A rich experience in mediumship produced  The School of Love

Maria Ângela Rímoli Costi (photo) is a public speaker and a volunteer worker of the Spiritist Movement in the Brazilian city of Mococa, in the state of São Paulo. For 35 years she volunteered at the well-known Batuíra Spiritist Centre in the city of São Paulo, before returning to her home city. She is now a member of the Board of Directors of the Mocidade Espírita de Mococa. In the following interview she shares her experiences in the Spiritist Movement and talks about the books she has written as a medium, which make up the O Educandário do Amor (The School of Love) series:

How did you become a Spiritist?

I was born into a Spiritist family, having Odette Ferreira Rímoli and Domingos Benedito Rímoli as my parents in this incarnation. Both of them guide me now from the Spirit World. 

What has been your main area of interest within Spiritism?

From a very young age, I was taught about the three aspects of Spiritism (religious, philosophical and scientific). I also learned that we should put into practice in our daily lives the principles of Spiritism and the Teachings of Jesus. I must say that I’ve focused mainly on the philosophical side of Spiritism, as it sheds light on God’s goals for all of his children, as it guides and comforts us. It also shows us the pathway to follow, based on the Law of Love, Justice and Charity that was brought to us by Jesus and reinforced by Allan Kardec with the Codification of Spiritism. 

How did you become aware of your mediunimic capacities?

Since I was a very young child I could feel the presence of the Spirits around me. And there were situations when I could see Spirits in the room where I was or even further away. When I was 19, during a mediumship meeting at a Spiritist Centre in the city of Ribeirão Preto, I showed the first signs of pictography, using my mediumship to draw and paint. The capacity to incorporate Spirits who draw and paint has continued with me to this day and it played an important part in my life when I was pregnant and needed to control my sensitivity. But my predominant mediumship faculties are now psychography, psychophony and the inspiration I get for my talks and lectures. 

What have been your main challenges?

I always say that there’ve been many challenges in my life. But once they were accepted and defeated, I was able to learn a great deal from them. My biggest challenge was to raise four children while keeping a busy professional life and my activities in Spiritism. I’ve always managed my agenda of duties in Spiritism so that I would be able to carry on with my other responsibilities. In the current stage of my life, I have more autonomy to focus on my commitments in Spiritism, as my children are now grown up, married and looking after their professional lives and their families. 

How many books have you written as a medium?  

I have written three books as a medium, between 2018 and 2022. They are part of the O Educandário do Amor (The School of Love) series, dictated by the Spirit, Cícero Centurião (Cícero, the Centurion) and his team. The copyright has been donated to the Mocidade Espírita de Mococa Spiritist Centre. The books are: 1) O Educandário do Amor, Uma Colônia Espiritual (The School of Love, a Spiritual Colony), which describes lie in a Spiritual city located above parts of the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, where Spirits who come from those regions are welcomed; 2) O Educandário do Amor, A Criança e O Jovem (The School of Love, Children and Young People), in which Spirits knowledgeable about youth matters talk about young people and describe their return to the Spirit World; and 3)  O Educandário do Amor, Ala Roxa (The School of Love, Purple Wing), which explains the process of welcoming back to Spirit the elderly and also provides information on how the Spirits prepare for their next reincarnation on Earth.

What would you like to highlight from your experience in the Spiritist Movement?

The inexhaustible kindness that God and his Spiritual Benefactors have shown towards us. They work for Jesus, they trust us and ask us to work to help our brothers and sisters in need. Through that process we will develop spiritually and will benefit ourselves. Our Father doesn’t abandon any of his children, whoever or wherever they are. The workers of Jesus are always there for us and all we need is to make a call for help, provided it comes from the heart. 

Tell us a bit about the Spiritist Centre where you work as a volunteer.

The Mocidade Espírita de Mococa was founded in 1959. My father, Domingos Benedito Rímoli, and other Spiritists wrote the foundation act on November 15h of that year and he was named the Group’s First Secretary. 

He always focused on the study groups for adults, young people and children and also worked with the healing and mediumship groups. The Spiritist Centre has carried out important social work for families in need, which included the donation of staples and training courses for those willing to learn a trade. In 2018 we created a healing group, which has been operating online because of the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions imposed by the virus have also affected our charity work, but we have managed to continue delivering food, clothes and other essential items to families in need. 

Please leave us with your final thoughts.

I’m very grateful for life and I have faith on the journey, knowing that, as the great Spiritual Benefactor, Meimei, said, “God has roads where the world can’t find ways.” So we have nothing to fear. All we need is to learn and to understand. Thanks for this opportunity to work and to help once again.