Chapada dos Veadeiros Attracts Tourists Looking for Self-Knowledge Travel

01/10/2014 - 09h19

With that star-studded sky, birds singing in joy and friendly people showing off happiness, an invitation for swimming in the "Mother Earth's womb" seemed perfect for the vibe of the plateau.

The promise comes from the organizers of a shamanic sauna, described as "one of the most powerful healing rituals," that works at "all human being levels."

After suffering from an airplane delay, lines at the airport and holes in the road from Brasilia to Alto Paraíso (GO), the plateau's "capital", it was hard resisting to "reintegration into the ecosystem" and not giving away one's "blood [sweat] to nature."

Nothing more appropriate to promote such "sacrifice" than a trip to Chapada dos Veadeiros. Mystics come to the region because they believe the place is sacred. They see a magnetic heart there where good energy flows.

It is perhaps due to its location, in the parallel 14, the same line that cross Machu Picchu, Peru's legendary Inca city. Another justification is that the place rests on one of the largest quartz crystal plates found on Earth.

The steam from the sauna becomes the "breath of the Great Spirit", in the description of the shaman, who explains that the ceremony has the power to "promote the connection between all beings": people, animals, plants and even gnomes. So I went in search of the promised experience.

Inspired by the rites of North American Indians, the session takes about 40 minutes. Participants come and go seven times from the sauna, which is lit by candles.

At every entry, a hot herbal bath, while the light is reduced.

If you feel lazy, ideally you should scare this cardinal sin away not to "break the greatest link with mother nature."

In addition to purifying the body, the steam bath also stimulates the senses, according to the followers and disciples of this trend. I bled, or rather, I sweated a lot.

I left feeling renewed, with a huge sense of relief, even though I did not connect with anyone. I lie: on the way back to the hostel, a guide offered me his services.

This, yes, helped me to get to know the "womb" and other "organs" of "Mother Earth": springs, rivers, streams, waterfalls, forests.

With it, I went through miles of trails to reach panoramic views from the top of the canyons. Between one track and another, I sweated more than at the shamanic sauna.

In that sacred refuge, I heard sounds and songs that purified my soul.

I spotted rare species that colored my view. In two days, my chakras were all very much aligned.

Mystery are always found at the plateau. Mysticism or esoterism, but it does not matter the 'isms'. Let your hippie side surface and submerge in it. Even if it is in the natural pools that surround the heart of the Brazilian cerrado (savanna).

Translated by SIMONE PALMA

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	Daniel Farah - 20.ago.03/Folhapress
	Chapada dos Veadeiros: mystics come to the region because they believe the place is sacred