Aurélio Prado (photo), from the Brazilian town of Ceres-GO, lives in the capital, Brasilia, where he works as a journalist and takes part in the local Spiritist Movement. He became a Spiritist in 1997 and has been active as an educator and coordinator of media at the GEAEF Spiritist Centre and the local Spiritist Federation, as he explains in the following interview.

How was your first contact with Spiritism?

I was 13 years old and my mother was a teacher. She was invited to take part in the foundation of the Spiritist School André Luís, which is still open. I used to go along with her to help in the school office. It was an amazing time. From then on, I became more and more interested in Spiritism. I've always been a curious person and I never missed an opportunity to speak about Spiritism with the school’s founders. That phase lasted four years. I then decided to join a Spiritist Centre to study Spiritism properly. 

What has attracted you the most to Spiritism?

When I first came in contact with Spiritism, what I really admired was how so many men and women worked hard and selflessly to help other people. I kept asking myself: What is the reason for them to work on behalf of the elderly, the poor and all of those who suffer in so many ways? That really inspired me and I have tried to follow in the steps of these people I admired. 

Tell us about your experience in the Spiritist Movement.      

Like many other Spiritists, I began my volunteer work as a medium. I was lucky to be guided by the Spiritual Benefactors towards a Spiritist Centre that encouraged its members to study hard, read the books and learn the Teachings. So my first volunteer job in Spiritism was in a study group about mediumship -- theory and practice. 

I haven’t stopped since. I have worked as a medium in meetings, as a healer after public meetings, as an educator, as coordinator of media and in the dissemination of Spiritism, which includes Spiritist theatre. I have also done volunteer work as a tax advisor. 

I am now part of the group of volunteer workers at GEAEF, based at the 910 Sul area of Brasilia, working with the media and theatre groups. 

Tell us a bit more about your work with Spiritist theatre.

Spiritist theatre came into my life by chance, as a challenge, and it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t an area that I was familiar with, but I embraced the task with a lot of love. I’m part of a group known as TELA, which has been on the road for more than 20 years. It’s a study group and we see the plays, when they’re finally written, almost like a final school essay (laughs). The play is not the main part of the work. It is merely the end result of studies that may go on for months or even years. The difference between conventional theatre and Spiritist theatre is that in our plays the villain is never simply condemned to a tragic end. He or she is always embraced and helped by others. I think this is one of the essential differences between the two forms of theatre. 

What is in your view the importance of arts for Spiritist Centres? 

Spiritist art is aimed at ensuring that Spiritism touches the hearts that are still not open to other forms of evangelisation. In other words, Spiritist art manifestations are a strategy to take the Gospel to the people, starting by the artists themselves. That knowledge eventually reaches the public. Art has a subtle effect,  by touching the fibers of the soul of those who watch a production, a musical or a dance performance. We always say that a performance is never a simple event and it may not be taken as such. There’s hard work involved, as well as study, commitment, discipline, respect and a great deal of sacrifice behind it. There’s also a partnership that’s established between incarnates and discarnate Spirits, who effectively direct those activities. 

Please leave us with your final thoughts, as we still go through the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

I would like to encourage people to think and consider that the pandemic is only a phase and it will pass. We must also bear in mind that it has had a positive impact in many aspects. Of course we can’t ignore the number of lives lost and the pain felt by so many families. But we must understand that all that happens to us is part of a bigger plan. We are going through a pandemic at a period when the Earth is going through a phase of transition, from a world of Trials and Tribulations into a world of Regeneration. We must understand that this is a strategy by Jesus and his team to speed up the reforms that were required. The Earth will soon be a world of regeneration, where there will no longer be room for things that we still experience and are still seen as normal. So Spiritist leaders must encourage a debate on these issues, so that we are able to contribute with the Spiritual Benefactors in their efforts, through humility, faith, charity and lots of love. 

And in order to honour the Spirits who passed away, after suffering so much during the pandemic, we must stay at home as much as we can, looking after ourselves, improving our levels of patience and strengthening our faith, knowing that Jesus is in control and all of this will pass!