>Peter,
>Thanks for the Ray Kent info.  I'd never heard of him before, but it
>sounds like he and I are practically soul-mates!  I agree with almost
>all of his "radical" ideas you mention, though I can't for the life of
>me figure out why he's opposed to meditation.  Sounds like he's
>missing the mark on that one.

>Where does he live/practice?  Has he written any books?  If so, what
>would you consider to be his magnum opus?  How old is the guy?  Does
>he practice what he preaches (how often does he fast, how long)?  At
>what stage of life did he adopt his practices/philosophies?  How many
>people has he "put through the wringer?"

>Bob Avery ([log in to unmask])

Me & and my big mouth. It seems like I'm never going to get out of this
Ray Kent thread. :-/ Well, at least I must have given the man some fair
coverage for you to identify with him so much, Bob. I cannot blame you
as I once was taken by him, and I guess we all learn mostly from our
own experiences. Though with all your questions I think the honeymoon
between you would be very shortlived. It sure was for me.
He lives in his mobile home which from the end of May until sometime in
October is parked at his Summer retreat in Canton, TX - a couple of
hours east of Dallas.  At this time of year he is headed south to a
public camping site in Puerto Escondido off the coast of Southern
Mexico, where he has his Winter fasting retreats.
He has written one small book, I forget the title, which is not worth
buying regardless of what you think of him.
He is about 65 years old.
Yes, he does practise what he preaches. He used to fast quite a lot - I
forget how much or how long - When I was around him in the early
nineties he would fast once a year for 2-3 weeks, if my memory serves
me right. His diet was mainly fruits, and I am sure he did not need to
fast much at that point - Though some RAF's would probably not have
hurt him.
I believe he was in his early forties when he changed his lifestyle &
eating habits.
How many people have been through his care? I really do not know. He
claims to have clients all over the place, but I think that it takes a
certain kind of person who would want to remain under his supervision.
His retreat in Texas is quite small with no more than maybe 15 guests
at the time.
Ray is a staunch atheist. I might not be especially against meditation
but will target any spiritual practice at a whim - though he does
especially enjoy poking fun at new age philosophies.  I was more than
anything else trying to describe what I saw as a serious attitude
problem of his to anything that was outside of his own world of
reference, which is pretty limited. He reminds me a bit of T.C. without
the greed and with a little more spiritual depth.
Ask Ric, when he resurfaces, to fill in some of the blanks for you or
maybe someone who has some more updated infomation on him like SFLIFE.

Best, Peter
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