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Visions of Christ in the Amazon: The Gospel According to Ayahuasca and Santo Daime
Abstract
In the Amazon, under the influence of ayahuasca, eco revolutionary Christian visions describe how Christ’s power takes root in the Amazonian ground. The article explores the “Gospel”—the story of Christ’s life and teachings—according to ayahuasca as told by the Quichua Aguarico Runa, a native people of the Ecuadorian upper Amazon and then traces local phrasings of the Gospel according to Santo Daime, a Christian sect indigenous to Brazil. As the Christian myth transforms, these radical botanical visions reinterpret South American history, bringing healing to continental and communal memory, and to the decimated and threatened land.
... Geleneksel yerli inanç sistemleri, belirli yerlere veya alanlara doğrudan ve ayrılmaz bir şekilde bağlı olma eğilimindedir. Örneğin, Amazonda yaşayan yerli halklar için Amazon ormanı, fiziksel olduğu kadar manevi bir besin kaynağı iken (Sponsel, 1986), And dağlarında yaşayanların dini inançları, engebeli And arazisinin hareketi ve değişimini vurgular niteliktedir (Madera, 2009). Aynı şekilde, Gana'da yerli bir din olan Asante dini, dünyayı çocuklarını her konuda destekleyen gerçek bir anne olarak tasavvur eder ve bu yüzden bütün varlıklar dünyaya bağlı olmakla kalmayıp aynı zamanda dünyanın tüm varlıklara bir ruh verdiği inancı vardır (Sarpong, 1989). ...
This article illustrates a geographical perspective through approaching the na-ture/culture relationship from various religions’ worldviews. Tangible changes in nature such as greenhouse gas emission, acid deposition, deforestation and ozone layer depletion could be immensely felt. Over the past few decades, these issues related to nature have received intense attention, both in academia and non-academic areas. These substantial changes directly result from the dualistic relationship between humans and non-human beings since the Enlightenment period. Therefore, this article proposes why we should consider a religious-based solution for environmental problems through considering different reli-gions’ approaches to nature. It analyses religions in three sub-categories as mon-otheist religions, Eastern religions and indigenous religions and shows how var-ious religions approach the relationship between nature, humans and culture. Consequently, it tries to contribute to human geography in general and to geog-raphies of religions, a sub-branch of human geography in particular, by under-standing the impacts of religion on the ongoing discussions of nature in human geography.
... Todos ellos pueden ser entendidos desde el prisma junguiano como aspectos de la psique individual y colectiva que cumplen roles específicos en el proceso de individuación de los miembros del Santo Daime. Asimismo, pueden ser vistos como símbolos que se emparentan con ciertos elementos de la tradición chamánica de la selva amazónica (Madera, 2009). ...
... When plant compounds resemble human neurotransmitters their ingestion can lead to experiences of being instructed by plants. For example, the Amazonian shamanic brew ayahuasca is both a vehicle of communication with the spirit masters of animals (Kohn 2013), and a living 'spirit mother' that teaches, disciplines and reveals (Madera 2009). Some Amazonians also consider tobacco to be a revered healer (Brabec de Mori 2015), who shares an instructive capacity with other 'master plants', through the production of visions (Russell & Rahman 2015). ...
In Rastafari smoking herbs (cannabis) and tobacco is central to spiritual practices, including grounding (the process of initiation into Rastafari) and reasoning (ritual discussions). This paper presents ethnographic research with Rastafari smokers in England. It shows that smoking is considered a ‘professional’ activity that communicates dedication to the movement, aids in learning different dialects, and facilitates experiences of communication with herbs ‘herself’. Through rituals that ‘professional’ smokers engage in herbs becomes a ‘plant teacher’, which Tupper [2008. The Globalization of Ayahuasca: Harm Reduction or Benefit Maximization? International Journal of Drug Policy, 19:300] defines as ‘a natural divinatory mechanism that can provide esoteric knowledge to adepts skilled in negotiating its remarkable effects’. Appreciation of smoking as a form of multispecies communication between ‘professional’ smokers and ‘plant teachers’ recasts the role of agency in anthropological studies of smoking and contributes to our understanding of consciousness and intentionality in both humans and plants.
... De acuerdo con Luna (2011a), la creciente demanda de caucho ocasionada por la revolución industrial generó un gran caos entre las comunidades nativas, donde muchos indígenas fueron esclavizados y trasladados a diferentes regiones dentro de la selva para servir como mano de obra en las plantaciones (cf. Araújo, 2004;Madera, 2009;Muratorio, 1991;Taussig, 1987). Asimismo, durante aquella época "la población mestiza, a menudo trabajando en áreas remotas lejos de cualquier establecimiento de salud, tuvo que acudir a chamanes indígenas en caso de enfermedad o accidente" (Luna, 1986, p. 31, trad. ...
La ayahuasca es un brebaje psicoactivo de origen botánico que ha sido consumido tradicionalmente por diversas culturas de la selva amazónica. En décadas recientes, las prácticas asociadas al consumo de esta bebida han tendido a difundirse alrededor del mundo. Este proceso de internacionalización ha significado que cada vez sean más las personas no-indígenas que utilizan la ayahuasca en diferentes contextos. Chile no ha permanecido ajeno a este fenómeno, siendo que actualmente existe en nuestro país un número indeterminado de usuarios regulares de la bebida. En este contexto, se observa que los profesionales de la salud mental chilenos contamos con un escaso conocimiento de la literatura científica y académica sobre la ayahuasca. Atendiendo a este panorama, nos hemos propuesto llevar a cabo una revisión de la evidencia existente sobre la bebida, sus principales formas de uso y sus efectos sobre la salud mental de los usuarios, con el fin de aportar a una mayor comprensión sobre este fenómeno cultural emergente. Este trabajo será presentado en una serie de artículos. En esta primera entrega, revisaremos la historia del consumo de ayahuasca, abarcando desde sus orígenes en la esfera cultural indígena amazónica hasta su actual proceso de internacionalización. Al finalizar nuestra exposición, ofrecemos algunas reflexiones sobre los desafíos que este fenómeno plantea a los profesionales de la salud mental de nuestro país.
... This singing is accompanied by musical instruments. The ayahuasca is taken as a sacrament resembling that of the Christian Eucharist commencing with singing the hymns (Madera, 2009). The movement has spread globally in the last few decades with satellite church branches being found in major urban centres such as London, Johannesburg and Amsterdam. ...
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive traditional plant medicine preparation used by the indigenous tribes of the Upper Amazon in their shamanic traditions. Its use has become popular amongst Westerners seeking alternative means of healing, and the medicine has now spread across the globe via syncretic spiritual healing traditions such as the Santo Daime Church. Despite the increased use of the medicine, little research exists on its effectiveness for healing depression. The existing literature does not contain a detailed self-reported phenomenological account of ayahuasca healing a case of depression. The aim of this paper is to share a personal account of healing depression using ayahuasca in a Santo Daime ritual in Johannesburg, South Africa. This experience was unplanned and unexpected and resulted in a profoundly transformative healing process. Based on my experience, I describe ayahuasca's ingestion as having created a powerful mind-body-spirit connection that resulted in what appeared and felt like a profound reconfiguration of the bio-electrical energy system in my body and a powerful anti-depressant action on my mind. These effects were catalyzed by a strong intention to heal and trust in and take responsibility for myself. Other South African Santo Daime members have reported healing of depression with ayahuasca, although in longer and different processes. It appears that the medicine engages the individual's unique collective self (life-history, physical and mental disposition, beliefs and intents) resulting in different outcomes for different individuals. Thus, from my own and others' experience, I describe ayahuasca as a spiritual medicine; one that promotes enhanced awareness and deeper connection to one's core self, to others and the greater universe, while facilitating the manifestation of one's intentions and beliefs. This encounter with ayahuasca provided me a first-hand experience of learning and healing from the medicine, making real to me the indigenous Amazonian description of plants as being teachers and doctors.
... Todos ellos pueden ser entendidos desde el prisma junguiano como aspectos de la psique individual y colectiva que cumplen roles específicos en el proceso de individuación de los miembros del Santo Daime. Asimismo, pueden ser vistos como símbolos que se emparentan con ciertos elementos de la tradición chamánica de la selva amazónica (Madera, 2009). ...
La iglesia del Santo Daime es un movimiento religioso sincrético surgido a comienzos del siglo XX en el corazón de la selva amazónica brasileña. La doctrina daimista incorpora e integra elementos provenientes de distintas tradiciones y matrices culturales, como son la fe cristiana, el espiritismo kardecista, la umbanda afro-brasileña y la medicina tradicional de los pueblos nativos del Amazonas, destacando el uso sacramental que los miembros de la iglesia hacen de la bebida psicoactiva conocida comúnmente como “ayahuasca” o “yajé”. El mito de origen de la iglesia relata las primeras experiencias visionarias de su fundador, Raimundo Irineu Serra, durante las
cuales tuvo la visión de una entidad espiritual femenina que identificó como la “Reina de la Floresta” o la “Virgen de la Concepción”. En este ensayo se aborda el papel que cumple la imagen de la Virgen de la Concepción en la iglesia del Santo Daime, tomando como clave de lectura la teoría analítica de Carl Gustav Jung. Se propone que la imagen de la Virgen puede ser interpretada como una representación simbólica del arquetipo del Ánima/Ánimus, señalando su papel en el proceso de individuación de los miembros de la iglesia.
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