Conference: religious entities warn about the responsible use of Ayahuasca

| October 19th, 2016

The second day of the II World Ayahuasca Conference in Rio Branco – Acre, was marked by

dialogues about the responsible and conscious use of Hoasca Tea (Vegetal or Hoasca Tea, as it is
known in the Beneficent Spiritist Center União do Vegetal).

Jeffrey Bronfman (founding associate of Núcleo Santa Fé – New Mexico/USA – currently,
Responsible Mestre for the Authorized Distribution of Vegetal in Hawaii – USA), spoke about the
work carried out by the União do Vegetal in the United States for the legalization of Hoasca Tea.
Bronfman reinforced in his talk that the impacts of indiscriminate use of Ayahuasca outside of a
religious context by untrained individuals is subject to impacting the use of the Tea, even in
indigenous tribes that consume it within their curative and shamanistic rituals. And he warned that
there should be fundamental principles with respect to working with the Vegetal: non-
commercialization, respect for sacredness, and preparation of people to work with Hoasca Tea.

Risks

One important contribution towards the dialogue about the responsible use of Ayahuasca was the panel that took on the presentation regarding the lineage and credibility of mestres Daniel Pereira de Mattos, Irineu Serra, and José Gabriel da Costa. The credibility of the founding mestres was evidenced throughout the dialogue when all the work developed by these institutions to guarantee the right to use Ayahuasca Tea within a religious context was contextualized.

“We are running the risk of losing that which we achieved over decades of work and dedication in the face of people who are unaware of the relevance of the responsibility of working with this beverage (Hoasca tea) and who use it in any way or context outside of religious practice and without minimum standards of safety regarding health and other aspects,” warned Cosmo Lima de Souza, Public Prosecutor for the State of Acre and member of the Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal – Alto Santo (Universal Light Christian Enlightenment Center – Alto Santo)

“Freedom without responsibility is abuse”

Following in the same line, Luís Felipe Belmonte dos Santos, General Assistant Mestre of the UDV, drew attention to the use and abuse of Hoasca Tea. “The freedom of use exists, but freedom without responsibility is abuse and not use. It is necessary to have responsible use. This is the emphasis.”

“Those of us who drink and who have contact with the sacred divine know that they are not passive experiences that can be translated into words. It is a contact with nature, an improvement of our moral, intellectual, and spiritual virtues. And it is this objective with which Mestre Gabriel created the União do Vegetal – for the development of virtues, for the equilibrium of individuals, and so that peace can reign among people,” recalled Belmonte.

Coord. of Translation: Isabel Cavalcante, member of Body of Counsel of N. Jardim Florescendo (Gainesville, FL – USA)

Translated by: Jonathan Spoliansky, member of the Body of Counsel of N. Jardim Florescendo (Gainesville, FL – USA)

 Revised by: Patrick Medina, member of the Instructive Body of N. Luz Abençoada (Floranópolis, SC – Brazil)