Johannes Maasland Earth Connection Portugal, partnered with Sanctuary 1860 B&B Ayahuasca Ceremonies Retreats Portugal Johannes Maasland, Daniela Markert, Sanctuary 1860 Retreat Centre Portugal, Ayahuasca Ceremonies Portugal, Alexandra and Attila Akat harassment and malicious defamation of GNR Criminal trial / police investigation witnesses, cannabis and LSD seizure in associated family business, ethics scandal, unsuited shamans, insulting Spiritual Teacher / whistleblower with threats to feel fear Oliveira do Hospital
I want to report The Sanctuary 1860 Ayahuasca Retreat Centre and Earth Connection Portugal for questionable activities. They both run Ayahuasca retreats but the latter permanently closed after there was a drug bust in the family, which is documented here:-
jn.pt/justica/interior/detido-com-14-quilos-de-cannabis-aguarda-julgamento-em-liberdade-5493210.html
On November 10th 2016 Johannes Maasland of Earth Connection Portugal was busted for 14 kilos of cannabis and LSD by the Portuguese military police (known as the GNR) see police tweet of seizure attached.
Earth Connection Portugal was run by two people, one of them is named Johannes Maasland, who is also a partner of the Sanctuary 1860 B & B Retreat in Oliveira do Hospital, which is also a newly established Ayahuasca retreat centre.
Johannes Maasland is complained about for criminal harassment of a witness in a criminal trial (who he threatened to kill whilst drunk - police report no GCLSA 37/17.0 GCLSA, see attached police witness summons for that) and for malicious defamation, implying that a Spiritual teacher was mentally ill (see screenshots of such abuse).
He was the one caught with the cannabis in Oliveira do Hospital. He thought I reported him to the police and he turned up one night in January 2017 adn threatened to put me in a wheelchair. I then contacted the police and received a witness summons, where I gave a statement about the death threats and threats of harm. He was then made to report to a police station three times a week instead of two whilst awaiting trial. He was on police bail when he made the threats.
He then implied on several online websites that I was mentally ill and should be afraid. He also clearly asked for more blogs to be posted (hence these reports). He claimed I should feel the fear in my trousers, mentally ill and that I was a loser, and as a result a malicious defamation claim was commenced (see screenshots)
Harassment online of criminal trial witnesses is very serious. These retreat centres claim, or have claimed, to be places of spiritual wisdom and power, but the plain truth is that they are family run businesses, and within the same family, there are cannabis arrests and police investigations, as well as lawsuits for harassment and defamation.
I gave them two weeks of grace to apologize for the threats, and several opportunities since. It has now been six months and there has been no apology. As a spiritual teacher, it becomes my moral duty to ensure such retreat centres are permanently closed, once I am threatened to be quiet in a criminal trial, and when there is drug trafficking going on, and when ethics and integrity in such operations is clearly non-existent.
There are attachments to show the police reports, the summons (with my name and address renoved for my safety), the threats made online, the people concerned, the GNR police tweet of the cannabis and the locations of the retreat centres to show they match the location of the police raid in Travanca/Oliveira do Hospital.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Here is the Proof I as the poster of this report received death threats (from member of Santo Daime Church Portugal) / Police Report Filed / Cannabis at the core of the problem in the movement
#5Author of original report
Fri, August 18, 2017
Here is the Proof I received death threats. In the screenshot of a threat made on another complaints site, it says
he will be killed and the police can only help when it's to late so, the police never can help?!?
See the screenshot to prove the statement true.
.................
A police report was sent on 18.8.2017 to the GNR Police in Portugal.
The police station said 'prisao preventiva' was inevitable for Johannes.
Many of the problems in the Portugal Santo Daime Church (including arrests and busts for cannabis cultivation) can be attributed to the Santo Daime Church in Portugal having a lax attitude toward mixing cannabis and Santo Daime, even though that went against the teachings and wishes of the founding father of the Daime Church.
elaborated upon here:-
https://santodaimescandal.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/santo-daime-church-in-portugal-use-cannabis-against-wishes-of-founding-father-mestre-irineu/
and
https://santodaimescandal.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/my-opinion-of-the-santo-daime-church/
It also explains why those Centres in Portugal who do not allow people to use cannabis in ceremony, are suffering no detriment, so cannabis in the Portugal works has degraded the Daime family there.
It seems the cannabis culture in Portugal is part of the problem, and because it erodes ethics and morality, it also explains why I have been abused and threatened with death, for presenting the lesson, for those involved smoked, and grew, much cannabis, encouraged by the Church because cannabis was given out and openly smoked at the works, and people were told it was ok if they brought enough to share.
Enough to share at a ceremony of 50-100 people (at a modest half a joint each, that would be 25-50 joints), that would certainly require people to break the law, because also they would not want to share all that they had, and there are many works in a single cannabis growing season.
https://santodaimescandal.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/santo-daime-church-members-face-prison-after-being-caught-with-big-sacks-of-cannabis/
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I warned them as their Mentor to tone down their cannabis operations but they did not listen. Sanctuary 1860 B & B Ayahuasca Retreat Centre under police monitoring
#5Author of original report
Sat, August 12, 2017
In September 2016 I warned them (Daniela Market and Johannes Maasland) as their Mentor to tone down their cannabis operations but they did not listen. They agreed to legal disclaimers with regard to illegal activities and personal responsibility.
They brought my Voyager book which talks about how to use medicines responsibly (and legally) in the context of spiritual practice as well as messages about love and healing from other spiritual planes, and teachings about Ascension.
There is a time and place for the use of shamanic medicines, and even cannabis (where legal) and thus some of my book taught them how to integrate medicine wisdom into their lives.
But they did not take my teachings seriously and they believed they would ascend (go to heaven alive, like Jesus) in December 2016, despite having major personal problems and a lack of respect for their mentor and they also admitted they had toxic relationship and self-love issues.
The very first page of the book (that they paid a lot of money for because of its rarity and size) carried a legal disclaimer which says:-
Important Legal Disclaimers
Free Spirit does not advocate illegal activities. If something mentioned within is illegal in your country or
entails risk of any kind by doing the same, the reader assumes full responsibility for their actions.
Readers agree that they are fully responsible for their lives, actions and decisions whether inspired by
this book or otherwise.
I foresaw big trouble in their lives as their mentor, because I felt their egos were getting high on the attention of being the number one in Portugal. They were growing much cannabis. At first, they only grew a small amount, and as their mentor, it is not for me to judge or get involved.
But he said always to me he is afraid to get caught, and his land has no fences and many people can see in, and visit as well for the retreats.
Then he grow many cannabis plants, like 100 in a big plot, and then I know this is crazy and trouble is coming.
I said to them many times in 2016, to tone it down and just keep it personal (growing the cannabis for personal use). But they clearly wanted to be the number one in Portugal for cannabis, so I withdrew from their lives, as a raid was inevitable.
Daniela behaved in such a way that I was invoked to give more lessons, so I gave them prophetic warnings of trouble and told them the steps to take and made recommendations, including toning down the cannabis, but she insulted her Mentor and thought she knew better. So I let them find their own way.
I also reminded them of the legal disclaimers about abuse or threats to me (the terms they agreed to are screenshotted) because abuse to the Mentor makes karma.
There seems to be an issue where they or the Santo Daime Church (who provides the Ayahuasca tea) think they are not responsible, but the disclaimers are clear, and in any case, when you break the law, the problem is with yourself.
I never taught them to break the law as their Mentor, and the record should show, I warned them to choose a different path and instead they turned on me, and Johannes labelled me mentally ill, evil and made threats (police report GCLSA 37 /17.0)
I was summoned to see the police again because I had to make a complaint about Johannes, because he kept trolling me online and saying I was mentally ill and should feel the fear, and that comes under harassment of trial witnesses.
As a result, the police said to me instead of having to report to the police three times a week, instead, he may be subjected to house arrest or pre-trial detention pending trial.
They also said they were monitoring the Sanctuary 1860 Ayahuasca Retreat Centre on an ongoing basis because they now know that Ayahuasca retreat centres in Portugal are places where cannabis may be grown or perhaps sold/distributed on the premises.
So anyone attending their retreats may be subjected to in person or vehicle searches.
I received an apology from Adrian Freedman of the Santo Daime Church in this matter
#5Author of original report
Sat, August 05, 2017
I received an apology from Adrian Freedman of the Santo Daime Church in this matter, who expressed sincere sorries for the disturbances caused, his apology is here in full.
The main parts are:-
This whole sorry tale has been a wake-up call for us in the importance of ethical practice as you say, and in the light of this we will endeavour to do all we can to bring more clarity and grounding to every aspect of our practice, both in and out of the workshops. Thank you for being such a beacon of uncompromising integrity, hopefully others may learn from your example.
NO APOLOGIES RECEIVED from Earth Connection Portugal or Sanctuary 1860 Ayahuasca Retreat EUROPE / PORTUGAL / member of the Ayahuasca Church does offer apology and to learn lessons from the matter
#5Author of original report
Wed, July 26, 2017
Apologies from Earth Connection Portugal (Daniela Markert and Johannes Maasland) as well as from Sanctuary 1860 (Alexandra and Attila Akat) have NOT been received for the behaviour complained of, including being threatened in relation to being accussed of being a police informant on the cannabis. Those apologies are outstanding.
Earth Connection Portugal is now PERMANENTLY CLOSED as aresult of this matter.
Sanctuary 1860 have cancelled some high profile retreats including a visit from an international shaman, after concerns were raised. They too, are expected to close because of the scandal of a cannabis bust in the family, and for partnering up in business, with those in trouble with the police, a bad business decision.
However, I was apologized to by a long standing retreat leader involved in the Ayahuasca scene, he had this to say:-
This whole sorry tale has been a wake-up call for us in the importance of ethical practice as you say, and in the light of
this we will endeavour to do all we can to bring more clarity and grounding to every aspect of our practice, both in and out
of the workshops. Thank you for being such a beacon of uncompromising integrity, hopefully others may learn from your
example.
However, sadly, and with all the best intentions in the world we cannot control the thoughts, words and actions of others.
IN over 20 years of being involved in this movement we have never asked anyone to set up any kind of group on our
behalf and have never assumed responsibility for what another person might do. In the case of JM, he seems like an
extremely unstable and maverick character, totally unsuited to this kind of work. As I mentioned before, we never asked
him to do anything on behalf of us, or to be representative of us, and its most unfortunate that he should claim such a
thing. If I ever met him again I would confront him over why he is making these false claims.
In the meantime, i take this experience as a lesson and a teaching and will do my best to take advantage of the
opportunity to be a better person and a better group leader. I feel so sorry for the distress and disturbance you have
suffered as a result of one person's stupid, irresponsible behaviour, and the way it reflects badly on all of us.
By the way, I look back on our long association and i appreciate your luminous presence in all the spiritual works we
shared.
Wishing peace, good health and love for you.
A
(I withheld his name as he is already embarassed enough over the scandal) but it shows that some in the Ayahuasca movement have integrity and are willing to admit their shortcomings.
Unfortunately Earth Connection Portugal and Sanctuary 1860 have still refused to apologize, despite SIX MONTHS having elapsed since the threats made, and many weeks since Johannes posted the abuse about me.
It also goes to show that The Sanctuary 1860 and the Akat's, do not intervene and apologize, when their 'rogue associates' display socially irresponsible and abusive behaviour toward those who raise valid ethical concerns.
It serves as a spiritual lesson in the importance of ethics and integrity in Ayahuasca operations and shows how things can go badly wrong, for once people are threatened, or there is criminality (drug busts) in the Portugal Ayahuasca scene, it shows there is no respect for law, for other people, for the sacred Ayahuasca, and as such, such failings disqualify individuals from being suited Ayahausca guides.
Anyone signed up should ask for their money back.
I confirm the above testimony is true.
SMFS
tinyurl.com/y6wxerks