Entre Mundos

Umbanda

What Are Caboclos in Umbanda? A Presence I Slowly Came to Understand

At first, I did not know how to explain the Caboclos in Umbanda. I only felt a strong presence in the gira. Only with time, serving as a cambono, observing, and maturing on my path, did I begin to understand that this spiritual line speaks of strength, simplicity, direction, and presence.

Umbanda

What I Slowly Learned About the Orishas

What are Orishas? At first, I could barely answer. They appeared in the songs, the rhythms, and the atmosphere of the gira. Only with time did I begin to understand these forces of creation, nature, and life.

Umbanda

Mistakes and Spiritual Evolution in Umbanda: When a Mistake Is Not the End

For a long time, I thought spirituality meant an absence of mistakes. Through Umbanda, the Orishas, and the study of Odù, I began to see mistakes as part of spiritual evolution: not as condemnation, but as a call back to balance.

The Journey

When My Role as Head Cambono Ended in Front of the Congá

Sometimes a cycle ends before we are ready to let it go. That night, my role as head cambono in the terreiro came to an end. Only later did I understand that some doors open exactly when another one has to close.

Umbanda

Is Umbanda Monotheistic? God, Orishas, and Creation in Umbanda

From the very first day, God was at the center of Umbanda for me. Later, the myths of Olodumare, the divine breath, and the forces of creation helped me better understand what I had already felt inside the terreiro.

The Journey

When I Took On the Mesa de Kardec in an Umbanda Terreiro

When I took on the mesa de Kardec in an Umbanda terreiro, I encountered a quieter kind of work, made of prayers, readings, and the passe. It was there that I began to understand that spiritual responsibility also exists when almost nothing seems to be happening.

Umbanda

What Happens During an Umbanda Gira?

At first glance, an Umbanda gira may seem to begin with the drums and end with the consultations. Over time, though, I came to feel that it begins earlier, continues afterward, and involves much more than what can be perceived inside the terreiro.

The Journey

What I Learned Serving the Chief Caboclo in an Umbanda Terreiro

Serving as cambono to the chief caboclo in an Umbanda terreiro allowed me to see more closely how entities work, how repetition teaches, and how spiritual responsibility looks beyond the problem a person brings.

Umbanda

Mediumship in Umbanda: Beyond Incorporation

At first, when I heard about mediumship in Umbanda, I almost always thought of incorporation. Over time, though, I began to notice it in subtler forms too, like the passe, listening, the cambono, and the support offered by the mediumistic circle during the gira.

The Journey

When I Was Called to Serve as Cambono to the Chief Caboclo

That night, I thought I was simply leaving one role behind inside the terreiro. Only much later did I realize that some of the most decisive steps in life begin precisely when we still do not feel ready for them.

Umbanda

What Is the Passe in Umbanda? An Experience That Took Time to Understand

The passe was one of the practices I saw repeated most often in an Umbanda terreiro before I really began to understand it. In this text, I reflect on what the passe is in Umbanda, how it appears in the terreiro, and what it may — or may not — awaken in the person receiving it.

Umbanda

What Is an Entity in Umbanda?

For a long time, the word entity told me less about what actually happens in Umbanda and more about the misconceptions that usually surround it. Only little by little did I realize that understanding what entities are in Umbanda required more lived experience than definition.

The Journey

The First Time I Served as Cambono for an Entity in Umbanda

Little by little, I began to realize that everything asked of someone inside the terreiro became a form of learning. One day, that led me into a different place within the gira: for the first time, helping an entity through an entire night of spiritual consultations.

Umbanda

And where do the Orishas belong in Umbanda?

For a long time, God was never the hardest part for me. The question that took longer to find its place was another one: where do the Orishas belong in Umbanda — and how does that change the way we draw closer to the sacred?

Umbanda

What Is an Umbanda Terreiro?

An Umbanda terreiro may seem, at first glance, like nothing more than the place where the gira happens. But over time, I realized that this word was no longer pointing only to a space. It was also pointing to what that place holds.

The Journey

When I was asked to lead chromotherapy in the terreiro

After a few giras in an Umbanda terreiro, I was still trying to understand where I fit. It was in that context that I was asked to take responsibility for the chromotherapy work.

The Journey

When I stepped in, I realized something was already in motion

When I was invited into the mediumistic circle in Umbanda, I thought something inside me would change immediately. That I would understand what was happening — or that, somehow, things would start to make more sense from that moment on.

The Journey

The Day I Was Invited to Join a Mediumistic Circle in an Umbanda Terreiro

After spending a long time sitting in the assistência of an Umbanda terreiro, observing the giras and listening to stories that were not mine, the day finally came when someone pointed at me. It was not how I imagined it.

Umbanda

Observing and Listening: A Quiet Lesson from Umbanda

Sitting in the assistência of an Umbanda terreiro — the area where visitors sit during the gira — I began to notice something curious: much of the learning did not come from explanations, but from careful observation and listening.

The Journey

Learning About Umbanda While Sitting in the Assistência

Before taking on any role in a terreiro, there is usually a period of silence and observation. Sitting in the assistência — the area where visitors sit during the gira — among strangers, stories, and quiet expectations, I slowly began to understand what this Brazilian spiritual tradition meant.

Umbanda

What Is Umbanda? A Personal Introduction

After sharing how I first encountered Umbanda, another question naturally follows: what exactly is Umbanda? In this text I offer a simple introduction to this Brazilian religion, based less on formal definitions and more on lived experience inside the terreiro.

The Journey

How I Discovered Umbanda: My First Experience in a Umbanda Terreiro

This text tells the story of my first encounter with Umbanda, a Brazilian spiritual tradition with African roots. Today I write from Europe, where many people are still discovering Umbanda for the first time. For me, that journey began in a terreiro in Brazil.