Appendices
In the Appendices you’ll find lots of “extras”: a “Glossary of Terms”; “Santo Daime 101”; “Psychedelics 101”; the “Decree of Service”; “June Festivities”; “Jardim da Natureza”; and “How Things Get Done in Santo Daime Churches in North America.” Enjoy!
Glossary of Terms
If when reading Liquid Light, or browsing around this website, you wonder what a specific term means, this is the reference source designed to help you. – a collection of brief descriptions of key terms used in Liquid Light.
Santo Daime 101
If you want to read a highly compressed account of the historical development of the Santo Daime, as well as a description of its key beliefs and practices, this is the resource for you. This document is a slightly revised version of an index entry on the Santo Daime that I wrote for the World Religions and Spirituality Project, available at: wrldrels.org.
Psychedelics 101
If you want a straight-to-the-point introductory depiction of the bedrock basics of what anyone interested in psychedelics should know about these transformative substances, here is where you should start.
Decree of Service
This is my translation of the only document known to have been written by Mestre Irineu. This important text was written close to the end of his life and clearly articulates his vision of the spiritual attitudes and norms of behavior that he wanted the members of his church to embody in their lives. My goal for this translation was readability– I wanted the words to flow as smoothly as possible for English speakers, while also clearly communicating the meaning of the original Portuguese text.
June Festivities
During my time in Brazil, I didn’t just drink Daime and do Santo Daime works. I also was privileged to witness/take part in other more prosaic, but beautiful and heartwarming, celebratory events. Among these were the festivities that took place before the night of St. John, arguably one of the most important “works” (rituals) in the Santo Daime liturgical calendar. This document describes the colorful non-Daime fueled folk dances and celebrations that took place in the grounds of the quite modern and well-equipped school in Céu do Mapiá. Here you get an glimpse into how daimistas are “folks just like us,” that is, people with kids, who enjoy good food and spending time with friends and family.
Jardim da Natureza
During my stay in Céu do Mapiá, I took part in a number of different Santo Daime “works” (rituals) that were not part of the official liturgical calendar, and which took place outside of the physical church. This page describes a “caminada,” typically a Daime-fueled “walk through the rainforest” involving two works in separate locations. But in this instance, we started in the Jardim da Natureza (Nature’s Garden), a cleared area in the forest and we basically stayed there for the whole work since for the first time in ten years, Madrinha Rita showed up, and we (wisely) simply stayed where we were.
How Things Get Done in Santo Daime Churches in North America
If you want to get a glimpse into the nitty-gritty, “this is how things get done” in Santo Daime churches in North America, as well as what sort of information is covered during “orientations” with potential newcomers, this information is for you.