Questions About ‘Sweat Lodge’ Rite Where 2 Died. Creating New Neurological Pathways | Andrea de Michaelis – Creating my own reality, one thought at a time

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — As Arizona authorities on Saturday investigated how two people died and more than a dozen others were overtaken during a ceremony at James Arthur Ray‘s new age Spiritual Warrior Retreat near Sedona, questions arose about the circumstances surrounding the simulated Native American rite. A sweat lodge is similar to a sauna. Traditional lodges are usually made of willow branches and covered in canvas or animal skins, and are not meant to be air-tight. The authorities said that the lodge at Angel Valley was covered in plastic and blankets. Questions have also arisen about the length of time the people were in the lodge — about two hours. A ceremony usually lasts no more than an hour, Joseph Bruchac, an expert on Native American traditions and author of “The Native American Sweat Lodge,” said.

Now this is where the media begins misleading people. Little comments that are made as statements of fact, creating more outrage than there needs to be. Covering the lodge with blankets is done all the time. Covering with plastic is not. Two hours is not an excessive time for a lodge, when you’ve got a water pourer who knows how to regulate the heat, and isn’t trying to break records and be a rock star.

Now the media will have people thinking it’s abusive to stay in a lodge for two hours. Under the proper conditions, it’s not. Covering the lodge with blankets didn’t violate anything.

The media states the cost of the retreat was listed on Ray’s website as $9,695 per person. Being in the business, I am aware that in all events, not everyone pays full price. I get media passes to everything. They always give out a certain number of scholarships, meaning those attendees get in free or at greatly reduced rates. So it’s likely Ray was NOT walking away from the event with $500,000 in tuition payments.

About the Spiritual Warrior Retreat, Ray says its participants will “experience a new technologically-enhanced form of meditation that creates new neurological pathways.” I don’t know anything about Ray’s work so I don’t know what his technology is. But I do know that what creates new neurological pathways is thinking a new thought. What creates new neurological pathways is envisioning a better life. What creates new neurological pathways is thinking a new thought with attention to repetition, doing so purposely and mindfully, and training yourself until it is automatically the thought of least resistance. It’s called Creative Visualization.

That’s what creates new neurological pathways. That’s what transforms your consciousness. That’s what makes you resonate vibrationally in tune with something new, and begins the attraction process.

It’s easy enough to do and just takes some practice to get good at.
No sweat.
Andrea

Update from NPR on this matter

10:20-09: an Inside Account

10-22-09: James Ray urged sweat lodge participants to stop prescription medications

NOTE: This is a link to ALL updated info on this matter in chronological order