Nívea Guimarães
de Freitas
Nasser:
“The messages I
have received
are a present
from the Spirit
World and my
book is a way
of
sharing this
present
with
everyone”
Our fellow
Spiritist from
the Brazilian
city of
Planaltina talks
about her
efforts to
organise and
publish the
book,
Bilhetes
Fraternais
(Fraternal
Messages)
and shares her
thoughts on
Spiritist
literature in
general
 |
Nívea Guimarães
de Freitas
Nasser (photo)
was born in the
city of
Planaltina
before the new
Brazilian
capital,
Brasília, was
inaugurated in
1960 and
Planaltina was
incorporated
into the Federal
District. She
came from a
practicing Roman
Catholic family,
but from a very
early age she
had ostensive
mediumship,
which made her
restless
|
|
until she found
the answers to
her questions in Spiritism. With
her husband,
João Cury
Nasser, she
found two
Spiritist
Centres: SEAE,
in 1967, and
SODEC (Society
for the
Dissemination of
Spiritism), in
1978. She is now
president of
1978. In this
interview she
talks about her
charity work and
her efforts in
the
dissemination of
Spiritism. |
Tell us first
about SODEC. How
was it created
and what are its
main aims?
It was founded
in 1978
following the
guidance from
the Spiritual
Benefactors, who
advised us to
focus our work
in Spiritism on
the
dissemination of
the Teachings.
All we did
before was the
charity work and
the mediumship
work. We began,
then, to publish
a magazine, “O
Espírita,” and
got engaged in
other activities
associated with
the
dissemination of
Spiritism.
How did you come
about the idea
of publishing
the book,
Bilhetes
Fraternais
(Fraternal
Messages)?
What was the
main aim?
We decided to
share with
fellow
Spiritists the
nuggets of
wisdom that have
been given to us
during our
mediumship
meetings. As
SODEC was
celebrating the
35th
anniversary of
its foundation,
we used the peg
to publish the
book, hoping
that the
messages in the
book would bring
hope and
comfort, as well
as development
at a Spiritual
and human level
for those who
read the book.
What has been
the book’s main
main
contribution to
Spiritism?
Our intention
was to give a
simple, plain
contribution for
the
dissemination of
Spiritism,
spreading
comfort and
enlightenment on
existential
matters that
come up in our
daily lives. The
messages are a
present we have
received from
the Spirit World
and the book is
our way of
sharing this
present with
everybody.
What method have
you utilised and
how long did it
take for you to
prepare it?
The method was
quite straight
forward, despite
the huge number
of messages we
had in our
archives after
more than three
decades of work
in mediumship. I
selected the
messages that
would give
comfort and
enlightenment,
organised in a
way that would
enable a focus
on the three
pillars of
Spiritism:
Faith, Hope and
Charity. All
that paves the
way for a final
Christmas
message praising
Our Master
Jesus.
Did your group
find obstacles
in the process
of publishing
this book?
Yes. After
facing the
difficult task
of selecting the
best messages,
jewels in the
middle of so
many jewels, you
have to take
into account all
the time
involved,
especially as
all the work is
volunteer. And
there are
usually the
costs, but we
received a
generous
donation from
Charbel
Printers, which
only charged us
a symbolic
value.
What is the role
of Spiritist
writers and the
leaders of the
Movement in the
improvement and
development of
Spiritist
books?
They must be
committed to the
Teachings and
not to groups or
individuals.
Each book must
be judged by its
own merits and
not for our
feelings for a
particular
medium or a
particular
Spiritist Group.
You must make
sure the book
does not entail
any prejudices,
there is no
censorship or
restraints or
the freedom of
creating and
producing. All
that must be
balanced out
with a deep
sense of
responsibility,
to avoid
radicalisms and
hasty
conclusions. We
must embrace
always, to
learn, to
meditate and to
contribute to
prevent any
eventual
mistakes or
misunderstandings,
making good use
of time and what
we have learned
from Kardec,
Christ and
science.
What is your
final message to
our readers?
We must thank
those who know
our work for
their
benevolence and
understanding.
And we must ask
those who do not
know it to join
us in the effort
of helping
disseminating
the Christian
message. After
all, that is the
main aim of
Spiritism, the
Teachings
compiled by
Allan Kardec
under the
guidance of the
Spirit of Truth,
announced by
Jesus himself in
the Gospel. He
has provided us
with a safe map
to navigate the
area where we
will need to
build our faith.
