night silence under rocket flares
Good for youth passing and the rusting heart
Good for love and death, good to be forgotten
In the rain and shadow cloaking the battlefields
Child soldiers trundled in no other bed
But the ditch already tailored to their measure

The twenty-year-old waltz sweeps through the bistros
And breaks like a laugh at the entrance to the Métro

Army classes of yesterday, vanished dreams
Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen: listen. They hum
Like us the trite refrain, like us believe it
And like us in those days, may God forgive them
Value more than their lives at a single moment
Of drunkenness or folly or delight
What do they know of the world? Does living mean
Quite simply, Mother, to die very young?

* * * * *

OMT: Today is as good a day as any to mention the ongoing problem of U.S. veterans – of all wars – getting the short end of the stick when it comes to health care. Here's a story about it.

Here's a link to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs web site.

The lies that blind

Today I heard from someone I'll call Pat, who recently discovered my blog. For several years Pat worked for an Internet marketing guru, and at first found the work fun and creative. Then as time went by, to Pat's dismay, the guru became more and more involved in the world of New-Wage/selfish-help stuff. Pat, a self-described skeptic and atheist who believes that "most self-help stuff is crap," found several of the guru's schemes to be morally objectionable. The fact that the guy was bilking people out of lots of money was what really got Pat's goat.

At first the guru's New-Wage leanings didn't pose too much of a problem, however, because there was still enough non-objectionable work for Pat to do. But as Pat's boss became increasingly more woo-ish, and then latched onto The Secret in a huge way, things became much less tolerable. Pat ultimately left the guru's employ with sanity and ethics intact, having learned some eye-opening lessons about the private worlds of selfish-help luminaries.

There were two paragraphs in Pat's email that particularly stuck out for me, and Pat has graciously given me permission to share them:

I think that the majority of the people that buy into these types of people and their products would be absolutely gobsmacked if they realized what these guys are like behind closed doors. Up on the stage, in the books, in the audios, in the videos, these guys are charming, upbeat, positive role model type people that you can look up to. But get them off stage and with the people that work for them, and they are completely different. [My ex-boss] holds the honor of being the absolute WORST boss I have ever had... One of his favorite pastimes appeared to be seeing how many times he could make an employee cry with his raving and name-calling in a week, and for someone that was able to command thousands of dollars for just one weekend of the yippety yap, he paid us all circus peanuts (which is one step down from real peanuts, which at least have some nutritional value).

In my experience, the others are no different than my former boss. As I read your blog, I keep coming across names of people I came into contact with while I was working with this guy, and I am torn between laughing in recognition and wanting to facepalm. Oh, the stories I could tell. Not only are these guys almost always complete doucherockets when they aren't in front of the trusting masses, the vast majority of them will readily admit (and laugh about) the fact that the crap they are pushing is indeed crap. Even these guys don't buy their own sales pitches.

And oh, the stories many of us could tell. I believe I could write a whole book on what I have experienced firsthand, and have heard from others (Pat being far from the only one), regarding the sometimes disturbing difference between many New-Wage hustledorks' public personas and their private raging, passive-aggressive, greedy, arrogant, narcissistic, occasionally borderline-sociopathic, or sometimes predatory selves.

Not everyone in the self-help industry fits these descriptions, of course. I believe there are some genuinely good folks in the business. And it could be argued that even the mostly horrid ones have at least a few good points and have produced work that has helped some people in some way. Moreover, I'm only hearing Pat's side of the story. Even given these qualifiers, however, there seems to be a distinct pattern of lamentable personality traits among New-Wage stars and superstars. In other words, Pat's ex-boss doesn't seem at all atypical.

Many people already know this stuff. Others might be aware of it but simply choose not to dwell on it because, perhaps, they find some value in the gurus' works. Separate the message from the messenger, in other words. Still others might ask why it even matters, because after all, most people in the public eye have their private quirks and foibles, and of course, even New-Wage gurus are only human. In other words... Yawn.

Well, stifle that yawn, if you can, while I attempt to answer the question of why it matters. (Come on, humor me.) I know we've discussed this matter on this blog before, but I think it's worth repeating, at the very least for the benefit of new readers, or people who might not have considered these matters previously.

Maybe it's not such a big deal to have a shiny happy public presence and yet be a butthead or a bitch or a cad in private life, if, say, you are a celebutante or a rock star or even, in some cases, a politician (if that is, you're a politician who sticks to politics and are not on some moralistic high horse yourself). Depending upon the degree of fame, the disparity between public image and private reality might be tabloid-worthy, but that's about the extent of it.

It's different with hustledorks, particularly those who claim some sort of spiritual authority. They should be held to a higher standard because, unlike most other celebs, selfish-help/McSpirituality/New-Wage leaders are making their fortunes by instructing others in how to live their lives. Equally if not more important, unlike most celebrities (with the exception of those who cross over into the selfish-help world themselves, such as Suzanne Somers), hustledorks aggressively and disingenuously use their own ostensibly perfect lives as marketing tools. They are continually promoting themselves as being happy, healthy, wealthy, self-actualized, self-realized, fully awakened human beings who have everything they could possibly want, including amazing relationships. Oh, occasionally, to make themselves seem likeable and accessible, they will mention that they're only human and are still a "work in progress" or some such disclaimer. But the dominant message is that their astounding achievements (and, of course, their enviable possessions) prove that they are a cut above ordinary humans, and that they can sell you the secrets to make you a magnificent human specimen as well.

Most important of all, when other celebs, most notably Hollywood types, show off how successful they are, their main purpose is fairly innocuous: to draw attention to themselves. They aren't trying to manipulate people into forking over thousands of dollars for a weekend workshop in order to try to create a life just like theirs. By contrast, all too many hustledorks use their carefully crafted public images as their primary marketing tool to convince people that anyone can have an exemplary life like theirs, if they are only willing to "invest" a few thousand bucks, or a few hundred thousand, in the right products and workshops and retreats.

And all too many people buy into the message, spending thousands of dollars they don't have, and not really seeing any genuine improvements in their lives. Some of them even end up dead, as we've seen this past month.

And meanwhile, the hustledorks hustle on.

I've written some variation of this message so many times, on this blog and on discussions on other blogs and forums, that I can practically write it in my sleep. In fact, I am pretty sure that I was mostly asleep while writing this. And I'm far from the only one who has snarked, sniped, and griped about the duplicity of New-Wage snake-oil pushers, whose real lives are full of ugly realities that differ radically from the pretty veneers they construct.

The take-away lesson, in case it isn't painfully obvious, is this: Don't believe the lies. Or, if you prefer something less incendiary, don't believe the marketing. Don't believe the gurus when they talk about how consistently glorious their lives are, and how self-realized and "awakened" they themselves are. (Wasn't it James Arthur Ray who, not long ago, wrote, "I don't have bad days"? And how many other successful New-Wage leaders have we heard making some variation of that claim?)

For that matter, even when the hucksters occasionally share their problems in the form of "confessions" about setbacks or disappointments, or tales of friends or associates who have supposedly betrayed them, you should take all of that with a few grains of salt as well. When hearing a sob story, if it sounds kind of one-sided or overly dramatic, always assume that the guru telling it is (1) selectively sharing details in order to preserve his/her image as a bearer of deep wisdom (while perhaps gaining cred as a martyred hero); or (2) so genuinely clueless, despite his/her "advanced" state of personal growth and spiritual development, that s/he honestly cannot see the true cause of the problem in question. More than likely both factors are at play.

Most of all, never, never assume that selfish-help hustlers literally believe in all of the stuff they are peddling. Privately, as my correspondent "Pat" said, "The vast majority of them will readily admit (and laugh about) the fact that the crap they are pushing is indeed crap. Even these guys don't buy their own sales pitches."

And Pat, as well as many other people whose stories I've seen and heard over the years, would know.

PS ~ I linked to this in my James Ray "Sweatgate" post but it's worth linking to again. This is from my friend Duff McDuffee, who says that, contrary to the hustlers' promises, you CAN'T have it all, but that this is actually good news.

PPS ~ As vanity and envy are two major factors that fuel the selfish-help industry, providing the very foundation of most hucksters' marketing plans, I think it's worth your while to read Steve Salerno's four-part series on the topic on SHAMblog. Here's Part 1, here's Part 2, here's Part 3, and here's Part 4.

Hello, dolly!

Well, Dear Ones, I bet you thought I was never going to let up on that James Arthur Ray "Sweatgate" story. And I haven't entirely, of course – the conversation is still alive and kicking on my Whirled – but I felt it was time to share a little bit of positive news. As you may know from reading a couple of my recent pre-Sweatgate posts on this blog, our friend Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale, (who also happens to be one of James Ray's friends and co-stars in The Secret), recently went to Russia to spread the good news to the Russians about the Law Of Attraction. He had scads of adventures and misadventures there, but one really good thing that happened to him was that he discovered an amazing Russian magic doll that has been kept a secret for centuries, until now.

And what better place to find a centuries-old secret than Russia? Russia, as Joe 'splains it, is "a land of wisdom and mystery, magic and miracles. It holds more secrets than you or I could ever imagine." I happen to agree with him on that point, and I even wrote a scholarly, meticulously researched piece about the mystical wonders of Russia. Actually, though, Joe says that his magic dolly may not have originated in Russia. He says it may very well have Buddhist roots, and since Joe is the Buddha of the Internet and all, I imagine he knows what he's talking about when it comes to anything about Buddhism. (Well, except when he doesn't.)

Joe's first wrote about his little doll, called Hochun or Hoshun (from the Russian verb, "I want") on his blog shortly after he got back from Russia. Hoshun can help make all of your wishes come true. Okay, the truth is that a single Hoshun can only help make one wish come true, and if you want help on another wish you have to buy another doll, and then if you have yet another wish you have to buy yet another doll, and so forth. [Note: See November 4 update below. ~CC] But that's no problem because Joe, who is always looking out for your well-being, has made special arrangements to help bring the magic of Hoshun into your life. He has teamed up with his buddy Pat O'Bryan to sell you as many dolls as you could possibly want. (If you follow the link to the magic dolly site, you have to watch the video. You just have to.)

But wait, there's more! You can, according to the PPS on the site, also buy "Hoshun Secret Clothing," coffee mugs, and more, "at a secret site you'll get when you order Hoshun." Hoshun's image is apparently so powerful that it works whether it's in the form of a dolly or a two-dimensional image on a mug or a piece of Secret Clothing.

Now, you may be wondering why Joe teamed up with Pat O'Bryan for something like this. After all, as Joe puts it, "Pat tends to be skeptical. He doesn't swallow woo-woo or spirit guides easily, if at all." And I'm pretty sure that's true, since Pat is normally a purveyor of strictly scientifical products such as (yes, you knew I was going to mention this, didn't you?) the amazing Psychic Demand method. But as it turns out, there is no contradiction between the magical aspect of Hoshun and Pat's hard-nosed skepticism. Pat, being the science guy he is, "saw the value of Hoshun as a 'brain tool' to install your intention in your mind." I know that may be a little too complex and technical to most of you, as it was to me, but you just have to trust these guys because they know how your mind works.

But how does Hoshun work? Well, again, it's pretty technical, but I will try to explain it in plain English. Hoshun doesn't have any pupils in his eyes when you first buy him, which means he is blind. But he is longing to see, and he'll do anything for the person who helps him see. That's you. You draw one of his pupils in – but just one, mind you – and you tell him your wish. Then with that one functional eyeball Hoshun watches you as you work to make your wish come true.

You also get some "breakthrough audios" with your Hoshun, created especially for you by Joe and Pat to support you in your efforts. I'm thinking it might behoove you to watch that video of Joe on the magic dolly site again, and there might be added benefits if you let Hoshun watch the video with you. Of course, with just one eye Hoshun's depth perception might be compromised, but it shouldn't pose much of a problem since there isn't all that much depth to perceive, if you catch my meaning.

Once Hoshun has his working eyeball and you have begun taking inspired action on your wish or goal, you're supposed to take your dolly with you as a constant reminder of that goal or wish. He will serve as an inspiration, silently cheering you on. Joe says Hoshun is working on a "psychological level, a mystical level, an energy level, and a metaphysical level." But I can't help thinking of that creepy wind-up doll in the commercial for the prescription antidepressant Pristiq. The depressed woman takes Pristiq and gets better, but apparently she still has to take the doll with her everywhere, even on family picnics. I find that pretty disturbing. (Here's the link, in case you haven't seen it. And if you're getting a bit of deja vu here, it's because I already discussed the Russian dolly a little bit in the discussion following one of my previous blog posts, and in my comment I also mentioned the Pristiq doll.)

So on you go about your business, working to reach your goal, while Hoshun peers at you with his single eyeball. I suppose it's up to you if you want to let him watch you shower or perform other private activities. If that's how you get your thrills, go for it. Once your wish is granted or your goal is reached, you draw in Hoshun's other pupil so he can really see your triumph. Then you think up another wish, and buy another Hoshun, and do the pupil-drawing ritual, and listen to the audios, and work on your wish by taking inspired action, and so on. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I am not sure what you are supposed to do with your first Hoshun once you bring another one into your home, or how you handle it if the Hoshuns get jealous of each other and start secretly plotting to cancel out each other's work on your behalf. Maybe Joe and Pat could sell a magic Hoshun harmonizer to help all of your Hoshuns work in concert for you.

Now, I know you may be thinking, "Gee, Cosmic Connie, this sounds pretty good, but it's unproven technology. Does this magic dolly really work?" I'm glad you asked. Joe says it does work, and he 'splains why:

Here are three reasons this secret genie works:
1. For one thing, just using him to help you be clear about what you want was eye-opening. He forced me to be clear. This alone is priceless. As you know, you can't have what you can't articulate.
2. For another, having Hoshun sitting near me was a great mental trigger. He constantly reminded me of my intention, or wish. I knew this was working on my unconscious mind. I also knew this was sending my wish into the 'well of the universe'. As you know, being reminded of your intention is how you get your hidden powers to attract it to you.
3. Finally, even if you are so skeptical that you think a "secret genie" is nonsense, then at least consider the power of the placebo. Studies prove that belief in a pill can help cure any disease. Think about that. There are centuries of built-up belief in this secret Russian wish maker. Even if you don't actually buy it right now, the hundreds of thousands of people who have believed in it have infused it with the power of a diety [sic].

Wow. That last item contains an absolutely amazing explanation of how the placebo effect works. Who knew?

I'm sure that by now you're almost convinced to buy at least one of Joe and Pat's dolls. But you might still be wondering, "How much of an investment am I going to have to make?" Well, that depends upon how many wishes you have. But suppose you just want to start out with one and see how it goes. How much is that? Once again, here's Joe:

When you consider that this secret genie will do anything you want in order to get his eyesight, he's probably worth thousands of dollars to you.

After all, anything that can help you attract what you want is clearly worth a lot of money, right?

How much?

I think we should sell Hoshun for $997.

But considering most people are worried about the economy right now -- I think they should get Hoshun to fix it -- we decided to offer you Hoshun for a very low, fair price.

You can have a Hoshun of your very own for only $39.99.

Considering this is like having a genie to do your bidding, I think the price is a steal.

After all, what's a secret magic genie worth?

"What's a secret magic genie worth?" asks Josef. I realize his question might be rhetorical, but I am thinking that maybe we should try to answer it anyway. Perhaps Joe's buddy James Arthur Ray could shed some light on that one.

If you follow the link on Joe and Pat's site, you can get your Hoshun magic right away via download, or so Joe says. Now, how you're going to download a doll, I don't know, unless it's a paper doll that you print out. I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself. [Again, see November 4 update, below. ~CC]

I suspect that even though I have taken the time to patiently explain how the magic Russian dolly works, some of you may still be skeptics. In fact a friend of mine, upon hearing about Joe's newest scheme, wrote, "Just when I think he couldn't surprise me any more, he pulls something else out of his ass."

Little did he realize that where Mr. Fire is concerned, that may be more than just a figure of speech. But maybe we'll save that one for another time.

Update, 4 November: Although my contributors and I have kept this story (such as it is) pretty well updated via discussions in the "Comments" section, I'm bringing the highlights up to the front page.

The most important point, in case it isn't obvious from all of the discussions whirling around the Net (and here on my Whirled, for that matter) is that the Hoshun dolly picture that Joe and Pat are selling is not the actual Hochun doll that Joe says he was given by a Russian fan. (And apparently the person who gave it to him was indeed a fan of his, but by presenting the Hochun dolls to him she was also earnestly seeking a business partnership with Joe. At least that's what the linked message in the previous sentence would indicate. I'll have an update on that as verifiable information comes to me.) In any case, what Joe and Pat are selling is not the doll but a two-dimensional image of the Hochun figure. Moreover, at some point between the time I first wrote this blog post and now – one follower tells me it was the day after my post was published – Joe and Pat changed their offer, so your forty bucks will now give you the right to a "lifetime supply" (that is, unlimited printouts) of your wish-dolly figure. What a bargain, huh?

Yet even with this lifetime bargain addition, there has been a flurry of criticism about the dolly, prompting Joe and Pat to take corrective marketing action via emails and Tweets, including rare backup from Joe's sweetie, Nerissa (here and here, so far). There's even another blog post from Joe himself, defending the idea behind Hoshun; click here for that post. I know Joe's Superman defense will convince you beyond a doubt that the Hoshun scheme is indeed profoundly scientifical.

Finally, there is the issue that more than one person has commented on, which is that Joe and Pat are spelling the name of their dolly, "Hoshun." Some have speculated that this is merely a branding effort, while some think it's a short-term memory problem on Joe's part, and others think it could be a calculated attempt to avoid sticky issues with the Russian makers of the Hochun doll. In any case...well, behold the power of words and their deeper meanings. Is the operative syllable here, "shun?" Judging from the fact that there has been such an outcry against this scheme, and that even some of Joe's friends and admirers (e.g., Mr2020) think it is absurd, maybe words do carry more power than we think.

On the other hand, there's that first syllable...

Sweat lodge deaths: is the heat on Secret star?

"Counting down the days to Spiritual Warrior in Sedona! On Saturday 60 people will enter the desert and 60 new people will exit 5 days later."
~James Arthur Ray, on a September 28 Facebook entry*

James Arthur Ray is still in Spiritual Warrior... for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?
~ James Arthur Ray, on an October 8 Facebook entry *

Note: I've added quite a bit since I first published this piece on the afternoon of October 9. In fact, this post is becoming more and more like a big ol' rambling house that the occupants keep adding on to. It started out as what Wikipedia would probably call a "stub," and I've been steadily slapping on addenda as new items come to my attention. Check back frequently; you never know what you'll find.
~CC

A tipster just sent me a link to this news bit. A man and woman are dead (see first "Addendum" below), and at least nineteen other people were hospitalized, having collapsed after a two-hour-long sweat-lodge session at a "Spiritual Warrior" retreat in Sedona, Arizona yesterday (Thursday, October 8). [Note: As of October 18, a third person, a 49-year-old woman, has also died. See October 18 addendum below.] The host of the retreat? None other than Secret star and "Harmonic Wealth" hustler James Arthur Ray, whom you may have encountered on this very blog a few times before (here and here, f'rinstance). And here (scroll down to, "It's because the Universe likes greed, Michael").

Some participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 US to attend the retreat, which James has held at the same location previously.

According to early reports there were 64 people in the "sweat dome," including James, who was questioned by detectives and then "left the facility."

But I have a feeling the investigations are far from over. It should be noted that participants apparently had to sign a lengthy waiver of liability form [see more information below], which acknowledged that some participants might "suffer physical, emotional, financial, or other injuries." I imagine such waivers are S.O.P. for retreats of this nature, though how binding such things are when actual deaths occur at an event, I couldn't say. In any case, as a spokesperson for James Ray said (see link to news article above), at this point there are more questions than answers.

At the very least, James may be inspired to re-think having sweat-lodge sessions in next year's "Spiritual Warrior" retreat. Sweating for enlightenment is not among the most risk-free of activities. In fact, extreme enlightenment activities can be pretty hazardous to your health, as participants at a past Burning Man event in the Nevada desert could probably testify.

You can keep updated on this story by clicking here.

One more point: Lest anyone think that I find the deaths of New-Wage workshop participants in any way humorous, I don't. That's not what this post is about. Rather, it is one of those "dark side of enlightenment" pieces, which, alas, seem to be getting more frequent of late.

Addendum, 12 October 2009: As of this morning, the "Google news results" for the sweat-lodge deaths appear as the number-one search result for "James Arthur Ray." At the moment I am writing this there are nearly 1,400 related articles, and the number grows by the hour. And as many of us expected, the more sensationalist "newsmagazine" shows, such as 48 Hours, have jumped on the story, as evidenced, for example, by this piece from the "Crimesider" blog, which bills itself as "The True Crime destination from the producers of 48 Hours Mystery." [Addendum 14 October: Also take a look at comments by some of the defenders of James Ray (e.g., "januaryguy" and "thousandoaks"), as well as responses by critics (e.g., "aconscience").]

Not unexpectedly, there's a lot of buzz about possible criminal negligence charges in this incident, although I think that some of the news reports' description of the Sedona retreat as a "crime scene" seem a bit overblown. Granted, the area where the incident occurred had been cordoned off with yellow crime-scene tape, but it's not as if it was a bloody murder scene such as those we routinely see on CSI. And despite my long-time criticism of James Ray et al., I doubt that there was any criminal intent on the part of James or his staff.

Of course, none of this lets him off the hook, as far as I'm concerned, and, more importantly, as far as investigators are concerned. And, all potential legal liability aside, it does seem clear that a fierce profit motive on James Ray's part played a major role in this tragedy, coupled, of course, with that well-known phenomenon of workshop euphoria, which often causes participants to suspend anything resembling reason and common sense. (And, as one of my commenters in the discussion following this post pointed out, if they've paid thousands of dollars for the workshop, they will be more willing to push themselves to the limit, ignoring any warning signals from their bodies.)

There is, indeed, something about the "workshop high" or "workshop hypnosis" that occurs during an event (as well as what I can only describe as "workshop addiction" in general), that can cause even the relatively young and strong to get in way over their heads. For instance, the woman who died, 38-year-old New Yorker Kirby Brown, was an avid surfer and hiker who was reportedly in top physical shape. (Here's a link to a Fox News video and story about her family's reactions.) She was also described as a person who took self-improvement very seriously. Obviously she did, if she had attended previous James Ray events and was willing to pay between nine and ten grand to attend this one.

Which brings me to another important point: whenever there is discussion about the negative aspects of selfish-help/New-Wage stuff, and particularly, it seems, when tragedy strikes, there is invariably discussion about how we shouldn't place all of the blame on the gurus or leaders; the followers should bear some personal responsibility as well. I agree. Even so, as I said in a recent post about another New-Wage workshop-related tragedy, in which an Australian woman took off all of her clothes and leaped out a window to her death (and please forgive me for quoting myself, but I'm too lazy to paraphrase):

I'm all for personal responsibility. But one problem with these seminars and just about everything else in the New-Wage/selfish-help industry is this: While the [legal] disclaimers are whispered out of one side of the mouth (or written in fine print on one page of the web site), what comes out of the other side are the loud (or large-point-size) proclamations that THIS technique or path or technology or course or workshop or whatever will improve the quality of your life and deliver miracles – whoever you are, and no matter what your problem is. Add a bunch of poetic marketing copy, and throw in a few filmy trailers with mystical music and special effects interspersed with ecstatic testimonials from "graduates," and you have a very powerful emotional cocktail.

The manipulation doesn't stop once the marks have signed up and paid; in fact, it's just beginning. There's manipulation to get participants to spend even more money for additional products, "graduate" classes, and other next-level stuff. But there's an even bigger problem, and it is the crux of the present controversy: the one-size-fits-all therapizing, which is conducted all too often by unlicensed, under-qualified facilitators/leaders/teachers/gurus.

Indeed.

One of my first thoughts upon reading about the Sedona incident was to wonder how fans of The Secret and stalwart believers in the Law Of Attraction would spin this story. As a matter of fact, we've been discussing that, among other matters, in the "comments" section following this piece, but I thought I'd bring a few of the points up here to the front lines. So far it seems that there are two main schools of thought among the LOA believers and New-Wage-guru fans who want to continue believing and being guru fans. I realize I am over-simplifying a bit, but this is a starting point, anyway (and for a third school of thought, though one that's not nearly as popular amongst the New-Wagers, see the second October 14 addendum below) :
1. The "conscious-choice" believers: These are the people who are speculating that the folks who died or were injured in James Arthur Ray's sweat lodge tragedy consciously chose to have that experience. For example, take a look at the scintillating conversation on the Powerful Intentions discussion forum (which is officially blessed by The Secret enterprise and is brought to you in part by the ebullient Marcy From Maui). If the Powerful Intentions link doesn't work (which may be the case if the thread is ultimately removed by site administrators, as has happened in the past with controversial threads), you can see a couple of the more ludicrous remarks here and here. One of the more noteworthy, though I suppose not surprising, aspects of this discussion was that some folks seemed more concerned with James Ray's well-being than with that of the affected participants or their families. I am not suggesting that James Ray is unaffected emotionally by this, nor am I suggesting that he is undeserving of our compassion, prayers, or good thoughts. I just don't think it is appropriate to make this story all about "poor James." And I think it's unfeeling at best and idiotic at worst for the participants to respond to this tragedy by repeating what has become a tiresome New-Wage platitude: "All is well."
2. The "unconscious-factors" believers: This is the faction that speculates unconscious factors or "counter-intentions" on the part of James Ray and/or the retreat participants may have been responsible for the tragedy. One example: Although James' name and the incident are not mentioned directly in this blog post about "the shocking truth about the Law of Attraction" by James' buddy and fellow Secret star Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale, I strongly suspect the post was written, at least in part, as a response to this incident. I base that on the fact that Joe mentions in his post that some stars of The Secret have had some troubles that the media have picked up on. (Fortunately, he just happens to have some products and services he can sell you so you can avoid being tripped up by "counter-intentions" in your own life.)

Here's a discussion on Steve Pavlina's "Personal Development for Smart People" Forum. Steve, as you may recall, was recently at an exclusive hustledork conference in Bermuda, the Transformational Leadership Council (TLC), of which James Ray is a founding member. The James Ray/sweat lodge thread on Steve's forum was initiated by a forum member, though as of now, Steve himself has apparently not yet weighed in on the matter. He did, however, interview James Ray in 2007; here's a link to that interview.

Then there's this article by Horizons Magazine publisher Andrea de Michaeles, who says the Abraham-Hicks vibrational-resonance theory explains the deeper reasons behind the tragedy ("Whatever we experience, we experience because we are vibrationally in tune with it"). As you probably know, I'm no fan of Esther and Jerry and their imaginary pals, but I have to say that Andrea does do a good job of making James Ray's words come back to haunt him. And as Andrea wisely notes, "Teachers have a responsibility to correctly assess whether a student is prepared to take their teaching. Not just financially able."

And here's a more mainstream discussion, with strong opinions from both defenders and detractors, on Anitra's Spa Blog on About.com.

Addendum, 13 October 2009: For those of you not on James Arthur Ray's mailing list, here's the email blast he sent out today (and also posted on his blog):

For All Those Affected by the Tragedy in Sedona

I am shocked and saddened by the tragedy that occurred at Spiritual Warrior in Sedona, Arizona, Thursday evening. I wish to express my deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of those who lost their lives as well as offer my prayers for a speedy recovery for those who were taken ill. Because there are so many more questions than answers at this time I believe it inappropriate to comment further until we know more.

Out of respect for the deceased and their loved ones and for those who have taken ill and for whose speedy recovery we pray, we will not be replying to individual postings. Instead, we thank you for writing, and we hope you will share in our continued wishes of support, strength and comfort to all those impacted by this tragedy.

We also want everyone to know that a friend has been at the hospital monitoring the condition of those still ill. Our love and warm affection is with all who mourn and with all of you in this time of grief, sadness and challenge.

One wonders how much of the "love and warm affection" will translate into James Ray taking real responsibility (including but not limited to legal and financial responsibility) for this sad affair.

Addendum, 14 October 2009: My friend John Curtis of Americans Against Self-Help Fraud sent me a link to a good article on the Belief.net web site. Granted, the author, Deborah Price, is a life coach (a "financial-crisis coach," as she describes herself), so she is also in the self-help business. But she does have some excellent points about telling the difference between a real guru and a charlatan. She doesn't actually come out and call James Arthur Ray a charlatan, but the implication is clear.

One point she makes is one that should be obvious to everyone, and is particularly poignant in this time of recession: Many people go into debt to attend overpriced New-Wage/selfish-help workshops (and reportedly, some of the people treated after the Ray sweat lodge incident did not have medical insurance. I'm still checking up on that.). For some who go to these pricey wing-dings, it may be their way of "refusing to participate in the recession." For others, it's a way of refusing to participate in life.

Anyway, here is the link to Deborah Price's article.

"Satan did it!" Yet another 14 October addendum: Someone just pointed me to my pal Salty Droid's very salty blog post about the James Ray sweat lodge debacle. The Droid has never been known to mince words or err on the side of decorum, and he does not disappoint on this post. He lets James have it with both barrels. (Warning: If colorful language offends you, avoid this link.)

One of the things that makes this post so special, apart from the Droid's own trenchant observations, is the link in the comments section to a video comment on the tragedy by Aussie Secret star David Schirmer, aka Saint David of Victoria, aka the Mini-Madoff of Melbourne, whom you've met on this Whirled more than once. David begins with what he seems to feel is one of the most important messages: His beliefs are different from most of the Secret stars, because he's a born-again Christian, and he doesn't believe that purification rituals such as sweat lodges are at all necessary if you've accepted Jesus H. Christ as your personal savior. Then David goes on to say that nevetheless we should all be sending our thoughts and prayers to his friend James Ray and everyone else who was affected by the tragedy. He goes on a bit about the wicked media and how they will be jumping all over this, as he knows from his own experiences. And then he gets to the meat of the matter, 'splaining why the whole sorry thing happened despite so many people trying their best to attract good things via LOA. Have you guessed the culprit? Yes, Dear Ones, it was... Satan!... who, as it happens, has also been responsible for Saint David's travails. Here is the link. (Warning: it may be full-screen, so be prepared for a very large mug of the Wanker of Oz.)

The good stuff just keeps coming: "Persuasion expert" Dave Lakhani just published a very excellent blog post about the James Ray tragedy, and, more importantly, about why so many people get sucked into doing dangerous and stupid things in the name of personal growth. Do not miss this one. (According to a recent Tweet, the LOA fans and the Christians are getting after Dave for this post.) Read it now.

James Ray himself now seems to be publicly grieving, and reportedly received a standing ovation for expressing his grief at a recent seminar. (The seminar had been scheduled weeks in advance and James chose to show up to it because he said people were counting on him.) But, as the aforementioned Dave Lakhani wrote in the post linked to above:

His behavior afterward has also bordered on Narcissistic, his statement at another event that he conducted only days after the deaths demonstrate that. His focus is on himself and how he'll cope much more than an outpouring of concern and support for the families and others injured at his event.

Imagine...a selfish-help guru focusing on himself. I know...big surprise, eh?

And still another addendum ~ 15 October, 2009: The article that has really caused a buzz today is this piece on the Examiner.com web site from blogger Cassandra Yorgey, whose regular beat is speculative fiction. Cassandra wrote that an anonymous tipster who claimed to be one of the sweat-lodge victims sent her a transcript of a conference call that took place on the evening of October 14 between James Ray and the surviving participants of the ill-fated Sedona retreat. The purpose of the phone call was "to bring closure to the retreat and to give James Ray a chance to interact with everyone." Although I have published a couple of remarks about this article in my comments section, I've hesitated to publish this link up on the front page because I wasn't sure if the story was legitimate. And I'm still not entirely certain; although it seems clear that James did call the participants (as was verified by AP), I am not sure if the "transcript" (or paraphrase thereof) is legit. Granted, it sure sounds like James Ray and his followers, as you'll no doubt agree if you read the article. But as my pal Steve Salerno wrote on his SHAMblog post today, we have to be careful here. Journalists have been fooled before by hoaxes and false tips.

If it turns out that this story can be verified, then my hat is off to Cassandra Yorgey for helping to further expose the manipulative tactics of New-Wage gurus and the muddled "thinking" they actively seek to foster in their followers.

One point has come out in the past couple of days, and has been noted in more than one article (such as this one, f'rinstance, which I linked to yesterday): Contrary to previous claims from the James Ray camp that he has conducted similar retreats at the Angel Valley Resort for years without incident, it turns out that there was indeed an "incident" four years ago.

Fire department reports released Tuesday show the incident wasn't the first involving a sweat lodge ceremony at the resort, the Angel Valley Retreat Center. Verde Valley Fire Chief Jerry Doerksen said his department responded to a 911 call in October 2005 about a person who was unconscious after being in a sweat lodge.

Angel Valley resort owner Amayra Hamilton confirmed that Ray was leading the sweat ceremony during the 2005 event. Ray's spokesman declined to comment.

I can only wonder if the 2005 incident rattled James Ray at all, other than, perhaps, to inspire him to get his legal team cranking to tighten up the pre-retreat liability waivers. I'm certainly not surprised that James' spokesman (I assume this would be the aforementioned Howard Bragman) did not wish to comment. But that's okay; if Cassandra Yorgey's piece turns out to be legitimate, it looks as if James himself is finally saying plenty at this point. I have a feeling, though, that his legal team is kind of wishing he wouldn't.

Update: It's now a homicide investigation: According to CNN: "An investigation into the deaths of two people who spent up to two hours inside a 'sweat lodge' at an Arizona retreat last week has been elevated from an accidental death investigation to a homicide inquiry, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh told reporters Thursday [15 October]." Read more here.

Signing your life away? If you're interested in reading the kind of liability waivers that participants in a James Arthur Ray event have to sign, and you haven't done so already, here is your chance. This has been up on the Rick Ross forum since October 10. And here's the link to a PDF on James Ray's site (see pages 11-14 of the document). As many of you may know, this is pretty standard stuff at LGAT (Large Group Awareness Training) events.

Addendum, 17 October: While investigators are still sorting out all of the factors that led to the deaths of two participants [now three; see Oct. 18 addendum below ~CLS], and the injuries of numerous others, at James Ray's recent Sedona disaster, it seems abundantly clear by now (at least to me) that the very nature of the retreat – and the manipulative techniques James Ray used – were factors in those deaths and injuries. Numerous accounts I have read said that even though participants were told they could leave whenever they wanted, those who recognized their limitations and tried to exit the sweat lodge were, in some cases, chided by James (he called one guy a "wimp") and they were encouraged to stay and experience the event "full-on."

Comes another piece, published yesterday, from Cassandra Yorgey, recounting eyewitness details of the disaster scene from an unnamed source. It begins with a nightmare scenario:

People are flailing in seizures; others are vomiting violently, or foaming at the mouth. Bodies are lined up unconscious, some are blue from lack of oxygen, but for some it is too late, they are already dead. Survivors that are barely able to stand struggle to help the others, they have had almost no food or water for nearly three days, even longer without sleep. It looks like a war zone, but for the incongruent figure of James Arthur Ray (a contributing author to The Secret) who exits the sweat lodge and stands tall with a big smile, the only one able to stand on his own volition. He is not concerned with the medical emergency going on full swing around him. He is not worried about the health and well-being of his followers who have paid $10,000.00 (tack on an additional 5,000.00 or so if you include flights, room and board, and camping supplies) to attend his retreat. In fact, he and his team urge people to stop taking care of others and focus on their own journey, assuring them they are fine and only “purging”. Someone finally realizes James Ray is not in control of the situation and calls 911.

As did Steve Salerno at SHAMblog, my mention of this piece comes with the same qualifiers and disclaimers as did my previous mention of Ms. Yorgey's work. It's not that I don't think that the substance (of both of her pieces) sounds credible, notwithstanding the somewhat over-wrought writing style and the author's apparent agenda. Furthermore, in light of my own perspectives about the whole New-Wage guru racket, I tend to be more receptive to anti-guru information than to pro-guru stuff. But that is one reason I still feel I have to be so cautious about wholeheartedly accepting Ms. Yorgey's reporting. Is it all true, or do I just want to believe it, since it provides such clear evidence of the things I've long complained about in the New-Wage industry?

I have had some friendly email correspondence with Ms. Yorgey, which she initiated (she thanked me for my help in continuing the discussion about James Ray, despite the fact that I didn't give her my unqualified endorsement). Being as curious in my own way as is Steve Salerno about how Ms. Yorgey landed this story, I asked her if she initially went out seeking the information or if the "sources" came to her. She simply replied that she respects the privacy of the victims and that as she continues to live by her code of ethics, more of them have continued to come forward to tell their stories to her.

However, she did not answer my question. I believe that she could easily have done so in a general way without betraying any confidences or revealing any sources, but she didn't. I really do want to give her points for consistency and effort, as well as for what seem to be good intentions, but my disclaimers and qualifiers will remain, pending receipt of information that will convince me my doubts are misplaced. I am of course always willing to retract when proven wrong.

Should we start calling him "Death" Ray? I thought it was bad enough that there was a sweat-lodge medical disaster at a previous James Ray seminar (as I noted in my October 15 addendum above), but it gets worse. I was recently alerted to reports of a death during another James Ray seminar weekend, Creating Absolute Wealth, this past July. Colleen Marian Conaway, a 46-year-old Minnesota woman who had traveled to San Diego for the seminar, died when she plunged off of the third-level railing at a San Diego mall. Reportedly she was not suicidal before the event and seemed a happy enough person. Of course there may be other factors we don't know about, and perhaps the intensity of the James Ray weekend just set her off. But, as I noted in a discussion on SHAMblog, it's worth investigating, and no doubt it is being investigated now by people who are more qualified than I.

Although that July event wasn't a week-long retreat in a remote area (and this one was a bargain at "only" $4,000), it was nonetheless very intensive and apparently involved fasting and other techniques to jar people's consciousness. The participant's suicide occurred during a "group field trip" that was part of the event. While his flock was at the mall, James was happily Tweeting away about the life-changing experience they were having (click on pic to enlarge).

And then a few days later he was tweeting about his excitement over an upcoming trip to Peru. Meanwhile, a family was grieving.

Here's the link to a comment about this matter on CBS' 48 Hours "Crimesider" blog.

Colleen Conaway's death is also being discussed on Rick Ross' forum.

There's always another side...and another. Meanwhile, according to an article by Glen Creno in the Arizona Republic, James Ray's publicist has been making snide remarks about the local authorities (and media) who are trying to "tar" his beleagured client.

Howard Bragman, a Los Angeles publicist, Friday criticized the decision by Yavapai County investigators to reclassify what had been an accidental-death inquiry to a homicide investigation. He said it was a "purposely incendiary" move by Sheriff Steve Waugh.

"I think they are trying to tar my client," Bragman said. "Somebody must be running for re-election in Yavapai County."

Waugh wasn't available for comment Friday, his spokesman Dwight Develyn said.

Bragman said there was too much "finger-pointing" going on too early in the investigation. He said Ray remained committed to his schedule of motivational events, including one in California this weekend.

"He's trying to help people," Bragman said. "That's what he does."

Okay. On the one hand, I understand how the justice system can sometimes be stymied when a case is "tried" in the media and the proverbial "court of public opinion," especially before formal charges have even been filed. I am also well aware of the problems that can occur when law enforcement is too willing to talk to the media. Ron and I learned far more about this issue than we would ever have wanted to know when we were doing research for a nonfiction book about a grisly murder that made international headlines a few years back. In that case there was evidence of significant malfeasance on the part of law enforcement investigators, who not only made numerous blunders in their investigations, but also did a lot of grandstanding for the media. Inevitably, this fueled public opinion against the accused, and arguably resulted in the person being wrongly convicted and sent to death row. (And, yes, in light of the evidence we studied, both Ron and I do believe it was a wrongful conviction.)

On the other hand, I am not by any means trying to give James Arthur Ray a pass, or letting him off the hook for any of his routinely snarkworthy stuff, and certainly not for any of the atrocities that may have occurred at his events. And I am not for a moment accusing the Arizona authorities of malfeasance or grandstanding. From what I have read elsewhere, it appears to me that the upgrade in the investigation was justified. My point is only that we all need to keep in mind that "justice" entails careful consideration of all sides of this story.

And I am also painfully aware, as I am sure the families and friends of the deceased are, that nothing any of us can do or say will bring back Kirby Brown and James Shore, whose memorial services will be held today, while James Ray holds forth at yet another wealth seminar, The World Wealth Summit, in San Diego. I wonder if he'll get another standing ovation.

Addendum, 18 October: The news is out, and I'm sure most of you have heard it by now: a third person, 49-year-old Minnesota resident Liz Neuman, died yesterday in a Flagstaff, Arizona hospital. She had been hospitalized in critical condition, suffering multiple organ damage, following James Ray's sweat lodge disaster. The body count is growing for James "Death" Ray. Of note, Ms. Neuman was reportedly part of James Ray's "Dream Team" and one of his staunchest supporters.

Meanwhile, it still seems to be business as usual in James Ray land. The show must go on, although it seems there are a few sour notes. I haven't had a chance to verify this information, but according to Terry Hall on the BizSayer blog, several of the other speakers scheduled for James' October 16-17 San Diego wealth seminar were "no-shows." Could it be out of respect for the dead, and a desire to dissociate themselves from JAR? I can only speculate at this point. In any case, here's the link to Terry's post mentioning this item. And here is Terry's post about the death of Liz Neuman, and the need for New-Wage gurus to be more accountable to their followers.

More in a while.

Addendum, 19 October: Some of you might be thinking that this blog post has gone on quite long enough, and that perhaps I should consider starting a new post about this topic. But I continue to add to this one, originally begun on October 9 the moment I heard the news about the James Ray sweat lodge tragedy, because we have a pretty good discussion going here and I don't want to break it up. So I guess you'll just have to take the suggestion I made at the beginning, and keep checking back on this post.

The first thing I want to do is thank everyone for the comments and links you continue to send in response to this piece. I haven't responded to the most recent ones yet because I took yesterday off for the most part (it was a resplendent Texas October Sunday, and the outdoors beckoned), and I only took the time to publish the remarks. I will try to catch up today. But do know how much I appreciate each and every contribution.

And now on to business:

Cassandra explains it all (and it makes a lot more sense to me now): I have heard back from blogger Cassandra Yorgey, who said she thought she had answered my question about how/why she got front and center in the James Ray sweat-lodge story. (See my October 17 addendum, above. Also, for those not familiar with this matter, here's the link to her first story about the phone call James made to survivors of the tragedy, and here's the link to her second piece on eyewitness accounts.)

Cassandra's involvement appears to be a direct result of her personal interests, not only in mind control (which is related to her interest in speculative fiction), but also in her role as an advocate for troubled teens. But that still raises the question of how this particular story arrived at her door step. And she has now explained that to my satisfaction. I will take the liberty of quoting her email to me (and if you follow the link she provided, you will understand more about her perspective):

I did not go seeking out this story, but I have made no secret of my interests in these subjects. Back in August I had even specifically requested info on wilderness therapies - which can use some of the same behavior modification techniques that James Ray does. Everyone that has requested anonymity has made initial contact with me. I did, however, contact Tom McFeeley, family member of deceased Kirby Brown because he is acting as spokesperson for the family and I found his name in other news sources. I assure you, I find it as weird as everyone else that all of a sudden the news happens to be related to things I have been babbling on about for over a decade. I've been following these types of abuse stories since the late 90's when there was heated discussion about regulating wilderness programs for troubled teens.

And so, while the authorities continue their investigation into what really happened, and the talking heads in the mainstream media scramble to cover the story, information continues to flow via more unconventional channels. The blogosphere is on fire with this topic now, and it's up to all of us to try to sort the accurate from the not-so-accurate. In any case, Cassandra seems to have taken all of the caveats and disclaimers about her work in stride. And whatever other motives one might ascribe to her, I think that she is doing her part to make sure the truth about what happened in Sedona comes out. The information she has shared certainly paints a truer and more poignant picture of the real price of New-Wage/selfish-help/McSpirituality than, say, James Arthur Ray's profound utterances in The Secret. And in my book, that's a good thing.

Find another excuse, Bragman: LA publicist Howard Bragman, who is James Ray's hired propaganda gun, recently made snide remarks about the motives of Arizona law enforcement officials who have spoken to the press about the ongoing investigation. Among other things, he speculated that the local sheriff must be running for re-election. He further stated that his client James is in the business of "helping people," and is continuing to bravely go forth and do that despite the public outcry. Well, as blogger Terry Hall wrote in a recent post on Bizsayer:

And by the way, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh was reelected last year. So you’ll have to figure out a better angle for why that are trying to stop you from “helping” people, maybe like – public safety!

The die-hard optimists speak up: There's a lot of buzz now about Barbara Ehrenreich's new book, Bright-Sided: How The Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (the link leads to the Google Books preview). And I imagine that in light of recent events, the buzz will only grow louder. I just checked on Amazon, and Bright-Sided is currently in the top 100 in Books (all genres). The reader reviews are coming in now too. I'm always more interested in reading the bad reviews than the good ones, and because I love this author's work, I am sorry to report that the bad ones outweigh the good so far. The last time I checked, there were 21 customer reviews, of which 9 are one-star, 2 two-star, and 2 three-star.

Of the one-star comments, the only one that appeared to be real criticism was a complaint that Ehrenreich's book was superficial and that she did not adequately cover the history of "positive thinking" in America. Not having read the book yet, though I plan to as soon as possible, I can't offer an opinion either way. But most of the other critics accused the author of being full of anger, lacking love in her life, not having something good to believe in, and so on. Some offered anecdotes about how they or a loved one were saved by positive thinking. And some griped because Ehrenreich always writes about problems and doesn't offer solutions.

As it happens, these are many of the same criticisms my friend Steve Salerno has fielded since the publication of his 2005 book, SHAM: How The Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless. (For that matter, these, and worse, are some of the same criticisms I've received for my mostly snarky little blog.) Addressing the issue of this type of criticism in the comments section on a recent SHAMblog post, Steve wrote:

Ehrenreich's critics--like mine, four years ago (!!)--have fallen back on that patented tactic favored by purveyors of all forms of New Age nonsense, including alternative medicine and the various "be happy" programs: They insist that we prove (literally) a negative. They throw the scientific method out the window and make it seem as if it's our burden to demonstrate why this stuff is b.s., instead of their burden to show how and why it's valid.

But really, when people have pitched their tents (again literally) around the idea that all of life reduces to attitude and mindset, how can you expect them to react differently? This is a religious cause for them, in the deepest sense. Even if the gurus are venal and mercenary, and don't really believe in what they're selling, so many of their followers clearly do; indeed, they depend on LoA [Law of Attraction] and all this PMA [Positive Mental Attitude]-based nonsense to get them through the day. How can you expect them to ever wave the white flag of surrender on the point? So when a book like "SHAM" or "Bright-Sided" comes out, it's like a stake to their hearts, a challenge to everything they believe in, everything in which they've invested their minds and souls (not to mention thousands upon thousands of dollars, in many cases). They can't just let it be. They can't be seen as dupes and fools, least of all in their own eyes.

Amen, Steve.

The Post toasts Ray, and the investigation heats up: Finally, this short piece (with a somewhat snarky headline) from The New York Post summarizes some of the atrocities that have taken place at James Ray events.

And here is a good comprehensive report, published on October 19, of the incident and the investigation so far. (Thanks to my friend "Disillusioned" for pointing this out to me.)

Addendum, 21 October: The AP story that's all over the Internet today details an eyewitness account that is considered a breakthrough in the ongoing investigation of the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge case. The "breakthrough" part has to do with the fact that it's the first time a participant has spoken out publicly about the events leading up to the deaths. But if some of the details sound familiar, it's because we read them last week in accounts by blogger Cassandra Yorgey, who broke some of these stories while everyone was still speaking anonymously. Also sharing graphic details last week was Sedona resident Shawna Bowen, who showed up at the scene at the time things were really getting bad, and who did several media appearances, including a 90-minute radio interview. Anyway, here's the version from the AP article:

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 in a series of interviews this week 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, guru James Arthur Ray even played God.

Within an hour of entering the sweat lodge on the evening of Oct. 8, people began vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing. Yet Bunn says 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 recalls 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 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 committing a "sacrilegious act," Bunn said.

The account marks a significant revelation in the investigation because it portrays Ray as driving participants to stay in the lodge despite signs all around him that the situation had gone horribly awry. Until now, few details had surfaced about Ray's actions inside in the sweat lodge.

Here's the link to the CNN Radio segment where Dr. Bunn first publicly spoke out about the incident.

In any case, it would seem that James Ray's buddy Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale has even less cause to claim, as he snappishly did to blogger Duff McDuffee in a recent conversation on Joe's blog, that nobody really has any idea of what went on in that sweat lodge. It sounds like Duff isn't the clueless one here...

More tomorrow.

Addendum, 22 October: A few snippets...

Duff confronts the Death Ray: My new pal Duff McDuffee (see links below) happens to have been one of the two men who stood up at a James Ray public event in Denver on Tuesday night, October 20, and confronted James with questions about the sweat lodge incident and Colleen Conaway. Duff and his friend were politely but firmly escorted from the room by James Ray staffers. This confrontation made the New York Times, sort of. Duff tells me that he was slightly misquoted in the article, which reads in part:

Mr. Ray, who is based in Carlsbad, Calif., did not respond to requests for comment. At a public seminar in Denver on Tuesday, he was interrupted by two men who shouted, “Tell them the truth!” and: “You control people! You stood in front of the door and refused to let people leave.”

The men were escorted from the meeting, and people burst into applause for Mr. Ray. “I, too, want answers and am cooperating with authorities,” he said. He asked for a moment of silent prayer for those who had died.

According to Duff, he actually said, "You controlled people," and he asked James, "Did you block the door of the sweat lodge as reported on examiner.com?" But I quibble.

To me, what's most notable about this is that the crowd was still cheering for James instead of the dissenters. At any rate, Duff will be putting his own story up on his site soon, and I will link to it when he does.

Cosmic Connie's "View": The sweat lodge tragedy was a "Hot Topic" today (October 22) on ABC's The View. Host Whoopi Goldberg said repeatedly that she couldn't understand why the folks who were suffering didn't just get up and leave. Elisabeth Hasselbeck seemed to have a bit more insight about the way participants might be pressured into pushing their limits. The discussion mainly seemed to center around people's need for a guru/parent figure. (You can probably watch the whole thing on The View web site at ABC.com.) At any rate, I tried to send an email to The View but it wouldn't go through; apparently there was a glitch in the system. Or maybe my email was too long, but I didn't get a message indicating this. Anyway, for the record, here's what I tried to tell the ladies of The View:

Re the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge deaths: I know y’all have scads of hot topics to cover every day, so perhaps you weren’t able to really research this one, but I want to make a few points:

1. Whoopi’s advice to just get up and leave sounds sensible and is, in theory. But the truth is that it’s rarely so easy to do that when you start feeling bad during these marathon retreats & workshops. These so-called gurus (and their trained staffers) are skilled in mind control; it’s no exaggeration to say they use some of the same tactics employed in torture – including forced sleeplessness and near-starvation, as well as more mundane "motivational" techniques such as bullying people to "push their limits," etc. In theory this is all in the name of getting folks to have a "breakthrough" but more important than that, it is a powerful manipulative tool to get them "motivated" to sign up for even more intensive & expensive events. The sweat lodge participants had been on a 36-hour fast, were sleep-deprived, & were on the last day of a grueling week of activities. I think Elisabeth, being a veteran of "Survivor," came closer to getting this than anyone else during your discussion this morning.
2. Please do not ever forget that James Arthur Ray was part of "The Secret," for which Oprah, Larry King, Ellen and numerous others in the mainstream media gave such glowing endorsements. Many other self-help gurus such as Deepak Chopra are routinely given a pass as well. Moreover, most of the people who go to these marathon retreats, and, for that matter, most consumers of self-help literature and products, are well-educated, middle-class or affluent folks (mostly female) – your target demographic, in other words.
3. There are critics who have been railing about the absurdity or even harmfulness of self-help culture for many years, but the pro-self-helpers and positive thinkers are the ones who get the most media attention. It’s too bad it takes a tragic incident like Sedona for the media to wake up to the dark side of the new age and self-help.
4. The Sedona tragedy is not the first time James Arthur Ray has been associated with deaths and injury. Here’s a link to a brief New York Post piece on the matter. http://tinyurl.com/ykxhwd5

I’m sure you’ve already received a ton of other messages about this issue, but thanks for taking time to read this.

Connie L Schmidt
author of "Whirled Musings" blog
http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com

Steve Salerno on how self-help can hurt: My friend Steve Salerno at SHAMblog, who has written several posts on the Jame Ray debacle, just had a superb short piece published in the Wall Street Journal, "Self-Help Doesn't Help—And Often Hurts." Here Steve describes James Ray's dubious credentials:

Mr. Ray draws on random elements of New Age and other psychobabble, hoping to make himself sound cosmically plugged-in. Here he is establishing his bona fides in a promotional video: "I've been initiated into three different Shamanic orders. I've studie[d] in The Mystery Schools." Which is fitting, because when it all blows up in his face, he may well be the most mystified guy in the room. He probably never thought that far ahead.

Here's the link.

Addendum, 23 October: A few more bits...
Survivor speaks to CBS: Not to be outdone by CNN Radio, CBS' Early Show aired a poignant interview with Dr. Beverley Bunn, the aforementioned participant in the James Ray sweat lodge disaster. Dr. Bunn, who was the late Kirby Brown's roommate during the retreat, was the first to speak out publicly about this incident. According to her account, she was one of those struggling to help her fellow attendees, while James Ray reportedly did nothing. Here is the link to the CBS interview.

Not surprisingly, James' publicist Howard Bragman hastened to do damage control after the first interview with Dr. Bunn was released. At that point, according to the October 21 AP article linked to in the previous sentence, he was still saying that many people had "amazing experiences" at the Spiritual Warrior Retreat, that we should not be so quick to rush to judgment, and that Beverley Bunn was "only one person out of many at this point." Mr. Bragman, I imagine your job is becoming increasingly more difficult as more damning information about your client comes to light. You'd better cash those checks from him while you can.

"Do these suits make my guilt look too big?": As you may know, the family of Liz Neuman, James Ray's "Dream Team" member and the third person who died in the ill-fated sweat lodge, had previously announced they were planning to file suit against James Ray. Another participant, 59-year-old Sidney Spencer, has also announced she is suing him, saying she nearly died from kidney and liver failure as a result of her time in the sweat lodge. I imagine we'll be reading about many more lawsuits against James Ray in the weeks to come. His legal team is probably even busier than his propaganda team.

From buck-toothed nerd to charismatic "Death Ray" ~ a true American success story: This article from today's AZCentral.com site has a pretty good profile of James Ray, and it also quotes a couple of my buds, SHAMblog's Steve Salerno and Americans Against Self-Help Fraud's John Curtis. (And by the way, the bit about the buck teeth and nerdishness in my sub-head are from James' own self-description. The "Death Ray" appellation is not.)

The Droid does it again: My friend and fellow blogger Salty Droid has been obsessed with the haunting story of Colleen Conaway, the 46-year-old Minnesota woman who jumped to her death from a third-floor mall balcony during a July 2009 James Ray event. The Droid went off in furious pursuit of this story and was able to speak with Ms. Conaway's sister. Droid's blog post not only reveals some of the unsettling effects that James Ray's well-oiled manipulation machine can have on followers (persuading them to spend money they don't have is only one result), but also the outrageous way his organization handled things when they discovered Ms. Conaway was missing in action. Here's the link. (Thanks to faithful reader Yakaru for alerting me to this piece.)

Addendum, 24 October: Still more links to make ya think (as if you weren't already)...

Scientist Bob defends the Death Ray: A friend of mine pointed out an October 22 LA Times story by Scott Kraft, which I'd overlooked in my customary haste. This one almost seems to paint James Ray as a hero. And, like the New York Times piece I linked to the other day, it illustrates that there are still a lot of people in denial. Here's the bit about those "hecklers" in Denver (one of whom is my fellow blogger Duff McDuffee):

Ray was interrupted in Denver by a man who stood and shouted: "Tell people the truth, James. You are being investigated for murder." A man next to him added, "Tell them what really happened in that sweat lodge." The hecklers were shouted down by others in the audience, who told them to "go home," while Ray repeated, "This is not a press conference." After about two minutes, the men left the hotel conference room, trailed by two security officers...

...Though shaken by the deaths, Ray has quickly returned to the road, teaching his secrets of success even as he uses them to cling to his own.

"I've taught that we're all going to have adversity and we can't run from it," a somber, teary-eyed Ray said Tuesday night at the beginning of his free recruitment session in Denver. "I've certainly learned a lot in the past 10 days."

Some weren't aware of the Sedona deaths until Ray addressed it. But Lyle Guthmiller, 44, a heating and air conditioning technician, said it didn't dissuade him from considering signing up for one of the retreats. "When you're pushing the limits, unfortunately, things can happen," he said. "I'd rather live that life than be a couch potato."

You tell 'em, Lyle. My guy Ron read that and commented, "Better a couch potato than a baked potato."

According to this article, one of my favorite snark targets, "Scientist" Bob Proctor, has offered his opinions of his former protege.

Among Ray's early mentors was Bob Proctor, a veteran of the self-help circuit and author of "The Science of Getting Rich."

"James is a good person who has helped a lot of people and is dedicated to helping people," said Proctor, 75, who has been in the business for 41 years.

The cloud over Ray's work caused by the Sedona deaths is "a terrible thing," Proctor added. "It will definitely change his life and, hopefully, it'll be a learning experience."

Yeah, Bob, you have a few clouds over your head, too, and maybe some day some of those will come to public attention as well. Hopefully, it'll be a learning experience.

James Ray ~ the missing links: Yesterday I discovered a new Twittermate who goes by the name Rachelle (RWRenfrew). Rachelle's usual beat is politix, but she is also on the Death Ray/Sweatgate story, and has provided some excellent resources that give a glimpse of the arc of James Arthur Ray's career. F'rinstance:

• James Arthur Ray's 1996 website: http://bit.ly/2Qo5KA
• James Arthur Ray's website archive - alpha index of links from 1996 - http://bit.ly/rayindex
• Online archive of James Arthur Ray's website since 1996 http://bit.ly/2GBuFM Is he still using some pics from mid 1990s?
• James Arthur Ray's 2001 MLM Network Marketing Business Quiz http://bit.ly/321Jyu
• James Arthur Ray, the GodSpirit and that mustache - @jamesaray's website in 2004 http://bit.ly/3Klxgh (re sweat lodge)
• James Arthur Ray Mass head shaving pics @ Spiritual Warrior '07 are too cult-y disturbing http://bit.ly/4ffgX3 re: sweat lodge sedona
• Intense James Arthur Ray job description for Sales Person/"Certified Harmonic Wealth® Coach" NO Salary-Just Commission http://bit.ly/2pbFD7
• James Arthur Ray's Participant Guide for the 2009 Spiritual Warrior retreat http://bit.ly/1032009 re: sweat lodge deaths sedona.

Another Twitterer I discovered through Rachelle is Plastic Shaman, who provided a couple of links that give an idea of how James Ray's prices have skyrocketed over the years.

RNRenfrew James Ray charges a lot more for his products now. Must be inflation. Then: http://bit.ly/2AKdGb Now: http://bit.ly/hts9I

Plastic Shaman also helpfully provides a link to a Wikipedia page explaining just what a "plastic shaman" is. The only thing missing is a photo of James Arthur Ray.

Addendum, 25 October: I keep thinking I should just let this go for the time being and turn my focus to something else. But the links just keep coming in...

An opinion not everyone shares... Christine Whelan's opinion piece in the Washington Post today has some people, such as Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale's buddy Pat O'Bryan, grousing that Ms. Whelan is using the James Ray sweat lodge tragedy to indict the entire self-help industry. I say, if the shoe fits...

Duff versus the Death Ray, continued: More details about Duff McDuffee and friend's attempt to confront James Ray at his recent Denver event – as well as what happened after they left the room – can be found here.

"What needs to die...?" Speaking of Duff, he provided a link on Twitter to what he describes as a hilarious and intelligent commentary by lofinikita on the James Ray sweat lodge debacle. I highly recommend the video – here's the link. I only have a couple of quibbles: (1) The commenter said the sweat lodge tragedy happened on October 12. Actually, it happened October 8. (2) He also cited James Ray's much-quoted Tweets about death and dying, mentioning that James was Tweeting while the debacle was unfolding. This implies that James was blithely Tweeting away while people were sick and dying around him. Actually, the Tweets in question were written days before the tragedy.

Apart from these few factual glitches, I think the video is spot-on.

Larry King: what a difference a few years (and a few deaths) make: Nearly three years ago, so the story goes, Larry King's producer fell under the spell of The Secret. She got Larry all excited about it, and the result was a months-long love affair between Larry and the hustledorks who starred in the world's most famous New-Wage moviemercial. James Ray was one of those who got a pass on King's own multi-part infomercial for The Secret – a two-parter in November of 2006, and another segment in March of 2007. The March 2007 segment was called, "The Secret: Is It For Real?", and included, besides James, Joe Vitale, Bob Proctor, Lisa Nichols, and John Assaraf. Here you can read the transcript of that show, and if you want to watch the show, you can do so here. James' segment, in which he is interviewed remotely while at one of his events in Phoenix, is here. To see James' blog posts about his appearances on Larry King Live, including the November 2006 segment, click here. As you can see by the triumphal copy, he was really flying high in those days.

Well, times have changed, and on Monday night, October 26, at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on CNN, Larry will be delving into the dark side of The Secret as he interviews the family of Kirby Brown, one of the women who died at James Ray's sweatfest in Sedona. According to a bit on the Anorak News web site, this is particularly interesting because back during the honeymoon phase of The Secret, Larry's producer was also shopping James to a Hollywood production company to host James' own show, which was supposed to be based on The Secret. But apparently that was unsuccessful, due in part to James abandoning the prospective project when Oprah's people told him they were interested in producing a show starring him, and based on his teachings. Alas, those talks broke off too, leaving James without a TV show of his own after all – not that this hampered his ability to make a living in any way. Says the Anorak reporter, "So the big question is, Will King go easy on Ray's actions during Monday's show...or will he be out for blood?" It should be interesting.

By the way, the Anorak site itself is pretty interesting, in a gossipy sort of way. Here's a link to a piece on James Ray's "sweat mansion" in Beverly Hills. And here's a piece about some consumer complaints against James Ray's business practices.

Addendum, 26 October: Just a couple of updates...

Watch Larry King tonight (and send in your questions and comments now). I just wanted to remind y'all that tonight at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on CNN, Larry King Live will feature an interview with the family of Kirby Brown, who died in the sweat lodge incident in Sedona. According to the blurb on the Larry King Live web site, the family thinks the deaths were not accidental, and they want answers. The show will also feature all the latest information on the ongoing investigation. There's a link on the LKL site for you to email your questions to the show. Here's hoping that Larry will finally be as tough on the selfish-help guru business, or at least on the selfish-help guru now in the spotlight, as he wasn't back in 2006 and 2007. Naturally, I'll provide a link to the segment as soon as I can.

[10:30 PM] "How do you live with that?": Here's a link to part of the Larry King Live show in which Kirby Brown's mother speaks about James Ray's "generosity" to her family. One point that was painfully clear to me is that despite her grief she shows a lot more concern for the survivors of this tragedy than James himself has displayed thus far. Legal issues aside, this one segment is more damning of him from a moral standpoint than just about anything I have seen.

Addendum, 28 October: And the saga of Sweatgate continues. Here are a few more bits and pieces that have been in the news over the past few days...

We're from the government, and we're here to self-help: On Tuesday, October 27, US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) asked for both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Justice Department to take a close look at James Arthur Ray and the ill-fated Spiritual Warrior retreat, and, it appears, at similar selfish-help gurus and events. This is from the Shakopee Valley (Minn.) News:

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Klobuchar urges the Justice Department, in addition to any ongoing state investigation, “to review Mr. Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” program, determine whether any federal laws were violated, and take any appropriate action.”

In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Klobuchar asks the FTC “to take a close look at the marketing and advertising practices of Mr. Ray’s ‘Spiritual Warrior’ program and similar activities offered by other individuals and companies.”

Klobuchar also told the FTC that, “Consumers should not be lured into purchasing unsafe and potentially deadly products or services based on false or misleading claims.”

As you may know if you've read previous posts on this blog, I'm somewhat of a libertarian who generally shrinks from the idea of the government getting its nose any further into private businesses. That's why I've always been a little ambivalent about my friend John Curtis' campaign to force the self-help industry in the U.S. to conform strictly to FTC fair-advertising regulations. I am generally sympathetic with the libertarian (or, dare I say it, conservative) viewpoint that more people need to take personal responsibility, and that we do not need to create more of a "nanny state" than we already have.

But I also know how susceptible most of us are to manipulation. Even those who would never dream of spending ten grand to be starved, dehydrated and bullied could, given a clever and skillful (and perhaps deceptive) manipulator, be coerced into doing some very unwise things. And I have to admit that, given the information I have seen of James Ray's business operation and his own personal arrogance, a big part of me is cheering Senator Klobuchar on. In particular, when a hustler's actions result in people dying, said hustler should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. When we get into the area of consumer law, however, particularly false advertising, things become more tricky, as so many of the promises the hustledorks make are too abstract and nebulous to really pin down. On the other hand, shady business practices (e.g., irregularities in billing or deceptive refund policies) might be easier for reformers to pursue.

One more point: I think that if the New-Wage hucksters are allowed to ply their trades more or less unimpeded, their critics must also be allowed to engage in open discussion without being threatened by the hustledorks' high-priced legal teams. Fair's fair, after all.

Good call, Hyperion: As you may have heard, Hyperion Publishers announced last week that it is postponing the publication of two works by James Ray: the paperback version of his bestseller, Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want, and a new book, The Seven Laws of True Wealth. The link in the previous sentence is to the Publishers Weekly online mention of the news. For some interesting opinions on the matter, here is Women Who Run With The Wolves author Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Although her writing in this piece is a bit rough around the edges, and although she apparently had some trouble at first with James Ray's middle name, Dr. Estes offers some good insight into (among other things) Hyperion's probable agenda.

I'm sure James is disappointed with Hyperion's decision, but I'm also sure that's the least of his worries now (although I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to sic some of his legal team onto the publisher anyway, for breach of contract or some such thing). I suppose he can always self-publish, but then again, if he's contractually obligated to Hyperion, he might run into some difficulties with that.

If you're too smarmy for your own publicist, you're pretty smarmy. No offense to publicists, but you know what I mean. Anyway, my pal Mojo, in her latest comment, was the first to alert me to the fact that James Ray's publicist, Howard Bragman, is no longer working for him. Here it is in black and white, within this article from the Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune web site. Thanks to Yakaru for confirming this and providing the link both here and on The Droid's latest JAR blog post (the usual caveat applies if you follow the Droid link: if "salty" language offends you, stay away).

BitterTweets: One of the best ways to keep up with news and views on the James Ray Death Lodge is...where else?...on Twitter. Here's the link to the "Death Lodge" page. And if you have anything to add to the conversation, be sure to follow your Tweet with #deathlodge.

That's it for now. More later...and who knows, I may eventually get around to actually blogging about something else. Meanwhile, thank you as always for your comments and contributions to this ever-expanding post.

Addendum, 29 October: Sweatgate, Day 22...

Death Ray vows to get to the bottom of it all: The big news is that James Ray has finally cried, "Uncle!" and has, as he tells it, decided to cancel the rest of his appearances for 2009. As he puts it on his blog...

In the days following the terrible accident, I struggled to respond in the right way. This is the most emotionally wrenching situation I've ever faced, and it's now clear I must dedicate all of my physical and emotional energies to helping bring some sort of closure to this matter. That means helping the authorities and the families get to the bottom of what happened.

I'm committed to devoting all of my time, for as long as it takes, to achieve this goal...

I know you probably can't resist comparing this to OJ Simpson's vows about fifteen years ago to "find the real killers," so go ahead.

Now, looking at it from James Ray's point of view, this is a very touchy situation and could very well be one of those damned-if-he-does-and-damned-if-he-doesn't deals. No matter what he does, he's going to get criticism from someone. But in this case, since people did die on his watch, after all – not only at Sedona but in San Diego last July – I think he is (finally) doing the right thing by canceling the rest of his appearances – although rumor has it that he might have been inspired to make this decision only after venues started canceling on him (see Cassandra Yorgey's piece on the mysterious cancellation of James' "Quantum Leap" event at a tony Las Vegas venue).

Still, I can't help but wonder if he's plotting a way to go into hiding completely. I am picturing him leading the police on a low-speed chase to his four million dollar Beverly Hills swankienda, upon which James will jump out of his car, rush into his house, slam the door and yell out, "Too late! Door's shut!"

Anyhow, here's the link to James' blog post announcing the cancellations. That's his story, and he's sticking to it. Until he comes up with a better one, that is.

Nightline goes "beyond the sweat lodge": If you can, watch ABC's Nightline tonight (11:30 EDT, 10:30 CDT) Martin Bashir is will anchor a segment on "James Ray's Inspirational, Controversial World." Once Nightline gets hold of it, you know it has hit the mainstream. James, my boy, you're truly famous now.

Speaking out for another James ~ James Shore: I stumbled across this poignant blog post today from someone who is mourning for James Shore, the man who lost his life in Sedona. The blogger also has a few other posts about the topic.

Bragman out, "Master of Disaster" in: I mentioned yesterday that James Ray's former publicist, Howard Bragman, has split. Here's a little more about Bragman's departure and Ray's hiring of a new PR guy who's known as "The Master of Disaster."

Holosync, or sinkhole? Besides promising participants in the now-infamous 2009 Spiritual Warrior retreat that they would learn the ways of the warrior and all kinds of other traditional indigenous secrets, James Ray also promised to teach them cutting-edge scientifical stuff such as how to open up new neural pathways in order to reach a whole new realm of consciousness. Towards this end, as you may know if you saw the participants' guide, there were a few prerequisites to help get participants ready for the retreat. Required reading ahead of time was The Holotropic Mind by transpersonal psychology pioneer Dr. Stanislav Grof', the inventor of a technique called Holotropic Breathwork. Yet, as intrepid blogger Cassandra Yorgey pointed out in an article last week (I know I keep linking to her, but she's really on this story), James Ray himself is not certified in Dr. Grof's methods. Cassandra spoke at length with Dr. Grof, who said he had had never even heard of James until this tragedy happened.

Participants were also required to "invest in Holosync technology," which purports to teach you how to meditate like a holy man in no time at all. A friend of mine speculated that this could be because of an unholy alliance (otherwise known as a joint venture) between James Ray and Bill Harris, owner of Centerpointe co-inventor of the Holosync scam. The evidence is right there on James' blog. I haven't really blogged about Bill Harris (yet), but sources who know him have indicated to me that he is about on the same par, ethically speaking, as James Ray and numerous others in the selfish-help biz. And that's all I'm going to say about that right now, other than to point you to this video where Bill Harris completes the cycle of mutual masturbation with James Ray. Be sure to wash up thoroughly after watching.

Whatever you may think of holotropic or holo or holistic anything, it does seem that these techniques have some effect on the psyche, and in some cases could actually be harmful to a person who is unstable or unhealthy in any way. Given these possibilities, it appears that James Ray was egregiously under-qualified to be teaching or administering any of these techniques. But hey, anything for a buck, or a half million bucks, as the case may be...

I'll have more soon.

Addendum, 3 November: It's been a while since I've added to this post, but as you know if you've been following the James Arthur Ray "Sweatgate" story on the Internet, events continue to unfold.

The first two lawsuits against James Ray were officially filed last week: a wrongful death suit by the family of Minnesota resident Liz Neuman, a longtime supporter of James Ray and member of his "Dream Team"; and another suit by an Arizona woman, Sidney Spencer, who was badly hurt and nearly died. Sidney has also accused James of failing to return some $10,000 worth of jewelry that she removed for the sweat lodge ceremony... shades of Byron Katie of The Work fame.

The mainstream media have also taken this story and run with it; as I mentioned a few days ago, ABC's Nightline aired a pretty damning report on James Ray. And on November 2, Psychology Today just published an article about this real-life "horror movie." (The link in the previous sentence was to Part 1 of the article. Here's Part 2.)

The blogosphere is still abuzz as well, and, of course, they're still Tweeting on Twitter about the story. Once again, here's the link to the #deathlodge thread. You'll find not only snarky observations but also links to all the latest news and commentary from the mainstream media and the blogosphere.

Now, I hate to blog and run, but I have a Russian wish-dolly matter to attend to. Oh, yeah, and work, and a life... But I'll have more updates soon. Meanwhile, I hope you'll keep the comments coming. And don't worry if you don't see your comment when you first follow the link to the "comments" page. After the comments to this post hit the 200 mark, it rolled over to another page. So scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "newer comments" link. Thank you as always for your participation and support.

Addendum, 4 November: A couple of items...
Remembrance show: I just received an email from another friend of James Shore, one of those who died in the James Ray sweat lodge tragedy in Sedona. The header indicated that the email came from Raven Woods, but the email was signed Alexander Raven, so in truth I don't know if the sender's name is Raven or Alexander. In any case, here's the message:

James Shore was my friend.
I've helped a DJ friend in Albuquerque with a small remembrance show about James and losing someone.
I don't know what he will include from all the information and music I have given him.

You can hear the show live and it will be archived and available to listen to or save.

Broadcast Thursday, Nov. 5 from 1:30 to 4:00 PM Mountain time.

http://www.kunm.org/

The dj is Travis Parkin.

KUNM-FM is a public radio station. The remembrance show does not currently seem to be listed on their home page, but that of course is subject to change. Check back frequently on the link above for updates.

JAR downsizing?: They're already joking on Twitter about Death Ray moving from the big house to the Big House. Although no charges have been filed (yet), his big (7,234-square-foot) Beverly Hills mansion is now on the market. He bought it for a cool four mil this past March, but it is currently listed for $5,495,000. (In this still-stagnant housing market? What...does he think his special magickal Ray-rays added nearly 1.5 mil in value to the place?)

Addendum, 12 November: As many of you are probably aware, a third lawsuit has been filed against James Arthur Ray. Dennis Mehravar, a Canadian real estate agent, has joined the civil suit filed by Arizona resident Sidney Spencer. According to Tucson attorney Ted Schmidt ( no relation to Yours Truly), Mehravar passed out in the sweat lodge, was hospitalized, and still has pain and dizziness. As you may also recall, a separate civil lawsuit was filed by the family of Liz Neuman, a Minnesota woman who died in the incident.

The criminal investigation is still underway, but so far no charges have been filed. Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh recently stated that investigators are working diligently on hundreds of interviews, and they expect to forward their report to prosecutors next month.

Meanwhile, James Ray's only public statements about the case continue to remove anything remotely resembling blame or responsibility from himself. He's gotten a lot of flak not only about that but, in recent days, about the regular "Thoughts of Power" messages that continue to be sent out on his behalf. What some people may not be considering is that the latter could just be one of the balls that got dropped during the chaotic flurry of activity that must surely characterize James Ray International these days. In other words, it's not something James is doing himself. Even so, it seems pretty crass, all things considered. As an anonymous commenter to RumorRat's blog post about this matter wrote today:

These are posted automatically, but you would think that someone would have stopped them. This has been one of JAR’s problem for the past several years. He has inexperienced staff who have been focused on propping him up and telling him that he should be a “rock and roll star” and JAR just laps that up. That is why most of his clients (supporters) are fans. His downward spiral into arrogance and greed has been his undoing.

Isn't that almost always the case with these New-Wage hustledorks?

By the way, for those who are new to this story, here's a handy and fairly current timeline on "Sweatgate."

And then there's always the Twitter page for "Deathlodge."

Meanwhile, here are Steve Salerno's latest comments on the James Ray "debacle-in-the-desert" (and the free pass that the selfish-help gurus have gotten for so many years).

More soon...

* I began this post with a couple of quotations from James Ray, expressing his excitement about the Spiritual Warrior retreat. For more of his unwittingly prescient Tweets and comments (which he made before the tragedy but has now deleted from his own sites), see Duff McDuffee's blog post on the incident. There's also some good discussion about the whole break-you-down-to-build-you-up/extreme-enlightenment phenomenon.

Also see Duff's excellent article on James Ray and the you-can-have-it-all mentality that has made millions for James and his fellow Secret stars. (Duff doesn't just snark and snipe like I usually do; he actually proposes some alternative ways of thinking that might lead to more happiness for more people.)

And as a special added bonus... a friend of mine pointed me to another blog post by Duff, outlining seven proven steps to becoming a New-Wage hustledork.

ACCESS: The incredible lightness of boinking

Well, Dear Ones, I think it's high time for us to revisit one of the best-kept secrets in New-Wage cultdom (or should that be "cultdumb"?): ACCESS Consciousness, formerly known as ACCESS Energy Transformation.* I've written about this relatively obscure but nevertheless steadily expanding group a few times previously: on June 6 and June 12 of 2007; in May of 2008 (scroll down to the second item, "Warning: ACCESSories on the loose"); and then again the following July (scroll down to second item, "ACCESS: It just gets worse").

For those of you who aren't familiar with ACCESS or simply want a brief refresher, and don't feel like following all of those links above, allow me to quote from my own May 2008 blog post:

ACCESS, according to a tale that seems to be strangely absent from the current official ACCESS sites (but can be found here and here), was founded in the early 1990s. It all started when a "being of light" (or, alternatively, "beings of light") called Novian used the late Russian faux-monk/Whirled-class charlatan Grigori Rasputin to channel an "energy transformation technique" to a Santa Barbara, California realtor named Gary Douglas. Gary decided to call the technique ACCESS, and it now has followers all over the world. But he seems to be concentrating on the US, Australia, and New Zealand. And what's really scary, in my view, is that Gary and gang want to ACCESSorize the younger generation with their ACCESS kids' camps...

A few years ago Gary Douglas took Cali chiropractor Dain Heer under his wing, and now ACCESS is, for all practical purposes, The Gary & Dain Show. Actually, to hear some disgruntled followers tell it, it's more like The Gary & Dain Get Laid Show, but apparently Gary and Dain are not the only ones using ACCESS to get a lot of "free" sex. We'll get into that more in a moment.

From time to time I receive emails from people who say they have firsthand information about the damage that ACCESS's wacky teachings can do. Some have experienced ACCESS themselves and became disgruntled, but more often I've heard from people worried about siblings, in-laws, cousins, and colleagues who have been sucked into the ACCESS vortex and whose family lives are now in shambles. "Well, jeez, Cosmic Connie, isn't that what transformation (or elevated consciousness, or salvation, for that matter) is supposed to be all about?" you may be asking. "Isn't it all about being shaken up and spit out as a brand new person with a brand new way of looking at things? Isn't it all about escaping the same-old same-old and re-creating your life?"

Yeah, well, it can be, and maybe it should be, if your life completely sucks. But what if you're living a fairly happy life that, hey, could stand some improvements here and there, but doesn't really suck? Perhaps more importantly, what if there are people in your life who love and depend upon you, and then, after just one "life-changing" weekend, you just suddenly decide to dump them, or you try to make them agree to outrageous new terms for your relationship?

Or, to look at it from the other side of the situation... What if, for example, you're a baffled husband, struggling with the normal problems of a midlife marriage, and your wife suddenly goes off the deep end?

Last week I heard from a man who wants to shield his identity but said he wants his story told here. "Stephen"** is in his forties and has been married for twenty years. He says that overall, his has been a solid marriage with a limited number of truly difficult times, and the usual types of fights – money problems, in-laws, and the like. "Like many people at this age, mid-life can be a tough transition," he wrote. "My wife and I had some problems in the marriage develop after many many good years."

Then, Stephen says, his wife went to an ACCESS workshop last January. When she came home she was beyond excited, and of course Stephen was interested in knowing what had gone on in the class. "She proceeded to tell me that the presenter was this older woman who looked so much younger than her real age, and was married, but had had sex with hundreds of people over the years," Stephen wrote. According to his wife, the presenter told the class that having sex just one time with a new partner was perfectly okay because it "expanded" you and made you a "lighter being." When Stephen wanted to know what the rationale was for the just-one-time bit, his wife explained that if you do it more than once, you create a relationship, and that can cause problems.

Indeed, this would seem to be in keeping with one of Gary and Dain's many books, Sex Is Not A Four-Letter Word, But Relationship Often Times Is.

Stephen continues:

My wife than asked me curiously what I thought about an "open marriage." At that very moment a huge red flag went up for me. This was...not like her at all. I knew at this moment that my wife was at a pivotal point in her life, that something had developed in her and that a serious change [in] her was likely coming down the pike. I said I didn't think that open marriage was a good idea and that it would complicate our marriage. Besides, if I liked someone that much, I wouldn't just want to sleep with them one time. I said, " We aren't that type of people; we care about people, not use them."

Two weeks later my wife had a mysterious new person in her life. A patient of hers. My wife is in the health field, is licensed and touches people to heal their bodies. I could be more specific but let's just leave it at that.

At that point Stephen's wife became more insistent with her inquiries about the open-marriage idea, and Stephen knew she had someone specific in mind; otherwise she wouldn't have been so persistent. Stephen let her know there was no way he would even consider an open-marriage arrangement.

And that, he said, was the beginning of the breakdown of their marriage. His wife got angry, and before he knew it, the two were sleeping in separate bedrooms. Stephen's wife asked him to start reading her ACCESS books so he could try to understand. She wanted to reassure him that he too could also enjoy expanding as a person with new sex partners. So he began reading one of the books and "quickly realized it was totally crazy," as he put it. "The sentence structure of much of the key writing is designed to be inaccessible." (Which is a bit ironic, considering the name, ACCESS.)

To Stephen, the writing actually made no sense at all, but his wife explained that it was meant to be that way because it was intended to bypass the part of our minds that puts limitations on us.

For my own part, I have to say that what I've read and heard from Gary and Dain and various ACCESS enthusiasts has certainly bypassed the part of my mind dedicated to logic, sense, and anything remotely resembling comprehension. (Be sure to follow the video links in the PS below, and read the PPS for additional insight on ACCESS wackiness.)

Stephen wrote that from late spring to the present, his marriage has slowly been disintegrating.

My wife not only seems to have a new sex partner (whom she also got into Access) but she no longer wants to be constrained by marriage. She wants to be like Gary and Dain, she says. She believes they are truly happy infinite beings and she wants hideous amounts of money too because Access teaches you that if you cannot accept money the Universe will never give you money. If you cannot accept abundance of money you will have problems getting abundance of love, joy and ease in your life.

In Access everything is suppose to come with ease, joy and glory.

In just six short months there is a new being possessing my wife's body. She is a totally different person. We have two kids and it seems divorce is going to follow a separation that she feels she really needs so she can pursue her Access teachings. Apparently my reaction to her falling for another person, leaving our marriage bedroom, and wanting to sleep with multiple people has made me "heavy" and she wants to be a "light being" in full awareness and consciousness so that the Universe can provide her infinite possibilities. She wants to be BIG she says, truly conscious like Gary and Dain.

Stephen says his heart is completely broken and that his life has been "semi-destroyed" by Access. He qualifies: "I say 'semi' because it takes a hurt or struggling person to get snared in these scams in the first place, and our mid-life woes are partly to blame for that." I think that what sets Stephen apart from many other disillusioned followers, or loved ones of followers, of New-Wage scams is that he doesn't completely blame the scam. He realizes that it takes two (or more) to tango, as it were.

Stephen wrote that he believes his wife is actually just confused and depressed about her life, but that instead of facing her pain and disappointments honestly, she is, as he put it, "reconstructing a new type of reality to live by. One where she needs nobody to make her happy and complete. One where the model of Access is the way to a life of abundant joy and love."

His own heartbreak would be bad enough, but it seems that Stephen's wife also wants to get their preteen son involved with ACCESS (as mentioned above, they do have numerous programs for kids, and are apparently even setting up ACCESS-based schools). Stephen writes that the prospect of his son getting involved with ACCESS "just terrifies me."

He adds:

I would love to help you in any way to bring to light what a scam ACCESS really is. My wife has really gone off the deep end with this. Access gave my wife the justification to explore, which led to another person who happens to be into New Age stuff as well. This person turned my wife against me in a very slow and methodical way. I had a honeymoon like experience with my wife (which she planned and paid for) back in February, and by late May my marriage was in shambles and I never did anything different as a person between those times.

I am trying my best to save it but Access-based thinking is making it pretty much impossible. They don't believe in relationships unless they are based on complete "allowance." Everything about Access has to based around complete allowance for yourself. Otherwise you cannot be open to the "infinite" possibilities which the Universe may send to you based on your consciousness. My wife and her new lover are all into this now, together. The other person is also destroying their marriage. So my story is one about two marriages linked together, each with kids, being destroyed because two vulnerable people found each other around new age thinking and Access Consciousness thought.

It is totally ridiculous and destructive.

Stephen has tried to reach a popular news-magazine TV show to try to persuade them to do an expose on ACCESS, but he hasn't had any luck so far. And he may have a challenge ahead of him there, since awareness of ACCESS hasn't yet reached critical mass. Unlike celebrity-infested Scientology, ACCESS so far appears to be just another pale imitation of Scientology and other higher-profile groups. But Stephen firmly believes a prime-time story on Gary Douglas and Dr. Dain Heer is in order. "Pushing people to believe this sh-t about multiple sex partners, about relationships being limited and bad unless they're based on complete 'allowance,' is personally and socially destructive," he says.

And I have to agree. In an earlier post on ACCESS I speculated that perhaps some of the free-sex stuff supposedly being taught was open to interpretation. But the more I hear from people who have more "inside" information, the more I'm inclined to believe that ACCESS is little more than a glorified moneymaking and seduction scheme by a couple of two-bit California hustlers who have somehow convinced thousands of gullible people that their crap actually makes sense.

And it's people such as Stephen who really pay the price.***

* * * * *

PS ~ If you want to "experience" a little bit o'ACCESS for yourself, here is some bloody marvelous video entertainment:

First, here's Dain with some gorgeous blonde babes, Rikka and Summer (it really starts to get good at about 6:53, when chiro Dain has one of the girls on his table for what looks like a little quasi-orgasmic "bars"**** action, while the other watches lustfully in the background):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fthvy7T_uW0&feature=related

And here's the link to the main page of one of the ACCESS YouTube Channels:
http://www.youtube.com/user/accessconsciousness

And there's plenty more where that came from. Just don't expect any of it to make sense. It's not supposed to, you see.

PPS ~ If you think you'd like to take the next step with sex expert Dr. Dain, there's always the 7 Steps To Orgasm teleclass:

This 6 week teleclass will cover the 7 steps to orgasm and an orgasmic life. What if you were willing to ask anything? What if your life could be a walking, talking orgasm? Would you like to uncover the possibilities of full body orgasm? Have you always known so much more was possible with sex? "Dain Heer creates an environment on the phone where nothing is too personal to ask." "My life and has expanded a thousand time beyond what I thought was possible." "My body is so grateful we took this course!"

And this group phone sex will only set you back $485 USD. No word on whether or not Rikka and Summer will be participating.

PPPS ~ Regarding ACCESS-followers' beliefs, or lack thereof, as well as their penchant for obscurantism, another correspondent of mine has written to me on several occasions about ACCESS. This person, who also wishes to remain anonymous and whom I shall simply call "R," has a close relative who is deeply into ACCESS, as is the relative's spouse and child. "R" shared these thoughts with me:

You wrote that it is not clear what, exactly, [ACCESS followers] believe, and in fact they make it particularly difficult to figure that out. (One of their sayings is that they can't explain it and when they can, they will quit. 'Every class is different depending on who shows up,' etc. etc. Much of it does appear to be basically Scientology Lite, using many, but not all, new names for familiar concepts. Some terms are Scientology hold overs like "clearing.")

If you want to take the really long view of it, and I generally do, this is essentially a support group for narcissists; i.e., You really ARE special. People don't like you because you ARE so special and talented and extraordinary. (It can't be because you are an interminably self-centered pain in the ass who uses people every chance you get....)

Well, not being one to be so quickly put off about the core beliefs/concepts of this group I have been trying nevertheless to figure that out. [Gary Douglas and various ACCESS followers] have appeared for several years as guests on a [local] radio program and I have collected the broadcasts as they appear (briefly) in their archives. Much of this has been numbingly repetitive and vague but eventually you do get a handle on the core concepts, which are often more bizarre than anything suggested so far on your blog, with the exception of the Rasputin business that they seem to be burying pretty deep these days. Beyond that, there are threads of a political/revolutionary aspect to the movement, which is supposed to transform the world when they hit a certain round number (of course) of adherents...

They believe that Gary D. can control the weather, for example, which makes [his] horse whispering look pretty tame.They believe that their adherents will (by staying in the group, of course) live to be oh, say, 800 years old or older. (But if you leave, you throw all that away, of course. And it does appear that [my relative who is into ACCESS] is aging at the usual rate, based on the photos on the website).

[ACCESS adherents] claim to cure diseases like cancer, though the statements are unsupported and artfully phrased. He "turned that around," for example. Or "there were no signs of cancer," with no explanation of what the previous "signs" were or how someone looked for them to establish the cure. My relative's vagueness in such boasts is surprising given how much science s/he had to study in order to become a [health care professional].

[ACCESS followers also] believe that the earth is populated by two "species," humans and humanoids, in a ratio of 49% to 51%, with all of business and government being controlled by the boring, non-creative species...

...And Gary and Dain claim they can perform essentially what is alchemy, using the energy of the universe to transform one object into another. This is supported by anecdotes that are pretty lame and unconvincing, naturally.

Wow. The things people will believe (or, as I suspect is the case with some, will pretend they believe just to get laid)...*****

* As of July 2009, Access is no longer officially Access Energy Transformation; it is now Access Consciousness, since they now deem that more descriptive of what they are about.
** Not his real name, of course.
*** Some critics might point out that I am only presenting one side of the story, and I acknowledge this. If this were a piece of "real" journalism, I would certainly attempt to contact the other parties and get their viewpoints, as Steve Salerno (to name but one example) tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to do when writing his "collateral damage" series on SHAMblog a couple of years ago. (Here's a link to the first post in the series.) That said, I welcome comments from people who are fans of ACCESS and who feel it has enriched their lives, and/or who feel their spouses or other loved ones just don't "get it."
**** If you're curious about ACCESS "bars," here's a page that 'splains it all. The site on which this page appears is not ACCESS's official site but apparently belongs to an ACCESS facilitator. The "bars" session, normally free for newcomers, is most people's initial introduction to ACCESS; as my correspondent "R" wrote, "I think they use 'the bars' as a not-too-crazy way to get people in the door, kind of like the free 'personality' or 'IQ Test' offered by Scientology for the same purpose."
"R" also points out the similarity to Scientology terminology such as "implants." There's no denying ACCESS is derivative; of course, ACCESS is far from the only New-Wage scheme to draw inspiration from Scientology. By the way, the site I linked to above makes reference to another site, accessraz.com, which no longer seems to be valid. "R" speculates that this was an old site making a sly reference to Rasputin (hence, "Raz"), whom ACCESS founder Gary Douglas once claimed was instrumental in revealing the secret of "the bars" and other ACCESS info to him back in the early 1990s. As mentioned above, however, ACCESS principals seem to have distanced themselves from the Rasputin connection, perhaps thinking it sounded a little too crazy for everyday folks. Actually, though, I would think Rasputin could add a bit of color and historical flavor to the ACCESS scam. Besides, New-Wage followers have shown their willingness to embrace imaginary friends such as Esther and Jerry Hicks' "Abraham"; why wouldn't they be equally willing to embrace a departed historical figure, particularly a mystic such as "Raz"?
***** Enlightened promiscuity isn't just an ACCESS phenomenon, of course. Consider, for example, Steve Pavlina of the "Personal Development for Smart People" site and forum. (Steve, as you may recall, made an appearance on my Whirled last July while he was hobnobbing with the big-name hustledorks in Bermuda.) My new friend, and fellow blogger, Duff McDuffee, who runs the excellent Beyond Growth blog, wrote an interesting post mentioning Steve in September of this year, "The Unquestioned Gurus of the Religion of the Self." At the time Duff wrote this post, Steve had recently announced his own affiliation with and promotion of a fairly pricey DVD set, Eben Pagan's "Man Transformation," which pretty much seems to be one of those pseudo-sophisticated how-to-pick-up-and-pork-as-many-wimmin-as-possible guides for the horny but enlightened male consumer. Duff writes, "Pavlina seems to have become interested in dating advice right around the time he announced that he and his wife decided to have an open marriage and explore polyamory." Here's the link to Steve's first blog post on the polyamory experiment. And here's his follow-up post. Perhaps the Pavlinas should look into ACCESS Consciousness.

Bat sh-t crazy?

I'm working on a real blog post – yet another follow-up to a wacko promiscuous-sex cult I've written about before –
but meanwhile, here's something batty from the world's most respected news source, The Onion:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/breaking_news_bat_loose_in

And speaking of bats, a well-known New-Wage guru may have hit upon a new discovery (or, rather, the discovery hit upon him): an organic way to expand one's vision, as it were, via bat poop:

http://twitter.com/mrfire/status/4458557210

Who knows what miraculous health-supplement product ideas that incident might have inspired?

And now that we're on the subject of poop, Ron and I found an unfamiliar-looking piece of dark, crumbly, and very interestingly textured poop in our garage the other day. We probably should have shot a few pics of it (would that be considered a "crap shoot"?), but alas, we didn't. We do know that it wasn't the product of one of our domestic quadrupeds, and it wasn't from a possum. After doing several minutes of intensive research on the Net, I found a picture that closely resembled the turd that was in our garage, and the bad news is that it appears to be the work of a skunk (though alternatively, it might be from a raccoon). I am reasonably certain, however, that it wasn't from a bat.

The REAL secret to happiness and peace

My pal Mojo, whose Craptacular blog never fails to delight, sent me a link to a Zippy the Pinhead comic that, although not specifically a commentary on New-Wage culture, elegantly portrays the ignore-the-mainstream media trend embraced by so many New-Wagers and hustledorks in recent months.

But enough babbling. Here's the link to the Zippy strip.

You're welcome.

Russian to judgment?

Note: I've made some changes and additions to the "Anastasia" segment since I first published this post.
~CC, 24 September 2009

I've been doing a lot of soul-searching lately, and I have to own up to my tendency to be entirely too judgmental at times, in the sense that when I read about New-Wagers, I am entirely too willing to judge them for being a bit mental. I know I really need to be more open-minded about this stuff, especially since we're about to enter a new era of humankind and so forth, and some of the nutjobs visionaries I've snarked about could very well be the wayshowers who will lead us into the new era. I've been thinking more deeply* about these issues since I wrote my Russia-themed post the other day. Say what you will about Russia, in recent years there have been tons of remarkable things happening there, spirituality-wise. I mentioned some of these in passing in my previous post, and I've written about one of them extensively in a couple of other posts, but I think they all deserve a closer and more reverent look.**

"I smell dead people..."
Consider, for instance, Pyotr Kuznetzov, a former engineer who until fairly recently was the head of a dynamic though smallish underground movement, and when I say "underground," I mean it literally. Pyotr was able to persuade a group of about thirty-five souls, mostly women and a few children, to abandon their homes and most of their material possessions and, in November of 2007, to move into an underground cave about 600 kilometers (375 miles) southeast of Moscow. Actually it was a tunnel, complete with bedrooms and a ventilation system, that Pyotr designed and constructed under the roots of a tree.

Why would he do such a thing? It was that menacing Apocalypse, you see, which Pyotr informed his disciples was set to occur in May of 2008, at which time the Devil would finally get his due. The alarming thing, according to Pyotr, was that in the months leading up to the big event, the human race was going to be overtaken by waves of cannibalism and a desire to have frequent sex, though he didn't say how or if these two phenomena would intersect. Pyotr told his followers that they'd better get themselves underground to avoid those horrors. And so they did, proclaiming themselves to be the True Russian Orthodox Church. They apparently lived mainly on honey and jam, and were forbidden to watch TV, which probably didn't matter so much, considering that the reception down there might not be so great anyway. They were also forbidden to listen to the radio or handle money, and plastic was verboten as well; Church members believed, as did their leader, that credit cards and the bar codes on food packaging were Satanic. (In regard to credit cards, I have to say that I can almost see their point.)

Interestingly enough, Pyotr, or Father Pyotr, as he was known to his followers, did not join them underground. My first thought when I read this was that he stayed on the surface so he could minister to some of those sex-mad women who would be swarming the streets on their way to the Apocalypse – a ministry that was certainly a noble calling, and someone had to have the courage to do it. But that is just wild speculation on my part, and you know how unreliable I can be. Others have speculated that, being a structural engineer by training, Father Pyotr was aware that a cave built under the roots of a tree might not be the most structurally sound place to be. But Pyotr merely said that God had given him "different tasks." At any rate, the Russian authorities, as well as friends and relatives of the cave dwellers, and even a Russian priest who specialized in the Apocalypse, repeatedly tried to get Pyotr's disciples to come out of the cave. But their efforts were met with gunshots, and the cave people threatened to blow themselves up. Now, we know how that would have ended if this had happened in the United States, but the Russian authorities chose to just let them be, more or less, though they didn't give up in their efforts to persuade them to resurface or, lacking that, at least to let the little children go. For their part, and despite being called "cult members," the cave dwellers considered themselves to be Orthodox Christians who were simply saving themselves from the evils that were to come to all who remained on the surface.

The weather grew colder, but the hardy followers braved the bitter winter. The following spring, however, as the snows began to melt, the roof of the True Russian Orthodox Church people's underground world started to cave in, as local geologists had been warning it would probably do. This frightened some of the cave dwellers enough to convince them to emerge from their shelter. Pyotr was apparently upset that his Church was falling apart (literally) and his vision sullied, and, more importantly, that the Apocalypse was not coming to pass as he had predicted it would. Even the boldest leaders sometimes have moments of agonizing self-doubt and true dark nights of the soul, and Father Pyotr was no exception. It seems he attempted suicide by repeatedly hitting himself on the head with a log after his followers began coming to the surface. Other reports said he was attacked by some female cult members who hit him with a log. What seems clear is that he had an unfortunate run-in with a log, and ended up in the hospital as a result. No one ever said that being a visionary spiritual leader is easy.

The Russian authorities and numerous friends and relatives of the cave people continued in their efforts to get them all to come out. Finally, in mid-May of 2008, the authorities, friends, and relatives got their wish as the remaining members of the True Russian Orthodox Church returned to the surface. Apparently, however, it wasn't because the Church members were disillusioned by the realization that May was halfway over and there were indications that their leader had, after all, been wrong. No, they left because the stench of two of their cave mates who had died a while back – one from severe fasting for Lent, and the other from cancer – finally became unbearable. So bad was the smell that it was even noticeable above ground, so you can imagine how it must have been to the cave dwellers. And so, six months after they had descended, the last keepers of Pyotr's bold vision broke the faith and came out of their hiding place.

As for poor Father Pyotr, he was declared to be suffering from schizophrenia and was held in a psychiatric hospital for treatment. Isn't that often the case with visionary leaders? Sigh...the secular world just does not understand.

Rus' Resurrecting: Putin a new face on worship
While it seems that the era of Father Pyotr's True Russian Orthodox Church has passed (although I don't think we should take anything for granted, given the general spiritual milieu in Mother Russia), other mystical movements are alive and well in that strange and vast land of ice and fire. For one group, Russia's former president and current Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, is The Chosen One. The Putin worshipers perform daily devotions to a "Presidential icon" (or would it now be a "Prime Ministerial icon?") that mysteriously appeared to them one day. They believe that Putin is the reincarnation of both the Apostle Paul and King Solomon.

The "Mother Superior" of the sect is Svetlana Frolova, aka "Mother Photinia," who says that she and her followers didn't choose Putin; God did. When Boris Yeltsin named Putin as his successor, Mother Photinia's soul just exploded with joy. And the rest is history, or heresy, depending upon your point of view.

As for Mother Photinia, she apparently did some prison time for fraud back in the 1990s. But that was then, and this is now. I'm sure that serial scammer health and nutrition crusader Kevin Trudeau could tell you that a little bit of time in the pen is utterly irrelevant when it comes to spreading The Truth.

In the Year of Our Lord, 49...
Though my Jewish friends currently observing Rosh Hashanah are welcoming in the year 5770, and it is 2009 according to the Gregorian calendar, for a growing group of devotees in Russia it is only the year 49. That is because their leader, an ex-cop named Sergei Torop, now known as Vissarion, has convinced thousands of people that he is Jesus H. Christ Himself. And for followers of this Jesus of Siberia, this Messiah of the Steppes, time is measured by the life of Vissarion.

He says he realised that God had sent him to Earth to teach mankind about the evils of war and the havoc we were wreaking on the environment.

With Christmas abolished his followers mark the day of his first sermon on August 18 as their special feast day.

Time in the community is measured by Vissarion’s life and so as he is 48 years old his Church is now living in year 49.

His followers, who have given up their lives to follow him, are strict vegans and are banned from smoking and drinking or handling money.

Around 300 of them live in wooden huts in the village that has grown up around his church and which does not appear on any maps.

Many thousands more have made their homes in the small villages that surround Petropavlovka and survive the vicious Siberian winters so that they can be close to their Messiah.

Hmmm....banned from handling money.... shades of Pater Pyotr?

For Russians to whom Vissarion doesn't appeal, there are many more Jesuses to choose from, as blogger Andy Hume writes on Jewcy.com.

(Is it just me, or does the old woman in the pic above bear a remarkable resemblance to Monty Python's Eric Idle?)

Anastasia: real because thousands say she is
"In general, it is impossible to stop the Ringing Cedars movement, just as it is impossible to stop the sun from rising, as it is impossible to stop the moon from rising. But it's possible to fight the movement, to slander it, to speak badly of it, cast suspicion on it. And perhaps there are some forces that somehow, for some reason, are acting in this way."
~ Vladimir Megré, perpetrator of the Anastasia/Ringing Cedars phenomenon

Finally, when I'm wrong, Dear Ones, I'm not afraid to admit it, and I was wrong, wrong, wrong when I suggested, back in April of 2007, that in order to get the greatest mileage out of his New-Wage scheme, Russian entrepreneur Vladimir Megré should have invented a disembodied or Ascended imaginary friend (a la Abraham-Hicks) rather than a supposedly living one like Anastasia. I speculated that hordes of folks would be traveling to the remote Russian forest where Megré's lovely blonde babe is allegedly holed up, in order to see for themselves if she really exists. I imagined that Vlad might eventually have some serious credibility issues because he gave too many details about Anastasia, details that, in theory, could be subject to intense scrutiny.

Well, I was wrong, at least regarding my speculation that credibility issues would be in any way deleterious to the Anastasia myth. The truth about Anastasia's existence is this: It. Does. Not. Matter. Whether she literally "exists" or not is completely irrelevant, because the Anastasia movement, originally inspired by Megré's series of books on the flaxen-haired recluse, has torn like a wildfire across Russia, some parts of Europe and, more recently, North America as well. Vlad's made-up gal pal has become not only the basis for a growing sustainable-living movement, but also for a bona fide religion, complete with rituals and practices, such as, in some cases, smearing oneself with mud, to symbolize the sanctity of Mother Earth. Part New-Age, part environmentalist, the Ansastasian movement is kind of like the Findhorn movement (which originated in Scotland), but it seems to be growing much more rapidly. It has even made its mark on Russian politics.

Stateside, devotees in Ashland, Oregon and Mt. Shasta, California have been busily engaged for the past couple of years in setting up an Anastasia-inspired eco-village (or Kin's Domain, in Anastasian parlance). The challenges in the beginning were daunting:

Here in Oregon we are working on a plan to create a Kin’s Domain on several hundred acres of land. The logistical challenges around doing this are extraordinary, but by the grace of Anastasia we will succeed! Some of the biggest challenges seems to be dealing with local and state zoning ordinances, urban growth boundries [sic] and money.

"By the grace of Anastasia"?!? See what I mean about the religion bit?

Logistics aside, nothing can stop a movement whose time has come, and in September of 2007, one of the leaders of the project wrote:

The wave has finally hit Ashland. The hundreth monkey has been realized here. After our meeting last night and the inspiration and information that was downloaded I am now confident that everyone in Ashland / Mt. Shasta will know about Anastasia. Our work has shifted to a new gear now and we can start to focus more energy onto implementing her ideas.

On 15 May, 2008, there came this "breaking news" (all-caps theirs):

THE ANASTASIA ECO-SETTLEMENT PROJECT HAS FOUND ITS HOME IN NORTH AMERICA ON SACRED MOTHERLAND!!! MANY GREAT THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SUCCESS AND TO MANY WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THIS DREAM AND VISION WITH YOUR LOVE FROM NEAR & FAR. SHAMBHALA-SHASTA COMMUNITY HAS TAKEN BACK 466 ACRES OF PRISTINE MOTHERLAND. FREE AND CLEAR. NO DEBT. NO ENCUMBRANCES. NO LIENS. FREE AND CLEAR!!!

In case you're interested in joining the community, here's their Settler Sign-up Form.

I have to tell you that some things have shifted a bit since I first reported about 'Stasia and Vlad in Spring of 2007. F'rinstance, in my zeal to appeal to the lowest common denominator, I made a big deal out of Anastasia being nude or nearly nude. And, indeed, she was portrayed as a scantily dressed nymphet on the rather cheesy covers of the original English-language editions of the books. Now, however, the nekkid bit is being de-emphasized. And the books have been given more modern-looking, artsy covers, apparently in an effort to appeal to a broader market, make the books look less like either children's books or fantasy novels, and avoid offending the easily offended – although nudity does not seem to be the main offensive factor, judging from the way it was 'splained on the FAQ page of the Ringing Cedars Books web site:

Why did the publisher change the covers?

The first edition covers were not commissioned works. The artist (an entomologist specializing in the study of butterflies) was inspired to produce these images after reading the books in Russian. The publisher—Dr Leonid Sharashkin—selected these images for their authenticity of feeling—especially the artist's obvious reverence for Nature.

Many people judge a book by its cover. Many have judged these to be children's books or fantasy novels. The image of a "white" woman in a short dress was found to be offensive to some nationalities. Major international wholesalers said they would not distribute books with such covers because the "Russian look and feel" suggested a story not necessarily appealing or applicable to Western readers. The list goes on…

In summary, since the books contain such important and valuable information, relevant to readers everywhere in the world, the publisher has released the second revised edition in "new clothes", with the hope that many more people will be able to enjoy these books.

Regarding Ana's alleged nekkidity, even Mt. Shasta Anastasians seem drawn to the more modestly attired "Anastasia in a dress," who looks for all the world like a chaste teenager on her way to the local Renaissance Festival.

But, getting back to the original issue: even though it really doesn't matter (and, many would argue, shouldn't matter) whether or not Anastasia is "real," her existence apparently remains a matter of concern for some. This is so despite the clear implication, in this copy from the Ringing Cedars Press web site, that more than one other person has actually seen her:

She consistently displays the most developed psychic and mental powers including remote viewing and healing, mind reading and seemingly perfect memory. When challenged to solve some of society's most complex social, health and environmental problems, after only a few minutes lying on her back on the ground, with eyes closed and just her fingertips twitching, she has provided answers in such incredible detail, that witnesses have been left flabbergasted.

She says these powers are natural to Mankind and in these books she describes exactly how they may be regained by any one of us.

Granted, the copy doesn't specify exactly who the flabbergasted witnesses are, but I am sure they are very reliable, or they wouldn't be mentioned on the Ringing Cedars Press web site. For those who still might be in doubt, Dr. Leonid Sharaskin, aka "Dr. Leo," Vlad Megré's translator and the founder of Ringing Cedars Press, conducts $300.00 workshops in which, among other things, he discusses the matter of Anastasia's existence:

Session 8. The Return of Anastasia

• This is Dr. Leonid Sharashkin's awe–instilling one–and–a–half–hour–long answer to the question as to whether Anastasia really exists.
• Learn from Leonid's years of scrupulous scholarly research of the Anastasia phenomenon and expand your understanding of who she is well beyond anything you can read in the Ringing Cedars books.

You might be wondering why it takes a whole hour and a half for Dr. Leo to answer a simple question. I wondered the same thing. But maybe it's a far more complicated matter than our puny and limited consciousnesses are able to fathom.

In an article published in 2005 (a few years before the Anastasian eco-villages had caught the fancy of some Russian politicos), Megré attempted to 'splain why Anastasia hadn't proven her existence by, for example, appearing on television. "What TV station would be willing to give her air time?" he asks, by way of explanation. And he answers his own question:

Not one, I can assure you. You can try to speak with the television networks yourselves. Another question: Would you want to watch Anastasia's appearances mixed in with commercials for diapers, orbits, and beer?

Would the networks allow Anastasia to speak if she would say that the products being advertised are harmful to people?

What do you think the reviews of Anastasia's appearance would be like? Judging by the organized persecution that occurs in the press, it is clear what they would be.

Vlad also wrote that after two of the Anastasia books had been written, various female preachers emerged and claimed to be Anastasia. At least one was bad-mouthing him, claiming that Vlad had stolen her thoughts and was now writing books based on her ideas. The nerve of some people. Anyway, if you still harbor doubts of your own about whether or not Anastasia is real, you simply must read Vlad's article, which will erase your doubts entirely.

Or maybe it won't. In fact, I am sorry to tell you that even some passionate fans of the Anastasia books question whether the books are fiction or nonfiction. For example, take a look at this discussion on the Ringing Cedars forum. The person initiating the thread was feeling duped after reading a December 2007 interview in which Megré seemed to be explaining the real inspiration for his Anastasia fantasy.

MEGRE: I used to be a businessman. In general, I'm like that by nature. Then I had the good fortune to meet people like Agafia Lykova, who live in the taiga, far from any cities. Agafia herself was taken by force from her squatter's holding. She became ill. And went back. Where she continues to live peacefully. People like this interested me very much. But I noticed that everyone, including Vasiliy Peskov, wrote about the difficulties of their way of life. I, on the other hand, decided to write about their philosophy. This excited me so much that I gave up my entire business. I sat down for a year and wrote Anastasia.

Another participant had this to say to the disillusioned originator of the thread:

As if she is real or not we will probably never know. Even if it was all made up you need to ask yourself why you would be so upset if it was just a story. Granted no one likes to be told they are reading a true story only to find out later it was all made up. But if for any reason's [sic] it does upset you, you really need to ask yourself why? What was it from the story you needed to be true? Why would you put a story, real or unreal, ahead of yourself?

I would comment on that comment, but I think it pretty much speaks for itself. At any rate, the participants seem to be fairly evenly divided between believing Anastasia is real and thinking she may be a figment of Vlad's imagination. Several, however, say that they don't care either way, because they enjoy the books anyway and believe in the ideals discussed therein.*** It kind of reminds me of the endless arguments among fans of pop singer Clay Aiken before and after he officially came out and admitted he is gay. Before his self-outing, opinions on the fan boards were divided among those who thought he might be gay; those who indignantly insisted he isn't (because he's a good Christian, and besides, on numerous occasions he publicly SAID he's not gay); and those who said they didn't care either way because Clay is such a talented and good person who truly wants to make a difference. After he finally admitted his gayness to People Magazine, fans were divided between those who were outraged and grievously disappointed, and those who said they didn't care either way because Clay is such a talented and good person who truly wants to make a difference. But I digress.

For those who remain curious about Vlad Megré himself, good luck finding anything substantial about his earlier life, of which "little is known," as they say, leading one to wonder if even Vlad himself is ignorant of his past. There are, however, several lengthy "interviews" with Megré in which he expresses his thoughts on the Anastasia phenomenon and on his own troubles with detractors. Actually, these "interviews" are conversations between Megré and one of his admirers, psychotherapist/physical therapist/"Master Executive Coach" Regina Jensen, Ph.D. It appears that all of these exchanges were expressly produced for Ringing Cedars' online publication, The EARTH Newspaper, which means, of course, that they are an unimpeachable source of truth. (If the language sounds a bit stilted and awkward in places, that is no doubt due to the fact that it is a translation; Vlad, we're told, only speaks and reads Russian.)

Among other issues, Vlad and Regina discussed the Big One, Anastasia's existence, in a conversation that took place at a Ringing Cedars conference in Turkey in 2008. You can see how Regina is enabling Vlad's perpetuation of the Anastasia fantasy...er...I mean, how she is helping Vlad clarify his policies regarding Anastasia:

Regina Jensen: Vladimir Nikolayevich, I personally hope that Anastasia does not make herself available to the curious public any more than she already has. Carl Gustav Jung, a celebrated author, analyst and psychologist said a long time ago that "people can die from mass-projection," such as people of great fame who are exposed to the masses of images which others project upon them day and night. While Anastasia, more than anyone on this planet, can protect herself from such onslaughts very well, don't you agree we need not burden her any more than we already have with unnecessary demands?

Vladimir Megre: I don't think she is afraid of these onslaughts, after all, she herself said, "Evil of the world, leave your works, rush to me, try, I am alone before you, conquer for the sake of conquering, everyone fall on me, there will be battles without battles," and so on, and so forth. She is not afraid of this.

As far as "making herself available" goes, I think that it is impossible for her to make herself available to the public more than she already has. Judge for yourself, a person emerges onto the public stage and says, "Look, it's me." He stands before the people, everyone looks at him. "So you've emerged, you're standing here, and now what?" People see some person in front of them, they don't know his thoughts, what his personality is like, what he has on his mind, what he has planned, they see only the body before them! What does this give them? Nothing, of course.

Here in Europe, Canada, America, Russia, the countries of the CIS, the Baltic states, and Israel, so many different people all around the world have begun to understand each other without knowing each other's language only by saying the word "Anastasia." She is not making herself available, she has not become a "goddess" - she has become a friend, simply a friend.

So, how much more can she really make herself available? Come out of the kitchen peeling potatoes? Or emerge in such a way that everything around her is illuminated by her radiant thought? I believe that she has made herself available. And what's more, I believe that she will make herself available to each man, but in the image of the woman he loves. And that will really be a masterful entrance!

One point brought out in another 2008 conversation between Vlad and Dr. Jensen is that in the years since the Anastasia books emerged on the scene and started getting more popular, Vlad has had his share of detractors and people who spread awful rumors about him (including, I suppose, those renegade female preachers mentioned above). As he tells Dr. Jensen:

Negative rumors have been circulating about me for as long as ten years. In all this, the mass media have been exploited in the most active manner. I live in Russia. Once, when I was sitting in my garden beneath an apple tree and working on my next book, a neighbor comes up to me in the garden with a newspaper in his hands and says, "Vladimir, you're sitting here, but the newspaper writes that you live in an Egyptian palace surrounded by Mafia gunmen and that you operate a totalitarian sect, and the readers of your books are going out of their minds."

I didn't have to explain anything to my neighbor, he saw with his own eyes that the newspaper was printing a lie. But after only several days, this same article was reprinted by a number of newspapers, including one Canadian newspaper. The Russian District Court told my lawyers that the newspaper had said nothing insulting, the journalist had simply expressed his opinion, and he had the right to do so. But this journalist had not even met with me. The editor of the Canadian newspaper, after Canadian readers appealed to him, and without the intervention of a court, made public apologies.****

Regarding the sharing of this special material, there seems to be an overt, concerted effort not to permit society to discuss the ideas and suggestions set out in the books regarding modern man's urgent need to improve their way of living. The libelous publications never earnestly discuss the issues raised in the books, but speak in uninformed generalities and degrading terms about me and my readers.

Dr. Jensen and Vlad both go on to say that the criticism is the result of people in power not wanting the rest of us to know the truth. Vlad explains to Dr. Jensen:

... the spreading of all sorts of rumors about me are ultimately futile subterfuges to distract people away from the main issues at hand. Moreover even in the first book I disclosed about myself that I am not a saint, that I drank, smoked, flirted with women, and was involved in business. But now I don't. Yes, the blood of the businessman can still begin to rush, only now it is not like before. I am very proud that, with the help of my daughter and son-in-law, I have been able to set up the production of cedar oil according to Anastasia's technology. And I think there are not many products in the world equal to it.

For a long time I was unable to bring it up to the quality of Anastasia's oil, even though the modern technology of a medicinal compounds plant was used. But it soon became clear that it was impossible to obtain the required quality in the city, and it then became necessary to transfer the production to a village in the taiga 100 km from the city...and it worked out. With regard to Anastasia, she is always with me, in my heart, in my soul.

And for untold numbers of passionate devotees, Anastasia's presence in Vlad's heart and soul, not to mention in the pages of his books, is more than enough. I would say that this is pretty darned impressive for what started out as little more than a middle-aged man's wet dream.

* * * * *

Well, Dear Ones, I hope you've enjoyed our Whirledwind tour of Russian mysticism. I know I have, and I know too that I shouldn't have been so snide in writing about Russia the other day, seeing as how the place is so obviously a center of open-minded, openhearted spirituality. Once again I find myself wading in my shallow pool of snark, my tiny voice all but drowned out by the roar of the waves on the deep and endless ocean of outrageous gullibility passionate belief. And in the wake of this stunning realization, I am left, not for the first time, with but one thought: I've gotta find me a scam.

* "Deep" in the sense of my usual profoundly shallow mulling on these matters.
** Okay, so I managed the "closer" look, but you will, I fear, have to search elsewhere for "more reverent." One out of two ain't bad, though.
*** Regarding the fiction v. nonfiction issue, it's also noteworthy that James Redfield's very clumsily written but wildly successful 1993 spiritual novel, The Celestine Prophecy, was marketed from the beginning as fiction. Redfield never claimed it was anything but fiction. Granted, the cover of the trade edition was kind of cagey, bearing the tag line, "An adventure," rather than "A novel." And the blurb above the title was similarly ambiguous. The fact that the story was framed in nine supposedly profound "insights" about life also may have led many readers to treat it as nonfiction. But the cover blurbs were created by the publisher; Redfield himself was pretty straightforward about Celestine being a work of fiction, albeit fiction with a message. In any case, the New-Agey concepts and principles discovered and discussed by the characters in the novel struck a deep and resonant chord in thousands of readers, and The Celestine Prophecy became a major bestseller, spawning a sequel, numerous auxiliary materials, and hundreds of workshops, study groups, meet-ups, and so on (and even, in 2006, a bad movie). A generation before Redfield, Carlos Castaneda captivated spiritual hipsters and even some academicians with his Don Juan wisdom books, which were originally marketed as nonfiction but later revealed to be mostly fiction – not that it mattered to those who believed Castaneda's books contained profound truths. My point is that the categories of "fiction" and "nonfiction" are all but irrelevant when people are so desperately hungry for what they believe to be Greater Truths.
**** Vlad doesn't specify which Canadian newspaper published the original "lies" about him and subsequently made the apologies, nor does he specify how they apologized, and I can't seem to find anything else on the Internet about it. But I'm sure that Vlad wouldn't lie to us. I suppose that like Anastasia's existence, the bit about the Canadian newspaper is just something we'll have to accept on faith.

Parting the rubes from their rubles: a rockstar in Russia

Russia fans keep asking me to sign their ruble notes. They believe it will attract money.
~Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale on Twitter

NOTE: I've added a few footnotes and links to this post since I first wrote it on September 16. Also see the September 17, October 1, and October 9 addenda.
~CC

Mr. Fire is currently on a Law Of Attraction tour in Russia, and, according to his reports on Twitter, he has been treated like a bona fide celebrity there, with nonstop fans, flowers, and media. He has done press conferences about the Law Of Attraction (LOA) and The Secret, has been on numerous Russian TV shows, and has been filmed for a Russian movie on, as he puts it, "money and spirit." In Moscow he was mobbed at dinner as an "LOA rockstar," and the fans are lining up at his book signings to give him flowers and get him to sign their ruble notes.

But it's not all good, apparently. The killer pace is really getting to him, and he's been having the worst travel experiences of his life, as indicated on some of his recent tweets:

• Missed flight. Ticket agent fired for it. Stuck in Moscow airport for hours.
• Made it to Siberia. No palace but in Russia vodka solves all.
• No wonder celebs turn to booze drugs or death. This pace is nuts. I want to fire all.
• Interpreter took day off. Tired. What? I'm one doing all work. No day off for me.
• Race car driver of limo hit bump at warp speed. Sent us into roof. Hurt back.

I know what some of you are saying: "Cry me a river, Josef." Tsk, tsk, you cold-hearted souls. I imagine that numerous others are saying, "Wait just a doggone a minute! Joe Vitale... a rockstar in Russia? You have got to be kidding me." As a matter of fact, more than one friend of mine has remarked on the weirdness of a New-Wage guru being treated like such a celeb anywhere, even in Russia.

To me, however, it doesn't seem all that weird when you consider Russian history and culture. It seems to me that Russia is a market tailor-made for Joe's brand of mystical materialism.

To begin with, Russians have arguably always been more openly accepting of mysticism, the supernatural, and the miraculous than have Westerners. Along with that openness comes, not surprisingly, an extra measure of gullibility, which (to give but one example) goes a long way towards explaining why the profligate and seriously hygiene-impaired faux-monk Rasputin was able to bilk so many people back in the day, including Russia's last Tsaritsa, Alexandra Feodorovna. Even when Russia was under the grip of Communism, and religion and spirituality were officially frowned upon while "scientific Marxism" was officially embraced, the Soviet government was reportedly quite actively engaged in psi/paranormal research, presumably to give them a leg up in the Cold War. Whether this was evidence of open-mindedness and an enlightened attitude, or merely a sign of a secret attraction to woo, is a matter of opinion. (No doubt the US government is/has been involved in the same kind of research, but they’ve never been all that open about it.)

Post-Communism, the willingness to believe just about anything remains steadfast in the Russian collective soul. In fact, Russian belief in the mystical and paranormal seems to have increased in recent years, or at least it is now more openly expressed, according to this report on the first international skeptics' conference in Russia in 2001. And let's not forget that in the years since the Cold War ended, Russia has spawned its share of New-Wage hucksters, most notably, the remarkably inventive Vladimir Megre, who suffered a few failures as an entrepreneur until he found his calling in the imaginary-friends industry. I refer, of course, to Megre's Ringing Cedars series, featuring his woodsy make-believe gal pal Anastasia.*

A few days after initially writing this post, I came across this article on the new Russian mysticism, reprinted from the Globe and Mail (Canada) on the Rick Ross web site. If this doesn't convince you that the Russian market is ripe for a little bit of New-Wage magic, nothing will. Among other things, the author points out that many Russians are quite superstitious, "openly discussing omens and bad luck. It's not uncommon for a Moscow merchant to refuse to handle money after sunset because it is considered bad luck. Customers must instead place their money on the counter." And just wait till you read about some of the wacko "home-grown" cults in Russia, including the apocalyptic cave dwellers, and another group of folks who, believing Prime Minister/ex-President Vladimir Putin to be a reincarnated apostle, perform daily devotions in front of a "presidential icon." The "Anastasians" seem quite sane by comparison. (I'll go into all of this in more detail in my next post.)

What about New-Wage materialism?** Well, even though it has been almost twenty years since the failure of Communism in Russia, many Russians are only now awakening to a new world of possibilities – including, and let's not underestimate this – the possibilities for material wealth. Under Communism, so many had so little, and life was probably pretty grim on a material level for all but the highest government officials, assorted Russian mobsters, and a few other wealthy folk. I imagine that living in such a bleak environment was pretty depressing overall for most people, and not just materially.

Even if this minimalist existence was all they knew, and even if they held to a general belief that the Soviet way was "better" than that of the cravenly capitalist West, surely they had some awareness of the larger world. Surely some must have at least wondered what life was like in a freer society. Chuckle if you will, but I am irresistibly drawn to the video for Elton John’s 1980s hit song “Nikita”; if you can suspend disbelief to the point where you can imagine Elton actually being attracted to a woman (and vice-versa), and if you can get past Elton's silly costumes and the girl's spiky eighties' hairdo and shoulder pads, the song and video can be viewed as a poignant expression of longing for a richer life that once seemed forever beyond the reach of the majority of Soviet citizens. “Oh, Nikita, you will never know/anythin' about my home/I'll never know how good it feels to hold you…"

These days, in theory, "Nikita" would have a much better opportunity to learn about Elton's home, were she so inclined, and to explore the big wide world for herself. She might manage to do it on her own, or she might take the seemingly easy way out and sell herself as a mail-order bride to a wealthy middle-aged American man who's had it with bossy, money-grubbing American gals and wants to make a fresh start with a woman who knows her place. (By the way, the richly informative Moscow Life web site offers some interesting perspectives on the Russian bride phenomenon as well as the gold-digging leggy Russian beauty phenomenon.) In any case, there are now more opportunities for Russians to broaden their horizons than there were in Soviet days. And a whole generation has come of age since the statues of Lenin first began tumbling down.

Yet in the nearly two decades since the Iron Curtain fell, Russia’s economy has been on a roller coaster, and consequently so has Russian society. As a result, in many ways much of Russia’s vast population remains out in the cold, figuratively as well as literally. While there is an intense interest in all things Western – the music, the fashions, the fads, the material dreams – the good life remains elusive for all too many Russians. Now comes Mr. LOA (that would be Joe) to tell ordinary Russians that they too can have the luxury cars and the big mansions and the vacations in a tropical paradise, and perhaps the sublime romance with the perfect soul mate as well – all this, and the ability to bend the Universe to their will. And, luckily for them, he has the books and other products to show them how.

Is it any wonder he's a rockstar in Russia?

I’m sure he has also played on the theme that if a “regular guy” like him could achieve such astounding wealth and success, so can they. No doubt he has shared his tale of former homelessness with them, and no doubt they are duly impressed. My guess is that few if any will stop to consider the possibility that being “homeless” for a few months on the streets of Dallas, Texas (or was it Houston? He has told it both ways) – while retaining the option of going back home to a materially comfortable if emotionally dysfunctional middle-class existence in Ohio – is not at all the same thing as chronic poverty on the harsh tundra, where it often must seem that the only thing between you and the abyss is a half-empty bottle of vodka.***

Nor will many of his new Russian followers pause to really think about the fact that even Joe has often said he struggled for years and years and years. (Following the bout with homelessness, there were ten or so years in poverty, and many more after that with a hit-and-miss approach as both a seller and consumer of endless selfish-help/New-Wage/McSpirituality gimmicks, till he finally hit pay dirt.) He was far from an overnight success, but somehow one has the feeling that in Russia, this fact will get lost in translation. Most importantly, I'm guessing that few of the giddy, flower-bearing Russians, envisioning their own happily-ever-after scenarios, will be even remotely aware of the extent to which Joe and other New-Wage gurus still work their buns off, their continued success depending heavily upon aggressive, relentless, and sometimes desperate-seeming marketing.

When it comes to selling ops, Joe in particular leaves no stone unturned, sending out email blasts nearly every day for one or another of his or his cronies' products. At the beginning of this month, f'rinstance, just before embarking upon the Russia trip, he sent yet another email promoting the ludicrous "Psychic Demand" gimmick that he's been marketing for a couple of years with his buddy Pat O'Bryan. If you haven't read about this scheme yet, do follow the link below to "the most shocking web site of all time," and read all about the "new method" (well, I suppose it's new if you consider something dating from circa 1910 to be new). The whole thing is so classically schlocky that even now I find it hard to believe it is serious, but it must be selling, or Joe wouldn't keep sending emails like this:

I found a technique that's far more powerful than the power of intention.
In fact, intention is for wimps.
I wish I had known this new method when I wrote my book, "The Attractor Factor."
At least I know it now. You can, too.
Go see --
http://www.PsychicDemand.com
If you're ready to achieve results so big that all your friends and family will scratch their head in wonder, then go to that site right now.
You'll love it.
Love,
Joe
PS -- What's more powerful than intention? Go see the most shocking website of all time:
http://www.PsychicDemand.com

And so on. As I said, the selling is nonstop. "So what's your point, CosCon?" you're asking. "There's nothing wrong with marketing and selling, and if you were better at marketing yourself, maybe you'd be more successful too." Point well taken. But my point is that Joe's success story isn't nearly as fantastic in reality as it is in the telling – not that this seems to matter, either in the U.S. or in Russia. And it's easy to understand why Joe's Russian fans, already steeped in a culture rich with folklore and fairy tales, might accept his modern-day fairy tale as absolute truth. It's easy to see how that tale might ignite in them a desire for a life as fun and carefree as the one Joe claims to enjoy (notwithstanding those moments when he is being hurled about in a Russian limo, or stranded at a Moscow airport for hours, or abandoned by his interpreter). Indeed, from a marketing standpoint his choice to go to Russia was a brilliant one; the only puzzle is that more of the New-Wage gurus haven't exploited this deep, rich mine (though apparently numerous other foreigners of the spiritual-huckster persuasion have, in the years since the Soviet Union collapsed). Heck, even you and I could probably be rockstars in the Land of the Firebird if we only had a good mystical shtick, and/or a way to convince large numbers of desperate or discontented Russians that we possess some great secret to make them as rich as the Russian mafiosi.

I’m not saying it is entirely a bad thing to introduce people to new ideas that will, perhaps, give them hope. The question, as always, is, how realistic is that hope? And the greater question is, does the world really need a whole nation of Russian hustledorks?

I'd say the answer to question number two is a big nyet.

As for the nightmarish travel experiences in Russia that Joe has repeatedly tweeted about (and that he even asked his Twitter followers to “clean” on (presumably with Ho'oponopono)), I wonder if he believes that he “attracted” all of that trouble, and if so, if he has asked himself why he might have “attracted” it. Alternatively, I wonder if he might be willing to consider that in a huge country where the past and the future sometimes collide in bizarre ways, where everything is in a state of flux and the infrastructure in many areas is dysfunctional at best, sometimes s--t just happens – despite all the “cleaning” and chanting and other rituals a New-Wage rockstar and his fawning fans can perform.

PS ~ I know I provided these links above, but here it is again for your convenience: For additional offerings from Russia with love, you must, if you've not done so already, read about the remarkable naked blonde wild woman, Anastasia, who first showed up on my Whirled in March and April of 2007.
PPS added later ~ For still more Musings about Anastasia, see my next post (final item).

*****
Addendum, 17 September 2009: My first commenter to this post, named "Anon" as so many of them are, made me think about my tendency to jump to conclusions and make generalizations. Although of course I do this to make a point, and I think most of my regular readers (dare I say "fans"?) will probably understand this, perhaps a few disclaimers are in order nevertheless. First, although I have long been fascinated with Russian history and culture, in part because I have Russian roots of my own (as does my partner Ron), and in part because an ex-boyfriend of mine got me interested in Russia long ago, I am not even remotely an expert on anything Russian. My opinions and observations, expressed through admittedly sweeping statements about Russia's past and present, are those of an outsider making what I nonetheless think are some educated guesses. That's why I welcome insights from those who are experts, or at least who have firsthand experience with any of what I've written about in this post.

Secondly, for those who think I may have been singling out the Russian people for special insults, particularly by pointing out what I see as a singularly Russian propensity for belief and acceptance of the mystical, that was not my intention either. I know as well as anyone that Russians have no monopoly on gullibility, and I am sure that not everyone in Russia is into woo; moreover, I realize that there is a great deal of serious scientific research going on in Russia. In fact, anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that I look upon the U.S. as Ground Zero for New-Wage gullibility and selfish-help schemes.

Further, notwithstanding my Anon commenter's remark, my post was not an expression of "post-Cold-War smugness." I'm not even sure the Cold War is indeed over, and I know that Communism/Marxism are not dead on this planet, perhaps not even moribund. (I keep remembering Leonard Cohen's song, "The Future," which imagines a longing for the return of the Cold War, when the major powers thought they knew who "the enemy" was.)

Nor, despite the imagery in my paragraph discussing homelessness and poverty, do I believe that the vast majority of Russians are living in bleak circumstances on the tundra, wasting their lives away with a bottle of vodka. It seems obvious that there is a vibrant life in the cities, particularly Moscow and St. Petersburg, and there is a growing middle class in Russia – a consumer class, which really only enforces some of the other points I've made in this post.

Finally, as someone else pointed out to me privately, there is always the chance that Joe Vitale may have been exaggerating some of the stuff about the "rockstar treatment" and being "mobbed" at dinner (not that he's ever been known to exaggerate before, mind you)****, which would render my entire post somewhat less relevant. I'll just have to wait and see what else, if anything, I hear. As I noted in my response to my first Anon, I'm open to hearing from all.

Addendum, 1 October 2009: On a blog post entitled "Russia Questions," written after he got home and was somewhat recovered from his travels (and travails), Mr. Fire revealed some of the tough questions he was asked by Russian audiences and press. One of these questions almost certainly reflects the post-Cold War ambivalence many Russians have regarding Western-style consumerism, but never fear: Joe has the perfect rejoinder.

Q. Are you creating a culture of consumerism?
A. Consumerism is a negative word for a positive trend. When people buy something to enrich their lives, they are showing they respect themselves. But you can poison that positive by calling it something negative, like consumerism.

'Nuff said. Joe wraps up his post with a cliffhanger:

I was fascinated by Russia (the little I saw of it), but I had to leave it unexpectedly and in great danger. Soon I’ll post an account of my harrowing escape.

Stay tuned.

While his fans breathlessly await the rest of the story, let me offer another one of my wild guesses. Would that "great danger" be a simple matter of a tourist visa about to expire? I'm just going by what he wrote in a September 22 Twitter entry: "Scrambling to leave Russia. Visa expires tonite. Headed to Finland. Send love."

Now, according to information I read on the Moscow Life web site, an expired Russian visa is a monstrous inconvenience and extra expense, but hardly a "great danger"...

Getting a visa to enter Russia may be one of the most difficult processes, next to getting one to exit Russia if your visa expires...

...First, you can stay in Russia on a tourist visa for up to 30 days, so when applying be sure to fill in the maximum time possible, regardless of what a Russian consulate tells you. Second, you cannot renew a tourist visa! Which brings us to our most important point (and hard-earned lesson): never overstay your Russian visa!

...Against all logic, if you've overstayed your Russian visa, you're actually NOT allowed to leave the country. That's right, even though you're no longer there legally, and any other country would just kick you right out, in Russia you actually have to stay in the country longer to get an exit visa so that you can leave...

...We hate to say 'we told you so', but if you overstayed your visa, it will cost you. The price of an exit visa has been known to vary from 300 to 3000 roubles [under current exchange rates, approx. $9.95 to $99.50 USD] or more, depending largely on the whim of the immigration officer handling your case. In addition to having to stand in queues for hours to even hand in your documents, there's the amount of time you'll lose being stuck in Russia (which we normally wouldn't complain about, but it's not a pleasant experience when you have plans to be somewhere else at the time)...

But I have to admit that "great danger" makes for a much better story, whether framed as a true suspense tale or told with a wink and a nod to Joe's heroes, the nineteenth-century impresarios and twentieth-century ad men who were such marvelous storytellers. And I doubt that anyone has ever accused Joe of not being a good storyteller.

Addendum, 9 October 2009: Here at last is a link to Joe's blog post about what happened in Russia (and didn't stay in Russia). And here's a link to my comments about the story. One point I've picked up was that travel in Russia can be pretty dicey, particularly for Americans, it seems, if every detail isn't handled correctly. This page from the U.S. State Department paints a somewhat grimmer picture than the Moscow Life page I cited earlier. So...was I a bit off-base after all with some of my speculations that Joe's claims of "danger" were exaggerated? Maybe. I really want to be fair here. In any case, you can read his post and draw your own conclusions. If nothing else, Joe does provide a good cautionary tale for Americans planning on traveling to Russia.

* As it happens, Vladimir Megre's imaginary Russian babe Anastasia (or, rather, Megre's enterprising "ringing-cedar" products company, which is milking the Anastasia fairy tale for all it's worth) sells a sea-buckthorn berry oil extract, for only $45.80 (US) for a 3.5-oz (100 g) bottle. The berry extract is combined with the magic "ringing cedar" oil that forms the basis of Vlad's international mail-order business. I really shouldn't call Vlad a failed businessman at all, since he has obviously found a great gimmick, what with the Anastasia books, which just happen to mention the marvelous benefits of products derived from the "ringing cedars" (actually a species of Siberian pine). With those titillating visions of the mysterious nude nature girl, I imagine the products practically sell themselves.

By remarkable coincidence, Mr. Fire, according to one of his Twitter entries, told a Russian audience that "the cleaning tool for Russia" is Siberian sea-buckthorn berry. In his October 1 blog post, which he wrote after returning from Russia, he elaborates. According to him, his recommendation was a response to a question he was asked:

Q. Are there any new clearing tools since writing Zero Limits?
Yes. I’m inspired to say Russians are to eat or drink the Siberian berry, Sea-Buckthorn.

Uh-huh. Would "inspired to say" be code for, "I'm in an MLM scheme to sell products made from this magical berry, and I'll be glad to sell a bunch of 'em to you?"

** Re materialism: I understand that some Russians are turning to spirituality and mysticism in an attempt to escape from what they view as the crass materialism of modern life, but, as in the U.S., many others have no problem combining spirituality and materiality. In other words, they're New-Wagers in training.

*** Lest you think I'm stereotyping about Russians and vodka, well, even Russia's newest rockstar wrote, "In Russia, vodka solves all." And consider this, from the Nomad Journal Trips web site:

A quick word of warning for those intending to travel to Russia. Everything you have heard about the amount of vodka consumed in Russia is wrong. The simple truth is Russians drink much more then you’ve been told. You will be expected to join in the toasting to love, mom, vodka, fill in your favorite sports team, etc. Refusal to join in will be considered rude and an insult. It is strongly recommended that you practice drinking shots before going in for Russia travel. I’m very serious.

**** That was sarcasm.

On arrogance, atonement, and ambivalence

This paradox lies at the heart of so much of public life: individuals of dubious character and cruel deeds may redeem themselves in selfless actions. Fidelity to a personal code of morality would seem to fade in significance as the public sphere, like an enormous sun, blinds us to all else.
~Joyce Carol Oates, in an essay penned after Teddy Kennedy's death

This isn't normally a political blog, but a few politicky matters have been on my mind in recent weeks, most notably, the death last month of Senator Edward Kennedy. I know this topic has already been blogged within an inch of its life, so I hope you'll bear with me for weighing in with still more. In any case, this isn't really about politics. In fact, I'm not sure exactly what all this post is about, or even exactly what points I am trying to make, and I'd better warn you right off the bat that I will probably be all over the place with this one. I just felt a need to start writing and see where it goes. So here it goes...

As I noted on a recent discussion on Steve Salerno's SHAMblog, I neither canonize nor demonize Ted Kennedy, but, like many Americans, I have at times bought into the sheer romance of the Kennedy myth. How could I not? Apart from their public lives as progressives, idealists, altruists, and torchbearers of compassion, the private lives of this perfectly lovely and deeply haunted family have constantly been on parade as well, for much of the past century and all of this one so far. While detractors almost gleefully focus on the royal screw-ups, the drunkenness, and the perceived depravity, the more lasting Kennedy images, for many, have been more wholesome and so thoroughly American: the sun-kissed skin and tousled hair and radiant toothy smiles, the touch football games on the sprawling lawn of the huge family compound, the sailing jaunts on Nantucket Sound. (Non-fans might point out that even the loveliness is transitory, for as they age, Kennedy women tend to get sun-baked and leathery, while the men just get red and bloated.)

Even for Kennedy lovers the picture is bittersweet, because, of course, there are the tragedies as well. This only makes the Kennedy family saga all the more compelling to some romanticists who can't get away from the Camelot metaphor. Well, I say Camelot, Schmamelot; I know the real story. Many years ago, a mystical-minded artist friend of mine – the very same person who got me into New-Age stuff in the first place – told me that he had it on good authority, from another mystic he knew, that the Kennedy family is in fact a reincarnation of some branch or other of the great Hapsburg (alternative spelling: Habsburg) dynasty of Europe. This, he said, explains the thread of tragedy woven throughout the Kennedy family story, as well as their amazing penchant for do-goodism; these are all karmic phenomena to balance out the cruelty and decadance of that old dynasty. Some would argue that some of the Kennedy men have done their part to keep the tradition of decadence alive and well, though apparently not in the incestuous way of the Spanish Hapsburgs. And some would contend that the tragedies suffered by the Kennedy family were karma for their own misdeeds in this life. Joe Kennedy Senior alone apparently racked up enough bad karma to last for generations, including arranging to have his own daughter Rosemary lobotomized in the crude way that it was done in the early 1940s, and then hiding her away forever. But that's another story...

All mythology, metaphor, and mysticism aside, even many conservatives agree that despite his private failings, Ted Kennedy did an enormous amount of good in his decades of public life. And for the benefit of those who scoff at the notion that a member of the plutocracy can truly identify with the less fortunate, I think that it is indeed possible for a person to be extraordinarily wealthy and still have genuine compassion for those who are not. I think of one of our late local (Texas) heroes, Marvin Zindler who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth as well, but never forgot that "it's hell to be poor." Throughout his long life, Marvin never stopped working on behalf of the downtrodden. The same can truthfully be said of Ted Kennedy. Despite his wealth and access to the best that life had to offer (including, of course, the very best health care), he did seem to have the ability to truly empathize with the majority who weren't so fortunate. As President Obama said in his September 9 speech to Congress, regarding Kennedy's passion for health care reform*...

...Ted Kennedy's passion was born not of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience. It was the experience of having two children stricken with cancer. He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick. And he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance, what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent, there is something that could make you better, but I just can't afford it.

For me, it really isn't so difficult to believe that someone born to wealth and privilege can actually care about those who weren't.

Oh, black water...
Without vilifying Kennedy or his legacy in any way, however, I still cannot get Mary Jo Kopechne out of my mind. I'm looking again, as I have so many times over the past couple of weeks, at the cover of the August 1, 1969 issue of Time magazine, which I rescued years ago from the chaos of my mother's house. There we see a gritty black-and-white photo of Teddy, still in a neck brace, looking grim after Mary Jo's funeral. A diagonal banner on the upper right-hand corner reads, "The Kennedy Debacle: A Girl Dead, A Career In Jeopardy." Yes, even though she was eight days shy of her twenty-ninth birthday at the time she died, Time referred to Mary Jo as "a girl," probably because she was unmarried. That was simply one of the conventions of journalese in those last days before the new wave of feminism hit.

In the decades since Teddy's black 1967 Oldsmobile plunged into the cold waters of Poucha Pond, countless magazine and newspaper articles have been written about the incident, as well as more than fifteen books, including a fictionalized treatment, Black Water, by the prolific novelist Joyce Carol Oates. (Here is the link to the essay quoted above, which Oates wrote after Kennedy's death.)

Today many folks are saying, "Enough already; it's ancient history." But I wonder, as so many others have, what Mary Jo's family (if any are left) and her friends have been thinking these past few weeks, what with all of the accolades and tributes and such. They have, it seems, been silent on the matter, even as they've kept mostly silent for the past several decades. But surely they have opinions, and I wonder if they believe that Teddy's decades of good works in any way atoned for what happened that night at Chappaquiddick.

As might be expected, the consensus among Kennedy's fans and admirers is yes, while his detractors indignantly say no. Not surprisingly, most people's opinions about the matter – at least in the U.S. – seem tied to their own political and/or religious leanings. As columnist Kathleen Parker wrote recently, regarding those who tend to vilify Kennedy (particularly on moral/religious grounds):

One can’t help wondering, nonetheless, how those same Old Testament celebrants would have treated Kennedy had he, as recompense for his sins, embarked on a crusade against abortion and same-sex marriage instead of [for] universal health care. My modest guess is that they would have found a way to forgive him and insisted that a man’s worst moment is not the sum of his life.

Conversely, I have no doubt that if Teddy had spent the rest of his life crusading against abortion and gay marriage and for the Christian conservative vision of "family values," liberals would have the ones been carrying the "Remember Mary Jo" banner.

In any case, as Cathleen Falsani wrote in a recent Religion News Service piece, "Ted Kennedy refused to be defined by his worst moments. None of us wants to be reduced to the sum of our mistakes, deadly or otherwise." She added that it's uncommon to be able to rise above terrible mistakes without becoming paralyzed by guilt or regret. (Now, that last bit may be true in politics or even in the lives of ordinary folk, but I'm thinking that Cathleen must not be familiar with the New-Wage guru biz, which is riddled with masters of self-reinvention who regularly sweep their sordid misdeeds under the carpet, often leaving all manner of "collateral damage" on their road to success. But I'll get to that later.) Naturally, Kennedy-haters see his "refusal to be defined by his mistakes" as a mark of arrogance or even sociopathy.

So who's right? Damned if I know. But I do agree with Kathleen Parker that much of it comes down to partisan politics. And as we all know, when politics come in the door, rationality flies out the window. Just ask Emory University psychologist Drew Westen, author of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding The Fate of our Nation.

Of course I too have my biases and irrationalities, as may be abundantly clear in any of my blog posts. In regard to the question of atonement, however, specifically Ted Kennedy's, I am hopelessly undecided, despite the fact that I hold generally liberal views on social issues (pro-choice, etc.). I can't bring myself to side with either the Kennedy detractors or his admirers, though I lean more towards the latter. At the risk of sounding simplistic, though, one point that sticks with me is this: Although Chappaquiddick may have privately tormented Ted Kennedy for the rest of his life, and there's no doubt that it permanently ruined his chance at the presidency, he still, in a sense, "got away with it." At the very least he never thoroughly answered the questions about what happened. And at the time it happened, he did not have to deal with scrutiny from the press or the public in a way that he would have if the incident had happened today.

A close friend of his, author and editor Ed Klein, said in an interview following Kennedy's death that eventually Kennedy was even able to make jokes about Chappaquiddick, and it was one of his favorite topics of humor. (And I hope you will forgive me for bringing this matter up; I know it has been a pet topic of Kennedy-haters everywhere, but I am not one of them.) "It’s not that he didn’t feel remorse about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne," explained Klein, in an interview on The Diane Rehm Show), "but that he still always saw the other side of everything and the ridiculous side of things, too."

Ridiculous...hmm. Well, yes, many of us tend to turn to dark humor at times to deal with the darkness in our lives. Still, the quotation above does come across as a tad callous. Or maybe it's just me.

Or maybe not.

When the rich are (in)different...
I have no doubt that my own personal experiences, rather than my politics, are an influence on my unwillingness to simply dismiss Mary Jo's sad story as ancient history. Whatever else it might be, to me the Chappaquiddick incident is a reminder that the rich and powerful – no matter what their political leanings or religious preferences – do manage to get away with things that would land ordinary people in prison for years, perhaps even for life. And all too often, those without nearly so much money and influence, caught up in tragedy or trauma, are easily manipulated into being accomplices in what could be viewed as a miscarriage of justice.

Many years ago, in the wee hours of a bleak November morning, my father was killed in an auto-pedestrian accident. He had apparently had car trouble and was walking alongside a road near our home to find assistance. Either that, or he was simply trying to walk home, with the idea that he would deal with the car later that day when the gas stations were open. (This was before the days of cell phones and 24-hour gas stations.) I imagine the car that hit him seemed to come out of nowhere; we were told there were skid marks for more than eighty feet. His skull was fractured, his neck was broken, and there were numerous other injuries. He may have lived for a short while after he was hit; there was some confusion on that matter. My mom said she was told that for some reason the police on the scene wouldn't let the ambulance driver through to attend my dad. In any case, he died at the scene, and within a short time the cops were ringing our doorbell.

And life was never the same after that.

The young man who plowed my dad down was intoxicated, and apparently had a history of speeding and drunk-driving incidents, although he had never killed anyone up until then. The incident did not make the front page of the local paper or the top story on the local news, as it might have today. It was just a little paragraph hidden somewhere in the Metro section. This was before the days of M.A.D.D., and drunk driving carried neither the potential legal ramifications nor the social stigma it does today. In those days it was often a far more grievous crime to possess a single marijuana cigarette than it was to get sloshed and get behind the wheel. (In Texas, once upon a time, a second offense for possession of even small amounts of marijuana could result in life imprisonment.) Sure, my dad's death was tragic, but it was just one of those things.

Even so, the crime of vehicular manslaughter existed, as well as lesser crimes related to drinking and driving, and my mother very well could have pressed charges, even if only on civil grounds. You might think she would have had a pretty solid case. But she was strongly advised against taking any legal action. Among those advising her was her own attorney, whom she had retained to help her sort through the quagmire of paperwork following my father's death. It seems that the man who had killed my dad was the scion of a wealthy and privileged family; not only were his folks rich, but he had an uncle who, we were told, was a very influential judge. The family would have enormous resources at their disposal to fight any charges, and it could be a long and expensive battle for us, with no guarantee of victory.

Moreover, my mom was told, my father's own alcoholism – and the fact that he himself was probably a bit impaired at the time he was killed – would surely be brought out during the proceedings. With all of the other nearly overwhelming problems she was now dealing with as a suddenly widowed stay-at-home mom with three minor children, did my mother really want the additional pain of seeing her husband's name dragged through the mud, which the defense team would almost certainly do? After all, if my father hadn't been stumbling down that road at one o'clock in the morning, when decent folk are home in bed, he never would have been hit. (I'm sure those were not the exact words that were used, but that was the gist of the message.)

It was true that my father had a drinking problem, and it had steadily been getting worse. Over the years my mom and several of my dad's colleagues had tried to persuade him to get help, but to no avail. This was before intervention became fashionable. Despite the severity of the problem, he still managed to be a good dad, a dutiful son to his parents, and a very good provider. He was a handsome, friendly guy whom everyone liked; he never knew a stranger, as the saying goes. A brainy man with two master's degrees (yes, real degrees from real universities), he had a respectable job as a geophysicist for a major oil company. He never got noticeably drunk at home, nor did he engage in any kind of violent behavior that I ever saw. In fact, I never even knew he was an alcoholic till I was about eleven. He did his drinking away from home, in neighborhood bars or ice houses after work, and increasingly stayed out all night, coming home in the pre-dawn hours to sober up so he could get up and drag himself to the office the next day. As the all-nighters grew more frequent, I think we all lived in silent dread that one of my father's binges would result in his being injured or killed, or injuring or killing someone else. So when the doorbell rang on that November morning, my mother knew before she answered why it was ringing. And when she came up to my room and said, "Wake up, Connie...", I knew before she said another word what had happened.

One night, while we were all still numb from shock, the parents of the young man who had killed my dad showed up on our front porch to plead their son's case to my mom. The father, as I remember, was rather dour and silent through the whole exchange, and looked very much as if he would rather be anywhere else; it was the mother who did most of the talking. She explained to my mom that their son had never done anything like this before, and that he, and they, were more sorry than we would ever know that it had happened. "He really is such a good boy," she explained, tears pouring down her face. I do not recall my mom's exact response, only that she listened politely. It could have been that she was just stunned into silence.

Not long after that, my mother found out that the young man had suffered some sort of emotional breakdown and had to be institutionalized. Although still grieving, she was genuinely concerned about him. She had said to us kids that, as terrible as it sounded, if anyone had to die as a result of my father's drinking, it was better that it was my dad. She knew that if he had killed someone else, he would never be able to forgive himself and might not be able to live with what he had done. Her heart went out to the young man, who, she imagined, was being tormented by his own guilt. So she called his parents' home to ask about him and offer whatever moral support she could.

When the family's maid answered the phone, my mother asked to speak to one of the parents, but was told they weren't available. She tried again a few days later, and this time the maid was able to get the dad to come to the phone. "I don't know if you got my message," she told him, "but I called the other day when you were out." To which the man replied gruffly, "I was home, but I was watching a ball game." He was very perfunctory, and my mom, more than a little taken aback, asked him how his son was doing. "He's doing all right," was the terse reply, but he offered no details, and he didn't ask my mom how we were all doing. It was clear that he did not want to prolong the conversation any longer than absolutely necessary. So that was pretty much that.

And life went on. We grew up. I never found out what ultimately happened to the young man. Did he emerge from his breakdown, and go on to lead something resembling a normal life? Did he ever feel that he had to atone for what he did, and did he feel he was successful in doing so? Has he contributed to the world in a good way? Although nothing he could ever do would bring my father back, I share my mom's compassion and would like to think that he eventually found peace. I simply couldn't hold it against him personally that his dad was so arrogant and rude, or that "the system" has always provided the rich with a buffer against their own misdeeds.

I also sometimes think about the fact that the man who killed my father has the same last name as a Texas judge-turned-Congressman who, in his judge days, had a reputation for imposing creative sentences on drunk drivers and other wrongdoers. He really seemed to have it out for drunk drivers in particular, and designed his sentences to make offenders realize the impact of their deeds on the victims. His last name is not a terribly uncommon one, however, and in truth I have no idea if he is related to the man who killed my dad; every Internet search leads to a dead end, so to speak. Still, I wonder. Although I am no fan of the Congressman's politics, I did admire him for his hard-line stance on driving under the influence.

So back to the original question...
As for whether or not Ted Kennedy atoned for Mary Jo Kopechne's death, here's what I think: It's not up to any one of us to decide this issue, no matter how strong our opinions may be, no matter how righteously conservative or virtuously liberal we are, no matter in which direction we twirl our cognitive kaleidoscopes (as The Political Brain author Drew Westen might put it). While many may agree that there was no real legal justice for Mary Jo's death, it is also true that her family did not pursue action against Kennedy, their stated reason being that they did not want to be perceived as going after "blood money." (Can you imagine such a possibility stopping anyone from litigation these days?) The Kopechnes did, however, receive a payment of nearly $91,000.00 from Kennedy personally, and a check for $50,000.00 from his insurance company.

Heeding the warnings of her advisers, and no doubt also influenced by the visit from the parents of the boy who killed my dad, my mother chose not to pursue legal action either. My family did, however, receive a settlement from the young man's family for my father's death: a grand total of $2,000.00 – $500.00 for each surviving family member. No, I did not inadvertently leave out any zeroes. You read it right. So in that sense, even though the man who killed my father may have been privately angst-ridden by what he did, it's also true that he – or at least his family – got off pretty easily, all things considered. And that kind of sticks in my craw as well.

Which, irrational as it may be, is probably one reason I just can't let go of Mary Jo Kopechne's story entirely.

Bringing it back to my Whirled...
I would even go so far as to speculate that my family's story also sheds some light on why I am so reluctant to cut any slack to the New-Wage luminaries who seemingly "get away with" things too – the self-help stars who dump their spouses for newer models and either gloss over the situation entirely, or exploit it by making themselves seem like the wronged party or the wise hero; the self-styled financial wizards who cheerfully take hundreds of thousands of dollars of other people's money to fund their own lavish lifestyles, while providing very little of value in return; the gurus who molest their students in the guise of furthering the students' spiritual development; the venerable motivational leaders who dally with the under-aged daughters of their friends or business partners and get away scot-free. You can talk all you want about karma, judgment, or poetic justice, and you may very well be right, but sometimes, justice on a more mundane and obvious level would seem so satisfying.

Is it possible that in some way, at least some of these New-Wage rapscallions** have atoned for their own misdeeds? Even if they have behaved in less than honorable ways in their personal lives, could it be that by giving hope to others they have contributed to the world in a meaningful way? Should we give them the benefit of the doubt, even as so many have given Ted Kennedy that benefit? Or is any willingness to overlook their transgressions merely a symptom of blindness, as Joyce Carol Oates put it?

I just don't know. (In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm not nearly as certain about things as I may appear to be on some of my posts.) I do find it difficult to give the benefit of the doubt to hucksters who, though they may acknowledge and even be marginally contrite about "past mistakes," continue with their scamming and bad behavior. I still think it's important to call them on their crap – someone needs to, and not that many people do – and this, I suppose, is the main reason this blog still exists. I also realize that some people will think I am insulting Ted Kennedy's memory, or trivializing his accomplishments, by seeming to lump him into the same category as New-Wage hucksters whose main contribution to the world is nonstop self-aggrandizement. That's not my intention at all; I simply see the parallels between people's often irrational attitudes towards political figures and their equally irrational attitudes towards the dubious heroes of the selfish-help industry.

Here's what I do know: we all have our stories, which in their own way are, like the Kennedys, at once perfectly lovely and deeply haunted. "Who would you be without your story?" asks sweetly smiling Byron Katie, whose entire oeuvre, and much of her appeal, seem to center around her own "story." And her fans, including other successful New-Wage gurus, smile and nod and preach about ridding yourself of your story, or "cleaning" yourself of your memories, or purging yourself of your past. Even so, I have a feeling that Katie's question is one that few of us can really answer, because, for better or worse, we all cling to our stories in one way or another. Sometimes those stories serve us well, sometimes they don't. But most of us, if we're honest, will admit that when all of the blogging and tweeting and commenting and punditry and snarking and sniping and marketing and mythmaking are done, when we drag ourselves away from our laptops and TVs and satellite radio and iPhones (assuming that some of us still do that), there really is no single or simple way of interpreting our own stories, to say nothing of anyone else's.

Not that this will ever keep any one of us from trying.

* * * * *

PS ~ Despite all of my going on and on about myself, I haven't forgotten that this is the eighth anniversary of the infamous 9/11 attacks on the US, as the above-mentioned Steve Salerno made note of on SHAMblog. There's an interesting discussion going on there, with some well-written contributions from my own Rev Ron.

* For some entertaining, decidedly partisan blogging on the U.S. health-care crisis, check out my friend Elizabeth Mika's witty and acerbic Middle of Nowhere blog ("Where dogs rule, reality bites, and irony has a liberal bias"). Start with this post.
** I just love the word "rapscallion" and have been waiting for a chance to use it in a sentence. There, I just did it again.

Not to be confused with a leap of faith

Let me say right off that this is not a terribly new story; in recent weeks I haven't been on top of things as much as I would like, so I'm definitely late to this party. I got a nudge the other day from one of my Aussie pals*, who said that the subject of this post is a hot-button topic in Oz right now. The big issue, which is one we've wrestled with on my side of the globe as well, is the fact that egregiously unqualified people are conducting "therapy" in the guise of self-improvement seminars. And sometimes the results are tragic.
~CC

The headlines in the Australian press couldn't be more lurid: Shy young wife in naked death leap. Now, that's the kind of headline that really garners attention. (And I can imagine humorist Dave Barry's response: "'Naked Death Leap'" would be a great name for a rock band.")

But there is a very sad story behind those titillating headlines. In December of 2005, a 34-year-old Australian woman named Rebekah Lawrence, described by many as normally shy, modest, and polite, took off her clothes at work, hurled insults at her coworkers, shouted out her love to her husband David, and jumped out an office window, plunging to her death. No alcohol or other drugs were found in her system, and she did not have a history of psychiatric problems. Yet according to at least one forensic psychiatrist, she was clearly in a state of psychosis.

A couple of days earlier, Rebekah had completed an intensive $695.00 "experiential" self-help course called The Turning Point, which, among other things, focused on bringing out one's inner child. It was one of those screaming/crying/pummeling-the-pillow deals, designed to leave people raw and tender. The course was led by a guy named Richard Arthur, who was paid $3,000.00 to lead the class Rebekah was in. Richard had impressive qualifications: he had taken a couple of psychology courses when studying for his Bachelor of Science in Computers degree, and had attended the Turning Point and other similar courses. (I'm thinking that if he'd purchased a couple of phony doctorates he could have commanded a bigger fee, but I digress.)

At an interview conducted during the inquest in August of this year, Richard admitted that although the course was designed to improve the quality of people's lives by "developing emotional maturity, intelligence and soulfulness," he was, in light of "circumstances," no longer certain about its safety. You can read more about his responses here.

Rebekah attended the course for five days, for up to twelve hours a day. After a highly emotional inner-child session on the third day, she became teary and upset, according to testimony at the inquest. Teachers and support staff weren't concerned, since the inner-child exercises were always emotional, and people often screamed and cried and raged. One support volunteer noticed Rebekah crying after the session, and went to speak to her. "I supported her in feeling what she was feeling," he said. (Uh-huh. That's what they always say. SNAGs are nothing if not "supportive.")

A couple of days after completing the course, Rebekah wasn't feeling any better. In fact she was feeling a lot worse, and made a series of distraught phone calls to People KnowHow, the company behind the Turning Point course. (As you'll see if you follow that link, People KnowHow's web site is apparently in the process of being revamped, no doubt because of the recent troubles.) Rebekah left messages saying that she was having some "awful experiences surrounding death." Five days before Christmas of 2005, just before four o'clock in the morning, she left a voice mail saying, "I've been touched by something really awful and every time I shut my eyes and go into that feeling I just see awful stuff." When she finally reached a live person, another volunteer support worker, the support person told her to take a warm shower, have a hot drink and ''be gentle on herself."

Legal counsel for Turning Point has said that it wasn't the course that sent Rebekah over the edge; it was the fact that she felt her biological clock ticking, wanted to have a baby, and her hubby didn't want one. Opposing counsel countered that this is a pretty lame story, saying that Rebekah and her husband had been dealing with this dilemma quite well, as countless other couples do, and were actually pretty happy together.

In the wake of the inquest there has been a great deal of discussion in the Aussie media about whether or not self-help seminars like the Turning Point should be regulated more heavily. One of the main points that has come out during the investigation is that none of the teachers or support personnel involved with Rebekah's course were qualified to detect the onset of psychosis in participants.

It turns out that Rebekah is not the only person whose death is now being linked to the Turning Point. Eighteen years before that, a 24-year-old man had jumped naked out of a window after taking a course run by the creator of the Turning Point Program. And about a year after Rebekah's death, a Korean student who had also taken the Turning Point Course was found naked in his apartment, dead of multiple self-inflicted stab wounds.

"Oh, but these are extreme examples, Cosmic Connie," you might be saying. "We shouldn't damn the entire industry just because a few whack jobs slip through the cracks, or jump out windows, as the case may be. That would be like damning the entire auto industry because some people text while driving and plow down little old grannies. Or it would be like damning the entire recreational-substances industry because some people get addicted, or overdose."

Moreover, some might hasten to add, most of these experiential self-help seminars are careful to state in their literature and on their web sites that they are not for everybody, and that people who have serious psychological or psychiatric issues should not participate. Most even have participants answer detailed questionnaires and/or sign some sort of waiver. In other words, the onus is on the participant to tell the truth about his or her mental and physical health, and to accept full responsibility for anything that happens during or after the course in question.

That all sounds nice if you say it fast, and hey, I'm all for personal responsibility. But one problem with these seminars and just about everything else in the New-Wage/selfish-help industry is this: While the disclaimers are whispered out of one side of the mouth (or written in fine print on one page of the web site), what comes out of the other side are the loud (or large-point-size) proclamations that THIS technique or path or technology or course or workshop or whatever will improve the quality of your life and deliver miracles – whoever you are, and no matter what your problem is. Add a bunch of poetic marketing copy, and throw in a few filmy trailers with mystical music and special effects interspersed with ecstatic testimonials from "graduates," and you have a very powerful emotional cocktail. Disclaimer, schmisclaimer.**

The manipulation doesn't stop once the marks have signed up and paid; in fact, it's just beginning. There's manipulation to get participants to spend even more money for additional products, "graduate" classes, and other next-level stuff. But there's an even bigger problem, and it is the crux of the present controversy: the one-size-fits-all therapizing, which is conducted all too often by unlicensed, under-qualified facilitators/leaders/teachers/gurus.

What's the solution? More laws, or just more warnings and disclaimers, more prominently displayed? I tend towards wanting the latter, but I do think that, overall, there is way too little accountability in the selfish-help industry. People such as my pal John Curtis, of Americans Against Self-Help Fraud, think that here in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission's truth-in-advertising regs should be applied to the selfish-help industry.

You'll just have to decide for yourself. Meanwhile, take a look at this video of this segment from the August 30 edition of Australia's 60 Minutes. In the video, Rebekah Lawrence's widower David describes his wife's bizarre actions and state of mind in the time between "graduating" from the Turning Point brainwashing and leaping out that window.

I have a feeling that Turning Point's days in Australia are numbered. But there's always the U.S., the world capital of New-Wage gullibility. So keep your eyes open, my fellow Americans, and keep your inner child, your outer adult, and your pocketbook shielded from the grifters who are far more interested in taking your money than in liberating your soul.

* * * * *

As I implied in my prelude above, I'm hardly the first one to hop on this story. It's been the topic of a spirited discussion on Rick Ross' forum for a few weeks, and, not unexpectedly, The Crack Emcee at The Macho Response has tackled it as well.

* Thanks to "Abalanceofhope" for alerting me to this story.
** Besides, by all accounts, Rebekah Lawrence was about as far from a "whack job" as a person can get. She had problems, as we all do, but nothing that would, in normal circumstances, make her kill herself.

Woman's positivity and passion fail to impress sharks

So I finally got around to watching an episode of the new ABC reality TV series, Shark Tank. This is the show where budding entrepreneurs do a show-and-tell before a panel of five highly successful venture capitalists, hoping to get a big booster shot of cash in return for giving the investor(s) an interest in the company. I rarely watch reality shows, for in my opinion most of them are worse than useless, but Shark Tank fascinates me. One segment on last night's episode (Episode 4) really caught my attention.

The second presenter on Episode 4 was a Texas woman named Gina Cotroneo, whose mission is to spread happiness through the world via her company, Soul's Calling. Soul's Calling offers products such as brightly colored umbrellas with positive sayings, positively-messaged bracelets with interlocking parts (to symbolize our interconnectedness, of course), and flip-flops that have positive words embossed on their soles so they leave uplifting messages in the sand. (Would that be "Sole's Calling?") Gina handed a bracelet to each of the sharks, and they oohed and ah'd. She offered a demo of the positive flip-flops as well; an assistant donned a pair, stepped into a little sand box, meowed, and then peed and tried to bury it... Oh, not really. The assistant stepped out of the box, leaving, of course, an inspiring message in the sand.

I actually thought that was pretty cool, and in fact I think Gina should also make footwear for pets and livestock. Perhaps she could team up with Joe Vitale's assistant Suzanne, owner of Intentional Treasures, and offer a line of pet footwear with the four magic Ho'opononpononononononononononononono phrases on their soles. This wouldn't work so well in litter boxes, of course, due to the way cats shuffle the sand around and fling much of it out of the box, but it would certainly be a viable product for, say, people who take their dogs to the beach. There could even be an equine version for folks who like to go horseback riding on the beach, though the words would have to be short, or the point size of the font small, given the limited real estate on a horse's hoof as compared to a human foot. Same thing goes with our porcine pals, who could don little Soul's Calling boots and fill their muddy pens with words of encouragement, causing the positivity vibes to radiate out into the Universe. The possibilities are endless, and I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

In fact, I think the Universe is really telling Gina to get into the companion-animal/livestock market. Just look at this eye-opening scientifical information on her web site:

Positive Energy Transfer (PET) is a very important component to the Soul’s Calling brand.

I send conscious positive energy into all the products by means of prayer and meditation, with the intent that they carry joy wherever they go. Requests for awareness and conscious creation are also made to the manufacturers as a way of helping to ensure that each product contains the highest “vibe” possible in addition to its more obvious positive message.

P-E-T. Could it really be any clearer? (Gina, I do expect royalties for the quadruped product line.)

Gina didn't really go into the Positive Energy Transfer aspect of her products as she stood before the sharks, but she was full of passion nevertheless, her eyes brimming with emotion as she spoke of how we are all connected and how her products will have a positive effect on the world. The world needs her stuff, she explained. She told the sharks about how hard she'd been trying to get her business going, and how much money she'd already put into her enterprise, and how people invariably fell in love with her products. Yet sales were lackluster. She added that she had promised herself that if she didn't make a profit at a recent New-Wage trade show she attended, she would take that as a sign that she needed to try something else.

As it turned out, she apparently didn't meet her goals for the trade show, but decided to go on pursuing her dream nevertheless. All she needed was a little capital.

As I watched her, I studied her eyes and facial expressions, and I couldn't help thinking, "This person looks and sounds like someone with some troubling personal issues." Turns out I was right, as I later found out when doing my usual cursory research; she was apparently the victim of a violent assault back in the 1990s. (But be careful when you do your own Googling; although her own site seems safe enough, some sites linking to info about Gina apparently carry active viruses and Trojan horses and the like, making your computer vulnerable to a violent assault as well. So much for Positive Energy Transfer.)

I was pretty sure the sharks wouldn't be all that impressed by Gina's passion and sense of purpose. And, indeed, they unanimously rejected her proposal, which involved a 25% stake in her company in exchange for $150,000. "Your numbers just aren't that impressive," they told her. No doubt the real problem is that they are all too full of negative energy.

But y'know, I'm kind of rooting for Gina anyway. I think she should take the rejection by the sharks and run with it, or swim with it, as the case may be (perhaps a "Let's prove the sharks wrong!" campaign and product line would get the ball rolling). There's a whole hungry market out there. Naturally, there's a whole passel of hungry marketeers as well, peddling the same sort of stuff. But Gina at least made it to Shark Tank, putting her a couple of positively-imprinted steps ahead of the thousands of other woo-product pushers.

What she really needs to do now is to try to grab on to the coattails of one of the New-Wage gurus who have scads and scads of money. After all, they're always jawing about how they like to help deserving people. Well, gurus, consider Gina. But Gina, keep your eyes wide open, because some of the most successful New-Wage types – and I refer to those who speak in the loftiest and most flowery terms about making a positive difference in the world – are just sharks masquerading as dolphins.

So on second thought, maybe Gina would just be better off continuing on her own, and trying to get all the free publicity she can from the gurus and their followers. After all, she's got that shark-rejection thing going for her now. That surely ought to count for something.

PS ~ For an inspiring tale of another woman who had a mission and vision and turned it into lots and lots of colorful products, it's hard to beat the tale of Catherina Rodrigues (formerly of Australia, now infesting Oprahland and other U.S. hotspots) and her colorful "Think Love" line. Here's the flowery, inspiring version of her story. Not that I'm in any way advising Gina C. to follow her lead, mind you, but it seems that Catherina has her own unique way of getting venture capital, as Steve Salerno wrote about a couple of years ago on SHAMblog (be sure to read all three parts of the story). On the blog promoting her current U.S. RV tour, which she says was made possible by the kindness of many folks stateside, Catherina writes of her benefactors:

These guys are angels… what causes people to offer up thier [sic] home… thier [sic] RV … thier [sic] time..money…energy…what makes someone drop everything fly halfway across America then drive a big RV to NY to pick up people he met once and drive into the unknown… Wow…it must be love…I am speechless…humbled…basking in gratitude…thank you isn’t enough…you have touched me in the deepest way…I know together we can do amazing things…When love is at the helm all things are possible…

Yeah, I just bet it is. Appropriately enough, Catherina calls her group the "Love Bandits." The guy in the Mickey Mouse gloves is the SNAGgy little mandroid whom she snatched away from his wife and kid after he inherited lots of money her soul mate.