Calling All Angels

For many years now …10 or 12, I have been attending the Festa da Boa Morte (Festival of the Good Death) in Cachoeira, Bahia, Brazil.  The festival has changed tremendously within that time, going from a beautiful local tradition to a full-on tourist attraction event that attracts thousands of Americans from all walks of life, but particularly African-Americans who are intrigued by the history of the festival and the spectacular women who conduct it.

This writing moment isn’t designed to wax lyrical about the history of the Irmandade de Boa Morte (Sisterhood of the Good Death) or their beautiful festival.  For more information regarding the sisters and the festival, see either http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/4328/eindex.htm,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Good_Death, or any number of other sites and blogs that describe the amazingly beautiful history of these light workers.

Every year, I meet really incredible people at Boa Morte – Americans, Africans, Europeans, Brazilians – people who feel connected to knowing more about Brazil than the three basic myths most non-Brazilians quote almost without fail when one mentions Brazil, “Good Soccer Team,” “Women in little bikinis” and “Oh, that’s where the Amazon is, right?”

This year I met five truly incredible people from the Washington, DC area …and they helped confirm something that I’ve been feeling for a few months now with regard to PHDB.

When the idea for this project first revealed itself to me (after years of asking how I could truly help), I envisioned Brazilians working toward a better Brazil, or specifically in this case, Bahians working toward a better Bahia.

Living here is teaching me that, for many reasons, this project is going to require a lot more than Bahians to bring it into 3D.

I began to dream of an international group of people – architects and designers, a solar power team, construction supervisors, etc. for the first leg of the project, social workers, doctors and other medical staff, teachers, alternative healing staff and teachers, administrators, etc. for the second leg.

After spending a couple of days sharing ideas and brainstorming with these beautiful, capable, brilliant, creative DC folk, I feel I have completely turned the corner and am walking toward that dream.  I have always understood that PHDB is the beginning of something beautiful.  Today, I’m also understanding that it is – as we say in Portuguese – mundial.*

So, to my list of requirements for PHDB, I am adding a Call to All Angels.  I know you’re out there.  If you read the PHDB website information (at phdb-br.org) and your first thought was, “That sounds like something I want to be a part of.”  GREAT!  E-mail me – ewoods@phdb-br.org – and tell me who you are.  Let’s talk about how your skills combine with the skills of others to help bring PHDB, and all the healing PHDB will provide, into the world.

Thank you for your time, your energy and your interest.

*Worldwide.