“In the world you will
have tribulation, but be
of good cheer, I have
overcome the world.” Jesus.
(John, 16:33.)
While living in this
orb, we go through
successive atonements
and trials. After
reflecting, we concluded
that, in distressing
moments, we count on the
support of family
members, rare true
friends, possible
readings and
inspirations from the
Spirits who love us and
accept us as we are.
“Progress is one of the
laws of Nature. All
Creation beings, animate
and inanimate, are
subject to it (...). In
this way, the progress
of man, of animals,
their auxiliaries,
plants and that of
habitation march in
parallel, because
nothing remains
stationary in Nature.”
(...) 1
– Spirits – via reliable
mediums – indicated the
occurrence of these
changes. Most of them in
the last years of the
20th century. There are
many others, in
progress, imperceptible
to most inhabitants of
this beautiful planet.
The magazine Reformador (FEB)
published these
messages. Of them we
highlight:
– Echoes of the
Apocalypse -
Bezerra/Maria C. Paiva,
11.11.74 – in Jun/76, p.
165;
– It's time! -
Ismael/Maria C. Paiva,
04.13.78 – Jul/78, p.
211;
– New Era - Manuel
Quintao/Maria C. Paiva,
11.19.81 – Jan/82, p.
13;
– The severe warning by
Bezerra de Menezes -
Oct/88, p. 310;
– New Era - Bittencourt
Sampaio/J. Raul
Teixeira, 10.01.89 –
Oct/89, p. 312;
– Primacy of Love -
Bezerra/Divaldo,
11.07.92 – Dec/92, p.
361;
– Message of Stimulus
and Faith -
Bezerra/Divaldo,
08.18.94 – Feb/95, p.
37;
– The New Era imposition
- Bezerra/Divaldo,
11.06.94 – Dec/94, p.
357;
– The watchword is to
continue –
Bittencourt/Tania Souza
Lopes, 01.02.96 –
May/96, p. 133;
– Exhortation -
Bezerra/Divaldo,
10.05.97 – Jan/98, p.
24.
The transformation
process will take a long
time. When they come to
fruition, extraordinary
changes will occur – all
the fruit of Love, which
will overflow from our
hearts:
– They will favor a
legitimate, solidary
fraternity, to eliminate
injustices now reigning,
generating dignified
living conditions for
those who live here,
with the right to
health, housing,
education, pure water
and the study of all the
arts;
– This Love will extend
to Nature (preserved,
loved, with the
purification of rivers,
lakes and seas; with a
true understanding that
human beings, birds and
animals are part of a
whole that interacts
reciprocally. We are
interdependent,
necessary to each
other). And life will be
preserved in all its
expressions!
“Creating new needs, is
civilization not the
source of new afflictions?
(...) the richest is the
one with the fewest
needs.” 2
A precious lesson of the
Spiritist Doctrine is
the conquest of virtues,
which improve our depths
(key to individual
progress). Among them,
obedience and
resignation:
“(...) Obedience is the
consent of reason;
resignation is the
consent of the heart
(...). 3
They are active forces
because they carry the
burden of the trials
that the revolt drops.
“(...) obey the great
law of progress, which
is the word of your
generation. Woe to the
lazy Spirit, to the one
who closes his
understanding! Woe to
him! Because we, who are
the guides of Humanity
on the march, will whip
him and force his
rebellious will, through
the double action of the
bridle and the spur. All
proud resistance will
have to give way sooner
or later. (...)” 3
“(...) Life is
difficult, I know it.
(...) If, (...) we pay
attention (...) to the
consolations and
compensations that (...)
we receive, we must
recognize that the
blessings are much more
numerous than the pains.
(...)” 4
We are to prioritize our
moral reform, for its
value to the life of the
Spirit:
“(...) You only thought
about your body; your
well-being, your
pleasures (...). For him
who dies, you have
despised your Spirit,
which will live forever.
(...). Is that the
purpose of the life that
the Lord has given
you?” 5
KNOWLEDGE OF YOURSELF 7
This improvement will
take place as we reform
our nature, correcting
defects, acquiring new
virtues and developing
existing ones.
It is a theme developed
in questions 919 and
919-a, of “The Book
of Spirits” 6.
It is advisable to study
it and apply its lessons
daily. In the latter is
the method recommended
by Saint Augustine
(Spirit), who used it in
his life.
We refer any readers to
them, so that they can
get to know them and
apply them in their
lives, if they so wish.
In the last one, the
wise Spirit judiciously
affirms:
“(...) Self-knowledge
is, therefore, the key
to individual progress.
(...)”
Other sages refer to the
importance of this
learning. The Armenian
thinker Gurdjieff
(1866-1949) stands out.
At the beginning of the
20th century he
recommended
self-knowledge and its
importance for living
well. He outlined some
rules of life that were
highlighted at the
French Institute of
Anxiety and Stress in
Paris:
a) Take ten-minute
breaks for every two
hours of work, maximum.
Repeat these pauses in
daily life and think
about yourself, reflect
on your attitudes.
b) Learn to say no
without feeling guilty
or feeling hurt. Wanting
to please everyone is a
huge drain.
c) Plan your day, but
always leave plenty of
room for improvisation,
aware that not
everything depends on
you.
d) Focus on only one
task at a time. No
matter how nimble your
mental frames are, you
burn yourself out.
e) Forget, once and for
all, that you are
essential at work, at
home, in the usual
group. As much as it
displeases you,
everything goes without
your performance, except
yourself.
f) Give up being
responsible for
everyone's pleasure. You
are not the fountain of
desires, the eternal
master of ceremonies.
g) Ask for help whenever
necessary, having the
good sense to ask the
right people.
h) Differentiate real
problems from imaginary
problems and eliminate
them, because they are
pure waste of time and
occupy mental space,
precious for more
important things.
i) Try to discover the
pleasure of everyday
acts such as sleeping,
eating and bathing,
without thinking that
this is the most to be
achieved in life.
j) Avoid getting
involved in the anxiety
and tension of others.
Wait a while and then
resume the dialogue, the
action.
k) Know that the family
is not you; it is with
you, it makes up your
world, but it is not
your own identity.
l) Understand that
closed principles and
convictions can be a
great weight, the beam
of movement and search.
m) It is always
necessary to have
someone you can trust
and talk to openly, at
least within a radius of
100 kilometers.
n) Know the right time
to leave the scene, to
withdraw from the stage,
to leave the circle.
Never lose a sense of
the subtle importance of
a discreet exit.
o) Don't want to know if
they talked bad about
you and don't torment
yourself with this
mental garbage; listen
to what they said well,
with analytical reserve,
without any conviction.
p) Competing in leisure,
at work, in life
together, is great...
for those who want to
get exhausted and miss
out on the best.
q) Stiffness is good in
stone, not in man. It
has firmness, which is
very different.
r) One hour of intense
pleasure easily replaces
three hours of lost
sleep. Pleasure
recomposes more than
sleep. So don't miss the
opportunity to have fun.
s) Do not abandon your
three great and
unshakable friends:
intuition, innocence and
faith.
t) Finally, understand
once and for all,
definitively and
conclusively: you are
what you make of
yourself. (Source: psiconselhos website,
mentioned in reflection.)
On another site (click
here) there are
eighty-three pieces of
advice from Gurdjieff to
his daughter. Among
them:
1. Focus on yourself, be
aware in every moment of
what you think, feel,
desire and do.
2. Always finish what
you started.
3. Do what you're doing
the best you can.
5. Develop your
generosity without
witnesses.
6. Treat each person as
a close relative.
7. Tidy up what you
messed up.
8. Learn to receive,
appreciate every gift.
10. Do not lie or steal,
for you will be lying
and robbing yourself.
11. Help your neighbor
without making him
dependent.
13. Make work plans and
stick to them.
14. Don't take up too
much space.
15. Do not make
unnecessary noises or
gestures.
19. Share equitably.
21. Eat and sleep as
much as necessary.
23. Do not judge or
criticize when you are
not aware of most of the
facts.
26. Don't sell out.
27. Respect the
contracts you have
signed.
28. Be punctual.
29. Do not envy your
neighbor's goods or
success.
30. Speak only when
necessary.
33. Fulfill your
promises.
51. Pay for the services
provided to you.
55. Never contradict,
shut up.
56. Don't get into debt,
buy and pay right away.
57. If you offend
someone, apologize.
58. If you have offended
publicly, apologize in
public as well.
61. Do not keep useless
objects.
62. Don't be adorned
with other people's
ideas.
67. Accept that nothing
is yours.
68. When asked for your
opinion on someone,
speak only of their
qualities.
69. When you are sick,
instead of hating that
evil, consider it your
master.
74. If you decide to
work for someone, try to
do it with pleasure.
75. If you're in doubt
about whether or not to
do something, take a
risk and do it.
78. Live with your own
earnings.
82. Receive to share.
STUDY OF THE GOSPEL AT
HOME
It is a valuable means
to develop your intimate
reform and,
consequently,
self-knowledge. It does
not eliminate trials and
expiations, but it
inspires acceptance and
resignation. It favors
the influence of our
benefactors, either
through beneficial
inspirations or through
lessons received while
the body is asleep.
HAPPINESS
In the Shadow of the
Almond Trees 8
Do you see the almond
trees and the shade they
offer, which they spread
around them? Because
happiness is there.
In each of these shadows
you find, wipe the sweat
from your face; enjoy
the freshness of the
shade; delight in the
gentleness of the
breeze; rest...
Rest and forget the
road; prolong your stop
as long as you can...
then you'll have to go
on... and you'll go on
until it's time to
return.
This is happiness:
little moments, little
stops, patches of cool
shade on the isolated
road. Enjoy them
whenever you find them
along the way. And,
prolong them, as long as
you can, as long as
possible. Enjoy your
rest in these inviting
shadow patches.
Sit down and fall
asleep. Then, when you
go further on, you will
forget the friendly
shadow, where you felt
the fleeting kiss of
happiness. But don't
despair! You'll find it
again, waiting for you,
under another tree
further on.
Don't do as I did, who,
in my eagerness to meet
it, I looked for it
where it was not, I
couldn't make out where
it beckoned me.
And now, in the shadows
of the almond trees, I
only see nostalgia.
Don't give up before the
scorching deserts, the
stumbling blocks, the
falls... walk...
remember the shadows
that approach and move
on; looking for the next
almond tree.
Premonitory verses from
inspired poets reveal
this coming tomorrow:
FINAL JUDGMENT
(Nelson Cavaquinho and
Elcio Soares)
The sun will shine once
more;
The light will reach
hearts;
The seed of evil will be
burned:
Love will be eternal
again!
It's the final judgment
– The Story of Good and
Evil –,
I want to have eyes to
see:
Evil disappear!
Zelia Duncan offers us
this beautiful song: click
here
Jesus will complete
these transformations.
And "... there will be a
flock and a shepherd..."
(Jn-10:16)
Only then will happiness
be of this world, when
the transition from a
world of expiations and
trials to a planet of
regeneration is
completed!
It's our conclusion!
References:
1. KARDEC,
Allan. The Gospel
According to Spiritism,
chap. III, item 19, p.
89/90. – Saint
Augustine. (Paris,
1862.).
2.
KARDEC, Allan. The
Book of Spirits. Translation
by Evandro Noleto
Bezerra. 2nd ed.
1 print Rio de Janeiro:
FEB, 2011, q. 926, p.
561.
3.
KARDEC, Allan. The
Gospel According to
Spiritism,
by the Spirit Lazarus.
(Paris, 1863.) ch. IX,
item 8, p. 195/6.
4. KARDEC,
Allan. The Gospel
According to Spiritism,
A friendly Spirit. (Le
Havre, 1862) ch. IX,
item 7, p. 195.
5. KARDEC,
Allan. The Gospel
According to Spiritism,
A Protecting Spirit.
(Krakow, 1861) ch. XVI,
item 12, p. 324.
6. KARDEC,
Allan. The Book of
Spirits trans. By
Evandro Noleto Bezerra.
2nd ed. 1
print Rio de Janeiro:
FEB, 2011, q. 919 and
919-a, p. 553 to 555.
7.
Website: psiconselhos
8.
CEGALLA, Domingos
Paschoal. Portuguese
for the Commercial
College. SP: Co.
National Publisher. In
the shadow of almond
trees, Sonia Dias p.
104.
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