Paul Marko's Mindful Endeavors

News From Brazil

Part 1

Tuesday August 25,2009

What follows is an account of our experience here in our new home in Brazil for any of you who might be interested and a way for us to record this unique experience as it changes.

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since we arrived so I thought I'd write a little about what It's like here. We are staying in a very small village on the outskirts ( about 6 kilometers) from the closest town of about 200,000 people. That town, which is called Santo Antonio do Descobertos, seems to be filled with barbers and hair cutters and stores that sell beds, go figure. It also seems to be filled with teenagers. We've been only twice to use the internet and stop at the grocery store and bank and we can't say it's one of our favorite towns in Brazil, but as it's only a place we need to use for shopping occasionally, we don't mind it.

Brasilia and its many satellite towns is about 60 kilometers away and has everything a large city and government capitol has. We have been once or twice to take care of business and of course for the airport.

Cidade Ecletica is a village unlike anything I've ever been to and thus a bit more difficult to describe. It has about 500 people living here. The central part of the village is located inside gated walls and is posted as private. The main feature is a Temple which is open to the public on Wednesday and Friday nights and Sunday afternoons and used most other days for teaching and private healings. Next door to the Temple is a hospital which currently is functioning only part time with a volunteer staff of various doctors and nurses. Also inside the gated part of the village is a school, playing fields, radio tower, administrative offices, a bakery and several streets of houses. Outside of the gated area is a restaurant and small hotel, a pharmacy, general store, snack shop, clothing and thrift shop, the town hall and a book store. These various shops and offices do not resemble anything you will probably have seen in the US. They are very modest and simple. With American eyes this place looks very poor and very sparse, however once we, ourselves, lost our "American eyes" this place began to look quite beautiful. Between the Temple and the hotel and restaurant, is a divided street, with an island down the middle. Everyday you see the people walking to and from the various places from their homes which are also located on side streets outside the gated part of the village.

Here we sit on the high central plateau of Brazil and the street through the center of town is a high flat mesa on top of the hill, while the side streets slope downward into a valley on either side. The landscape here is called Serrado, which is something like high dessert with soil the color of deep burnt orange. The word dessert is misleading though as there are some trees and various brush, though it is not what you would call lush tropical foliage. There are abundant mango and cashew trees all around and here and there a river and an occasional waterfall. This is dry season and the roads are dusty, with the orange soil in the air when the cars go by, filling your nostrils and coating your socks and your clothing with a fine layer of orange dust. But just the other day we had the first rain of the season, called by the locals, the Caju (cashew) rain. Now the trees will begin to come into bloom and the landscape will light up with the colors of blooming flowers and fruits.

We're enjoying the beginning of the rains as we have just replanted the kitchen garden of the hospital which for some time has lain dormant and neglected. As was familiar to us in Vermont, when the rains come, often the power goes out. It was quite magical this past Friday night when the rain came and the power went out just as nightfall came and the Friday night long distance healing service began at the Temple by candlelight.

Another unusual feature, common in South America but not in the US, is the prevalence of un-neutered dogs, mostly male, roaming freely through the town. We have one who is very cute who will not leave our side and follows us everywhere, sleeping outside the door to our hotel room every night. We call him little Amigo. We hesitate to adopt him before we have a more permanent home, but fortunately someone is feeding him as he does not appear to be hungry. This feature of sovereign dogs does not appear to distress anyone and is just accepted as a matter of course. Most families have 2 or 3 of their own inside the walls of their houses. This too is another unusual feature common to Brazil, but not quite so common in the US. Every home seems to be enclosed inside a wall of one kind or another with a gate. When we inquired about this we were told it is more for privacy than for security. There are some dress codes inside the community: women must wear skirts or dresses, no pants or shorts and keep their shoulders covered while men may not wear shorts while in town. These dress codes come from the Essenic school ( a school of esoteric teachings) established years ago and continue to be in effect. Having the privacy of walls around the houses allows the freedom to ignore the dress codes while at home.

This is a spiritual community started by a visionary named Yokaanen who brought a couple hundred of his disciples here from Rio de Janeiro in 1946 to establish a homestead dedicated to helping many people. The main thrust of the spiritual practice is known as Spiritism, based somewhat on the teachings of Allan Kardec and known as the Kardecist school of Spiritism. Here at Cidade Ecletica ( the eclectic universal fraternal brotherhood of the Essenes,) the practice is a blend of both Kardecist Spiritism with Umbanda, a more mystical approach of spiritism. I am not equipped to explain in detail yet the ins and outs of this belief system, but I can say that all of what we know so far about it aligns with what we believe, without ever knowing that there was a name for these beliefs. Perhaps at a later time if you are interested I can explain in more detail.

In the short time that we've been here, we have met many members of the community and had many opportunities for both private special healings and public healings. We've been invited to join the community, to study with them and to work with them. The Elders of the community are advising us through our English speaking friend Gaudencio who translates for us and is helping us with our government documents and details like housing, communication, orientation and transportation. We feel very lucky to be so well cared for and very much at home and at peace here, although living in a hotel has its' ups and downs.

A typical day starts with café de manha ( breakfast) served at the hotel at 8am. We have been the only hotel guests for breakfast since we arrived, so there is one table set for us with a carafe of coffee and one of hot milk, a basket of bread, a plate of cheese and some fruit. We chat in Portuguese with the two women who manage the restaurant and cook all the meals and they work diligently to have us understand and learn from them. They are a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and incredibly lovely. Rocket waits behind in the room.

After breakfast we get Rocket and head over to the hospital courtyard, winding our way through the entrance and a series of corridors to get into an enclosed courtyard which houses a small fenced garden nestled between the walls of the surrounding buildings. A man named Elsio lives in a small room just next to the garden and unlocks the storage room where the tools are kept for us each morning. We are just now beginning to be able to communicate with him a little. Rocket wanders around the courtyard and generally stays out of trouble.

Almoca (lunch) is served at noon, self service, buffet style from a heated table and there are generally a few other people there for this meal. We are beginning to see some regulars as well as new people each time. The plates are weighed and charged by the kilo and lunch usually runs about $2.50 to $3.00 per plate. Everyone greets us and exchanges a few words. Usually we will return to the room after lunch and spend time studying Portuguese or writing if we are not taking care of business with Gaudencio or being shown around to different places. The children of the women who cook in the restaurant will often come around to play with us. At first this was endearing as the children are delightful, but lately they have become a bit of a small problem, coming over constantly and needing attention while we are attending to our studies or resting.

Jantar (dinner) is nearly identical to lunch every evening at 6:30 although most evenings it is only the two of us unless it is a night for public healing at the Temple on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some evenings, Sevanna has us come into the kitchen to fill our plates to save the energy from heating the table.

The routines of living here at the hotel can get to us if we let it, needing to be on time for meals and at particular services at the Temple. We sometimes feel as if our time is not our own, but this is a minor inconvenience in return for all that is wonderful about this place. We are eager to have our own place where we can prepare our own meals at our discretion and be less interrupted by the children, but please don't misunderstand as we adore 8 year old Pablo and 3 year old Carolina and their mother Alene. We are eager to have our own car and be less dependent on the kindness of our friend Gaudencio to take us around and help us with even the most insignificant of activities. And we are eager to master the language so we can get on with a regular life and begin our studies in the Spiritist school and begin teaching in the school and working in the hospital. It often feels difficult to be patient, but looked at differently it could seem that all is moving quickly. Many of the elders say that our visa process is going very quickly and easily (compared with most) because we are supposed to be here.

The people here are fascinating. Gaudencio fills us in on who each of them are and their history whenever we get together. Many of the community who are here working as mediums are, or were, professional people: teachers, lawyers, government officials… Some have kept their professions and have very nice homes and new expensive cars. Some have given up what was once a highly paid job and lifestyle for a simpler life here and live extremely modestly. Others are illiterate, though some highly skilled in some trade. These people who live and work solely inside the community do not have to deal with money in any way. This really appeals to me. In many ways it is a non-monetary system, or quite close to one. We are learning more about how this works and it is of great interest to us. Sometimes there is bartering, sometimes there are donations made, some is government funding… The general principal is that they will not charge for any services they render. All is given free of charge. In exchange however, the people receiving the benefit of these services may make a donation, usually specified as to how they wish this donation be applied. There are a great many needs here as many of the buildings are in need of repair. The school and the hospital, for instance, are in need of great attention. The school is considered to be of very high quality and has opened its doors to the neighboring cities, whose schools we are told are sorely lacking. What is really needed is a new school building as this one is badly in need of renovation. We'll know so much more when we begin teaching inside the school after our permanent visas are approved.

The hospital which was once fully functional was in such a bad state of disrepair, that it had to be shut down. There were so many patients coming (all receiving free care) that there was no time to attend to upkeep. Since that time many renovations have been done, but the government approval has not yet been reissued to open full time and there are no funds to pay a staff so all the staff are volunteers. We are told there are now 8 patients there full time with a minimal full time staff and visiting doctors a few times a week coming on a volunteer basis. The gardens we have planted will be used to feed the patients and nurses and a few of the single townspeople who come there for lunch.

One of the things that I find delightful in this place of what would appear to be ecclesiastic or monastic, is that these people know how to party and have a good time more than I've ever seen. The first Saturday we were here a woman near the hotel was celebrating her 75th birthday. She has been here a very long time and is highly revered and loved. Her birthday celebration began around 10 in the morning and lasted well into the early morning hours of the night with great music and festive lights and many people coming and going. It seems that the people here are mostly happy, fun loving folks, working diligently to help as many people as they can while never complaining and enjoying life fully, without the need for much in the way of material wealth. I love that!

That wraps up my 2 week report for now.

We send love……Mindy and Paul

Part 2

Friday August 28th

After the morning special healing and our now traditional glass of Guarana (a local kind of soda) at the lanchonette, we got into the car we rented and brought home last night from Taguatina to go for a drive. We headed out to the left of town down the dirt road toward Pirionopolis, according to our map. As we rounded the 1st bend we were amazed at what we encountered. We found ourselves on top of a beautiful mountain winding downwards through wild and exotic terrain. I had been questioning the fact that although I knew we were quite high in altitude (about 3600 ft) it always seems as if we are on flat ground, but then giant valleys seem to simply drop away into enormous pit like holes. As you look across these valleys, they seem exotic with palm trees and cashew and mango trees, almost like you're looking down into a volcano. It's quite difficult to describe this landscape, it's so unlike any I've ever seen. Today however when we drove around the bend of what had been visible from our walks through town, a whole new world opened up to us. Suddenly we were winding through more familiar looking mountain like terrain, but were descending rather than climbing.

I fell in love with what I was seeing and knew I'd found my paradise. We began to see a few signs of sitios (small farms) for sale and pay close attention watching for them as we drove, noting down the phone numbers, thinking that if we could find one close enough to commute in and out of town, it would be perfect. Amazingly we descended for a very long time, occasionally climbing back up, winding around, up and down and every time we drove down into a dip, we noticed we were crossing a river and we'd strain to see over the narrow passage and find that the river lie quite far below the road. One or two of these rivers were quite wide and full and edged with huge rock formations. The magnificence would take our breath away.

At one place in the road we passed a lovely little farm and waved to a woman sitting on her porch before we noticed it was on the side of an incredible river. It was so charming as I drove by I thought how lovely it would be to live in that house. Just then as we crossed to the other side of the river we caught glimpse of a for sale sign for 17 Ha which we are thinking probably means hectares. Couldn't get that one out of my mind all day.

Maps here and road signs are not real common, so one takes their chances exploring with an intention to get to a destination. Knowing this I purchased a road atlas on line before coming and this is what we were armed with, even though when we asked our friend the way to Pirionopolis the day before, he instructed a different route. Still, we had a map showing a dirt road with about 53 kilometers in distance from Ecletica to there. We knew there was a good chance we would not reach that destination, but figured the drive might take under an hour if it did. Traveling over mountainous dirt roads, while short in kilometers, can be misleading in the time it takes as one must often go slowly to avoid potholes. In fact the roads were mostly quite good but the drive did have a few surprises that were not indicated on the map. We did indeed come quite close to where we were headed but not in under an hour, more like a little more than two and that was to a place about 16 k from Pirionopolis.

We had been to Pirionopolis before on our last visit to Brazil and knew it was a lovely town that we might consider living in. We'd hoped it was about 40 minutes away and could be a possibility for commuting to Ecletica. Not so on this route! We ended today's journey in a town called Corumba de Goias, which was as lovely as Pirionopolis in many ways. Part of the town wound up steep cobble stoned streets high atop a hill with very European looking houses and town squares. Enchanting! We stopped and had lunch and then found paved Federal highways back home along the route our friend had suggested. This drive was also magnificent, high atop vistas far off into the distance over incredible landscapes. The return trip took about an hour and a half.

All in all our drive took us about 5 hours. I adore exploring the countryside in new places. It's one of my all time favorite things to do. Now we are back in our hotel room and through the window I am listening to a neighbor's music. They play it quite loudly but always play a good selection of choices I like. Today it's the Pointer Sisters and the BeeGees! This is quite a musical place. From across the street where the Temple is and next to it, the radio tower, piped in music comes from the loudspeakers occasionally. I have yet to figure out the schedule for the routine and it still takes me by surprise. Sometimes it seems to indicate the start of a particular service or school session and other times it seems random. The selection is quite fascinating as well. One of our favorites in that it seems so absurd, is the theme from Exodus. But sometimes they play stuff I actually like, though Paul is fond of the theme from Exodus.

All for now….

Monday August 31st

Saturday night Gaudencio invited us to come to a play at the cultural center that he was performing in, which turned out to be part of a much larger celebration of the one year anniversary of the center. The play took place outside in the front garden and most of the town showed up to attend. They had carried out benches from the temple and set up a scene that reminded me of theater in the park. Afterwards we were all invited to go behind the center where there were tables and chairs set up on a patio for a big festa. They served hors d'oeurves and soda and later a giant cake and played music. Several different groups and people performed or sang, like a local talent show. One group of 4 young women and one guy blew us away with how good they were. They sounded professional and the music was enchanting! When they were done some drums came out and many started dancing. What was so cool to me was the age group attending the party. We had every age from babies to elderly folks in their nineties and even the teenagers were having fun and were as pleasant and lovely as can be. It's not easy being at a party where everyone there speaks a different language and you can hardly communicate, but I was none the less enchanted with the opportunity to be included.

The lack of language proficiency gets me really frustrated from time to time, even though I have made enormous progress in the few weeks since we came. I can string together several sentences to express what I need to say, most times, but my level of understanding others at times leaves me distressed and impatient to be further along. This and the fact that we seem no closer to having a place to stay other than the hotel gives me an occasional day of feeling kind of down. So again, Paul reminds me, we cry with our mouths full and spend an excess amount of time whining when we could be appreciating our good fortune and feeling gratitude. But he is not free of this affliction either although there seems to be no discernable reason for his occasional days of gloominess. Fortunately there haven't been many and we shake them off before a whole day goes by. Yesterday was such a day. Today I woke up feeling great, my woes of the day before behind me.

This was a busy weekend at Ecletica. During our three Sundays here we have never seen such a crowd. The restaurant was overflowing at lunch yesterday, as many people came early for the Sunday morning service and then waited for the afternoon healing service through lunch time. A family came early in the week, renting the other three hotel suites to receive spiritual help from the Temple. They were dealing with the loss of the youngest son (and brother, husband) from a suicide related to issues around drugs and were all suffering from their loss. It was a lovely family from Brasilia- the parents, brothers and sisters, wife and children, one of whom spoke perfect English. We were delighted to see that when they left after the service yesterday afternoon, they were extremely grateful for the help they received and feeling much peace.

So many people come here for help with problems ranging from serious health conditions to psychological concerns. It seems that what they are receiving here is effective and greatly appreciated. Apparently there are a few very high government officials who come regularly for "treatment" and have been cured of various illness' as serious as cancer and aids. This place and the people here are highly regarded and respected.

We were to have started our first classes yesterday afternoon but couldn't find the location we were to go. I was so disappointed, as I'd been waiting all week to start. Now, however I know where to go and when and will look forward another week to beginning next Sunday. They have told me I am ready to start even though my language skills are not up to par. So we'll see how much I am able to learn without a full comprehension of Portuguese.

Part 3

Wednesday September 2, 2009

Cidade Ecletica

Thanks to all our friends and family who write with appreciation for my reports on life here in Brazil. It is a good life and we are very much at peace here. It is more simple and we have no concerns for money which in itself is such a gift. It is hard for us to take in the magnitude of gratitude we feel and blessings we are being given by the people who are helping us in so many ways. Why, we keep asking ourselves, would they do such a thing? What is it they expect or anticipate that we could give back in return for such generosity, love and welcome?

Most of our real communication happens through Gaudencio who is entrusted by the Elders of the community to help with all the foreigners who come here seeking help, because he is one of only a couple people here who speaks English (Spanish and Italian.) He tells us that their former spiritual leader, Yokaanen, told them years ago that many people would come here seeking help. And this is what they are all about. So everyone is welcome. If they feel the people are good and have a good heart, they are invited to stay, to study, to work and live here. Interestingly, they recognized Paul immediately and were expecting him. A few said to him, "You are late. We were expecting you sooner." And to me they said when we first arrived, "We already know who he is. We need time to know who you are." Later they told me that I (my soul) made a deal to come here and work as a medium to help people. That my work would be very hard, that I have many people to help and it will not always be easy. I feel in my heart that this is true. They say my entity is here standing next to me, with my group of people who are ready to start. Paul adds here upon hearing me read this to him that I might qualify this by saying that it might sound egotistical, but we are just trying to be candid about how we feel.

Now I know that to most of you this will sound too bizarre and many of you will not believe this and even think that I am crazy. For many of you, my friends and family, you have maybe not experienced much of a spiritual life, concentrating more on the physical plane of existence and this probably sounds like a bunch of nonsense. Perhaps sharing this is a bad idea as you will think less of me in your inability to conceive of such a thing. In the US most of us are not exposed to much in the way of a spiritual life or education, only the "new age" version of spirituality which even to us is too phony, airy-fairy and what we personally refer to as "magenta-pixie." The religious education we were given, whether it was Christian or Jewish based, to me seemed full of misleading dogma that was most certainly not based in any kind of spirituality I could relate to. There was no appeal to me in that. Eastern religions and philosophies, on the other hand, resonated with me and introduced me to the notion of a spiritual existence. When I read the Tao te Ching, for example, I knew I had found my core beliefs expressed in the simple prose of that volume written by Lao Tzu likely prior to 550 BCE. Tao te Ching can be translated as The Book of the Way and How it can be Manifested in the World.

Meanwhile, in our daily life, the events since I last wrote….

The governor of Brasilia did turn up as expected yesterday along with his new, very young wife, but not by motorcade; they came by helicopter. We discovered the first week we were here while out on one of our walks with Rocket, what we later found out to be a landing strip. We had walked out through the end of town past a soccer field and noticed a narrow path which we continued to follow. It then opened out to a very wide, unused road which we followed for a very long time because the view at the end of the long road ahead was so compelling, we wanted to see more. It did cover a very long stretch of open land up to the edge of a very beautiful wide and deep valley, which looked like an oasis in a dry dusty desert. Turns out this place was an airport built by Yokaanen and is used by a select group of high powered officials who visit this place now for healings and consultations, while before when Yokaanen was alive they came for advice from the great master who was a much revered visionary. Now they take advice from the Entities incorporated by the mediums. ( I expect to many of you this kind of thing sounds hard to believe and you have no idea that the government even in the US consults with Psychics)

Last night Gaudencio came to tell us that they have made contact with the children of a man who recently died who now own his house here in town. They will consider renting it to us and let us know by Friday if they will come to meet us to see if they will approve. He advised us to not answer if they ask us how much rent we are willing to pay because they are probably going to expect to ask us to pay $100 to $150 reals ($50 to $75US) and we would be inclined to offer $300 to $350 Reals (which would still be a great bargain at $150-$175US) per month. It's located on a really great side street outside the gated part of town with an incredible view over the valley of farmland. It has a little apartment in the back of the house where there is a couple living who are 85 and 90 years old but in excellent health and fitness. He says you'd think they were 50. So with any luck we might get to return to a normal lifestyle of home cooked meals and a place to do our own laundry and grow a small home garden for ourselves. Sounds like it might only be a three month arrangement though. I suppose they are not big on rentals here. Most people buy or are given land to build a home. But as we insisted on waiting to at least find out if our permanent visas would be approved before we bought anything, they are trying to help us find something that will work. And maybe, if the price is right, it won't be a bad idea to put the money we have from selling our house in Vermont into land and a house here rather than watching it devalue to nothing as the economic news we are getting indicates it might do before long.

Still no news of formal Portuguese lessons although there is discussion between the Elders and the elementary school principal about having us sit in on the children's Portuguese classes. Apparently even the native Brazillians have difficulty with this language! So it's no wonder it's so hard to learn! They say it would really help us if we watched TV, which we would consider doing if we had a TV to watch. There is one in the restaurant, but I must admit it still agitates me even in Portuguese, though much less so.

We are attempting to touch base with the other friends we made here early in the year and have had some success by email and phone but as yet have not been able to actually see them. One lives nearby maybe an hour and a half drive from here, so we are hoping to drive over and visit now that we have a car. Gaudencio has priority over our schedule however as we are still so dependent on his help (with opening a bank account, renting a house, meeting with certain people) so we await a day when we know he will not be helping us. There is some speculation that this friend Andreé´and her son and husband may consider relocating here from their current home in Abadiania where John of God works. That would be such a blessing to have another English speaking friend who we so greatly admire here with us.

Thursday evening…….

Just back from a visit to Abadiania where we visited our Friend Andreé´and her family who we'd not met before. It was a long afternoon with the drive 1 ½ hours each way, but really great to see her and catch up once again. They live in a really cool place and we enjoyed drinking cashew juice from the tree in their yard, sitting under the shade of a tree overlooking the valley. We arranged for them to visit us here in our new community on Sunday.

More later…. We send love and blessings

Mindy and Paul

Part 4

Monday September 7, 2009

Cidade Ecletica

Today is Brazillian Independence day, Sete de Septembro, like our 4th of July, when Brasilieros celebrate their independence from Portugal. There was a ceremony around the flagpole this morning at 8am. We arrived as it was ending and saw the scouts dressed in their scouting uniforms standing in a group with Elpidio, the number one Elder dressed in scouting attire as well with a dashing red beret.

The schedule for breakfast at 8am in the hotel restaurant restricts our movements at times, offering up the choice of activity or eating. We've been opting for eating. Inconvenient, to say the least, when a kitchen of our own would eliminate that particular problem.

It's quite interesting to live in a place right across from the radio tower where announcements come any time, day or night regarding a myriad of subjects of information as well as musical numbers designating starting times or occasionally random interludes as far as I can tell. Just last night Paul was commenting that he liked it so much he never wanted to move too far from the reach of its sound.

Yesterday was the first attendance for us at Umbanda class, where we along with several others began the study of mediumship. We are joining in a class in progress, so we've no idea how far along the other students are. We did notice that some people in the class were wearing what looked quite similar to a lab coat, knee length, belted and with big red buttons. It's like an intermediary version of the Ballandrou, the full length robes (generally all white - but different colors for different occasions) that the mediums wear during ceremonies. Once or twice the 2 teachers stopped to ask us if we understood, whereupon we both replied "um pouco" (a little) but in actuality that was an exaggeration as I for one understood VERY little. Paul on the other hand was understanding much more. His ability for understanding is much greater than mine while my ability to speak in Portuguese exceeds his. Together we are getting by, but for me it is an extreme source of frustration in a time when more than anything I want to understand and communicate!

The best thing was that we found our way to class, were accepted and will be expected going forward. I imagine our comprehension will increase proportionally.

After class we went to the Temple where a healing service was in progress, just in time to walk to the front of the line and go before the mediums for healing. This is an experience that I am at a loss for words to describe. But I shall make an attempt. Two mediums stand facing each other a couple feet apart with just enough room between them for you to stand facing the one medium who is incorporating a spirit entity. The other medium remains unincorporated to act as a helper. This one will hold your things if you are carrying anything like a purse or your glasses during the process, and is standing by to assist the other medium in case they stumble or start to fall from the energy they are withdrawing from you during the healing passes. Most will place their hands just inches away from your head to start and trace the outline of your body, often stopping to snap their fingers or wave away negative energies that they are pulling from you. Occasionally they will keel over, nearly falling to the floor with the vibrations or bending over from the waist and knees, lowering their heads to the floor. Then shake it off and resume. Often the medium will place her hand over my heart while placing her other hand over her own heart or behind her body. Sometimes she will start with my hands or at some point place my fingertips in her palms and sometimes pull my fingertips downward as if flicking off the energy she is removing. Often she will place a hand over my belly as if to feel any problems I might be experiencing there. After this energetic healing in the front, she motions me to turn around and then repeats a similar process in the back before returning me once again to the front.

Each time this is different and with different mediums the process can vary a lot. Some will speak and ask me questions which I often don't understand, although occasionally I will have Gaudencio with me interpreting. Some mediums speak while they are incorporating and some don't. Some entities like to snap their fingers a lot, some not at all. In general women and men are separated, with women seeing women mediums and men seeing men, unless it is a special healing which is quite different than the public services that take place on Sundays, Wednesday and Friday nights.

The experience for me as the recipient of the healing can vary but in general feels often very energetic. I can feel a cleansing happening. I can feel an increase in tranquility and peace and well being. Sometimes I can feel a very deep connection between myself and the entity. There are times when the entity seems to recognize my entity and questions who I am and quite often asks me who I am missing as they were sensing a feeling of loss and emptiness in my heart in the beginning but not so much now.

I believe this healing process may sometimes be referred to as magnetic passes. I would guess it is similar in some regards to Reiki, which is an energetic type of healing process. There are mediums here however who incorporate various entities, some of whom are doctors and can prescribe homeopathic remedies which have cured illness' as grave as cancer and aids, cured blindness and lameness. Now I must stop here and first clarify that any attempt on my part to describe what is happening can in no way come even close to illustrating this phenomenon. You really have to experience it yourself to have any idea. In addition there is so much background information to understand before one could comprehend the magnitude of this spiritual healing process, that I in this meager attempt of a news like letter can provide. One has to believe that we are not only a physical being, but a spiritual manifestation temporarily living in a physical form. That this is not the only life, but one of many lives designed to provide lessons in the growth of our soul or spirit entity, which does not cease to be when we die. For many who are reading this letter, I imagine that what I am saying sounds like utter nonsense and you might think me really crazy or insane as there is no context with which you can relate to this, so you would have to go on total trust because you love me as a friend or because I am family. So be it. I can only make some attempt at illustrating these most bizarre of experiences.

We do often feel like we are living in a science fiction movie, especially when we hear a voice coming from the giant loudspeaker attached to the radio tower, delivering some new piece of information, which we are currently at a loss to understand.

We sit in our hotel room tonight awaiting the arrival of Gaudencio and Aspacia who will come to take us to their friend's house or their daughter's house for a holiday celebration dinner.

Tuesday September 8, 2009

Last night we went to Elliana and Arnaldo's house. These are the daughter and son in law of Gaudencio and Aspacia. They live just next door to Gaudencio's best friend Presiano who will be our teacher for Umbanda class. Gaudencio was given a gift of fresh fish by someone recently which was more than he could use and so he shared with his friend who has been keeping it in his freezer. The occasion for last nights dinner was to come together for a fish fry and the occasion of a holiday provided the perfect venue.

Gaudencio showed us around his daughter's house pointing out where he had removed the roof of the original house and raised it several feet to create a very spacious house with high ceilings for his daughter's new family as a wedding present last year. It was a very festive evening with the 3 families, Gaudencio's other 2 daughters, Elliana's son and Presiano's wife and 2 children along with Arnaldo's brother and Presiano's nephew who came by and played music on the porch while everyone sang along. We drank some wine and beer and later tea and felt very welcomed and included.

This morning we had breakfast with a beautiful young Italian woman who came to town yesterday to visit Ecletica. We reaffirmed our thought that listening to a non native Portuguese speaker as well as people from Rio de Janeiro are much easier to understand as they seem to enunciate each word, use less idioms and generally not slur the words together or use too heavy of a Brazillian Portuguese pronunciation which changes the sound of d's to g's and t's to ch's.

Today and for the rest of this week we will focus on opening a bank account to begin moving dollars to reals, begin shopping for a used car and buy a TV to help us with learning the language.

Contrary to my deepest belief that television is a curse and a tool simply for mind control to hypnotize and dumb down the population, I am in agreement with everyone who tells us that it is the best tool for learning a new language. So we will go against our strongly held notion that watching TV is harmful and prevents consciousness development and start watching Brazillian TV to develop our language skills.

We have been thwarted in our efforts to secure a house to rent as nothing seems to be available at the moment and each possible lead has fizzled out. Paul is more than happy with this lifestyle of living in the hotel suite while my frustration and utter disappointment of last weekend's no show of the owners of a house we thought we'd be able to move into, has subsided into a begrudged state of acceptance that the Way is not ready for us to make this move just yet. Patience is and has been an area for me that needs development so I will continue to work on this developmental need. Meanwhile we will begin to purchase a few items that will have us feel a little more at home, the TV for one and a way to make a pot of tea for another, while perhaps another go at consolidating the suitcases so we are not still living out of all 5 of them at once.

Yesterday afternoon while we rested in the room, reading and writing, a knock on the door brought a visit by thirteen year old Teresa and her friend Sue Ellen. They asked to see the photos of winter I had mentioned I had on my computer, so I invited them in. Paul was working on his computer writing an article on an aspect of consciousness development and continued to write while we three girls looked at pictures on my laptop. The girls were so curious about the expense of laptops in the US and seeing my camera and it later occurred to both Paul and I to be more cautious about people coming in our room and seeing what in their eyes is extreme wealth of material belongings, which for them is only an unobtainable desire. It separates us.

This is not so for everyone here of course as many of them have chosen a life in which they prefer the simplicity of having less, of having a life where money is something they prefer to be without as it brings too many problems. But this choice brings with it days of no food or little more than bread. This is the biggest difference in lifestyle between our two countries. What we take for granted that each of us is entitled to as basic necessities of life, our food and housing and clothing needs for example in comparison with this much poorer country is extravagant and excessive. I want to explain this in a way that is not judgmental or insulting as this is merely an "is." The comfort level is simpler, in other words less is adequate. Perhaps this might serve as an illustration: We are staying in a hotel "suite." It is simply a large room with a double bed, a single bed, a night table, dresser and a coat rack and a bathroom with shower. It is nothing special by American standards, but probably deluxe by Brazillian standards. (Please note that in Rio and the southern states it is entirely different and more European in nature and generally fairly wealthy) This room costs $30 Reais a night (about $15) compared with a simple room at the hotel which costs $10 Reais ($5) For many, this fact alone separates us as being people of great privilege and wealth. But most of them just accept that as okay and understand that as Americans we are used to different standards and do not judge us. It still feels as if we are accepted and welcomed to be here. It seems that they are happy we are here and that we want to work with them as mediums and many recognize that we may have a gift to offer in that the entities we might attract could be very good entities who can help many people.

From the reading I have been doing in the Spiritists literary volumes, I am learning that mediums who bring with them the gifts of intellectual comprehension, for example, attract a higher level of entity because it is easier for the entity to express and communicate through such a medium as they are able to relate to and understand the material wanting to be expressed. So it is possible that Paul and I offer a great deal to the community here by virtue of the experience we bring with us in terms of previously acquired spiritual and intellectual knowledge. I don't wish this to sound haughty and presumptious, just merely making the point that our particular educations in the areas we have chosen to investigate, lend themselves to a greater level of understanding perhaps than some here who come from entirely different educational backgrounds - sometimes no educational backgrounds… The fact is that 50% of the people in Brazil don't read and write. This being said, it may be that we will provide a great service by bringing through some more highly evolved spirits who are in need of a medium to communicate through. Sorry I know this makes me sound rather full of myself, and I don't mean to do that, but I'm having difficulty making the observation in a more modest and humble way. It's not that we ourselves are so much more intellectual or intelligent, it's the exposure we've been drawn to explore.

I think it helps that we are replanting the hospital's kitchen garden and many seem to acknowledge us for doing something to help out on the physical plane. These are hard working people!

Just yesterday morning when we were talking to Alene at breakfast, she told us that she was going to clean house for a woman she's worked for thirteen years on her one day off from working in the restaurant. We expressed regret that she wouldn't have a day off and she said NO, she was very happy to work! She told us she's been working since she was 8 years old. This is a young woman of 29 with 3 children who is always happy.

Wednesday Night September 9, 2009

Sittting in the hotel room listening to Paul play Maleguena on his guitar; beautiful! Tonight was a healing night at the Temple as is every Wednesday night. I always feel such a sense of tranquility and well being after the passes from the mediums. I love being around all the spirits in the Temple. I can't explain it, but I feel such serenity and a break from the chains of normal waking consciousness, sort of. It's not an altered state, it's more of an in between both states or a window into another dimension. I can't personally see into that dimension yet, but I can feel it.

I've yet to describe the ceremony that happens before the mediums incorporate their entities for healing. I'll just say a little now and describe it in more detail later. There is a point at which someone sounds a buzzer after the people have begun filling the sanctuary. Paul is adding his input just now as I questioned him on what the signal is, and he adds that the buzzer is disconcerting and out of sync with everything else that takes place during the ceremonies. It's the only thing neither of us likes, as it is jarring in a setting that is melodic and tranquil. But after this signal is given, about 70 or so mediums fill the front of the Temple and form concentric circles, by joining hands. A medium holding a device that swings from a chain and creates smoke, walks around the spiraling circle of mediums who now have their arms crossed in front of their bodies in a protective gesture, and fills the room with smoke. He does this in a beautiful pattern, at first standing in the very center and then addressing the corners before passing through the rows between the standing mediums. As he walks with this brass smoking pot, he taps a substance that burns as would tobacco into it to create more smoke and it sizzles and crackles as he does this. Once the room is adequately filled with smoke to create a welcoming atmosphere for the entities, they all begin to sing an enchanting and slightly discordant song. To my great disappointment, I do not understand the words to the song, but merely catch one or two. It is quite beautiful to hear so many singing together. About ¾ of the way through this song, some mediums begin to incorporate their spirit entities. Many of them bend forward and go to their knees or sit on the floor when this happens. Some begin clicking or snapping their fingers and others may wave their hands in the air, while some show no signs of the incorporation. By the end of the song, all the mediums return to standing once again and then disassemble into a new formation. At this point 8 men and 8 women form a human bridge by joining hands and lifting them to create a tunnel. The other mediums are strategically placed at both ends to create a logical passage for the other people to walk through this healing tunnel. And this is where the audience participation begins.

First the children walk through, followed by any others who would like this extra burst of energy healing. Afterwards, the people in the "audience?" (this can't be the right word) okay how about "congregation" are directed when and where to go for their healing "passes" with the entities. They are sorted into groups, such as first timers, passes with entities who speak and those who don't, members of the temple or of the community, visitors, etc. I don't yet understand all the designations or the reasons for them.

So this is the point at which I earlier described what the passes are like. As I understand or experience more, I will write in more detail. But I will leave it at this for now.

As always, Paul and I wish you all well. Thank you for joining us in this great adventure by reading along. We welcome hearing your thoughts or questions and if you or someone you know is in need of long distance healing, you can send your (or their) name and complete address and we will take it to the Temple on Friday nights.

Part 5

Dearest Friends and Family

What follows is an account of events which have transpired over the last week which I began writing on the 13th. Subsequently I have rewritten this journal more than 3 times as the situation here changed radically during the course of this time. I have since gone back and tried to piece together all 3 attempts at the letter I've been writing to send.

September 13, 2009

Cidade Ecletica

We sit here still in our hotel room after one month since arriving on the horns of a dilemma (one of Paul's well used expressions.) We are no closer to having a place to live, buying a used car, opening a bank account or understanding comprehensively this new language. Well perhaps closer, but no cigar (a variation of one of my former Paul's favorite expressions!)

So we have taken the last few days to review our situation and our options in light of this. There have been a few factors that have come into play, such as the element of other foreigners (in the form of a beautiful young Italian woman) who take the much needed attention of Gaudencio from our personal plight. And the other demands upon his time by the administrating Elders of the community. And then there was a conversation 3 days ago with 2 separate men who both wanted us to know that we were fodder for the Brasilieros who will take advantage of us and eat us for dinner left to our own devices without the help of Gaudencio or anyone who can speak on our behalf!

Well. We had already been feeling the effects of our situation, being totally and completely dependent on the kindness of others for our very survival here and it was an uncomfortable situation to say the least. We are inclined to be very independent and rather private people and this warrants everyone being in our business. Not to mention the major title of this chapter being "Waiting for Gaudencio."

So we take turns feeling blue, discouraged and profoundly bored. At least we take turns! While one suffers the other tries to either comfort or reason with the other. I've appreciated the occasional email from friends encouraging and applauding this bold step we have taken. While we are taking all our sources of gathering information into account - cognitive reasoning and logic, our hearts, the advice from the entities, sleeping on it, input from others, waiting it out and letting the way unfold…. This last has been mainly our resource but it's not really forwarding anything.

So yesterday it occurred to us to return to a prior plan - that of taking a month long language immersion course in Rio, traveling a little to visit some people and places we want to see, perhaps pursuing a lead on a teaching position for Paul at a University…We think that most places we could end up in Brasil will offer us the opportunity to study to be mediums and this is still a priority for us, but without a more comprehensive understanding of the language, nothing works! This is our thinking at the moment, but for those of you who know us well, we change course easily as new input recreates our unfolding possibilities. A few days ago we were both in agreement to buy a piece of land we knew about and begin building a house there. Now today that seems like a bad idea.

You see, although we really dig (love the chance to use that particular expression from my past) the scene here with the entities healing the brother and sisterhood of the planet with our help as mediums, we dislike the surrounding towns. There is nothing cool about them as there is about some other towns in Brasil we've encountered. No art, no music in the streets(well not like other places-here it takes on a whole new context), no restaurants, no fantastic waterfalls to hike to, great architecture to feast our eyes on…. We've been places that soothed our souls with the sheer aesthetics of the walls of the houses and soft light coming from the open doorways in evening. Here there is little other draw than the healing passes of the entities - which, don't get me wrong, is a huge draw. As artists our souls cry out for this aesthetic beauty and when we encounter it, it's like an exhalation of a long held breath. So maybe we go on a search to find this? We'll see how things roll out this week and next. This morning we had a long talk with Gaudencio who has resumed his efforts to help with the car and bank account. Meanwhile we wait to hear back from the immersion class…..Perhaps we'll take that and then come back here to live for a while.

We have other new friends here who live in a very remote place near a beautiful national park. We say remote because it's more than a 10 hour bus ride to the nearest airport. They are kindred spirits. They have relocated here from Argentina and England and have been setting up a life here to ride out the uncertain times ahead- self sufficiently on the land with a group of other like minded people. They are very spiritual people like ourselves but their path is different and in many ways one we can relate to more so than this Spiritist Umbanda path. They are much younger and we sometimes question if we'd be physically able to keep up and adapt to that lifestyle. And then there are the snakes! Hmmmm I think I could deal, but Paul absolutely knows he doesn't want to. It's another possibility going forward for us to consider….

Well the possibilities are endless, I suppose. We could go in any number of different directions. We thought to take the easy road, the one with the least obstacles to overcome and the appeal here is still enormous. I know that whichever path we follow I will continue to work with the entities and learn to develop myself as a medium. The rest is yet to be determined. If I can give up more and let go, especially of needing beauty in my surroundings, or perhaps change my eyes and the way I see and find beauty here where it is not now so visible, this could still yet be the perfect place for a while, a year or two or who knows, maybe longer….We'll just allow it to roll out and work on being less discontent and find our gratitude again.

We send our deepest love and know that your love and friendship gives us our greatest strength.

Mindy and Paul

September 14, 2009

Just a quick note today before posting this as in the re-reading we felt it sounded rather negative and like to leave on a good, light and happy note. As I imagine it is with most of you, there are ups and downs. Some of us are thoughtful enough not to communicate during the down times and leave those times unspoken of. Not so for me! I find the richness of the felt experience of these times to be all the more interesting to reflect upon and that these times contain more lessons for growth…

Meanwhile, last night our new friend Daniel came by to invite us to join him while he played his guitar and sang. The power had gone out just before dinner and so we dined by candlelight with the other hotel guests including Francesca, our young Italian friend. Then we made our way over by flashlight to sit on the benches just inside the gate and sat with Daniel and his friends by moonlight for a while before the power came back on and lit the street with a soft warm glow.

Life goes on at a slow and very relaxed pace. I can't say much moves forward, but the garden is growing, the people continue to be loving and kind and we feel less discontent knowing that there are options for us to explore and unlimited possibilities for our future.

There is a small house in disrepair a mile or two from the village, still on Ecletica's land. It sits next to a river where there is also a small waterfall and a tiny chapel. The house serves as a post for caretakers to guard the chapel which is currently unused and sits behind a locked gate, posted with a sign prohibiting entry to it and the waterfall. One day a couple weeks ago we rode by and saw 2 young men bathing naked in the waterfall while Gaudencio clucked his disapproval. I adore the location and suggested to Paul that we volunteer to be the caretakers and fix up the house for us to live in. It remains yet another new possibility going forward…..

We are contacting language immersion classes in both Rio de Janeiro and Salvador to inquire about the availability for October. With any luck we will have a bank account and a car and can head out towards our next adventure while we ponder returning…….

My friends and loved ones

Just as I was about to send off the 5th newsletter which I composed a few days ago, everything changed. We had been assessing our situation here after one month and questioning whether we needed to change direction for a while and reconsider staying or leaving for a while to attend an immersion class. We'd been feeling discontent with our situation in many ways and we spoke to our friend Gaudencio telling him of our decision to leave for a while and travel to Rio where we had begun making arrangements to do a month long immersion class. He came to us the next evening and said, "Come with me, I have found you a house to rent. I want to show it to you before it gets too dark, because the electricity is turned off."

Well, this was a major surprise as there had been no prospects for a rental and our only hope of leaving the hotel but staying here was to buy something or build something. We drove down the road to a side street where Gaudencio's daughter lives and next door, his best friend, beyond to the next house where we entered through a gate in a high walled yard which we could not see into. On all our walks and visits to this street, we had never walked quite this far down the road because each house has barking dogs inside their gated yards who go a little crazy when Rocket walks down their street. But the road is spectacular in that it descends from the main road steeply down a hill which opens out to a very beautiful oasis of a valley. This house is 2nd to the end before open countryside and a very large farm owned by an American couple who live in the town of Abadiania about 1 ½ hours away. This is the town where the world renown healing medium, John of God does his work.

When we walked through the gate in the wall we were surprised to see a very large tiled and paved courtyard with a full size swimming pool (albeit empty of water at the moment.) The house although quite modest looking is quite large in size with several rooms and is only in need of a few repairs, some cleaning and perhaps some new paint. It has some very interesting features, covered walkways and a bizarre pit-like area behind, with an attached small house behind and sort of under. I will take photos because it is most bizarre and difficult to describe. One feature is a flat roof over the little house which creates a level raised deck with a spectacular view out over the valley, which at night lights up from the far off neighboring cities of Taguautinga and Brasilia and twinkles and sparkles like a Christmas tree.

When Gaudencio told us that the woman who owns it, who lives next door to him and bought it as an investment has not agreed to rent it to anyone because she does not trust anyone to take care of it, is willing to rent it to us for 300 Reals (That's about $150) a month, we were faced with a proposition that was too hard to turn down, in spite of our decision to leave and perhaps not return. He said that he had not mentioned this place to us because he knew she was not interested in renting it to anyone, in spite of people she knew well asking her. However at the news that we were planning to leave (at least for a while - as we told him we would likely be returning) he went and asked her to reconsider. She agreed based on his word that she could trust us to take good care of it and that he would insure that nothing bad would happen.

All this transpired on day 30 from my first visit to the mediums for a special healing. On that day the entity who calls herself Tia Maria gave me a flower. She pointed out the several small buds encircling the main flower with a nod of her head in my direction to see if I was noticing and then instructed me to place the flower, wrapped in a white cloth under my pillow for 30 days. She said my entity would understand what this meant. On the 31st day I was to take the flower to the river, give my thanks to God and drop the flower into the river, walking away without looking back. This morning I did that. Would you suppose there is a coincidence in the timing of these two events? I don't believe in coincidence, as I would say these are synchronistic events with a deeper meaning than we can classify by logical thinking or simply dismiss as coincidence.

We know that many years ago Yokaanan prophesized the coming of people from many places around the world when the major changes that will be occurring on the planet begin to take place. On many occasions they said to Paul, " We were expecting you sooner. We knew you were coming." As strange as this sounds, we believe that they think we are the beginning of this prophecy coming true. If you don't think this is weird…. Imagine how we feel being someone's fulfilled prophesy? If we were to leave, Paul speculates, it would be a failure for Gaudencio, whose role it has been to care for us and see that we have everything we need. Francesca, our young Italian friend, could not be convinced to stay or agree to return against the advice of the entities who implored her to consider this for her own best interest.

This last now brings up several questions… Could we be happy here in this most bizarre lifestyle, devoid of many of the pleasures and diversions we were once used to? It is hard to say…. Can we possibly turn down the ability to live for under $500 a month in a lovely pool home, eating organic food, drinking pure and sometimes blessed water, where we get to learn to incorporate entities who can heal people 3 times a week? I don't think so.

Can you picture us walking down the road in long white gowns called Ballandrous on our way to the Temple to incorporate spirit entities and heal the patrons who come from the surrounding villages and towns? It sounds something like a cross between an old western and a science fiction movie, doesn't it? But all this is sometime off in the future, as now we dress in normal clothes and know little of how to do this!

We like the possibilities of this house. It has room for an art studio and place for a ceramic kiln. It has a lovely and kind of quirky little nook with an alter where traditionally a virgin Mary would stand, but we like the idea of having a Buddha there with some of the fabulous crystals we've been given from the area and some incense with meditation benches…. It has at least one or two extra bedrooms and a little attached house which could be fixed up to be a guest house where we can offer to have people stay who come here for longer term healing. Often the entities need from a week to 3 months for healing serious conditions… And it has this lovely enclosed courtyard which is completely private with a swimming pool and places to hang a hammock. And I imagine we will still hear the radio tower's broadcasts of announcements and music from down the street although probably not as loudly as we do at the hotel which is right across the street from the tower. Yesterday we were out at dusk driving the road even further from town that edges the rim of the valley and we could easily hear the music coming from the tower….

I have another exciting possibility to explore. I mentioned to Gaudencio that I would like to apprentice in the lab and learn the medicinal uses of the plants for making homeopathic remedies. Many of them grow here locally. There is a good possibility that I will be able to do this working under the tutelage of one of the senior Elders who holds all the recipes and formulas passed down from Yokaanan. I am thrilled at this possibility!

We thought we had things all figured out and were going to head off in search of new possibilities (or rather older unfulfilled possibilities) We were over sitting here in this hotel room waiting for Gaudencio and not being competent to understand the ambient language well enough to do anything without him.

And now a new turn of events…. And new possibilities.

Meanwhile, I don't know if I mentioned that Paul has been writing again and we are both quite happy that he has resumed this activity as he has so many ideas that he has been wanting to write about in hopes of publishing and perhaps on his website which for a very long time we have discussed revising. We thought to include it as an attachment to this newsletter for any of you interested in reading it and submitting your feedback. I do personally enjoy the feedback from my exposés as they offer me the encouragement to continue.

Paul's playing Malaguena again for me this evening as I sit cooling off under the ceiling fan composing this journal. Rocket's looking over trying to communicate something to me from his blanket on the floor. He spent the day at Elliana's house with her 2 tiny Chihuahuas and brand new golden lab puppy, while we accompanied Francesca to the airport with Gaudencio by way of a few visits around Brasilia's spiritual sites. Life is good and we have once again found our deepest gratitude for all our blessings.

September 17, 2009

We were driving down the road the other day and Gaudencio flipped the car around because he wanted to show us something. We were only a couple miles from Ecletica on our way back from spending the day in Brasilia. "That's black magic," he said, pointing to a dead animal carcass on the side of the road next to a couple of whiskey bottles and a tire rim arranged in a strange formation. He said whenever we see whiskey bottles with a dead animal carcass, it's black magic and someone trying to kill someone. "Don't go anywhere near it, don't touch it or kick it, stay away," he said, as if we would!

Certainly we knew about black magic, but we hadn't anticipated we'd encounter it around here, so close to Ecletica. We hear stories now and then about the fact that when people know you are from Ecletica, they won't mess with you or try to steal from you because they know you are working with spirits and helping so many people working with the light side. People love this place so much and respect and admire all the people who are working here. They are so grateful that they go out of their way to help and to protect the people from here.

One of the things I like best about this place is their refusal to accept money or have much to do with it. I am repulsed by it and would be very happy if I never had to deal with it again. Not likely in this lifetime but here I do not have to be as involved or concerned with it as elsewhere and this is very appealing.

It has been 5 weeks since we arrived and we have still not been successful in opening a bank account. Is this a message?

September 18, 2009

Two days ago, after receiving such hope for a new life in that intriguing pool home only the day before, Gaudencio arrived 1st thing in the morning to say the owner had changed her mind and wouldn't be renting us the house. He was furious with her for disappointing us and rescinding her word. He had not slept all night and had been ill from the negative vibrations and the anger he felt towards her but could do nothing about but stuff inside. After much hesitation he called a former acquaintance who he had not spoken to in a very long time and asked her to consider renting us the farmhouse which he had helped her to build and which was sitting empty. This was the American woman who had left here under unpleasant circumstances to live in Abadiania. She agreed to consider it and instructed him to have me call her to discuss it. I was given detailed instructions about how to handle the call and warned to be on guard as she was a sharp businesswoman who would want to overcharge me for the rent.

Not happy about having to make this call and negotiate under instructions to not agree to any price without consulting him 1st, I was never the less happy that we had a new prospect for another house and knew that this was an even lovelier place to live than the last. I had no reason to believe that we would not succeed in an agreeable arrangement. The phone call left me on edge as she did indeed want to charge me more than I had been instructed to agree to and I had to be somewhat withholding until communicating again with Gaudencio before returning her call the following morning.

Both Paul and I did not feel right about this and the angst over money was a sign that this was not a good scenario. The next morning before returning the call, Gaudencio showed up, told me not to accept and said that he and Jason, one of the senior Elders here had another idea that they wanted to pursue and would let us know later that day or the next. Without disclosing the full details, he mentioned the possibility of another house located in the valley and mentioned that it could be seen from in front of his house. The valley which can be seen from his house is my very favorite and I have often wished I could live with a view over that valley. I had no idea that there was a house there.

Later that morning Paul and I walked Rocket over to see if we could catch a glimpse of this new potential house we might be offered to live in. My disappointments of the last couple days disappeared as I imagined what might be coming, but would have to wait yet another day to find out about……..

Before he died, Yokaanam predicted many things that would happen in the future. One of them was that many people would come here from all over the world. He instructed his followers to welcome them when they came and help to make it easy for them if they came with the intention of joining the community. Many people here believe that we are the first of the people who Yokaanan predicted would come. Gaudencio has shared with us that they are very happy that we are here. He said, "They need you as much as you need them." He tells us that they are so happy we've been attending the classes to become mediums and they like very much the way we are with all the people who live here, treating everyone with kindness and respect. They are also happy about the way we feel about money as this very same attitude towards money was one of the most important doctrines to Yokaanan and now to his followers. They will not accept any monetary payment for the services they render.

Yesterday they offered us a house to live in. They had been intending all along to offer us one but had some difficulties to overcome. Had they offered us one of the two houses which are currently under renovation, some people here would have been very upset as they have been waiting to move into them. Their intention has been to move a few people around to make available another for us. However they had not been able to do this fast enough to get us out of the hotel in the time frame we had hoped for. Knowing we had become so discontent with waiting that we made plans to leave, they put their heads together to come up with a new plan. Gaudencio hearing my many comments about desiring a small farm outside the village where I could be in nature and have some privacy, suggested to the Elders that we might be happy in their old farmhouse. It seems there was once a chicken farming operation there which for several reasons ceased to operate and the farm went into disrepair and became used mostly as a storage area for old displaced furniture and miscellaneous items. The little farmhouse has housed a succession of single men who have not been well enough to maintain the upkeep and the house is in need of some TLC. The elders were reluctant to offer such a run down place in such a remote location to us but Gaudencio told them that we were used to living on a farm and would enjoy the location.

Yokaanan bought something like 60 square miles of land which now belongs to Cidade Ecletica. A very small part of this land is occupied by the residents, both inside and outside the gated portion of town. Most of the land is still left undeveloped and in it's natural state with the occasional farm or sanctuary in remote locations. This particular farm is located inside the gated entrance to town making it very safe and protected, however to get to it you must first drive through the village and then out past the last house, through another gate and down a long winding dirt road into the valley which remains lush with it's natural growth of various plants and mature trees of all kinds including fruit trees. So much of Brasil has been defoliated by intentionally set brush fires to clear the land of jungle for cattle grazing and the raising of crops like corn and sugarcane. To have some land still here that has not been cleared is rare around this part of the country. This now defunct chicken farm sits remotely in the middle of this most beautiful of valleys. This valley is in fact my favorite one and I have always maintained since arriving here that it is the view I would have preferred to have. Now not only do I have the possibility of this view but I can be right in the middle of it, surrounded by the peaceful sanctuary of nature with the security of knowing I am protected from the happenstance of wandering banditos.

While the location couldn't be more beautiful, or even more ideally situated, both inside the protected area of town while privately remote at the same time, the farm itself is most interesting. The house is TINY and the rooms barely big enough to furnish. It will be a challenge to fit into it even the contents of our 5 suitcases we came with, let alone furniture. But as this is a tropical climate we can comfortably do most of our daytime activities outside under the cover of a roof or awning during rainy season. Fortunately there are several outbuildings placed all around the house which can be used for a variety of these possible activities. We will also consider building on an additional room to create more space. We can do this with money we would have spent towards rent as we will not be asked to pay anything to live there. Rather we will agree to give of our time to help with some work yet to be determined. Mediumship will be a part of this work we will be asked to do.

We don't know how long we will stay there as there may be other plans for it in the future. At one time there were as many as 20,000 chickens on the farm living in about 5 very large buildings. We would love to do something on a much smaller scale like raising laying hens for the production of eggs to feed the community.

Meanwhile apart from the news of our living arrangements, we are at work in our studies. Part of this task involves the translation of a journal from our mediumship class. I have in the last two days translated 2 documents. One was channeled from an entity and the other written by an early disciple of Yokaanan's about his beginnings and his mission. Paul and I are inspired! Now we are beginning to get the full impact of what we are doing here and why!

Here's what we are thinking. If we revitalize Paul's former website to post the articles he is writing along with the journals I am writing we can also post the translations of Yokaanan's writings, the messages that are being received from the entities and what the core focus of this brotherhood is all about. Perhaps more of you or people that you know may be interested in being a part of this as we uncover more. There is much to be done on the planet in this time of great change. So many of us are looking for direction in what we can possibly do to help one another. These people are expecting others to come. It is all for a great purpose and as we learn more we will share this with you and on our website if indeed we make it happen. We will see how much work there is to do and what seems most important and compelling and do what we can. It would seem we may be chicken farmers?????? In addition to being healers……

I'll end at last this longest of all my news from Brazil and report back later with other news as it unfolds in rapid succession!

We send our love and gratitude….

Mindy and Paul