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Praise the Salamander & Pietà of Sorrow Temple
 

Praise the Salamander is a gathering organized by my community at the end of spring and beginning of summer. We gather every year under the home of the Salamander — a boulder that feels ancient and wise. The Salamander wakes up for one day and meets us under the sun. We dance, we share, we are. As the sun sets and rises again, she falls back asleep.
As a community, we believe that if we keep coming together on this specific day each year, in this exact location, we are feeding it our love and energy — allowing it to become something beyond ourselves.
This year, with the help of my loved ones, I raised the temple of Pietà of Sorrow — in a new shape and size. The temple reacted to the story and context. It brought the shadows a place to rest and hosted the light in a place of celebration. Alongside it: Michelle’s Spiderweb Corner and Mother Mystique’s White Temple.

Together with my dear friend George, we led the Psychedelic Mass — a priest and a priestess. The Mass is a moment of calling in the Salamander, our ancestors, and the four corners of the world to be present with us.
It is also a moment to consciously name and acknowledge what is happening in the world — an invitation to reflect on whether our daily actions align with what we preach. A space where mistakes are seen as learning curves toward better actions.

Stage design - Lighting elements by  Barry Llewellyn; Portal by Suzi; Fabric elements, characterization and curation by Vera da Costa



Photography by Loes Korten











Based between Netherlands and Portugal
Contact
email - veramachadodacosta@gmail.com
instagram - Vera da Costa