As I process the death of another James Ray participant I ponder a very important lesson. How can I take the incredible teachings and transformation I have personally experienced over the past 5 years of studying with James and continue to apply them to my life without tainting them with the deep sadness, immense disappointment and outright anger I feel for the lose of lives involved? How does a man so committed to global transformation walk away and stay away from the suffering created by his teachings? We live in a dualistic world, my JRI friends would say, as our expansion increases so does the vastness of dualism. James erred on the side of over-assertive masculine energy, taking on more than his share of responsibility (“ability to respond”) for the future, and now less than his share of responsibility (“ability to respond”) for the present.
Liz Neuman was my friend, a beautiful woman who wanted everyone to understand the depths of their own power and glorious soul. She volunteered endlessly to assist participants in self-realization and awareness. She is a “consciousness rising” angel. There are hundreds of stories of transformed lives because of her. My heart goes out to her family.
As I questioned my beliefs about this experience, I began to separate the lessons I learned, from the teacher who taught them. The lessons have molded my life in ways I never could have imagined since the first “Power To Win” event I attended. Many people I met along the way have become my closest friends. I’m very grateful. Understanding the teacher was not so clear to me, so I did a little checking to see what common personality traits are displayed by “gurus.” As I poked around the Internet I came across “narcissistic spiritual gurus.” I was surprised by the article. The traits Dr. Linda Martinez-Lewi refers to are the very traits I witnessed in my experiences with James.
We have come to a time where excess is the Hollywood poster child. “Let that not be you.” With so much information available to us we must learn to take the knowledge and apply it through our own belief system. Sure we all have limiting beliefs and areas we can improve but giving our journey away to a guru is very dangerous indeed. We must create self-devotion, self-discipline and self-dedication to our growth. We must form a strong community of like-minded people who will join us on our journey. However the journey is our own.
Our spiritual growth will not be found in event packages or home study courses. It comes from our ability to integrate the lessons in our life, good and bad. As I integrate this powerful lesson, one message is very clear. It is time for us to stop spending our money and time on external solutions and begin investing our precious assets in becoming our own guru.