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José Gabriel da Costa, later known as Mestre Gabriel, (1922–1971), is the founder of the
União do Vegetal The Union of the Plant Beneficent Spiritist Center ( ; or UDV) is a religious society founded on July 22, 1961 in Porto Velho ( Rondônia) by José Gabriel da Costa, known as Mestre Gabriel. The UDV seeks to promote peace and to "work for the ...
, a religion with Christian and reincarnationist foundations that considers
Hoasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' (Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' descen ...
(more commonly referred to as "ayahuasca") to be its main
sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...
. This beverage is made by boiling two plants, Mariri (''
Banisteriopsis caapi ''Banisteriopsis caapi'', also known as, caapi, soul vine, yagé (yage), or ayahuasca (the latter of which also refers to the psychedelic decoction made with the vine and a plant source of dimethyltryptamine) is a South American liana of the fam ...
'') and Chacrona (''
Psychotria viridis ''Psychotria viridis'', also known as ''chacruna'', ''chacrona'', or ''chaqruy'' in the Quechua languages, is a perennial, shrubby flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is a close relative of ''Psychotria carthagenensis'' (a.k.a. ''s ...
''), both of which are found in the
Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
. Mestre Gabriel was born on February 10 in Coração de Maria, in the state of
Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. He received minimal education and moved to Acre, Brazil, later becoming a
rubber tapper Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years ...
in the Amazon region. It was through his work as a rubber tapper that Mestre Gabriel first encountered Hoasca; receiving what he believed to be revelations, he created the UDV on July 22, 1961, on the border between Brazil and Bolivia, organizing a coherent belief system and gathering the first few followers. After some years Mestre Gabriel left the forest and moved with his family to Porto Velho, the capital of the Guaporé territory (which would later become the state of Rondônia, Brazil) easing access to and expansion of the UDV. There the religious institution was formally registered on November 1, 1967. Mestre Gabriel died on September 24, 1971, in Brasília, DF. By then he had already prepared a group of disciples who united, carry on and distribute the spiritual knowledge taught by Mestre Gabriel. Today the UDV has spread through the Brazilian
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
and urban areas of the country, being present in all Brazilian capitals. The UDV is also present in numerous other countries, including the US, Canada, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Australia.


References


External links


History of the UDV and Mestre Gabriel

UDV official website
1922 births 1971 deaths Brazilian religious leaders Psychedelic drug advocates Religious syncretism in Brazil {{hallucinogen-stub