Vanessa Santos:

“Spiritism is for me a philosophy of life”

Mineira from Belo Horizonte, Vanessa Santos talks about
the Spiritist movement in New Zealand and says that
she thinks about various current affairs, such
as abortion, euthanasia and violence

O Consolador: How did you end up in Auckland (New Zealand)?

I moved to New Zealand 4 years ago to improve my English and met my husband in my first month. I am still here...

O Consolador: What is your educational background?

I have a degree in Social Communication – Journalism in 1998. 

O Consolador: When did you have your first contact with Spiritism?

I had a boss in 1995, in the company where I worked; he was Spiritist and lent me some books. After he helped me to find a Spiritist Centre near my house. I started attending Casas André Luiz in the North of São Paulo, where I studied the Doctrine for six years before I moved here.

O Consolador: Did anything special happen for you to have this contact?

No, not actually... I have always been interested in religion and spirituality, though I was raised in the Catholic church.

O Consolador: Before your adherence to Spiritism, how did your family react to it?

My mom wanted to know what it was all about, but she took it well. Nowadays my whole family attends the Home Gospel and I don’t even live in Brazil anymore. 

O Consolador: From the three aspects of Spiritism – scientific, philosophical and religious –, which one is more appealing to you?

I am attracted to all of them, but the scientific one I still need to study more, because I still have some doubts. The philosophical one needs to be practiced daily, so it is part of the challenge and personal growth. The religious side makes me comfortable, especially with the fact of this certainty of life after death. 

O Consolador: What are your favourite Spiritist authors? 

I like André Luiz, Emmanuel and Joanna de Ângelis. 

O Consolador: What are the most important books for those who are starting off in Spiritism?

I believe Allan Kardec’s, André Luiz’s, Joanna de Ângelis’ and Emmanuel’s books offer necessary information for a more in-depth study. It is hard to pick one, but starting with The Spirits’ Book and the Gospel the main questions will be answered. 

O Consolador: If you went to a distant place, away from Spiritist activities, which books would you take?

Certainly, Allan Kardec’s and André Luiz’s. 

O Consolador: Do you consider Spiritism to be a religion?   

Yeah, but we don’t have rites nor do we have formalities. Religion is connected to the human moral and personal growth, which is the most important thing for the Spiritist.  

O Consolador: Have you read the book by J. B. Roustaing?

I haven’t had the opportunity to read it, but I’ve heard that Roustaing opposes to many of Kardec’s explanations, mainly about the life of Christ and because of that there is the possibility of his book being taken off FEB’s recommended book list. 

O Consolador: Have you kept in touch with the Spiritist movement in Brazil?

No, since I have been living out of the country for four years. 

O Consolador: When and how did the Spiritist movement start in New Zealand?

We have had this group for three years and we started with the Home Gospel at a friend’s house that was living here. The roots settled down and we already had two visits of Divaldo Pereira Franco. We are yet to find our own place; we have rented a room, two hours a week, in a community centre. One of the collaborators takes care of the books in the library. We have over 100 different books in Portuguese and English, most of them being donated. She takes different titles every week, so people have access to the books and borrow those they like.

In March we started our Book Club, bi-monthly meetings, held in a round table, and our first theme was “Nosso Lar” (Our Home), by André Luiz. The main idea is to motivate everyone to the reading of the basic works. These meetings take place every last Sunday of the month, in one of our collaborator’s. Every two months, we are going to start a pilot project – New Speakers. We have only one volunteer up to now, that is going to start this month with the topic Suicide. Besides, we are to start soon studies on mediumship, because at the moment we are still in the basic study.

We have grown gradually and the group is getting stronger and stronger, what makes us very happy. Another goal for this first semester is to write our constitution, as well as our registry as a non-governmental entity, as the country requires. 

O Consolador: What functions have you already performed in the Spiritist movement?

Pass-giver, secretary and, here in New Zealand, almost everything. The country is small and we have to get sorted according to the situation. Last year, for example, the entire group was engaged in organizing events to pay the costs for the second coming of Divaldo Franco, which happened in September 2007.

O Consolador: Who is the director in the Spiritist Centre you work?

We haven’t had an election yet and we are working to write our constitution and registry to become a non-governmental entity. We are yet to have established positions, but we are working on it.

O Consolador: Are you for, in the question of magnetic passes, the simple imposition of hands or passes with movement?

I believe that just the imposition of hands is enough, because how can we explain that the pass-giver also receive the effect of the pass when imposing his hands on the others?  

O Consolador: At the Spiritist Centre where you work how is the pass applied?

In New Zealand, recommended by Divaldo Franco, we have the collective pass and the imposition of hands, no movements. 

O Consolador: What do you make of the discussion about abortion?

I am personally against abortion, basing myself on it being against life. We all know that abortion stops the upcoming process of a Spirit to the material plan for progress and remission of previous faults. Thus, even in the cases of rape, which is traumatic, I think that abortion should not happen; because we don’t know of the connection between the victim and the rapist.

O Consolador: Euthanasia has no support in the Spiritist Doctrine. Kardec and other authors, such as Joanna de Ângelis, have already talked about this. Now we have this idea of orthothanasia, defended even by Spiritist doctors. What is your opinion?

Either euthanasia or orthothanasia are crimes against life and I am against. The ones, who suffer, both the patient and the relatives involved, don’t realize the fact of killing or authorizing the end of somebody else’s life is totally connected to their own egoism and denial of probation. All of us will have our sufferings during life and it may be related to a probation or expiation of what we did previously. If we acted wrongly in previous lives and chose to reincarnate with diseases that will keep us in a bed for a good deal of our lives, this will be part of our development process or the people’s linked to us, and we cannot deny it. The denial of this may aggravate the next incarnations and we might reincarnate in physical or mental state even worse.

O Consolador: What do you think about criminality and violence that seems to be on the rise all over the world and how can we, Spiritist, cooperate to overcome this situation?

I believe the basis of everything is still education and family structure. The circle has spun against the benefit of families in general. Teenagers and children employed since they were young and the lack of study happens naturally, since the necessity of having money at home is more important. All of this begets violence, both psychological and physical. The difference of classes is growing bigger. All of this begets violence, since the lack of opportunities in the labour market; the citizen ends up as a criminal. 

O Consolador: About the problems the earthly society is facing, which must be the top priority of those who currently lead the Spiritist movement in the world?

Think globally; I believe we need to get over prejudice. There are all kinds of prejudice spread all over the world: against the poor, women, black, Asian, North-eastern, etc. If the human being starts to practice the Gospel of Christ, loving his fellow as himself, the differences will cease... It is a long journey, we still have a lot to evolve, but I believe this is the way.