André Luis Chiarini Villar (photo) was born in the Brazilian city of Campinas and lives in Itapira, also in the state of São Paulo. He is currently the vice-president of the Perdão, Amor e Caridade (Forgiveness, Love and Charity) Spiritist Centre, where he gives talks, teaches and takes part in mediumpship groups. He is the author of two books: “Momentos de reflexão, à luz do Espiritismo” (“Moments of Reflexion in the Light of Spiritism”) and “O Poder da Liberdade” (“The Poer of Freedom”). He has a degree in Marketing and works for a producer that organises events. In this interview, he speaks about his experience in the Spiritist Movement.

Tell us about your activities in the Spiritist Movement.

At the Perdão, Amor e Caridade Spiritist Centre we offer a number of activities, which encourage me to constantly work on our self-knowledge. I am one of the public speakers, I give courses, I oversee the Youth Group, I help in the coordination of the Web television programme A Caminho da Luz and I am part of the mediumship group that deals with Spirit attachment, or obsession.

What have prompted you to write your two books?

My involvement in the Spiritist Movement came in a natural way. As my parents were already Spiritists when I reincarnated, everything has come naturally, including my activities as a speaker and as a writer. My motivation is to take hope, comfort and peace to all of those who have the opportunity to ready my books. It was never my intention to put my name in evidence, as those who must be in evidence are Jesus Christ, Allan Kardec and Chico Xavier.

How long did it take you to write those books? Was there direct influence from the Spirits?

It took me two years to write the first book, “Momentos de Reflexão,” and a bit more than six months to write the second one, “O Poder da Liberdade”. For the first one, I chose randomly some issues and I commented them in the light of the teachings of Allan Kardec and the Spirits who guided him. In the second book, I picked sentences, extracts from books and reflexions and I tried to link them to up to date subjects, which are relevant to our times. In the writing of both books, there was indeed great influence from the Spirits. But they were not written through automatic writing, or psychography.

What do you think of the use of new technologies and media in the dissemination of Spiritism?

I see the technological progress in a something positive. The innovations are so many that it’s easy to get lost with so much information. But progress is necessary, and we need urgently to adapt to the new technology for the dissemination of Spiritism.

What role can Spiritist communicators play in the efforts to build a better world?

It is an important role, when played with love and knowledge. But for Spiritist speakers it is not enough to have the knowledge; they must live what they teach, as Allan Kardec has stressed. When that job is done with love and good preparation, the reward we get at the end of a talk is priceless, when someone smiles at you, shakes your hand and says thank you. I have noticed, however, that pride, selfishness and vanity continue to be the biggest enemies of Spiritist speakers. We must never forget that, as much as we find it easy to speak and communicate, we are being supported by the benefactors and they must be revered, not us.

What can and must be done to improve the formation of Spiritist speakers, adapting them to the requests of our times?

Nowadays we don’t need only people who speak well and give a good interpretation of the message. It is very important also that they put into practice the values they are teaching. That is why I take Chico Xavier as a reference. He managed to remain humble his whole life, preventing all the praise to affect his work negatively. Taking Chico Xavier as a reference makes me more secure and certain that we are all part of a bigger project. It is necessary, hence, that we make ourselves smaller so that Spiritism grows. But if we do the opposite, as it is happening now, we will not have the growth and development expected. 

What are your future plans in the Spiritist Movement?

I wish to have more work and do more in Spiritism, even though our Spiritual friends always say that there is a time for everything. We are building the third annex of our Spiritist Centre, adding an area of 2,000 square metres. The project is big, but not luxurious. I am also planning to publish a third book, a pocket book, which will aim to take hope and words of encouragement to so many people who need it. The copyright will be donated to the Perdão, Amor e Caridade Spiritist Centre.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I am immensely grateful to O Consolador magazine for this opportunity. May Jesus bless all of those who oversee this publication and all its readers.