Carlos Roberto da Silva Júnior (photo) was born in the Brazilian city of Recife, in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. He was brought up as a Catholic, but when he was 18 he as given a Spiritist book as a present. This book, Luiz Sérgio’s O Mundo que Eu Encontrei, prompted him to seek a better understanding of Spiritism. He began attending.

What was your motivation for writing the book, Autoconhecimento: A Chave da Mudança (Selfknowledge: The Key to Change)? 

This book was the result of all the volunteer work I carried out at GEPA, where I gave many talks, which were often recorded. Many people said they had trouble understanding and putting into practice the contents from the books of Eva Pierrakos. In my view, self-knowledge is human being’s main need in life, the practical tool to perform inner reform, which is mentioned so often in Spiritism and is, without a doubt, the main aim of reincarnation. 

What about the book Entenda Jesus (Understand Jesus)? What was your main motivation to write it? 

It was a way of giving back after having receiving so much from Spiritism and especially at Comunhão Espírita in Brasília. My friends at my mediumship book asked me many times to write a book specifically for Spiritists, aimed at sharing some interpretations of the Gospel of Jesus. I focused on Spiritist authors such as Joanna de Ângelis, Hammed, Ermance Dufaus, which strive to bring about understanding of the tools we need to change our behaviour and develop as human beings. 

What methods do you use and how long does it take for you to write a book? 

I research the bibliography available in various sources: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology and more technical selfhelp books (Eva Pierrakos), as well as Spiritist Literature. My main sources within Spiritism are the core books by Allan Kardec, the books of André Luiz, Emmanuel, Joanna de Ângelis, Hammed, Ermance Dufaux and others. This type of work takes time, because you need to be thorough, strict and analytical. It takes me two years to write a book. 

What is the importance of Psychology for Spiritism in our times? 

Psychology is important as it has a scientific approach to problems, which need to be dissected to the most basic level, enabling the knowledge to be repeated and applied in any circumstance, place and time by any person. The proposals are not absolute truths. They are hypotheses that need to be tested and validated in a rational and logical manner. The most common method of building knowledge in Spiritism is revelation through mediumship. It reveals knowledge that science will take years to fully grasp. By uniting these two knowledge production methods you get the best results and the best productivity.  

What are the main hurdles we still need to overcome? 

Pride, alongside selfishness and fear, are still the biggest hurdles to be overcome by incarnates on Earth. I mentioned pride first, as most people who approach any religious denomination are unwilling to see in themselves the evil that he sees in the rest of the world. We still find it much easier to criticise others, the government, relatives and “bandits” for the unhappiness we have and the misfortunes we suffer. We tend not to turn the eyes and the attention to ourselves. If we did, we would find not only our imperfections but we would also find a way of understanding the reason why they exist and manifest in a particular way through our lives. That would allow us then to overcome them. 

What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to continue writing? 

Many people share with me their personal experiences and say their lives have changed with the books I have published. I was touched in the same way by Luiz Sérgio’s book, which changed my life’s directions, and later by Eva Pierrakos’s O Caminho da Autotransformação (The Path to Self-Transformation), which prompted me to choose Psychology as my new professional field.

That is why, despite all the problems, I intend to continue writing, giving talks and lectures and sharing my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus, Spiritism, Psychology, Philosophy and other rich areas of knowledge. I intend to continue debating these issues in a didactic and yet profound manner. It is also important to convey a practical sense; otherwise the knowledge will only remain in the field of the ideas. I would like to continue, perhaps, touching one or two souls here and there, being touched by and touching lives to awaken to the creative conscience, which is powerful and endless.  

Would you like to leave our readers a final message? 

In the past few years I have matured and I have been able to understand that life doesn’t leap. The rhythm of life is the rhythm of nature: it is quite slow but it never stops. The changes happen gradually and need to be carried out with conscience, understanding and acceptance. I can say that God is really inside us, not outside. God is not worried about our faults neither wants to intervene in our free will.  God is always donating all the energy possible to contribute with our personal achievements. All we need is to understand the best way of doing this, that we find a way inside us, in our personal life history, because for every problem there is a solution. Every enigma will sooner or later be unveiled for anyone looking honestly for the answers as a simple, liberating truth.