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2007 Slush Pile

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Astral Travel

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Friends felt dying sweat-lodge man was 'astral travelling' AS A Melbourne man lay dying from heat-induced dehydration in a remote South Australian creek bed during a native American ritual known as a sweat lodge, his fellow campers believed he was astral travelling and banged drums to return him to earth. An inquest on the death of Rowan Cooke, 37, of Glenroy, heard yesterday that he was camping with 10 others from Victoria on an isolated property in the Gammon Ranges, in South Australia's far north, undergoing an eight-day ritual of fasting, meditation and purification. On November 3, 2004, he and another man, Adrian Asfar, then 22, were dragged unconscious from the sauna-like tent after a third occupant, Maureen Collier, called out in distress. Counsel assisting the coroner, Amy Davis, told the South Australian Coroners Court that both men were breathing and were put in the coma position. "It was considered by some of the campers that they may have been astral travelling or in a deep meditative state," Ms Davis said. The campers attempted to revive them by banging drums, chanting, burying their feet in soil and massaging their hands, Ms Davis said. The inquest into the disastrous end to the cleansing and purification ritual will focus on the lapse of six hours or more before the alarm was raised. The inquest was told that during the sweat lodge ritual — a ceremonial sauna used by native Americans — three New Age devotees, including Mr Cooke, sat in an insulated tent. Volcanic rocks, called "grandfathers" because they were seen to carry the knowledge of all time, were heated in a nearby fire and carried into the tent where water was poured on them to create steam. Water was thrown onto them, releasing large amounts of steam. Ms Davis said there were conflicting views in the group as to what happened after the rocks were passed into the tent on the night of November 2. She said Mr Asfar regained consciousness after 40 minutes but Mr Cooke did not. However, it was not until daybreak on November 3 that two of the campers drove to the Owieandana homestead on the Yankaninna Station property to raise the alarm. Mr Cooke arrived at hospital barely alive and died at 11.32am. A police report of the scene at the campsite found no alcohol or drugs. There were numerous articles associated with New Age practice including candles, drums, crystals, feathers, a telescope and wooden staffs with crystals attached. Group leader David Jarvis, 43, a "New Age healer", told police that Mr Cooke was attempting to assume a higher level of consciousness by activating a peace pipe. He said that after the ritual was completed, it was expected Mr Cooke would "take the activated pipe and step into a new role in his life". "There are shamanic powers and often they don't come back into the body for a while," he said. Mr Jarvis told the court he estimated Mr Cooke was in the tent for 30 minutes. He said people outside noticed after five or 10 minutes that he had stopped talking, but believed he was undertaking the ritual in silence. "Not long after, I noticed a particular energy coming out of the lodge, it was quite strong in nature," he told police. "I noted two people were having an out-of-body experience." The inquest continues today.

Submitted on 06/05/2007

Submitted by:
Reference: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/friends-felt-dying-sweatlodge-man-was-astral-travelling/2007/

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

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Chip said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
More excellent information about this really bizarre way to off one's self. Thanks for sending it. I will send it along to Darwin to add to the one already in the pile.

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes

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