by Alok

came to brazil for a month of shamanic work

in a beautiful healing music community

in a land surrounded by jungle

sleeping in a casita

on the bank of small creek

falling asleep to the sound of living water

my back yard is a mountain with seven waterfalls

after breakfast taking shower in the waterfall

that calls me the most at that moment

then chilling in hammock overlooking fruit bearing trees

coconuts

jaca - the brazilian version of durian

huge porcupine looking fruit

rich in good fat

loaded with vitamins

powerful taste and very nourishing

every other night shamanic session

from evening till morning

music from various traditions

the following is by indian sufi master inayat khan

with celestial music by brazilian niria

who seals our session space to protect us

from bad spirits

we're singing it in portuguese

next time when you see me

you're welcome to ask me to sing this for you

close your eyes

meditate on these words

you'll feel us singing:

Fazei de deus uma realidade

Que Ele fara de ti linda verdade

Allow God to become a reality

And He will make out of you beautiful truth

after three weeks of living in the green of the forest

with shamans and waterfalls

moved to saquarema beach

where the colors are blue and yellow

heard from both dr. gabriel cousens and david wolfe

that if you eat 100% raw plant food

the sun will not burn you

been eating only raw veggies and fruits

during my entire time in brazil

so decided to experiment with the sun

being cautious

applied sunblock to few sensitive spots

my nose, my bold scalp, my big lower lip,

and the tattoo on my shoulder

and began making love to the sun

spent hours every day in the powerful brazilian sun

didn't get sunburn even once

my friends used sunblock

and when they forgot or missed covering a body part

they got sunburned

been thinking a lot about what does it mean

that if we eat raw veggies and raw fruits

we don't get burned by the sun

this is very powerful signal

the answer may be simple

when we eat raw

we eat undistorted sun energy

we become one with the sun

been doing my daily tibetan yoga

either near the waterfall in the jungle

or on the beach in saquarema

such a powerful practice

caipirinha is a popular brazilian drink

with lots of alcohol

not being much of a drinker

one or two caipirinhas would knock me out

discovered on myself that drinking a coconut

after a night of caipirinhas

is a great recipe against hangover

i would wake up in the mornings fresh and new

saquarema is a relatively small city

no tourists

no english

joined with group of friends the local carnaval

marching through city center for hours

with 30 drummers

singing the same saquarema 2003 carnaval song

over and over again for hours

next day traveled to the carnaval in

rio de janeiro

unlike the authentic saquarema carnaval

the rio de janeiro carnaval has become

a corporate event sponsored by

american pharmaceutical company

and a fast food burgers chain

rio carnaval is

grandiose las vegas on wheels presented by

seven music schools

each school with its own song

and four thousand dancers

making it a spectacle of 28 thousand dancers

that lasts for ten hours

rio de janeiro is an amazingly beautiful city

lots of beaches, mountains,

and thick forests in the middle of the city

from the top of one mountain people do air gliding

landing in a nearby beach

making the city sky full with flying people

getting charged by the loving sun

the green of the trees and plants

the warmth of the people

© 2003. All Rights Reserved.
Alok, Brazil, February-March 2003

Formerly a staff sergeant in the Israeli army, Alok has shifted his energy from war into healing. He is a board certified Holistic Health Counselor through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) and a member of Psi Chi, the American National Honor Society in Psychology. Alok’s first book, Stepping Onion, was published by Keter Publishing House, Jerusalem, Israel in 1987. He is the primary contributor for the monthly "Alok Holistic Health Newsletter," which combines holistic health with poetry. To read more of Alok’s poetry or to subscribe to the newsletter visit www.AlokHealth.com.