Meet the new James. Same as the old James.

As reported here yesterday, star of The Secret and convicted negligent homicider James Arthur Ray is on the comeback trail, and on Monday night, November 25, he made his first talk show appearance since his release from prison in July -- or as he euphemistically put it, his "re-emergence" from Arizona, and his return to his home in California, where he can once again see and feel the ocean, and spend time with his loved ones, far away from the filthy, disease-ridden conditions he had been forced to endure for nearly two years. He appeared on a live interview on the Piers Morgan show on CNN. His handlers had apparently negotiated the terms of the interview, and although Ginny Brown, mother of sweat lodge victim Kirby Brown (and founder of SEEKsafely.org) had requested to be on the show with Ray, she was rebuffed. Ray said he would not do the interview unless he were allowed to take up the entire hour. 

The fact that Piers Morgan is managed by Octagon Entertainment Management's Managing Director, John Ferriter -- who also happened to be one of the witnesses for Ray during the latter's pre-sentencing mitigation hearing in September 2011 -- may have had something to do with those easy-for-Ray terms. Ray and Ferriter had a working relationship in the past and hey, they're back together again. Cozy, huh? [See the PS below.]

And so the interview went, with Ray reportedly playing every sympathy card he could, including getting weepy about his mom's cancer. (I was not able to watch the interview but I have seen reports from people who did.) Many people, including some who had suffered direct physical or emotional damage because of Ray's recklessness, were disgusted that Piers did not play hardball and that he and CNN provided this platform for Ray. Here is a link to the page on the CNN site. There is a blog post summarizing the review, and there are currently links to several short video snippets. If I can get a link to a video of the entire interview, or to a transcript, I will add those as well.

Some were truly distressed to see that, despite previous faint glimmers of hope that the trial, conviction, and all-too-brief but nonetheless grueling prison sentence had changed Ray in some significant way, the Piers Morgan interview seemed to indicate that here he was again, the same old James -- with a false-humility persona to boot. He nearly cried a few times, but some noted that they had seen him cry on cue before.

It's somewhat encouraging to see the outpouring of critical responses on the Piers Morgan Live Facebook page in the wake of this interview, but that doesn't mean we should count Ray out at this point. I'll explain why. For some of you, this may be another one of my overstatements of the obvious, but I am banking on the possibility that it isn't so obvious to everyone. So here goes (and I apologize to those of you who have already read most of this rant from me on Facebook).

Some people have suggested that James Arthur Ray has been irreversibly tainted by his conviction and incarceration, and that he will again never be able to rise to his previous lofty status in Scamworld. Some have speculated that even if he does manage to get a sizable following, he will never again attract the premium quality of followers he had before the trouble began. They seem to be saying that that ship has sailed, and that the type of people James really wants or needs in his flock are now immune to his charms. Some even insinuated that his current fans and followers are of a lower caliber than those former fans whose eyes are now wide open.

I think it would be folly to take any of the above as a given -- particularly the statements that seem to pit former but now awakened fans against current unawakened ones (although this us-against-them mindset actually seems to be fairly common among some ex-followers of charismatic gurus).

I believe it is a mistake to underestimate the ability of any skilled sociopathic "guru" to seek and find new waves of followers. As I've said numerous times on this blog and other forums, the public has a short memory. Moreover, those of us who don't have short memories need to keep in mind that the majority of people either don't know about the sweat lodge tragedy at all, or for one reason or another they do not think it was a big deal, in the larger scheme of things.

I know it may be immensely difficult for anyone who has been following this saga closely to accept that, but to the "average" person this case was barely a blip on the radar.

It is possible that many potential new Ray customers, not knowing the entire context and the arc of Ray's career -- and not really caring to do the research -- will look at the incident as a tragedy, an aberration... but not directly relevant to THEM.

And there are vast potential markets in other parts of the world where, despite the Internet and global media, the Sedona tragedy may barely register at all.

Whether one deems all of those potential followers "quality" or not, I think it's a pretty certain bet that if they have money, James Arthur Ray will gladly take it, and if he is true to form he will happily take their adulation and their trust as well.

People are meat and the big sick machine is always ravenous.

And here I feel compelled to return to an all too familiar theme on this Whirled. We have only to look at the example of infomercial huckster and serial scammer Kevin Trudeau, who for many years was exceedingly well known, at least in the US, as a con man. He was laughed at, scorned, spoofed by many. (As I've mentioned a couple dozen times, Trudeau publicly defended Ray a couple of years ago, and Ray returned the favor by pushing GIN from prison. Again... cozy, huh?) Trudeau was even a convicted felon who had done a couple of years in a Federal prison. Of course he had many followers too, because he's charming that way, but the negative information about him was freely and easily available on the Internet.

You would think that "quality" people would therefore not be attracted to what has been arguably his biggest scheme of all -- the Ponzi-like Global Information Network, or GIN, which came along in 2009. You would think that "quality" people would see right through his tall tales about having been a long-time member of a secret organization called The Brotherhood, where, he claimed, he learned the secrets he was selling in GIN.

You would think that "quality" folks would scoff at his claim that even though he had ditched the Brotherhood, at great personal risk to himself, he was still being clandestinely advised by a group of ultra-elites (royalty, Bilderberg members and the like), whom he referred to as the GIN Council, and in whose stellar company he insinuated GIN members might someday find themselves too, if they played their cards right.

You would think that "quality" people who were even remotely tempted to join GIN would examine Trudeau's history of scams and frauduct peddling and endless lawsuits and business failures. You'd think that after doing their due diligence, they would laugh uproariously at his promises that he could make them rich and happy if they would just join GIN, and either upgrade their membership as quickly and as often as possible, or participate in the affiliate (MLM) program, or -- preferably -- both.

You would think that "quality" people would just say, "Thanks, Kev, but no thanks."

And you would, of course, be dead wrong. It is true that GIN attracted probably more than the average Scamworld share of greedy people, selfish people, damaged people, desperate people, and some who were a tad deficient in either education or intellectual abilities. I won't mention any names. Even so, many educated, affluent people also joined -- and again, I won't mention any names -- and many apparently joined for more lofty reasons than the greed to which Trudeau was so obviously pandering. Some spent $200,000 or more to be part of GIN and to be in KT's inner circle. (That may sound uncomfortably familiar to some who paid six figures to be part of James Arthur Ray's inner circle.)

As many know, Trudeau is currently in jail on contempt charges, and is facing a possible life sentence (even though he didn't kill anyone -- but Federal offenses carry their own punishment guidelines, while James Ray was tried and convicted as an offender against the State of Arizona). After less than four years in existence, GIN is falling apart as more people come to realize it is...duh... a scam. In August 2013, a court-appointed receiver seized control of GIN and KT's other assets, and the affiliate (MLM) portion of GIN is dead for now, provided that the court follows the receiver's recommendations. GIN, if not completely dead yet, seems moribund in its current form, though even now several factions are working to save and resurrect it (here's a link to one group). That story isn't over yet.

But despite the fact that Kevin Trudeau has -- yes, once again -- been revealed as a fraudster, he still has legions of fans who think he hung the moon and who believe his spin that he is being oppressed by the government. And his being behind bars has only strengthened the fans' love, loyalty, and resolve. (By the way, here's a November 26, 2013 dispatch from da joint, courtesy of some silly Trudeau minion who is still trying to convince Kevin's fans that all is well with him. Click on pic to enlarge.)


My point is that Scamworld is a big place, and the creative, skillful sociopath will almost always find a way to attract new followers. In the end, the caliber of followers a given guru attracts doesn't matter, if the guru is skillful enough at targeting markets. After all, a bank account does not care if it is replenished via "quality" or quantity.

So, while I think we should all be encouraged by the strong critical voices against the Scumback Kid, James Arthur Ray, I also think we need to avoid complacency, and we need to remember that the new mask of humility and "remorse" Ray is wearing is just that: a mask.

PS added 27 November: It's even worse than you thought. Here's my pal Salty Droid, with a lot more about the cynical PR campaign behind that travesty of an "interview." 

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A brand new day for James Arthur Ray?

File this in the "no neat and tidy endings in Scamworld" category. Convicted killer and star of The Secret James Arthur Ray is on the comeback trail, and he is ever so grateful to be healthy. Look, it says so right here, on James' brand new blog. In that post, Ray also talks about "The Law of Polarity," which appears to be a convenient, phony quantum-physics inflected adjunct to the Law of Attraction crap he preached for so many years, and which he seems to be implying is the Law that actually landed him in prison despite his being such a stellar LOA practitioner.

Be sure to read the comments to that post. You will see how quick New-Wage ninnies are to forget and move on, particularly, one suspects, when there might be a new scam op in it for them somewhere. For instance, someone using the obviously fake name Shakti writes:

I’ve been waiting 4 long years for this moment.
Thank you, Universe!
Welcome back, James!!!

Given all of this, it appears that even if he has to stay in a cage for a few years himself, serial scammer Kevin Trudeau (who publicly defended Ray a couple of years ago, and Ray returned the favor by shilling for GIN from prison) has little to worry about, career-wise. He can leverage his time in the clink the way Ray has. In fact Katie, or rather some of his minions, already got a head start on that very task.

And depending upon how successful he is with his own comeback experiment, maybe Death Ray can give Katie a few comeback pointers when the time comes. On November 23, the day after his birthday, Ray sent this message out to followers.

I know it's been quite a while since you heard from me, and I just want to begin by expressing my sincere thanks for staying with me over the last 4 years. For the last 4 months since my re-emergence I've been catching my breath and doing my best to rest, spend time with my family, and integrate the experiences of the last 4 years. Frankly understanding and integration will probably take the rest of my days.

After my birthday yesterday, it seemed the perfect time to begin a new chapter in my life; and continue to find ways in which I can be of service, given all that I've learned and experienced.

I've posted my first blog today and I plan on many more to come. If you'll take a moment and read it when you have a chance, my sincere hope and prayer is that it will be of value to you and your current situation in life.

Again thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued love and support, and I look forward to connecting again soon.
Much love and gratitude,
James

"Re-emergence," eh? So that's what the kids are calling "release from prison" these days.

Ray's web site is also up and running again, replete with music and videos from The Secret's heyday, and images of a smiling, triumphant JAR.

And his Facebook page sports his beaming mug, and bears a steaming pile of gushy remarks from fans.


This post is from November 24 (click on pic to enlarge):

It seems that all is well again in Death Ray Valley. So party on, Ray fans, just like you did after Colleen Conaway died, even though some of you knew about her death (and tried to cover it up). Party on, the way your fearless leader was trying to make some of you do to the tune of "I Got a Feeling (That Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night)" a mere nine days after Death Lodge, while Liz Neuman's family was making the wrenching decision to pull her off of life support.

Fans are one thing. But perhaps the true litmus test for Ray's Scamworld comeback will lie in whether or not the active selfish-help players -- those who have in the past proudly claimed Ray as a "good friend" -- accept him back into the magickal circle jerk. Joe Vitale is one obvious example, since he and Ray were both in The Secret (here's a Joe post from the days just before The Secret was launched). In fact, their "starring" together in the world's most suck-cessful New-Wage moviemercial seemed to be the basis of their "friendship." The two also appeared on the Larry King show together in happier days, babbling about The Secret and the Law of Attraction. Here is the transcript of that November 2006 show. (A few years later, ABC featured Joe as a sideshow to the death lodge story. (This was the main story.) Those weren't such happy days for Joe.) And in the past, Joe described Ray as a friend a few times on his own blog, though most of those references seem to now be wiped clean. Joe even sort-of defended Ray immediately after the death lodge happened.

But will Joe reach his hand out to Ray and welcome him back onto the active Scamworld roster? Time will tell. (In the meantime, don't forget that Joe is making a celebrity guest appearance on the telephone on Tuesday, November 26, 2013, courtesy of Peter Wink and the IMBS-ing U Master Baiter's Society.)

Will other scammers let Ray back into the pack? Will he even be welcomed back into the Trained Liars Cartel... I mean, the Transformational Leadership Council? Again, time will tell.

UPDATE... 3 DEC 2013: I don't know how I missed this post from this past August, but... jeez. Didn't I say something about IBMS and Ray on this post from this past February?

While Ray natters on (or his social media handlers natter on his behalf) about being grateful for being healthy and having learned life's toughest lessons and whatnot -- and as his joyful followers take up the torch for him again -- the three people he killed through his recklessness in his phony Sedona sweat lodge (though he was only convicted of and sentenced for negligence) are...yep...still dead. Those three are Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman. Ray served less than two years in prison for their deaths. And he has not even answered for Colleen Conaway, another person who died at one of his previous events.

In the blog post pictured and linked to above, Ray waxes rhapsodic about the things he missed so much while locked away: the sight and smell of the ocean, the opportunity to spend time with family and loved ones. He basks in the joy of a second chance. Kirby Brown loved the ocean too, and she enjoyed spending time with loved ones. James Shore and Liz Neuman loved their lives too, and they loved their families and friends. James Shore had a wife and young children; Liz had her grown kids, and now there's an adorable grandchild she never got to hold. Colleen Conaway had her life and she had people who loved her.

Where's their second chance, Ray?

As mentioned in the PS to this Whirled blog post the other day, Death Ray will be appearing on CNN tonight (Monday 25 November) at 9:00 PM EST, 8:00 CST, 6:00 PST, in an interview with Piers Morgan. One can only hope that Piers will nail him to the wall. Or as Liz Neuman's son Bryan wrote on former James Ray follower Connie Joy's Tragedy In Sedona Facebook page...

If you haven't done so already, check out the organization started by sweat lodge victim Kirby Brown's family, SEEKsafely, Inc. Kirby's mother Ginny sees a lot of value in the self-help industry but she is trying, in her gentle way, to persuade the industry to reform itself. I admire her resolve but fear she may be fighting a losing battle. Be sure to take a look at the list of New-Wage/McSpirituality gurus who have been contacted by the organization but have not yet signed the safety pledge (and probably never will). Also see the screen shot of SeekSafely's press release -- it's at the end of this post.

By the way, according to information on the Tragedy In Sedona Facebook page, SEEKsafely asked to be on the Piers Morgan show along with James Ray, but was told no because Ray would not appear if he weren't the only guest during the hour. His handlers -- yes, apparently he can afford handlers -- negotiated those conditions.

And for more information about James Ray from a former insider's point of view, read Connie Joy's book, Tragedy in Sedona. If you want a preview and some Cosmic commentary, I wrote a lengthy piece about that book here.
 
It seems clear that Ray is going to get a lot of mileage out of his suffering in prison. It was inevitable. Many of us predicted this very thing. I don't doubt that his time in a cage was a jarring experience for Ray, but I have to wonder if that suffering really washed him clean and gave him the terrible but beautiful gift of a conscience. 


I feel that the best we can do, as outside observers, is to never forget. Unless we lost a loved one through Ray's negligence or were personally harmed in some way by him, I don't think it is our place to "forgive" him -- but we can do our part to make sure no one ever forgets what James Arthur Ray has done, and who he really is.*

• Related on this Whirled: James Arthur Ray: Deadly Devotion
• Also see Salty Droid's excellent coverage: http://saltydroid.info/category/james-arthur-ray/

* Connie Joy suggests that during the Piers Morgan interview, people use the power of Twitter by tweeting with #Seeksafely, #Piersmorgan and #tragedyinsedona. Direct viewers to SEEKsafely.org and tragedyinsedona.com.

The SeekSafely press release regarding James A. Ray
11-25-13. Click to enlarge.

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James Arthur Ray and the deaths in Sedona: Four. Long. Years.

Another year has passed, and here we are at another sad anniversary. Four years after his recklessness* killed Kirby Brown and James Shore, and fatally injured Liz Neuman,** in a phony sweat lodge in Sedona, Arizona, selfish-help guru and star of The Secret James Arthur Ray is out of prison, presumably planning his comeback tour in Scamworld. I still find it appalling that he served less than two years in an Arizona prison for those deaths, and has yet to answer for another death a few months previously, that of Colleen Conaway in a San Diego shopping mall.

A couple of weeks ago I heard from Ginny Brown, the mother of Kirby Brown. She apparently came across my blog by way of doing research into the Kevin Trudeau/James Ray connection. (As regulars know, I've written about the True-dough/Death Ray connection numerous times on this blog, such as here and here. And I have commemorated it pictorially as well.) Ginny wanted me to help spread the word about the nonprofit organization she founded in the wake of her daughter's untimely death. This is SEEKsafely, Inc., and it is dedicated, she wrote, "to educating the public about self-help, empowering seekers and promoting ethical and safe practices in the self-help industry."

I already knew about SEEKsafely, having mentioned it a couple of times on my blog, including on this post from this past July. I promised Ginny that I would mention it today as well, because I had planned to write another commemorative post, as I have done every year since the Sedona tragedy happened. (This was my first commemorative post -- an inordinately long one, framed in a review of Connie Joy's book, Tragedy in Sedona.)

Ginny explained to me that SEEKsafely is trying to take a positive approach to what she and many others see as a very troubling self-help phenomenon. "As long as traditional religions fail to bring people spiritual growth and personal fulfillment, people’s search for meaning and purpose will continue with the self-help industry working to fill that personal need," she wrote. "In the midst of the scams there are sincere teachers who do offer legitimate help and support...  While I do not want SEEK to promote, endorse or monitor self-help providers, we do want to create change in the industry and educate the consumer."

Though I have never been a bastion of positivity, I see the value in Ginny's approach. I agree with her that traditional religion has failed us in many ways, and that is why people seek alternatives that sometimes are not safe. I told her I think that because of her own experience and background (she is a therapist and retreat leader, coming from a Catholic background), and of course because of the tragic loss she suffered, she is in a unique position to effect some changes in an industry that is here to stay but is very much in need of change.

I know that here on this blog my own views often come across as much more on the cynical side (though I continue to insist that it a cynicism I have earned honestly), but the truth is that I remain sympathetic to the quest for meaning in life.*** What riles me is the way that the selfish-help and McSpirituality gurus so often take advantage of people's deepest hungers and fears and longings.

And I told Ginny that I think it speaks volumes that so many of the most well-known self-help/motivational/spiritual gurus to whom her organization reached out have still not signed the SEEKsafely Promise. Here is the list of those who have not signed. I told her that I agree with her that there are some good, sincere people in the industry, and actually I think that many if not most start out with the best of intentions (I honestly don't think we can say that about Ray, however). However, it seems to me that this industry attracts many people who, once they reach a certain level of fame and fortune, all too often become more concerned with promoting their "brand" than with anything else.

Perhaps some of the gurus don't think that a pledge such as the SEEKsafely Promise applies to them because they don't conduct "extreme" workshops (or in some cases they conduct few if any workshops at all).

Some may be reluctant to acknowledge that a workshop doesn't have to be physically extreme, on the order of a desert vision quest or a sweat lodge, in order to be dangerous. But as many people have learned the hard way, many of the Large Group Awareness Training events are emotionally and psychologically grueling, and have occasionally been known to spur psychotic episodes in vulnerable people -- sometimes with tragic consequences.

In addition, it is possible that some of the gurus feel there is too much potential liability in signing such a pledge, fearing that by doing so they might weaken or compromise those elaborate "waivers" they have participants sign before their events.

All of this is speculation on my part, of course, but I suspect that it is fairly well-informed speculation.

I told Ginny that I applaud what she is doing with SEEKsafely, and added that although I did not have the pleasure of knowing Kirby personally, I feel I know her, at least a little, through Ginny's words and those of others who knew and loved her. And it seems to me that she would be very pleased with Ginny's efforts to help others...well... seek safely.

It seems to me, though, that in order for people to be able to seek safely, a little negativity is definitely in order. Towards that end, it is up to all of us who care about these issues to make sure that the world never forgets what James Arthur Ray did four long years ago.

Here again is the link to SEEKsafely, Inc.

Update, 13 October, 2013: Saturday, October 12 marked the end of community supervision in Arizona for James Ray. He was expected to return to California, presumably to hit the comeback trail in earnest, so I guess we need to keep our eyes open for his next trick.
 
Recent and related on this Whirled:

• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2013/07/killer-james-arthur-ray-is-nearly-free.html
• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2013/07/james-arthur-ray-deadly-devotion.html
• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2013/07/remembering-colleen-conaway-victim-of.html

* Technically, James Arthur Ray was convicted of, and served time for, three counts of negligent homicide, rather than reckless manslaughter. Being negligent carries less of a prison sentence than being reckless. But eyewitness accounts point to utter recklessness at best, and at worst... well, anyway, he's out now.
** Kirby Brown and James Shore died on October 8, 2009, and Liz Neuman lay in a coma for nine days before her family finally made the painful decision to withdraw life support on October 17, 2009.
*** As many probably know, I'm actually "on the fence" about many things and, as noted above, I remain sympathetic in general to people's search for meaning. In case you haven't seen these yet, here are a couple of blog posts I wrote years ago, when both The Secret and this blog were pretty new:

• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2006/12/yule-blog.html
• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2007/03/chopra-secret-and-unenchanted-world.html

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Death Ray decides to let well enough alone, moves to stop appeal of homicide convictions

Last month the Associated Press (AP) reported that attorneys for convicted killer and star of The Secret James Arthur "Death" Ray were preparing to make their arguments to have his three negligent homicide convictions overturned. They planned to focus their arguments on irregularities in the jury instructions, and alleged misconduct of Yavapai County prosecutors. It was pretty much the same stuff they'd been flapping their jaws about ever since the trial in 2011. Salty Droid wrote a lot about that, and so did Celestial Reflections blogger LaVaughn. Oral arguments in the appeal had been set for September 11.

Naturally, the news that Ray was still determined to have his convictions overturned (something he'd tried and failed at before) caused quite a bit of outrage among the many of us who feel that Ray received too short a sentence for the deaths of Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman. He ended up serving less than two years, and is now out on parole -- no doubt preparing to make his re-entry into Scamworld. His sanitized web site is just waiting for fresh new content.

Now it appears that Ray has pulled an Emily Litella. Apparently he has decided he doesn't want want to risk re-trial and possible re-sentencing, so he has moved to drop the appeal of his convictions. Said he, in an affidavit released on Thursday, September 5, "I wish to ensure the prompt, complete and definitive termination of these criminal proceedings by dismissing this appeal and allowing the conviction and sentence to stand undisturbed."

So it would seem that Ray is going to work with what he has and get himself back into Scamworld without taking any more unnecessary risks with the justice system. Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, one of the two prosecutors who presented Ray's case to the jury, said she is pleased, and Kirby Brown's cousin, Tom McFeeley, said he is hopeful Ray will start walking his talk, and live a life of honesty and integrity.

Uh-huh, and I wish our Coonhound/Black Cur mix Roxanne would quit chasing and killing squirrels, but that probably isn't going to happen either.

Tom McFeeley said he knew that the verdict was fair, particularly in light of what was withheld from the jury. He noted that Ray was lucky to get out of prison so quickly and that he "should count his blessings and be thankful people are still willing to listen to what he has to say."

Frankly, I'm appalled that there even are people who are still willing to listen to Ray, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. But as I've noted here, on Salty's blog, and on other forums more than once, there are so many people who either don't know what Ray did, or don't think it's a big deal.

But some of us do care, and we think it's a very big deal. And I guess it's up to us to make sure that this case doesn't fade into obscurity.

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Remembering Colleen Conaway: victim of James Arthur Ray's recklessness

It seems like just a year ago today that I was commemorating the death of Colleen Conaway, faithful follower of New-Wage guru, star of The Secret, and convicted killer James Arthur Ray. Of course at the time Colleen was following Ray, he wasn't yet a convicted killer. And he has yet to answer for her death.

Colleen, as many of you may know, was attending a James Ray "wealth" weekend in San Diego in July 2009, and ended up jumping (or falling?) to her death from a third-story balcony in a San Diego shopping mall. As noted in last year's blog post, Colleen reportedly had no history of emotional or mental problems, but apparently had a psychotic episode at the event. The circumstances of her death were tragic and puzzling, but what happened afterward was appalling. If you don't mind my quoting myself:

After Ray found out about [Colleen's death], he and his top minions apparently worked to cover it up, shielding the rest of the attendees from the unfortunate event, and they all partied on that night. If you don't know Colleen's sad story, my pal Yakaru has written a good summary of this tragedy, linking to several Salty Droid posts.

In early August of last year, Salty Droid commemorated Colleen's death with a heartbreaking interview with Colleen's sister Lynn. Here is that link.

And so another year has gone by, and here we are at another sad anniversary. Four years.

And in October, we'll be looking at the fourth anniversary of the deaths of three other people -- Kirby Brown, James Shore (October 8), and Liz Neuman (October 17) -- who also died as a result of Ray's recklessness (although actually he was charged with -- and served an outrageously short prison sentence for -- negligence, rather than recklessness). He is now out of prison, serving out his probation in Arizona, and no doubt preparing to re-enter Scamworld in a big way.

It seems that prison did little to put a damper on his elitism. A couple of months before his release, his brother was whining about the possibility that Jimmy Ray Jumpsuit might have to stay in a halfway house with riff-raff. No word yet on exactly where JAR landed, but I'm sure there are people digging around for that information.

And in related news, the summer 2013 meeting of the Transformational Leadership Council (TLC) began yesterday, July 24, and lasts through the 28th. There is no word on the TLC site about where this one is going to be; they're usually pretty coy about that. This is relevant because Death Ray was a founding member of that cartel, though rather unceremoniously dropped from the membership roster after the sweat lodge debacle. I wonder if they'll let him back in, now that he's out of the joint.

I do know that good people are pursuing justice for Colleen Conaway's family, trying to get answers and doing everything they can to see that James Ray is held accountable for her death.

And meanwhile, the big sick machine grinds on -- mostly taking people's money, time, energy, hopes, and dreams, but sometimes taking their lives as well.

Related and recent:

• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2013/07/james-arthur-ray-deadly-devotion.html
• http://cosmicconnie.blogspot.com/2013/07/killer-james-arthur-ray-is-nearly-free.html

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Now more than ever, your donation is needed
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Click here to donate via PayPal or debit/credit card.
If that link doesn't work, send PayPal payment directly to
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James Arthur Ray: Deadly Devotion

As star of The Secret and convicted killer James Arthur Ray, newly out of an Arizona prison, begins serving his probation in Phoenix, there's been a lot of speculation about what his next move is going to be. Which New-Wage/selfish-help/McSpirituality gurus will he team up with first? Kevin Trudeau and his scammy, Ponzi-like Global Information Network (GIN)? After all, KT spoke up publicly in Death Ray's defense a couple of years ago, and last year, from behind bars, Ray shilled for GIN.

Or will he team up with one of numerous co-stars of The Secret, some of whom have also spoken out publicly in his defense? He has quite a few from which to choose. Joe Vitale, who has claimed several times that Ray is a "friend" of his (by virtue of their being in The Secret together) was rather snappish and defensive about the sweat lodge thing when asked about it shortly after it happened. And Bob Proctor has made several public remarks about how James Ray is really an okay guy.

The big question is: When will Ray start putting on solo events again? And will he be doing extreme physical events such as his phony sweat lodge again at some point? I seem to recall hearing him promise the courts that he wouldn't, back when he was begging the court for mercy.
 
However, while the thought of Ray holding another sweat lodge is frightening, according to an AP story, it's not beyond the realm of possibility.

Nothing in his conditions of release prohibits him from holding self-help seminars or conducting another sweat lodge ceremony, but his brother said Ray has no immediate plans to resurrect his business. However, Jon Ray didn't rule out the possibility, maintaining the deaths weren't his brother's fault.

My sense is that you just can't keep a good psychopath down, and Ray apparently has no intention of getting out of the selfish-help/motivational racket.

Upon his release on Friday, July 12, he was sporting a new, longer hairstyle, and graying to boot. Whether this is only temporary or an attempt to re-brand himself as a SNAG-gy guru type -- sensitive but strong, caring but intense, and confident but fake-humbled by his too-short prison sentence -- also remains to be seen.

Whatever career choices Death Ray makes next, many of us are worried about the public's short memory, and the fact that a significant percentage of the public is only vaguely aware, or is completely unaware, of what happened in Sedona (and San Diego) in 2009.

But at least the media are waking up, and some channels and networks are starting to fill some of their 24/7/365 time slots with something besides the Kardashians, Real Housewives, and other "reality" shows featuring unlikeable people behaving badly. For instance, there's the Deadly Devotion series, part of Investigation Discovery on The Discovery Channel, currently airing Tuesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern, 8:00 PM Central. They've devoted a segment to Ray's deadly phony sweat lodge, focusing on Kirby Brown. Catch it if you can. Here's a preview.

Killer James Arthur Ray is nearly* free, and the big sick machine hums on

As noted here a couple of months ago, convicted negligent homicider James Arthur "Death" Ray is scheduled for early release from an Arizona prison today -- July 12, 2013. He has served a less-than-two-year sentence for the October 2009 deaths of three people in his phony-baloney "sweat lodge" in Sedona, Arizona. Those three are Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman.

That short prison sentence equals scant justice for Kirby and James S. and Liz and those who loved them, but there has been no justice at all so far for a fourth person, Colleen Conaway, who had perished under highly questionable circumstances at a San Diego James Ray event a few months previously. Thirteen days from now, on July 25, Colleen's family and friends will mark the fourth anniversary of her death, which was apparently covered up for a while by Ray and his top minions so that the event could go on and the participants could party on into the night without knowing that one of their own had died.

And while Colleen's loved ones are remembering that sad anniversary, the Transformational Leadership Council (TLC), known to some of us as the Trained Liars Council, will be holding their summer conference in some swanky resort (they never announce the location in advance on their web site; it's a seekrit, but this year's summer event runs from July 24-28). The TLC provided most of Rhonda Byrne's talking heads for The Secret, and for that and other reasons it is an integral part of the big sick machine. (James Ray was a founding member of TLC but was kicked out after the sweat-lodge debacle came to light. But hey, maybe they'll let him back in if he can show that he's still bankable after his time in the joint.)

Anyway. As you can imagine, my pal Salty Droid, who has done more than any blogger I know of to try to get justice for all of James Ray's victims, has once again expressed his wrath over what many of us see as a travesty of justice. His latest blog post connects some more dots in the picture of the big sick machine, as he explains James Arthur Ray's connection with notorious MLM Herbalife. This passage really stuck out for me.

Liz Neuman’s journey through JAR via [Herbalife] ended :: tens of thousands of dollars later … with her limp body being dragged over two dead bodies and deposited in the hot mud to die … as James Ray strolled away triumphantly and did NOTHING.

Such high costs can never be incorporated into the dry mathematical estimations of the damage being done to our societies by the likes of Herbalife :: but they are real … as real as death.

Do take the time to read that post, and follow the links to the statements made by MLM-ers defending Ray's character. It is really pretty disgusting.

James Arthur Ray prison release photo --
notice the new SNAG-gy hairdo. Is it an attempt to re-brand,
or is it just for incognito purposes till some of the heat is off?
Anyhow, it looks as if someone was able to take his Propecia even behind bars.

One small glimmer of hope is that the outrage of Ray's early release is getting at least a little bit of mainstream media attention, such as this editorial by Christine B. Whelan in USA Today. Although like a few other reporters Whelan semi-incorrectly states that the sweat lodge ceremony was a "surprise culmination" of the event (it had been part of previous Spiritual Warrior retreats, and more than likely the participants were expecting that it would be part of the 2009 event too) -- and despite the fact that she has a fondness for the selfish-help genre that I don't totally share -- her piece contains a good cautionary message. And Whelan succinctly demonstrates Ray's seeming lack of remorse over the deaths he caused.

In the weeks after the incident, an unrepentant Ray continued to hold his workshops. "I have chosen to continue with my work. It's too important not to," he wrote in an e-mail to his newsletter subscribers.

From prison, Ray has teamed up with another suspect guru to market "success" CDs. His website is currently under renovation to "offer more" to visitors as he relaunches a career that exploded with his participation in the The Secret, a 2006 film and book preaching the unscientifically proven claim that positive thinking "attracts" life-changing happiness, wealth and health.

That other "suspect guru" was Whirled-class snarget and serial scammer Kevin Trudeau, and the CD set Ray was promoting from prison (or was directing what remained of his organization promote) is Your Wish Is Your Command, the 14-disc upsell for Trudeau's big pyramid scheme, the Global Information Network (GIN). This means that more than likely Death Ray has, or at least had, a GIN downline. I wrote about this a couple of times last year, most notably in this July 2012 post and before that, at the end of this April 2012 post.

I have speculated that in addition to trying to make a few bucks off of GIN and keeping at least a couple of his filthy fingers in the selfish-help pie, Ray may have also felt an obligation to stroke Kevin True-dough, who had publicly come to his defense the year before.

Cozy, eh? It really is one big -- and sometimes deadly -- circle jerk.

I've also speculated that perhaps James Ray might end up doing more for GIN than just pushing CDs. Perhaps True-dough and gang will welcome him into the fold as a GIN speaker. They probably have a few openings for that position.

Another glimmer of hope: In the years since the Sedona deaths, Kirby Brown's family has attempted to educate the public about the self-help/motivational/pop-spirituality industry, and towards that end they have founded an organization called Seek Safely. They've even approached scads of major players in the industry, asking them to sign a simple pledge of transparency, integrity, respectfulness, and -- yes -- safety. Seek Safely is not pushing for more stringent policing of the industry, nor are they plotting for its destruction. All they want is for the gurus to agree to at least try to abide by a few simple guidelines:

THE SEEK SAFELY PROMISE 

A person’s journey to self-empowerment and personal improvement is deeply personal, emotional and often times spiritual. We/I acknowledge and support every individual’s right to a safe and constructive journey so that each person might find the personal growth and change he/she seeks.
As an organization/program we/I are committed to providing an environment and experiences that are:

1. Truthful.  Consumers will receive accurate information about the author’s, leader’s or speaker’s professional degrees, credentials and experience.

2. Accurate.  We will clearly delineate what is personal opinion, belief or speculation as opposed to information that is supported by third party scientific research.

3. Respectful. Participants will be able to freely express opinions, without fear of public humiliation, ridicule, shame or physical abuse.

4. Protective.  When people reveal deeply personal experiences, we recognize the responsibility to advise all seekers to enlist the aid of licensed professionals to provide service that may be beyond the scope of the event, seminar or retreat.

5. Integrity.  The leader will provide personal witness by living the program being taught.

6. Safe. If engaging participants in a physical activity, there will be appropriate medical support available in case of injury. The leader will have a comprehensive risk management plan to minimize any risk taken by participants and clearly explain any potential risks that are part of the event.

By agreeing to this promise we/I will adhere to the above principles and practices and will be guided in all actions by the best interests of participants.

I don't know how long ago the organization began sending out the Seek Safely Promise to the New-Wage/selfish-help/McSpirituality gurus, but the list of who hasn't responded yet is a veritable Who's Who of the industry. And this includes some of the notorious Internet Marketing gurus that Salty Droid has lambasted on his blog.

I noticed, however, that neither Kevin Trudeau nor Lenny Coldwell is on the list of those who have been approached. Boy, those would be some sticky transparency and integrity issues. I also noticed that Esther and Jerry Hicks, creators of the imaginary-friend collective "Abraham," are on the list. Good luck getting Jerry's signature, him being dead and all.

To date only three people have signed the Seek Safely Promise, and frankly, they are far from being players in the industry. Alas, their apparent integrity may doom them to eternal obscurity.

I mean no offense whatsoever to Kirby's family, but they may be on a fool's errand with that Seek Safely Promise. Most of the gurus they approached probably wouldn't know integrity if it sat on their faces.

My friend Cassandra Yorgey, who doggedly covered James Ray when the Sedona story was first breaking and for many months after that (this is just one early link), wrote on Facebook today, "Are we taking bets yet on how long before JR gets caught doing something illegal again? I give it 2 years." And my response to that was that whatever happens, it is up to those who see Ray for what he is to make sure that nobody forgets what he did to land him in prison. It's the least we can do for Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman...and for Colleen, whose family has not yet had their day in court (though lawsuits are in progress, according to Salty Droid).

Meanwhile, the big sick machine hums on and on. Whether or not he ends up teaming up with Trudeau and GIN in some way (Trudeau is still facing possible jail time again, but I seriously doubt he'll end up there), James Arthur Ray will no doubt find plenty of support in the selfish-help/New-Wage/McSpirituality industry -- and as soon as he is able, he will hit the ground scamming. In fact, it could be argued that the man who invoked the Magic Law of Attraction Genie in The Secret never really stopped scamming, not even when he was wearing the orange.


* Note: Ray will remain in Phoenix, Arizona while completing his probation.

Video about the JAR release, 12 July 2013

(from KPHO, Channel 5, CBS, in Phoenix, Arizona)

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Related:

• A piece I published on the one-year anniversary of the Sedona tragedy (warning: long)
  
  
• My thoughts on regulation of the self-help industry (also long, and written before Ray's trial began)
  
  

  * * * * *

  Now more than ever, your donation is needed
  to help keep this Whirled spinning.
  Click here to donate via PayPal or debit/credit card.
  If that link doesn't work, send PayPal payment directly to
  scrivener66@hotmail.com
  or to cosmic.connie@juno.com
  If PayPal, be sure to specify that your contribution is a gift. Thank you!

James Arthur Ray: short-timer

Click to enlarge. Also follow link in
second sentence of first paragraph for more information.

Somebody call the waaaaaaambulance! Poor convicted killer James Arthur Ray, aka Inmate 267823, needs your help. As reported by my fake robot pal Salty Droid today, Death Ray is in in a terrible fix. Writes Salty:

Now that his saggy guru ass is only a few months from semi-freedom :: it seems the comeback plans have begun. He’s starting small of course :: with destitution … and then maybe he’ll work his way back up to Harmonic {I stole your} Wealth™.

Here's the problem. Although his absolute maximum release date is October 24 of this year, word is that James will be prolly actually be released on July 12. Now, you would think that would be a good thing in James' perspective, especially seeing as how he was given such a short sentence in the first place -- less than two years, actually -- for the deaths of three lovely people who will still be dead even after he is no longer forced to wear the orange.

But things aren't as rosy as they seem, because, oh my, he is destitute -- destitute, I tell you! -- and doesn't have a suitable place to stay during the 110 days that he must remain in Arizona, according to the terms of his parole. Apparently Salty got hold of an email that James' brother Jon sent out to special people. Wrote Jon, in part:

The alternative to us NOT being able to find him lodging, would be that he would have to stay in a “group home” (or halfway house) with other recently released prisoners. Although we all hope that newly released prisoners come into society with the intentions of leading a reformed life, the reality is that these halfway homes tend to be full of drugs, theft, and violence. James is simply hoping for a place to have solitude, and a location that he can begin to re-acclimate to life as we all know.

Once again… I apologize in sending out this straight to the point e-mail; however, I have simply exhausted my and James’ resources (me being 1200 miles away) and now am counting on the universe to guide someone to the right resource to help us in this desperate situation.

Oh, the horror, the horror! As Salty writes, Death Ray's "righteous self may be forced to slum it up in some halfway house with dirty drug using crooks who have never even been on the Today Show." To me this is nothing more than an indication that Ray hasn't been humbled at all by his experiences. He's still playing the elitist role, fancying himself above everyone else. This despite the fact that before he went to prison, his family told ABC that James was actually looking forward to the opportunity to help his fellow prisoners.

But for now, Ray plans to offer his brand of positive thinking to his fellow inmates as he begins his two year stint in prison, his family said.

"He was in good spirits and said this would give him the opportunity to help people in prison that need it," Ray's brother Jon told the AP.

It's something Ray's core group of loyalists say they have no doubt he'll do.


"Wherever James goes," [James Ray loyalist David] McCall said, "he always does good."

I guess his helpfulness and desire to do good do not extend to people who, like he, have just been released from cages and may very well be making sincere efforts to get their own lives back in order. But I am thinking that maybe they are better off without his help.

Anyway, Salty decided to write to Jon, who as he notes was on the bus with Colleen Conaway the day she died, about this email. Jon whined about how the death lodge tragedy had also devastated poor James, adding that anyone who thinks differently obviously has an "agenda and vendetta to carry the hatred and pain for as long as they can." Jon also wrote, "Although my brother still lives in human form, he has died many internal deaths since this unfortunate accident." Says Salty:

How many “internal deaths” does it take to equal one actual death? I’m no expert in death math :: but I’m thinking it takes many more than many.

In the spirit of unhelpfulness, Salty placed an ad on Craigslist on behalf of Death Ray, which, alas, was flagged for removal. But you can read it on his post. It's darkly hilarious.

Whether he has to slum it in a halfway house or not, it looks as if James Arthur Ray will be getting out of the joint on July 12, thirteen days before the fourth anniversary of Colleen's death in San Diego. Salty is still trying to help her family find a measure of justice for her death. And the families of Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman continue to deal with the pain and emptiness. James' early release is just another way of rubbing their faces in it.

Meanwhile, many of the rest of us are taking bets on which Scamworld scumbag will be the first to help James pick up where he left off. Will it be Kevin Trudeau (provided he doesn't end up in prison himself)? Bob Proctor? Joe Vitale? Or... horrors... will he be forced to cast his lot with C-List scammers like the Supreme Founders of the IBMS Master's Society scam? (That's a fate worse than a halfway house, in my book. But hey, it could happen. After all, as Peter once wrote in a comment on my blog, "...James Ray is not a bad guy. Maybe he just pushed the envelope a little hard and tragedy struck. I feel awful for the deceased, those who were hurt and the families who were affected...")

Or will James Arthur Ray be a pariah even in Scamworld?

What do y'all think?

Whatever happens, it is up to those of us who care about the victims and their loved ones to never let the world forget the damage that James Arthur Ray has done. I think he is yet another one of many Scamworld leopards who has not and will not change his spots. Whether or not he ever does another "extreme" event such as a phony sweat lodge, he is a sociopath and, in the opinions of many who have experienced him up close and personal, a dangerous man.

* * * * *

Now more than ever, your donation is needed
to help keep this Whirled spinning.
Click here to donate via PayPal or debit/credit card.
If that link doesn't work, send PayPal payment directly to
scrivener66@hotmail.com
or to cosmic.connie@juno.com
If PayPal, be sure to specify that your contribution is a gift. Thank you!