Umbanda is a Brazilian spirituality, doctrine and religion. Its foundation is the continuous worship of God while honoring deities and spiritual achievements.
November 15 Umbanda Day
The Yoruba names of the divinities were incorporated into Umbanda:
- Genesis (set of divinities of a people).
- Apophatic rite (appearance or revelation of a divinity).
- Androgyny and cosmogony (theory of the origin of the world) (science that studies the physical and moral development of the human species).
It includes the teachings of religions practiced in African countries such as Congo, Angola, Guinea and others.
“The Umbanda is the manifestation of the spirit for charity”, affirms the Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads. There are numerous representative bodies, such as federations and associations, but Umbanda is not formally established.
Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads
The “Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads”, performed by Zélio Fernandino de Moraes on November 15, 1908, was the first registered case of Umbanda without kardecista or candomblé influence.
The first Umbanda temple registered in Brazil is the “Tent of Our Lady of Mercy”, founded by Zélio. The events that occurred there, for profoundly marking the creation of the material plane, have, therefore, a fundamental importance for all of us.
Neither Zélio de Moraes nor the religion founded on November 15, 1908, were the subject of any of his writings.
The word Umbanda does not appear even once in Joao do Rio’s 1904 book “The Religions of Rio”, which presents an in-depth analysis of the cults of Rio de Janeiro. This suggests that the religion known as Umbanda did not exist previously.
Zelio de Moraes
The first stories written about Umbanda were published in 1925 in a book entitled “No Mundo dos Espritos”, which was a compilation of articles written by journalist Leal de Souza for the local evening newspaper of the time, “La Noche”.
In it, you can see a report of the Centro Tienda Nossa Senhora da Piedade featuring the artist Zelio de Moraes. Leal de Souza was a medium at the Nossa Senhora da Piedade Store before taking over the Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao Store with the help of Zelio de Moraes and the Caboclo das Siete Encrucijadas.
Leal de Souza’s work O Caboclo das Sete Encrucijadas is chapter 23 of the first book on Umbanda, which Leal de Souza published in 1933 under the title “O Espiritismo, a Magia e as Sete Linhas de Umbanda” (Spiritism, Magic and the Seven Lines of Umbanda). In this chapter, the author – who spent much time with the founder of Umbanda – talks about the entity:
If I have ever had conscious contact with a spirit of light, it is undoubtedly the one that bears the name of Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads and the wild aspect.
Compared to the awe of children before the sacred images of the stars of Heaven, the edge of the abyss, the wings of an angel, or God himself, we feel him at our side and perceive the infinite greatness of God through the spiritual well-being that envelops and sensitizes us.
Guided by his protection, we accept and endure sufferings with an almost naive serenity.
Ogum Phalanx
The Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads, a member of the Ogum phalanx, fulfills the mission entrusted by Jesus under the guidance of the Virgin Mary.
Its symbolic point represents an arrow piercing a heart from bottom to top; – The arrow denotes direction, the heart denotes emotion and the whole is oriented upwards, towards God…
His compassion is shown to those who ask for it with extreme gentleness and humility. Sometimes tears run down the medium’s face as he expresses his sadness at these trials which are inevitable and before which his creatures are powerless.
The language of the Caboclo
Depending on the mentality of his audience, the Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads uses different languages. It never falls too low nor rises too high to the point of being impossible to access. It is simple, fine, unadorned and dazzling in the conception of high eloquence.
The following message was recorded by the Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads in November 1971 to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the Our Lady of Mercy Tent. Mrs. Lilia Ribeiro is the director of the “Macaia Bulletin” and the “Tent Light and Hope and Umbanda Fraternity” (TULEF).
Written from “Christian and Brazilian Umbanda”, by Jota Alves de Olveira, Ed. Ediouro. The message gathers the following ideas that were first exposed by Zelio de Moraes and the Caboclo Entity of the Seven Crossroads in 1908.
Published in the book “Umbanda Cristiana e Brasileira” by Jota Alves de Olveira – Ed. Ediouro. The message reflects all the concepts established, from the beginning, 1908, by the Caboclo Entity of the Seven Crossroads and by Zelio de Moraes, as follows below:
Umbanda has advanced and will continue to progress
It is important to maintain composure and honesty and I have been warning my long-time friends for years that the vile currency will harm Umbanda and that there will be mediums who will sell out and then be expelled, just as Jesus expelled the sell-outs from the temple.
The female consultant represents a threat to the male medium, while the male consultant represents a threat to the female medium.
Being proactive is essential because the people who try to enter our homes-the obsessors themselves-can affect what is felt in their hearts by both the male speaking to the Mother of the Temple and the female speaking to the Father of the Temple. For Umbanda to advance, extreme caution and morality are necessary.
Umbanda is our flag, representing humility, love and charity
My brothers and I are surrounded at this time by a variety of spirits operating in Brazilian Umbanda, including Caboclos of Oxossi, Ogum and Xangó. However, I am of the line of Oxossi, your father and I am the one who speaks to you. I have not arrived by chance, but have brought an order and a mission.
To serve the higher spirits who come to descend upon you, my brothers, be humble and have brotherly love in your hearts. This is essential for those who visit the Umbanda houses in search of help.
My brothers, this device has been in use for 80 years, but it only started when I was 18 years old.
I can say that I helped him to get married so that he would stop giving me headaches, so that he would become a usable medium and so that he could implant our Umbanda through his mediumship.
When they leave this house, most of the people who work in Umbanda will pass through this store, if they haven’t already.
I have only one request for you
If Jesus humbly came to earth, it was not by accident. The Father made the decision this way. He could have gone to the home of a rich man of the time, but he chose the spirit that would become his mother and who would teach mankind how to achieve peace, health and happiness.
May the humility with which Jesus descended to Earth, the star that destroyed the stable and the birth of Jesus serves as an example for you, enlightening your spirits and expelling the darkness of evil through your thoughts, practices and deeds.
May God forgive the evil thoughts you may have had so that peace may reign in your homes and your hearts.
Your home will be filled with peace if you close your eyes to your neighbor’s house, keep your mouth shut so as not to gossip about your neighbor, whoever he may be, judge not lest you be judged and believe in God. Of the Gospels, that is.
As the smallest spirit that has descended to Earth, but the kindest of all, I, my brethren, pray that the companions around me right now may feel their every need and that, when they leave this temple of charity, they may find the roads open, their illnesses ameliorated and cured and health forever in their matter.
I am and will always be a humble Caboclo of the Seven Crossroads, with a vow of Peace, Health and Happiness, as well as Humility, Love and Charity.
Umbanda was created and has a past. It is essential to learn, it is essential to investigate…
