As of Aug, 2019, this section is not yet fully updated.
Please refer back to see the changes.
Vital
Answers to your
Questions
We have tried to answer questions you might have
in as broad a way as possible.
Note that some specifics that apply for our groups
may be different for the independent traveler.
The Casa Guide (as of 8/5/19 they are in process of updating the guidebook; those who register will receive a link when it is available.) has many specific details we have omitted here
as they are readily available in that book.
This is the town in Goiás in central Brazil where the Casa de Dom Inácio is located. The closest airport is Brasília, which lies 71 miles north. Anápolis is the nearest larger town, about 45 minutes drive. Abadiânia is 3,451 feet above sea level. The elevation and surrounding woods and farmland help to provide a temperate climate and breeze. December is the hottest month, July the coolest (and considered the dry season) but we have found it comfortable throughout the year. The average year round temperature is 69 degrees. Population of Abadiânia and surrounding area is 13,000. Portuguese is the language of Brazil but you will find many people in Abadiânia who speak some English.
There are many books about the Casa. Here are some favorites:
Casa Guide, published by the Casa. You can download it here.
All who participate in our groups will receive a hard copy before the trip. We request you read it carefully.
The following books are important reading for anyone who is considering a visit to the Casa:
John of God by Heather Cumming and Karen Leffler,
about Medium João and the Casa The Book of Miracles by Josie RavenWing
Spiritual Alliances by Emma Bragdon
gives more of the Spiritist background behind this work. by Barbara Brodsky (Published 2011) John of God: A Guide to your Healing Journey with Spirit Doctors Beyond the Veil by Mytrae Meliana The Casa Guide is vital reading for all who plan to visit the Casa. We won’t duplicate all the information here; please read the Guide.
The crystal bath apparatus was designed by Medium João and the entities to help balance chakras and energy. There are 5 crystal beds. The entities permission is not needed. You may have as many crystal baths as you wish (or as few). However, it may be prescribed by the entities. For example, they often have asked me to have a crystal bath before surgery. They are available by appointment, which can be made at the bookstore. The cost is R20 for 20 minutes. You lay on a bed, with eyes covered. The large crystals above you are filtered through colored lenses and are aimed at your chakras. Light pulsates through them, one or several at a time while you listen to soft music. It is very relaxing and opens your energy fields. The entities work on you during this time too.
One crystal bath session is included your group plan with us. We will have sessions reserved for the whole group on our first full day.
There is a crystal bath from the Casa in Ann Arbor, offered for a moderate fee, for those who would like to schedule a session before your trip.
These are the rooms at the Casa where healing work takes place. The two rooms are sometimes referred to as “the Mediums’ Current” (the first room) and “the Entity’s Current” where Medium João is seated. As your guides, we’ll help direct you to the proper current room, as designated by the Entity. The word “current” may be thought of as a chain, or circulation of energy. As you sit in current, the entities will assist you and you also offer your energy out to support others. In the Current Rooms and Main Hall, remember to keep your legs and arms uncrossed so the energy can move freely. Remember also to keep your eyes closed. This is the way we can best help the Entities to do their work.
If the Entity tells you to sit in his current, the Entity’s Current, the invitation extends for just 24 hours. Then you must go through the line again and ask where he wants you to be next. Neither room is better than the other room. Each serves a specific need. Please do not sit in the Entity’s Current beyond the invited period.
The lines enter the current rooms at 7:40AM and 1:40PM. Arrive a little early and wait in line. There will be enough seats for all. Go to the room to which you’ve been directed, find a seat, settle and close your eyes and focus on your reasons for being there, for your own healing and to support the highest good for all beings. Meditations such as lovingkindness and gratitude are also helpful.
If you need to leave the Current room to use the bathroom or for another urgent reason, keep your eyes closed and raise your hand. A volunteer will come and assist you. You will open your eyes to walk out. When you are ready, you may return to your seat. If you feel ill or need assistance, also raise your hand.
If the Entity does not specify for you to sit in one of the current rooms, you will pass through the line and sit for a few minutes in the surgery room, then move outside. You may then join the current energy by sitting quietly in the garden or at the meditation overlook. Sometimes the Entity will specify for you to go to the waterfall or have a crystal bath session, then return to the specified current room. Please do what is requested before you return to the current. This is for your own healing and is the way to be of greatest help to others.
After the session ends and people in the current room open their eyes, please drink the blessed water provided. The water has sat in the current room throughout the session and has absorbed the energy of the session. To complete the session, it is important not to leave the room without drinking the energized water.
The Casa operates on a donation basis. Everything is offered freely. However, the Casa could not function without the loving gifts that sustain it. One such gift is the hours of work done by volunteers who serve in many ways. Medium João receives no money for his work at the Casa. In fact, he works on some weekends running his ranch to earn money that he donates, and he pays for many of the set expenses such as the paid staff out of his own pocket, from his income.
We out-of-country visitors are very well off compared to many of the Brazilians who come. People travel 20 or more hours on a bus to spend just one day at the Casa and then travel back home 20 hours, because they cannot afford to take more time off from work or travel by plane. On some weekends Medium João travels to far places in Brazil so the healing work can be accessible to those who cannot afford to come to Abadiânia. The Casa is committed to meeting all people’s needs, which may mean offering herbs and other items freely, and absorbing the cost.
So the guideline is simply to give what you can, out of the gratitude of the heart and the joy of knowing it will benefit many people. Not just at the Casa but in all our life, we find that giving freely from the heart, and the trust it engenders that one’s needs will be met, is part of our healing.
For those who travel with us, we offer 10% of your fee paid to us as donation to the Casa. However, we encourage you to offer additional donation if you are able.
On a related note, please do not give to beggars in town. This has become a business for some people who are drawn to Abadiania just because they think they can get money from the foreigners there. This includes beggars who use children to gain sympathy. Do support local businesses, but not beggars.
If you want to give, there are places in town that receive money, food, clothes and toys for the Soup Kitchen to be distributed to the poor in Abadiânia. This is where your money donations, other than to the Casa, are best utilized.
Tipping is not the custom in Brazil. It is not necessary to tip in restaurants or for taxi service. We do offer a small tip to the cooking and housekeeping staff at the pousada.
The electrical outlets in Brazil have a different voltage and configuration than those in the USA, and require an adapter (220v). We have safely used electrical appliances such as computer and hair dryer there for many years. Adapters are usually available at travel stores.
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday healing soup - a squash base vegetable soup with vegetables and noodles (gluten free version available) - is served after the morning session at the Casa between 10 and noon. Some think this is enough to eat, prefer the energy for meditation when not laden with heavy food, and skip the noon meal. We often do this, but bring a piece of fruit or some nuts along to eat with the soup. However, you may find that sitting in the current rooms takes a lot of energy and the soup isn’t enough.
Every Tuesday between 7 and 11 am, volunteers peel and cut the vegetables for the entire week’s healing soup. Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday, volunteers are welcomed in the kitchen. Anyone can walk into the kitchen and ask if they need help. Anyone can begin picking up plates from the tables after you have had your soup.
Herbs are frequently prescribed. They are capsules of passion fruit (passaflora) infused with a healing energy vibration for each individual's particular needs. They give the entities a direct access into our systems for healing. Herbs are prescribed for each person according to their needs and are not interchangeable from one person to another. A prescription provides capsules to take 3 times a day for 2 months. Sometimes several prescriptions are given. The cost is about R50 ($25) for the 2 month supply. The herbs are very neutral and will not interfere with any medicine you take. It is the healing energy vibration infused in the capsules that supports the healing.
The capsules are empowered for your healing specifically, and are not to be given to others. While you are on this herbal regimen, adhere to the following dietary restrictions:
•
1. No alcoholic beverages. (Drops of medical tinctures are okay.) • 2. No hot spice: no chilies, no black / white / red pepper, nor dishes containing them.
Adhere to the diet as closely as possible; don't fret about occasional / minor lapses.
When you are nearly complete with your herbs, send another photo or return to the Casa until John of God tells you "You are complete".
Should you decide for some reason not to take, or to discontinue taking, the herbs, please bless them and return them to the earth by dissolving them with water. The containers may be recycled.
Check with your own doctor for what is advised for you. There is no malaria in this part of Brazil. The immunizations we suggest are tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis A and B, and yellow fever.
Often called Medium João, he is the fpunde rof the Casa and was the medium through whom the entities used to work. He was born in Brazil, just over 100 miles from the Casa. He did this work for almost 50 years. It is through his dedication and vision that the Casa came into existence. Approximately 31 different entities incorporated into his body, one at a time, to do the healing work. The Entities now work with us directly.
This is the main room with a raised platform at one end, where we wait for our group to be called to pass before Medium João and the Entity. Please consider this room as a spiritual sanctuary. Silence is a gift for all. Do your talking outside. During non-Casa hours and days, you may come here to meditate. The entities are here all the time, not just during the hours when Medium João is present.
Continue your prescriptions from home while at the Casa. The herbs will not interfere with any prescribed medications. It is important that you continue your medications.
For those taking strong painkillers, as to bringing controlled drugs like morphine into Brazil the rule seems to be that if you're traveling for 28 days or less you don't need a permit. If you're traveling for more than 28 days you do need a permit. Basically you are exporting or importing drugs every time you check through Customs. You need to check guidelines. This FDA site is a useful authority.
You need a doctor's letter for all prescribed drugs carried through customs. This must contain a list of all your prescribed drugs, even aspirin, the dosage in mg of the drug taken, how many times a day, and the total number of tablets being carried. The letter must give the patient's name, address and date of birth, and must also say which country(s) they are traveling to and give the dates. It has to be on the medical center’s or doctor’s official paper and give the name of the doctor and letters after his name; it must be signed by him on every sheet of paper.
All medication must be in its original packaging and carried in hand luggage. We prefer to have the pharmacy's label that gives my name and all the details of the prescription. We have never had a letter from my doctor to cover prescriptions, just the medications in original bottle with pharmacy label, and have had no trouble. Be aware though that there is a difference between carrying a drug like morphine or a simple nasal spray.
The Brazilian unit of money is the Reais, abbreviated R or BRL. The exchange rate varies from time to time. At present (May 2017), one Brazilian Real (BRL) is worth about $0.31 US. $10 US buys approximately 32 BRL. There is no certain place to exchange foreign money or travelers’ checks in Abadiania, and no ATM. Credit cards are accepted at the Casa and some shops. We prefer to bring all that we will need with me in cash. We change money at home before my trip since a delayed flight may make it difficult to have time to change money in Sao Paolo or Rio. The exchange rate is slightly less favorable changing it at home, but I find it worth those few dollars for the peace of mind.
There is a money exchange now in Abadiania with a reasonable rate for smaller amounts of exchange. At a bank in Anápolis, almost an hour taxi ride from the Casa, one can exchange foreign money or have money wired from home, but it’s an expensive and inconvenient trip. Our pousada has no safe where you can store money (and passport or other valuables) but we have never had any problem with theft. We carry our money in a pouch on our persons on the airplane, and immediately upon arrival, we pay our pousada owner in cash for our stays and put the remainder in a safe place in our luggage.
For those who travel on a guided trip with us, since we pass on your room and board payment to the pousada, and your travel to and from the airport is included in the trip fee, there is no need to carry that a large amount of money. It’s all taken care of for you. We recommend you bring an extra US $100 - $150/ week to cover bottled water, Casa herbs or crystal bed treatments if prescribed, an occasional taxi, souvenirs and gifts, and visits to the swimming pool, juice bar or pizza parlor. This amount has always been more than ample for me. Please leave valuables like fancy jewelry at home. When you exchange your money, be sure to get some small bills. You need to keep changing R50's for smaller bills. You will need small bills in Abadiania. You cannot give a R50 to a taxi driver for a R5 ride or pay 20R in a shop for a R1 or R2 purchase. We have found it possible to break down the larger bills at the Casa store when buying water or souvenirs; with a 20R purchase, they’ll give smaller change for the 50R if they have it. For those traveling on our group, we’ll have some smaller change available.
An English language orientation session is held at the Casa every Tuesday at 5 PM. All newcomers in our group will attend. We will also have our own group orientation. If you do not arrive with the group on Monday, it’s essential that you arrive in time for the orientation on Tuesday. You will be told in detail what to expect the next day during the healing session, and also what is expected of you. Also read Rules of the Casa de Dom Inácio; we will provide a copy for group participants and they are also posted in the assembly room at the Casa. You must follow these rules after any operation. Barbara or John will be available to guide you through the rules and procedures of the Casa.
This is a suggested list of the items we have found to be most helpful.
Also see White Clothes
below.
(BB - I usually travel with a large suitcase, wheeled duffle bag, and backpack that held my computer. The duffle bag is mostly empty to Brazil, and I use it to carry water home.)
To carry:
• Passport
• Visa
• Airline tickets
• Insurance information
• Itinerary
Clothes:
• White clothes (2 dresses or pairs of pants and shirts; you can alternate washing and wearing); No shorts or bare tops at the Casa.
• About 4 sets underwear/ bras/ socks; it's not dependable that things dry overnight if there’s rain.
• Something white to sleep in.
• Bathing suit and lightweight cover up (knee length) to wear over suit to pool.
• Two towels for pool and waterfall. Thin towels dry faster. At the end I leave them with the pousada. They are happy to have them. I also bring a wash cloth.
• Other clothes; (BB - I mostly wear shorts or capris and light weight cotton shirts. I brings 1 each, shorts and capris, 2 shirts, plus one more shirt and 1 skirt that I travel in.) For men, 2 pairs of long or short pants and 2 shirts. We wash clothes daily or every other day.
• A lightweight jacket or sweater.
• A raincoat, nylon poncho or umbrella. (BB - I prefer the poncho as I can sit on it too.)
• 3 pair of shoes:
(BB - I wear sneakers on the plane). Two pairs of shoes that are meant to get wet. The waterfall is rocky and it’s helpful to have shoes with good traction. (BB - I wear one white pair (from Land's End) daily; I can walk through downpours, let my feet get wet, and the shoes dry quickly.) Another good option would be Teva sandals. No leather, such as birkenstocks; leather mildews there.
• Hat to keep the sun off your face. Floppy ones pack easily. Straw ones can be bought in town.
• Belt if needed
Non-clothing items:
• Medium size day pack or small carry bag to carry items for the day
Water bottle with holder/ strap. We fill it from the large bottle and carry it. You can just carry the small bottles they sell, but it’s more expensive to buy the small ones
• Books to read; Bring ones you can give away.
• Camera (and whatever is needed to charge it, plus adequate memory or film.)
• Laptop computer
• Some drawing supplies, just some pastels and colored pencils and a small pad
• Pen and paper; journal
• (BB - My most oft-used item is a very small therm-o-rest camping mat that rolls up in my day pack, and can be unrolled to take a nap at lunch if I stay at the Casa rather than return to the pousada. I also use it while meditating at the Casa, as a soft layer to sit on.)
• You may want ear plugs. The current room where people meditate can be noisy.
• Some people like to bring a music player such as an i-pod
• SunglassesSpare of prescription glasses
• Snacks like energy bars or dried fruit
• Small flashlight
• Batteries for computer, flashlight, and any other device that needs them
• Alarm clock
• Small hair dryer
• A few empty zip-lock bags of various sizes
Toiletries and medicines.
There is a pharmacy but we find it more convenient to bring what we need.
Basics:
Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, body lotion, hair brush, razor and blades, floss.
Special:
• Bacitracin, band aids, aspirin, Imodium, tampons, nail clipper, cream for bites. (BB - I've never needed my bug spray but continue to bring it.)
• Sun screen
• Small bottle of laundry detergent
• Any supplements you take at home
• Prescription drugs with label intact
Check that all bottles have lids screwed on tight and put all liquids and creams in zip lock bags; the lower air pressure on plane will expand any loose or cracked container. It can be very messy.
Phone and Communication Barbara and John use email and i-chat or instant messaging for communication with folks at home. This is easy since we carry laptops. Our pousada for our groups has a high speed wireless connection. There are several Internet shops that rent computer time for people without their own computers. The largest Internet Shop now features Skype for free long distance conversations all over the world.
There are some places in town from which you can telephone. There are pay phones at the Casa and in front of Hotel Brasil, Catarinense, and Do Sul. They work with a card that you can purchase at the Casa Bookstore for R5. You need to find out the proper connection code. These phones will also accept many international calling cards if you have the correct codes. Fruitti's also has phone booths.
For our groups, you may be able to receive calls at the pousada; the person you want to speak with can call you at a prearranged time such as during or after meal time when you’ll be near the phone.
The entities can often heal through pictures. People who are unable to go to Brazil sometimes send a picture through someone else going there. If you go, you may also bring pictures of people. The person whose picture you bring must agree to have you show it to the entities and be willing to work with the herb guidelines if the entities prescribe them, as is usual. The herb guidelines are elsewhere in this list.
This information comes from the Friends of the Casa site:
26. Showing photos and Requests
You may bring a photo or written request of someone to present to the Entity. When making a request for healing, first obtain permission from the person who will be receiving a healing. In the same way he forms a blueprint of a person standing before him, the Entity connects energetically with the person via the photo image. A photo is better than a written request; a recent photo is better than an old one. If no photo is available, you may present an article of clothing, recently worn, preferably unlaundered. If neither of these options is available, supply the name, address and age or birth date of the person.
If you have more than two photos, as a courtesy to others waiting in line, it is preferable to give them instead to your translator to take to the Entity for you. The Entity may prescribe herbs and/or in some cases mark the photo with an 'X'. If the person receives an "X" it means his or her healing will be better facilitated with a visit to the Casa. The person whose picture you bring should be advised of these alternatives and willing to take any prescribed herbs and follow the diet during that time, or make an effort to come for any spirit operation advised.
If you are presenting multiple photos, find some way to keep 'which-is-for-whom' straight, as the entity's slip can no longer be folded over each returned photo.
If you wish to help someone who has not requested help, you may deposit a written message with name, address, and birth date of that person in the box at the secretaria’s window or in the triangle in the assembly hall.
A note about animals: the entities do not treat animals, neither in the Casa nor via photographs.
The picture should be recent, one for each person, full body and in light colored clothing if possible (the entities can see our energy field best with light clothes). Each should have the person’s name and address on the back and date of birth. A short note stating what the problem is and what help is requested should accompany each picture.
Pictures can be sent with anyone who is traveling there and willing to help. You would send money with whoever brought your photos, to buy the herbs and mail them. If you bring the pictures, you would purchase the herbs yourself with the entity’s prescription and bring them home. The usual prescription is 5 bottles of capsules; about 2 months supply, and costs about $25 or $30 depending on the current exchange rate. You may also include a donation to the Casa when you send a picture; this last is entirely voluntary. There is never a charge for their work, but donations to allow the work to continue. The cost for the herbs is really just the cost to make them; they don't realize a profit from them. We have stayed at Jardim dos Anjo and found it to be very clean and comfortable and with delicious food. This is where our groups will stay. The staff is caring; the owners treat people like family. They speak English, Portuguese, Spanish, and some French. People are housed mostly in private rooms, though there are some doubles. Each room has a private bath with sink, toilet and solar heated hot water shower. The beds are comfortable, with good mattresses. Sheets, towels, pillows and blankets are provided. There are shelves and hanging bars for clothes storage. All rooms have either ceiling fans or standing ones, and many rooms have cross ventilation. The windows have screens. Doors have locks. The pousada is built around a lovely garden. There are hammocks for rest in the shade and some tables and chairs on the lawns. The dining room has indoor and open areas. Vegetarian options are offered at all meals.
Toilet paper is placed in the trash container next to the toilet, in a plastic bag. The sewer system cannot handle toilet paper, tampons, or any object but body waste. It seems odd at first but you’ll get used to it quickly. The housekeeping staff at our group’s pousada will collect the trash bags regularly, or you can put them in the hall by your door where they’ll be picked up. Same for empty water bottles. The housekeeping staff will also enter your room a few times a week to wash the floor, toilet and sink, and weekly to change the bed and towels. It’s a small and friendly environment. You’ll get to know the housekeeping staff. If you have any needs, ask them. They will also do your laundry for a small fee. There is a washtub and outdoor lines so you can also wash your own clothes. We bring small bottles of laundry detergent with us.
We have always left valuables like a laptop computer, camera, and passport in the room and never encountered a problem. We do put them out of sight, but the housekeeping staff seems honest and trustworthy. Security beyond the housekeeping staff is a consideration. Almost every pousada has gates that lock. You’ll be given a key along with your room key. It’s important to be sure you close the gate securely as you come and go. If you take walks at night, stay in the main areas between the pousada and Casa; if you wish to take longer walks on the side roads at night, walk with a friend.
Snacks are available at the Casa de Dom Inácio on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only. There are many light Brazilian pastries and snacks, and fruit popsicles, and fresh squeezed juice. Cocoa milk sipped with a straw is a refreshing delight. After you finish the milk, ask them to cut open the coconut and eat the jelled fruit with a spoon.
For those who travel with us, all meals are provided by our pousada. However, you may want a change or just a light snack between meals.
Frutti's Café: the owner, Ulton, speaks English. They serve smoothies, sandwiches, and deserts. This is a wonderful place to meet people. There is a back patio with more tables and hammocks. There is a community bulletin board to post notes.
Pizzaria located across from Frutti's, serves delicious pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and ice cream. Try the Acai pudding.
We will explain all the below instructions in depth at the Casa, so don't worry too much about it now. While at the Casa you may experience an intervention
While this is non-physical surgery, please be aware that although no incision is made in the skin, there is real surgery happening. People often have had CAT scans and other tests at home after such a procedure, which scans showed internal stitches.
It is important to follow the guidelines after such an intervention, even if you feel energetic and well. Go directly back to your pousada by taxi, not on foot. Go straight to bed and rest. You may be surprised to find that you sleep most of the next 24 hours.
If you are feeling very weak or disoriented after the surgery, or if it has been a physical surgery, you will be taken to the infirmary to recuperate with the help of the trained volunteers there until you feel well enough to move to your room.
Stay in your room and quiet for 24 hours, as your energy field is very open. For those in our groups, we’ll bring you the healing soup and your meals and see to your needs. If you are alone, ask a friend or neighbor to help. For visible surgery, be very careful to avoid any strenuous activity; allow your body to heal. For invisible surgery, the same guidelines hold. Do not lift weight or participate in any strenuous activity that could open internal sutures. Remember this is really a hospital and you are here to heal. Even people who come with no seeming physical ailments may find that a surgery is recommended. Sometimes the entities see areas in our bodies that need care even before symptoms have shown themselves to us. There are many reports from people who have had a recommended physical surgery and had a tumor removed that showed as malignant in tests at home, a condition whose presence was not even known at the time of the surgery.
Post-surgery Rules
Patients receiving operations — visible or invisible — should move slowly, rest and recuperate for about 8 days. Follow these simple rules to facilitate your recuperation:
• 1. Rest, relax, be kind to yourself. Move gently, particularly if you feel tender, until you feel recovered. • 2. No sex for 40 days after initial operation, or 8 days after subsequent operations; this includes any raising of the sexual energies, not just orgasm. • 3. For 24 hours after surgery, rest and avoid stimulation and crowds; do not pass by the Entity; avoid the assembly and current rooms. Do not watch live or videotaped surgery. Your auric field is open after surgery, leaving you vulnerable to other energies that may be harmful. You may go into the gardens and other areas of the Casa. • 4. No physical exertion, such as lifting heavy items. Avoid traveling on the day of surgery. • 5. For up to 8 days after surgery, rest a lot in bed; eat lightly - water, juices, little sugar. If visible surgery, move around only after incision closes. Dress warmly; avoid chill, don't go out in wind / rain, don't go barefoot on cold tiles. For optimum recovery, avoid sugar, junk food, black coffee, colas, and smoking, especially in the first week following surgery. You are trying to maximize your body’s ability to repair cell tissue.
After a visible operation, get a photo-ticket at the shop and then go to the secretary's office to have your photo taken.
On the 7th night following surgery, the Entity will come to your room to remove the stitches. Before bed, dress yourself in white or pale color so they can better see your energy field. Place a glass of casa water by your bed. Give thanks to the entities and ask them to come and remove your sutures. In the morning drink the water that they have blessed and give thanks.
On the 8th day following surgery, you will go through the revision line past the entity. You may be asked to sit briefly in the surgery room while remaining stitches are removed. At the next Casa session after the revision, pass by the Entity again to ask what is next for you.
Brazil is warm and swimming can be delightful. Our pousada has its own pool. There are also 2 clean and pleasant pools open to the public for a small fee. Our group may go to a local ranch on a free day, where there is also a beautiful pool.
A taxi from your Pousada to the Casa is R10 one way.
Taxi to the sacred waterfall (Cachoeira) from the Casa is R15 round trip. These are set prices. Stick to these prices and do not give tips. The driver waits at the waterfall for you. The prices here may change by 2018.
Travel health insurance is compulsory on a group trip. We recommend it also for independent travelers. This can be purchased through many on-line sites. The plan we have used is through Allianz. There are various options that offer more or fewer features. Trip interruption insurance and baggage loss are optional but for travel with our group you must have emergency medical coverage (Emergency Medical / Dental Coverage and Emergency Medical Transportation) that will pay your medical costs in Brazil and provide emergency transportation home if needed. Allainz Basics or Basics Annual are good choices. Why would some one is reasonable health need such insurance? In 2004 Barbara was knocked unconscious by a wave in NC, and ended up with serious injuries and broken bones, 1000 miles from home. She learned the value of this plan! Direct flights from US to Brasilia (BSB) are the ones we choose for the group, usually from Miami or Orlando. On these flights, it is simple to pass through customs in the Brasilia airport, then meet our taxi or van. On the flight from the US, you will be given 2 forms to fill out, one for immigration and one for customs. On arrival you will go through a line to get your passport stamped at immigration and they will take one copy of the Cartao de Entrada/Saida. Be sure to keep the 2nd copy in your passport for your return flight home. After you register, we will email you the recommended group flights for this year. The price in 2017 was about average $1600. If flying into Sao Paulo and Rio Airports: On the flight from the US you will be given 2 forms to fill out, one for immigration and one for customs. On arrival at Sao Paulo or Rio: • 1. You will go through a line to get your passport stamped at immigration and they will take one copy of the Cartao de Entrada/Saida. Be sure to keep the 2nd copy in your passport for your return flight home. • 2. You must pick up your bags at baggage claim. If you don't, your bags will stay in Sao Paulo or Rio. Bags cannot be checked all the way through to Brasília. • 3. You then go to your airline ticket counter, often TAM or Varig They put an airport stamp on your boarding pass and recheck your bags. You then proceed to your gate. If you have time, you can exchange money. Hopefully you will have taken care of this exchange before your trip, since if flights are delayed or there is not much time for the connection, you may find there is no time for the exchange. In Sao Paolo, there is a money exchange on the upper level in the departure area, so you can go there after checking bags through and if there’s time. It’s located across from the entrance to concourse B, which is the one you need for Brasília. In Rio there is no convenient exchange near the departure area. If you don't exchange your money at Sao Paulo or Rio, you can still do it in Brasília. The exchange rates are less favorable in Brasília. The Brasília money exchange is closed on Sundays. A visa is not longer required for a US citizen TOURIST VISA REQUIRED: No, beginning June 17, 2019. WaterYou cannot drink water from the tap. Remember not to use it to brush your teeth, and not to swallow water in the shower. You will need to buy drinking water. We provide our groups members with a starting bottle. The entities bless water with high energy and these bottles are available for purchase in the Casa bookstore. This costs no more than normal bottled water available in the markets. This water has a very high vibration and strong healing qualities. Many people buy extra at the end of the trip to take home. You may wish to bring a flattened cardboard box in your suitcase, and some duct tape, to package water to bring home. I use extra large zip lock bags too, so if water breaks, it is contained and still useable!
This waterfall is considered sacred. The entities may ask you to visit the waterfall, or you can request permission and go as you wish. You must have permission to go, which is given upon request to the entity. Men may go with men, women with other women. Mixed groups are prohibited. You may not go alone. The rocks can be slippery, so for safety sake, please follow this guideline. If the gate part way down the hill is closed, wait at the bench. The closed gate means others are at the falls. When the group before you leaves, then you may descend. You may wish to pause at the bridge to offer thanks to the spirits of the falls. Please remember that others are waiting. Immerse yourself, offer whatever prayers seem appropriate, and leave quietly.
Do not take cameras, candles, or incense. Do not remove rocks, crystals, water, or plants from this sacred place. No nudity please. No soap or shampoo.
Our group will visit the waterfall together at the beginning of our stay. After that, you may request your own permission and go as suits you.
January is Brazilian summer. Everything is green and lush. Be prepared for temperatures anywhere from 55 degrees at night to 90 in the hottest days. A sweater and a raincoat, lightweight clothes and one warmer shirt should meet all your needs. There are often late afternoon thunderstorms, followed by magnificent rainbows over the valley.
The entities can see our energy fields best when we wear white clothing. They request this during the Casa days. You will be welcomed regardless of what you wear, but complying with this request helps them best to help us. Clothing that is not overly revealing is respectful. Away from the Casa, you may wear any color clothing you choose. However, remembering that the entities are often working on us anywhere – walking, having a snack, in the pousada, and at night while we sleep – we wear white clothes much of the time.
|