The Doctrine of Daime and the Esoteric Circle of the Communion of Thought

By Juarez Duarte Bomfim

Master Raimundo Irineu Serra adopted the motto of the Esoteric Circle of the Communion of Thought, which today adorns the entrance doors of many Daime houses and centers – and unifies them: I Shall Overcome. This signifies the continuity of the esoteric tradition, already more than a century old.

The Esoteric Circle of the Communion of Thought

In 2006, during a visit to Mr. Daniel Serra's house on Apolônio Sales Road (Rio Branco-Acre), my friend Eduardo Bayer came across a relic, a copy of the "Book of Instructions" of the Esoteric Circle of the Communion of Thought (CECP) by Master Raimundo Irineu Serra, Daniel's uncle.

The "Book of Instructions" is the masterpiece of that Venerable Order. An initiatory text, accessible only to members, and exclusive to them. Obviously, it can be inherited, after the death of a CECP member, by their family or by testamentary designation, and these will be the guardians of such an esoteric work.

The Esoteric Circle is old and was the first occult order established in Brazil. Founded in 1909 by Antônio Olívio Rodrigues (1880-1943), a self-taught Portuguese migrant, it presents itself as an altruistic, non-profit entity. People of all religions, philosophies, creeds, genders, races, social classes, and nationalities can join.

The CECP spread ideas from various esoteric currents that developed in the United States and Europe in the 19th century. This organization is characterized by a doctrine without rigid dogmas, open to various beliefs attentive to the bonds of universal brotherhood and human evolution.

One of its patrons and masters is Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), an Indian guru, and pioneer in bringing the millennial knowledge of Hindu religiosity and the fundamentals of yoga to the West.

The ideal cultivated is the "communion of thought," that is, a collective mental current aiming at generating waves of thoughts of Harmony, Love, Truth, and Justice — the mottos of the Order.

The CECP is a humanist and mentalist organization. At pre-established hours of the day, members should vibrate in communion. Currently, one of the organization's main rites is the collective chanting of the "Harmony Key" Prayer, always at 6 PM, in all the Tattwas established throughout Brazil.

The esoteric member should also recite the "Consecration of the Room" and the thanksgiving prayer individually every day.

The CECP expanded rapidly. By 1910, Tattwas — Centers of mental irradiation, cells of the Circle — were created in different locations. Throughout the first decade of the 20th century and the following decades, the CECP experienced accelerated growth, with the participation of influential personalities from political, social, and economic life, notably in São Paulo.

Based on a vigorous editorial project by Editora Pensamento, the CECP has a strong relationship with books and reading. This attracts the urban elite and middle class, educated, from Brazilian cities. It disseminates the idea that individuals should study, research, and read. No one becomes an esotericist just by attending Tattwa sessions: it is necessary to read and have a literate formation, which represents the profile of a good and dedicated esotericist. Hence, the member needs to be literate, have access to a resource that, in Brazil, is for the few — the book — and needs to enjoy reading. This is the profile of individuals from the urban middle class.

However, it is surprising... very surprising! to know the number of affiliations to the Esoteric Circle in the deep corners of Brazil, both in the interior of the Brazilian Northeast and in the distant triple border with Bolivia and Peru, in the then municipality of Brazylia, today Brasiléia, in Acre, in the 1910s.

In this region of vast rubber plantations, where the young Raimundo Irineu Serra drank ayahuasca for the first time (1914), a Tattwa, the Circle of Regeneration and Faith (CRF), was organized, and the participants did not resemble the profile of the urban middle-class esotericist described above, as this organization possibly included a majority of black participants, starting with the president, Antônio Raimundo Costa, whose profession was rubber tappers, hunters, farmers, humble laborers, and semi-literate individuals.

The Circle of Regeneration and Faith

The Circle of Regeneration and Faith (CRF) was founded in 1916, with the motto of "Harmony, Love, and Truth." The degree of formalism and institutionalization of this spiritualist center in the heart of the Amazon rainforest should be tenuous, minimal. Probably the CECP itself was still in the phase of institutionalization. However, one can undoubtedly consider the CRF as a Tattwa, that is, a cell of the Esoteric Circle.

Moreira and MacRae (2011) provide a detailed description of the CRF's activities, and we will use this information below. These authors discuss the composition of its members, which included the president, Antônio Raimundo Costa, his brother, André Avelino Costa, and the young Raimundo Irineu Serra, among other Maranhão natives, in its ranks. It is worth noting that among the waves of northeasterners driven by drought and attracted by promises of a latex Eldorado, the largest contingents migrated from Ceará and Maranhão.

In the CRF meetings, ayahuasca was consumed. During this period — the first decade of the 20th century — a habit began among the migrant (non-indigenous) and caboclo populations involved in the latex economy, which would become typical of rural communities in Acre and border regions of Bolivia and Peru: "drinking vine," that is, groups of men (and rare women) who gathered at night, after work, to commune with that drink originating from Western Amazonia.

The CRF sessions were characterized by mediumistic phenomena of spiritual communication, and in their sessions, communications were established with entities that identified themselves with titles of kings, queens, princes, princesses, and marshals. These communications were psychographed and consisted of moral messages, instructions, advice, and even prophetic, premonitory messages.

Generally, the communications were received by President Antônio Costa. To invoke these beings, "calls" were made, invocations of beings from the invisible world. The calls are similar to the icaros of the Peruvian ayahuasca tradition.

Based on documents from the time, held by the families of the brothers Antônio and André Costa, Moreira and MacRae (2011) state that there was a moment in the CRF ritual to consult the present entities, to obtain advice on difficult situations or health issues. In these consultations, solutions were suggested for the various issues of the consultants, as well as prescriptions for forest remedies and industrialized medicines.

Another practice within the CRF was the use of titles of nobility or military ranks by the participants, similar to those attributed to the entities. According to collected testimonies, the wife of President Antônio Costa, Mrs. Josefina Ortiz Costa, used the title of queen, while a participant named Dulce used the title of princess, etc.

The CRF participants held military ranks, ranging from marshal to soldier, to make hierarchical distinctions among the members of the cult. Antônio Costa held the rank of Marshal, André Costa and Irineu held the rank of General, and others held the ranks of major, lieutenant, sergeant, and so on. It is said that they wore a white uniform with blue details, where the distinctions were marked by insignia sewn onto the clothes (Moreira and MacRae, 2011).

The aforementioned authors note that during its operation, the CRF suffered significant police persecution, which required precautionary measures, such as varying the worship locations, including holding meetings across the border in Bolivia. Thus, the organization and its members were persecuted by both the Brazilian and Bolivian police.

We do not consider the institutional repressive factor as determinative for the analysis of the CRF's functioning, but rather a possible "background," that is, the state and social repression that black rural workers and indigenous ethnicities suffered daily. Obviously, their associative activities aroused suspicions.

There was an official post-abolitionist (from 1890) legislation in place that criminalized what was considered "witchcraft": the illegal practice of medicine, magic, and prohibited healing and the use of "poisonous substances" (MacRae, 1992). These are institutional mechanisms for stigmatizing and persecuting black and indigenous Brazilian communities.

However, the controlling and repressive power of the State would find material and territorial limits to enforce itself. The police contingent of Brazil and Bolivia in these distant corners would be insufficient to impose greater surveillance and control over the activities carried out by rubber tappers in a vast and difficult-to-access territory.

The Circle of Regeneration and Faith operated until 1925, and probably Irineu Serra participated until that date, as his move to the Capital of the Acre Territory only occurred at the end of the decade. The future master and Brazilian hierophant's belonging to this organization was fundamental for his religious-spiritual learning and experiences with ayahuasca. He carried this legacy with him to, on May 26, 1930, start his cult, the replanting of the Holy Doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the fertile soil of the Amazon rainforest.

By knowing, even minimally, some characteristics of the CRF, we can establish relationships, make comparisons, and perceive influences of this organization on the Doctrine of Daime that would emerge later, and its process of institutionalization over the years.

As for the entities of the spiritual world that "worked" in this house (CRF), and also its pantheon of deities, these beings are common to Brazilian popular religiosity, of European, Amerindian, and African origins. They find counterparts in the tambor de mina cults of Maranhão, in the Bahian candomblé, in the Pernambuco xangô, in the gaucho batuque, and in the carioca umbanda. These beings of the invisible world manifest in the houses of worship as orixás, old blacks, caboclos, erês, and charms of the mysteries of Heaven, Earth, and Sea.

The Doctrine of Santo Daime

The Doctrine of Santo Daime is practiced through an essentially musical cult. The doctrinal message is transmitted through hymns received from the spiritual world. The content of the messages expresses the religious and philosophical basis of the doctrine, constituting the daimista's contact with the sacred reality. They are divine revelations manifested in the form of musical poetry.

The founder of the Doctrine, Raimundo Irineu Serra, was the first to receive the hymns, of a Christian nature, in praise of God and the Virgin of Conception and messages of moral instruction. When he moved to Rio Branco, the capital of the Acre Territory, he had only six hymns, which would be the key to the formation of his doctrine.

His first disciples also began to receive hymns, and that religious community was organized under his leadership and charisma. The process of ritualizing the ceremonies, establishing the rites, the constitution of the uniform, and other procedures would be slow and lengthy. This would take over forty years.

As a community and religious leader, he would be called godfather and master by his followers.

Master Irineu renamed the hoasca drink as Daime or Santo Daime. This symbolizes a re-signification, the Christianization of ayahuasca, a drink used until then by Indians and caboclos from the Amazon for various purposes.

The main rites of the Doctrine of Daime are the danced hymnals and the concentrations. The hymnals will be sung and danced on festive dates of the Christian calendar — or on other celebrations (birthdays, etc.); and the concentrations held on the 15th and 30th of each month.

The ritualistic and organizational structure of the Doctrine of Santo Daime resembles that of an army. Its adherents wear uniforms (ritual clothing) and are identified as "soldiers of the Queen" (Queen of the Forest, the Virgin of Conception). The supreme leader is General Juramidã.

In the imagination of some daimistas, the musical instrument maracá, played by everyone in the Hymnal ritual, is also a spiritual instrument and conceived as a weapon – when the instrument becomes a sword. Thus, the Queen's soldier considers himself composed and armed to fight the battle of good, of love.

The organization is divided into male and female battalions, both for adults and youth. There is a commander for each of the ranks and a general commander of the hall.

Discipline and obedience are required for the members of the brotherhood, just as in the Armed Forces of the nations. However, there is no vertical, rigid, and pyramidal command structure, as it was abolished by Master Irineu during his lifetime due to the abuse of authority practiced by some "hierarchical superiors."

This means that over the decades, the ritualistic has undergone changes and improvements. The current uniform is the result of these transformations.

It was like this: on November 12, 1957, Irineu Serra returned to Maranhão, his homeland, to visit family and friends, and also to see the sea again. Sailing on the rough sea of the northeastern Atlantic coast, gazing over the waves of the sacred sea, he received instructions for the changes he should make.

In this vision, Master Irineu received, from Above, a ritualistic instruction to change the uniform, very significant for his battalion, as it resulted in improved relationships within the brotherhood.

The uniform until then was a military tunic (dolman), white hat, and white pants, and the insignia were stars. Colonel used six stars, lieutenant colonel used five, and so on, in descending order. Due to the authoritarian and abusive behavior of some — or many — "officers," Master Irineu made the modification to wear only one star per participant in the cult, hanging on the left side of the chest – thus cultivating equanimity and egalitarianism.

The pyramidal hierarchy ceased to exist in the Army of Juramidã, as everyone is equal. The necessary command functions of the battalions lined up in the hall became regimental and statutory, essential for the organization and conduct of the works, and not mechanisms to make some "very ostentatious."

The female attire was also gradually conceived, with the active collaboration of the women of the brotherhood: the white uniform with a crown on the head, a skirt, joys, brooches of palms and flowers... all this required a feminine touch.

The blue female uniform consists of a navy blue pleated skirt; a short-sleeved white shirt with a tied bow, and on the left chest pocket the initials CRF — Center of the Queen of the Forest, referring to the initials of the Circle of Regeneration and Faith, to which Raimundo Irineu Serra belonged.

The Concentration Ritual

Meditation and concentration techniques are widely disseminated in the West today. There has been the expansion of yoga, the popularization of Indian gurus, publicized in books and other publications, the advancement of Eastern religiosity (Buddhism, Hinduism...). However, the Esoteric Circle was a pioneer in Brazil in spreading this millennial knowledge from ancient Bharata (India), the spiritual homeland of humanity.

Master Irineu drank from that source, as the esotericist he was, and introduced such practices into the Doctrine revealed to him in the ritual of meditation and mental concentration.

The Concentration ritual is one of the main ceremonies of the Doctrine of Santo Daime. On the 15th and 30th of each month, as established by the founder, the participant in this religious function should sit comfortably, keep the physical body still, the spine erect, and, most importantly, silence the mind.

The "Book of Instructions" of the CECP guides the esoteric member on the "way to concentrate" with methods of yoga and the Buddhist tradition. It compares the mind to an "unbridled steed" and the practitioner to its rider, who must be firm on the reins and not let it escape, that is, not let the mind wander. It also teaches how to fix a point on the mental screen and make it the object of concentration. If the practitioner has a "devotional temperament," they should fix their thought on an image of a divine being... etc., and many other instructions that are widely disseminated and known in today's world.

However, the surprising thing is to know that, even in the 1930s, Raimundo Irineu Serra transmitted to his first disciples, rough and illiterate men of the forest, meditation and concentration techniques and practices that are considered, to this day, as the highest and deepest spiritual teachings. And this spiritual practice persists and remains, already constituting a tradition, 85 years later, in the hundreds of free centers existing in the four corners of the world.

The Esoteric Circle and other ayahuasca religions: Barquinha and UDV

Daniel Pereira de Mattos, also from Maranhão, black, retired sailor, and barber in the City of Rio Branco (Acre), will be a follower of Master Irineu between 1937 and 1945, when, after a mystical revelation, he distances himself from the ranks of the old master and founds a new ayahuasca doctrine.

From Master Irineu, he will receive blessings and encouragement to fulfill his Mission, including the first liters of Daime that he will use in the works at his little church in the middle of the forest, in Vila Ivonete (Rio Branco – Acre).

Daniel Pereira, literate, a former student of the School of Apprentice Sailors, will become an esotericist and a member of the CECP under the influence of Irineu Serra. Besides founding a second ayahuasca doctrine (in 1945), he also founds a second esoteric ayahuasca doctrine, called Barquinha, or Barco Santa Cruz.

The Doctrine of Master Daniel is based on the 12 blue books of Sciences and Mysteries, which are the same 12 Esoteric Sciences discussed by Valdomiro Lorenz in the Book of Instructions of the CECP.

We do not know if José Gabriel da Costa was a member of the CECP. The future Master Gabriel, founder of a third ayahuasca religion (1961), will hold the founding ('recreation') meeting of the União do Vegetal (UDV) at the Tattwa headquarters in Porto Velho (Rondônia). After that, he will host the ceremonies of this organization at his property’s pottery and will designate it as 'headquarters.'

— It is headquarters because I ceded, he will say.

In the mystery of the word, he associated the phonetics of the word 'headquarters' with the verb 'to cede,' to grant, to permit.

The União do Vegetal, despite not highlighting any link or influence from the CECP, can also be considered an esoteric, occultist ayahuasca doctrine, with knowledge and mysteries only accessible to group members, according to their gradation and place in the hierarchy.

Also, in the use of the Ayahuasca drink by the UDV members, there are similarities with the use of Daime in concentration ceremonies, as Hoasca (or Vegetal) should be drunk for "mental concentration" purposes.

Free center, free center, it is necessary to have love

As already mentioned, Mestre Irineu gradually formalized and institutionalized his religious association over four decades, through the main rituals of the hymn book and Concentration. He encouraged his followers to join the CECP. When there was a certain number of members, he founded the Tattwa Centro de Irradiação Mental Luz Divina, of which he was the Honorary President. This happened on May 27, 1963, with the day and number 27 being emblematic for that esoteric organization.

The Tattwa Luz Divina operated like any other of the hundreds of cells of the Esoteric Circle spread across Brazil. It held exoteric (open) sessions on Mondays, where thoughts were elevated and, in communion, the esoteric hymn was sung, prayers were said, the Key of Harmony and the Consecration of the Room were performed. There was a moment for silent Concentration, interspersed with instructive readings. The esoteric (closed) sessions were held on the 27th of each month.

The particularity and specificity of this Tattwa lay in the use of Daime. It also had its own rituals, such as the danced hymn books, exclusive to this esoteric cell. The characteristics of Tattwa Luz Divina made it unique and original. It blended the ritualism of the CECP with the developing rituals of the Doctrine revealed to Irineu Serra by the Virgin of Conception.

The vastness of the CECP, with thousands of cells and members spread across this continental country, the long distances, and communication difficulties allowed the Tattwas a considerable degree of ritualistic and doctrinal autonomy, especially since, philosophically, there was a broad openness from the Esoteric Circle to accommodate various religious manifestations within its fold, as it was not a religion.

As a set of doctrines and philosophies, the CECP was revolutionary for its time, being an ecumenical and pluralistic institution, in an era when the Catholic Church almost monopolized Brazilian spirituality.

Thus, Tattwas of various types and religious influences could be found across Brazil: Kardecist spiritism, Umbanda, African-based cults, etc. I am not aware of systematic studies on this phenomenon, only oral testimonies. However, if the organization acquired such particular characteristics in Rio Branco-Acre, why would it be different in other cities, states, and regions?

The CECP was supported by a powerful publishing enterprise: Editora Pensamento. Its best-selling publications, such as Revista O Pensamento and the annual Almanaque d’O Pensamento, made the Circle an organization with vast and rich material assets. Both the magazine and the editorial line published and disseminated themes of magnetism, astrology, clairvoyance, psychometry, therapeutics, and general psychism; Jewish Kabbalah, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other oriental philosophies. One of Mestre Irineu's "bedside books" was "The Gospel of Buddha" by Yogi Kharishnanda, from which he drew inspiration.

As a literate doctrine based on books, being affiliated with the CECP was exclusive to Mestre Irineu's literate or semi-literate disciples. The spiritual leader cultivated an intimate circle of friends with whom he conducted studies and biblical and esoteric readings.

There is an interesting dialogue between Mestre Irineu and his disciple, Mr. João Facundes (Nica), who had just finished reading "The Gospel of Buddha," borrowed from the old Master.

The Master asked Nica what he thought of the reading.

— I liked it, Master. Very much.

— What did you think?

— Master, I didn't find any difference between him and you.

— Really?!

— No, sir. Only the difference that he was a pagan.

In a widely circulated virtual book among the ayahuasca community, where I conduct an exegetical study of the hymn book O Cruzeiro, by Mestre Irineu, I state that "the philosophical conception of Daime enlightenment — and the revelatory mystical ecstatic experience provided by Daime — resembles the enlightenment of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha," and is different from the "doctrine of divine illumination by Augustine." See at:



But the question remains: why did Mestre Irineu link his Doctrine to the Esoteric Circle?

One possible sociological answer is the possibility of obtaining greater social legitimacy for his institution through the affiliation of his center with a large national organization.

Another cosmological and transcendental understanding of the "partnership" between Daime and the Esoteric Circle is that, being a humanistic and mentalistic line, its instructions perfectly align with the Daime current within spiritual fields and are in accordance with the teachings of the Queen.

The Doctrine of Daime associated with the Esoteric Circle declares the existence and contribution to earthly religiosity of great Spiritual Instructors of humanity, studies the Science of Religion in its multiple aspects, uses the scientific method of comparative religion, and seeks what is underlying in all or many religions.

The meetings of Tattwa Luz Divina began with the intonation of the Spiritualist Hymn, led by Mrs. Lourdes Carioca, and the Divine Eternal Father was called "Supreme Brahma." "It doesn't matter the name of God, as long as it is the supreme principle that governs all things" (Leonardo Boff).

Observe the cosmological grandeur of the Doctrine of Daime and the CECP: the practice of ecumenism and religious pluralism for 50 years or more, different from the fundamentalism and religious intolerance of today's times.

Fine study, fine study

Which needs to be known

Here there is much science

That needs to be studied.

Closure of Tattwa Luz Divina's activities

The Centro de Irradiação Mental Tattwa Luz Divina, the Rio Branco branch of the CECP, ended its activities at the end of the 1960s. It is said that a prominent member of the Tattwa, Mr. Francisco Ferreira (Chicão), rivaling Mestre Irineu for the direction of the Center, reported to the national leadership of the entity that, in the Acrean meetings, a hallucinogenic brew called hoasca was used.

Moreira and MacRae consider that: "in the repressive climate then prevailing in Brazil, where any non-Catholic religious manifestation was potentially subject to discrimination and persecution, one can imagine the concerned and scandalized reaction of the esoteric leader (Matilde Preiswerk Cândido), faced with what she must have perceived as practices of 'low spiritism,' involving the use of a hallucinogenic brew, being mixed with those of the CECP in Acre" (2011, p. 302).

Oral sources state that Mrs. Matilde, President of the Supreme Council of the Esoteric Circle, sent a letter to the direction and brotherhood of the Acrean Tattwa, explaining the incompatibility of the aspirations of the Esoteric Circle's board with the use of Daime.

It is said that Mestre Irineu's response was immediate:

— If they don't want my Daime, they don't want me either: I am Daime, and Daime is me.

A phrase that would be engraved in the hearts and minds of all his disciples from then on.

With Mestre Irineu's departure, the other Daime members of the Tattwa also left. One of his disciples testified:

— We followed him, not the Esoteric Circle.

At the next Monday's meeting, no follower of Padrinho Irineu attended the Tattwa session, and it was extinguished. The old Master even advised his friends to continue, saying that the instructions were very good.

Probably the end of Tattwa Luz Divina brought some relief to the numerous illiterate members of the Daime community, who rarely resorted to any text or written record. The esotericism of the CECP was linked to a bookish tradition that, despite its prestigious social connections, would inevitably cause discomfort among the illiterate and semi-literate Daime followers, significantly contributing to the exodus that occurred in the organization when Mestre Irineu withdrew (Cemin, 2001) to found his Free Center.

Strangely, in these oral narratives of the events, the name of the main executive director of the CECP at the time, the President-Delegate General Diaulas Riedel, who succeeded the founder after his death in 1943, does not appear. A successful São Paulo businessman married to the granddaughter of Antônio Olívio, the Esoteric Circle was then at its peak, and growth and expansion continued even with the physical absence of the main leader.

As it was a vast national organization, the decline of the CECP happened gradually, with its shrinkage, and today it is just a pale memory of its past. The most concerning aspect is that there is no generational renewal, making its future uncertain, as there are strong signs of organizational entropy.

What were the factors that led to the decline of the CECP? Certainly many, with the primary one being the long-term effects of the death of the founder, Antônio Olívio Rodrigues. A probable hypothesis is that, just as the national leadership did not tolerate and accept cohabitation with another doctrine in Acre, this example was repeated in other Tattwas across Brazil, forcing the disconnection of cells and members.

Perhaps paradoxically, the ayahuasca users who were rejected and invited to leave often join this occultist organization, giving it breath and survival. They seek the esoteric knowledge brought to them by the sung doctrine of Daime.

The Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal

With his departure from Tattwa Luz Divina, along with the entire ayahuasca brotherhood, Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra felt the need to formalize and institutionalize his (new) Free Center, which from then on was designated as the Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal (CICLU). This organization would be registered at the Rio Branco-Acre Notary on April 20, 1971, a few months before his passing.

The occultist nature of this association was confirmed, and the common characteristics with Tattwa Luz Divina as well. It is no coincidence that the first Assembly meeting of the Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal would take place on January 27, 1971 — the 27th, the main date of the CECP calendar and esoteric meetings.

The CICLU would be established as a "permanent and autonomous society with Christian, social, cultural, and civic functions on a legal basis, responsible for its private character guidelines."

Raimundo Mestre Irineu Serra was "deservedly acclaimed 'Mestre Imperador,'" and the titular members of the Superior and Community Council, the Immediate Master (Mr. Leôncio Gomes da Silva), the Counselor Master, other "councilors" (advisors), and other functions, including administrative ones, were inaugurated.

Thus, the Chief Empire organized his esoteric association. If we establish correspondences and correlations, we will find common traits with the former CRF and, mainly, with the CECP.

From the Statute, Founding Act of the CICLU, and the Service Decree, this document read during the Concentration ritual, we will highlight some items:


1. This association, the CICLU, is not statutorily organized as a religious entity and is based on "the gathering of people from various Christian denominations, regardless of sex, race, color, social position, or class." Well... is Daime a religion? I wrote and published an article on this question (link below), but I consider it a "false question" because, for the Social Sciences, it does constitute a religious institution. See:

http://jornalgrandebahia.com.br/2015/08/o-daime-e-uma-religiao.html
2. The institution founded by Mestre Irineu is based on "Evolutionary Eclecticism," the eclectic, ecumenical, and pluralistic character of the Doctrine, which will be practiced mainly by the dissidences and their branches that will occur after the founder's death;
3. Characteristic of an esoteric (occult) society: "the meeting should not be discussed with those who did not participate in it";
4. The teachings transmitted are of praise and moral, civic, and religious instructions, and are found in the hymns: "the Center is free, but whoever is in charge must be accountable; no one lives without obligation, and whoever has an obligation always has a duty to fulfill."

And it continues: "all who take this Holy Drink should not only seek to see beauties and wonders but also correct their defects, thus forming the improvement of their own personality."

In Santo Daime, everything adds up

Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra adopted the motto of the Esoteric Circle of the Communion of Thought, which today adorns the entrance doors of many Daime houses and centers — and unifies them: I Shall Overcome. It signifies the continuity of the esoteric tradition for more than a century.

With the founder's death, it is considered a "natural process" the tensions experienced by his disciples and the power struggles within the organization, leading to the formation of new leaderships. Space opens up for dissensions and the emergence of other centers that claim to continue the Doctrine they adopted.

However, disconnected from the original center, conditions are created for transformations and additions to the rituals established by the founder. This will be carried out by the first organized dissidence in 1974, under the leadership of Padrinho Sebastião Mota de Melo, who created Cefluris, now Iceflu, and other Daime/ayahuasca institutions that emerged.

I wish to highlight here, reinforcing the title and theme of this brief communication — the Doctrine of Daime and the Esoteric Circle of the Communion of Thought — three things:
5. The continuation of the doctrinal affinity of Daime with the instructions of the CECP, both in the original center and in the dissidences that emerged;
6. The prayers of the CECP, such as the Consecration of the Room, were incorporated into the rituals by the dissident centers that emerged. This is true for the oldest dissidence — Cefluris — and others, perhaps influenced by it;
7. A reflection on the meaning of "Evolutionary Eclecticism."

For Groisman (1999), eclecticism means much more a set of values than a school of thought. "This set of values is essentially based on the acceptance of diverse spiritual traditions in the spiritual quest with Daime" (p. 46).

Eclecticism is contained both in the core of the CECP institution and in the Doctrine of Daime, composed of Christian elements — its foundation — as well as esoteric, Amerindian, and oriental religious traditions. And this eclecticism is evolutionary because it can be considered a "cosmology in construction" (Araújo, 1999), incorporating or foreseeing the possibility of adding new philosophical-religious elements.

Anthropologists commonly use the diffuse concept of "syncretism" to understand characteristics of popular religiosity. It may be relevant to use it for the dissidences of the original Daime center, but I consider it imprecise to typify the Doctrine founded by Raimundo Irineu Serra. The more appropriate term is another: eclecticism.

Anthropologist Bia Labate analyzed an urban phenomenon of ayahuasca use and coined a term to qualify the studied groups, which soon became accepted: neoayahuasqueiro. It signifies the emergence of new uses of ayahuasca, the ingestion of the brew associated with therapeutic and shamanic practices, studies of different esoteric lines, as well as the incorporation of thought currents aligned with the New Age movement and oriental knowledge (Labate, 2004).

Question: in Santo Daime, does everything add up?

When discussing and writing about spiritualist or spiritualistic religiosity, one seeks correspondence in the invisible, astral world to gauge its truthfulness and authenticity. In the case of the Doctrine of Daime, with its many branches, this practice is established through spiritual communications in the form of musicalized poetry: the hymns.

When this transcendental phenomenon manifests, the sacred is there. Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra Juramidã promised:

— My brothers, when I am no longer here, unite and work. When you need me, form the table, call me, and I will be here to indicate what you need. Unite and work.

And... in whose heart is the Old Juramidã? He also said:

When I am absent

referring to the divisions

that would occur

after his passing

which would come

And when he said this

someone soon asked

and with whom do you stay

he answered and affirmed:

— I stay with everyone

he firmly expressed

(Nascimento, 2005).

Prayer

I thank You, O God, because this place is filled with Your Presence.

I thank You because I live and move through You.

I thank You because I live in Your life, truth, health, prosperity, peace, wisdom, joy, and love.

I thank You because all who enter here will feel Your presence.

I thank You because I am in Harmony, Love, Truth, and Justice with all beings.

So be it!

Consulted Bibliography

ARAÚJO, Wladimyr Sena. Navegando sobre as ondas do Daime: história, cosmologia e ritual na Barquinha. Campinas: Editora da UNICAMP, 1999.

BOMFIM, Juarez Duarte. O Jardim de Belas Flores do Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra. O Hinário “O Cruzeiro Universal” comentado por Juarez Duarte Bomfim.

Available at http://portalsantodaime.com.br/materia_especifica.php?idmateria=1

CEMIN, Arneide Bandeira. Ordem, Xamanismo e Dádiva – O Poder do Santo Daime, São Paulo: Terceira Margem, 2001.

CÍRCULO Esotérico da Comunhão do Pensamento. http://cecpensamento.com.br

GROISMAN, Alberto. Eu venho da Floresta. Um estudo sobre o contexto simbólico do uso do Santo Daime. Florianópolis: Editora da UFSC, 1999.

LABATE, Beatriz Caiuby; PACHECO, Gustavo. As origens históricas do Santo Daime inÁlcool e drogas na história do Brasil. Renato Pinto Venâncio, Henrique Carneiro – São Paulo: Alameda; Belo Horizonte: Editora PUCMinas, 2005.

Available at Accessed on
is. Estimula os seus seguidores a se filiarem ao CECP. Quando já com um certo número de inscritos, funda o Tattwa Centro de Irradiação Mental Luz Divina, do qual era o Presidente de Honra. Isto se deu em 27 de maio de 1963, sendo o dia e numero 27 emblemáticos para aquela organização esotérica.
O Tattwa Luz Divina funcionava como qualquer outro das centenas de células do Círculo Esotérico espalhadas pelo Brasil. Realizava sessões exótericas (abertas) nas segundas-feiras, onde se elevava o pensamento e, em comunhão, era cantado o hino esotérico, proferidas as orações, a Chave da Harmonia e a Consagração do Aposento. Havia o momento para a Concentração silenciosa, intercalada de leituras instrutivas. As sessões esotéricas (fechadas) eram realizadas no dia 27 de cada mês.
A particularidade e especificidade deste Tattwa estava no uso do Daime. E também na existência de rituais próprios, como os hinários bailados, exclusivo desta célula esoterista. As características do Tattwa Luz Divina fazia dele único, original. Pois mesclava a ritualística do CECP com os rituais em construção da Doutrina revelada a Irineu Serra pela Virgem da Conceição.
O gigantismo do CECP, com milhares de células e filiados, distribuídos por este país continental, as longas distâncias e dificuldades de comunicação, permitiam aos Tattwas uma considerável parcela de autonomia ritualistica e doutrinária, até porque, filosoficamente, havia uma difusa abertura por parte do Círculo Esotérico para, em não sendo uma religião, poder abrigar diversas manifestações de caráter religioso no seu seio.
Em sendo um conjunto de doutrinas e filosofias, o CECP se constituía revolucionariamente — para a época — numa instituição ecumênica e pluralista, em tempos de quase “monopólio” da espiritualidade brasileira por parte da Igreja Católica.
Dessa maneira, encontrava-se pelo Brasil Tattwas de diversos tipos e religiosidade: de influência espírita kardecista, da umbanda, cultos de matrizes africanas etc. Não conheço estudos sistematizados sobre este fenômeno, só depoimentos orais. Porém, se em Rio Branco-Acre a organização adquiriu características tão particulares, por que seria diferente em outras cidades, estados e regiões?
O CECP se apoiava em um poderoso empreendimento editorial: a Editora Pensamento. Suas mais vendidas publicações, como a Revista O Pensamento e o Almanaque d’O Pensamento (anual), faziam do Círculo uma organização com vasto e rico patrimônio material. Tanto a revista como a linha editorial epublicava e divulgava os temas de magnetismo, astrologia, clarividência, psicometria, terapêutica e o psiquismo em geral; a cabala judaica, o budismo, hinduísmo e outras filosofias orientais. Um dos “livros de cabeceira” do Mestre Irineu era “O Evangelho de Buda” de Yogi Kharishnanda, do qual ele bebeu na fonte.
Como doutrina letrada, baseada nos livros, ser filiado ao CECP era exclusivo dos discípulos alfabetizados ou semialfabetizados do Mestre Irineu. O Padrinho e líder espiritual cultivava um circulo intimo de amigos, com os quais realizava os estudos e as leituras bíblicas e esotéricas.
Há um interessante diálogo entre Mestre Irineu e um seu discípulo, o sr. João Facundes (Nica), que acabara de ler o exemplar do “Evangelho de Buda”, emprestado pelo velho Mestre.
Este perguntou a Nica o que tinha achado da leitura.
— Gostei Mestre. Muito.
— O que que você achou?
— Mestre, não achei diferença dele pro senhor não.
— Não?!
— Não senhor. Só a diferença… só que ele era um pagão.
Num livro virtual muito divulgado entre a comunidade ayahuasqueira, onde realizo um estudo exegético do hinário O Cruzeiro, do Mestre Irineu, afirmo que “a concepção filosófica da iluminação daimista — e a experiência extática mística revelatória proporcionada pelo Daime — tem parecença com a iluminação do príncipe Sidarta Gautama, o Buda”, e é diferente da “doutrina da iluminação divina agostiniana”. Ver em:

Mas fica a questão: por que Mestre Irineu vinculou a sua Doutrina ao Círculo Esotérico?
Uma possível resposta sociológica é a da possibilidade de obter maior legitimidade social para a sua instituição através da filiação de seu centro a uma grande organização nacional.
Uma outra compreensão – cosmológica e transcendental – da “parceria” do Daime com o Círculo Esotérico é que, sendo esta uma linha humanista e mentalista, as suas instruções casam perfeitamente com a corrente do Daime dentro dos campos espirituais, estão de acordo com os ensinos da Rainha.
Pois a Doutrina do Daime associada ao Círculo Esotérico declara a existência e contribuição para a religiosidade terrena de grandes Instrutores Espirituais da humanidade, estuda a Ciência da Religião em seus múltiplos aspectos, utiliza o método científico de religião comparada e busca o que é subjacente a todas ou muitas das religiões.
As reuniões do Tattwa Luz Divina começavam com a entoação do Hino Espiritualista, puxado por dona Lourdes Carioca, e o Divino Pai Eterno era chamado de “Brahma Supremo”. “Não importa o nome de Deus, desde que seja o princípio supremo que rege todas as coisas” (Leonardo Boff).
Observem a grandeza cosmológica da Doutrina do Daime e do CECP: a prática do ecumenismo e pluralismo religioso há 50 anos ou mais, diferente dos fundamentalismos e intolerância religiosa dos tempos de hoje.
Estudo fino, estudo fino
Que é preciso conhecer
Aqui tem muita ciência
Que é preciso se estudar.
Encerramento das atividades do Tattwa Luz Divina
O Centro de Irradiação Mental Tattwa Luz Divina, filial rio-branquense do CECP, encerra as suas atividades ao término dos anos 1960. Contam que um membro de destaque do Tattwa, o sr. Francisco Ferreira (Chicão), rivalizando com o Mestre Irineu pela direção do Centro, denunciou à direção nacional da entidade que, nas reuniões acreanas, se fazia uso de uma beberagem alucinógena, de nome hoasca.
Moreira e MacRae consideram que: “no clima repressivo então reinante no Brasil, onde qualquer manifestação religiosa não católica era potencialmente sujeita a discriminação e perseguição, pode-se imaginar a reação preocupada e escandalizada da líder esotérica (Matilde Preiswerk Cândido), perante o que deve ter percebido como práticas de ‘baixo espiritismo’, envolvendo o uso de uma beberagem alucinógena, sendo mescladas às do CECP no Acre” (2011, p. 302).
Fontes orais afirmam que a Dona Matilde, Presidente do Supremo Conselho do Círculo Esotérico, teria enviado uma carta à direção e irmandade do Tattwa acreano, explicitando a incompatibilidade dos anseios da diretoria do Círculo Esotérico da Comunhão do Pensamento com o uso do Daime.
Contam que a resposta de Mestre Irineu foi imediata:
— Se não querem o meu daime, também não me querem: eu sou o Daime e o Daime sou eu.
Frase que ficaria gravada no coração e na mente de todos os seus discípulos, a partir de então.
Com o afastamento do Mestre Irineu, os outros daimistas membros do Tattwa também se retiraram. Um seu discípulo depõe:
— A gente acompanhava ele, não era o Círculo Esotérico.
Na reunião da segunda-feira seguinte nenhum seguidor do Padrinho Irineu compareceu à sessão do Tattwa, e esse se extinguiu. O velho Mestre chegou a aconselhar seus amigos a continuarem, dizendo que as instruções eram muito boas.
Provavelmente o fim do Tattwa Luz Divina provocou certo alivio nos numerosos membros pouco letrados da comunidade daimista, que raramente recorriam a algum texto ou registro escrito. O esoterismo do CECP se filiava a uma tradição livresca que, apesar de suas conexões sociais prestigiosas, não deixaria de causar desconforto entre os analfabetos e semialfabetizados do Daime, contribuindo de maneira expressiva para a debandada que ocorreu na organização quando Mestre Irineu se retirou (Cemin, 2001), para fundar o seu Centro Livre.
Estranhamente, nessas narrativas orais dos eventos não aparece o nome do principal dirigente executivo do CECP à época, o Presidente-Delegado Geral Diaulas Riedel, que sucedeu o fundador após a sua morte, em 1943. Empresário paulista bem-sucedido, casado com a neta de Antônio Olívio, o Círculo Esotérico vivia então o seu apogeu, e o crescimento e expansão continuou mesmo com a ausência física do principal líder.
Como era uma imensa organização nacional, o declínio do CECP aconteceu gradualmente, com o seu encolhimento, e hoje é apenas uma pálida lembrança do seu passado. O mais preocupante é que não há renovação geracional, o que torna o seu futuro incerto, pois há fortes sinais de entropia organizacional.
Quais foram os fatores que levaram ao declínio do CECP? Certamente são muitos, e o principal os efeitos, a longo prazo, da morte do fundador, Antônio Olívio Rodrigues. Uma hipótese provável é que, da mesma maneira que a direção nacional não teve tolerância e aceitação de co-habitação com outra doutrina, lá no Estado do Acre, este exemplo se repetisse em outros Tattwas Brasil afora, forçando o desligamento de células e sócios.
Talvez paradoxalmente, os ayahuasqueiros que foram rejeitados e convidados a se retirar, costumam se filiar a esta organização ocultista, lhe dando fôlego e sobrevida. Vão em busca dos conhecimentos esotéricos levados a eles pela história da doutrina cantada do Daime.
O Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal
Com a sua saída do Tattwa Luz Divina, junto com toda a irmandade ayahuasqueira, Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra sentiu a necessidade de formalizar e institucionalizar o seu (novo) Centro Livre, que a partir de então passou a ser designado de Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal (CICLU). Esta organização será registrada no Cartório de Rio Branco-Acre em 20 de Abril de 1971, poucos meses antes do seu passamento.
A condição ocultista desta agremiação foi confirmada, e as características comuns ao Tattwa Luz Divina também. Não é por acaso que a primeira reunião de Assembleia do Centro de Iluminação Cristã Luz Universal acontecerá no 27 de janeiro de 1971 — dia 27, data principal do calendário do CECP e das reuniões esotéricas.
O CICLU será instituído como uma sociedade “perdurável e autônoma com função cristã, social, cultural e cívica em base jurídica, responsável por suas diretrizes de caráter privado”.
Raimundo Mestre Irineu Serra foi “merecidamente aclamado ‘Mestre Imperador’”, e empossados os membros titulares do Conselho Superior e Comunitário, o Mestre Imediato (sr. Leôncio Gomes da Silva), o Mestre Conselheiro, demais “conciliares” (conselheiros) e outras funções, inclusive administrativas.
Assim o Chefe Império organizou a sua agremiação esotérica. Se estabelecermos correspondências e correlações, vamos encontrar traços comuns ao antigo CRF e, principalmente, ao CECP.
Do Estatuto, Ata de fundação do CICLU e do Decreto de Serviço, este documento lido durante o ritual de Concentração, destacaremos alguns itens:
1. Esta agremiação, o CICLU, não se organiza estatutariamente como religiosa, e tem como base “o congraçamento de pessoas de varias denominações cristã, sem distinção de sexo, raça, cor, posição social ou classe”. Bem… o Daime é uma religião? Sobre esta pergunta escrevi e publiquei um artigo (link a seguir), mas adianto que considero esta uma “falsa questão”, pois para as Ciências Sociais se constitui sim em uma instituição de caráter religioso. Ver:
http://jornalgrandebahia.com.br/2015/08/o-daime-e-uma-religiao.html
2. A instituição fundada por Mestre Irineu se fundamenta no “Ecletismo Evolutivo”, o caráter eclético, ecumênico e pluralista da Doutrina, que será praticado principalmente pelas dissidências e suas ramificações que ocorrerão após a morte do fundador;
3. Característica de sociedade esotérica (oculta): “não se deve comentar sobre a reunião com quem não participou da mesma”;
4. Os ensinos transmitidos são de louvor e de instruções morais, cívicos e religiosos, e encontram-se nos hinos: “o Centro é livre, mas quem toma conta, deve dar conta; ninguém vive sem obrigação e quem tem obrigação tem sempre um dever a cumprir”.
E continua: “todos que tomam esta Santa Bebida, não só́ devem procurar ver belezas, primores, e sim corrigir os seus defeitos, formando, assim, o aperfeiçoamento da sua própria personalidade”.
No Santo Daime tudo se soma
Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra adotou o lema do Círculo Esotérico da Comunhão do Pensamento que hoje adorna as portas de entrada de muitas casas e centros daimistas – e os unifica: Hei de Vencer. Significa a continuidade da tradição esotérica, já há mais de um século.
Com a morte do fundador, é considerado um “processo natural” as tensões vividas pelos seus discípulos e as lutas por poder dentro da organização, com a formação de novas lideranças. Abre-se espaço para as dissenções e surgimento de outros centros, que avocam para si a continuidade da Doutrina que adotaram.
Todavia, desligados do centro original, criam-se as condições para as transformações e acréscimos nos rituais constituídos pelo fundador. Isto será realizado pela primeira dissidência organizada, em 1974, sob a liderança do Padrinho Sebastião Mota de Melo, que cria o Cefluris, atualmente Iceflu, e as demais instituições daimistas/ayahuasqueiras que vão surgindo.
Desejo destacar aqui, reforçando o título e tema desta breve comunicação — a Doutrina do Daime e o Círculo Esotérico da Comunhão do Pensamento — três coisas:
1. A continuação da afinidade doutrinária do Daime com as instruções do CECP, tanto no centro original como nas dissidências surgidas;
2. As orações do CECP, como a Consagração do Aposento, foram incorporadas nos rituais pelos centros dissidentes que surgiram. Isto na dissidência mais antiga — o Cefluris — e em outras, talvez por influência desta;
3. Uma reflexão sobre o significado de “Ecletismo Evolutivo”.
Para Groisman (1999), ecletismo significa muito mais um conjunto de valores do que uma escola de pensamento. “Este conjunto de valores tem como base essencial a aceitação de tradições espirituais diversas na busca espiritual com o Daime” (p. 46).
O ecletismo está contido tanto no cerne da instituição CECP como na Doutrina do Daime, composta de elementos cristãos — a sua base — e também esotéricos, ameríndios e da tradição religiosa oriental. E este ecletismo é evolutivo porque pode ser considerado uma “”cosmologia em construção” (Araújo, 1999), incorporando ou antevendo a possibilidade de acréscimos de novos elementos filosóficos-religiosos.
Os antropólogos comumente utilizam do conceito difuso denominado “sincretismo” para compreensão de características da religiosidade popular. Talvez seja pertinente o seu uso para as dissidências do centro daimista original, porém considero impreciso para tipificar a Doutrina fundada por Raimundo Irineu Serra. O termo mais adequado é outro: ecletismo.
A antropóloga Bia Labate analisou um fenômeno urbano de uso da ayahuasca e difundiu um conceito para qualificar os grupos estudados, este termo logo passou a ser aceito: neoayahuasqueiro. Significa o surgimento de novos usos da ayahuasca, a ingestão da bebida associado a práticas terapêuticas e xamânicas, a estudos esotéricos de diferentes linhas, além da incorporação de correntes de pensamento afinadas com o movimento new age e os conhecimentos orientais (Labate, 2004).
Pergunta: no Santo Daime tudo se soma?
Quando se fala e escreve sobre religiosidade espírita ou espiritualista se busca correspondência no mundo invisível, astral, para se aferir a sua veracidade e autenticidade. No caso da Doutrina do Daime, com suas muitas ramificações, esta práxis se estabelece através das comunicações espirituais na forma de poesias musicadas: os hinos.
Quando este fenômeno transcendental se manifesta, o sagrado ali está. Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra Juramidã prometeu:
— Meus irmãos, quando eu faltar aqui, vocês se unam e vão trabalhar. Quando vocês precisarem de mim, formem a mesa, me chamem que eu estou aqui para indicar o que vocês precisarem. Unam-se e vão trabalhar.
E… no coração de quem está o Velho Juramidã? Ele também disse:
Quando eu me ausentar
se referindo às divisões
que haveriam de se dar
depois de sua passagem
que haveria de chegar
E quando ele disse isso
Alguém logo lhe perguntou
e o senhor com quem fica
respondendo afirmou:
— eu fico com todos
com firmeza expressou
(Nascimento, 2005).
Oração
Agradeço-Te, ó Deus, porque este recinto está cheio de Tua Presença.
Agradeço-Te, porque vivo e me movo por Ti.
Agradeço-Te, porque vivo em Tua vida verdade, saúde, prosperidade, paz, sabedoria, alegria e amor.
Agradeço-Te, porque todos os que entrarem aqui sentirão Tua presença.
Agradeço-Te porque estou em Harmonia, Amor, Verdade e Justiça com todos os seres.
Assim seja!
Bibliografia consultada
ARAÚJO, Wladimyr Sena. Navegando sobre as ondas do Daime: história, cosmologia e ritual na Barquinha. Campinas: Editora da UNICAMP, 1999.
BOMFIM, Juarez Duarte. O Jardim de Belas Flores do Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra. O Hinário “O Cruzeiro Universal” comentado por Juarez Duarte Bomfim.
Disponível em http://portalsantodaime.com.br/materia_especifica.php?idmateria=1
CEMIN, Arneide Bandeira. Ordem, Xamanismo e Dádiva – O Poder do Santo Daime, São Paulo: Terceira Margem, 2001.
CÍRCULO Esotérico da Comunhão do Pensamento. http://cecpensamento.com.br
GROISMAN, Alberto. Eu venho da Floresta. Um estudo sobre o contexto simbólico do uso do Santo Daime. Florianópolis: Editora da UFSC, 1999.
LABATE, Beatriz Caiuby; PACHECO, Gustavo. As origens históricas do Santo Daime inÁlcool e drogas na história do Brasil. Renato Pinto Venâncio, Henrique Carneiro – São Paulo: Alameda; Belo Horizonte: Editora PUCMinas, 2005.
Disponível em Acesso em 21/10/2015.
_____, Beatriz Caiuby. Reinvenção do uso da ayahuasca nos centros urbanos. Campinas: Mercado das Letras, 2004.
LIVRO de Instruções. Círculo Esotérico da Comunhão do Pensamento. São Paulo, 2011.
MACRAE, Edward. Guiado pela Lua. Xamanismo e uso ritual da ayahuasca no culto do Santo Daime. São Paulo, Brasiliense, 1992.
MOREIRA, Paulo; MACRAE, Edward. Eu venho de longe. Mestre Irineu e seus companheiros EDUFBA – ABESUP. Salvador – Bahia, 2011.
NASCIMENTO, Saturnino Brito. No Brilho da Lua Branca. Rio Branco, Fundação Garibaldi Brasil, 2005. Também disponível em http://www.mestreirineu.org/saturnino.htm. Acesso 29/10/2015.
OLIVEIRA, Isabela. Santo Daime: um sacramento vivo, uma religião em formação (Tese de Doutorado). Disponível em http://www.afamiliajuramidam.org/mestre_irineu_palavras.htm Acesso em 28/10/2015.
_____, Isabela. Um desafio ao respeito e à tolerância: reflexões sobre o campo religioso daimista na atualidade in Relig. soc. vol.31 no.2 Rio de Janeiro, 2011. Disponível em http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-85872011000200008
RAMACHANDRA, Adilson Silva. Pensamento em evolução (O). Adilson Silva Ramachandra Sao Paulo: Pensamento, 2009.
*Juarez Duarte Bomfim, sociólogo e mestre em Administração pela Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), doutor em Geografia Humana pela Universidade de Salamanca, Espanha; e professor da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS).