Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Acknowledgments xi
4. Introduction
5. Beginnings 1
6. Not Your Typical Academic Text 4
7. Do Your Best Then Let It Go 8
8. Navigating a Minefield 9
9. Portuguese Studies 11
10. 1. First Encounter with the Daime
11. Plunging Right In 13
12. The Retreat Begins 15
13. “Getting Well” 24
14. My First Day: Continued 27
15. Day Two: “I Went Up, I Went Up, I Went Up.” 35
16. Day Three: Releasing 41
17. Day Four: Breathing 45
18. What I Did Not Yet Know About the Santo Daime 47
19. 2. Initial Philosophical Reflections
20. First-Person Writing and the Nature of Consciousness 50
21. The Relationship Between the Brain and Consciousness: William James 54
22. The Relationship Between the Brain and Consciousness: Henri Bergson 57
23. A Jamesian Theory of Visionary/Mystical Experiences 65
24. The “More-ness” of Visionary/Mystical Experiences 72
25. 3. Next Steps on the Path
26. My First “Official” Santo Daime Work 74
27. Sensing and Riding the Waves of the Force 79
28. Firmness 81
29. Juramidam 86
30. The Santo Daime as a Religion 88
31. Concentration Works 97
32. Receiving My Star 105
33. 4. Céu do Mapiá—Beginnings
34. Heading to the Heart of the Amazon Rainforest 108
35. Taking the Boat to Céu do Mapiá 114
36. Céu do Mapiá: First Impressions 117
37. Young People in Céu do Mapiá 124
38. More Impressions of Céu do Mapiá 125
39. Temporal Discursion 127
40. My First Full Day in Céu do Mapiá 128
41. Padrinho Alfredo’s Veranda 132
42. 5. Feitio—the Ritual of Making the Daime
43. The Feitio in Mauá: Beginnings 134
44. Raspação: Mauá 137
45. Batação: Mauá 140
46. Cooking the Daime: Mauá 144
47. 6. Early Works in Céu do Mapiá
48. Get Me to the Church on Time 151
49. An Overabundance of Material 159
50. The Night of St. John 160
51. Santo Daime “Theology” 167
52. Reflections on Hymns 170
53. Back to the Night of St. John 171
54. The Fire Burns Hot in Mapiá 177
55. Santa Missa in Céu do Mapiá 179
56. 7. Mirações—Visionary/Mystical Experiences in the Santo Daime
57. A Powerful Series of Mirações 181
58. Beginning the Process of Takeoff 182
59. Relaxing Into the Daime 182
60. Rocketing Into the Astral 183
61. Theoretical Reflections on Mirações 192
62. Mirações as Potentially Valuable Spiritual Gifts 194
63. Maps of Spiritual Progress 198
64. “Diabolical Mysticism” 200
65. Various Levels of Mirações 203
66. The Question of the Truth and/or Value of Mirações 215
67. Padrinhos and Madrinhas: Elders in the Santo Daime 226
68. More Is Not Always Better 228
69. 8. Mediumship in the Santo Daime
70. A Brief History of Healing/Mediumship Works in the Santo Daime 235
71. Mesa Branca: Céu do Mapiá 238
72. Ruminations on Mediumship 241
73. Suffering Spirits 246
74. Other Forms of Mediumship 251
75. More Ruminations on Mediumship 253
76. A Spectrum of Beings 261
77. A Spectrum of Sameness/Otherness 267
78. Theological Ruminations on the Daime 272
79. James and Bergson on Co-consciousness 279
80. Ethical Issues in Mediumship 284
81. Singing and Receiving Hymns as Forms of Mediumship 295
82. My First Time Receiving a Hymn 296
83. More on Receiving Hymns 299
84. When Is a Hymn a “Real” Hymn? 300
85. Even More on Receiving Hymns 300
86. Receiving Hymn 30 303
87. And Still More on Receiving Hymns 304
88. 9. The Holy House in Céu do Mapiá—Rosary Works
89. The Santa Casa 306
90. The Rosary Works 308
91. A Rosary Work 310
92. 10. Final Days in Céu do Mapiá
93. Leaving Céu do Mapiá 321
94. Concluding Odds and Ends 324
95. Health Issues 325
96. 11. Post-Mapiá Ponderings: Divinization 327
97. Notes 333
98. Bibliography 345
99. Index 353