Focused work: “Studying Our Home”

Authors: Carlos A. Baccelli and Inacio Ferreira (Spirit)

Synopsis: In this book, the physician Inacio Ferreira (disembodied) addresses some of the issues that, in a masterly and unprecedented way are studied by Andre Luiz in the book “Our Home”. “Our Home” is the first work of Andre psychographics of Francisco Candido Xavier.

Publisher: LEEPP.

As in other books, this fascinator Spirit, who calls himself Dr. Inacio Ferreira, and who communicates through the medium Carlos Antonio Baccelli, goes on attacking serious and reliable Spiritists, mocking Spiritism, and trying to diminish it, by means of ordinary dialogues, using foul talk, which most of the time are unfit to be commented within the refinement of some spiritual circles.

Now, after trying to minimize the image of Chico Xavier through the work "Chico Xavier Answers", he also tries to minimize Chico’s work of greatest impact: "Our Home".

If you read the title of this book, “Studying Our Home”, you will imagine that you have in hand a serious study regarding a spiritual, and sociological point of view, and you will expect more advanced details on how to the spiritual activities are developed there.

As we know, "Our Home" is about a community of disembodied Spirits that carry out intense activities of spiritual help, spiritual education and preparation of the new incarnations. But the reader becomes increasingly disappointed as he reads this unfortunate parody, which presents childish dialogues, in a coarse language unfit with the seriousness and dignity of the spiritual Doctrine, and its earlier works.

*

The words used in this book shall be emphasized in bold, and our comments will be in normal characters. Right at the very start, Dr. Inacio copies a conversation where those that talk to him flatter him, and he, as usual, does not let the opportunity go by without his normal boasting:

-              Perhaps it is due to the language used, my spontaneous way of being – I cannot be the Inacio that many want me to be!

-              It is not only due to the language, no! – Mentions a female confrere – The problem is that you are straight forward in what you say: there is no beating around the bush. (20)

A statement attributed to Andre Luiz, "Had not trained his organs for his new life" is used in a conversation, in a coarse way only used at a bar table, between Manoel Roberto and Domingas, who says: "I have to control myself not to attack the pots on ... Earth! Were it not for the relative enlightenment I have, I would be doing like the vampires do to the inveterate eaters of spicy meat!

After a short break, Manoel Roberto says:

-              I confess that, on my part, I did not train my sexual organs. I do not need to say anything else, do I? (21)

Dr. Inacio does not explain how this precise mail works within the Spiritual World. How is it capable of taking letters from Earth and placing them on his desk …?

... Going through papers on my desk, I came across a letter that a sister had addressed to me from Earth.

She had written: - Dr. Inacio, I am enchanted* (sic) with your love for animals... (95)

From there onwards, Dr. Inacio uses five pages of the book, in which he proposed to study "Our Home", and begins to discuss, in an manner not in accordance with the a serious spiritual work, about cats and reincarnation, ending with the irresponsible statement that will confuse any beginner, who reads this book interested in finding out about spiritual evolution, when he says that the spirit that is in a cat can go directly to animate a human body:

As Sonia (a cat that was his when he was still embodied) may be one of those brunettes parading on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Lenis (another cat) - who knows? - may be one of those newborns still nameless, waiting for your arms, which, like mine, were also frustrated by the blessing of motherhood in this life. I have full belief that you will “melt”, when hearing one of these children call you Mom or Grandma! (100)

Only in Chapter 13, already on page 108 of the book, a group is formed to study “Our Home”. Up to this moment, all we read are common dialogues, interspersed with self-compliments or with Dr. Inacio’s bravado:

- You will then continue writing? – he asked at last.

- I am not a man to be intimidated, my dear. Good day! (107)

It is important to pay attention to the dialogues among Dr. Inacio, Dr. Odilon, Domingas and Manoel Roberto. They are all on the same spiritual plane and comment on the feelings of the Spirits in the Spiritual World, as if they were not there with them too, including the 150 participants in the same conditions:

- A little further - I stressed - in this second chapter, in the sixth paragraph, Andre Luiz considers ipsis verbis: "The physiological needs continued with no alteration”.

The auditorium was in suspense. (115). Were they not aware of their condition of disembodied Spirits? Did they need to study this in a seminar? The work in question is it not about the study of "Our Home"? The "study" goes on like a casual conversation between people who have nothing else to do… Were the 150 participants there just to hear a “casual chat"?

Pay attention to the statement attributed to Dr. Odilon, which, according to Dr. Inacio, is an advisor, who startlingly distorts the law of cause and effect:

- I met a person who was proud about his own voice… Shame, most certainly, if it has not happened yet, he will be reborn mute or with a voice the same as mine: rougher is impossible! (130)

Then, completely out of context, perhaps to fill pages of this book, he copies the letter attributed to Senator Publius Lentulus, ending the chapter by justifying the inclusion of this issue:

-              Do you see how we go far when we study any subject of Life in the light of the Doctrine, of Reasoned Faith? (132)

He goes on, filling pages with jokes, squandering the time of those, who bought a book in search of enlightenment, because despite the work having the title “Studying Our Home", in the chapter that refers to the way the disembodied dress, nothing is added, he only briefly mentions their clothes, nothing adding of instructive, and only joking and self-appraising himself:

- Look, Doctor, in your company, I would stay up to two hundred (years in the Umbral); however, without you, not one day! (139)

An ordinary conversation goes on in the following chapters, with quotes here and there from "Our Home", however, with no comments for a better understanding of the book.
He announces a visit to the Emmanuel Foundation in order to deal with a very serious matter, but what does he and his group do, accompanied by the Director of the Foundation, they come to Earth to visit a Spiritist Centre. Further, he comments on the existence of dogs and horses, mentioned by Andre Luiz, and he does not resist the temptation to make his comments:

- Horses and dogs, besides eating, they have sex…

-              I knew you’d say this! - commented Domingas. (254)

Then he is back to talking about the Spiritual World:

- What would you say if here in the Spiritual World, men could have sex, in the same way, without the reproductive function?

Turning towards Rodrigo, I asked:

- Do you know about any of your colleagues, or yourself, who do not have sex here?

- No, Doctor, do not ask me names. But I know of nobody – the smart boy said in a relaxed manner and made his colleagues smile. (255)

Then he comments about the orchards in "Our Home", arriving to the conclusion that if there are plants reproducing themselves, there are also humans, forgetting that the fruits of a tree do not represent an individual:

- This is a botanic lesson! Domingas joked.

- Many will say it is pornography ... a banana** for them, preferably green! (256)

The same misinterpretation Dr. Inacio commits when he comments about the existence of the ibis, that bird that looks like a vulture. It is known that these birds, such as dogs and horses, manifest in the Spiritual World with their perispirits, in the same manner as men, but there too Dr. Inacio sows confusion: 

- However, my dear, the species mentioned by Andre Luiz, ibis viajor, as said, is a native of the Spiritual World, since none of the species on Earth that looks like this long-legged bird, show the same characteristics, namely: "devouring the mental forms, hateful and evil, openly fighting the darkness of the Umbral"... (258/259)

Always avoiding comments regarding "Our Home", as proposed in the title of the work, Dr. Inacio copies the following dialogue with the young Rodrigo, about bathing:

- Here I bath more than what I did downstairs, when, many a times I arrived sweaty from the football...!

- I did not know we were talking to a goals scorer!

- Goalkeeper, Doctor - I was a goalkeeper! My mother had to fight with me so I did not go and sleep without bathing...

- And football boots stink!

- Sneakers stink even more! I was a goalkeeper of indoor soccer...

- So, your mother, Rodrigo, is a saint: those stinky feet indoors, at night... (262)

And the chat full of sense of humor continues:

-       Do you see, my son, that I have a contagious disease?

-       I wish I could have at least half of the diseases you have!

-       Well, now you are “puxando o meu saco”***... and the worst, no, the best is that the Spirit also has it.

Literally, opening a parenthesis, I would like to see the face of the orthodox that will sure be saying, almost foaming: Blasphemy! Porn! Mystification! Pimp Spirit! Anathema! To the fire!

Do you know what my answer is: ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! ...) (264)

As already mentioned, the book is made up of common chats, mundane dialogues, of jokes and coarse references to Spiritists and to the Spiritist Movement, when it is not only a speech appraising Dr. Inacio:

- People are very fond of you, Doctor - said Domingas - for each one that twists his nose at you, there are a thousand smiling at you!

- I do not deserve it, no…

- Yes, you do deserve it!

- The twisted noses?

- Are you referring to that?

- You thought it was what, Domingas?

- This Inacio! God made him and broke the mold – Modesta sighed.

- God broke it in repentance! And the worst is that he made me immortal: now He has to put up with me to Eternity! ... (268/269)

Something difficult to understand is the fact that Spirits – living in the Spiritual World - meet in a seminar, to be clarified regarding facts that they deal with on a daily basis, such as food, hygiene, clothes, and so on.

Initially, the group amounted to 150, but it increased:

- Domingas, are you kidding me... There are more than 453 people! (271)
In this chapter, he stated that he would talk about the water in "Our Home", but he only wove a couple of philosophical and biblical comments, and ended like this:

- So we can conclude that, in fact, disembodiment is a dehydration phenomenon! (273)

In the following chapters, there is no study regarding "Our Home". Dr. Inacio sees scheduled patients in his consulting room, just like he did on Earth. His desk, in disarray, was covered by letters coming from Earth, to which he should answer. He just did not explain how they got there and how he was going to send the respective answers…

Continuing he reports conversations with no links whatsoever to the book's title, quoting excerpts from Andre Luiz’s work, but without any serious clarification. Commenting on the interview that Andre Luiz had with Clarence – which would give rise to serious reflection – he does not lose the opportunity to make a distasteful humor, after mentioning the Minister's attitude, instead of quoting his teachings: - “Clarence, however, got up serene and spoke without affectation"...

- What did you see in this sentence? It has nothing! - Objected the lady of lively intelligence.

Looking from one side to another, again watching the movements of Odilon, I explained:
- With the forgiveness of the word, I saw the buttocks.

- The buttocks?! - They asked almost in unison.

- Of course! If Clarence “stood up", it is because he was sitting! And if he was sitting, it is because a Spirit has buttocks! Do you agree?

- Interesting! – Repeated our scratched and humanized "vinyl record"...

- What is interesting?! The buttocks? - mumbled one of the boys, making everybody laugh.

- The Minister Clarence was not there levitating, no! - he said, trying to control the crowd. - Like any mortal, he was sitting! This leads us to infer what?

- That there is no lack of chairs in the Spiritual World! - said someone.

- Or beds, if not Andre Luiz would have not been lying! – said another.

- That a Spirit is like a little smoke, which slides around! – chimed in another.

- And, of course - I said - with all due respect, that the Minister was not stripped of buttocks!

- Interesting!

And I amended:

- That he is human! That we are all human! Unless, among you, there is someone with no maximum, medium and minimum gluteus!

- Doctor - asked the Coordinator, barely holding back - are you going to put that in the book?

- What?! The buttocks? Damn right, why not?! ...

- The people that are against…

- Let the people discuss whether the Spirit has buttocks or not. Domingas, this does not seem to matter at all, but it is important to understand the anatomy of the dead, that's us! Have we or have we not the right to keep our buttocks, and as stiff as possible?

- Interesting! - Interrupted the gaping companion.

- Anything, we can organize a march, Doctor!

-              Well, we have infiltrated people here! ...

-              And with banners, with slogans worthy of ...

-              Stop! – I interrupted, with the class writhing in enthusiasm. - I claim for myself the right to suggest the sayings to be printed in defense of the butt, because after all, we are disembodied, but not stripped!

At this point, with the approach of Odilon and Modesta, attracted by our youthful racket, we went silent.

- What were you talking about that you are all smiles? – Modesta asked.

- Let us join in too! – The Instructor surprises us, friendly passing his arm around my neck.

- You know what - I tried to explain, winking at the class - we were talking about the complex physiology of certain skeletal muscles that do not belong specifically to the lower back, or to the back of the thigh...

- Oh, Doctor, make it simple: the buttocks! - exclaimed Odilon, to whom positively nothing escaped.

Among the increasing smiles, I confess that I could only hear the ghostly voice, repeating like a bell clapper:

- Interesting ... (343/346)!

In this manner Dr. Inacio ends his book "Studying Our Home". This work, like many others written by this fascinator Spirit, who took possession of the medium's powers, is an attack to the Doctrine, and to the noble images of Francisco Candido Xavier, and Andre Luiz and his masterwork.
We must remember that this work was intended to clarify details of life in the Spiritual World, and it should be directed to the incarnate and not to the disembodied, which in auditoriums, would be listening to explanations and comments about what already constituted their reality.

* Translator’s note: In the Portuguese language, the word encantado is in the masculine gender, and since it was referring to a sister, the feminine gender, it should be encantada.

** Translator’s note: “banana” here would be, more or less, like showing the middle finger to someone.

*** Translator’s note: This expression is vulgar and there is no real translation into English. Literally, it means: you are flattering me by pulling at my scrotum. Perhaps: You are kissing my arse.