Thaís Regina Santos Saad Borges (photo) has a degree in Psychoanalysis and a Master Degree in Public Law in the Brazilian city of São Paulo. She is also an active member of the local Spiritist Movement, involved in evangelisation activities at the Nova Era Spiritist Centre and at the Meimei Spiritist Evangelisation Group. She is a Spiritist speaker, lecturer and the author of articles for children, as she explains in the following interview:

When did you have your first contact with Spiritism?

It was in 1986, when I was 6 years old, at an evangelisation group for children that gathered on Sunday morning at the União, Amor e Humildade (Unity, Love and Humility) Spiritist Centre. I didn’t stay there for long because my family moved to a different area. In this new neighbourhood, my mother wasn’t able to take me to the children’s groups. But she took along to her meetings, instead, where they studied and discussed the Spirits’ Book. It was in the Nova Era (New Age) Spiritist. 

How did the rest of your family react?

I come from a Catholic family and I had great affection, love and admiration for my maternal grandparents, Maria and Terezinho. As I said, I used to go along with my mother to her study groups, until one day one of those attending the session went into trance, unexpectedly. I was scared and didn't want to go back. My mother respected my decision. I followed the Catholic Church until the age of 19, with my grandmother, Maria. We used to visit people in hospitals and homes as well. I often told her that I would like to be a nun (laughs). When I moved to the city of Campinas to prepare for my entry exams for university, my mediumship flourished and I turned to the Gospel According to Spiritism for help. It was a present my mother had given to me. And I gradually returned to Spiritism. The decisive moment was a chat I had with Napoleão, who was my mother’s main counsellor. From then on it became clear to me that my future lied within Spiritism, not in Catholicism. I came back to São Paulo and began attending the Nova Era again. One day, one of the members, Walmor Zambrot, invited me to give Gospel lessons for the adults who used to go there to get a free meal, a bowl of soup. I didn’t think I was up to the job, but I had an impulse and decided to have a go. And that’s how my involvement with the evangelisation of adults and children began, at the Nova Era and at the União, Amor e Humildade Spiritist Centres, where I also began developing my mediumship. Since 2002 I’ve been teaching the Gospel to children aged 7 and 8 years old. And at the same time I began giving talks and lectures at Spiritist Centres. 

Which aspect of Spiritism – scientific, philosophical and religious – attracts you the most?

There was a time when I needed the religious aspect more than the others and I concentrated more on the Gospel According to Spiritism. After more than 20 years dedicated to the study of the Teachings, however, I realised that all aspects are equally important and interconnected. They must be studied and analysed together, harmoniously, so we are able to keep  balance. When a tripod loses one of its legs it falls down.  

Who are your favourite Spiritist authors? 

Joanna de Ângelis (through the medium, Divaldo Franco); Hammed (through Francisco do Espírito Santo Neto); André Luiz and Emmanuel (through Chico Xavier); Suely Caldas, among others. We are fortunate to have many dedicated and committed workers who are fully aware of the responsibility of disseminating the Good News, the Gospel. 

There are very few theoretical disagreements in Spiritism. One of them is about the religious aspect of the Teachings. For you, is Spiritism a religion?

It’s also a religion, but not only a religion. In my humble assessment, Spiritism is a religion because it helps individuals understand God and establish a better connection with Him. 

How do you see the debate about abortion? Do you think that Spiritists should be more outspoken about their opposition to abortion, as the Catholic Church does?

I am not in favour of any process that interrupts life, be it a life that exists inside the mother’s womb (whose physical body already is linked to a Spiritual life), be it the life of an adult. In my opinion, the life of a human being will always be a life, regardless of how it has been generated. There is, obviously, a heated and long debate about the issue of the rights of the women who are raped and their dignity. I don’t ignore the fact that there are many rights involved there. But my goal is to defend life (literally). The best way that Spiritism can contribute in the fight to defend life is by increasing the number of talks, lectures and study groups focused on this issue, reminding everyone that we are all Immortal Beings. I believe that the more enlightened we are, the more conscious our actions will be. 

What do you think should be the top priority for those in charge of the Spiritist Movement in Brazil and the world in regards to the troubles human society is going through at the moment?