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The Brazilian
lawer Vera
Palmgren (photo)
moved to the
Danish capital,
Copenhague, ten
years ago,
driven by the
desire to live a
different life.
In this
interview, she
talks about how
the Danes see
the Doctrine.
O Consolador:
When did you
have your first
contact with
Spiritism?
I believe my
awakening to
Spiritism
happened when I
was a teenager,
even
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though the
interest was
there before
somehow, through
my mother´s
influence.
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O Consolador:
Was there any
special event or
fact that
brought you
closer to
Spiritism?
The contact with
the spiritual
world takes
place in our
sleep, when the
body rests,
through dreams
and the memory
of what when on
during those
experiences.
That contact
became more
intense when a
close relative
of mine died.
O Consolador:
What was your
family´s
reaction?
My family simply
became more
interested in
the Doctrine. I
began to provide
better support
to my family,
thanks to the
information I
gathered in
reading
Spiritist
books.
O Consolador:
What
responsibilities
have you held
through your
years in the
spiritist
movement?
From healer to
president of a
spiritist
centre.
O Consolador:
What of the
three aspects of
Spiritism –
science,
philosophy and
religion –
interest you the
most?
Science and
philosophy.
O Consolador:
What books do
you recommend to
those being
introduced to
the Doctrine?
“Violetas na
Janela” (Violets
at the Window)
was a very
important book
to me. It
provided me
comfort when I
lost a loved
one. It´s a
straightforward
book, but
written with a
great deal of
affection and
love by a lovely
teenager. I´d
also recommend,
obviously, The
Spirits´ Book,
The Mediums´
Book and the
whole Andre Luiz
series. It´s
hard to name all
titles… it´s up
to an
individual´s
particular
interests,
really.
O Consolador:
There are but a
few
disagreements
among spiritists
over the
Doctrine. And
one of them
concerns what is
called secular
Spiritism. Do
you think
Spiritism is a
religion?
Absolutely.
Spiritism is one
of the ways we
have of
believing that
there´s
something beyond
life on Earth
and,
furthermore,
that there is a
Glorious Being
responsible for
all that
surrounds us.
It´s a religion,
but also
philosophy and
science. That´s
why it grows
every and each
day. These three
aspects put
together make
the arguments
provided by
Spiritism
incontestable.
O Consolador:
Another subject
where there´s
some
disagreement
concerns the way
healing is
given. What´s
your view on
that?
If we assume
that those
giving healing
are also an
intermediate
point to the
energy received
by the spirits,
then we must
remember that
the goals will
only be achieved
if the medium –
as well as the
patient –
believe it and
deserve it. The
knowledge of the
chacras, the
energy points,
is an extra
skill for
healers, but not
a “must have”.
As a medium
giving healing,
I do the laying
on of hands,
despite having
previous
knowledge about
how to identify
the energy
points and
despite feeling
in some
occasions the
energy blocked
in certain
organs. Each
healer has the
freedom to
choose the
method he feels
more comfortable
with, based on
ancient
principle of the
laying on of
hands.
O Consolador:
What are your
views on the
abortion debate?
In Denmark,
abortion is
legal up to 12
weeks and, in
special cases,
16 weeks. I
think the debate
focuses wrongly
the consequences
of an act,
rather than the
causes. I´ve
always refused
to criticise a
mother who
performs an
abortion because
one needs to go
through a
similar
situation to be
able to judge. I
imagine that
mother will bear
for life the
weight of that
decision. I´m
more in favour
of addressing
the cause of the
problem and I
think
information
campaigns shoud
focus on the
prevention of
unwanted
pregnancies. The
parents should
be more
realistic and
aware that their
teenage children
are beginning
their sexual
lives earlier
and earlier.
They should face
the issue with a
normal family
chat. The Church
and other parts
of society
should leave
their outdated
Puritanism
behind and
invest more on
providing
information,
especially to
poorer families.
O Consolador:
Are you in touch
with the
Brazilian
spiritist
movement? Is it
proactive enough
or should more
be done to
improve the
propagation of
the Doctrine?
I get emails
from friends and
family in
Brazil, I access
the internet and
the websites of
spiritist
centres. Brazil
certainly plays
an important
part in
publicising the
Doctrine around
the world,
through the
publication of
so many books,
translated in
several
countries,
through the
public speakers
who travel the
globe spreading
the Spiritist
message.
O Consolador:
What can you
tell us about
the spiritist
movement in
Denmark?
There are
several
spiritualist
groups in
Denmark, but
only two based
in the Doctrine
codified by
Allan Kardec.
The two groups
do what they
can, but the
main restriction
is the language,
as there´s no
translation of
any spiritist
book into Danish
as yet. The
Spirits´ Book is
being adapted,
from Old Danish
to modern Danish
and will be
available in a
year and a half.
We have
simultaneous
translation for
the main events
– lectures and
mediunic
painting
sessions – but
not for our
weekly meetings,
that would be
too difficult to
arrange.
O Consolador:
How and when did
Spiritism began
in Denmark?
I can only tell
about the period
I´ve lived in
the country. In
2002, I found
out about
GEEAK-DK (www.geeak.dk),
opened by two
Brazilians,
Silas
Villas-Boas and
Raul Zandavalle
Filho. That´s
the group I´m
affiliated to.
Later, Rubens
Casoto, Malu
Martins and
Danielly Manso
founded the
second group,
LIFE (www.life.dk).
O Consolador: Do
Danish people
accept the
Doctrine?
Those who attend
the main events
– lectures and
mediunic
painting – are
in general those
who have an open
mind about
spirituality.
There´s a lot of
interest and
curiosity, which
works as a good
starting point
for considering
the existence of
life beyond
material life on
Earth.
O Consolador:
How hard is it
to work with
Spiritism
outside Brazil?
What are the
main obstacles?
Fraternal
assistance is
open to all, but
there´s not much
demand. LIFE has
a project of
visiting old
people´s homes.
The main problem
I think is
trying to work
in Denmark in
the same way
spiritist groups
work in Brazil,
especially with
money matters.
The rooms need
to be hired and
the groups are
often short of
cash, which
leads to the
cancellation of
events – or you
being forced to
charge the
public. The
respect for
privacy is in
the core of this
country, and the
search for
spiritual
support is not
often well
received.
O Consolador:
Crime and
violence seem to
be increasing in
Brazil and
around the
world. What can
we do to help?
Violence and
crime are caused
by the lack of
access to
education and
information. The
situation in
Brazil will
change once good
schools are
accessible to
everyone. In
Brazil,
spiritist groups
should focus
their efforts
towards making
sure that the
communities
where they work
have access to a
good school.
They should talk
to local
politicians and
carry out
information
campaigns,
encouraging the
people to vote
for those who
support good
education. In
the countries
where education
is not a
problem, the
main concern
seems to
intolerance and
religious
sectarianism,
which escape the
control of the
authorities.
Perhaps
Spiritism could
help by acting
as a mediator.
O Consolador:
Considering all
the problems
face by the
material world
on Earth, what
should be the
biggest priority
of the Spiritism
in the world?
We should focus
on respecting
others and their
differences, on
dialogue.
Intolerance
brings about the
main situations
of anger in the
society. We need
more people with
the gift of
speech, who can
talk, encourage
dialogue and
mediate
conflicts based
on the
principles of
love.
O Consolador:
What does
Spiritism mean
to you and how
important is it
to your life?
Spiritism is to
me the awakening
of life, it´s
understanding
the reason for
everything. Its
importance lies
on the fact that
it translates
the obstacles of
life in a way
that makes them
acceptable, the
makes them into
challenges.
There´s a reason
for everything
and one day we
will understand
why it happens.
Hence, Spiritism
is a balsam that
soothes our
griefs, that
provides
understanding to
our problems and
transform the
hurdles of our
live into
another step
towards our
spiritual
development.