Gisele dos Santos Marques (photo) is an educator in the Brazilian city of Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais. She works as a volunteer at the Amor ao Próximo (Love Your Neighbour) Spiritist Centre, where she is dedicated to the areas of mediumship, the dissemination of the Teachings and the religious education of children and young people, as she explains in this interview:  

How did you become a Spiritist?

I was born in a non-Spiritist family but I’ve always been a Spiritist. “How do you explain that?" many people ask me. It becomes easier to understand when you take into account the fact that I was a medium from a young age. Even without fully understanding what was going on, I was aware that I had visions, perceptions and could hear things that no other child around me could. So, despite being a young child, I realised there were entities around that others couldn’t see.

What do you think is the most remarkable aspect of Spiritism?

It’s the freedom it provides in the search of wisdom and knowledge, connecting all fields of human development. That is even more precious when we consider that we are living in times when the freedom of thinking, acting and questioning is curtailed to such an extent. We find in Spiritism a collection of non-dogmatic Teachings that gives us access to true wisdom and invites us to change, not by force, but because it awakens our conscience.  

What would you like to say about Spiritist education, which is the object of invaluable videoconferences that you have produced?

Spiritism, because of its educational character, helps people form their moral character. In the videos you mention, I speak about the importance of Spiritist education at all ages as an effective tool for carrying out true change in individuals and society. Morally educated people have a conscience, they are fair and charitable when faced with the pains of the world. They try to soothe them and lead by example, showing others in practice a different proposal for the spiritual development of humankind.(*)

What, in your opinion, are the main challenges faced by the Spiritist Movement and by Spiritists as individuals?

We are all social beings but we also need our individuality and we want to be recognised by our achievements. It couldn’t be different in the Spiritist Movement, which is formed by individuals who are still in a phase of development and who are still learning. They are dedicated to the cause, but they still have flaws. Many seek to be noticed for their efforts and very often we can see individual personalities overshadowing the collective work. People even try to impose their idiosyncrasies, in a complete clash with the theoretical principles of Spiritism.

What would you like to say to parents about the evangelisation of children and young people?

We are going through an unprecedented crisis. We’ve never been through such a period of so widespread existential emptiness. Teaching the lessons of the Gospel is an important tool to strengthen spirits in their reincarnation process. Evangelisation tackles materialism and shows us all a more humanitarian perspective of life. Brothers and sisters sent by the Father to the planet, are born again with an urge to find moral guidance that will help them succeed in this incarnation and reach a better level as they return to the Spirit World. As The Gospel According to Spiritism reminds us, each one of us has a duty to send those spirits in the right direction, getting them closer to God. If we happen to be their parents, we will have the main responsibility of carrying this work of love.  

Is there anything else you would like to share from your experience in the Spiritist Movement?

The opportunities to work in Spiritism come from all sides and we very often feel that we are not qualified to take them. It wasn’t different for me. But, if you could teach something based on my experience, I would say that if God invites us for a job, He will never make a mistake. The invitation comes to the right person, at the right time. To accept a job or a task in Spiritism and to do it well, to the best of your capacity, amounts to working on your own development at the same time as you work for the greater good, to help develop the world in all its aspects. If we long for a better world in the future, we’d better start working on it today.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

To work in the Spiritist Movement we need, each one of us, to display a lot of care, temperance, dedication and responsibility so that we are able to follow up on the work of those who came before us and honour the lessons entrusted to us by the Spiritual Benefactors. As Léon Denis said in his book In the Unseen, “Spiritism will become what men do with it.” Let’s not neglect these precious seeds, which are now beginning to sprout towards the sky. And let’s be careful to make sure that they produce good fruits.  

(*)To access the aforementioned videoconference on Spiritist education for people of all ages, please click on the links below (in Portuguese):

1^st part - LINK-1