Brazzil

Wish I could be there to offer some flowers!

First of all, I'd like to know how "Revered by some 30-million people in Brazil" worship Iemanjá when the last census shows only about a million and a half worshippers of Candomblé and Umbanda?

Secondly, Laurie obviously hasn't heard that in Rio de Janeiro, the festa da Iemanjá has been moved up to DECEMBER 30th in order not to conflict with the scheduled municipal beach party set for the 31st. So much for Candomblé/umbanda being a "a spiritual pilgrimage that is unique to each person" and good luck to anyone who read this article and went looking for the festival on the 31st...

Third, worship was NOT "prohibited until recent years". Offerings were prohibited until the '50s and many people still think they should be as, while pretty, they pollute the sea and the beach. IIRC, African-based religions have been legal since the Vargas era, which is more than many cities in the U.S. south can say.

Fourth, neither Candomblé or Umbanda are coherent religions. Both are a COLLECTION of widely varying beliefs and practices and the dividing line between the two is far from sharp.

Fifth, while the greatest concentration of old Candomblé temples may be in Bahia, the largest concentration of followers of the religion is in the Southeast.

Finallt, "Thousands of similar rituals were going on simultaneously all over Copacabana"...? Try about 100. Total. And that would be in a very, very busy year.

Bottomline: Laurie seems to be trying to make a name for herself based on her "in-depth" (cough, cough) reporting of religious and spiritual material, but this article is apparently the fruit of one journey to Rio as a tourist, combined with some snipping and clipping from "The Lonely Planet" and similar guide books.

In a word, yech.

I would like to be in Bahia for New Year's Eve to see how the Bahians prepare for the New Year. My friend goes all of the time to Bahia for New Year's Eve,rents a boat and parties and goes out on the Atlantic Ocean at midnight. I don't know about the rest of Brazil but Bahia has it going on when it comes to Orixa worship.

Uhm, why does this bio say that "Dancing with the Wind" is about Laurie's encounters with Amazonian shamen when here home page says that it's about self-discovery through windsurfing?

The more I read about Laurie, the more I think that the only thing she believes in is P.T. Barnum's adage about the commonality of fools....

Dear Guest, I wish I had found your comments earlier. "Dancing with the Wind" is a true story and includes an event where a shaman psychonavigated from the Amazon and appeared to me while I was on my way to windsurf. After 2 severe illnesses, doctors had told me I would be permanently disabled and it took me four years to get my health back and get back on the water.

The spirit of the sea helped me to heal. When I went to Brazil for the first time, I met with several practitioners of candomble and a published author whom I interviewed to obtain the facts of the story.

If you have any specific questions for me, please send me an email. Or you can call "The Dr. Laurie Show" on Saturdays from 9-11 pm Central Time: 800 259 9231 when it goes live on Genesis Communications Network.

Again, thank you Guest for taking the time and trouble to comment on this article.

Sincerely,
Laurie

Im impressed. Youre truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. Im saving this for future use.

Vivian
Marks Web
www.imarksweb.net