The Associated Press and The New York Times are reporting that James Arthur Ray, the motivational speaker who presided over a sweat lodge "ritual" that left three people dead and more than a dozen hospitalized, has been charged with three counts of manslaughter. The deaths occurred last October, when Ray convened a "spiritual warrior" retreat at which participants were pushed to — and obviously beyond — their limits.
Ray has been a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and is one of many self-appointed, self-help "gurus" who advocate the doctrine of The Secret: that a mysterious universal "Law of Attraction" governs our lives, drawing into our experience only those things that we wish for or focus upon. I have to wonder how that idea's working for James Arthur Ray now.
