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Mábel Meichtry
Farina (photo)
is the president
of the Spiritist
Society Adolfo
Bezerra de
Menezes, in the
southern
Brazilian
city of Itaqui
(Rio Grande do
Sul).
She carries out,
alongside her
husband, Elton,
many tasks aimed
at understanding
and
disseminating
the message of
the Doctrine.
She takes part
in two weekly
programmes on
local radio
stations and
edits the
publication, “O
Consolador”.
How did you
become a
Spiritist?
It was 26 years
ago, soon after
the birth of my
daughter. I had
post-natal
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depression (but
I know now that
in fact what I
had was spirit
attachment, or
obsession). My
mother took me
to a Spiritist
Centre she knew.
I was very
welcome there
and began
gradually to
improve. I then
volunteered to
work with them.
I am now the
president of
that Spiritst
Centre: I give
healing, I give
public lectures,
I take part in a
number of aid
projects and I
take part in the
studies of the
principles of
the Doctrine. |
How strong is
the Spiritist
Movement in
Itaqui?
We work very
closely with the
community. We do
voluntary work
in a foundation
that looks after
children and
teenagers taken
away from their
parents by the
social services.
We are often
invited to take
part in events
in schools and
nurseries, in
many multi-faith
gatherings and
initiatives.
How many
Spiritist
Centres are
there in the
city? Do they
work closely
together?
There are six
Spiritist groups
in the city
affiliated to
the Spiritist
Federation, as
well as a new
one, recently
founded. There
is a very good
relationship and
all groups abide
by the general
principles of
the Federation.
Tell us more
about the
Meeting of the
Families, which
has become a
regional
tradition.
It is an annual
event – it used
to be held every
two years – that
takes place on
each first
Sunday of May.
We normally have
a panel with two
or three
speakers from
other parts of
our state, Rio
Grande do Sul.
We then carry on
the debate in
workshops and
finally the
different groups
present their
conclusions.
Another
interesting
initiative you
have is ACAMPE,
a gathering of
young people
during the
carnival
holidays. Tell
us more about
it…
The idea came up
a few years ago,
as an initiative
to give young
people an
alternative to
the
materialistic
appeals of the
world during
carnival in
Brazil. It is a
period for being
together,
sharing
experiences and
meditating in a
natural
environment. We
have in general
about 100 people
taking part, and
it has now
become an event
for all ages.
What have you
learned from
both meetings –
ACAMPE and the
Meeting of the
Families?
The main lesson
from ACAMPE is
that of
coexistence, of
spending time
together. We
stay together
for four days
and get the
opportunity to
know each other
a bit better. In
the Meeting of
the Families, we
realise that
there are no
fit-for-all
recipes: what
works for one
family might not
work for another
one. We are all
individuals and
our families are
a gathering of
individuals.
How important
are charity
work, assisting
those in need,
in Spiritist
Centres? Is that
an essential
part of your
work?
I believe we
went from one
extreme to the
other. We used
to focus solely
on aid and
relief work, on
providing food
and shelter,
paying little
attention to
educational
programmes. What
I see now is
that many
Spiritist
Centres overlook
their social
services duties.
We must carry on
helping those in
need, and we
must also be
aware to our own
material needs
in Spiritist
Groups. We all
hail the
wonderful work
carried out by
the late medium,
Chico Xavier,
but very few of
us are willing
to follow his
example and do
something
similar.
Ageing is
something we
can’t avoid. How
do you see the
process of
getting older?
I have given
that matter a
great deal of
thought. We need
to be aware that
when we get old
we will need to
be looked after,
as we will
suffer from
unavoidable
restrictions to
our mobility and
other bodily
functions. I
have been trying
to prepare for
that. We will
all need to
forget our pride
and accept that
we will need to
be cared for.
But we shouldn’t
be a heavy
burden to our
children and
other family
members. We must
accept what they
can offer
without
demanding, we
must practice
patience and
kindness. When
the body finally
loses its
physical power,
we must switch
to other
activities, such
as reading and
handcrafts. But
we must not get
stuck in the
past, we must
always try to
keep in touch
with the changes
going on in the
world. All ages
are beautiful
when the soul is
beautiful.
How do you
prepare for
death?
I try to detach
as much as I can
from my material
objects and
possessions,
from all the
affections I
know I will have
to part from for
a while. The
best advice is
not to interfere
in the lives of
family members,
by leaving them
free to make
their own
decisions and to
live in their
own space,
without
refraining,
though, from
assisting and
advising when
necessary.
Your final
thoughts,
please…
Brothers and
sisters who
share the same
ideal, we are
going through a
key period in
the history of
our planet, a
true watershed.
Let us try to
understand the
reason why we
have incarnated
on the planet in
this particular
period and let
us work to help
the Spiritist
Doctrine, not to
damage it. We
are not here
because we
achieved a great
deal and deserve
this blessing.
We are here
thanks to the
mercifulness of
Our Father. Our
biggest brother,
Jesus, needs our
help to build a
better world.
Peace be with
you.
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