The eagle and condor take flight...

The Mother Water Temple, or Temple Mãe D'água, is nestled in the hills overlooking Alto Paraíso.  This moloka, surrounded by woodland on all sides, was to provide the setting for the upcoming ayahuasca festival.  The event's principle organiser was Yatra, a Brazilian with years of experience in healing through an impressive range of holistic therapies.  She has worked with ayahuasca as a medicine for decades, holding her own ceremonies since 1993.  Although originally involved with the Santo Daime church, in 1995 she left to found the 'Friends of the Forest' in the Netherlands.  As a result she was one of the people who originally brought ayahuasca to Europe, a move that has helped thousands of people.  Yatra was accompanied by her group of supertalented musicians who provided an extraordinary performance for hours.  In addition, some of the shaman who were attending the conference were present at this opening ceremony.

We arived at five, two hours before the ceremony was due to commence, in order to get a decent spot.  The circular space, about 18 metres in diameter, was going to have to accomodate about 120 people.   In the centre was a sunken pit with a central fireplace which acted as the altar.  We took our positions next to the outer wall.  This was partly for support as we would be sitting for hours and partly because it provided an easy option to vomit from the window behind us in an emergency.  Unlike other ceremonies, there were no buckets for purging and the space would be crowded and fairly dark.  We were told to vomit outside in the woods if necessary, an instruction one guy seemed not to have heard as he threw up inside the maloka early in the evening.  From my school of training, clearly.

Once the participants had been addressed and the ceremony opened, it was time to drink.  The evening was dedicated to peace throughout the world.  Yatra burnt the previous year's Tibetan prayer flags as an offering whilst we all queued outside at the little aya kitchen waiting patiently for our apéritif.  The volume was far smaller than I was used to, a double whisky at most.  Although there were remarks about how pleasant this brew was in comparison to many others, don't be fooled.  It was still so foul as to make the whole body shudder.  Even the mere thought of drinking ayahuasca causes this reaction in people.  

Once we were all sufficiently lubricated, the music began.  With its roots in the Santo Daime tradition, the ceremony was more structured than others I've been part of.  Rather than an individual journey with the medicine there is a collective participation.  Initially people were all seated, candles dotted about the room creating a glowing chamber.  For those that wished there were books containing the songs in Portuguese, although many knew them off by heart.  Gradually the energy grew in the space and people began dancing.  Some of the best dancing and definitely some of the worst I've seen but one thing connected it all, these people were really feeling the music.  Barriers came down as we came together as a family for the night.

The first drink was so small there were only very mild effects, a fuzziness of awareness.  About an hour in another round was offered and people once again formed a line to take another glass.  On returning to my place I was surpised at how strong the experience became.  Taking a break from bouncing about in my seat to the music, I had to lean back and rest my head on the wall.  Madre Ayahuasca made her presence felt and I journeyed to places unknown to me.  Notions of travel in time and space, ways to meet other people moving through consciousness rather than physical space.  These glimpses were fascinating but brief as the activity in the maloka drew my atention back into the collective before long.

After hours of music, laughter and dancing the ceremony came to an end at half past two.  It has been a deeply positive night, it had seemed impossible for any negativity to enter.  The people holding space, Yatra, her musicians and the other shaman - along with the entire crowd - created a vibration of positivity so strong it was almost palpable.  Whilst so much energy and effort in the world is directed towards fear, hatred, envy, competitiveness and separation, it was an honour to be there amongst those people willing in a better tomorrow through cultivating love in their own hearts.  (Nauseating, I know).

Next up, Mao Tanka, a Colombian shaman with a reputation for providing some of the strongest medicine around. 

High heaven...

Or Alto Paraíso as it's known in these parts, lies about three hours north of Brasília.  I could see why the area deserved its name; a wonderfully hilly landscape, verdant and peaceful.  Instantly I had a good feeling about the place, very safe.  This sentiment was slightly contradicted by the electrified defences on most houses and constantly barking guard dogs who looked as though they hadn't been fed for a good while.  Still, gotta trust your instincts, Alto Paraíso seemed like a good base for the upcoming conference http://www.ayahuasca-brasil.com/english.html taking place until early February.

The Condor Eagle Festival 2012 would be held in a temple in the surrounding hills close to Alto Paraíso.  Shaman from many different parts of the world would be coming to perform their magic.  Some originally European or from the USA, others from the Native American traditions, Mexican representatives and, naturally, a contingent from South America.  This would be a rare chance for the shaman to work together and learn from one another.  In addition, arriving over the upcoming days would be over a hundred willing participants, pasajeros for the ayahuasca journeys ahead.

So, to prepare for such a momentous occasion preparation is needed.  The ayahuasca diet should be followed; no alcohol, bread, excessive caffeine, fried food, spicy food, salty food or sweet food.  Meditation, contemplation, avoiding stress, ignoring the news and rejecting TV are all advised.  This is pretty easy to achieve in the comfort of your own home but on the road it's trickier.  I was staying at Hostel Cato Vento but camping in my little single-skin tent as there were no rooms left.  

Once set up I headed to town for a quiet night of preparation.  Luckily, I failed completely as a Brazilian biologist invited me to join him and his family for dinner.  We quaffed wine and ate pizza like the best of 'em.  Afterwards, with a Cinderella style promise to his wife, Eduardo brought out a bottle of red he'd been saving for just such an occasion.  One of those nights where the conversation covers just about all topics you can think of.  From 9/11 conspiracies and the legends of Camelot to Brazilian football and which country's women possess the most attractive posteriors.  Somehow I managed to find my way back to the tent, a mile or so down the dark streets.  Preparation would have to begin in the morning.

Back to the future...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I (don't) love it when a plan comes together...

Brasília, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the capital city of Brazil.  Along with Saltaire, another WHS, Brasília is a city that was designed and built from scratch, a planned settlement begun in 1956.  I could endulge the inner-geek and really go to town on the facts, but you all know how to find Wikipedia so I'll desist on this occasion.  Arriving on a Sunday meant everything was shut.  Boring.  It reminded me of being a young teenager in the days when everything was closed on Sundays.  Really, really boring.  This city is different from the rest of Brazil, more like the UK in many ways.  Let's assess the pros and cons...

In its favour - Brasília is litter free, has fresh air, little congestion, parks with trees, sports facilities, theatres, cinemas, landmarks, hot women... it is spacious, more temperate, has fewer homeless people, a lower crime rate, includes huge malls with the luxurious consumer goods, plentiful restaurants and the all important fast food delivery.  The bus stops even contain small libraries!  Overall it is a well designed city which offers its citizens a good quality of life.  When it was built it must have looked like a city of the future.  Things were done with concrete here that would make a technician friend of mine have a wet dream (KJ - you know who you are).  A bit like the Jetsons meets Land of the Giants with a dash of Logan's run.  You have to admire the incredible ambition and skill in accomplishing this urban miracle.  It beats Milton Keynes hands down!

Flip the coin and this place is a little like a Stepford city, it's all a bit staged.  One of the greatest features of any settlement is that a lot of its charm derives from its organic growth through time.  Any unplanned city has an old heart at a crucial location like a bridging point (Leeds), hill (Rome), port (Rotterdam) or trading route (Petra).  Brasilia's location was chosen as it's fairly central.  That doesn't mean it's not in a good landscape, it is.  Beautiful undulating countryside, a clement climate and a vast lake make it a great spot - it's just a bit uniform for my taste.  Normally a city can be read in terms of the development radiating out from this heart, be that along a river, surrounding a hill, away from the coast or up a valley.  Here everything is the same age and is all getting a bit dated.  Add to this the fact to walk anywhere takes hours, literally.  Everything is so spaced out with vast tracts of land between the more important buildings. 

I'm not really sure if I like it or not, I think it lacks the soul to form such a strong opinion either way.  There you go, an expert on the place after two nights!  Maybe it's best if I shut up and let the pictures do the talking.  Next entry... images only!