SIMPLICITY

Sitting here in the center of South America's largest city and surfing the complex worlds of the Internet, I can't help thinking back on a simpler life in Acre. How sweet the memories are.




Back in early July, our 24 hour journey began in Capixaba and traveled to Bujari for the celebration of São Pedro and a full night of singing and dancing, 3 baptisms and much joy. Family, love, children, fun, nature, sunrise, a refreshing swim, a perch in a tree and then rest. All in a day.

Viva simplicity!

LAST HYMN OF SATURNINO

The Doctrine od the Santo Daime religion evolves and elaborates as new hymns are received. Here is the latest one from Saturnino, No 50 "Novo Tempo".

Luiz Mendes and Family Head to Europe for a Grand Tour



Padrinho Luiz, Madrinha Rizelda, Saturnino and Luzirene leave Rio Branco tomorrow (25 September 2009) for a grand European tour.

We wish them Boas Viagems (good journeys) and bom trabalhos (good works).

Here's the schedule of the Europen tour:

Holland
*Amsterdam 29 August 2009 Cura work "Os Chamados "
*Amsterdam 30 August 2009 Concentration "Novo Horizonte e Pequenininho "

England
*London 03 September 2009 Cura Work " Os Chamados "
*London 05 September 2009 Work with "Novo Horizonte and O Pequenininho"

Belgium
*Belgium 11 September 2009 Cura Work " Os Chamados "
*Belgium 12 September 2009 Star Work " Germano Guilherme and João Pereira "
*Belgium 15 September 2009 Concentration " O Pequenininho "


Germany
*Germany (Hamburg ) 18 September 2009 Cura Work " Os Chamados"
*Germany ( Hamburg) 19 September 2009 Star Work " Novo Horizonte and o Pequenininho "

Italy
*Italy pierluigi lattuada - monte carmel- VARESE LIGURE 25 September 2009 Cura Work " Os Chamados"

*Italy Stella Azzurra - Vedriano - REGGIO EMILIA 28 September 2009 São Miguel Work - Hin.Caboclo Guerreiro e Novo Horizonte

*Italy Stella Azzurra - Vedriano - REGGIO EMILIA 30 September 2009 - Concentration " O Pequenininho "

*Italy Assis 02 October 2009 Cura Work " Os Chamados"
*Italy Assis 04 October 2009 Trabalho de São Francisco de Assis Hinario Teteu
*Italy Assis 06 October 2009 Trabalho de aniversario do pad Sebastião,hinario do

*Spain Barcelona 10/10/09 Cura Work " os Chamados"
*Spain Barcelona 11/10/09 Star Work " Novo Horizonte and O Pequenininho "

*Spain Madrid 15/10/09 Concentration " Novo Horizonte"
*Spain Madrid 17 October 2009 Star Work " Germano Guilherme and João Pereira"

*Portugal Lisbon 24 October 2009 Cura Work " Os Chamados" *Portugal Lisbon 25/10/09 Mestre Irineu

There's more information HERE.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Here are the latest Amazon posts from Mongabay.com.

Brazil's 'Obama' weighs presidential bid

(08/20/2009) Marina Silva, the charismatic rubber tapper who went on to become senator and Environment Minister, is weighing a presidential bid in Brazil's 2010 election, according to multiple reports. Political observers say that while her chances are long, Silva's entrance and focus on the environment could spur interest among Brazilians disenchanted by the Workers' Party, the dominant part which has been tarnished lately by corruption scandals.



Photos reveal illegal logging near uncontacted natives in Peru

(08/17/2009) Ariel photos show proof of illegal logging for mahogany occurring in a Peruvian reserve set aside for uncontacted natives. The photos, taken by Chris Fagan from Round River Conservation Studies, show logging camps set-up inside the Murunahua Reserve, meant to protect the uncontacted indigenous group, known as the Murunahua Indians, in the Peruvian Amazon.


Police face murder charges in killing of indigenous protesters in Peru

(08/16/2009) A federal prosecutor in Peru filed murder charges against two police generals and 15 other officers over the deaths of indigenous protesters at a roadblock in June, reports the Associated Press. The Indians were protesting new rules that would have made it easier for foreign developers to exploit oil and gas, timber, and minerals in Peru's Amazon rainforest. The skirmish left 23 police and at least ten protesters dead.

Brazilian beef giant announces moratorium on rainforest beef

(08/13/2009) Brazil's second-largest beef exporter, Bertin, announced it would establish a moratorium on buying cattle from farms involved in Amazon deforestation, reports Greenpeace. The move comes after the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) withdrew a $90 million loan to Bertin following revelations in a Greenpeace report that the company was buying beef produced on illegally deforested lands. The report, which linked some of the world's most prominent brands to rainforest destruction in the Amazon, had an immediate impact, triggering a cascade of events.


Amazon stores 10 billion tons of carbon in 'dead wood'

(08/12/2009) Old growth forests in the Amazon store nearly 10 billion tons of carbon in dead trees and branches, a total greater than global annual emissions from fossil fuel combustion, according to scientists who have conducted the first pan-Amazon analysis of "necromass."

SÃO JOÃO AT FORTALEZA


We had an absolutely marvelous festival of Saint John at Fortaleza. The festivals of St John are thought to be an especially important time for the possibility of personal and collective transformation and thus they are usually great parties.

I have lots of photos which I've been trying to upload for weeks but, somehow, flickr.com and my Acre Internet connections have not been cooperating. So, without further ado, here are the videos of our Fortaleza festivities.

THE HOLY ASK

(A purely personal mental and visual journey.)

It is said that spiritual growth begins with asking and that everyone receives according to their nature. To say, "Give me' -- dai-me in Portuguese -- especially under sacred conditions, is to receive it.



In the practice of the Doctrine of the Santo Daime at Fortaleza the guiding motto is, "humility is the symbol of nobility". Humility and asking are connected.

I've got to confess that it's not always so simple or easy. Indeed, I continue to be challenged to watch what I'm asking for. In a sense, the cleansing power of the Daime is a self-awareness project that keeps putting a mirror in your face. We look. We let go of the unnecessary. We firm up our aspirations. We learn to be humble and careful about what we are asking for.

I think that others are doing something similar. We are all cleaning and polishing and developing. But the target keeps moving toward something better. Here, no one rests for long. There is always a New Horizon.

Although I'm a natural communicator, it's really been challenging living among my Portuguese-speaking spiritual family and friends. Most often I'm overwhelmed by the language gap. That's an important reason for why I keep turning to visual art. With camera and computer I search for ways to express the beauty that I see. It's a good thing that I like to make images as much as I like to talk.

Even better is to have subject matter like this…



And to have a work station like this…



The other evening I had the rare treat of being visited by a young friend who speaks English. She was interested in "my story" and this gave me the special opportunity to use words, lot's of them! In telling the story I looked through my present Fortaleza lenses to see how I seem to have gotten here.

I reviewed my younger years of endless ambition, of searching for ways to "present" myself. Now it all seems as a successful but rather fraudulent performance of clever image management. It's called "role playing." I remember saying once in a moment of despair, "Why can't I just be a gift as I am? Why can't we all just be gifts? Why must we hide the child within? Why is it so necessary to prove and compete? Isn't a life of love and beauty our true birthright?"

Nice dream, huh? But all of my social training had taught that this was not the way of reality.

My understanding started to change only during my activist years of doing summer-long vigils in the old growth forest of Bald Mountain in Southern Oregon where for the first time I was able to just be myself, bringing together my child-like love for nature, my spiritual urge to serve the Queen of the Forest and my political work of seeking protection for the forest's community of life.

In the forest, the work had been so simple – just be there and then tell the story. One way that I practiced was to hike through those ancient groves of towering Douglas firs and recite endless variations of a simple Navaho prayer:

With beauty before me, I walk.
With beauty behind me, I walk.
With beauty above me, I walk.
With beauty below me, I walk.
With beauty within me, I walk.
With beauty all around me, I walk.

And I would add:

Touch the Earth and Blessed Be

It is lovely, indeed.
It is lovely, indeed.
It is lovely, indeed.
It is lovely, indeed.

In the enchantment of the Ancient Forest of the US Pacific Northwest I learned that the child's dream could be a living reality and that I could share publicly who I am.

I guess that I'm enchanted again here at Fortaleza. Surely, I feel blessed to be in such a pretty place with a community that really values the child inside us all. I have received what I asked for, walking in beauty and telling the story. But now I get to do it not as a lone hermit but as a member of a community.

Needless to say, I am thrilled. There's something about the child-thing that makes me want to walk in beauty, create art and play visually. Sometimes the journey -- in my imagination – is like being carried along by a powerful primal mother.



To walk in beauty is not always easy. Sometimes I really have a big struggle but it's a labor of love. In the Santo Daime tradition that's called, "a batalha" – the battle. We say that we drink Daime to work with strength and vigor. The challenge is to stay humble and to maintain a comfortable balance between desire and acceptance. As the great hymn of Padrinho Sebastião says, "I am not God, but I have an aspiration".

At times, it can be a bit like shooting for the stars but "why not?"



At Fortaleza our story is not so much about exotic spiritual adventures deep in the jungle, but more about how ordinary folks of local Acreano origins and recent arrivals from distant places have been working to expand the living Doctrine of the Santo Daime by performing lots of ceremonies, receiving visitors and building a community. Here, the spiritual teachings unfold in a very down-to-earth context where people hold real jobs, and raise families with the normal aspirations. They also hope to achieve a healthier, more joyous and balanced life in harmony with nature.

Fortunately, we are blessed to be working together with the loving examples of:

Mestre Conselheiro Luiz Mendes



Madrinha Rizelda



Saturnino and Luzirene



And, especially during festivals, a bunch of friends and extended family.



Festival time in the Santo Daime is very special. The works are intense, serious and highly disciplined. And there are also priceless moments of spontaneous beauty, playfulness and joy. We have been documenting a lot of it.



We are now planning for the next Encounter for the New Horizon (Dec-Jan 2010) which will be biggest festival ever held at Fortaleza, especially honoring the 70th birthday of Mestre Conselheiro Luiz Mendes. There will be 10 days of spiritual works followed by several more days of the feitio rital of making Daime.

I don't really understand how we do such an intense schedule, working hard physically while also doing the inner work of cleansing our consciousness AND manage to have so much fun. For me, it's a mystery.

As Padrinho Alfredo's hymn says,

The Master is the one from Nazareth
The Mystery comes from the Amazon

Indeed, cleansing, love, joy, work, intimacy, light-heartedness, openness and much more flow together in the rituals and life at Fortaleza. There's seriousness AND and incredible sweetness…



Flower of the Waters,
From where you come, where you are going
I will do my cleansing
In my heart is my Father.

The Home of my Father
Is in the heart of the World
Where all the Love exists
And there is a profound secret.

This profound secret
Is in all humanity
If only all knew each other
Here is this Truth


The inner path is personal, unique to each individual. Every person must find his or her own way. (That's a reason why no one is ever encouraged to drink Daime.) Of course, the truth and the light can be found everywhere but I have always loved the forest and that's where I have always looked. Below is an image I took about five years ago in Oregon, looking at an altar piece on the window sill of my cabin in the forest. At that time, before I had moved to Brazil, I was still imagining what living in Brazil might be like.




A picture may be worth a thousand words but it is still not the real thing. All that I can say personally is that I am grateful for this light in the forest. I'm grateful for being able to tell this story. I am grateful for being here with this wonderful family and so many friends.

I got what I asked for.

MAKING BIRTHDAYS IN THE SANTO DAIME

Birthdays are a big thing generally in Brazilian culture and the Santo Daime tradition has its own special ways of celebrating them. As usual, it's a making or a performance.

Here is Ken's recent birthday in Brasilia



and here's a bunch being celebrated together at Bujari...




Parabéns para todos os aniversários!

MAKING WORKS IN THE FOREST

In the Santo Daime tradition, each spiritual ritual or ceremony is called a "work" (trabalho in Portuguese). But, often, I think that the notion of a "work party" might fit even better because the intention is to create a joy more than a labor and often the "church" is an open "salon" in the forest.

Here are a few videos of spiritual works in the forest at Vila Fortaleza. The first two are at the Salão da Copaíba and are from the hinario of Edson Alexandre...





The hymn Nova Era (New Age) of Padrinho Alfredo advises that celebrating in the forest is part of the "work":

Eu convido os meus irmãos
Se alegrar na nossa festa
Esquecer a ilusão
E se firmar bem na floresta

I urge my brothers and sisters
Rejoice in our celebration
Forget the illusion
And be well anchored in the forest

Here it is being sung in the inauguration of the Salão do Apuí which has been dedicated especially for the singing of the Nova Era hymnal of Padrinho Alfredo.

MAKING FUN AT FORTALEZA

At Vila Fortaleza, fun -- like health and happiness and lots of good things -- is not something that is consumed. It is something that is created by all and made through performance. Here are 3 videos that capture some happy moments.

Cicero and the kids...





The kids (young and old) warming up for a day of spiritual works in the forest...



And Padrinho Luiz Mendes with his new puppet...



Hopefully, the puppet will have a special role in the 2010 Teátro de Amazônia where fun is performed with gusto. Here are slide shows

from Teátro 2008...




and from Teátro 2009...

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!

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.

Leaving Vila Fortaleza:
The Beauty and the Challenge



Final days were for myself full of nostalgia or longing. Actually, it's more than that -- closer to something Brazilians call saudade, a word so unique that there is a full wikipedia page and lots of discussion devoted to it.

I carried my camera and shot almost randomly, just capturing some of the beauties of people and place. Looking back now, I selected a few from the last week at Vila Fortaleza.

















And then came the challenges of leaving. Getting people and stuff into Saturnino's little pick-up was the fun part.



Heading down the road was more difficult.

I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves.









In coming posts, I'll share some news about how people are trying to deal with the opportunities and intrusions of this modern fuel-hungry world.

There are some more photos here.

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.

FORTALEZA CORN FESTIVAL

Acre, Brazil
13 January 2008


Corn was the "plantation crop" this year at Vila Fortaleza. Because Amazonian soils are easily depleted of nutrients the sustainable agricultural practice is to rotate the annual plantings between corn, manioc and nitrogen-fixing beans. The sight of rows of corn brought back many memories from the US Midwest where I had spent my youth. The tropical variety of corn is quite impressive often growing to a height of over 10 feet. Here it is at the start of the harvest.




At Fortaleza it had been common to see Padrinho Luiz working in the field or cleaning ears of corn for lunch. Often it was an occasion to sit with him helping out with the work and listening to stories.



With the feitio recently completed and with the beginning of the harvest, it was now time for another kind of work-party, the Festa de Milho -- Corn Festival -- where we would learn how to make two common Brazilian dishes -- pamonha and cural. Both are made from corn paste and milk: the pamonha being wrapped in corn husks (tamale-style) and boiled; the cural being baked in a pan like a custard.

First step was to shuck the husks off the corn



and then came the long process of grating



and the cooking



and finally the pamonhas



and cural



Across the day there was also another work party for cleaning Brazil nuts.



More photos here.

SANTO DAIME FEITIO

Vila Fortaleza
10-12 January 2008



The feitio ritual for making the Santo Daime brings many things together. The leaf, vine, water, fire, music, work, people, friendship, nature, the forest, the place and the Doctrine all forming into a union that fashions a holy drink. The result is much more than the sum of its ingredients. It is something beyond words... a sacrament.



The following video weaves together clips from the several days of the Vila Forteleza feito. It begins with the bateção pounding the jagube vine into long fibers. Saturnino's maraca, the mallets and the voices all work together with the musical Doctrine presented in the hymns of Antônio Gomez (Nosso Mestre). Next comes the days of cooking and more preparation working with the hymns of Padrinhos Sebastião (Vem) and Valdete, and concluding with the final night of the hymns of João Pereira (Lá Vem a Minha Mãe).



Here are some photos















More photos here.

VII Encounter for the New Horizon
The Closing Days
January 8-9, 2008


It's always rather difficult to summarize the annual festival at Vila Fortaleza where so many things get packed into a 10-day intensive of spiritual works. This year the conclusion of the VII Encounter for the New Horizon was especially hard for me to capture into a story, and much less into something that I would consider as "documentary."

The reason for this is that I was very involved in my own inner work of sorting through my life and reaching deeply to find the core of both personal and general meaning(s). It was not easy. Mostly, I felt tired. Often I was caught in thoughts that carried me very far from the present moment. Thus I can only provide a few fragments -- moments that somehow grabbed my attention and caused me to lift my camera.



The closing spiritual work involves singing and dancing two collections of hymns -- the first hinario is Nova Jerusalem from Padrinho Sebastião. In the performance of this ritual singing and dancing, I felt I very special perfection in the way the music, voices and dancing were producing "oneness" of minds and bodies -- music and movement and harmony. And there was a pervading sense of gratefulness.

The hymn offers gratitude -- simply with the precision and union of a single unit working together.



I give thanks to my Father
I give thanks to my Mother
I give thanks to all beings
Who are in this flock

I give thanks to my Mother
I give thanks to my Padrinho
I give thanks to my brothers and sisters
Who are in this garden.


The power of ritual and the Doctrine produces a current of energy that makes one wonder who the dancer, who is the singer?



I'm here because my Father sent me
I'm here because I'm the Savior
I am bottled, I always live em-bottled
And the people are very excited
Seeking their worth

I'm here because my Father sent me
I'm here because I am the Savior
The Master says, the Master sings, the Master speaks
And the people get confused
In the line of love

People had come from far away places to participate in this reunion. They came not only to receive put to offer the gift of their participation. During the interval people often spontaneously offered more hymns. This one caught my attention. Reinaldo (from São Paulo) is joined by George (from Portugal), Joanna (from Holland) and by brothers and sisters from Acre.



Here are a few more photos from the last days and the farewells.
















More photos here.