Carlos Campetti:       

“We are moved by a sincere wish of helping people interested in giving healing in a productive
and safe manner”

The well-known Spiritist author talks about his most recent work,
his motivation to continue writing and his commitments
in the Spiritist Movement

	Carlos Roberto Campetti (photo) is the author of several Spiritist books. He was born in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, the son of a Spiritist father and a Catholic mother. He has lived in the Brazilian capital, Brasília, for many years. He has a degree in Journalism and a Master in Business Administration. Campetti began reading the works
of Allan Kardec and André Luiz at the age of nine. For many years he has been a respected medium and renowned Spiritist speaker in the Spiritist Movement, having taken part in the foundation of Spiritist Groups in the United States and Spain.

Tell us about your work in the Spiritist Movement and your writing. What is your main goal? 

I give talks and I enjoy organising seminars and courses that prepare volunteer Spiritists for a range of tasks in Spiritist Centres. As a journalist I used to write articles in Portuguese and later in Spanish for several Spiritist and secular publications. I have written a book in Spanish about healing, because there were few publications on that issue in Spanish. I have also written a book on mediumship based on my experience of 10 years in that area. It is a practical book, not a theoretical one. That book, Trabalho Mediúnico – Desafios e Possibilidades, was co-authored by my wife, Vera Campetti, who is a diplomat. Travelling around the world, we both noticed there was a lack of good literature on mediumship in many countries. We began our book with the foundation, the works of the Codification and especially the Medium’s Book, and added practical guidance in a simple and direct language. It took us 10 years to finish the book. I checked everything she read and she did the same with everything that I wrote. We never aimed at writing a “best-seller”. We are moved by a sincere wish of helping people interested in giving healing in a productive and safe manner, under the guidance of Allan Kardec and Jesus. 

What is your assessment of Spiritist literature at the moment? 

I am concerned about it. There are people in Brazil who announce that they have 7,000 Spiritist titles available for selling. However, I believe the books that really follow the principles of Allan Kardec cannot be more than 2,000. If someone reads three books a month, it will take them 10 years to read 420 books. That is why I insist that people who are really interested in Spiritism should read first Kardec, so they are able to distinguish between what is appropriate and what is not. That is a job that must be done by the reader, as we can’t have in Spiritism a list of censored or recommended books – an “index librorum prohibitorum” or a “recomendatorum”. We must bear in mind that the dark Spirits move shrewdly and find room where there is lack of vigilance or complacency. Bezerra de Menezes (the great Spiritual Benefactor) has warned us in several messages about the high risks of these times and the role we, conscious Spiritists, have to play. 

What are the main challenges to overcome? 

The main problem is self-interest, individualism. Every time in human history small groups or parties were formed under the belief that they were “better than the others” or “the sole bearers of the truth” we faced problems. Aristotle said that a nation that does not know its history is destined to repeat it. I go further: if we do not learn from the mistakes of the past, we will make them again and again until we learn to get it right. Individualism is a serious problem and totally incompatible with healthy mediumship. The safest way to overcome the challenges we are facing is by cultivating humbleness, solidarity and love for one another, without discriminating those who make mistakes. At the same time, we cannot be complacent with their mistakes. What needs to shine and to get credit is the work done, not the people who carry it out. We are merely tools that are here to help build the work of Christ. It happens first inside their hearts and later in the hearts of others, when they reach the maturity for that. 

What role should writers and Spiritist leaders carry out in order to safeguard the quality and accuracy of Spiritist writings? 

That is very straightforward: they need to be humble and to show the moral authority built on solid work in line with God’s Law. Whenever they feel their personality is getting too much attention, they need to step down. They must not write, publish, recommend or sell books that clash with the main principles of Spiritism. The Teachings are here to provide the elements for people to better themselves. In order improve the quality of Spiritist books publishers need to base their decisions on the works of Allan Kardec. But readers are the ones who have real power. They should not buy a Spiritist book only because it makes pleasant reading, because it is a bestseller or a page-turner. We should not forget that Laura, in Nosso Lar – Our Home  tells André Luiz that he could choose any book from her library, because in the Spiritual City certain works published on earth were not accepted. 

What should be done to encourage the formation of new Spiritist authors? 

We should put Spiritism into practice at home and in society with our children. We have to offer them good examples and good literature. We must switch off the television and get into the habit of reading in front of them so that they learn from our example. My father can barely read or write. But one of the earliest memories of my life is of him sitting by the bed reading The Gospel According to Spiritism. Our children do what we do. We cannot try to argue or impose what we do not do. New Spiritist authors will be formed if they are given good role models, good knowledge and real life examples of Spiritism. 

What are your plans for the future? 

I intend to carry on working for Christ, trying to avoid that my individualism gets in the way of a commitment I made in the Spiritual World. I intend to carry on writing. My wife, Vera, and I, have many projects yet to be realised.