Where Spirit Draws and the Invisible Speaks
In the ritual landscape of Umbanda, there are moments when the invisible becomes visible—drawn in chalk, traced by hand, vibrating with sacred intent. These moments manifest through the pontos riscados—symbols carefully scribed in the terreiro (Umbanda temple), carrying meaning, mystery, and connection. Each one channels sacred intention, drawing on ancestral wisdom and speaking a language beyond words.
Indeed, the universe of the ponto riscado is vast and ever-shifting, shaped by each terreiro’s tradition; nevertheless, it remains rooted in sacred intent. Though the lines may differ, they all serve the same purpose: to bring the spiritual world closer to ours.
What Are Pontos Riscados in Umbanda?
The term ponto riscado literally translates to “scribed point” or “drawn mark.” In Umbanda, spiritual entities—occasionally practitioners—typically inscribe these geometric or symbolic forms during ritual using sacred tools called pemba, a consecrated white chalk. Unlike decorative designs, they serve as living texts—sacred sigils that manipulate energy and intention.
The History of Pontos Riscados in Umbanda
Over the centuries, the roots of Pontos Riscados in Umbanda trace back to the transatlantic slave trade; moreover,, when sacred traditions from Central Africa were carried forcibly to Brazil. Among the Kongo peoples, a ritual known as Yimbila ye Sona—the act of singing and drawing—formed one of the foundations of visual and sonic communication with the spirit world.
These cosmograms laid the foundation for what we now recognize as Pontos Riscados in Umbanda. They continue to hold power in their own right, but also served as inspiration for symbolic systems that, across time and spiritual exchanges, helped shape the rich and layered practices we see today. Still, their core purpose remains the same: to connect the material world with the ancestral and divine.
Additionally, we can infer that the ponto cantado—the sacred songs and chants that accompany many Umbanda rituals—originates from this ancestral practice, where melody and symbol work together to invoke and anchor spiritual presence.
The Sacred Function of Pontos Riscados in Umbanda
In Umbanda, the drawing of a ponto riscado is an act of spiritual affirmation. It marks the moment a guide descends and settles into the medium’s body. The chalk becomes an extension of the spirit’s will. The drawn form reveals not only who they are but what work they will perform. To draw the point is to welcome the sacred—a conscious act of reverence and invocation.
Protection of Ritual Space
Pontos riscados are often drawn to shield the ritual space from intrusive or disruptive energies. These markings create a stable and purified environment, allowing sacred work to unfold safely and in alignment with spiritual intent.
Energetic Preparation
In other cases, the ponto riscado serves to prepare the energetic field—aligning forces and defining the necessary flow for a single ritual or the entire gira (a full Umbanda spiritual session). Whether to cleanse, open paths, or strengthen intentions, it becomes a blueprint of action, charged with purpose and spiritual direction.
Verification of Identity
Furthermore, a ponto riscado also serves as a spiritual signature. Each spirit reveals its presence through a unique mark, recognized by its energy and expression. Over time, this signature may evolve, shaped by the growing connection between medium and entity.
Energetic Activation and Closure
Once drawn, the ponto riscado becomes an energetic focal point. It radiates intention. Sometimes, it is reinforced by a song—a ponto cantado—which adds rhythm, invocation, and emotional resonance to the visual sign. Together, they weave a fabric of sacred presence.
After the ritual, the entity—or at times the practitioner—erases the ponto with care and reverence. This act is not just for practicality, but as a form of spiritual hygiene. Leaving a point visible without its corresponding energy can attract unwanted forces. Erasure is part of the closure, a way of sealing the encounter and honoring the sacred that has passed through.
Interpreting Symbols in Pontos Riscados in Umbanda
To begin with, understanding a ponto riscado means more than knowing its symbols—it requires attention to how they are placed and oriented. Their position within the drawing carries meaning, often shaped by deeper cosmological structures like the circular flow of the Dikenga or the layered cosmologies of the Jogo de Búzios. These frameworks help guide the energy, giving structure and purpose to the drawing beyond its surface form.
The Dikenga Cosmogram
The Dikenga, also known as the Kongo Cosmogram or Yowa Cross, is a sacred symbol from Central African traditions that maps the cyclical path of existence—connecting the physical and spiritual realms. This cosmogram, carried through Kongo and Angolan cultures into Afro-Brazilian religious expressions, offers deep insight into how time, life, and energy move in sacred rhythm.
At its core, the Dikenga presents a circle divided by a cross: the horizontal axis represents the Kalunga line, the boundary between the material (nseke) and spiritual (mpèmba) worlds. The vertical axis links cosmic movementthrough the four points of the sun’s journey, each reflecting a phase of existence along a sacred cycle—birth, maturity, death, and conception—reminding us that all things flow in rhythm, transform, and begin again.
- Kala: Associated with birth and fire, it marks the beginning of the journey, the rising sun, and spiritual awakening.
- Tukula: The peak of maturity and earth, symbolizing fullness, strength, and presence in the physical world.
- Luvemba: Linked with death and water, this point marks reflection, transformation, and return to the spiritual essence.
- Musoni: Representing conception, air, and pure potential, it is the seedbed of spirit—where the essence is purest and new life begins to take form.
In a ponto riscado, symbols can be placed in specific sections of the Dikenga to align with its spiritual logic. A single element might represent renewal, transition, or movement between phases of life. Entities use these placements to shape the direction and purpose of the ritual drawing.
The Cosmology of the Jogo de Búzios
In the cosmology of the Jogo de Búzios (Cowrie Oracle), a spiritual map also emerges—not in circular form like the Dikenga, but through a cross-shaped axial plane that helps organize and interpret the flow of energy between different aspects of material and spiritual life.
One common interpretation presents this plane as two intersecting axes that define four energetic quadrants. The vertical axis expresses the movement between spiritual dimensions—ranging from personal spirituality and ancestral connection at the base to divine realms and cosmic forces above. The horizontal axis reflects the relationship between the self and the world—extending from individual emotions and material concerns on one side to societal structures and collective experience on the other.
Importantly, this is just one of many possible interpretive layers. Depending on the context, situation, or ritual intent, other cosmological planes and frameworks may also guide how the Jogo de Búzios is understood and used.
In a ponto riscado, the entity—or sometimes the practitioner—may place elements along this axial structure to suggest movement across these energetic zones. A symbol might indicate a shift from inner life to spiritual awareness or signal a transition between personal and collective forces.
Symbolic Elements in Pontos Riscados
The meanings of the symbols used in pontos riscados are layered and often shaped by the cosmological logic of each terreiro or tradition. These symbols form a visual language that conveys spiritual presence, intention, and energy. Consequently, entities often position them intentionally within structures like the Dikenga or the Jogo de Búzios to deepen their significance, reflecting not only what is drawn, but how and where it is drawn.
Air
Represents movement, communication, and spiritual breath. It evokes the breath of life, creative thought, and the winds of transformation that bring renewal and motion to the spiritual path.
Bow
Symbolizes focus, pursuit of goals, and the capacity to aim at objectives. It is a tool that represents agility and precision. Often associated with the arrow and commonly found in pontos of Caboclos.
Circle
Represents unity, protection, and the cyclical nature of time. When enclosing the ponto riscado, it indicates that the energy is being contained or protected. It may also evoke feminine energy, spirit, or water.
Crosses
Symbolizes the crossroads and the meeting point of material and spiritual worlds. It also represents life itself—the moment when spirit and matter unite. Additionally, the cross can serve as a protective symbol against negative forces or indicate a break or redirection in energetic flow. Pretos-Velhos often use it in their pontos riscados.
Double-Edge Axe
A twin symbol of judgment and sacred authority. It represents justice, force, and balance. Often drawn with precise symmetry, and sometimes combined with lightning to reinforce divine decision-making.
Earth
Grounding, ancestral memory, and stability. A symbol of connection to the natural world and the enduring presence of earth-based wisdom.
Fire
Represents transformation and vitality. Fire purifies, intensifies emotions, sharpens purpose, and fuels the inner strength needed for change.
Fish
Fertility, abundance, nourishment, and generative force. It symbolizes life-sustaining potential and the mysteries of flowing energy.
Five-Pointed Star
A sign of spiritual elevation, clarity, and guidance. It may also serve as a protective symbol. Esoterically, it represents the five elements: air, fire, water, earth, and spirit.
Lightning or Thunder
Represents sudden change, spiritual discharge, and justice. It sparks a transformative force, signifying divine intervention, emotional release, or a necessary rupture in stagnant energy.
Moon
Symbol of mystery, intuition, and the passage of time. It appears in various phases and is also associated with the night and its reflective, inward qualities.
Semi-Circle
Represents one side of a polarity or duality—often signifying masculine or feminine, light or shadow, spiritual or material. The direction of its opening indicates which force it expresses. When two semi-circles appear together, they may also reflect the dynamic tension or dialogue between these polarities.
Six-Pointed Star
Represents cosmic balance and justice. Esoterically, it may also symbolize the perfect union of opposites—such as body and spirit—or represent the integration of the four alchemic elements. It may also allude to the seven vibrational lines of Umbanda, with the seventh point being in the center.
Spiral
Symbol of transformation and spiritual movement. In some traditions, it marks a point of descarrego (spiritual discharge), where energy is actively released and redirected.
Sun
Symbolizes light, order, and vitality. It represents cosmic illumination and the presence of divine law.
Sword
Indicates courage, spiritual authority, and decisive action. Common in the pontos of warrior entities, Oguns.
Trident
Symbol of power, control, and dominion over spiritual roads and crossroads. Central to Exus and Pomba Giras. Curved versions may represent receptive or feminine energy; angled forms convey active or masculine force.
Two Overlapping Semi-Circles
Represents neutrality, balance, and the harmonization of polarities.
Water
Symbolizes fluidity, emotional depth, and spiritual purification.
Other Symbols
Moreover, in addition to these symbols, other symbols may appear across different Umbanda traditions, including hearts, leaves, keys, and other culturally specific markings—each carrying unique contextual meanings. In Umbanda Esotérica, a notable variation emerges: this tradition employs a symbolic system connected to phonemes, structured through a ritual framework that blends esoteric teachings with Afro-Brazilian cosmology.
Composite Symbols
Occasionally, symbols can also appear in combination, forming complex configurations that enhance or specify their intent. A trident may include arrowheads, a spiral might emerge from its base, or a cross may crown another symbol. Entities often combine these forms to express layered meanings or reinforce a specific energetic intention through the ponto riscado. Furthermore,
To demonstrate how interpretation can change:
A Practical Example
As an example, let’s consider this fictional ponto riscado. The dashed line is only a visual delimiter. At first glance, without the use of an underlying plane, the arrow might simply indicate a directional flow of energy—perhaps guided or propelled by the transformative force represented by the spiral. This alone could be read as a symbolic movement catalyzed by spiritual change.
Next, consider how this same ponto might be interpreted through the lens of the Dikenga. In this context, the arrow would represent a movement across the spiritual landscape—one that begins in a space where all is intangible—where ideas remain unformed—and moves toward a domain of realization, maturity, and structured expression. The spiral, placed near the point of emergence, becomes the ignition force: a symbol of transformation rooted in fire, catalyzing the passage across the Kalunga line and shaping what was once only potential into concrete spiritual action.
Similarly, when viewed through the spiritual plane of the Jogo de Búzios, a new interpretation emerges. From another perspective, the arrow moves from the quadrant of individual experience—both spiritual and material—toward the domain of collective spiritual and material integration. In this case, the spiral at the northeast symbolizes a spiritual shift that activates this movement: a transformation that pulls the self toward connection, growth, and shared purpose.
Ultimately, these are just a few of the many possible interpretations. While frameworks like the Dikenga or the Jogo de Búzios offer valuable guidance, the entity—or in some cases, the person—who draws the ponto riscado gives it meaning through their intention.
Closing Reflection: Sacred Lines That Speak
In conclusion, Pontos Riscados in Umbanda are sacred acts of presence. More importantly, they are not learned only through books, but through observation, participation, and initiation. Taken together, each line is a gesture of faith, a movement of power, a message inscribed in silence.
In essence, they remind us that spirituality is not just felt—it is made visible. It is drawn, danced, and sung. And in Umbanda, it leaves marks. Marks that speak.
What symbols have spoken to you? Share your insights, questions, or experiences in the comments below and be part of this living conversation.
Laroyê! May the point be firm, and may the path be open.
Ashé!
Dive Deeper: See our Blog about What Is Umbanda? Origins, Beliefs, and Spiritual Practices, about The Strength and Spirit of Boiadeiros and Boiadeiras in Umbanda, and about The Irreverent Wisdom of the Malandros in Umbanda
Sources:
- Afro-Brazilian Altar-Poems: The Textual Poetics of Pontos-Riscados by Isis Costa McElroy (2007).
Published in Afro-Hispanic Review, Vol. 26, No. 1 – African Religions in the New World, pp. 103–120. - The Sacred Umbanda: History, Branches, Organization, Beliefs and Rituals of Brazilian Umbanda (Ifá – Candomblé – Umbanda – Santeria)
by Tilo Plöger de Àjàgùnnà (2023).
