Our original post was revised on 10/23 -- after some survivors spoke out and confirmed what we had suspected all along.

As co-founders of SpiritQuest Retreats in Sedona, we are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred here recently, in which three people died and eighteen others were hospitalized.  Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who was involved.  The leader of this so-called "Spiritual Warrior" retreat, world famous self-help author James Ray, has said he has more questions than answers about what happened during the sweat lodge ceremony. As veterans of over 100 sweat lodge ceremonies and retreat coordinators in Sedona, we humbly offer Mr. Ray some answers.

First we must say that what has been called a "sweat lodge" in the media bore only a faint resemblance to the Native American ceremony that we are familiar with.   We believe it should be properly referred to as a "death lodge."  Also, we do not believe it is necessary to push anyone to their physical and mental limits to accomplish the goals of the retreat: overcoming fear, self-acceptance, letting go of the past, and reprogramming the mind to allow for greater levels of happiness and abundance.

Let us be as clear as possible:  in our opinion Mr. Ray caused the deaths of three people.  If he is going to advertise a retreat that promises to push you beyond your limits, he has a moral and legal obligation to provide sufficient staff, with appropriate experience, to insure the safety of the participants.  That clearly was not done in this case, and the results speak for themselves. But a lack of sufficient staff is just the beginning.  Mr. Ray's lack of experience at conducting this ceremony is painfully obvious to anyone who has such experience.  At a previous retreat in 2005, also in Sedona, someone passed out and others were sickened during a sweat conducted by Ray.  He should have listened to the warning.

Those who have been in a sweat lodge before know that the person conducting the ceremony is in control of the most fundamental elements: how long the door is closed, how many rocks are brought in, how much water is poured on the rocks, how long the door is open between rounds, and how many rounds will be done.  These are the factors that determine the level of heat and dehydration participants are exposed to.  By definition, the person conducting the lodge, either Mr. Ray or someone he hired, was in direct control of these elements.  It is also important to understand that the person conducting the ceremony is sitting by the door.  Each time the door opens they get all the fresh air they want.  People sitting at the back are in the hottest part of the lodge and therefore at the greatest risk.  The seat at the very back, directly opposite the door, is sometimes referred to as the "seat of honor" precisely because it is the hottest.  In the Native American tradition, you are not qualified to conduct a sweat ceremony (and take responsibility for the lives of others) until you have experienced the very back of the lodge many times.  People may apprentice for several years before they are considered qualified enough just to tend the fire outside.

No traditional practitioner we know would ever use plastic tarps to cover their lodge, or attempt to conduct a ceremony with over 60 participants inside.  Still, had Ray the sweat ended after the traditional four rounds, everyone would have left alive and happy.  Many might have gone home transformed by the experience. 

By definition a sweat in this structure, with so many people, is NOT the traditional ceremony that has been practiced by Native Americans. If too many people show up, some are asked to sit outside and support those inside through prayer.  Given the number of mistakes that were made, it is surprising more people were not killed or injured.  Here Mr. Ray's lack of expertise and judgement really shows.

In a sweat with so many people it would have been difficult for anyone at the back of the lodge to leave, without everyone at the front getting out first -- significantly raising the social pressure to stay inside and endure.  The crowded conditions would have also made it impossible for anyone to get down low to the ground.  In every sweat lodge we have attended, participants have been told to get lower when they need to, since it is cooler and easier to breathe down low.  When an easy exit and the ability to get down low -- the only means of getting relief -- were eliminated, the stakes were raised significantly.  

The people who suffered burns were almost certainly sitting too close to the rocks, and got scalding hot water splashed on them as a result.  Or they may have been burned by steam at the top of the lodge if they could not get lower.  It is also possible to get burned by making contact with the glowing red rocks as they are brought in.  The fact that anyone suffered from burns is further evidence that this lodge was overcrowded.  A traditional sweat ceremony has no more than 10-12 participants.   If another 10 people had shown up with enough money, would Mr. Ray have tried to squeeze them in as well?

After reviewing all the facts that are now available, including Mr. Ray's web site and promotional materials, we believe the combination of all these factors made this tragedy almost unavoidable.  It is also evident to us that Mr. Ray is more of a charismatic speaker and writer than a spiritual leader, even though he uses deeply spiritual truths to sell his message.  The concepts and principles discussed in "The Secret" are actually very old, and were not developed by James Ray.  Quite the contrary.  What Ray has done is to subvert those sacred principles to make obscene profits, while disregarding the health and wellbeing of his followers.  His "spiritual" retreats are mostly about using the Law of Attraction to manifest wealth.  As spiritual retreat coordinators it is our opinion that there is no connection between money and happiness.  We tell our clients that the keys to happiness are developing your capacity to love others, forgiveness, gratitude and self-knowledge -- regardless of how much money you have.  Without these things, your level of happiness is more likely to decline as your income increases.

We are sickened that Mr. Ray has defiled a very sacred ceremony.   The  sweat ceremony we are familiar with is about how to live, not how to die.  We do not know what Ray has charged in the past, but this year he charged participants close to $10,000 to attend a five day retreat, which included 36 hours of fasting outside in the elements, without food and water.  For that price he could have constructed five separate lodges, divided the group among them, and accomplished the goals of the retreat much more safely.  But apparently his over-inflated ego needs to be "the guru," so he wanted to conduct the event himself, and ended up packing over 60 people into an inadequate structure. 

We are appalled at the outrageous statements that have been made by some of Mr. Ray's supporters.  In a conference call this week, a transcript of which is available online, one of Ray's staff members said that Kirby Brown and James Shore left their bodies and were having such a "fun time" that they chose not to return. Other online posts have said that they were somehow "lucky" to pass during a sacred ceremony. 

We feel such statements are deeply disrespectful of the families, and reveal a total lack of awareness about what really happened here in Sedona.  Now that we have heard from some of the survivors, it is clear that people tried to leave the lodge during the ceremony but were directed to stay.  Perhaps they were not having having fun.  We pray that Brown, Shore and Nueman are happy on the other side.  What we know is that they paid for something else, died unnecessarily, and never got the chance to say good-bye to their families.  Our question to Ray's supporters... was it their "intention" to die when they signed up for the retreat?   We call on all the survivors to step forward with their stories, so that a full picture can be revealed.

When Mr. Ray left Arizona immediately after the event -- BEFORE the memorial that was held by survivors the next day to honor Brown and Shore, and AFTER refusing to speak with investigators -- he revealed himself as someone lacking integrity.  Yet our prayers also go out to James Ray as well as the victims.  Perhaps he has not stepped up to take full responsibility for what happened because he is afraid.   Perhaps he is following the advice of his lawyers and his publicist.  It is our hope that he will find his integrity, find the courage to overcome his fear, and become the "spiritual warrior" he purports to be.

We call on Mr. Ray to restore the sanctity of Native American spiritual traditions -- by acknowledging that this ceremony was created by him, sold by him, held in a structure created for him, and then directly controlled by him from start to finish.  It was NOT done in accordance with the practices of any Native American tribe.

Mr. Ray has also defiled a sacred place.  His actions have blackened Sedona's reputation for the moment.  An apology to the people of Sedona would be nice, but we know that will never happen.  We believe the damage to Sedona's reputation will be temporary, for the energy here is strong.  So many people have come to our community with the right intentions that a single tragedy, which actually happened six miles away near John McCain's ranch, will not shift the deep spirituality for which this town is recognized.  Perhaps this event will send a message, loud and clear, to the charlatans and con artists that seek to use our reputation for profit.