The Brazilian Medium Francisco
Xavier, his trip to the USA
in 1965 and the Dawn of the Spiritist Movement in America
By Antonio Leite & Renan Lacerda
As
we celebrate GEAE’s 10th Anniversary we would like to take
advantage of this opportunity to make an inquiry regarding the first steps
taken in establishing the Spiritist Movement in the
United States of America
.
Among
the information we found in regard to this matter we would like to
describe what the Brazilian journalist Marcel Souto Maior writes in
the book The Lives of Chico Xavier. (As Vidas de Chico
Xavier): 1
Before
doing so, we would like to say that those might not be the only pieces of
information related to the beginning of the Spiritist Movement in America. Our intent is actually to bring
as much information as possible in this matter that we repute as very
important for those who are engaged in this blessed task of spreading the
teachings of Spiritism according to Allan Kardec throughout
this country. Therefore, we will be glad to make available at GEAE’s
page all the information regarding this subject that will be sent to
us.
Within
the Chapter VIII of the above book, which has the title: The
Dead are Alive (Os Mortos Estão Vivos), the following is written:2
"In
May of 1965, the two (Chico Xavier and Waldo Vieira) had
embarked for the
United
States. It was
already time to introduce Spiritism
to the Americans. Followed by two friends, Maria Aparecida Pimental
and Irineu Alves, they had arrived in Washington
on the
afternoon of Saturday, May 22nd. In the following day they had visited a
Spiritualist
Temple
in the city
to thank the spiritual plane for the possibility of the trip. Without
advanced warning, they headed to the Church of Two Worlds, which
was directed by the medium Gordon Burrouhgs. It was
3 PM. They had
sat down in the last row of seats and had remained in silence, following
prayers, chants and commentaries on the doctrine. Nobody who was present
knew them.
At
the end of the meeting, one lady indicated the four "brothers of
another country" present at the meeting and spoke about their task in
the United States, which was to bring spiritual
renewal and to stimulate a fraternal approach between the two nations.
Promptly thereafter, in trance, she announced the presence of a
"teacher" and a “doctor" close to the Brazilian visitors.
Chico
and Waldo were already aware of
the presence of the spirits of Emmanuel and André Luiz.
In
July, Waldo Vieira wrote a text message in the paper signed by the “doctor”:
"Basic points for the spíritist in a trip." It was a guideline
for the followers of the Spiritist Doctrine who would travel abroad for
the first time. The advices, signed by André Luiz, seemed to have
been written by Chico Xavier. These guidelines directed that the word foreign
must be scratched from the dictionary. "The
children of other homelands must be treated as true brothers".
Besides prejudicial comparisons which would cause humiliation, it was
necessary to refrain from being boastful, to be discreet and humble, to
prevent from critique, quarrels, anecdotes and aphorisms of bad taste. In
order to be more useful, one would have to study the language and the
customs of the country that he or she visited.
For
the quartet, there was much work to be done. Allan Kardec was an
illustrious stranger (unknown) in the
United
States
, even among
the spiritualists. They accepted reincarnation, believed in spiritualistic
phenomena such as materializations, but they were still unaware of the
gospel3
codified by the Frenchman in the previous century.
Chico
and Waldo
then turned their attention to the second part of the plan: to establish a
Spiritist
Center
.4
They had already contacted a person in
Washington: Salim
Salomão Haddad and his wife, Phyllis.5
The couple had known Chico Xavier in Pedro Leopoldo (Brazil),6
since 1956.
Chico
chose the
Turkish Salim, who spoke seven languages, to be the president of the
Spiritist
Center, which was
named the Christian Spiritist Center. The address for the Center
would be Salim and Phyllis’ house. For three weeks, the Brazilian
visitor (Chico Xavier) was a guest there. As usual, he worked and he
studied compulsively. In the morning he would be taught English by the
couple’s oldest son. During the afternoons, Mrs. Haddad would be the
English teacher and in the evening it was Salim Haddad who instructed him.
For fifteen days Chico
was able to
learn what few would be able to learn in one year.
The
pupil was a phenomenon, but according to his professors he didn’t have
the required skills to write the texts, which in a few minutes was placed
in the paper with the signature of a certain Ernest
O'Brien.
The English words flowed from his hand hastily, astounding even the
Americans and left Mrs. Phyllis amazed. One of the articles, titled
"Family," soon began with a description of the first impressions
of the afterlife:
“Tremendous
surprise takes place in our mind at the moment of death. Contrary to our
own former opinions we are alive. The body came back to the inorganic
Kingdom as subject of universal change and we recognize that death is
rebirth.”
Waldo
Vieira
was not left behind and also would present texts signed by O'Brien:
“On
what basis shall we localize the problem of death? Of course, there is no
death. Life itself demands death as a rebirth.”
Suicide
would be a pure loss of time. Life is inevitable.
Between
a lesson and a "message", Chico Xavier would write books and he
would occasionally take a walk with the hosts throughout the city. Mrs.
Phyllis remembered two phrases of
Chico
during the
sojourn:
“We
must forgive seventy by seven times daily.”
“And
a lot more patience every day.”
After
Washington
, they traveled to
New York City
. There,
Chico
met the doctor Eurípides
Tahan, the companion of Maria Olina in the Sheila Spiritist
Center. Tahan was studying for his MD in research for liver
transplant and stimulated by
Chico
, both enrolled for an English
course. For three weeks the mineiro7
of Pedro Leopoldo participated in the course. The teacher was impressed
with
Chico
’s ability towards learning the
English language.
At
the end of one of the classes, a young man from
Nicaragua
approached
Chico
and Eurípedes
and uttered in relief: he was facing problems with his wife and needed
help. That same night,
Chico
decided to
visit his house. The doctor followed him and was astounded by his behavior
in the house of the Nicaraguan. Right after arriving in the man’s house
he started talking with his wife in fluent Spanish. The conversation
lasted for forty minutes.
Chico
seemed to
be another person. When they left the house
Chico
explained
to him: "It was her grandmother helping her and giving her
advice..."
Afterwards,
Chico
and Waldo
had left the
United
States
and landed
in
France
.
Chico
, indeed,
embarked on a quest to visit Allan Kardec’s tomb, which is located in
the Père la Chaise’s cemetery. There he prayed and wept. Before
returning to
Brazil
, they had
passed by
Lisbon
, where they
left written texts in Portuguese. In one of them, signed by Emmanuel,8
the following warning was issued.
“Let
us take care of charity that suppresses the sufferings of the flesh, but
do not diminish the aid to the necessities of the soul. Let us divulge the
light of the Spíritist Doctrine.9
Let us assist our neighbor in helping him to discern and to think.”
Chico
would
repeat the words of Christ:
“Learn
the truth and it will set you free.”
Emmanuel
would complete with a firm statement: “Free
to be happy in our obligations and to be more responsible before God.”
In
this first trip,
Chico
and Waldo
had launched the seeds of the Doctrine codified by Allan Kardec (Spiritism)
abroad. In the following year, they would return to the
United States
in order to
look after the plantation.
Chico
Xavier
has initiated this trip with the aim of taking an important step in the
goal of disseminating the teachings of the Spiritist Doctrine in the
United States
and other
countries abroad by launching the English version of one of his books: Ideal
Espírita. To attract more readers, the book was translated into
English with the title: The
World of the Spirits
and reached the stores with the label of the respected Philosophical
Library.
Chico
was very
excited and the trip was a success. Mrs.
Phyllis Haddad
had contributed to intensify the spiritist author’s optimism. Inspired
she proved to be in tune with the beyond and touched in one of the most
sensible points of
Chico
: she wrote
in a paper a message signed by a certain Maria
João de Deus.
10
The
trip would be profitable. Books such as Christian Agenda and Our
Home (The
Astral
City
)11
would be translated
into English, Japanese and Czech. The Spiritist Doctrine would start
cradling in the
United States
. A
Spiritist
Center
named Centro de Sheilla would
be inaugurated in
Miami
, besides two others Spiritist
Centers.
New York
would soon host three spiritist
centers,
California
would host two others and
Philadelphia
another one in the next thirty
years.12
Statistically, it was not an exciting achievement. “The World of
the Spirits" would sell 216 issues in the first year.
Chico
was happy and thought it was
excellent, though."
As
a result of this trip, Francisco Cândido Xavier and Waldo Vieira
published a fascinating book in 1966: Entre Irmãos de Outras Terras (Between
Brothers of Other Lands).13
The
second part of the book is comprised of a number of messages that were
dictated in English through the spirits Ernest
O’Brien and
Anderson.
These messages are available at GEAE’s homepage.
Many
spirits, one of which is a very dear and celebrated writer known to all
Americas
as William
James14,
dictated one of the enlightening messages that comprise this very
interesting book.
The
message can be found on page 23 of the book and is titled: Vinte
Assuntos Com William James (Twenty
Subjects with William James).
This message was already translated into English by A. L. Xavier Jr. (one
of the members of GEAE’s Editorial Board) with the title: An
Interview With William James
and included in the newsletter Spiritist
Messenger # 30.
The
message will be transcribed below with few changes in regard to the first
translation, which was permitted by the translator Ademir
Luiz Xavier Jr.
AN INTERVIEW
WITH WILLIAM JAMES
Taking
into account the specific cultural environments of the Spiritist Movement
in the
USA
and
Brazil
, we present below 20 questions
that were asked Dr. William James, the eminent American physician,
psychologist and philosopher whom departed the material plane in 1910. The
interview was held in the night of his visit to our prayer and assistance
group (*):
Question
1. Dear
friend, since we are here in
New York
to visit some Brazilian
friends, we would like to take advantage of this opportunity to inquire
about whether or not you are still collaborating with those who are
currently working in the search for truth.
Answer.
Yes, indeed. Even after death, we generally maintain the same line of
interests that we once had on our Earthly journey. If these interests were
of some benefit to us, and if such interests presented a way of helping us
in ridding ourselves of vices and imperfections, we ought to take
advantage of opportunities that will eventually come to us.
Question
2. Do
you retain the same enthusiasm regarding Spiritualism studies as you have
before?
Answer.
Absolutely. The principles of the New Revelation constitute a field of
infinite possibilities.
Question
3. Is there
anything you would like to tell us about the application of scientific
research regarding Spiritualist matters?
Answer.
I now understand how important and urgent the scientific approval is for
widespread acknowledgement of the afterlife. Nevertheless, we must
understand that the researchers (with a few exceptions), waste much time
repeating exhaustive experiments, trying to escape from the moral
consequences that the matter implies.
Question
4. Do
you believe that it would be fair to restrain scientific cooperation from
the subject of Doctrinal study of Spiritism?
Answer.
It would be unwise to imply that scientific research is not needed.
Rather, we would like to affirm that the researchers are not exonerated
from the duties of listening to their own conscience. A wise man is not
merely a machine that creates technical terminology, but rather a spirit
who acquired a vast amount of knowledge. Due to this position he is called
forth by a Superior Order to work towards the improvement of human life.
Question
5. What
do you think about parapsychology?
Answer.
This subject is actually as old as mankind. We will find numerous examples
in the Bible. In the II Book of Kings, chapter 12, verse 6, it is written
that the prophet and medium Elisha absorbed telepathic transmissions
originating from the King of Syria, much like the best “sujets”
of experiments undertaken by Rhine and others.
Question
6. What do you
think about Spiritist collaboration in
Para
psychological research?
Answer.
We understand that Spiritists should cooperate with the development of
parapsychology in order to avoid the possibility that the research should
fall into the hands of those less compromised with truth, be they
religious or scientific personnel. However, in our opinion, this will
occur only if the worker does not forget about his own obligations towards
progress.
Question
7. How
would you define the level of knowledge regarding Spiritism on the planet
Earth?
Answer.
The knowledge of Spiritism in a plain and simple way is required in order
to balance the moral aspect of the personality, as it is important to get
rid of the euphoric exacerbation that affects the physical part of the
being and supplies it with healthy hygiene.
Question
8. Would you care
to expand on your definition of Spiritist knowledge?
Answer.
The Spiritist knowledge is an orientation of the profound and essential
life of the being. Obviously, the law of evolution applies to all living
beings, but Spiritism intervenes in the conscious plane, providing us with
behavioral guidelines, which are capable of carving a path towards the
ascension of the soul, free from obstructions which can lead to suffering.
Question
9. Do
you believe that Spiritism plays a decisive role in guiding human will?
Answer.
Certainly. If the spirit does not abide by the evolutionary principles,
and refuses to attend to his earthly obligations, his reincarnation is
nothing but a repetitive cycle that yields no benefits throughout the span
of the millenniums.
Question
10. What
can you tell us about mediumship?
Answer.
As a resource for incarnated spirits to gain access to Superior Spheres,
Mediumship has yet to receive the earthly recognition that it deserves.
Question
11. Do
you believe that it is required for mediums to receive extensive and
adequate instructions?
Answer.
In order to allow the seed to produce, we must guarantee its protection.
How is possible to strengthen and conserve the foundations of mediumship
without educational resources?
Question
12. Is
it possible for more advanced spirits to overcome the difficulties of
mediumship?
Answer.
The Spirit benefactors are able to fulfill great achievements in our
world. Nevertheless, in order to do so, they require our aid as
interpreters. How would it be possible for a symphony to function without
the use of instruments?
Question
13. Does
a spirit, even one belonging to the highest hierarchy, require the aid of
the medium in order to interact in the physical plane?
Answer.
Until science is capable of establishing an unbarred channel between
incarnate and discarnate entities, the latter depend on the mediums to
communicate with the former, much like the soul requires a mother’s womb
in order to enter the physical plane.
Question
14. Would
it be reasonable to assemble a special group of well-developed mediums for
the purpose of promoting more persuasive demonstrations of the phenomena
of the afterlife?
Answer.
We must not forget that the mediumistic resources are at the disposal of
all human beings, who will manage them according to their own level of
spiritual advancement. By improving himself, the medium will attract other
well-improved spirits. However, we must not isolate these mediumistic
resources to a select handful of individuals, for we risk creating
partitions and stimulating a quagmire among them for the possession of
mediumship.
Question
15. We
know that the medium has the duty of improving himself. Besides this, what
is in your opinion the fundamental requirement in order to develop his
faculties?
Answer.
The development of a medium’s psychic energies is not necessarily
excruciatingly difficult. However, since this development extends the
frontier of his relationship with the spiritual world, the biggest problem
still lies in the mediums’ ability to remain loyal to his companions
from the beyond.
Question
16. How
do you analyze the physical mediumship and the intellectual mediumship?
Answer.
Every mediumnistic faculty is important, but I believe that without proper
discretion, physical mediumship will do little to fulfill the requirements
for improving our inner world. Therefore, we believe that intellectual
mediumship will provide better access to superior learning, thus it should
be utilized more often than physical mediumship, in order for the medium
to avoid escaping from his moral duties to which he is responsible for in
his corporeal life.
Question
17. In
your opinion, what is the main task of mediumship in the work of
Spiritism?
Answer.
We believe that mediumship is an important tool in the service for the
enlightenment of men in the planet earth, especially in helping those who
suffer from the torments of obsession, whose number presently reaches
thousands in every corner of the planet.
Question
18. Is
articulated language a basic factor in the communication between
discarnate spirits from the same country through mediums located in
different countries?
Answer.
We know that thought is a universal idiom. However, this is only an
immediate reality in the domain of telepathy. It is possible to ease a
sick person with the idea of peace, optimism, healing and hope; however,
we are unable to immediately give him signs of healing without using the
proper language to communicate with him. On the other hand, the phenomena
of xenoglossy15
could be obtained in the same manner that we would organize a show.
Therefore it is necessary to understand that in the current stage of
humanity, the barrier of articulated language is inevitable, for the wide
majority of discarnate spirits usually maintain themselves tightly bound
to their home environment. Henceforth, the spiritual friends connected to
the United States who aspire to be heard without delay in
Brazil
must generally study Portuguese
and vice versa. This is clear according to the common system of
linguistics, because progress does not accept miracles.
Question
19. When
do you believe Spiritism will be better known on the Earth?
Answer.
That depends on the time and goodwill of people. Any human being may delay
his access to the gate of truth, but no one may avoid it.
Question
20. Would
you care to provide the Brazilian companions
(both incarnate and discarnate) with any particularly wise words
regarding the work of Spiritism?
Answer.
We have learned that stability does not result from improvisation. The
Spiritist cause requires well-seeded Spiritist principles. Furthermore,
there will be no efficient results without the dedication of those who are
working for the cause. We must seek to broaden our individual
participation and elevate the level of understanding toward our
responsibilities to Spiritism. We will count solely on whatever we are
able to achieve. The laws of the universe are fair. In this sense, every
companion, every group and every country will be responsible for how they
choose to utilize Spiritism for the good of their own future. We
understand that we may summarize the main guidelines for all of us as
follows: to maintain
self-control, to think in an elevated manner, to communicate
constructively, to constantly study and to serve more.
(*)
The reader should note that the interview was spoken in English. The
Spirit author, Andre Luiz, translated it into Portuguese to facilitate the
communication with the medium. Later, we translated the text back into
English. (Translator note)
(**)
II Kings,
6:12
- "And one of his servants
said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, telleth the king of
Israel
the words that thou speakest in
thy bedchamber."
We hope that by publishing this article we will motivate those who
know more regarding the first steps taken in the past towards the
establishment of Spiritism in the
United States of America
to come forth and make them
available to the public.
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