Santo Daime - Urban Communities
José Murilo C. Carvalho Jr.

Possibilities

Since the purpose of my presentation has been to describe an emerging cultural phenomenon, I will also try to demystify much of what the national media has reported about the Santo Daime doctrine. Thus, I will now discuss some of the possibilities the urban community Céu do Planalto would like to foster in Brasilia, and I will try to describe the significance of having them spread for the doctrine’s sake within the framework of a new emerging consciousness.
Out of the heap of misinformation repeatedly released by our media about the Daime issue, they always tend to emphasize the tendency the doctrine followers would have to get away from their normal professional activities and from their families, denouncing a process of alienation. They always accuse the Daime doctrine of breaking down mainstream moral and social ideas, and of inducing followers into fanaticism. For that matter, I think it would be wise to make a clarification and warning about the features of an experience with such a substance (the Daime beverage).
Since CEFLURIS was founded by Padrinho Sebastião, efforts have been made towards disciplining and regulating the Santo Daime use according to the standards traditionally prescribed by the doctrine’s masters. We are aware that the transforming potential inherent in a spiritual rite with the beverage demands the guidance of qualified people, experienced enough to smoothly deal with the "alterations" deriving from individual and group cathartic processes.
Despite the notoriety the doctrine acquired at the beginning of the decade, when some TV celebrities announced their participation in the rituals, the CEFLURIS’ board of directors always made sure that the beverage be strictly used in the rituals and new churches be authorized on the basis of officially settled rules. This, along with the usual difficulties derived from this kind of work, determined a quite slow pace of growth for the doctrine in terms of new followers. The doctrine does not encourage or recommend proselytism (inviting is not allowed), and whoever is interested in getting to know it has to first take part in rituals without the beverage, and to attend a lecture of introduction (after which newcomers have enough information to make up their minds as regards the doctrine). Besides, an anamnesis interview is held by a qualified "fardado" (initiate) in order to verify if the visitor is really ready to safely take part in a ritual with the beverage.
Again, these measures bring about a slow pace of growth for the doctrine in terms of followers. Besides, the process of becoming a "fardado" member has also been improved toward granting the neophyte a broad awareness of what this spiritual works entails, whereas, on the other hand, any "fardado" member is free to discontinue his or her participation in the sessions and to give up the doctrine at their own discretion.
Much of the criticism as regards the doctrine’s alienating feature has to do with cases of individuals leading regular urban lives who suddenly give up all their responsibilities to live in Santo Daime communities, most of which were far from the great urban centers until a short while ago. In fact, since this is just the doctrine’s beginning, its configuration possibilities are far from being exhausted. Now we are presenting a new community model, which reconciles the values pointed out by the doctrine’s principles with an everyday urban life.
There is no contradiction, therefore, in the fact that the Santo Daime can coexist with the city, but its essential transformation feature is in no way excluded or overlooked - and hence the community is important. Any member from our Daime community in Brasilia can easily enumerate the changes brought about by their experience with the Daime and the community. However, being in the city, we not only keep up with cultural and technological advances but can also take advantage of their positive aspects. Practically speaking, the Daime urban communities act as the means by which the Céu do Mapiá and other rural communities, in their proposal of full ecological integration, get the information enabling them to update their contact with the whole world.
In Brasilia, we have a quite eclectic group, made up of university teachers, anthropologists, public clerks, artists, journalists, businessmen, meditation and yoga teachers, psychologists, all kinds of therapists, and so on. This rich diversity turns our group into a research laboratory within the scope of personal development possibilities. The individual capacities as regards group integration are taken advantage of in workshops held for the purpose of integrating meditation practices, yoga and other modern therapeutical methods with the special dimension provided by the contact with the Santo Daime. Such experience has provided interesting fruits, showing us that we can make use of several tools to access our self-realization and that these tools mould round specific dynamics and personal circumstances.
Another interesting experience we have been going through is the "enneagram" study of the psychological types, as they are conceived by Dr. Cláudio Naranjo. ("Enneagram" refers to a nine-fold geometrical figure.) Used as a self-realization tool among groups operating on a frequent interactive basis, the "enneagram" study was introduced to some of the community members who had heard about Dr. Naranjo’s work. Nowadays, many community members make use of the nine psychological types for their inner research and for their interpersonal contacts, creating new situations in which the material from the spiritual sessions can be discussed in therapeutical terms.
Under any of these circumstances, the Céu do Planalto community has developed a successful model for introducing the Santo Daime transforming experience within the urban environment. The Céu do Mapiá, on its turn, keeps its position as an authentic representative of both the Amazonian rainforest’s magic power and the Daime in the whole world, distributing this so-called eco-religious culture in Brazilian cities and abroad. Groups getting in touch with such a power and identifying with it become naturally interested in the urban community model described here.
Our aim here, however, is neither to present a community proposal, for there is actually no officially organized project model under elaboration, nor to invite our readers to take up this spiritual path. Above all, I am glad to believe the experience and the process involved in the Santo Daime doctrine can serve as reference materials for anyone identified with its fundamental principles, namely: Harmony, Love, Truth, and Justice.