José Gabriel da Costa, later known as Mestre Gabriel, (1922–1971), is the founder of the
União do Vegetal
The Beneficent Spiritist Center ''União do Vegetal'' ( pt, Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal, links=no ; or UDV) is a religious society founded on July 22, 1961 in Porto Velho (Rondônia) by José Gabriel da Costa, known as Mestr ...
, a Christian religious sect that considers
Hoasca (more commonly referred to as "ayahuasca") to be its main
sacrament
A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...
. This beverage is made by boiling two plants, Mariri (''
Banisteriopsis caapi
''Banisteriopsis caapi'', also known as ayahuasca, caapi, soul vine, or yagé (yage), is a South American liana of the family Malpighiaceae. It is one half of ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of its entheogenic (connecting to spirit) us ...
'') and Chacrona (''
Psychotria viridis
''Psychotria viridis'', also known as ''chacruna'', ''chacrona'', or ''chaqruy'' in the Quechua languages, is a perennial, shrubby flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is a close relative of '' Psychotria carthagenensis'' (a.k.a. ' ...
''), both of which are found in the
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
.
Mestre Gabriel was born on February 10 in Coração de Maria, in the state of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. He received minimal education and moved to
Acre, Brazil, later becoming a
rubber tapper
Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years ...
in the Amazon region. It was through his work as a rubber tapper that Mestre Gabriel first encountered Hoasca; receiving what he believed to be revelations, he created the UDV on July 22, 1961, on the border between Brazil and Bolivia, organizing a coherent belief system and gathering the first few followers.
After some years Mestre Gabriel left the forest and moved with his family to Porto Velho, the capital of the Guaporé territory (which would later become the state of Rondônia, Brazil) easing access to and expansion of the UDV. There the religious institution was formally registered on November 1st, in the year of 1967. Mestre Gabriel died on September 24, 1971, in Brasília, DF. By then he had already prepared a group of disciples who united, carry on and distribute the spiritual knowledge taught by Mestre Gabriel. Today the UDV has spread through the Brazilian
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
and urban areas of the country, being present in all Brazilian capitals. The UDV is also present in numerous other countries such as the USA, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and others.
References
External links
History of the UDV and Mestre GabrielUDV official website
1922 births
1971 deaths
Brazilian religious leaders
Psychedelic drug advocates
Religious syncretism in Brazil
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