Santo Daime

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Estrela Santo Daime.jpg

Santo Daime (pronunciation in Brazilian Portuguese : ˈsɐ̃.tu ˈdaj.mi) is the name of both an entheogenic potion and a syncretistic religious movement from Brazil , whose origins lie in the Brazilian state of Acre in the 1930s . Along with the União do Vegetal and the Barquinha, Santo Daime is the most widespread of the Brazilian Ayahuasca churches worldwide .

History and origin of the Santo Daime churches

Probably the first Santo Daime cult group was founded in 1930 by the forefather of today's Daime churches, Raimundo Irineu Serra , in Rio Branco . Serra had already been initiated into the ayahuasca mystery together with two companions by a Peruvian Ayahuasquero around 1918 . Later the Holy Virgin appeared to him in an apparition of Mary in the form of Rainha da Floresta (Queen of the Forest). In this and other revelation experiences , Serra receives the mission to rename Ayahuasca to Daime and later receives so-called Hinos , certain hymns and instructions for performing the Daime rituals, which form the foundation of today's Santo Daime religion.

Santo Daime rituals

In the rituals of the Santo Daime Church, the entheogenic drink is called Ayahuasca Daime. It is taken in a structured framework that is shaped by a Christian mythology. The Daime is seen as a sacred agent of mystical self and God experience, which has the potential to awaken an awareness of the purpose of the soul in people.

In Santo Daime rituals people come together who represent a great diversity of spiritual views and ideas. What they all have in common is the focus on the basic principles of community: love, harmony, truth and justice. In addition to taking the psychoactive sacrament, ritual practice includes religious forms such as devotion, prayer, song, dance, invocation, meditation and incorporation. The rituals of the Santo Daime religion are also called "work" ( trabalhos ) because they require attentiveness and discipline from their participants, as well as a high degree of motor and mental control.

The Sacrament of Santo Daime

Santo Daime tea is made in a ritual called "Feitio". It is made from the plants Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis .

Spread of the Santo Daime religion

Santo Daime churches can be found in almost all urban centers in Brazil. In addition, the religion has spread in other countries in South America as well as in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. Due to religious freedom , some Santo Daime communities outside Brazil were also allowed to use Ayahuasca as a sacrament.

Core religious concepts

How Santo Daime is perceived in detail and with which spiritual focus it is practiced depends on the personal background and the learning experiences of the ritual leader and the members of the respective group and diverges, also in Brazil, locally. Here one encounters a religious spectrum that ranges from Orthodox-Catholic interpretation to an accentuation of Afro-Brazilian mediumism, from New Age religion to a mysticism shaped by Gnosticism or Psychedelic. The religion includes a rich Pantheon, where God, Jesus Christ , the Virgin Mary , the Holy Spirit , King Solomon , Archangel and Christian saints play a central role, as well as entities and principles as Juramidam , the Rainha da Floresta , African Orixás and various other spirit beings are invoked.

The hymns of the Santo Daime movement

In the Santo Daime, the teachings and communications received in the form of spiritual songs, which the Church believes were received by the masters of the lineage from the spirit world, the astral, are of particular importance. These hymns have a mystical depth, but they structure, guide and focus very specifically the state of consciousness brought about by the psychoactive sacrament. This happens on the one hand through their rhythm and repetitive melodies and on the other hand they convey ethical and charitable-spiritual values ​​such as love, truthfulness, compassion and joy on the linguistic-content level. The Daime ritual is a space in which these values ​​are to be practiced and cultivated.

literature

  • Alex Polari de Alverga: The Prophet from the Rainforest. Encounter with sacred plants. Koha-Verlag, Isen 2007, ISBN 978-3-86728-014-3 .
  • Carsten Balzer: Ayahuasca rituals in Germany. The First Steps of the Brazilian Santo Daime Religion in Europe. In: Curare . Journal for Ethnomedicine and Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 28, H. 1 (2005), pp. 53-66.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rev Dr Jessica Rochester: How Our Santo Daime Church Received Religious Exemption to Use Ayahuasca in Canada. July 17, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019 (American English).