Santo Daime wins court decision!

[Caduceus Mercurius]

On March 18, 2009, a U.S. District Court judge, Owen Panner, found that the U.S. Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) protects the Santo Daime's use of DMT-containing ayahuasca as part of their sincere religious practices.

This U.S. District Court (the lowest type of U.S. federal court) based its decision on a U.S. Supreme Court decision from February 2006 in a case where the UDV (another ayahuasca-using church) sought a preliminary injunction to stop the DEA from seizing the ayahuasca they import into the United States. The Supreme Court granted that preliminary injunction in favor of the UDV.

Judge Panner writes, "Guided by the unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court in a very similar case, Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao de Vegetal, 546 U.S. 418 (2006), I conclude that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000bb to 2000bb-4, requires that plaintiffs be allowed to import and drink Daime tea for their religious ceremonies, subject to reasonable restrictions."

"Plaintiffs have established their prima facie claim by more than a preponderance of the evidence. Plaintiffs have established that they are sincere in their religious beliefs, and that the ceremonial use ofthe Daime tea is essential to their religion. It is obvious that prohibiting the use of Daime tea would substantially burden the exercise of plaintiffs' religion."

"The government has failed to show that outright prohibition of the Daime tea is the least restrictive means of furthering its interests."

"Plaintiffs are entitled to relief under RFRA. Judgment will be entered for plaintiffs in accordance with this opinion."

Unless a higher court overturns this decision in the future, this ruling allows the Santo Daime church to legally import and use ayahuasca tea in their religious practices without being in violation of federal law.

You can read the full court decision here (pdf).

Source: Erowid

 

[mysticwarrior]

The pictures look creepy

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Seems they're not into private experiences in silent darkness very much, but I'm happy for them!

 

[spice]

It's a great legal victory in principle, I agree.....


mysticwarrior- I feel that ALL forms of organized religion are creepy, all of them, even when they are pertaining to use of entheogenic substances.

Organized religion is a form of behaivour modification, whatever the form it takes.


Consensus reality is one thing, consensus theology is another altogether.

 

[GOD]

They are creepy , i`ve taken part in one of their services . The women sit on one side and the men on the other and you have to wear a uniform and sing hymns . The tea they drink isnt hallucinogenic anymore . It used to be but they changed the recepie as they dont want people on trips disturbing the service .

 

[spice]

'They don't want people on trips disturbing the service'

See what I mean?

THAT is exactly the kind of shit I am talking about.......I don't want some preacher-man determining what I need to conform to....if I wanted that, I would
have joined the Army.


grrrrrr....... :twisted:

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

The mother of my children has some experience with mushrooms, and went to two Santo Daime services recently, and had very intense closed eye visuals and truly psychedelic experiences. In fact she fell from her chair and had to lie down for the rest of the first evening.

Granted, I suggested she drink tea made from 2 grams of Peganum harmala beforehand, which she did (about 5 hours prior to the ritual). She drank several cups of Daime, and aside from a gag reflex she didn't vomit at all on either of the two occasions. So maybe the Daime doesn't contain a lot of Banisteriopsis caapi.

These were 'cura' ceremonies and neither she nor any of her friends were asked to wear white robes, do a certain dance or anything of that nature.

 

[endlessness]

saying their drink is not hallucinogenic anymore is a lie or misinformation/generalization

maybe in one or another church where too many newcommers go, they use less P Viridis, but this is for sure not something that happens in most santo daime churches.. What one must understand is that ayahuasca brewing is very unique to each 'feitio' (brewing), so in some places and with some people it may be weaker and in others it may be very very potent. CM, their tea contains a good amount of caapi in general. When they do make it 'weaker', its just not so concentrated in general or it has less viridis, but they never AFAIK reduce specially the amount of caapi.. BTW I think it is totally unnecessary for you to suggest her to take syrian rue before.. Syrian rue has uterotonic alkaloids that may be very uncomfortable to some women, and caapi does not have these possibly-negative alkaloids.. Better stick to caapi or make a rue extraction with a manske step to remove the unwanted alkaloids.

I have participated several times in daime rituals, though it is not my way and will probably not go again (preffer the indigenous ayahuasca rituals or personal psychonautic experiences myself). I have taken some very strong brews with them, like the mel (honey), which is a very very concentrated version where a dose is just a tiny tiny sip.

I have several friends that are 'fardados' (members). Some members are quite dogmatic and there are some negative aspects just like with any organized religion, but there are also very open minded people that go there and have their own beneficial personal experience, regardless of the organized setting around them, and that respect other paths people may take.

If anybody considers going to their ritual, i would suggest the 'concentration' rituals which happen every 15 and 30th of the month (at least in Brazil, but I guess the same schedule is followed outside), because one can stay sitting down all the time with the eyes closed, and there is some moments of music and some moments of pure silence. The 'bailado' or other special occasions is when people have to dance in a particular manner, and there is more action in general..

but indeed, they use too much light, I preffer darkness or indirect soft light when tripping, and also the fact that their songs have lyrics is a turn off for me (some have nice lyrics, talking about the forces of the forest and so on, but still....).. When I am in an altered state of consciousness, i dont want to use my rational mind, have associations with words in a song... I preffer the indigenous singing where its not about the words but about the sound modulation, the vibratory patterns of the chants that create certain visions.. Or just silence.

 

[GOD]

The recepie got chasnged because it was to strong . If someone hallucinated haleluja for them . If they had had the original brew it would have knocked their socks off . Theres lots of literature to read and anyone who does it will find out about what i said . I had my old Daime and new Daime from people who have been going to services for many years , here and in Brazil . The first Daime i had came from a guy , an internationaly known auther , who has been going to Daime services and leading private services since 1983 . The old Daime i had came from someone who has been going since before that , hes now at least 70 years old .

 

[endlessness]

The recepie got chasnged because it was to strong . If someone hallucinated haleluja for them . If they had had the original brew it would have knocked their socks off . Theres lots of literature to read and anyone who does it will find out about what i said . I had my old Daime and new Daime from people who have been going to services for many years , here and in Brazil . The first Daime i had came from a guy , an internationaly known auther , who has been going to Daime services and leading private services since 1983 . The old Daime i had came from someone who has been going since before that , hes now at least 70 years old .

maybe what you didnt understand is that there is no such thing as 'the recipe', because there are a lot of distinctions inside Santo Daime. There is the CEFLURIS (from padrinho sebastiao, a very charismatic guy which started a daime colony where hippies from all around started to join in also, and they for example also ritualized the use of weed, calling it 'santa maria') and the Alto Santo (which attempted to maintain in the original line from mestre irineu). There are several other 'divisions' that formed, there is the famous Ceu do Mar church in Rio de Janeiro, plus a heap more of divisions around Brazil, and there are all the branches outside in europe. Each has very unique characteristics, and different sources for their material and different recepies

The feitio, which is the ritualized process of making the ayahuasca, is a very important process in santo daime. The indigenous are more open about it, and they dont necessarily take the ayahuasca while making some more. In santo daime they have rituals where they take ayahuasca, chant and beat the caapi in the rhythm, brewing it in a special context.

There are different 'grades' of ayahuasca, which are done for different purposes and ceremonies . The daime 'mel' is very rare, and only done in special cases. There are all sorts of concentration, and this varies not only between churches but between different 'events' in their ritual calender and the necessity. There are also open ceremonies where new people can go, and the more private ones for the members or in special cases they deem necessary/

Not to mention the different proportion of the caapi and the viridis, which are always present but in varying amounts.

 

[magickmumu]

I have heard that there brew is weaker then brews of other's.
But on the other hand, you can go for another cup, and another.
In fact within the Santo Daime they say, if in doubt take another cup.

 

[HeartCore]

maybe what you didnt understand

He doesn't understand yet makes a sport of excreting his negative poo into almost every positive news item.

 

[Forkbender]

I joined one of their services back in '04. It was my first true psychedelic experience and still one of the two strongest I ever had. Life altering. I didn't like the setting, though, so I didn't go back. I'm happy they won this case. We'll see if there will be a higher court overturning this decision, but my hopes are up.

 

[GOD]

" There is the CEFLURIS from padrinho sebastiao"

Thats the part of santo daime i`m talking about . The ones centered in mapia . The ones who have a recipe and make masses of ayahuasca and store it in big tanks . The one that people all over the world get .

HeartCore if you have nothing positive and helpfull to say shut up . Stop being a baby and stop being so petty .

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

PDF from the Oregon Santo Daime case:

http://www.csp.org/society/docs/SantoDaimeAshland20090318.pdf

 

[Mycophile]

Goddamnit, this freaks me out...

If I praise the lord I can take a psychedelic legally. But if I want to do it just for fun or personal growth without being religious I should be locked up...