Temple in a Teapot

Allegations of falsified data and religious intolerance were bandied about during an epic meeting Tuesday night to decide the fate of the planned O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao de Vegetal (UDV) temple in Arroyo Hondo.

The UDV's application satisfied all the land use code requirements and was recommended for approval, Santa Fe County Facilities Manager Shelly Cobau told the assembled crowd at the beginning of the meeting. Nevertheless, the County Commission tabled the matter until a July 12 land use meeting, after each side presented six hours of testimony on such less-than-scintillating topics as the saturated thickness of rock underlying the proposed site.

"UDV members would be peaking right now," Arroyo Hondo resident David Black joked several hours into the hearing, referring to the temple's night-time use of the hallucinogenic tea ayahuasca.

Essentially, the dispute came down to whether or not there is sufficient water available from wells on the site to sustain the church's activities for the next 100 years. The facility will be used for ceremonies held about twice a month, lasting from somewhere between four and eight hours. The UDV's geohydrologist argued there is plenty of water; Arroyo Hondo residents' hydrologist Mustafa Chudnoff argued the data was cooked. Chudnoff added that ayahuasca's tendency to cause "gastrointestinal distress" was sure to lead to more toilet-flushing than the UDV application accounted for.

Experts also sparred over the potential toxicity of ayahuasca byproducts, should they get into the aquifer. Neuroscientist Dr. Robert Eaton of Colorado argued that one alkaloid present in the tea, called harmaline, could potentially cause neurotoxic effects if present in any concentration, and implied that the science bolstering the UDV application was paid for by the church. Comparative biomedicine specialist Dr. Steven Barker, who said his work on ayahuasca pre-dated contact with UDV by years, took exception to that insinuation when he took the floor.

"Dr. Eaton, your desperation is offensive," Barker said, adding he received "not a penny of support" from UDV.

Barker argued that harmaline is rendered non-toxic when metabolized by humans.

Amidst the often-contentious and mind-numbingly technical presentations, the personal testimony of UDV members provided a reminder of why church members have pursued their permit for nearly two years. Member Catherine Hebenstreit said her membership in the church inspired her to help raise $750,000 for a Santa Fe nonprofit helping people with serious mental illness. Earth Care co-founder Taylor Selby described the steadying influence the church has had in his life. UDV member James Jackson, whose comments partly related to his identity as an African-American, described his first UDV ceremony and experience with ayahuasca:

"I experienced my thoughts, examining who I aspired to be with the clarity to know how to choose right above wrong," Jackson said. "In doing so, some of the words I thought and experienced were: The tea and this path can heal white male society. Within less than a second I heard myself say, 'No. This can heal everyone. This can heal me.' I continued by realizing and experiencing I am at home. Was what I saw a hallucination? In this moment I can say that what I thought and experienced has been confirmed in my life. Having visited UDV communities in America and Brazil, the simplicity, humility, acceptance, and level of intelligence and respect by which the people conduct their lives is not common in any place I have known. These experiences are not hallucinations. They are tangible reasons why I walk this path, and why I'm speaking in support of this cause."

Santa Fe Reporter