Sweat lodge ends a free spirit's quest

By Ann O'Neill, CNN STORY HIGHLIGHTSKirby Brown, 38, died in a sweat lodge operated by self-help author James Arthur RayHer life was filled with friends, family and adventure, but she wanted moreShe turned to Ray to decide what she wanted from life, to set goals and achieve themExpert Christine Whelan says Brown was typical of the people drawn to Ray Sedona, Arizona (CNN) -- She was a free-spirited adventurer who lived in Mexico in an octagonal art-filled house on "Gringo Hill," overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Her high-end interior painting business was taking off. And on many mornings, she shared the waves at Old Man's break with the legends of long board surfing.

As summer faded into fall in 2009, Kirby Brown stood at a crossroads. Although her bohemian lifestyle in San Jose del Cabo was the envy of her friends, she felt something was missing.

At 38, she was still searching for her one true love. She craved financial stability. She wanted children. And so, her family and friends say, she dedicated herself to introspection and self-improvement.

"Trying to find that bigger meaning was important to her," said her brother, Bobby Brown.

To that end, she lived "a self-styled life," added her sister Jean Brown, who admired Kirby's ability to set priorities and create "a wonderfully abnormal life."

She constantly tried new things, and when she found something she liked, it became a part of her. So, it was no surprise to the people who knew Brown that when she turned her light inward, she gave it her usual "135%."

She was "not overly 'New Agey,'" said her longtime friend and confidante, Emily Forbes, "just looking outside the box."

From the best-selling author Caroline Myss, who blends mysticism, spirituality and healing, Brown learned, "We are in charge of our happiness," said Forbes, her best friend since their freshman year at the State University of New York at Geneseo.

But Brown remained a healthy skeptic. "I don't think she got too hung up on the different chakras."

She was drawn more to the practical approach of James Arthur Ray, whose seminars challenged participants to shed fears and old baggage and build "harmonic" lives with personal and financial success in balance. Believing the so-called "mystical millionaire" could coach her on how to "live impeccably," as he put it, Brown ponied up $9,695 -- her life's savings -- for Ray's Spiritual Warrior seminar in Sedona, Arizona, in October 2009.

Afterward, she planned to study the Venetian style of faux-finish painting with a master in Minnesota. Then she would head west again, stopping off to visit friends and cousins in Colorado on the way to San Francisco for a big painting job that would keep her busy until the holidays.

But when it came time to leave home for Ray's seminar, Brown had second thoughts.

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