A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART

Flor do Ceu
Santa Luzia, MG
February 2008


Mestre Conselheiro Luíz Mendes do Nascimento

I've been thinking about how to name my experiences on the path of Santo Daime -- with the Luíz Mendes family and friends at Vila Fortaleza in Acre, during my journeys across Brazil, and even nowadays, in my mind, as I sit in front of a computer composing these blog posts far from the forest in the middle the giant metropolis of São Paulo.

For me it's been both a journey into the heart and a discipline of learning how to hold that space.


Despite the fact that I like to portray the festive and joyous aspects of the spiritual work of Santo Daime, I want to emphasize that these results occur only because of ritual and a strong "current" of experienced participants. There is a lot of self-discipline that must be learned and sometimes difficult "passages" to move through. As Padrinho Luiz Mendes likes to say, "the gift is earned."


Perhaps some video clips from the Carnival time gathering at Flor do Ceu can give a little sense of this disciplined journey into an open and loving heart. On the first night of ceremony at Flor do Ceu we sang the hymns of the New Horizon of Padrinho Luiz Mendes.

Three of the hymns follow.


The first, Enterei Numa Batalha (Enter into the Battle), sings of the struggle to master one's self -- to not lose heart and of receiving a vision of God's mercy and the miracle of Saint Francis.

These "battle hymns" -- directed at self-mastery and firmness -- often have the flavor of a military march and are accompanied by fireworks. There is not a definitive explanation for the fireworks that I am aware of but one story that is told is that they reference the lonely times of the serringeiros (rubber tappers) on their solo journeys through the great forest. They all carried shotguns which they would occasionally fire off to "scare away the demons."



As is said on all spiritual paths, "the first enemy of a person seeking knowledge is fear." I can imagine Mestre Irineu in his early studies with ayahuasca striving to receive messages from the Queen while having to watch out for the dangers of the Amazon forest and having to conquer the fears that emerge from the "jungle of the mind." Perhaps that's why he called for fireworks during certain hymns, and why the tradition has continued.


The next hymn, Ouvi o Som das Águas, sings of seeing and praising the crowning work of receiving the highest messages and guidance in the "shaking" or "quaking" (balançando) of a strong spiritual ritual and hoping to be able to "get it."



The struggle is not only to reach up into the astral heights but also to deal with the challenges of life on earth, such as the destruction of the forest. The next video shows Padrinho Luíz Mendes presenting a dramatization of the spirit of Casmerim, a female entity who protects the forest and with whom the Mendes family has a special connection.

The video (below) begins with the last part of the hymn that sings of the longing for this spirit, of how she comes and goes returning to the Father's house, and how she will always be remembered. After the hymn is sung, Seu Luíz offers a "dramatization" bringing the energies of Casmerim into the ceremony.



The poetry of the dramatization says:
(translated by Rodrigo Conti)

In the forest there is everything
It has everything and we appreciate
In the light of the sunshine
It is a verdant rose

The forest was created
And delivered into our hands
But many only destroy it
By pure and bloody ambition

The forest is beneficial
It helps to purify the air
So punished by mankind
It is ignorant to neglect it

The forest is a colossus
With all of its springs
So punished by mankind
My brothers and sisters you don't do that

The forest is a wealth
We can't say that it isn't
I offer to all of you
This slight and simple dramatization

Salve the green of the forest
Salve the great green of the sea
Hahaqua haquaquaca
My brothers and sisters let's stop with the babble

But now I bid farewell
Manifesting my greeting
Until whenever my day comes
Good-bye, good-bye, I'm going, my dear brothers and sisters


As a long-time forest defender myself, I must say that Casmerim reaches deeply into my heart.


Let us shift now to the final night of the retreat.

The Santo Daime philosophy holds that the Doctrine is collective, received by and belonging to the spiritual current, and so there are many streams of offerings from the past and from the present. The final night is a time of sharing when the brotherhood-sisterhood offers and shares these gifts. Perhaps these small fragments will be able to convey bits of the experience of making a journey with everyone into the Heart of All.

Joaquim's hymn sings of the great warrior of the heart, Mestre Irineu and his legacy to us from Amazônia. There is a moment at the table revealing a beautiful mother-daughter relationship between Débora and Carol which for me had a special poignancy.



This was Jacqueline's last spiritual work during her recent travels with the Luíz Mendes comitiva. Here is her offering.



The Carnival Retreat of 2008 at Flor do Ceu ended with the singing of the Prayer of St Francis.



Viva São Francisco! Viva Harmonia! Viva Alegria! Viva Amizade!

Finally, I would like to thank Débora and Eduardo Gabrish for maintaining the wonderful Flor do Ceu center, for their many contributions to the Santo Daime movement, for extending friendship and encouragement to many and for making me feel very much at home.



Viva Eduardo e Débora!

Viva Mestre Conselheiro Luíz Mendes!

Viva Mestre Irineu!

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.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT FLOR DO CÉU



The week-long spiritual retreat at Flor do Céu ended with the singing of the hymns of Padrinho Luiz Mendes (called Centenário) in celebration of the anniversary of the church and the birthday of its leader, Eduardo Gabrish.

This is always a wonderfully spirited event with much joy and happiness but this year there were a few surprises.

The work began in the normal way, lining up and drinking Daime





The musicians were in place







It seemed the hours of singing the first half passed passed like a blink. During the interval, there was the joy of singing the Entertainments of the Master (Diversões do Mestré)







Then everyone scurried about finding a partner for dancing the Zig-Zag (Zigue-Zague) of Pad. Luiz Mendes. I hurried over to the edge of the musicians' platform,



and stood on it on my tip-toes, with the camera fully extended above me, hoping to get an overhead photo of Seu Luiz and Dona Rizelda dancing, a shot like this one



But that's not what happened. Instead, I slipped (someone thought he had accidentally bumped into me) and I fell off the platform, falling head first and straight forward like a stick man. The point of my shoulder made first contact, hitting the concrete floor and my forehead slammed into the bottom of the railing. Then things got quiet, very quiet. I really don't know for how long. Saturnino was leaning over me and I felt comforted. I reached for my glasses. They were OK. I reached for my camera. It was OK. I felt stunned but, somehow, also OK. I got up. The music and dancing began, and I took the photo above.

Then someone asked for my camera to take a picture of me.



This is the miracle of the Daime, that somehow we can be healthy and happy no matter what is happening. Is it true? Well, the gift that I received that night is that I now believe that the answer is yes, it is true.

The festivities continued through the night, singing the hymns received by Padrinho Luiz







And as the spiritual work was ending, with the dawn of a rising sun, a very rare phenomenon occurred -- a morning rainbow appeared in a perfectly clear sky in the faint mist of moisture that was rising from the earth.





The ritual ended and we gathered around the cake to sing our congratulations (parabéns) for another anniversary of Flor do Céu and another year for Eduardo and his wonderful family.





Yes, it was quite a night.



PARABÉNS!!!


Click for a slideshow of more anniversary photos.

CAPOEIRA AT FLOR DO CÉU



Leave it to the Brazilians to turn a fight into a dance: Capoeira is an African-Brazilian fight-dance and martial art created by enslaved Africans during the 16th Century. Participants form a roda (circle) and take turns playing instruments, singing, and sparring in pairs in the center of the circle.

Learn more about Capoeira here















Click for a slideshow of more Capoeira photos.

THE PEOPLE AT FLOR DO CÉU



The Spiritual Retreat of Flor do Céu presented many activities, attracted many people and celebrated several birthdays including those of Evônia, Nirava and Eduardo. Here, I've just mixed them all together in a random sort of a way trying to give a general feeling of what it was like to be hanging out with all these wonderful folks.































Click for a slideshow of more people photos.