Special

por Claudia Gelernter

In times of crisis

“However, pain and weeping, do not allow

That your sublime faith deform itself...

Embrace the fight and move on,

Before it's too late."

Spirit Joao Coutinho *

 

"It should be noted that, at all times in History, major social crises have been followed by an era of progress." - Allan Kardec, 1868.

 

The Good Spirits warned us that we are leaving behind a period of trials and atonements to enter, within a few centuries, a new level. The Planet follows its rhythm, calling us to changes, each time faster. The perception that everything has accelerated is undeniable, the daily life sometimes presents itself in a frantic rhythm. And, with no reflection about it and following a superhuman routine, we have fallen ill.

The number of people affected by mental problems is alarming. But it is not only this! Our planet complains about human insanity regarding the extraction of natural resources, in an endless way, in a limited world.

Precisely because we are in this gap between what we have done with ourselves and the world and what we need to do (urgently), we have witnessed crises of all kinds, from the individual to society and nature.

First, it is important to try to define “crisis” in terms of its temporal aspect (amount of time) and depth (quality and intensity of the emotions mobilized, within this space of time).

Here the word crisis - different from the concept of psychopathology, where it is seen as something of short duration, although of strong intensity (Dalgalarrondo, p. 297) - is placed as a phenomenon that can encompass one or several facts, various emotions linked to pain, during a long period of time.

It is true that, in our daily lives, we experience small setbacks, which can go from a toothache, or a flat tire, to a rough answer in the supermarket. All of this can cause discomfort, however, momentary, and can be quickly solved.

When we talk about a crisis, the situation is longer and intense. These are the periods when we find ourselves overwhelmed, feeling as if “aimless in life”, often upset with ourselves, with God, with others, with Life, in general.

So, when we talk about crisis, we are referring to a period of time in life when difficult things happen (or the way we see them is distorted), causing pain, anguish, intense fears.

- There are no paths!

- It looks like I'll never be happy again!

- Has God forgotten me?

- I do not know what else to do!

- Nothing good is going to happen...

They are common phrases in times of a crisis...

In the text Luto e Melancolia (Mourning and Melancholy), from 1915, Sigmund Freud comments that the great difference between mourning and depression is that in mourning there is the perception of the world's impoverishment (which loses its brightness), linked to pain. In depression, on the other hand, it is the person who loses his value, his light. Therefore, in normal mourning, we experience deep, constant pain, which then becomes intermittent, until it becomes possible to manage it, while in depression, the pain, in addition to being deep, brings the aggravating factor of low self-esteem, little self-worth in the world, undermining forces to overcome the process.

Therefore, there are aggravating factors in the emotional field, when we talk about crisis. When in depression, the person will have greater difficulties to overcome the moment lived, whether or not she is in mourning. I could write a separate article on this, but still in this text I will seek to bring paths, both for those who have lost hope in the world and for those who have lost hope in themselves.

In the Gospel of John, in the entire chapter 16, we find words of Jesus that bring an exact X-ray of what the disciples would have to face. In this chapter, we see the Master speaking openly about current events and the future. In fact, at that moment things were going from bad to worse - despite all the blessed words, all the healings and blessings distributed during his three years of contact with the people, Jesus knew that he was persecuted by the religious of the time; his followers were also threatened and a whole work seemed to fall apart in the eyes of these simple men - but not for the Rabbi of Galilee, who, possessing a maximum spiritual gaze, knew about the developments and the need for everything to be done exactly as it was .

Then, He announces that he would leave the material sphere, returning to the Spiritual plane, soon. We can imagine how those poor were: they left their families, their professions to follow Jesus. At a time when the sword was the law, when religion was put into politics, mixing with each other. To propose something that was outside the status quo was also considered an act of insanity. What would their lives be like from then onwards?

And, the worst news, in the face of the scenario: “I left the Father and came to the world; now I leave the world and go to the Father” (16:28). Religious persecution, divided people, old dogmas that conflict with what they have just learned... And the one who heals, calms, clarifies, loves, announces that He is leaving!

How can we go on without the physical presence of Jesus? We can infer the anguish present in those hearts of good will, but of a not so robust faith...

It is Jesus, who called them friends, who also brings consolation: “I say that you will weep, but your sadness will become joy (16:20). I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and no one takes your joy from you” (16:22).

And, in the face of everyone's pain and astonishment, he shows the solution, in a few words: “In the world you will have trials, but be encouraged, I have overcome the world” (16:33).

To overcome the world has a different meaning than winning in the world. The first concept concerns being above the cultural tendencies that tend to drag us to an unnatural life, based on gain, consumption, exhibitionism. Jesus was a revolutionary in his day: he did not bow to the impositions of Pharisaism, he fought pride, fought for the oppressed, welcomed the marginalized. He was never in communion with what he disapproved of in his culture.

To overcome the world is something like “being at peace despite…” that is, being able to respect your own needs, preserving yourself from what is bad. Winning in the world is about achieving a place of status, of power - which can be diametrically opposed to the needs of the Spirit. When, in the face of vicissitudes, the one who has the tools to overcome the world is the one who presents firm faith, positive action, constant patience and a focus on the good.

The spiritual benefactor Emmanuel, in the book Palavras de Vida Eterna (Words of Eternal Life), a psychographics by Francisco Candido Xavier, chapter 136 (In Vitoria Real), from this part of the Gospel of John, comments that Jesus “saw Himself at a few steps from death, to which He would bow down, condemned without guilt. However, He said: “be of good cheer; I won the world”. (P. 289). Then He concludes: "When you are in crisis, remember the Master". (P. 289)

What can we think about this phrase of Emmanuel?

Remembering Jesus, in crises, does it mean praying to Him for help, as we usually do? Yes, we can pray, in the certainty that our prayers will be answered. But is that enough? We have seen that no. To remember Jesus is to use His life story (Gospels / rational field) and his own heart (to seek Jesus in our soul, in the field of feelings).

Going to the Gospels we can find several lessons, ranging from patience to unconditional forgiveness, passing through acceptance, meekness and charity.

In our hearts we can find the Beloved Master's energy, understanding His magnitude and Love through the ways of feeling. Thinking about Him, evoking Him and feeling His presence, His peace, His knowledge, without reasoning.

And, along with such guidelines, whether through reason or the heart, we can infer that crises, whether personal or social, call us to:

 Realize the quality of our faith: Is it strong? Is there a certainty of Divine Guidance, of good in every situation, even in the most terrible ones? Are we sure that there is no injustice in what life proposes to us, nor an unnecessary fact? “Anyone, therefore, who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, will be compared to a prudent man, who built the house on the rock.” (Matthew, 7:24.)

  Exercise patience: Uprisings, anger or complaints do not solve, on the contrary, it weakens us even more in the face of challenges. "Blessed are those who are gentle, because they will possess the Earth." (Matthew, 5: 5.) "Blessed are the peaceful, because they will be called children of God." (Matthew, 5: 9.)

  Avoid passivity in the face of the crisis: many just lament and shrink, like snails in their shells. The amplified vision, the reality test and the unremitting work on the good are important. "My Father works today and so do I!" (John 5:17.)

  Saying prayers: The power of prayer made from the fibers of the heart, our most refined emotional field, is undeniable. Logically, we will receive what is necessary to draw strength, when not the perception of new possible paths or even the dissolution of the challenge. Everything depending on what is best for us. Jesus thus asserted: “Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock on the door and it will be opened to you; because he who asks receives and he who seeks finds, and he who knocks at the door will open” (Matthew, 7: 7).

  Highlight the positive points in the here and now: Searching in the mind for what is good in our day helps us to reduce our anxieties, bringing the possibility of exercising gratitude. Look at Life's blessings. "Look at the birds of the sky, which do not sow, mow, or stock in the barns; and yet your heavenly Father supports them." (Matthew, 19:21.)

• Review our mental functioning: Many behave like tantrum or fearful children in the face of crises. Others like severe judges, either against God or against Life, in general (people, events, etc.). Only our less emotional, more balanced adult ego can achieve better results. Calm down to have strength on the journey. “Do not judge, therefore, lest you be judged; because with the judgment that you judge others, you will be judged; and as you measure, they will also measure you.” (Matthew, 7: 1-2.)

• Review our routine: Sometimes we want different results by doing the same things. Life, when necessary, asks us for strength for change, both in thoughts and feelings and in actions. This sometimes happens through pain. Choosing the wrong door, the tortuous paths, repeatedly, obviously brings the same results. “Enter through the narrow door, because wide is the door, as well as the path that leads to perdition, and many are those who enter through it. The door is so narrow and tight is the path that leads to life, and how few get right with it!” (Matthew, 7: 13-14.)

• Accept the impermanence of things: Many want the good to last forever. They do not understand that it is necessary to realize detachment, acceptance so that the new can come. They think and see things only from a material point of view, forgetting that we are souls on a human journey, that our true life is in the spiritual world and that sometimes giving up elements in today is essential for greater gains. "For what will a man benefit if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" (John, 12: 25.)

• Search for wealth in pain: It is important to identify what we are learning or have already learned from crises. They always appear to propel us to evolution, never to annihilate us. Understanding Divine didactics, we adjust better to the will of Life (which is the will of God) and let things flow, without so much resistance and suffering. Understanding what Life tells us through events is of paramount importance and denotes wisdom. And, even if we don't know the whys in the details, we know that, whatever and whatever, it comes to make us grow. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the sake of justice, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew, V: 5, 6 and 10.)

Allan Kardec, in the work “Genesis”, commenting on the new generation that must replace the shape of the current planet of trials and atonements that we inhabit, clarifies that “in that time it will no longer be a partial change, a revolution limited to a region, a people, a race; it is a universal movement that operates towards moral progress” (Chap. XVIII, p. 355).

The Encoder of the Doctrine of the Spirits, after collecting the data sent by the Benefactors of Spirituality, concluded that, for the planetary transformation to occur (and that certainly is already happening), a new order of Spirits must appear on the scene, or even, that those who are here mature in the moral sense. Therefore, the crises that seem chaotic to us are, in truth, windows to new perspectives, both from the point of view of the individual and in the collectives.

Personal, family, global crises are happening. Now is the time to continue firm, supported by our solid, strong faith, understanding that we are workers at the last minute and that, therefore, we must place ourselves as peace workers, at all times, since peace, effectively, begins in each one. For Jesus also spoke of this to us: "The Kingdom is in you!" (Luke, 17: 21).

It is up to each one to find him, in the imperishable conquest of the immortal Spirit. Let's go!


Bibliographic references:

DALGALARRONDO, P. Psychopathology and semiology of mental disordersEditora Artes Medicas do Sul; Porto Alegre, 2000.

FREUD, S. Mourning and melancholy, 1917 [1915]. In: The history of the psychoanalytic movement. Rio de Janeiro: Imago, 1996. p. 243-263. (Standard Brazilian edition of the complete psychological works by Sigmund Freud, 14.)

KARDEC, A. The Gospel according to Spiritism. Translation by Guillon Ribeiro from the 3rd ed. French rev., corr. and mod. by the author in 1866. 124th ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 2004.

______. The Book of Spirits: principles of the Spiritist DoctrineTranslator: Guillon Ribeiro. 86th ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 2005.

NEW TESTAMENT; translator Haroldo Dutra Dias; revised by Cleber Varandas de Lima; Brasilia (DF); Conselho Espírita Internacional, 2010.

XAVIER, F. C. Palavras de Vida Eterna. Dictated by the Spirit Emmanuel, 17th ed. Uberaba - MG - CEC. 1992. 


Translation:
Eleni Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br

 
 

     
     

O Consolador
 Revista Semanal de Divulgação Espírita