15 days project - São Thomé das Letras - Part 4 - English version

 Chapter 3 – At the point

    After  incredible experiences i had yesterday , today my intentions are in order of priority: the São Thomé’s grotto usually called: “a gruta”(the grotto) , another famous tourist spot , a return to the witch’s stone and later a return (at night) to Cruzeiro. Considering that generally the most appropriate time to write is in the morning , today (8/8/23) at 5 am i was already up making breakfast and organizing things to write , my morning departures take place around 10 am . I left around this time towards the São Thomé’s grotto (a gruta) which is nearby, about  25  meters away from the supermarket which is on the other side of the square. I arrived at the grotto , took external photos of the entrance and the plaque with historical information about the grotto and entered. Inside , i saw two chambers , a smaller one on the left probably used for meditation or rituals , it had  a narrow entrance that in my opinion only allows entry while crouching or kneeling , and the main chamber with a kind of altar built in cement (some say with the intention of closing the extension at a lower level of the grotto). 

Entrance to the São Thomé’s grotto

   When arriving at this altar , i felt a strong energy , peace and a sensation of expansion mainly in the heart chakra , on this altar i could see lit candles , a small statue representing Jesus Christ , plastic flowers , stacked stones , a green and white necklace hanging from a medium-sized statue representing São Thomé (the necklace was probably an Afro-descendant religion “guide”) , i also felt an aroma of incense or burning herbs (probably with the intention of energetic manipulation) , i was still trying to mentally organize what i was feeling and thinking about everything present there (physical and non-physical) when suddenly the same dog (German shepherd) that was on the cruzeiro with me yesterday enters through the exit hole of the grotto (which is on the right side of this “altar”) !!! I was about 2 meters from the “altar” when he arrived with his tail wagging and lay down in front of me , i didn’t miss the opportunity to express my gratitude , i crouched there in the middle of the cave , i gave and received affection  , this time i touched him and my love runs through my fingers , in return my arm was wet because of his licks , was a lovely and friendly dog for sure and from my perspective he was more than a dog but a physical representation of the protection wich i asked  yesterday , our second meeting  couldn’t be a mere coincidence . I photographed the inside of the cave (without using a flash) and the moment I decided to leave the dog came with me. 

Plaque with historical information about the São Thomé’s grotto , in english right below

Internal image of the São Thomé’s grotto (the “altar”)

   When together we left the grotto , again , the dog that i started calling “Hugo” , lay down on the ground and we exchanged affection , was a “see you soon” or maybe goodbye/thank you! Who knows? But i was super happy because what happened in front of the “altar” had a boost for Hugo presence right there , at that very moment there were no space for tomorrow  , i was thankful for what i was receiving. I photographed the exit from the grotto and the plaque informing the finds of grotto paintings inside (today it is impossible to view as they were damaged by time and vandalism) and then Hugo went to the exit of the cave and lay down , i felt like he was asking for a photographic shot and as soon as i could i  captured the image of my dear friend Hugo in a pic. Probably because of my photographic records , a resident of São Thomé approached and started a conversation , he introduced himself as Mário •, said he was na English teacher and the conversation flowed out of mere politeness on my part as there was no convergence of interest or opinions , i exercised my exposure to what is divergent to me and my benevolence, for example , while he spoke enthusiastically about the inventor of the electric light bulb  , Thomas Edison , i presented a little about the achievements of Nikola Tesla who directly or indirectly created 80% of all the technology we have today and had so many inventions restricted by conflicting economic interests. Here i leave the reader an open question i asked him ,  would there be viability in the electric light bulb without the alternating current created and implemented by Tesla? I left it and leave the reader curious about what would be like a world with free energy or zero point energy (can you imagine the impact of this? Can you imagine the world without floods because the excessive water could be pumped 24hs a day if necessary to a dry place , no more droughts because water dessalinator machines could be used 24 hs and pump water to necessary places , no hunger because growth light can be used without restriction even underground...this i found in few seconds of thought but i’m pretty sure that there so much more use for this technology created and developed by Tesla decades ago , that has been away from us only used on secret military projects and which will be present in the near future. This is how our conversation continued , always with clear ideological dichotomies but with tolerance and respect. We said goodbye and i was scared when i looked at the clock and saw that it was already 11:35 am , i was unsure whether to go to the witch’s stone (my previous idea) or go back to the apartment and prepare lunch. 

My friend, Hugo, lying at the exit of the São Thomé’s grotto

Information about the São Thomé’s grotto and the thousands years old paintings present inside (nowadays impossible visualize)

  

    I decided to stick to the initial plan even though i knew it was an unfavorable time to expose myself to the sun , i took a route that i thought would be a shortcut , which would avoid physical wear , when i was already very close to the witch’s stone i visualized an accessory path through the vegetation which suddenly made me want to follow. 

The viewpoint  - O mirante (famous tourist spot)

  

   Without previously knowing where it would take me , after a few meters of walking , i was able to see “the viewpoint” or in portuguese  “ o mirante” also known as the “wind’s house”, another famous tourist spot in São Thomé. I almost instantly defined this as my new destination and so i followed the trail , thinking about how the “energy” present in São Thomé constantly changes what is planned. 

Getting at the viewpoint ,   to my surprise , was easier than going up at the witch’s stone , it has an incredible view in addition to being a structure with a brick and cement roof which at that time provided me with welcome sun protection. I believe that the construction of a house also began at the viewpoint (like the pyramid) and as it was a preservation area , had its work suspended before finishing and that remaining building (which was not demolished) began to attract people due to the privileged visual appeal . After exploring the place and photographing what i wanted and could , i returned to the apartment and dedicated myself to the basics: eating , resting , selecting / deleting photos.

A 360° atonishing view with a rooftop providing protection makes the “mirante “ a popular tourist spot

    As the evening approached , the weather seemed to change , the lush blue sky gave way to strong winds accompanied by a lot of cloud cover. I knew that this would mean great difficulties for me if i decided to stick to my plans and go to the cruzeiro at night , but i went ahead with my plan , putting on everything I had for thermal comfort: a long-sleeved cotton shirt under a jacket , gloves and hat. It was still 6pm when i decided to go up on the cruise , however , perhaps due to the amount of clouds , there was no longer any natural lighting , so I had to use my cell phone as a flashlight and even though i was slowly going up the wind was intense and i had to stop twice to recover the breath. Arriving at the top , i looked for the same place as the previous day for the sake of relative “comfort”. The wind was so strong and when it hit the bushes a loud noise could take anyone , who had eyes closed ,  to   a beach with waves “breaking” hard. From what i could see , there was no one there and at first i held firm to the unfavorable conditions , trying in the small cloudless periods of time to see something atypical in the skies. Despite having my ears covered by the hat and the coat protecting my upper limbs, chest and abdomen, my other extremities such as my nose and fingers “complained loudly about the cold”. My gloves (made of thin synthetic fabric) seemed to have little effect on thermal protection and in the absence of a scarf with the impossibility of pulling the coat up to my nose , i only had the temporary option of placing my hands in front of my nose , allowing the warmer air from my breath alleviate that discomfort that was growing. Without seeing anything unusual and rarely being able to observe the stars due to clouds covering , at 8:10 pm i decided that i had reached my limit with a feeling of freezing in my nose and fingers , i decided  return to the apartment. Arriving there , even with the windows closed , it was possible to hear the noise of the wind through the cracks in the window , such was its intensity and strength. Tomorrow , if the weather conditions permit , the only thing i would like to do is climb to the top of the pyramid. 

☆ Important observation: The name “Mário” ●  used here in chapter 3  is a fictitious name for a real person on an event that actually occurred as reported , this will provide the anonymous state for the person preventing  possible embarrassment.

Chapter 3 playlist:

Lori Carson:  ○ Álbum: Stolen Beauty

                           ○ Álbum: Where it goes

                                ○ Álbum: The finest thing

Marisa monte:  ○ Álbum: Verde , anil , amarelo , cor de rosa e  carvão

Comitiva - Acrílico - 2023

At the point

   The turning point has arrived and with it the silences that precede a new season

  The paths, so crooked, have returned to the starting point and flight is necessary 

  Before spreading the wings, a blessing needs to be gathered as credentials 

 Grotto, sacred womb where the true mother nourishes without distinction 

 I ask for the golden blessing, your regenerating touch and your tender breath to sustain my wings 

 I will take with me your rapturous rhythmic whisper and the wisdom of the letters that only show themselves in the dark 

  I throw myself off the precipice into a dark night where even the stars fled the cold 

  In minutes, a breath, a glow, a straight line (signposted), above all the clouds 

   The moon waits me for dinner 

Gustavo H F de Sousa - Project 15 days (2023)