Izabel Vitusso:

“Spiritism is Science, and offers a vast field for research”

On last year’ 4th Meeting of Historians and Researches, the idea that Spiritism is science was strengthened. This meeting presented a high quality and quantity of academic research, and opened a new field for research on Spiritism
 

O Consolador: How long have you been living in São Paulo, Brazil? 

I was born in São Bernardo and lived 18 years in Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte and Uberlândia). I have been living here for the last 8 years. 

O Consolador: How did you get to know Spiritism? 

My grandparents were spiritists and I started learning about the Spiritism Doctrine since my childhood. 

O Consolador: Are you working as a spiritist leader? 

In Uberlândia I used to coordinate the Spiritist Education Department for Children and Youth, at a centre called Centro Espírita Joana d´Arc. I was also editor for the newspaper Vida Espírita, from AME (Aliança Municipal Espírita). In São Paulo, I am coordinating the Spiritist Editor Correio Fraterno and also Communication Department of CCDPE- Centro de Cultura, Desenvolvimento e Pesquisa do Espiritismo Eduardo Carvalho Monteiro. 

O Consolador: We know your life is connected to the press and to spiritist literature. Can you please tell us a list of books you consider essential? 

We all need to study The Spirits' Book, The Book on Mediums, The Gospel According to Spiritism, and The Genesis According to Spiritism.  We should not forget about the Revue Spirite, a periodical which Kardec published until his death. 

The books from André Luiz, Léon Denis, Emmanuel, Yvonne Pereira, Herculano Pires, Hermínio Miranda were always my main point of reference. I used to read all these books when I was a teenager.  

O Consolador: As an editor from a spiritist newspaper, how do you see the latest spiritist books that are being published nowadays?  

I think we live at a time where we are all in an intense moment of search. People’s interest on spirituality is increasing drastically. It is clear to me the market is following this trend. Spiritism is following this trend and benefiting from it. On the other hand, there are many distorted books being published in relation to the fundamental aspects of Spiritism which lack depth of knowledge. Would not it be useful to read less and reflect more? 

O Consolador: Can you please tell us about the experience of being part of the Meeting of Spiritist Historians and Researches?  

This last meeting was promoted in September last year by the Centro de Cultura CCDPE  and Liga dos Historiadores e Pesquisadores de Espiritismo. It was an important meeting for its integration, and strengthening of ideas. The idea that Spiritism is Science offers an infinite field for research, and the proof for this theory was the vast amount of academic work done on this field. It was also an important moment for the spiritist media, as we realised what an important instrument it is for the preservation of the spiritist memory. The newspaper Correio Fraterno, for instance, has been circulating for 40 years and was able to gather a precious archive about Spiritism’s background in Brazil and around the world.  

O Consolador: Izabel, we are aware that your background is social communication. We would like to ask you to analyse the communication among the Spiritist Movement, please. Are there any gaps that could be seen? Are we being able to communicate to non-spiritist colleagues? 

We live at a time where changes are happening extremely fast. Our behaviour as consumers, listeners and readers has been changing rapidly. We, spiritists, need to adapt into a new way of communicating to reach those who are interested in Spiritism. We need to be coherent regarding the Doctrine, but avoid writing and saying words and phrases which common-knowledge 60 years ago. Plus, we need to change the way we speak. We need to talk not just to spiritist, as if there are no other non-spiritist colleagues interested in getting to know more about the Doctrine. Let’s adapt to globalization, which should include these changes, according to my point of view.  

O Consolador: In this coming March we celebrate the International Women's Day. According to your view, until when should we have day of global celebrations to remember us of elementary facts, such as the respect and dignity every woman should deserve? 

It seems that society will still take time establishing days of celebration which leads us to formal and ceremonial acts. I don’t believe that having days of celebration is an issue. The problem is the concept which was created around these dates. If it’s Mother’s Day, you give your mother a present, but the date is not used to evaluate the family relationship; or individual actions that could minimize social problems such as orphanage; for example. It’s the spiritist centres’ duty to promote in-depth reflections on these occasions.  We can’t just restrict ourselves to complain about these celebrations.  

O Consolador: There is a world economic crisis around, and the politicians are requesting the general public to keep spending. How should we, spiritists, proceed when faced with appeal for consumption?  

We, spiritists, should always aim to keep our actions and thoughts adjusted to what the spiritist doctrine teaches us. This is a matter of common sense in order to establish a balance between consumption and possessions. We should not state that consumption is sinful. The problem is to get too attached to the matter, in compulsive purchasing, egocentrism, or extreme vanity which obstructs our real progress. We need to remember the teachings found through CHAPTER VIII - THE LAW OF PROGRESS, which is detailed at The Spirits' Book by Allan Kardec. 

O Consolador: Would you like to share some final thoughts with us? 

I would like to thank you all for your kindness and opportunity of reflecting through these important issues. Reflecting and exchanging ideas make us learn, improve and progress together.