Izaura de Azevedo Hart (photo) has been a member, for many years, of the Spiritist union in the Brazilian city of Petrópolis. She was born into a Spiritist family in the city of Magé, which is also in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Izaura Hart has a degree in Education. She worked as a teacher and headmaster at several schools in Petrópolis and eventually retired as director of the city’s Education Department. In the following interview, she talks about her life in the Spiritist Movement.

As someone who was born into a Spiritist family, which aspect of the Teachings and which events and experiences in particular have touched your heart the most?

Many aspects of Spiritism have provided great consolation to my heart along the years. But, without any doubt, what has really made a difference in my life was knowing for sure that our soul is immortal. That has made me approach the prospect of “death” in a more natural and peaceful manner. Another important lesson I have learned from Spiritism has been the principle of reasoned faith. As for my experience, I must remind you that I come from a time when there was widespread discrimination against Spiritists in Brazil and I’ve been through some very difficult situations. But in the end, those hurdles have only made my love for Spiritism grow even bigger!

You are from the state of Rio de Janeiro, where so many great names of Spiritism, including Yvonne Pereira, Bezerra de Menezes and Dr March, spent most of their lives. How do you feel about that?

I feel a great sense of responsibility. I must also mention the names of Leopoldo Machado, Lins de Vasconcellos, Deolindo Amorim, Ramiro Gama, Paiva Melo and Gerson Simões Monteiro. I met many of them when I was still a child. And I haven’t mentioned here the names of so many other dedicated Spiritists who worked anonymously and very hard for our Movement. They are (as they continue to be) people who travelled extensively to disseminate Spiritism, even though they couldn’t count with the technology we have today and in most cases, they didn’t even have a car. They very often made huge personal sacrifices in order to carry out important tasks for Spiritism and to honour our ideals.

Do you approve of the tools we currently use to disseminate Spiritist ideas? Do you think they are efficient? 

Yes, I do. We have been making good use of the tools that the modern world has given us to spread a positive and beautiful message. In the old days, you might have to wait up to fifteen days for a letter that would confirm the presence of a Spiritist speaker at a “conference,” as we used to say. It was wonderful when we were finally able to record the public talks on tape. And now everything is so quick, practical and easy. We are able to reach people on the side of the world, provided we want to and show some goodwill.

As an enthusiast of Spiritist literature, what do you say about the works available?

I think that we have a well-respected Spiritist literature, with books that deal with current affairs in the light of Spiritism, not to mention the wonderful passages about the life of Christ. We shouldn’t pay too much attention to the “novelties” that add nothing and, on the contrary, create confusion and even darken the light from the Third Revelation.

Of all forms of human suffering, including spiritual obsession, which one touches you the most?

When someone suffers deeply either through the loss of a loved one or when that person falls victim of spiritual obsession, or attachment, and loses faith in a future life, in God and divine justice. That conveys, in my opinion, huge suffering.

Could you highlight something that has happened during your long experience in the Spiritist Movement that is particularly moving?

It isn’t a Spiritist event per se, but something linked to a project carried out by a group of Spiritists many years ago in a rural orphanage. At a certain point, all directors of the orphanage were Spiritists and I was its president. Once, a lady came to us to leave her two children there, as boarders. They were aged 5 and 3. I felt such a huge pain when I saw the two children running after her and crying their hearts out until she got out of sight. I feel that pain again every time I remember that scene. It hurt so much to see how the two children “accepted” it in the following days, but only because there was no other way for them. They simply suppressed the pain that would always remain inside them.

Would you like to add anything else?

I have shared such beautiful moments with our Spiritist brothers and sisters at the end of meetings and events. After worked so hard, we felt like we were being embraced by the Spiritual Benefactors, who seemed to be celebrating with us. We felt like that, for example, at the end of courses that helped people change their lives. And it was so good to see that change taking place before our eyes. In those situations, we experience a deep communion with the workers in the Spirit World and we are able to feel a different atmosphere around us! How many blessings have these Teachings given to us! I am so grateful to God for giving me access to Spiritism still as a child. Spiritism has been my safe haven and has given me hope in a better future for all humankind. It has been the strength I needed to get over the most difficult moments, which often seemed unsurmountable. It has been the faith in divine justice. I pray to the Lord to bless all the readers of this magazine. And let’s rest assured that better days will come!