NEI

Vila Fortaleza
January 2008


Nei holding a child at the forró party at Vila Fortaleza.

In the Umbanda tradition an important group of helpful spirits are known as the crianças -- the children. Nei just seems to naturally exude this energy -- in his being and in his music.

Nei and Adriano brought a great deal of joy to this year's festival at Vila Fortaleza and they would often just start playing -- getting us all "in the spirit" by beginning with the popular children's song, "Sing Little Bird."



And soon we would all be singing and clowning -- goofy stuff like Saturnino making funny faces and Holderness offering a unique style of harmonica playing. Geri, Zuleide, Jacqueline, Reinaldo, Muriel and everyone got drawn into the fun.



Then Nei sang the traditional song Cabocla Jurema. In the Umbanda tradition Caboclos are the spirits of Brazilian native Indians. The song is from the popular culture of the Northeast of Brazil and has been made famous by one of the giants of Brazilian popular music Maria Bethania.

Nei and Adriano singing this simple version, with the sounds of children in the background, touched me deeply. It still opens my heart and brings tears to my eyes.



The lyrics say:

Cabocla your plume is green
your plume is green
is the color of the sea

is the color of Cabocla Juremá
is the color of Cabocla Juremá
is the color of Cabocla Juremá

Juremá

I go bathe myself
in the clear waters
in the waters of Jananina
there in clear waters

On another day Nei came over to where I was camped, sat down among the trees and sang a beautiful prayer that had been put to music by Chandra Lacombe.



The lyrics say:

Sweet name of Jesus
Sweet name of Maria
Send us your peace
Your light and joy

Blue star of dharma
Beacon of our duty
Deliver us from bad karma
Teach us how to live


Yes, in many places -- East and West, country and city -- we are learning the good ways to live. Music and friends really help. In the coming posts I will travel with the Luiz Mendes comitiva to the south of Brazil where we will find many friends and much music.

São José at Reino do Sol

16 March 2008
São Paulo

When the Luiz Mendes comitiva traveled back home to Acre in early March, I remained in São Paulo in order to be with a fast Internet connection for uploading all the photos and videos that had been collected. It's hard to be so far from home but I'm really grateful for my friends in this metropolis -- the largest in South America -- who make me feel comfortable in their homes and spiritual centers and who share many "city adventures". With many Daime groups in the larger São Paulo region, I'm never too far from home.

Last Sunday I got to celebrate the festival of São José at Reino do Sol (Kingdom of the Sun)


This Dahlia in the garden of Reino do Sol looks like the blazing sun and fits perfectly with the energies of this marvelous Daime center.

What a celebration it was



with baptisms



and initiations



For the festival of São José we sang the hymns of Padrinho Alfredo. The strong connection to Mapia and the CEFLURIS line produced many vivas for Padrinho Sebastião, for Padrinhos Alfredo and Valdete and for Madrinha Rita.



Reino do Sol also has a very strong relationship with the Afro-Brazilian religion of Umbanda which offers connection with many spiritual entities and energies organized into phalanxes under the Orixas. I don't know much about Umbanda and I was surprised to see an American Indian represented on the altar.


Águia Dourada (Golden Eagle) and São Miguel (Saint Michael) on the altar at Reino do Sol.

I asked Gê Marquez for a teaching and he said that Umbanda makes contact with many spiritual energies that appear at different times in different cultures and in different forms. He said that the American Indian is Águia Dourada (Golden Eagle) and is the spirit guide for this church. "Wow," I thought, "I'm home again."

The seeming universality of the Santo Daime with its ability to embrace and connect spiritually with many traditions never ceases to amaze me. Here I was in São Paulo, Brazil feeling a deep connection with the Lakota tradition of the American Plains Indians -- the people of "All My Relations" who had given me the gift of tobacco prayers and some of the deepest friendships I have ever known.

Later, I walked around the church admiring the wonderful paintings and art depicting many spiritual energies and I was tremendously moved while looking at this print of a painting by the American (non-native) visionary artist Charles Frizzell


"Shaman's Last Journey" by Charles Frizzell

Some themes are so universal. I don't know of Frizzell's intention here but, perhaps due to the moon (or the power of the Daime I had drunk), I saw a great Queen depicted. I thought of the common Santo Daime image of a Universal Goddess or the Virgem da Conceição arriving in a little boat and I recalled a beautiful hymn by José Rosa...

It's coming, it's coming
The little boat is coming

It's the Love, the light
The little boat is coming

It's opening the path
Of God our Lord

The Virgin Mother is guiding
The little boat that's coming

I surrender, I surrender
To the will of the Eternal Father

In my heart
I am the Kingdom of Love

and I felt the power of Mituke Oyasin, of All My Relations.

More photos here.