Chapter 4 - Abadiania, Brazil

G’Day All

Now that I can read and write again, I thought I would catch you up on the last of my adventures in Abadiania. Now I must warn you this story contain some graphic descriptions and may in fact all be fiction, I am a writer after all – I will leave it for you to decide.

I spent a lot of time preparing myself for the visible spiritual surgery that I had been told that I would receive, if you remember from my last novel. Eye scrapings surgery, I am particularly sensitive about my eyes, have a real hard time getting letting anyone near them and even putting drops in my eyes is a major drama – they are just really sensitive and sensitive to light as well. So the thought of someone taking a kitchen knife to my eyes is a very scary prospect – but hey if it’s going to heal, and I was healed of my Tinnitus last year, then I think I could work with that.

I have a CD from Margaret Dent, recently deceased mentor, on it was a track about letting go of fear, so you can imagine how many times I played that track!

Tuesday I was planning on having a quiet day, but ended up accompanying Craig and Steve to Anapolis, yet again. It was not to bad, running round town, photo’s, banking, plane flights, lunch, photo’s, money blah blah. While at the bank a couple of Mormon missionaries came in, one of them struck up a conversation, I think he was a little amazed to see a large group of gringo’s (we had ran into some other friends from Abadiania at the bank). Now Mormon’s stick out like a boil on a witch’s nose, (not judgemental – just statement of fact). So I always find it very amusing when they tell you they are Mormon’s doing missionary work ... You would have to be from the Amazon, never having seen a white man before – not to recognise those crisp white short sleeve shirts, the black plastic elder badgers and black trousers and shoes and dorkish young looks (ok been a little judgemental here – I too want to be Mormon missionary, in an alternate reality). Another man joined the bank queue with a small child, he joined the conversation, I think the opportunity to speak English compels you to join a conversation with other English speakers when you are in a non-English speaking country – even uninvited. It turns out he was a missionary (of the non-mormon variety) as well (although did not look the part at all), so surrounded by missionaries we did our banking and got the hell out of there...

Wednesday came and like a swarm of white moths we descended on the Casa, someone somewhere decided that you had to wear white when visiting the Casa – if you have ever seen my photo’s from my first trip, you know I did not get that particular memo. If god does not care about the colour of our skin, I’m sure she doesn’t give a hoot about the colour of the clothes we wear. So off to the Casa I went, all psyched for my eye surgery. They call the line for those coming for surgery first and a sizable group of people filed into the surgery room, myself amongst them. Once everyone is settled they ask if anyone between the ages of 18-52 wants to receive visible surgery? I put my hand up, folly is a word that springs to mind, two other people also wanted visible surgery – but one of them was directed to sit back down and the other – well I have no idea what happened to him – disappeared into a vortex I think.

I was lead to the main Current room (read my last email for description of a Current Room), placed before the medium Joao, told to close my eyes and place my right hand on my heart – which I dutifully did (this really does sound like a cult doesn’t it... Just kidding). Joao was praying aloud in Portuguese (I really must learn Portuguese- just so I have sort of clue). So am I a standing there with my eyes closed in a state of meditation, fear, trepidation, apprehension, anxiety and just downright terror. Suddenly a hand grabs the hand that is over my heart and pulls me – I nearly topple over, Joao steadies me, and then drags me out of the current rooms and into the main hall, where there are hundreds of people waiting.

He took me up onto the platform at the front of the hall and placed his hand on my forehead, and pushed my head back against the way. This I was to discover is the process by which he anaesthetises you. I felt a strange sense of peace and calm come over me and I was like I was no longer there, but yet was. Like a deep state a meditation, but different – it’s a very hard state to describe. So I am all prepared for surgery – I did not even think it was strange that I was standing (eye surgery is usually performed with the patient seated). He began to role up my shirt – NOW I began to think things were strange – in fact I realised he was about to take a scalpel to some part of my body. Well you can imagine – all that fear I had been feeling over the past few days and just a few minutes before – came rushing back. OH MY F$%^KING LORD ….. I opened my eyes for a brief moment. Big mistake – by opening my eyes I broke the anaesthesia. I could hear him opening the sterile scalpel packet – thank god he’s using a sterile implement I thought…..

As the knife sliced into my skin, just below my left nipple, all thoughts left my mind, and were replaced by searing pain. I was actually surprise I did not faint or scream. A small moan escaped my lips at one point – but I think the expression on my face really told the onlooking congregation all they needed to know. I don’t in anyway blame Joao, I know/knew that I had broken the anaesthesia. It felt like it went on forever and it felt like he was carving a shape, an S, in my chest. I was much later to discover that there were two incisions and a few other marks – that look like suture marks. I heard him reach for his implements again, thinking OM MY GOD – he is now going to stitch me up with a needle and thread – this is what has happened with all other physical incisions that I have been witness to. He usually puts a single roughly sewn suture in place. I just could not imagine how painful that was gong to be…..

However this was not to be my fate on this day. I felt him place his hand on my forehead again, tilting my head back. I felt this sense of peace and calm come over me again and I knew better this time – I was keeping my eyes shut. A cue tip was placed in my nose and pushed up as far as it would go – It was not uncomfortable at all – although I could not quite understand the gasps of amazement coming from the congregation gathered in the hall. At least I thought it was a cue tip, it felt like a cue tip. As the video was later to reveal I was so very very wrong.

Steve, who I had spent Tuesday running around Anapolis with, had managed to make it to the front of the hall. The night before he had figured out how to use video recording feature of his digital camera. He captured 56 seconds of the surgery – which is precisely how long it took. In addition to this small bit of video there is an official video – which I have ordered – but probably wont get to see for some months. If you want to see this video clip – let me know and I will send it, a 4mb file

The video goes something like this…. Scalpel, slicing, no blood, PAINED expression on Peter’s face, a groan, more facial expression of pain. Joao reaches for his implements … picks up a pair of surgical scissors, about 4-5 inches long. Opens them and uses them to tear off a small amount of cotton wool – dips this in a liquid (which I understand is blessed water), then proceeds to roughly shove the closed scissors up my right nostril. He pulls back to show the congregation, then proceeds to pull the scissors almost all the way out, then shoves them back up my nose again – he does this three times. Then tilts my head forward and pulls the scissors from my nose. At this point and only as he is removing the scissors for the last time – does the wound on my chest begin to bleed. I am turned and dropped into a waiting chair.

Now I am sure there are all sorts of explanations for why I did not feel the scissors … shock from the incisions, spiritual anaesthesia (if you believe this is possible) just a couple of examples and I am sure there are many more… however there is something very undeniable about what happened – it is physically not possible (according to some doctors I have spoken too) for 5 inches of straight, unbending stainless steel scissors to go up someone’s nose. There is simply nowhere for it to go.

So with that I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.

I was taken to the recovery room – where I personally believe a lot of the spiritual healing takes place. You are in a room, next to the current room; I could feel energy pulsing over my body. The wound on my chest hurt and throbbed like hell for about 30 minutes. After enduring the pain for that long I asked for the pain to be taken away – it was and from that moment no pain has ever returned – during the whole healing of the wound. The Casa nurses tended me; a small swab was placed on the incision and doused in blessed water. I lay there for a good couple of hours. As I lay there, I meditated/prayed/whatever label you want to use. There was a light show going off in my head, and my eyes felt like they were been removed from my eye sockets and replaced. I experienced many strange sensations over the course of the next couple of hours. And I had the distinct feeling that my friend Margaret Dent was standing beside me, holding my hand most of the time.

After surgery you are required to leave the Casa (home) and return to you Pousada (Inn/Hotel) and spend 24hours recovering. There are a number of recommendations about what to do and what not to do – but basically it boils down to – love yourself and care for yourself for 24 hours … the world will be there when you get back. So I spent 24hours in my room, coming out for meals. Craig visited me around lunchtime just to ensure I was OK and had everything I needed. I was fine – there was no pain from the incision, my nose felt really tender, only when I pressed on it – kinda like when you press on a recovering sore or if you have had stitches and your press on the area where the stitch enters your body. My friend Craig was scheduled to have surgery Wednesday afternoon – so he left to return to the Casa. His is an interesting tale, but not for telling here, although I encourage him to document his experiences. If you have ever had a general anaesthetic you will understand what I am about to describe; When the general anaesthetic wears off and you become conscious again, you feel exhausted, still partially sedated, you want to sleep (but often the nurses wont let you), disoriented, sometimes nauseas, confused, your whole body kinda of aches – but not from any sort of specific pain. This is exactly how you feel after spiritual surgery at the Casa – the spiritual anaesthesia has almost the same side effects – but I suspect for many different reasons. Including the fact that a lot more healing continues to occur while you are in this semi sedated state.

Thursday morning I finally emerged from my cocoon, coming out into the world – my eyes were super sensitive to light, they felt like they had been popped out of my eye sockets. I woke very early and strolled the empty streets of Abadiania, the sun had risen, but was still weak in the sky and hidden behind much cloud – there had been a huge thunderstorm through the night. There was fog in the valley and down some of the streets. I ran into Annie, from Brisbane, we chatted for a bit, she was trying to find a home for a homeless dog that had adopted her. Later in the morning I dropped in on Craig to see how he was doing. He like I said had also had a pretty intense experience, and was recovering slowly.

Thursday was a public holiday in Brazil, a Saint’s Feast day, someone did tell which saint, but I forgot. As a result of this I had been told there would be a lot of Brazilians at the Casa, coming to Joao on this holy day for healing. I made a decision to stay away from the Casa for the day – a decision I would later find out to be a very good choice. So I spent time with Craig, downloaded my email, which he read to me and replied to some of them for me… as I was not reading for suggested 8 days after surgery. To go through life as a person with sight and not read – is a very difficult thing indeed – there are words everywhere, there were times when I had no choice, like negotiating the airport on my way back to Rio – I quickly found the limits of what I could or could not do – my eyes would tire quickly, even today, I find my eyes tiring after reading a few pages, writing this has been a little easier, as I can type reasonably well and fast and don’t have to spend too much time reading what I am writing (which will probably result in a lot of grammatical and spelling errors – but hey that happens when I can read ;-0 ).

Thursday evening one of the people staying at my Pousada, Linda, returned home after six pm and told me what a zoo it had been at the Casa that day – there were thousands of people, and the afternoon session went from 2pm till 6pm – usually the morning and afternoon sessions go for two and half hours. So a four-hour session is pretty intense. There were also a lot of people with, what is referred to as dark energy – think along the lines of the Dark Side of the Force in Star Wars and you kinda get the picture. Including one man, who by accounts appears to be possessed by a not so pleasant entity (think Amityville Horror and now you really get the picture)…. So I was rather glad that I had trusted my intuition and stayed away. I found later that afternoon (before I saw Linda) that Joao had instructed those people in wheelchairs to stay away from the Casa from Wednesday afternoon till Friday afternoon – so he must have had some inkling of the what was going to be happening at the Casa over the next couple of days.

Friday morning I returned to the Casa, where I sat in current for the morning session, meditated for two and half hours. Although I have spent many years meditating, meditating for that length of time is hard work…Friday afternoon was uneventful, spending the afternoon saying goodbye to friends that I had made and will miss, as I was leaving early Saturday morning to catch a return flight to Rio.

And so my adventures in Brazil were almost at an end.

I returned to Rio Saturday morning and spent a couple of days with my friend Ivan. Laundry was an important item on my agenda and we went sightseeing on Sunday, we visited this small castle located in the Bay, which you had to catch a schooner too, we also visited Saint Sebastian Cathedral – he is the patron saint of Brazil (according to Ivan) and we went and saw Star Wars Episode III. Ivan’s religion is a mixture of catholism and African rituals – he showed me a video of his initiation ceremony it was most interesting. On my next trip I would like to go and witness one of these rituals first hand. Monday I got to spend a little time with my Canadian friend Brad – who was bringing me up to speed on his exploits and the happening on Ipanema beach. Over the weekend it was Gay Pride celebrations in Sao Paulo – so a lot of the Rio gay population had made the short journey to SP for this event.

Once again I found myself packing my bags and getting ready for another gruelling flight – how I hate travelling coach!! I am really looking forward to not living out of a suitcase – but the adventure must continue. Monday I headed for the US, first stop Dallas to spend time with my friend Israel. Hopefully I will also catch up with some of my ex-Yum colleagues. Dallas has so far been uneventful; I suspect there will be little to report … oh I almost forgot…

On the seventh night after a spiritual surgery you have the spiritual stitches removed… I have heard of reports where MRI’s show the internal stitches of spiritual surgery – but I have no first hand knowledge of this myself … somebody told me ;-). So my stitches were been removed my first night in Dallas. I have to say that this in itself was an extraordinary experience. There was definitely an otherworldly presence in Israel’s small apartment, I had not quite gone to sleep when it started – so I was aware of some of what was going on. My ears were been touched, I would hear the sound of a trumpet going off in one ear, then the other, then it would feel like someone was pushing a chimney sweep brush through one ear, then the other. There was again a lot of light in the room and in my eyes (I keep them shut). The following morning when I woke – my nose which had been very tender to touch ever since the physical invasion of my nostril was completely free of any discomfit of sensation – other than normal ones.

Well enough from me, I hope you have enjoyed my adventure so far – and like I said it may all be fiction, I’ll let you decide.