Moacyr Ramos Camargo:

“I see children as a recently-planted field”

The well-known songwriter and singer talks about the importance music has for the Spiritist Movement and people in general

	Moacyr Camargo (photo), a musician and volunteer worker at the Antonio Pereira de Souza Spiritist Centre in São Paulo, has been a Spiritist since 1984. He has eight CDs recorded and carries out an important job raising awareness to the importance of music in the dissemination of Spiritism. That is the main focus of this interview.
How did you become interested in music and when?

It is the result of the plan agreed for me in this incarnation. Now, with a better perception of things, I understand the importance music can have as a tool of transformation, the role it can play by making the humankind’s cultural manifestations even more beautiful. 

How about the themes for your songs? Where do they come from? 

Most of them come to me by intuition. But it is up to me to develop them. Naturally guided by our Spiritual Benefactors. 

What is your view in the development in the use of music in the Spiritist Movement, particularly in the past few years? 

The development has been quite clear, thanks also to the support of those leading the movement in Brazil. But we still need to develop a clearer understanding of the role of art as an essential tool for our spiritual development. Music stimulates the vibrations of beauty we carry inside us. 

Can we talk about Spiritist Music as a musical genre? 

Emmanuel, in his book, O Consolador, says that art is one, a whole. People, the artists unveil its endless nuances as they progress. Spiritism has certainly widened the possibilities of songwriters, but its music must be Christian, in the same way Spiritism is Christian in its essence. Music must follow the pathways of art, which has in it a commitment with progress and development. 

Many Spiritist groups and artists have come up with some very good material. What is your view of what is going on? 

These groups came up at the right time. And many others will emerge, because we are entering a new phase in art, with the perspective of the Immortal Spirit. Art will play a vital role in helping people achieve spiritual progress. It will help people understand what their destiny is, detaching from the distractions and looking after themselves in a better way, with more love, knowing that their acts will have an impact in their lives.

But we need to be careful and keep the quality of the material produced, which must be in accordance with the Teachings, displaying a logical sense and reason, support, progress and beauty. There is an important Spiritist movement in the arts in Brazil, and I have seen very promising work coming out of Portugal too. 

What is the involvement of the Spirits in the development of the musical art? 

The Spiritual Benefactors never neglect us. They are everywhere, helping us in the fields of education, science, arts, helping humankind meet the requests of Jesus Christ, which is to overcome all the pain and fighting to reach the serene times of peace and venture. 

You have many works dedicated to the children. How do you feel about the children and young people in general? 

I often see children as a recently-planted field: all green, covering a vast area and requiring all the care of the person in charge. God gives us the wind, the rain, the sun. Those who work in the fields provide the care. The great pioneer of Spiritism in Brazil, Eurípedes Barsanulfo, has encouraged us to change our approach to education for the new generation of Spirits incarnating on earth now. And art has been one of the tools recommended to deal with this renovation process. I have seen the benefits through the projects I have worked with. I have recorded seven CDs. Four of them are children’s CDs. And I am preparing a trilogy with all the songs for children that talk about Christ and the Gospel. 

Is there any particular aspect that you would like to highlight from your experience with music? 

What has really touched me is the happiness and joy music has brought to so many people. Nothing is more moving than that. 

Is there anything you would like to add? 

I would like to thank O Consolador, asking Jesus to protect us in our present incarnation on earth. May we be able to go higher and stay in the beautiful spiritual gardens awaiting us, faraway from all the dissonances of this world, joyful in the sublime harmony.