Maria Regina Amaro Zanella (photo), born in the Brazilian city of Votuporanga, in the state of Sao Paulo, has been in Milan since 1987. She moved to Italy looking for professional reasons and has since worked hard to propagate the Spiritist Doctrine in Italy. Maria Zanella works in Italy as a translator, interpreter and journalist.  O Consolador: What are your main tasks in the Italian Spiritist Movement?  In the last 14 years, I have been in charge of Milan’s Grupo Sentieri dello Spirito, where I have also held a number of other posts.

O Consolador: When did you become a Spiritist?

I became studying the Doctrine in 1995. 

O Consolador: Did you approach Spiritism for any particular reason, or due to any particular event in your life? 

There were three main reasons: having contact with the Spiritual World through my psychic powers; having met the great Brazilian medium, Divaldo Pereira Franco, in 1994; and going through the disincarnation of my adoptive father the year after, 95. 

O Consolador: What was your family reaction to you becoming a Spiritist? 

They didn’t accept it, they were not happy at all. 

O Consolador: What of the three aspects of Spiritism – science, philosophy and religion – means the most to you? 

They all complement each other, they are all important and I identify with all of them. 

O Consolador: Is there a particular Spiritist book that touched you in a special way? 

Yes. I was very moved by the book “And Life Goes On”, the last one in the series of books by the spirit Andre Luiz on life in the spiritual world (and written in trance by the medium, Francisco Cândido Xavier). I think it spoke to me because of the problems and situations I was facing at the time I read it. I believe circumstances of life – our own experiences and needs – will determine what our favourite books are.  

O Consolador: If you were to spend some time in a remote location, with restricted access to Spiritism, what books would you choose to take with you? 

The basic works of Allan Kardec. If was able to understand them and live according to their teachings, I must say I would no longer need anything else.

O Consolador: Is Spiritism a religion? 

The word religion means literally re-link, link again man to its creator. In that sense, I think Spiritism is a religion, as it provides the knowledge to establish the connection between God and us. But Spiritism is not a religion if you take the traditional meaning of the word. 

O Consolador: What is your view on applying different techniques for healing? Do you think Spiritist healers show stick to the traditional method of imposing the hands? 

I believe the difference in the results lies not on the technique, but on the healer. I agree with Chico Xavier, who used to say: there are two types of healing, one that works, another one that doesn’t. 

O Consolador: Do you keep contact with the Spiritist Movement in Brazil? Do you think they are doing enough to disseminate the Doctrine? 

I have kept in touch, as much as I can. I also try to make contact with spiritists in other countries. I don’t think there are major problems or dissentions within the Spiritist Movement in Brazil. And whatever problems there are, they are part of a process of learning and development. 

O Consolador: How is the development of Spiritism in Italy? 

I believe we are all doing what is possible, within its reach. Einstein used to say that the Universe doesn’t move in jumps. Thus, if each one does their part, the Spiritist Doctrine will get to the high place it is destined to occupy. 

O Consolador: How do Italians in general react to Spiritism? Do they accept it? 

It depends; the reaction is not the same for everyone, as each one has their own background and history. I met Italians who took on to the Doctrine from the first moment they heard about it. They live according to the teachings of the Doctrine; it really lies in their hearts. Others, including many Brazilians I have met here, don’t live Spiritism. They use it when they feel they need it. 

O Consolador: Do people in Italy, as in other countries, trade Spiritual things and make a profit on them? 

The commerce you talk about always existed. Jesus made reference to the temple merchants, and before him Moses had already restricted the action of the Pythonists, as he realised they were abusing the power of communicating with the Spiritual World. What makes me sad is not so much that, but it is the lack of will from so many people to study and learn. There is so much information these days; it is also so easily accessible… I believe the responsibility should come from both sides. I believe the drive for the ‘here and now’, to find an immediate solution for everything, leads people to make mistake and rush things. We find a great number of people who come to Spiritism looking only for an immediate solution to their problems. As for mediumship, we have valuable information in the Mediums’ Book and in a whole chapter of the Gospel According to Spiritism. However, not all mediums are Spiritist; many are self-taught mediums and all we can do about it is to follow the path of good and assist those who come to us seeking to understand their powers. Each one has their free will. Wrong actions can lead to misunderstandings, and ill-intentioned people can use our mistakes against us. In Brazil, for instance, many people struggle to tell a Spiritist Centre from other groups that make use of mediumship. In the same way, many people outside Brazil mix up Spiritist mediums with psychics, who have spontaneous mediumship but often use it for profit and disregard the principles of ethics and good behaviour in their private lives. I could mention many cases, but the principles charity tells us to try to help instead at pointing fingers at others. 

O Consolador: What are the main challenges for a Spiritist trying to do their work abroad, outside Brazil? 

There many challenges, many problems, but I now prefer to look at them as opportunities to grow, new challenges to encourage even harder work. 

O Consolador: What do you think of so much violence around the world? How can we, Spiritists, help turn the situation around? 

What we are experiencing is a natural process, foreseen by our spiritual benefactors. As one says, the calm will come after the tempest. Jesus used to tell us that in order to follow him we had first to make peace with our own brothers and sisters. We Spiritists have a long way to go. We still need to find peace among ourselves before focusing on what other people are doing wrong. Working out the problems within the Spiritist Movement would be a big step forward and a very positive example. Many spiritists aren’t even able to help their own relatives… 

O Consolador: What is the importance of Spiritism in your life? 

For me, it is life itself. 

O Consolador: Your final thoughts, please.