James Arthur Ray Sweat Lodge Trial: Day 4

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Jennifer Haley

Yesterday I raised the question of who, if anyone, was actually a paid employee. Dream Team volunteer Jennifer Haley, who just started her testimony at the end of the day yesterday, was asked who was actually getting paid by JRI. Josh and Megan Fredrickson and Melinda Martin were actual, paid employees, according to Haley. Beyond that, she couldn't think of anyone who wasn't a volunteer. I'm glad to see that the prosecution is pursuing this issue because it's very troubling. In part because of what it says about how much they could be fairly depended upon to support participants in these admittedly dangerous activities. That, obviously, is the key issue in this trial. But, in terms of Ray's character, it raises other concerns. This is a man who was teaching about wealth and prosperity and who has claimed to have been very successful. Why does someone running a successful business and living in Hollywood need to have a staff made up almost entirely of volunteers?

This has been a criticism of mine regarding new age organizations and events for years. If someone is making a profit, people who work for them need to receive compensation. In some cases, I can understand, where profit margins are small to non-existent, and volunteers receive some form of fair compensation other than money. Most volunteers at new age events are able to go to lectures and other activities for free. In some cases, depending on how hard they have to work, and how many of the activities they can participate in that can be fair compensation. But this is often not the case and what I've seen, in that regard, at a number of new age festivals and the like has turned my stomach. There are people running events, making substantial sums, who simply exploit a free labor force that's willing to do it because "it's spiritual." If you're operating in integrity -- or to use James Ray's terms, being "impeccable" -- there has to be a fair rate of exchange. That doesn't necessarily mean money. But if someone at the top is making a lot of money and there are a lot of people busting their humps for free, that is not an equal exchange of energy.

While Ray was bragging about his many homes and $10 million net worth, he had a whole cadre of people working for him for free. How does that fit with all of his wealth and abundance memes? He's not sharing the wealth. He's not feeding the economy by employing people. All of his "harmonic wealth" isn't  trickling down onto too many people.

James Arthur Ray Sweat Lodge Trial: Day 3

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Melissa Phillips

A few additional thoughts on yesterday's courtroom footage: I guess I expected more from Ray's legal team. I'm not saying that their overall strategy is poor, but in the opening argument, Li was working for the prosecution.

The Salty Droid has posted graphics of the screen shots Li presented of Ray's words. The defense's argument is that the prosecution has taken excerpts of Ray's speeches out of context and they hope to put these back into context. I had trouble making these statements out on my TV but Salty's graphics make clear that the statements they used here to exonerate him just raise whole other questions.

First quote:

You will assist participants as they enter and leave the sweatlodge. If you are inside the sweatlodge, you must remain alert and ready to help the entire time. If you are outside the sweatlodge, be present and ready to quickly and immediately do what is necessary to assist anyone coming out of the sweatlodge.

James Arthur Ray Sweat Lodge Trial: Day 2

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Well, if I wanted to write about the Casey Anthony trial, I'd have plenty of fodder. Yes, infanticide makes better television than a killer sweat lodge. That probably goes without saying. Of course it may also be that in day 2 the James Ray trial is bogging down over issues like what is the best and least prejudicial way for the state to mark and display evidence. Pretty dry. I'm just disappointed at how little of yesterday's opening arguments are being shoehorned in during breaks in the Florida trial.

So far, between what I've been able to find in articles and what of the prosecution's opening argument I've been able to see when the Casey Anthony trial has been on breaks, I have grokked that the prosecutors intend to use Ray's own words to hang him. After audio of the 911 calls -- always disturbing -- prosecutor Sheila Polk played long excerpts from Ray's recorded speeches to his "spiritual warriors."

Much of it is repetitive and nonsensical gibberish. But even in these snippets there are some major red flags.

Welcome to spiritual warrior. Time is short. Time is short. If you're not going to die, it is. Some of you went to bed last night. That's okay. Time is short. Tick tok, tick tok, tick tok, tick tok. It's getting shorter. Better clean it up while you can. You don't have a lot of time left. A spiritual warrior. From the time they were born until the time they exited this particular lifetime, they were told and trained and prepared for the ultimate battle. It was their purpose. It's why you're here. So the battle is coming. That's why you're here. You didn't choose it. The choice has already been made. You were born and that's who you are. And between the time of birth to the exit in the final battle, the ultimate battle, you either live an honorable life, you live with impeccability, you devote yourself with 100% of every ounce of energy you have to the perfection of all that you are involved with, or you exit dishonorably. So the question is not whether or not you are going to physically die. You are. The question is how did you live? How did you live?

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Awakenings with Michele Meiche

Dr. Craig Martin: SPIRITUAL COUNSELOR - part II

12pm PST --- One on One with Michele ----MICHELE MEICHE shares her weekly 2012 & beyond update, answers your questions, and does channeled readings--- 12:45pm PST --- Welcome our Awakened Guest: DR. CRAIG MARTIN ---- Dr. Craig is a spiritual counselor, relationship expert, and author of “Elemental Love Styles: Find Compatibility and Create a Lasting Relationship.” “Elemental Love Styles” offers a spiritual method for people to find and understand their deeper needs through the four natural elements which represent the human personality types: Fire (creative and enthusiastic), Air (communicative and social), Water (emotional and intuitive) and Earth (practical and grounded). Dr. Craig also provides counseling based on astrology and his lifetime of studying worldwide spiritual practices like The Kabbalah, Druidic Mysticism, the Norse Ruins, Native American Shamanism and other ritual ceremonies. In his work he focuses on teaching self-awareness, acceptance and love in a simple way. He helps people realize that introspection doesn’t need to be difficult - but it is needed - to build great relationships in all aspects of your life. Dr. Craig developed his unique method of counseling by combining his experience as a homeopathic doctor with his extensive knowledge of astrology. Dr. Craig says, “Everyone has their own personal dilemma to solve and their own healing process to unfold to create the foundation that’s needed to nurture all relationships.” http://www.doctorcraig.com/

3/2/2011 3:00PM ET

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/awakenings

James Arthur Ray Sweat Lodge Trial: Day 1

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

According the New York Times, opening arguments did go forward today in the James Arthur Ray trial. But whatever happened in that regard did so after In Session's trial coverage wrapped for the day. Instead, I watched a lot of the pregame show but an as yet unspecified problem with the jury delayed pretrial hearings and the beginning of the public trial. Here is a brief encapsulation from the Times.

A prosecutor, Sheila Polk, argued that Mr. Ray’s negligence caused the deaths of Kirby Brown, James Shore and Liz Neuman in October 2009. She said Mr. Ray conditioned the victims to put aside their inhibitions and trust him as a way of reaching enlightenment.

Luis Li, Mr. Ray’s lawyer, called the deaths accidental and said the victims had voluntarily entered the sweat lodge.

Mr. Li said that the victims were adults and had made their own decisions and that Mr. Ray held no power over them.

High Weirdness in Peru

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

A massive and thus far unexplained crack in the ground has opened up in Puno, Peru. Seismologists have confirmed that it is not the result of an earthquake but the cause has yet to be determined. A house was destroyed by the earth movement and, tragically, a five year old boy remains missing.

‘The exact cause of the crack in the earth still unknown. Peru’s geophysical institute ruled out the occurrence of an earthquake in the region, but what is clear is that the ground opened up and large blocks of earth can be observed scattered throughout the area.’

Over at the USGS website, the confirmation of the absence of earthquake activity in Peru on February 23, the date the mysterious crack appeared in southern Peru.

The James Arthur Ray Trial Begins

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Opening arguments will be presented today, as James Arthur Ray is finally tried for the deaths of three people in a sweat lodge ceremony gone horribly wrong.

He told them it was a good day to die so they could be born again.

"You're not going to die," self-help author and speaker James Arthur Ray told participants in the sweat lodge that day, they later recalled. "You may think you are, but you're not going to die ... You need to surrender to death to survive it."

The sweat lodge ceremony, the culmination of a five-day retreat in Sedona, Arizona, was meant to be a "rebirthing." But by the end of that day, October 8, 2009, two people had died. A third died nine days later, and -- authorities allege -- at least 15 others fell ill.

Ray, 53, is charged with three counts of reckless manslaughter in the deaths and could face up to 10 years in prison on each if convicted. Opening statements are set to begin in his trial Tuesday.

Black Swans Overtake the Middle East

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Last night Natalie Portman took home the Oscar for her performance in The Black Swan. The excitement around this film has been building since it hit the screens to great critical acclaim and then won the Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Awards for Portman. I haven't seen The Black Swan yet but the buzz has been hard to escape. As with any phenomenon that captures headlines and imaginations, recognizable archetypes emerge. Even in the worst of pop culture, there are insights into the collective psyche and shared vision.

Several years before the Portman vehicle began making the news, a bestselling book by the same name created a different sort of buzz. Nassim Nicholas Taleb makes the convincing argument that events that create the greatest impact are unexpected and unpredictable based on past patterns. He uses the black swan as a metaphor for these unexpected events. Before the discovery and colonization of Australia, the black swan was a metaphor for something non-existent and, therefore, inconceivable. It was common knowledge throughout Europe and its colonies that all swans were white. But in 1697 the great birds were discovered by Willem de Vlaming's expedition along Australia's Swan River. With the discovery, a fundamental assumption about the world collapsed and a colloquialism was turned on its head.

So the black swan emerges as an archetype for radical shifts that fly in the face of our assumptions about our reality and have the greatest potential to create change in the world. And, it is against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world that Natalie Portman has been picking up her awards and accolades. Which, of course, brings me back to the Time Monks tipping point prediction.

Horoscope for February 28 - March 6

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

Aries (March 21st - April 20th)
Some spiritual root canal of your soul takes place this week, Aries. The new moon in Pisces on the 4th takes you down, down, down into the deep recesses of the closet where you stuff things. In general, Aries doesn't have too much personal baggage because the Ram is quick to act in the immediate moment and rarely wallows in the past. But Aries can knock people down and ignore the needs of others when they have their strong minds set on getting what they want. The new moon energy will be replaying all kinds of relationship memories for you so that you can rid your closet of bad feelings, regret, unrequited love, forsaken love, and times you could have been more loving. You feel an imperative need to bring all your relationships into a better balance. Forgiveness is the tool that can help you do that. By the end of this week, you will have more love in your heart for everyone, including yourself.

Taurus (April 21st - May 20th)
The planets want you to work on your popularity factor, Taurus, because a group or an audience is waiting for you to join in with your steady presence and placid calm that knows just what to do next, every step of the way. I see the same reluctance you have felt at various other times in the last few months to appear to be too powerful or smart interfering with your confidence. Absolutely no one will think you are being lazy if you let go of the hands-on, practical work and step into the role of networker and guide. It's time to step up from the level of apprentice to the role of master so you can teach and inspire other people. Beauty and balance are involved somehow. If you are a Bull who works in theater, music, or design, your work can reach new levels of inspiration and recognition because you will be channeling heart energy through your art.

Astrological Trends for February 28 - March 6

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

The moon in Capricorn gets your morning off to a productive start on Monday, February 28th. Capricorn is a grounded, success-oriented, cardinal earth sign. If you have a list of things that must be done, this is the best morning of the week to tackle the biggest tasks on your list first. Venus, the planet of pleasure and affection, is in Capricorn, favorably supported by a sextile to impulsive Uranus in dreamy Pisces and Venus semi-sextile inspirational Neptune in intellectual Aquarius. These Venus aspects can help you take some crazy dreams and turn them into real-life situations or you may be anchoring a highly improbable, but Divinely perfect, relationship or creative idea to earth. The longer-term challenging influence of expansive Jupiter in initiating Aries square to potent Pluto in rigid Capricorn is still with you this week. It can be felt in your personal life as inner or outer resistance between new versus old or personal sovereignty versus established systems or authority. Globally, any groups of people feeling oppressed will still be pushing for old regimes to step down. The sun and Mars, the planet of action, are conjunct in the mutable water sign of Pisces and form a supportive sextile to Pluto in Capricorn. Despite the diffusing nature of Pisces, this sextile enables you to take action and follow through on your plans. Even if you may sometimes feel like you are moving through thick fog, the sun and Mars act like lighthouse beams to follow and Pluto provides a grounded willpower you can tap into. The current lineup of Pisces planets is Chiron, Mars, sun, and Mercury making conjunctions with each other in a tight row, like a conga line. Check your own natal chart to see what house, or area of life, these planets will be activating and you will know where most of your attention is focused this week. Some Pisces words are dreams, prayers, inspiration, devotion, illusion, deception, fog, mist, ocean, nebulous, gentle, intuitive, deep, sensitive, healing, healer, victim, savior, and martyr. With so many diverse planets expressing via the Pisces influence, it is difficult for me to summarize the myriad possible effects you may experience now. The simplest way to make the most of Pisces is to be receptive, pure, and heart-centered. Some of you may have a fairly uneventful week and others may feel like they have slipped into an extremely altered dimension - it all depends on your own natal chart. When it comes to Neptune/Pisces energy, no two people perceive it in quite the same way. Around lunchtime on Monday, the moon in Capricorn cozies up to Venus, stimulating the Venus/Uranus sextile. A lunch date could turn suddenly and excitingly romantic under this energy. If your romance has been moving slowly, give it a nudge now. Later this evening, Mercury in Pisces forms a quincunx to Saturn in Libra. Flirting and hinting that took place this afternoon could turn into some serious pillow talk at bedtime. Mercury and Saturn continue to aspect each other until March 3rd, and then Mercury moves along and passes the quincunx baton to the sun. The sun in Pisces will then be quincunx Saturn in Libra for the remainder of the week. Serious relationship talks will settle into a solid mode of relating. Any area you are mentally thinking of bringing to balance in your life will become balanced through your intentions.

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Recognition Rites to Create and Celebrate Elders

"Recognition Rites is a ceremonial rite of passage which honors and celebrates Elderhood," explains our guest, author and shaman, Tom Pinkson, PhD. Join host Christina Pratt as she explores The Recognition Rites Program through which Tom "helps people to create rituals in alignment with their deepest core values, their sense of mission and purpose their highest vision of who they are and why they are here, and how to best use their gift of longevity in their quest for fulfillment in creating and living out a meaningful legacy for future generations." In short, Recognition Rites is a new, old way to create elders and memory keepers who will enrich the fabric of contemporary life. This process begins with a set of reflective questions that help one to harvest the wisdom of his or her particular life. The process evolves through set steps which lead to "gerotranscendence" or the ability to grow into old age with a fortified spirituality and awareness of a shift from the small, doing-defined self to an understanding of a larger Self that is one with the creative power of the cosmos. Tom is the author of the re-released The Flowers of Wiricuta, The Shamanic Wisdom of the Huichol: Medicine Teachings for Modern Times. He has successfully infused the sacred teachings of his 11-year apprenticeship in the medicine teachings of the Huichol into his work as a contemporary psychologist, assisting North Americans to live spiritually grounded lives in intimate relationship with nature and each other for decades.

This week's guest:
Tom Pinkson

Tom Soloway Pinkson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, ceremonial retreat and vision-fast leader, sacred storyteller, and shaman. For 32 years he worked with terminally ill children at the Center for Attitudinal Healing in California, successfully integrating the wisdom teachings of the Huichol and other medicine teachers into the world of the practicing psychologist. His most recent work includes training in the Hardiness Factor (training for emotional resilience) and A New Vision of Aging (working consciously with the challenges and opportunities of the elder years). The founder of Wakan, a nonprofit organization committed to restoring the sacred in daily life, he lives in northern California.

The Shamanic Wisdom of the Huichol is the autobiographical account of Pinkson's decade-long immersion in the shamanic traditions of the Huichol tribes of the Sierra Madre in Mexico. From his first Huichol pilgrimage to Wiricuta (their sacred homeland) in 1981 to searching the desert for the heart medicine of peyote, Pinkson's account of his initiation into the medicine teachings of the Huichol brings new life to this ancient eco-centric tradition. Providing a guiding light for those who seek to become part of the solution to our planet's ecological challenges, Pinkson empowers readers to choose their own path toward healing both on a personal and a planetary level.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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