Santo Daime #

Among many other effects, sensitivity to posture and gesture are greatly enhanced by 5-HT2A receptor agonists such as daime.¹ I have made some study of static poses that align with the current of reverence. Before detailing my findings, I want to emphasize that I have not made an exhaustive search. There may be other postures and gestures worth exploring. Furthermore, I have not studied dynamic poses (e.g., mimicking the flapping and soaring of eagle wings with your arms). The postures listed here are intended as static poses to be held steadily for a few minutes at a time. The reason that the title of this article is Santo Daime and not Postures and Gestures is because these poses have much greater significance when implemented by a whole group of people simultaneously in careful coordination. Posing solo is a bit self-indulgent.

The Current of Reverence #

The analogy that I am trying to invoke is with electrical current or water flowing through a pipe. Here, the substance that is flowing is reverence, and with enough daime, it feels almost tangible. Just as with electricity or water, there is a direction of flow. You receive reverence, it flows through you, and then you can direct it away from you. An arbitrary careless posture does not necessarily obstruct the current of reverence, but specific intentional postures can increase the conductance and encourage the flow.

Key #

Component-wise #

Before I list ensemble poses, I present the optimal positions of each relevant joint.

Receiving #

1. Spine extension

   action	sitting	standing	evaluation
   neutral
   extension

   When sitting, there isn’t much difference in outward appearance, but I feel like I am arching my back. I cannot avoid lifting my chin, but the important part is to arch the back.

2. Rotate the wrist away from neutral

   action	before	after	evaluation
   pronation (palm down)
   neutral
   supination (palm up)

3. Pinky extension

   before	after	evaluation

   The nearby fingers are hard to isolate from the pinky extension, but the pinky is what I’m thinking about.

Sending #

4. Wrist extension

   action	illustration	evaluation
   extension
   neutral
   flexion

5. Palm direction
   Energy is emitted perpendicular to the palm surface. Your palm can be aimed at the center of the salão, perpendicular to the center of the salão (e.g. ceiling, floor, or along the circumference), or back toward yourself. In general, the most delicate direction is toward the center of the salão because it can look as if you are aiming across the salão at other people. If you are aiming across the salão then you must have consent; it should be an orchestrated collective action. If you are aiming elsewhere then consent is less important.

Pose Ensembles #

None of these pose ensembles incorporate all of the components mentioned above, but all of them incorporate some of the components. I also point out similar poses that miss opportunities to improve the conductivity of reverence.

Pose: Classical worship #

sitting	standing	evaluation

• Spine extension
• Wrist supination & extension
• Pinky extension
• Palm facing the center of the salão

While I feel the inner effect of the pose, my external appearance looks a little bit odd (to me, at least :-). Compare with some artistic renditions:

sitting(-ish)	standing

The man (left) is a speed painting by Lance Brown. The woman (right) is a photo of artwork from the Ashland OR Santo Daime salão. She lacks spine extension, her wrist extension is faint, and her pinky extension is washed out by the flow of energy, but otherwise it is almost a great example.

standing	evaluation

• Wrist neutral/flexion instead of extension
• Pinky neutral instead of extension
• No spine extension

The following pose is a minor variation (different hand position) but otherwise the same:

standing	evaluation

• Spine extension
• Wrist and pinky extension
• Palm facing ceiling

With hands raised, this pose is too taxing to hold for more than a brief time.

Pose: Holding a Flower #

concept	actual	evaluation

• Wrist and pinky extension
• Palm facing perpendicular to the center of the salão

In the concept image, there is a flower superimposed over my arm/hand. Moving the fingers is like wiggling the petals.

Pose: Umbrella #

sitting	evaluation

• Wrist and pinky extension
• Wrist pronation
• Palm facing ceiling

Of course it is challenging to keep the arm elevated for a long duration, but five minutes is feasible. You can always switch arms when you get tired.

Pose: Feather ruffle #

sitting	evaluation

• Wrist and pinky extension
• Wrist supination
• Palm facing self

The wrist extension prevents my hands from touching my arms or the shirt.

Standing-only Pose Ensembles #

Pose: Hands with opposite twist #

Closed	Open	evaluation

• One wrist supinated, the other pronated
• Wrist and pinky extension (at least one hand)
• Palm facing palm or perpendicular to the center of the salão (ceiling and floor)

The open and closed variations just indicate whether the palms are facing or not.

Pose: One hand behind back #

Pose	Evaluation

• Wrist and pinky extension
• Palm facing perpendicular to the center of the salão

Parody? #

The t-shirt

Notes #