CARNIVAL RETREAT AT FLOR DO CEU

Santa Luzia, MG
Feb 2008

The annual Carnival Retreat at Flor do Ceu in Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais (near Belo Horizonte) brings together many new and old friends. A great gathering, of course, begins with a great group of people. And that is surely what we had. Carol, bursting with the shine of sun is a great emblem.




But, being February, of course there also was some rain -- and some rather unque solutions.



The days were full of events:

Josémar led several exercise, meditation and energy workshops





Janaína provided daily body-work



and Geogette offered information on the line of herbal products from Vila Fortaleza



One day of the festival was devoted to Afro linkages which are central components of Brazilian culture and spiritual practices. Mestre João led a workshop in Capoeira which is an art-form that started up in 16th Century Brazil that was created and developed by both the native slave Indians and slaves brought from Africa.





And there was a marvelous pageant of African drumming and dance.





See the full Flor do Ceu Carnival Photo Collection.

SANTO DAIME MUSICAL DOCTRINE


Saturnino singing a hymn after a spiritual work in Vila Fortaleza

It is often said that the Santo Daime religion is based on a musical doctrine rather than a written text that is codified and frozen as a book. But what does it mean to have a musical doctrine?


That's a really difficult question to answer, so I won't even try. But I would like to share some glimpses that I captured with my camera at Flor do Ceu during the February 2008 spiritual retreat in Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais.

My friend José Murilo has written a short treatise on the topic of a musical doctrine in which he points out that although receiving songs or musical calls is a common ayahuasca and shamanic experience, it has also acquired in the Santo Daime the additional qualities of community-building -- moving level-by-level from an experience of great personal meaning into relationships, then into a broader sharing or learning from one another and finally into a ritualized ceremonial form. Thus, the hymns are often a vehicle for carrying the force of the forest from the hinterland to the cities and vice versa. Through sharing and performing music, relationships are built and harmonies are established that create a collective force or synergy that is much larger than any of the individuals involved and more than a mere "sum of the parts".

Here is Zuleide, who was in charge of the kitchen at this year's gathering, singing while she works. Indeed, it seems to me that Zuleide spends most of her awake hours, singing and working with indefatigable good energy. It was common to find her alone in the kitchen firm in her work while singing and perhaps floating through her own beautiful thoughts and memories. On this day, I asked if I could run some video while she worked. I later took the liberty of inserting a few images that "might have crossed her mind."



Geri and Gerismar are sons of Zuleide. They travel with the Luiz Mendes family as the musicians of the comitiva. Even though they know the hymns "backwards and inside out" they practice nearly every day, continuously perfectly their styles of working together. The occasion of the brothers practicing draws others to the area like bees to honey.



Often while traveling to other churches there will be a special rehearsal to share the local hymns with the visitors from the forest. In this way, the doctrine keeps evolving in all directions based on a sharing of music. Here is the comitiva gathered together to learn the hymns of Ademir who is a main musician at Flor do Ceu. It's a real treat hearing the way Jacequeline from Belgium, the comitiva from Amazônia and the folks from Minais Gerais, Europe and the USA are evolving the musical doctrine together. (There are two hymns pieced together in the video below and the words are about Fortaleza.)



In the end, all of this musical relationship-building will become a formalized ritual experience in which voices, bodies, musical instruments and teachings build a perfection of performance that transcends any individual.



The hymn, received by Saturnino, is about Pequenininho -- the tiny one -- and this is what it says.

Tiny One, Tiny One
Tiny One in order to follow the way

Great in joy
Great in truth
Great in harmony
Great in humility

Tiny One, Tiny One
Tiny One in order to follow the way

Great in firmness
Great in love
Great in certainty
Of our Father Creator

Tiny One, Tiny One
Tiny One in order to follow the way

NOTE: Perhaps you noticed some new techniques and an improved resolution in these videos? That's because my good friend Juba (Luis Eduardo Pomar) took time out of his busy schedule to teach me some tricks about video editing. Thank you Juba! Be sure to visit his visual blog. It's a real treat.

Ceu do Planalto is 25



Ceu do Planalto -- my first Brazilian home and still my home-away-from-home -- is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary tomorrow, 21 April 2008.


Here are a few past photos that are some of my fondest memories of dear friends and marvelous events in this Santo Daime community on the edge of Brasilia.








































I send love, hugs and a big PARABENS to all.

Tenham uma grande festa!

Here is the full photo set.

Restoring the Land and Building Community
Vila Fortaleza
January 2008


Vila Fortaleza is a visionary project in the early stages of development. The name Vila Fortaleza means Village Fortress -- not the old kind of military fort but the new notion of a fortress of sustainability, a sanctuary of harmony for people, nature and spirit.


Saturnino showing the map of the planning area to Alexandré and Adriana.

Finados at Ceu de Maria

At the top of a mountain, high above the city of São Paulo,



sits a beautiful Santo Daime church called Ceu de Maria.




In this most lovely place,



people gathered to make the Holy Friday spiritual ritual of "Finados" -- as are called the four companions of Mestre Irineu -- who together with him received the foundation of the Doctrine of the Santo Daime. Now, as the ritual unfolded, the people would sing and dance and remember.



And the remembrance would also include the great founders of Mapia who have passed on --

Padrinho Sebastião



and Madrinha Cristina



and now the man who had co-founded and helped to lead this church of Ceu de Maria and who, until the previous night, had lived in this house atop the hill.



Orlando Villas Boas, or "Orlandino" -- as he was known to all -- had been a grande amigo. His passage gave a profound and poignant significance to the mass that was sung at the end of this spiritual work.



I did not not have the pleasure of having known "Orlandino" but the energy of a great love was present throughout the day.

I'm not sure how to best express it? Maybe like this...

Earlier in the spiritual work -- while singing the hymns of Maria Damião -- I had thought of the child Saint John and the man who had grown to manifest his energies



and I had thought of the ones who are coming...







and I had called out Viva as Crianças.


There are a few more photos here.

(Note: The wonderful photo montages that decorate the church here and in Mapia are done by Carlos Gustavo N. Pereira. Thank you "Guta" for such marvelous works.)

NEW YEAR 2008 and the
WEDDING OF ALEXANDRE and ADRIANA



The Encounter for the New Horizon has become and annual event that gathers together the extended family and expanding circle of friends of Vila Fortaleza. Each year there are new people and new events in this beginning-of-the-year festival. This year we got off to a great start with the marriage of Alexandre and Adriana who lead a Santo Daime church near São Paulo. They are not newcomers. Indeed, they are frequent visitors to Vila Fortaleza assisting in the development of the community and connecting the comitiva to the São Paulo metropolitan region.

Of course, Pad. Luiz has married many couples but somehow it seemed to me that he and Mad. Rizelda were especially gleeful about blessing this union of Alexandre and Adriana. It was beautiful to share their joy at the outset of 2008 and we wish them a life of health, happiness and good works. We will visit them again in our travels to São Paulo but for now we can only thank them for everything they have contributed to Vila Fortaleza and say "PARABENS!" (CONGRATULATIONS)

Here are a few photos and videos...











Following the wedding festivities we sang the Diversões do Mestre Irienu which are entertainments often sung in the interval or "rest period" in Spiritual Works. Just as singing the hymns of a Cura or Healing Work brings healing and health to body and mind, singing the Diversões brings happiness and joy into the whole being.



Carol seemed to sum up what the night of New Year 2008 was like.



PS: Sorry about the shaky camera work in the videos but I am still learning how to hold balance in the midst of the power and force of the Daime.

There are more photos here.