A Short Story Of Santo Daime

Founded By Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra

Mestre Raimundo Irineu Serra, the founder of Santo Daime, was born in 1892 in Maranhão, Brazil. He was of Afro-Brazilian descent and moved to the Amazon region in the early 20th century, like many others seeking work in the rubber industry. In the early 1920s, while living in the Acre region of Brazil near the border with Peru and Bolivia, Mestre Irineu was introduced to ayahuasca by local indigenous peoples. It was during these first experiences with the brew that he had his profound spiritual awakening, leading to the creation of what would become Santo Daime.

Queen of the Forest

In 1930, after several years of drinking ayahuasca and deepening his spiritual practice, Mestre Irineu had a visionary encounter with a divine entity he identified as the Queen of the Forest (“Rainha da Floresta”). In these visions, she revealed to him a set of spiritual teachings, songs, and rituals that would guide the new faith he was tasked with establishing. The Queen of the Forest instructed him to sing hymns during the rituals, as these hymns were a direct form of communication with the divine. These songs, which Mestre Irineu and other members of the Santo Daime tradition received, are known as “hinos” and form a core part of the practice.

Tenements of Santo Daime

This encounter marked a pivotal moment for the Santo Daime religion. The Queen of the Forest not only gave Mestre Irineu the hymns but also provided a framework for integrating Catholicism, indigenous spirituality, and Afro-Brazilian traditions into a cohesive spiritual system. These teachings emphasized love, harmony with nature, and healing, both personal and communal. By the early 1940s, Mestre Irineu had formed a small but dedicated community that practiced the new religion, holding ceremonies where participants consumed the brew and sang the sacred hymns that connected them to the divine forces of nature.

Santo Daime Today

Mestre Irineu’s spiritual journey and his establishment of Santo Daime have had a lasting impact. His teachings and the tradition of singing the hymns during ayahuasca ceremonies continue to guide Santo Daime followers today, fostering a deep connection to nature, spiritual growth, and healing through their communion with the “Daime,” the sacred drink.