The thought above is by the Spiritist speaker, Oceander Veschi (photo), 42, a physiotherapist from the Brazilian city of São José do Rio Preto, in the state of São Paulo. He works as a volunteer at the AELUZ Spiritist Centre (Associação Espírita A Caminho da Luz). He is involved in several areas of work in the Spiritist Centre, including that of public speaker. In this interview, he speaks about his early days in Spiritism and his work in the Spiritist Movement.

How did Spiritism get into your life?

I was invited to visit a Spiritist Centre in 2003 and then I came across Professor Rodrigues Ferreira, who was giving a talk. His explanations about immortality of the spirit and what “heaven and hell” are really like were so clear and so enlightening that I couldn’t resist. Then I thought: “That’s what I really believe in.” From that day on, I’ve never stopped coming to AELUZ in São José do Rio Preto. I ended up developing friendships there and was later invited to join the Group as a volunteer worker. And I learn something new every day.

You were taken by this remarkable Spiritist talk you attended in 2003 and then became a volunteer worker at AELUZ. What tips would you give to Spiritist speakers willing to grab the public’s hearts and souls?

When you speak, please be gentle, try to understand the limits we all have and use clear language, which can be easily understood by everyone. I was taken that day, indeed, by the energy displayed by Professor Rodrigues, who spoke with authority and yet in a gentle, light, kind and positive manner. I believe that these Teachings of Light deserve the best efforts from all Spiritist speakers, who must help convey the idea that Spiritism is something light, enlightening and joyful.

We have travelled the state of São Paulo giving talks and lectures. What are the main challenges and joys you have faced?

The main challenge has been to balance my daily professional activities, as someone who’s self-employed, with my family life. We need to study and work hard to prepare all the talks, in order to avoid diverting from the theoretical principles of Spiritism. But all that hard work and effort go away once you get on the road to visit other cities, different Spiritist Centres, where you will make invaluable friendships and will be able to study and learn with people who are really dedicated to achieve their spiritual development. I would say that the “expenses” are minimal when balanced out with the gains. Also, my work in the Spiritist Movement has helped unite my family even more, as my parents sometimes travel along with me, my brothers comes with me other times and my wife and two daughters are almost always there at my talks and lectures.

What do you do to balance the different roles in the family and in your professional life? Is it possible to do volunteer work without neglecting the family?

You must observer your priorities. Looking after our family is our main duty and it would be a disaster if we left it behind in order to fulfil other duties in the Spiritist Movement. But I manage to conciliate my professional agenda with the bookings to travel and speak about Spiritism. It is possible to conciliate everything, provided we do it with love and respect to the Spiritist Teachings, as well as a strong determination to improve every single day. I think things have gone well so far!

Tell us a bit more about the project you and your wife have developed of doing the Gospel in the Home online-

Facebook began doing “lives” in 2016. It was a new media tool available to anyone, who could go live or upload a video. I realised that tool would enable anyone to reach people in any part of the world, from any religious background, anonymously. The person who’s watching doesn’t need to come forward and doesn’t face the risk of being “spotted.” We then found out that no one else was at the time using the planet’s biggest social network to do the Gospel in the Home. And we decided to start, as we were already doing that at home with some friends. We started in September 2016 and the response has been much bigger than we ever envisaged. We are happy that we have managed to reach so many nice people across the world. We’ve used clear, accessible language. And we’re all united in the same ideal: to understand and practice the principles of Spiritism and, as a result, to improve all aspects of our lives, especially the spiritual side.

Do you manage to put into practice the principles of Spiritism in your professional life, as a physiotherapist and acupuncturist?

Yes, I do, indeed. I am moved in my profession by the desire to help other people. I believe in the power of kindness, patience, dedication and determination to help and be useful. I make a concerted effort to put that into practice and I’ve had very positive results in the past 15 years in my profession. I think one of reasons why such treatments work is the energy generated by the good vibrations that I try to pass on to my patients during acupuncture and physio sessions. I try to focus on what I do and try to do it in the best possible way. That’s where I manage, more than anywhere else, to put Spiritism into practice. And I have succeeded so far.

What do you think is the main challenge faced by the Spiritist Movement in the 21^st Century?

I believe in the power of unity. As Allan Kardec used to say, 100 people praying selfishly will achieve less than 10 people praying together, united in their thoughts. It’s clear to me that we need more unity and less conflict, not only now but always. Less vanity and more fraternity. We must bear in mind the advice given by the Spirit of Truth, who said that we must, first and foremost, love each other, and then educate ourselves. We have done well with the second piece of advice, but we must start working urgently on the first recommendation.