Spiritual centre of Brasilia

January 26, 2015

Don Bosco’s prophecy, the Temple of Good Will and the quietly extraordinary spiritual life of Brazil’s planned capital. (4 min read)

The strong spirituality and the diversity of religions are a feature of Brasília, the capital city of Brasil. This makes Brasilia the perfect starting point for people visiting the spiritual healing and meditation centres in the region.

Brasilia is a new city – a little over 50 years old – and it has striking architecture, including 3 very special spiritual buildings… all with a connection to the former President Juscelino Kubistchek (1902-1976).

JK drove the creation of Brasilia as part of a plan to develop the interior of the country (from where he originated). Brasilia Airport is named after him and there are various other monuments to him throughout the city, including the stunning JK Bridge. There is even a theory, defended by Egyptologist Yara Kern, that Kubistchek is the reincarnation of pharaoh Aknaton, who, about 3500 years ago, built a planned city in his own country. Kern points several coincidences between the History and the architecture of both cities in support of her case.

What I find more interesting is that in 1883, Dom Bosco, the Italian saint a prophesised the rising of a city “between Parallels 15 and 20, around a lake which shall be formed”. According to Dom Bosco, in such city “a great civilization will thrive, and that will be the Promised Land”. Dom Bosco is honoured by a stunning church in Brasilia which many people visit it on the way to the Casa. The walls of the church are made of entirely of blue glass, with the exception of the corner panels which are magenta. A visit to this church is like a chromotherapy bath for the third eye. With his extraordinary spiritual gifts, it is not surprising that Dom Bosco is said to be an entity of the Casa Dom Inacio. And he was also the mentor of another entity – Dominic Savio (“the boy saint”) – and wrote his biography and the case for his sainthood.

The National Cathedral of Brasilia is another popular spiritual site. Like most of the stunning modernist buildings in Brasilia, it was designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Kubitschek intended the cathedral as an “ecumenical cathedral” to be paid for by the state and open to all faiths, governments after that did not provide funding, and the building was eventually turned over to the Catholic Church to complete. The church is stunning from the outside and inside. The church is dedicated to the patron saint of Brasil, Our Lady of Aparecida, and it contains a replica of this miraculous holy statue, as well as a true copy of Michaelangelo’s “Pieta” from the Vatican.

Among the mystical buildings of Brasilia, the most famous is the Temple of Good Will. The biggest crystal ever found in Brasil marks the apex of this seven sided pyramidal structure. Below the crystal is a labyrinth which provides the perfect context for preparation for one’s visit to the Casa (and return home). One walks the labyrinth slowly, barefoot, meditating, following the dark spiral path inwards to the gold disc that aligns perfectly with the crystal. One meditates on this spot for a moment and then walks out on the light spiral path in gratitude. This is a link to the website for the Temple of Good Will.

Namaste