\n Our friend Antonio Macedo phoned and invited us to a
\n special night out in Cruzeiro do Sul in The State of Acre
\n (the back of beyond in Brazil). He wanted to
\n introduce us to 'Daime', a very Amazonian drink
\n that would awaken our minds, or did he mean blow our
\n minds?\n <\/p>\n
\n We were taken to a small clearing at the edge of Cruzeiro
\n to a big wooden building. Inside was a large wooden
\n table with benches either side on which twenty or so
\n people could sit round. The decorations reminded me
\n of a small Catholic Church, with its figurines of saints
\n and lit candles. The congregation consisted of a few
\n rubber tappers and a complete cross section of the people
\n of the town, in both position and money. The town
\n people and Brazilians generally call this drug
\n “Santo Daime” and mix it into a sort of
\n semi-religious, Catholic ceremony.\n <\/p>\n
\n The Yawanawa tribe, on the other hand, think religion is
\n nothing to do with Daime, but that it a necessity for the
\n tribe to take it once a month too clarify the mind and get
\n their heads together for the coming weeks. Daime is
\n not banned in Brazil for it is a drug of a very different
\n nature with a very special effect.\n <\/p>\n
\n A plant that grows in the ground is mixed with a creeper
\n that falls from a tree, thus the symbolism of the drug is
\n that it is the sky mixed with the earth. We filed
\n into this large hut and sat around the central
\n table. The candles were lit around us and we were
\n introduced as visitors who were about to go into the
\n forest to visit the Yawanawa tribe. First Antonio
\n spoke to the people about having great care in
\n demonstrating against the Governor, as there was no point
\n in upsetting him too much or many more would end up in
\n prison, or worse, rather than solve any problems it would
\n just add to them (another story for another time).\n <\/p>\n
\n The ceremony proper then commenced with a general prayer
\n for God to help them in these perilous times and then we
\n rose and formed a queue as if going to communion.
\n The Daime was poured out of bottles and each of us had a
\n glass given to us and then made our way back to our
\n seats. The drug started to take effect. We had
\n been warned what to expect but we thought it all slightly
\n ridiculous..\n <\/p>\n
\n There was silence after we sat down and started to wait
\n for Daime to take effect, the sight and smell of the
\n flickering candles, the only light there was to see around
\n this strange church like place. A few people were
\n sick. This seemed an unusual start to what I had
\n been assured was a great experience! I had been
\n slightly unwell during the day and thought I was going to
\n have bad case of the trots and this seemed to be the last
\n thing I needed!\n <\/p>\n
\n Daime has two effects and one reason it is not on the
\n banned list is that it is remarkably good for any sort of
\n stomach disorder. That was the good news, but the
\n bad news was that while it cured my problem quickly, it
\n also at the same time stopped me from enjoying the Daime
\n in the way that I was expecting; and the real reason that
\n Adam Baines and I were taking Daime this night.\n <\/p>\n
\n Still, I had more opportunity to observe the others and
\n see their reactions to the drug. Amazingly, it
\n seemed that after being sick outside on the grass, people
\n tended to have another dose of Daime and on being sat down
\n again, this time it took hold. Thoughts seem to
\n whirl around in time and space with all your life with
\n its, good, bad, family, friends, work and pleasures in a
\n maelstrom in which confusion you seem to be about to be
\n engulfed. Over the next hour the confusion lessens
\n and gradually you start to find that everything is falling
\n into place and you become aware of what exactly you should
\n do, to get your life in order.\n <\/p>\n
\n At any moment during this time, you can open your eyes and
\n feel completely free of the Daime but as soon as you close
\n them you’re back sorting out the files in your
\n head. Finally the drug clears the system after a
\n total of about an hour and a half. The so called
\n congregation sitting quietly outside, enjoying complete
\n clarity of mind and thought, contemplating under a
\n magnificent starry sky, in the tropical warmth, with the
\n singing of the ‘cigarras’ intermingling with
\n the croaking of the frogs. Everyone, whether Indians
\n or locals, thought it extremely important to take Daime so
\n as to get one’s life in order at least once every
\n six weeks. All believed that it made men and women
\n take control of their lives and less likely to have
\n breakdowns or behave in an anti social manner. The
\n next day I was able, with my stomach now fully recovered,
\n to observe without too much of a sickening feeling, the
\n roaches crawling on the ceiling above the frying pan that
\n was cooking my breakfast!\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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