Marlene and Mário Gonçalves: 

“We have in Brazil an efficient method for the study
of Spiritism”

The couple based in the city of Ribeirão Preto, in São Paulo state, has worked for many years in the dissemination and expansion of the official method for the study of Spiritism set up by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB) and better known by its acronym, ESDE
 

	Marlene Fagundes Carvalho Gonçalves and her husband, Mário Gonçalves Filho (photo), both from the state of São Paulo, have dedicated many years of their life in Spiritism to the dissemination of the study method. ESDE, the Systematic Study of the Spiritist Doctrine, has been adapted to the English language in the United States by Vanessa Anseloni
as the Roadmap Program for Spiritist Study and Practice. Marlene is a university lecturer and Mário works in business administration. In this interview, they share their views on the study method set up by FEB:

What is ESDE and how was it created?

Mário: ESDE is a method created for the study of Spiritism in a serious and continuous manner. It has several levels and is based on the works of Allan Kardec – the Codification of Spiritism – and other works of recognised value. It was launched by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation in November 1983 to meet the demands of the Spiritist Movement.

How long does it take to do the course?

Marlene: It is a three-year course with weekly meetings of 90 minutes. The course follows the order of subjects as they appear in The Spirits’ Book. It is important that once a group is created to begin the course, its composition remains the same until the end, without any newcomers. The different module complement each other and the subjects are interconnected.

What is the most important pedagogical aspect of the method?

Marlene: It is basically the fact that the study is done in group, which facilitates learning and enables information and experiences to be shared. With the group study, people have the opportunity of building their own concept of Spiritism and also of developing their moral aspects. That is why we say that this method is not only a road map of study, but a way of studying, which involves the active participation of all its members.

Are there any recurring problems with the method when it is introduced to a new group?

Marlene: The main challenges relate to the insecurity we all having in dealing with what is new. The new instructors often ask: What if people do not say anything? What if they do not get engaged? We end up underestimating people. If we give them an opportunity to engage we will see everyone has interesting experiences to share and ways of contributing to the group. Others ask: What if they ask me a question and I do not know the answer. Well, it is a group study and it is the responsibility of everyone in the group to study, research and look for the answers, based on the Codification of Kardec. The instructor must coordinate, guide and facilitate that process.

What has been the impact of your work? How many people have joined the study group programme?

Mário: We began our work of disseminating the ESDE in the state of São Paulo in 2005 and the impact has always been very positive. The exact number of participants is not known, but we estimate that there are more than 120 Spiritist groups involved, with more than 300 study groups. If you consider there are on average 14 people in each group, we estimate there are some 4,200 people enrolled in the ESDE study groups across the state of São Paulo.

Is there any experience or anecdote you would like to share with us, from the study groups?

Marlene: We have noticed a clear transformation of all of those involved. These are transcripts of two participants of the study group, which illustrate my point:

“When my wife told me she had booked us into the course, I admit I only agreed to it out of politeness. She argued that I was inconsistent and missed too many meetings. I begin to think about how slow those two hours per week would drag on, but I resigned to it. After the third or fourth class, I got really engaged in this new learning method and everything changed. A colleague in the group said she also felt intimidated and shy in the beginning, but soon realised she felt confident in her analysis. That led to a radical shift in our behaviour. In my case, the obligation became a deep interest. For her, it meant gaining self-confidence.”

“Since I was a teenager I considered myself a Spiritist, as I believe in reincarnation, in the communication between incarnates and discarnates, in the existence of God, that there are other inhabited worlds and the mediumship phenomena. But my knowledge was very superficial.  I use to read the odd Spiritist book and go to talks, which helped me get a better understanding of the Teachings. But I still had a problem: my ideas were disorganised, random. I need to find something that would help me organise and make sense of the knowledge I had, a systemised method of learning. I found ESDE at a Spiritist book fair. And I found what I was looking for. It sounds obvious, but I began by the beginning.”

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Marlene: All of those engaged in the Spiritist Movement agree that we need to study the basic works of Kardec. This method has proven a very efficient way of learning and has been successful in hundreds of groups across the country. It is available for free on the website of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation and it can also be bought in bookshops.

NT: The English language version of ESDE, adapted by Vanessa Anseloni in the United States, is also available on line: http://www.ssbaltimore.org/roadmap/phase-I.html.