Religion has always had an inextricable relationship with music. This article examines the importance of musicality in the origin, memorization, and transfer of religious corpora in ancient traditions, and how it remains relevant in newly created ayahuasca-based religions such as Santo Daime and União do Vegetal. Based on a literature review and participant observation, the results show that musical structure was invaluable in the past and continues to be fundamental in traditions without sacred writings, relying on orality to transmit teachings and doctrines. The conclusion also reveals that the origin of various religious corpora, presented in verse by poets/prophets past and present, remains an open question with far greater complexity than initially imagined.
Ayahuasca, an entheogenic drink made from the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and leaves of Psychotria viridis, has been used for millennia in indigenous rituals and for decades in urban religions like Santo Daime and União do Vegetal. This article examines the theories of French scholar Roger Bastide, who studied Afro-Brazilian religions and concepts such as the domestication of the "wild sacred" and trance as a "liturgical game" akin to theatrical performance. The analysis suggests that Ayahuasca-induced trance transcends some of Bastide's premises. Bastide's ideas about domesticating the wild sacred apply to ayahuasca religions like União do Vegetal, though institutional reality does not fully align with his predictions.