Luiz Fernando Lopes: 

“It is essential to have a balanced sexuality in order to live a genuinely happy life”

The author of Sexo e Consciência (Sex and Conscience)
talks about his book
 

	Luiz Fernando Lopes (photo) was born in a Spiritist family in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Recife. He is a speaker and a volunteer worker at the Spiritist Centre Obreiros do Senhor, in the city of São Paulo, where he has lived for 11 years. He is also a pharmacist and university lecturer with a Master in Psychology. Recently he published the
book Sexo e Consciência, with extracts and analysis of many speeches and lectures that the great Brazilian medium, Divaldo Franco, has delivered on the theme of sex. This book is the main object of this interview.

How did you have the idea of writing the book? 

The idea came from reading other books with extracts of lectures and speeches by Divaldo Franco, especially one by Suely Caldas Schubert called O Semeador de Estrelas. It was the inspiration for this project, which will consist of many books. I intend to help disseminate the amazing work and experience of Divaldo in Spiritism. This is the first of a series of books based on his talks. Each one will deal with one theme, so as to avoid unnecessary clashes with other works already published. Also, that will enable me to go deeper on each subject. 

How did you go about the research for such an extensive project, dealing with so much material? 

I have been attending Divaldo’s seminaries and talks for more than 20 years – much before I had the idea of starting this project. It took me nearly 10 years of research, with a few breaks dictated by personal circumstances, including my Masters degree, in order to prepare the 581-page book. 

Do you know how many stories and anecdotes are gathered in the book? 

There are more than 60 cases gathered in the book, all of them extremely edifying. Some of them contain valuable information provided by higher Spirits, such as Joanna de Ângelis and Bezerra de Menezes.  

Is there any particular one that is closer to your heart? 

It is difficult to pick one among so many beautiful stories, but I could mention a story entitled “Psychotherapy and Sexual Disturbance,” as well as the amazing “Eufrásia, the Power of Love”. Both cases deal very poignantly with the impulses brought about by our sexual desires and show very clearly that it is essential to have a balanced sexuality in order to live a genuinely happy life. 

Why did you choose sex as the theme of your book? 

Sexual energy is in the core of the Spirit’s inner self. As it flows relentlessly there is no way of blocking it. The world’s history is full of dark episodes that began with cases of disturbed sexuality. For that reason, André Luiz, the Spirit, describes sex as “the congenital indiscipline of Humankind” (in No Mundo Maior, chapter 11). It is essential, therefore, that we learn how to extract from this unique source of energy its potential of generating serenity and harmony. That is part of our process of development as a whole. Without making a firm decision on that front, no Spirit will be able to carry on with its personal development from a Spiritual perspective. 

Considering, then, that human beings have a sexual dimension that cannot be avoided, what is the contribution that your book can provide? 

As we make the difficult transition from animal to angel, we need to deal properly with the pedagogy of sexuality, which needs to be accompanied by the understanding of Spiritual life. Spiritism gives us an innovative and thorough approach, offering a unique tool to help us in our inner reform. The book Sexo e Consciência is important as it provides a study on sexuality in the light of the multidisciplinary approach of Spiritism. It mixes case studies and theory, putting together the two essential and complementary aspects of learning. 

What has been the impact of the book since its publication? 

I have been told that it has been used as a textbook and reference in several Spiritist meetings dealing with the theme of sex. From a literary perspective, the high of the text is the result of Divaldo’s intellectual maturity and his vast experience. Divaldo, incidentally, sent me an email saying the book is a true theoretical treasure. I have kept that email as a treasure. 

Is there any particular aspect of the book that you would like to highlight? 

I found it interesting that the structure of the book is the same as that of most of Divaldo’s speeches and the texts dictated by his Spiritual Mentor, Joanna de Ângelis. The book begins with a scientific issue – sexual energy – and ends with an in-depth analysis of the figure of Jesus Christ (“Jesus: A Model of Whole Sexuality”). Nothing is more pertinent than that, as you consider that the Master of Love is our major reference. To this day, I am not sure whether I structured the book this way thinking of Divaldo’s work and that of Joanna or whether it all came naturally, as in happy coincidence. I must say, however, that the word coincidence comes from co-incide, which means two elements coming together at the same time at the same place. In this case, what I believe that happened was the perfect connection with the Higher Codes of Life.