I owe it to my
mother, who
became a
Spiritist when I
was only 9 years
old, months
after my
grandfather
passed away. At
the time, my
father and her
went through
serious
disturbances of
a spiritual and
mediunimic
nature and some
neighbours
helped them,
directing them
towards the
Spiritist Centre
Ana Vieira in
São Paulo. I was
fascinated by
the stories my
mother told me
about the Spirit
World, but as my
father didn’t
approve of
Spiritism, I
waited until I
was an adult in
order to join a
Spiritis Centre.
I was then 20
years old and
was already at
university. I
was moved
initially by
curiosity but
the key point
for my staying
was the kindness
and love of the
people who
worked there as
volunteers.
Did you have any
problems of your
family because
of your decision
to join
Spiritism?
No, because my
mother attended
the same
Spiritist Centre
as me. My
father, who used
to be very
sceptical about
any religion,
used to tease me
with jokes and
malicious
comments. But he
changed and
began respecting
Spiritism after
I led a ceremony
at the wedding
of a friend of
mine based on
The Gospel
According to
Spiritism. He
was very touched
by it.
What are your
activities in
the Spiritist
Movement at the
moment?
My wife and are
members of the
Camille
Flammarion
Spiritist Centre
(NEECAFLA),
which welcomed
us and is our
spiritual home
in Belgium. We
are a group of
15 dedicated
workers. Most of
the people who
attend our
meeting are
Portuguese
speakers, but we
also have
activities in
French, one of
the three
official
languages of
Belgium. I am a
member of the
board of
directors and
look after the
accounts. I also
give talks in
Portuguese and
French and give
courses on
mediumship.
What are the
main challenges
faced by the
Spiritist
Movement in
Belgium?
Even though
Spiritism was
codified in
France and
Kardec mentioned
his trips to the
Spiritist Group
of Liège (,
which is still
active and is
where the
headquarters of
the Belgim
Spiritist Union
is) in 1862,
unfortunately
there are still
a very low
number of
adepts. Many
still associate
mediums with
crooks and
charlatans.
Others see
Spiritism as a
sect. Belgium is
a predominantly
Roman Catholic
nation, with one
of the highest
numbers of
churches per sq
km in Europe.
But many people
in Belgium have
turned their
backs to
religion,
believing that
the idea of God
is only for the
poor and the
ignorant. Also,
because of its
geographic
position,
Belgium has seen
many wars in the
past few
centuries, which
has created a
very troubled
spiritual
atmosphere over
here. Millions
of people have
lost their lives
in the area in
the First and
the Second World
Wars. If you add
this to the lack
of natural light
and cold weather
of the region,
you have a
country with one
of the highest
suicide rates in
Europe.
The world was
shocked by the
terrorist
attacks in
Belgium in
March. Is that
an issue that
has had an
impact on
Spiritist
activities in
the country?
Yes, there is a
clear impact on
our activities.
Since the
attacks on the
weekly French
publication,
“Charlie Hebdo,”
our spiritual
mentors have
asked us to pray
for much light
for Belgium,
stressing that
the spiritual
atmosphere in
Europe is very
delicate at the
moment. They
told us that we
were all getting
a lot of
protection and
that we should
carry on with
our good deeds,
avoiding the
pessimism and
negativism
around us. The
number of
spirits being
rescued is
growing and we
have been often
reminded in the
two mediumships
groups we have
in our Spiritist
Centre that “God
is in charge”.
Those who have a
clearer
mediumship have
been feeling the
physical impact
of the heavy
spiritual
atmosphere, with
gastric
problems,
tiredness and
general pains.
In our public
talks, people
often ask why
all this is
happening and we
explain that the
planet is going
through a phase
of transition
(from a world of
Trials and
Tribulations
into a world of
Regeneration).
On the day of
the attacks I
was in the
United States.
But even from
afar I could
feel the anguish
of those who
were here. In
times like that,
our knowledge of
Spiritism is put
to a test.
Another
difficult issue
now in Europe is
the arrival of
thousands of
refugees seeking
a safe haven and
escaping terror.
Do you think the
Belgian people
is ready to do
the charity and
welcome those
people as
brothers and
sisters?
It is a very
delicate issue
indeed. There
are several
aspects to be
considered:
economic,
humanitarian,
social and the
fear of
welcoming
terrorists
amongst the
refugees. There
is a true desire
by the Belgian
people to hep,
but there are
many issues that
make it
difficult. The
social services
can be
overstretched
and the
immigrants will
need to be
integrated.
There will be a
cost in housing
them, teach them
the languages of
the country and
finding school
for their
children. This
is a real
dilemma for
European
authorities and
we are far away
from a solution.
Author’s note:
To find out more
about Spiritism
in Belgium, you
can check the
following
websites:
Belgian
Spiritist Union:
http://www.spirite.be
NEECAFLA:
http://www.neecafla.be
Francofone
Spiritist
Movement:
http://www.lmsf.org
Francofone
Medicine and
Spirituality
Congress:
http://congres.lmsf.org