To spiritualise oneself with ecology? The ecological view, which shows that everything is integrated into systems and ecosystems, is highly spiritualising, but to convey this idea to little ones remains a challenge that we cannot postpone
René will see everyone during the evening works at the Spiritist Centre. Now, meeting with young people, he made himself available to hear them as a guest and director of the philosophical department of the centre.

Esther said “We want to encourage children to know Jesus, by telling them the parables, in order to spiritualise them with the Gospel”.

“Great.” observed Rene. “I think, however, that this same work has been done by our fellow Catholics and evangelicals. Shouldn’t we have something different to offer them?”

“Of course.” interrupted Amilcar, enthusiastically. “I have requested that we study current issues with the children in light of the Gospel according to Spiritism. However, it seems that we are always studying Spiritism according to Protestant or Catholic traditions. Why not make possible the understanding of issues such as ecology, according to the laws of conservation and destruction in the light of science? Or also study the possibilities of each child or young person to engage in the preservation of the life of the species on the planet and peace on earth?”

“Now,” said Carmelita, the evangeliser. “If we study Jesus, we study all this...”
“I do not understand.” replied Amilcar. “Jesus can be understood in the medieval form, according to Catholic and Protestant traditions. This can occur, even if we speak of reincarnation and communication of the Spirits, or even if we are studying the law of action and reaction.”

Ester’s insistence on copying old models of catechisms
and Sunday schools stopped

René pondered astutely “In what way could the study of ecology help in the spiritualisation of the human being?”

Three surprised faces turned to him:

“In no way,” Esther had already concluded, “in no way. Outside the view of transformation brought by Jesus, through love, no knowledge is important. All is lost if man does not transform himself ... Studying ecosystems will not improve us, nor assist others to improve themselves.”

Amilcar, provoked René “So to study ecology will not make man any better?”
René smiled in a wise and shrewd manner.

“On the contrary.” clarified Amilcar. “The ecological view, showing that everything is integrated into systems and ecosystems, is highly spiritualising. Just observe the questions of The Spirits’ Book which make clear that the intelligent principle is developed in matter and joins itself to matter in order to ‘intellectualise it.’ Afterwards, you can note the importance that Kardec gives to the concatenation of everything in Nature. We can well understand this by studying ecology.” (1)

“Indeed,” supported René “I find it interesting that you all seek to study this view that we nowadays call the system of life in able to discuss it with more knowledge.”

“Fine.” enthused Carmelita. “The saying ‘educate you’ fits well here. How do we discuss the problem if we do not know what this concatenation is that the Spirits tell us about?”

Open to the study, all of them agreed to search and schedule another meeting with Rene, a fortnight later.

Days later, between studies, phone calls and emails, the young ones and the leader came back more prepared to face the issue.

The atmosphere was totally different. Now they discussed the importance of the view of a system which unified everything on Earth and how to do in order that everyone could have this grand vision of the beauty of life and the connections among living things.

Ester’s insistence on copying the old models of catechisms and Sunday schools stopped. Young people wanted to find ways to work on projects so that children could understand the concatenation of life. It seemed important that through the beauty of the interdependence of living things, love, compassion and respect for the planet was taught.

We cannot think of rocks, animals and plants as beings independent of each other

The interest in preserving life, the beauty of acquisition, of consciousness through evolution and the importance of the relationship between living things, was discussed with reverence and passion. They planned the study the various ecosystems to show the law of conservation and destruction in action and in balance. They programmed to show children and youth the greatness of life and the universe in order to conclude that humility is the result of the understanding of the greatness of life and God's creation.

“Man,” Carmelita enthused, “is just the element of conscious life on the planet, not more or less important than an animal or plant. Everything is united on the planet. Only we detune from the set, because conscience gives us the freedom that we do not always use in a convenient manner.”

“Without a doubt,” agreed Rene, “this all makes us understand why poverty is shameful for all of us and why the Spirits affirm to us in The Spirits’ Book that ‘in a society organised according to the law of Christ, no one should die of hunger’ ". (2)

“I see now,” explained Esther “the reason why governments are insisting that children with cognitive, mental, physical deficit or any other problems coexist in the same classroom with so called normal children. To receive them is neither charity nor pity. They have a natural right to live with everyone. To coexist and to cooperate is a law of nature, without which we are harming life. None of us is better than any other and we all need each other.”

Amilcar felt he understood:

“We cannot think of rocks, animals and plants as beings independent of each other. It is in this way that everything goes; everything is linked together in nature, from the primitive atom to the archangel, who also began as an atom." (3)

“Kardec anticipates this view when he talks to us about the importance of coral reefs in the process of life and the development of the intelligent principle in the matter.” (4)

Esther insisted on seeing ecology even in the parables of the Master Jesus:
“Jesus’ parables refer a lot to agriculture, birds, and animals. Surely, he was already an environmental activist...”

“It is impossible to know, for now at least.” René smiled. “However, nothing prevents you from enlightening your understanding of Jesus' parables with explanations in regards to the systemic relationship between minerals, plants and man.”

“What I notice,” insisted Carmelita “is that this view made me less pretentious and more humble before nature and its laws.”

“How so?” asked Esther.

“I no longer think man is the king of creation, the most important being on the planet. I realised that life itself, as taught by the Spirits in the questions related to the three kingdoms of The Spirits’ Book, produces and shapes the material world by the action of the intelligent principle from the simplest beings to the angelic Spirits.

Thus, divine intelligent principle, on animating matter, shapes and adapts the material world itself and the spiritual world to its evolving process. The environment itself will be shaping itself to the forms created by the intelligent principle in its struggle to attain consciousness.”

“How phenomenal! Life creates life and change the environment in the two plans!” Esther was amazed. “Life re-feeds life, both here and on the spiritual plane.”

“Wonderful, isn’t it? One world acts upon another and both will carry on modifying themselves by the action of the intelligent principle that exists in everything and by the action of the consciousness existing in the Spirits.”

To say that the spiritual world is the real, the true one, does not imply that the material world is not real or true

René explained:

“Look at the perfection of the divine process of creation that current studies make us glimpse at. It interferes with everything. The interdependence of beings modifies the living beings themselves, and all of this carries on improving and altering the environment, maintaining the balance between minerals, plants and animals. In both plans, spiritual and material, this balance is essential to existence, for the development of the intelligent principle.”

“However, proposed Carmelita, the spiritual world is pre-existing and its matter survives everything, so that it is the spiritual world that determines.”

“However,” joked Amilcar “despite being independent, their correlation is constant, according to The Spirits’ Book, because they react upon each other.”

Esther was surprised “I doubt that the material world can react on the spiritual. This is the real, true world...”

“However, that is what question 86 of The Spirit’ Book teaches us.” and Amilcar went through the book, pointing the question out.

“Esther,” explained René, “to say that the spiritual world is the real, true one, does not imply that the material world is neither real nor true. That is not the position of the Spirits. There are spiritualist practices, especially ones which derive from Oriental beliefs, which consider matter –‘maya’ or illusion, from which we must free ourselves.”

“For us Spiritists, the material world is essential to evolution and the two worlds interact, they act upon each other” Carmelita interfered.

“Without a doubt,” replied Amilcar, “those who can think according to what living systems teach us realise that the intelligent principle joins itself to matter by divine appointment, creating and recreating their shape, improving living bodies and the environment itself. The higher spiritual world ‘monitors’ it, maintains the process, as a teacher bolstering the child in their learning.

Do you understand now why the Spiritist Doctrine teaches us that the intelligent principle evolves; it becomes conscious and only then is it human Spirit? See now why the Spirits teach us that the angelic entities become the soul of the Universe, to co-create with God?”

“Yeah.” agreed Carmelita. “Now I understand why this teaching is in the book Heaven and Hell “

“You see,” continued Amilcar, “how much we gain in the understanding of the Spiritist Doctrine by understanding the principles of the environmental movement?”

“To convey this to the little ones ... That is our challenge.”

“Now,” Rene laughed “you are not conscious intelligent principles who have reached full freedom? Try new ways, but do not forget that children, like adults, only learn from practical experiences. No more speeches in which the listener is passive!”



Notes:

(1) The Spirits’ Book, questions 25, 26, 27, 28, 605 and 607.
(2) The Spirits’ Book, question 930.
(3) The Spirits’ Book, question 540.
(4) The Spirits’ Book, questions 604 to 607.