A Spiritist since 1975, Maroísa Forster Pellegrini Baio (photo) is a Mathematics teacher in her hometown of Limeira, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. She is a Spiritist speaker, vice-president and coordinator of Grupo de Estudos do Evangelho (Gospel Study Group) in Limeira and is also a columnist for the International Spiritist Revue and other publications.

Where did your interest for the Spiritist Revue come from?

In 2008, during the Revue’s 150-year anniversary celebrations, I took part in a seminar with Raul Teixeira in the city of Araras, when he stressed the importance of that aspect of Allan Kardec’s work. From then on, I set out a goal of reading and studying the Revue, with the sole purpose of getting to know more about the Teachings and Allan Kardec as a person. And that was 10 years ago!

What strikes you the most from all the content of the Revue?

What really drew my attention was the opportunity to find out what was Allan Kardec’s personality: his character, his education and his virtues! With the works of the Codification we find out about Spiritism. By reading the Revue we get the opportunity of getting to know Allan Kardec, the person, who is still virtually unknown to many who say they are Spiritists.

Explain to our readers what the Spiritist Revue is.

In that seminar with Raul Teixeira, he drew attention to the subtitle of the Revue: Newspaper of psychological studies. After all, he said, is it a magazine or a newspaper? As a magazine, it would be a publication specialised on Spiritist matters. As a newspaper, it would have news about the Spiritist Movement at the time and from many locations. As a “psychological newspaper” it would deal with human thought and its manifestations among incarnates and discarnates. Its content is diversified, attractive, educational and emotional, going beyond the borders of knowledge!

Is there a practical method to encourage the study, research and dissemination of the Revue?

Yes, I would like to share with our readers the practical advice given by Raul Teixeira. Let’s read the Revue as we read any magazine: first we browse through it, which gives us a general perspective of its contents. Let’s read first the titles that grab our attention the most. If neither of them grabs our attention, put it to the side and pick it up the day after, several times if necessary. Read it month by month, without the pretension of reading a year of publications in only 30 days. And I can tell you: this method really works.

Is there any particular aspect of the publication that you would light to draw our readers’ attention to?

What really stands out from reading the Revue is the opportunity it gives us to get to know Allan Kardec as a person. He was very polite and never answered with a rude remark to the countless attacks he used to get from the local media, the Catholic Church and other people and organisations. The remark that most impressed me when answering to the false accusations against him was: “The stones they throw, I neither grab them nor throw them back”. He was also very patient when explaining the Teachings. For us, Brazilians, who so often act on emotion, he might come across as a cold person. But he acted with reason. He was calm, careful and a true example of someone with unshakable faith! How much do we still have to learn from his virtues!

Taking into account your experience in the Spiritist Movement, what would you like to say to our readers?

May we study, learn, work and serve more with Jesus. That we must use our time to educate and help those who still haven’t show the courage and determination to take the first step. That we avoid wasting time in pointless debates about issues that we cannot as yet prove. Let us be, above all, fraternal, united and merciful! We should from time to time remember how we were when Spiritism welcomed us: distressed, desperate, sick, suffering from Spiritual obsession. We shouldn’t let our knowledge of Spiritism turn into darkness…

Is there anything else you would like to add?

May all the opportunities we have to carry on learning and serving in the Spiritist Movement with Jesus be renewed and multiplied. I would like to leave you with the words of a friend from the Spiritual World: “widen your horizons through study and education”. 

Publisher’s note:

We have been studying the Spiritist Revue regularly on this publication since edition number 503, with translations from Portuguese into English and Spanish. To access the first study of the series, click here.

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