Simone Ivo de Sousa (photo) is a business consultant in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza with university degrees in Philosophy and Business Management. She is also a member of the Spiritist Federation of the State of Ceará and the Casa de Francisco Spiritist Society. She works in both organisations as a volunteer in the areas of communications and events, as she explains in the following interview. 

How did you become a Spiritist?

I was born into a Spiritist family. My mother is a medium and I was introduced to Spiritism at a very young age. I used to go with my mother to open mediumship meetings at the Fé, Esperança e Caridade Spiritist Centre. At the time, I didn’t fully understand the phenomena that were happening during those meetings. Only when I became a teenager did I get interested in studying the mediumistic phenomena and all other aspects of Spiritism. I found in Spiritism the answers for all my philosophical queries. 

Which aspect of Spiritism strikes you the most?

It’s certainly its comforting and educational aspect, which makes us understand that our personalities, idiosyncrasies and tendencies are the result of all the experiences that we have built up after many lives. It also tells us that we are still in a process of spiritual development and we can develop and improve. And there’s another beautiful lesson in Spiritism: it shows us that there are no goodbyes!

Where does your interest in the connection between spirituality and business come from?

My interest in that subject comes from my personal and professional experiences. As Spiritism contemplates philosophy and science, there’s no reason not to apply its principles to human labour relations. In their answer to question 674 of The Spirits’ Book, the Spiritual Benefactors explain that work of any kind is part of a natural law, especially if it enables the moral and ethical development of human beings. The product of our work is a source of progress, it’s not punishment. Through work, we can educate our senses, keeping them active. Through work, we contribute for the advancement of individuals and society and for the moral and social progress of all. We are Spirits before we are professionals and as such we can live professional experiences in a spiritual manner.  

Can we add a spiritual perspective to deal and business that are focused basically on material aspects, which are very often of a lower or superficial nature?

We always link the concepts of profit, money and success to the idea of business. Obviously, companies that operate in capitalist societies base their activities on these principles in order to survive and to be able to remain in business. On the journey to achieve those goals, however, opportunities for personal and spiritual growth frequently come up. When I talk about spirituality in business, I’m not suggesting the creation of a new religion. I’m proposing, instead, to exercise labour relations in a virtuous manner, remaining aware of our social responsibilities and our role as citizens of the world, with ethics, compassion and proper understanding of how to use the resources available and how to care for labour relations. 

If we take into account the fact that businesses in general seek profit and use unethical strategies to achieve that, how can we link them to spirituality? 

As Mahatma Gandhi told us, you must be the change you want to see in the world. To become a protagonist in that process is an individual choice. Work must contribute to giving our lives some meaning, not only because of the financial rewards it provides. In our corporate decisions, we must take into account the principles of unity, respect, humility, trustworthiness, dignity and justice. We must treat everyone equally, giving everyone equal opportunities. We must lead and allow ourselves to be led, listening to other people, serving and working as a team. 

We must open ourselves to a wider definition of profit. Is the concept of profit associated only with material gains? Or isn’t profit obtained when we do less damage to our ecosystem? Isn’t profit obtained when our employees are happy and engaged with their work, fully aware of the goal of the production process they are involved in as part of the general good?

How do you explain, in the context of the links between business and spirituality, the verse found in the Bible: “You cannot serve God and Mammon”?

Mammon is “mammonas” in Greek and it means treasure, wealth. There are countless people who personify wealth and idolise it like a God. That 's undeniable. I must stress once again, however, that business and spirituality agree with each other. Spirituality, as we see it, doesn’t refer to religion, but to the implementation of ethical and responsible actions to our lives. It’s linked to the idea of adopting more noble principles to all business decisions and not only to get praise and favourable headlines. Many companies have already formally included in their structural organisation the principle of social entrepreneurial responsibility. Those companies approve and monitor their new ethical codes. Many of those companies are widely seen as organisations that have an active and positive role in the lives of the communities where they are based and that encourage volunteer work schemes.