Negotiating Self: Aesthetics of Mediumship and Embodied Healing in Brazilian Umbanda

Aesthetics of Mediumship and Embodied Healing in Brazilian Umbanda

Abstract

The incorporation of spiritual entities is an integral element of Umbanda rituals and cosmology. In this state, mediums are approached by spiritual entities, such as the so called guias (“spiritual guides”) or orixás (Afro-Brazilian deities). Subsequently, the mediums are incorporated by them. Sensory impressions before, during and after this period cast light on underlying circumstances and personal connections to these spiritual entities. Moreover, the perception of emotional stimuli developing in the medium’s body is relevant in the context of incorporation. Together with the incorporated entity, mediums give advice, help, bless or heal their consultants; many of whom are not themselves Umbandists. This article examines the role of embodied healing and the aesthetics of mediumship from the perspective of an anthropology of the senses. In addition to the examination of lived sensory experiences, this article gives a voice to the members of the specific Umbanda group in the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo, where I conducted ethnographic fieldwork. I carried out my research activities in the spiritual community Tenda de Umbanda Caboclo de Oriente (TUCO), focusing on ethnographic methods such as participant observation and formal as well as informal interviews, plus personal conversations with various members of the group. The example I refer to of the many different forms of contemporary urban Umbanda practices is particularly relevant within the context of academic discourse, adding another layer to the existing research on the wide variety of spiritual communities in Brazil’s metropolises. As an implicit add-on, this article draws a line between the Umbandist cosmology and healing practices and the society in which the religion emerged and constantly is reproduced. It connects contemporary theories and debates concerning the anthropology of the senses and aesthetics of healing with Umbanda knowledge and practice, and the personal experiences of my interlocutors.