Danilo Soares de Oliveira (photo), a manager working for a transnational company in Manaus, is from Brazil’s south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, but moved to the Amazon region several years ago. He met Spiritism in 1992 and has been an enthusiastic volunteer worker. In this interview he shares his thoughts on the Spiritist Movement in

It is a great honour to be here. It has been an extremely fulfilling experience, a complete contrast in many ways to my previous experiences in the Spiritist Movement in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states. It is a unique experience in every aspect: at a personal, spiritual, moral and professional level. 

Give us an overview of the Movement in Brazil’s largest state, Amazonas. 

Amazonas is a huge green giant, with more than 1.5 million square kilometres (0.6 million square miles) – about the size of Alaska or three times the size of France – with 62 municipalities and borders with five other Brazilian states and three countries. The Spiritist Movement in the state is, I believe, very well established and marked by a spirit of camaraderie. It has its unique aspects due to the size of the state and the challenges that the presence of the thick rain forest brings. The state is geographically isolated from the rest of the country, and moving about is not easy. But that drives Spiritists here to be persistent, dedicated, brave and united. Manaus, which accounts for less than 1% of the state’s territory, hodls 50% of its population, with great cultural diversity. That probably explains why the Spiritist Movement in Manaus is so active and far-reaching. Outside the capital, there are few structured Spiritist centres – about 16 groups in total. They face big challenges due to their geographical isolation. The Spiritist Federation of Amazonas has made a concerted effort to try to reach out those groups and also to encourage new Spiritist Centres to be founded. 

How many Spiritist Centres are there in Manaus? What are the most effective ways to disseminate the Teachings in the state capital? 

There are 65 Spiritist Centres in the capital, as well as the two headquarters of the Spiritist Federation – the old one, from 1904, and the new one. We make use of several tools: lectures, public speeches, seminars, events such as Spiritist weeks, congresses, we also spread the message through the radio, newspapers, in bookshops. It is all very similar, in many ways, to what is done elsewhere in Brazil, only our effort is concentrated in Manaus. People in the region are also very much into the arts, and we have a number of active music and drama groups. 

How do you compare your experience in the Amazon to your previous experience as a Spiritist in Minas Gerais state? 

In Minas, in the city of Poças de Caldas, I had the privilege of being in charge for six years of a local organisation encompassing 22 municipalities. And I have learned so much here, where the distances are extreme and the challenges face so numerous. You have to spend days on a boat to get to your destination, or you need to spend a lot on plane tickets, not to mention the natural dangers of the forest, the mosquito-transmitted diseases and even the intolerance of other religious groups in a way you do not see in other parts of the country. Being in the town of Manaquiri to open a new Spiritist Centre was a unique experience: I learned to value what we have in the southern areas of Brazil and to admire the determination of the people of the forest. 

What were the main difficulties you found at a personal level? 

Initially, it was to adapt to a new place, where you do not know anything or anyone. I had to adapt to the equatorial climate, different food, the buzz of the big city Manaus is, a contrast to Poços de Caldas, the tranquil spa where I was brought up. Eventually, I realised the local people, the local Spiritist Movement, was very warm, receptive. People in Amazonas state are really special and welcoming. I have learned with them a lesson of love, care, detachment, my family and I have reassessed our values. It has been a blessed exercise in Christianity. I am about to move away from Amazonas state, moving the southern Parana state, after only eight months here. But I’m going away for professional reasons only and I feel I am now a different person.  

Is there anything else you would like to highlight about the Spiritist Movement in Amazonas state? 

From my early days here, I saw this experience as an opportunity to reincarnate within this incarnation. That sums up my experience here. I left everything and everyone behind, taking with me only the experience gathered “on the road” so far. I saw it all as a “new opportunity” to meet dear friends from other eras, people very dear to my soul. I had to rethink and reassess all I knew, all the experiences from my recent past, bringing it all to a new reality, with new and very different challenges. In the last eight months, I worked in the Mediumship Department of the Spiritist Federation and took part in a regional event of other Amazon region states. And one aspect that caught my attention was the strong leadership of local women, real “Amazons”, as well as the strong participation of young people. You see many young people in positions of command, thoroughly dedicated and committed to the Spiritist Movement. 

Anything else to add? 

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the people of Amazonas state, especially our brothers and sisters in the local Spiritist Movement. I take with me their example of living Christian fraternity. I leave this land taking very dear friends in my heart. It has been a great experience, which will be with me forever. I pray to Jesus to light my path wherever I go in the future.