Where does your
interest for the
publications of Cairbar Schutel
and his legacy
come from?
Since I became a
Spiritist, a bit
more than 30
years ago, I
heard about
Cairbar Schutel.
I had access to
the publications
he founded – O
Clarim and
Revista
Internacional de
Espiritismo (RIE)
through a
Spiritist
speaker and
medium, Reynaldo
Leite. I was
surprised to
find out that we
had a Spiritist
publication
already in the
beginning of the
20th
Century. I found
out later that
Cairbar Schutel
continued to
work on the
dissemination of
Spiritism across
the world after
he passed away.
When I moved
abroad I met
Cidinha Bergman
(*), who was
linked to
Cairbar and
helped me
understand the
reach of his
work as a
Spiritist in the
city of Matão.
Why did you
choose Cairbar
Schutel as the
theme of your
final
dissertation for
your Journalism
course? How was
the research for
the project and
what impact has
it had?
My aim was to
take the life of
this great
Spiritist man
into university.
For the reasons
I mentioned
before and for
the fact that I
was already
living in Matão,
where he made
his name as a
public man, a
pharmaceutical
and mainly as a
great
disseminator of
Spiritism, I
thought he could
also be known in
academia. I
decided to write
a biography
about him, in
the format of an
in-depth news
story. I had
access to his
publications and
archives and
also made
interviews and
carried out
other
biographical
research. The
impact was very
positive, as the
coordinators in
my Journalism
Course at UNIARA
university got
to know who
Cairbar Schutel
was. As I got
the top mark in
my dissertation,
the book is
still
recommended to
other students
at university.
How influent is
Schutel in the
Spiritist
Movement these
days?
Unfortunately,
Cairbar Schutel
and many other
personalities
who were
prominent in the
Spiritist
Movement in the
past are not
very well known
these days. But
his books and
the newspaper
and the magazine
he founded are
still being
published
today.
From a historic
perspective,
what do you
think is the
most remarkable
aspect of
Cairbar’s life?
What really
strikes me is
his huge
capacity to
work. In the
beginning of the
20th
Century, Cairbar
had a capacity
of achieving
things that was
unusual in his
days. Imagine a
Spirit like his
living today and
working for the
dissemination of
Spiritism, with
all the
technology we
have now and the
means of
communication?
He never stopped
writing and
publishing. He
was in charge of
all the
publication work
for a magazine
and a newspaper.
He also had vast
material for
translation.
Cairbar wrote
articles for
other
publications and
wrote books. As
a
pharmaceutical,
which was a very
prestigious
profession at
the time, he had
access to all
layers of
society. He
attended the
local population
in the city and
in rural areas
regardless of
their social,
racial or
religious
background. He
gave talks
wherever he was
invited to,
including in the
prison of Matão.
He explained the
principles of
Spiritism to
sceptics,
uneducated
people and also
to those who
challenged the
Teachings. He
worked with
love. That has
caught my
attention more
than anything
else.
What was the
biggest legacy
Cairbar Schutel
has left for
Spiritism?
His biggest
legacy was in
conviction in
immortality.
That was the
fuel that kept
him going
forward. Despite
all the
obstacles and
challenges he
faced, he
remained
faithful to his
ideals, which
were connected
to the higher
levels of the
Spirit World. He
made a point of
leaving his
legacy in his
epitaph, which
he dictated
shortly after he
passed away: “I
lived, I live
and I will live,
because I am
immortal”. The
biggest example
he left, as his
contribution for
the development
of Spiritism,
was his fidelity
to Jesus, which
was expressed in
his humility, in
his lack of
interest for
material things
and in his
heart, which was
totally
connected to the
goal of doing
good. He spent
his life looking
after people who
were ill in
their bodies and
their souls,
without looking
where they came
from. With his
values, he
became a major
disseminator of
the Third
Revelation,
which is
Spiritism. With
the magnetism
typical of the
great men, he
gathered around
him a team of
faithful
workers, who not
only followed
his lead during
his life on
earth, but also
carried on with
his work after
he passed away
in 1938. Cairbar
was a great
Christian. He
was never
defeated by
vanity or pride
as he remained
faithful, as I
said, to Jesus.
Is there
anything else
you would like
to add?
Cairbar Schutel
is a Spiritist
whose life
people should
get to know and
be inspired by.
In a world full
of false idols
and
“celebrities,”
we should follow
instead the
example of this
great Spiritist,
who remains
alive in the
hearts of all
good men!
(*) Cidinha
Bergman is the
granddaughter of
Francisco
Velloso, who
worked alongside
Cairbar Schutel
in the Spiritist
Movement. She
was the founder
of the first
Spiritist Centre
in Sweden.
