John of God (Joao de Deus) was a young teenager when he spontaneously became a trance medium healer. Born in Brazil to a family who rarely had enough to eat, he was very clairvoyant as a boy. One day in his early teens, he went to a river to bathe, and the spirit of a radiant woman—who later turned into a ball of light—told him to go to a nearby spiritual center. This spirit later became known to be St. Rita of Cassia--Brazil’s patron saint of miracles. John followed her instructions, found the center, walked up the stairs, knocked on the door—and that was the last thing he remembered till he came back to consciousness, hours later, to find a circle of people standing over him.
John immediately apologized and tried to reassure the people that he had probably fainted from hunger, and that he would be fine. They told him, "No, you don't understand. You have been healing people for the last three hours." Having no recall of such a thing, he had trouble believing it. But the next day several hundred people gathered, and the director of the center announced to them that the spirit of King Solomon was once again going to heal people as he had done the day before through the medium John.
Young John had no idea what the director was talking about, but as the people began to pray, he slipped once more into a kind of faint, left his body, was aware of entering a warm light, and then returned to his body hours later to find that miraculous healings had once more happened through him.
Since that time, more than fifty years ago, John of God has become one of the world’s most powerful and well-known mediums of healing energy. He has been used by the Spirit—sometimes despite great adversity—to heal millions of people from such diverse maladies as cancer, HIV/AIDS, asthma, paralysis, psychological problems, and more. Not only does the spirit—or "entity," as they say at Casa de Dom Inacio, John’s healing center in central Brazil—of King Solomon use John's body as a medium of healing, but so do more than thirty other entities who wish to continue serving humanity. These entities are the compassionate spirits of departed doctors, herbalists, chiropractors, other healers, and various saints and high beings, who have apparently chosen to continue helping the human population from the spirit realm. These entities say they do not cure the problems—they heal the source of the problems.
And John of God often says “I have never healed anyone – it is God who heals.” Nonetheless, John dedicates his own time and energy as a medium of this healing energy three days a week at the Casa, seeing anywhere from an average of 500 to occasionally several thousand people per day during those three days. And on weekends, he often travels to other parts of Brazil and sees 5,000 to 15,000 people.
John of God established the Casa on land that is highly energized from a high density of crystals in the ground and possible ley line conjunctions—a true "power spot" that is ideal not only for healing but for spiritual awakening and the opening or expanding of our innate “psychic” gifts. There is also a sacred cachoeira—or waterfall—within walking distance of the Casa, and with the permission of the entities one can go there for additional healing and spiritual work.
What else happens at the Casa?
I have gone into great depth about John of God’s work at the Casa in my book “The Book of Miracles: The Healing Work of Joao de Deus,” and can only offer a brief summary here due to space restraints.
While there, people have an opportunity to have brief “consults” with the entities while John is in trance. Many are advised to take the specially blessed herbs of the Casa. Some are told they will receive a “spiritual operation” there, during which the Casa “medical” entities operate on them - without any physical hands touching them. Some people opt for a “visible” operation, during which John, moved by the entities, uses physical instruments in unusual “surgeries.”
People also – and I think most importantly - have the opportunity to sit in one of the two "current rooms" for several hours in both the morning and afternoon sessions. The current rooms are so named because the entities, in conjunction with those people sitting there to receive or offer help, provide a constant and powerful current of healing energy pouring through the room—this in addition to the natural energy pulsing up from the Earth. I've spent hundreds of hours in the current rooms and have experienced visions, "paranormal" awareness and communication, and a great deal of healing. In addition, while “in current,” the entities have instructed me in various healing methods, and in response to my request, are helping me to be an increasingly effective vehicle of healing energy myself as the years go by.
My observations are that the most important gift people receive, in addition to whatever physical or psychological healing they might experience, is profound spiritual healing, a deepening or renewal of faith in the invisible world of Spirit and Divine love.
I first visited the Casa in 1998, at a time when John was hardly known outside of Brazil. At the end of that trip, he asked me if I would start bringing people from outside of Brazil who needed his help, and I gladly agreed, thus becoming the first North American guide to the Casa. Since that time I have spent an average of four to six months each year in Brazil, acting as a guide to people from all over the world and seeing miracles and wonders. And at John of God’s request, on the rare occasions that he travels outside of Brazil to do his work, I accompany him to assist in the work. My life has been transformed by ten years with John of God and the Casa entities!
If you too are looking for transformation, healing, spiritual development, increasing your own healing capabilities, possibly witnessing what many would call "miracles," or simply wanting an unique vacation/retreat, I highly encourage you to come on one of my healing journeys to John of God in Brazil.
For additional information on Josie’s bio, workshops and healing, books, and the itinerary of her journeys to John of God in Brazil, visit her web site at www.healingjourneys.net or email her at jravenwing@aol.com.
Josie RavenWing, MA, MFCC, has made the study of multi-cultural healing systems and spirituality her life's work. An internationally known workshop presenter and author (The Book of Miracles: The Healing Work of Joao de Deus, (John of God), The Return of Spirit: A Woman's Call to Spiritual Action and A Season of Eagles), Josie began working 40 years ago as a pioneer in dance therapy and later as a psychotherapist with an eclectic and holistic approach. She spearheaded the holistic healing movement in Seattle in the early 1970s and co-created the first Masters level degree program in holistic healing in the U.S. at Antioch University in 1976, and was on the teaching faculty in that program.
In addition to her academic background, Josie is a strong channel of healing energy, and has studied energy healing (including Polarity Therapy, Reiki, and is certified as a Matrix Energetics practitioner) as well as shamanic and other spiritual healing methodologies since the late 1960s. As part of her spiritual training, she also has participated in a variety of ceremonies and spiritual initiations over the years.
Josie has been teaching workshops in the fields of healing and spirituality since 1984 throughout the US and abroad, combining her background in psychology and her own inner guidance with knowledge and training from many world traditions. In addition to her workshops she offers powerful individual healing work and spiritual training upon request.
Josie is also a poet (see one of her poems - "Song for the Journey" -in Michael Harner's classic book on shamanism, The Way of the Shaman), a songwriter (three recorded music tapes/CDs) and a ceremonial leader. She has been widely interviewed by the media and has written numerous articles for various spiritual publications.
In her workshops and her books, RavenWing tends to focus on solutions rather than problems. "Energy follows our attention and intention," she says, "and we can choose to direct our energy in ways that leave us endlessly recycling our problems or in ways that facilitate harmony and healing."
Called a "practical visionary" by well-known author and speaker Joan Borysenko, Josie RavenWing offers a grounded spirituality which appeals to people of diverse backgrounds because of its applicability to contemporary life and needs.
Josie teaches her unique workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad, and has spent about half of the past ten years in Brazil - where she acts as a guide for people coming to see – and works with - John of God/Joao de Deus. Her book, "The Book of Miracles: The Healing Work of Joao de Deus" details the rich and sometimes miraculous experiences she and others have had at John of God’s spiritual healing center in central Braz