Man died as friends danced.( New Age UmbaGumba )

Adelaide Now (Austrailia) ^ | June 05, 2007 | staff

[Leisler]

PARTICIPANTS in a ritualistic ceremony danced, chanted and played drums while one of their friends lay dying from heat exhaustion, an inquest has heard. Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel today was told the group believed Rowan Douglas Cooke was "astral-travelling" after being exposed to extreme heat inside a North American Indian-style "steam lodge". Mr Cooke, 37, of Melbourne, spent several hours unconscious at a campsite 325km north of Port Augusta, before two men went to a nearby homestead for help. He had t

[clamper1797]

Guess he’s now “down under”

[johnny7]

North American Indian-style "steam lodge"

SWEAT LODGE!

[CAWats]

Morons.

[HamiltonJay]

Ahhh... Hippies....

Not just for America anymore.

[CAWats]

Stupidity has its own reward.

[Sax]

Adrian Asfar, went into the "steam lodge" late on Tuesday, November 2, because they wanted to participate in a "pipe ceremony"

Engaging in a "pipe ceremony" while under potentially health hazardous conditions was just asking for it. Somehow those involved will justify it differently, but I don't see any difference in this and one of those Darwinian/Bubba moments beginning with the famous phrase "Hold mah beer and watch this!"

[Cicero]

I guess he’s traveling, all right.

[BenLurkin]

The others find the two unresponsive and barely (presumably) breathing. Like something out of a downbeat Seinfeld episode:

'"[I]t was decided that the group should undertake activities to call them back to their bodies." Ms Davis said this involved chanting, playing drums and singing.'

I guess CPR wasn't part of their New Age lifestyle. With friends like that...

[ladtx]

Don’t you mean “Hold mah pipe and watch this!”

[robertpaulsen]

"Mr Cooke, 37, of Melbourne, spent several hours unconscious at a campsite 325km north of Port Augusta, before two men went to a nearby homestead for help."

I wonder why they went to a nearby homestead for help rather than chanting and doing a medicine dance?

Must be nice to know that responsible adults are around to pull your sorry a$$ out of the fire. So to speak.

[Recovering Hermit]

...the group believed Rowan Douglas Cooke was "astral-travelling".

Well, if he wasn't, he sure as hell is now.

[DBrow]

Perhaps entheogens were employed in the healing ritual?

Let’s see, Australia-

Maiden’s Wattle or Buffalo Wattle?

Or even Ervattania.

I think their behavior is a little beyond New Age if unconsciousness is accepted so readily as part of the intended experience.

[robertpaulsen]

"Engaging in a "pipe ceremony"

Maybe they were referring to some plumbing project.

[Sax]

"spent several hours unconscious at a campsite 325km north of Port Augusta, before two men went to a nearby homestead for help."

Hey. HEY!

what?

Rowan's not moving and he's sweating alot, should we get help?

Dude, he is sweating, I wonder how much weight he's losing, like that Jared on the Subway commercials..

Yeah, sub sandwiches, I could really go for one too.

Hey, weren't we talking about something important, like now, just now?....

[Old Professer]

By now he’s in Astralia high above

[Constantine XIII]

Sweat lodges don’t work if you’re upside down.

[50sDad]

When in the world will humanity give up on the myth of the “Noble Savage”? I will match the silicon chip and penicillin against every one of those nonsensical, touchy-feely “cliff-dwelling Aztec mystics” ancient knowledge, aromatherapy, healing crystal, spirit guide ancient-astronaut idiots.

[50sDad]

"This here's the wattle,
The symbol of our land.
You can stick it in a bottle,
You can hold it in your hand!"
---------------Amen!

[zadox]

This really shouldn't be too surprising. What can you really expect from a "Vision Quest" led by a "new age healer" They obviously have read too much Carlos Castañeda.

[Revolting cat!]

My own personal nightmare involves dying in a yoga class pummeled to death by one of the participants, who hates my guts, while she’s meditating on ‘compassion for all living things’!

[Jeff Chandler]

Coast-to-coast idiocy.

[ExpatCanuck]

Speaking of the dangers of yoga; there was in interesting story several years back about an American yoga expert who meditated himself to death. He slowed his rate rate down to the point where it simply stopped. It took people hours to realize he was stone cold dead.

[Just another Joe]

This really shouldn't be too surprising. What can you really expect from a "Vision Quest" led by a "new age healer" They obviously have read too much Carlos Castañeda.

Actually this sounds more like the "Earths Children" sequels from Jean Auel.

[dave k]

Anyone see the irony? A person dies of heat exhaustion is named Mr Cooke???

Kinda humorous...

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Ain’t no doubt, white men can’t dance!

[tumblindice]

It’s a lot easier to just transform yourself into pure energy, then visit parallel universes through your modem.
But of course an Aussie wouldn’t know about that.

[Lurker]

the group believed Rowan Douglas Cooke was "astral-travelling" after being exposed to extreme heat

I suppose when faced with the alternatives of 'astral traveling' or good old fashioned heat stroke it's perfectly understandable that these morons picked Door Number 1.

L

[clamper1797]

I guess he went off half baked