À la rencontre des esprits brésiliens : la construction des relations avec l’au-delà chez les adeptes du Santo Daime au Québec
The Santo Daime, an Amazonian Brazilian religion, expanded into the Belle Province almost twenty years ago. This syncretic religion, stemming from indigenous traditions, Afro-Brazilian religions, Catholicism, European esoteric currents and Spiritism, is intrinsically connected to Brazilian culture and more specifically to the Amazon rainforest through the use of ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic substance. The fardados (uniformed members) make contact with the divine thanks to this entheogen called Daime. This thesis examines the expansion of Santo Daime in the province of Quebec through the history of a group we call the Église daimiste québécoise. An ethnography of the Daimista group will help us to explore the mechanisms that are implemented by members to make sense of this culturally distant religion. Inspired by both experiential and phenomenological approaches, this research aims to understand the religious experience amongst Quebec’s Daimistas, in which they build special relationships with the beings of the Astral, the beyond. In that sense, mystical experiences and clairvoyance are two phenomena that we will address as a catalyst of these relationships. By examining how Santo Daime enters into members’ everyday life, we will see that the process of learning the religion establishes an understanding of the language and the symbols of Santo Daime. Along with this apprenticeship, and connecting elements of Santo Daime with the other faiths they have experienced forms an intelligible ensemble that can be integrated into their everyday life. We will see that from this point on, a commitment of the members to the beings of the Astral is possible and that a real disciple (the members) / master (the spirits) relationship can develop.
Santo Daime ayahuasca Brazil Santo Daime Quebec religion and modernity ayahuasca entheogens spirits religious bricolage anthropology ethnology