Walkiria Lucia de Araújo Cavalcante:

“If we don’t get the basis, how come we’ll understand what comes next?”

The Paraibana lecturer reminds us that society claims for help and
that we should look for the comfort and explanation of why we must be resigned, not getting angry at the events

	Walkiria Lucia de Araújo Cavalcante (picture), Spiritist since she was 11, was born and raised in João Pessoa, Paraiba. Graduated in Accountancy from UNIPE, Paraiba, she works at the Brazilian Federal Police of her state. Member of the Spiritist Center the Essenes, she is a lecturer, writer to several newspapers and participant of the mediumistic group, besides working with tasks related to the functioning of Spiritist institutions.   On the following interview, Walkiria makes an important  warning,  mainly  for  those
who are spreading the Spiritist Doctrine around: we need to “watch out to not give an opinion without doctrinal basis”.

O Consolador: How did you start off as a lecturer and writer in the Spiritist press? 

Neither material nor spiritual work starts without someone giving us a hand. We can have good will, but we need someone to help us out. I participated in some Spiritist Centers, but at “The Essenes” I found the opportunity and the right moment to start it off somehow. It all started with the reading and commentary on the book Green Light, by André Luiz, and then the lecture about The Gospel according to Spiritism. As for the articles, suggested by the confrere Octávio Caúmo, I started writing my lectures. We sent them to O Clarim, and they’ve published them so far. 

O Consolador: What criteria and motivations do you use to create lectures and articles? 

The evangelical passages are a rich source of motivation. But we can’t ignore what’s going on in the world. We try to make a comparison between what’s written with what’s going on to find explanation and comfort for the happenings. We look to, whenever possible, link the topic of the Gospel that is being studied, in the lecture or article, to the Spirits’ Book and, if that’s the case, the Mediums’ Book or Genesis. This backs us up somehow and incentivizes the audience to read such books. The Spiritist Doctrine is very rich to be studied and sometimes we have the same topic in different works of the Compilation; as we quote them, we try to follow the same thought to make the learning process easier to achieve. 

O Consolador: In which journals have you published your articles? 

In O Clarim, International Magazine of Spiritism and the Spiritist Journal of the Portuguese Spiritist Federation. 

O Consolador: What has been the response so far?  

Compliments and doubts. I always see it as a stimulus to keep working. I reply to every question.  

O Consolador: And as a lecturer, how have you felt the environment of the institutions and the reactions from the crowd and the engagement of such audience with the Spiritist activities? 

Unfortunately the amount of those who want to come to this side is small. The Spiritist Doctrine enchants by its logic of teaching. But finding those who want to spread it around and help others is a hard job. We, as Spirits in evolution, are to absent. We like to adequate the reality of facts to our own history. The Spiritist Doctrine is unique. To get to know the information that provokes changes is hard for everyone. The Spiritist Doctrine doesn’t make concessions according to the occasion. It lets us choose, knowing that we are responsible for our choices and we’ll reap what we sow. The Laws of God are written in our conscience. As we evolve the veil gets thinner and we understand better what we need to do. 

O Consolador: Tell us about your mediumistic activities. 

One of the most beautiful works we develop along with our spiritual friends. We are all mediums, according to the Mediums’ Book, item 159, but we forget it or even worse, when we work on our medianimity we think that it works only during meeting times. It’s not like that. We are dipped in the Spirit-world. We interact with those who are disincarnated, more than we think of. Apart from that, in such activities where we can lend a bit of us to those who need more, we have the opportunity to share a bit of the other person’s life. I’ve had an “imaginary” friend since I was small whose I picked out a toy and reserved a seat. As I grew I started seeing Spirits, but such fact didn’t last long. At the end of my adolescence the mediumistic phenomena got stronger, but I wasn’t involved in that yet. Some years later, at the Center where I attend, we started developing it. And with joy I’m able to become an instrument for those who want to transmit what they think or feel. Through this work I’ve been having the chance to speed up my modification process. Those who do such work will understand what I’m going to say now: for some moments we live someone else’s life, feeling and suffering what the other one is, such suffering results from our indiscipline to the laws of God. Learn from this: don’t do, let do and, mainly, don’t judge those who do it. We can’t say with all letters that we wouldn’t do it had we been in such conditions. Those who have this instrument of work don’t turn your back to it. It’s the best means of getting rid of the ties that bind us to the past that we encounter being incarnated or disincarnated ones. 

O Consolador: At the light of Spiritism, how do you see the controversial topics of our society? 

They make us think. This is also part of the process. But we should watch out to not give an opinion without doctrinal basis, mainly for those who are spreading the Spiritist Doctrine around. When what I said happens, it wasn’t Walkiria who said that, but the Spiritist one, or even worse, the Spiritist Doctrine thinks like that, as she said that... 

O Consolador: What about the controversial questions in the Spiritist movement? 

There are some questions that are more to make fuss than provide proper thinking. The Mediums’ Book, chapter II, talking about the wonderful and supernatural, in its item 12, says: “According to the most elementary rules of logic, it is necessary to understand a question before discussing it for the critic's verdict is of no value unless founded on a complete knowledge of his subject...” We are still students of the Spiritist Doctrine. Every time we read the Standard Works, we see things we hadn’t seen before. What needs to be crystal clear is that we are immortal and keep on reincarnating. As for the rest, we’ll get it as we evolve. Science itself advances making the comprehension of such facts easier. 

O Consolador: Give us a view on the Spiritist movement in Paraiba. 

As the organ of spreading the word we have the Tribuna Espírita, which is 25 years old, and some radio programs on the radio, as old. We also get here some journals and magazines from elsewhere as well as radio programs and cable TV channels, satellite or internet. All over the state we have 122 Spiritist Centers, 46 of them in the capital, João Pessoa, and 23 in Campina Grande, the second largest city in the state. 

O Consolador: For your articles or lectures, which of the three aspects do you prefer: the scientific, philosophical or religious one?  

The latter. If we don’t get the basis, how come we’ll understand what comes next? Society claims for help and that we should look for the comfort and explanation of why we must be resigned, not getting angry at the events. Be faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and God, our Father. 

O Consolador: Your final words. 

I thank for the opportunity to talk about the Doctrine and tell a bit about my start, not different from others. With the same doubts, problems and difficulties. We consider that during our incarnation we have key moments of choice. May we choose always the best for our eternal life. Even if my feet bleed, may I keep on being loyal unto you, oh Lord! In the book Doctrinal Reflections, by Antonio Fernandes Rodrigues, I read a beautiful story about Francis of Assisi which says that “he was doing his usual inquiry of food and clothes for the home of kids he ran, when he clapped in front of a house, an upset person came out of the house and said: What do you want? As he heard what the reason of the visit was he slapped the pacifier on the face: There you go! He said then: I received what I deserve, now, do you have anything for the kids?” May we be as sweet as Francis of Assisi, keep firm on our convictions of helping others, no matter the offences we may get. One day the good will come out as winners and peace shall be inside us all. Peace to everyone.