Luciano dos Anjos:

“Herminio Corrêa de Miranda was (is) a Spiritist who honoured Spiritism”

A close friend of the late Herminio C. Miranda, Luciano talks about the remarkable writer and scholar who discarnated recently

	Luciano dos Anjos (photo) is a journalist from Rio de Janeiro. He has a long and successful career. In the 1960s he took part in live television programmes and gathered experience in many fields of journalism and marketing. He has published several books and was decorated many times for his achievements. Luciano dos Anjos is a
member of the Brazilians Spiritist Federation’s (FEB) Superior Council and is a well-known Spiritist volunteer worker in many groups. He was a great friend of the recently deceased author and scholar Herminio Correa de Miranda. In this interview, he talks about his old friend and his legacy.

How did you meet Herminio Miranda? How was your friendship with him along the years? 

We met in the 1950s, as members of FEB’s Superior Council and contributors of its magazine, Reformador. We became close friends, and frequently exchanged our views on the Teachings.  

What would you say was the main aspect of his personality? 

His honest character and his sober mind, as well as a remarkably inspired common sense. 

What was the great legacy he has left for Spiritist thinking? 

It was the spontaneous reaction generated by his readers, of all walks of life. They are all able to grasp the essence of his message thanks to his writing style, straightforward and accessible to everyone and yet beautiful, fluid and persuasive. 

What do you think are his most influential books? 

His whole work is magnificent. But I am particularly fond of Alquimia da Mente and Os Cataros e a Heresia Catolica. The first book offers a very clever approach of the human psyche, which I have not been able to find in the works of other psychiatrists, neurologists and psychologists. The latter offers a reverse view of history, showing that Catholics were the true heretics if you take into consideration the principles of pure Christianity. The book revisits the movement that saw Christ as the sublime being who came to teach us the authentic lesson of unconditional love. 

His bold, firm and faithful approach to the Teachings made him a well-respected figure in Brazilian Spiritism. What is your view on that? 

I think the terms used are correct. Herminio provided the most amazing scientific contribution to prove the law of reincarnation, through serious and methodical research, to which he added his irrefutable reasoning. His honesty and rigour sealed the conclusions of his work. 

Tell us about the experience described in the book, Eu Sou Camille Desmoulins. 

The book came from a meeting we both attended. It was a group he set up to study the Spirit’s memory. Eventually we found out that we had planned this particular task well before this incarnation. That is what the book tells. There are amazing, new elements that confirm the veracity of reincarnation, now gathered by my son, Luciano dos Anjos Filho, and included in the latest edition of the book. 

How many books did Herminio publish? Has he left any new work to be published?

He published 44 books, translated four and wrote the preface to many. His latest book is about to be published by FEB. If I had to sum up his life and his work, I would say that Herminio Correa de Miranda was (is) a Spiritist who honoured Spiritism and fulfilled his mission on earth. He began his mission with St Paul and later working with Luther.  

Is there anything else you would like to share from your life experience with Herminio? 

Yes. He never like the administrative side of the Spiritist Movement and tried to stay away from it. He gave an important contribution as a member of the Superior Council of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation. But he never really got engaged in any internal, administrative debate. He preferred to remain quiet. His task, he often reminded me, was to write and to help disseminate the Teachings, focusing on the central role played by Jesus Christ. 

Your final thoughts, please. 

I will really miss his physical presence next to me. But I hope I will merit to continue enjoying his friendship and confidence, as our Spiritual empathy goes on in new time and space parameters.