Organization and functioning of a physical spiritist center (part 1)

A look from the perspective of spirituality

In general, the Spiritist Movement’s manuals on organization and operation for guiding work in a Spiritist center mainly address administrative, economic, accounting, and legal concepts. In this work, we seek to develop an approach from the perspective of spirituality in the activities of the Spiritist center. In view of the above, we have made a brief outline of the organization and functioning of the work at the Spiritist center in light of the guidelines provided and collected in various Spiritist works.

The Spiritist center

The Spiritist center is of fundamental importance for the preservation of Spiritist principles. It is the central and most important point of the Spiritist Movement, the basic cell for the dissemination of Spiritism. The purpose of the doctrine is the study, dissemination, and practice of its precepts. If the Spiritist center does not teach the Spiritist doctrine, what other institution will teach it? Beyond this reflection, we have another challenge brought to us by Bezerra de Menezes: “to maintain Spiritism as it was delivered by the divine messengers to Allan Kardec.”

Let us reflect: the Spirits were the messengers, Kardec was the codifier. And have we been faithful guardians of the message? If the motto of the doctrine is “outside of charity there is no salvation,” then the Spiritist center is also a place of charity. Are benevolence, indulgence, and forgiveness lacking in the world and in Spiritist centers? Let us think: what defines the position of the Spiritist in the world? Is it the charity he has practiced? If this statement is true, then the Spiritist center and the world are spaces for the exercise of charity. Let us make efforts to experience it.

Planning and organization of a Spiritist institution in the spiritual world

Spirituality takes special care in the construction of Spiritist centers. In the book Tramas do destino (chap. 21, p. 196), we find the following account of the construction of the Francisco Xavier Spiritist Center.

“The spiritist society, dedicated to the ministry of enlightenment, in accordance with the higher purposes of Kardec’s Doctrine, is not limited to the walls of the physical building. Before the plans for the physical construction of that institution were finalized, Natércio, who was in charge of instructing and guiding Epifânia, whose mediumistic faculties were to be placed entirely at the service of enlightening consciences, provided the first guidelines on which to base the work, which was to outlive men and continue, should they happen to scatter, dominated by the triviality peculiar to countless creatures.”

Let us note that spirituality planned the physical construction of the Francisco Xavier Spiritist Center with the specifics reported by the Spirit Natércio in the aforementioned work. We note that Natércio goes to São Francisco Xavier – a tireless propagator of the Christian faith in Japan, China, and India in the 16th century – requesting, from this faithful apostle of Jesus, spiritual patronage “for the House that was to be built and whose purpose would be to spread Christianity in its primitive purity.”

“Successively, even before the plans for the physical construction of the House were defined, measures were taken regarding the magnetic contingencies at the site and other special provisions. The Center was subsequently built, taking care to ensure ventilation and comfort without excess, preserving simplicity and the total absence of objects and decorations other than the minimum necessary furniture and utensils for its operation… However, in the respective departments reserved for the passing chamber, mediumistic enclosure, and doctrinal exhibition room, complex equipment was provided for specific purposes for each task, appropriate on the spiritual plane.”

We observe in Natércio’s description a careful and sophisticated work of spirituality for the smooth running of activities at the Spiritist center. Let us continue analyzing this careful organization of the spiritual workers at the Spiritist center.

In his explanations, Natércio informs us:

“Spirits specialized in magnetic impregnation of the environment were requested to create a healthy psychosphere, and subsequently, some workers were assigned to the permanent work of preservation and renewal. Furthermore, defense resources were installed in order to protect the Center and its visitors from the harmful attacks of hordes of robbers and vagabonds, as well as to screen those on this side who could penetrate the premises.”

The description reveals to us all the care taken by the spiritual plane to ensure that the proposal to build a Spiritist center is realized in the world.

From Spiritist social promotion

The maxim “outside of charity there is no salvation” enshrines the principle of equality before God and freedom of conscience. The apostle Paul, in chapter XV, item 10, of The Gospel According to Spiritism, reminds us that all who practice charity are disciples of Jesus. The question that arises is: what kind of charity do we need to work on in life? Emmanuel reminds us that material charity is important and indispensable, but there is a special kind of charity that must be worked on in the Spiritist center: the charity of spreading the Spiritist Doctrine.

Spirituality reminds us that the charity of enlightening the immortal Spirit is a priority. If an empty stomach has no ethics, then we need to feed the hungry. That is the first point. Furthermore, we need to reflect with Kardec on our social commitment. In question 573 of The Spirits’ Book, Kardec asks: “What is the mission of incarnate spirits?” The answer is: “To instruct men, to aid their progress, to improve their institutions, by direct and material means […]”

We understand that our service to human beings is a priority. Question 255 of the book O Consolador (The Consoler) reads as follows: “Should we, as Spiritists, practice only spiritual charity or also material charity?” The spiritual benefactor Emmanuel clarifies that the fundamental motto of Kardec’s Codification, formulated in the phrase “outside of charity there is no salvation,” is meaningful enough that we should not get lost in minute considerations. All selfless charitable service is a divine reinforcement in the work of human fraternity and universal redemption. It is urgent, however, that sincere Spiritists, enlightened by the Gospel, seek to understand the educational aspect of doctrinal postulates, recognizing that the immediate work of modern times is that of the inner enlightenment of man (emphasis added), improving the values of the heart and conscience.

Emmanuel tells us that the work of enlightenment by the Spirits must be immediate. In the work Paulo e Estevão, Emmanuel reinforces that the work of enlightenment must be a priority. The story addresses the issue of caring for the sick at Casa do Caminho.

“We can care for many sick people, offer a bed of rest to the most unfortunate, but there have always been and always will be sick and tired bodies on Earth. In the Christian task, such an effort cannot be forgotten, but the enlightenment of the Spirit must come first.”

The benefactor points out that almost all material charity work has been “distorted due to the neglect of the enlightenment of incarnate spirits.”

The benefactor Joanna de Ângelis, in Dimensions of Truth, chapter 14, points out that, alongside the material assistance we can give, moral and spiritual assistance should take precedence. We understand that a practical question for Spiritist leaders is in order here: is there a welcoming atmosphere, evangelization, study groups, fraternal dialogue, doctrinal lectures, spiritual healing, and spiritual promotion for those assisted in our Spiritist centers? Manoel Philomeno de Miranda reminds us in his book Tramas do Destino (Plots of Destiny) that: “evangelizing, instructing, guiding, putting oil in the lamp of the heart so that the light of the spirit shines in the night of suffering, are urgent and fundamental tasks in the reconstruction of Christianity.”

In the context of the Spiritist center, incompatible activities are those that are not consistent with the Gospel of Jesus. Divaldo Franco reminds us: “The doctrine is the consolidated message. We are the Spiritist center, that is, what we build within four walls. The construction of bricks and stones is transitory.” In fact, we know that everything our eyes see has already died or will die.

On mediumship

The following account from the book Safety Guidelines, in chapter 12, entitled “Outdoor Practices,” is enlightening. In item 132, it states: “Mediumistic education requires, first and foremost, knowledge through the study of mediumship. Next comes moral education and, as a consequence, the practice and experience of Christian conduct.”

In The Gospel According to Spiritism, chapter XXVIII, items 8 and 9, it is noted for mediums: “In the last days, says the Lord, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit upon my servants and handmaids, and they shall prophesy (Acts 2:17 and 2:18).”

“The Lord wanted light to be made for all men and the voice of the Spirits to penetrate everywhere, so that each one could obtain proof of immortality.” It is with this goal in mind that the Spirits manifest themselves today in all corners of the Earth and mediumship reveals itself in people of all ages and conditions, in men as well as women, in children as well as the elderly. It is one of the signs that the predicted times have arrived.

In order to learn about the visible world and discover the secrets of material nature, God granted humans physical sight, senses, and special instruments. With the telescope, humans can gaze into the depths of space, and with the microscope, they can discover the world of the infinitely small. To penetrate the invisible world, God gave them mediumship.

Mediums are the interpreters charged with transmitting the teachings of the Spirits to men. Or rather, they are the material organs that the Spirits use to express themselves to men in an intelligible way. Holy is the mission they perform, since its purpose is to tear open the horizons of eternal life.”

Recommendations for workers and visitors to the Spiritist center

With regard to Kardec’s guidelines in chapter XXIX, item 341, of The Mediums’ Book, concerning workers at the Spiritist center, we should observe: a) perfect communion of views and feelings; b) mutual cordiality among all participants; c) absence of any feeling contrary to true Christian charity; d) a single desire: to learn and improve through the teachings of the Spirits and the use of their advice […]

In the book Tramas do Destino (Plots of Destiny), the admirable Spirit named Natércio brought to the reflection of his incarnate companions the need to watch their thoughts in the premises of a Spiritist center. The spiritual benefactor “taught his companions on the physical plane how they should behave and preserve the premises from frivolous and vulgar conversations, which are responsible for attracting idle and malevolent spirits, who insinuate themselves through unguarded minds and, not infrequently, enter places that are forbidden to them due to disturbances in the defenses, due to the schemes and responsibilities of mediums and inattentive directors. A teaching hospital for those who suffer, the Spiritist center is a temple of retreat and prayer, where the forces of communion between man and God are established, fixed, and transmitted.”

Natércio reminds us of our responsibility for our mental emanations. The spiritual guide tells us the following: “mental larvae, pernicious ideoplasties, depressing vibrations, dissolving fixations of incarnate frequenters as well as discarnate spirits would conspire against the psychic and even physical health of those participating in the tasks and apprentices of the Gospel, were it not for the aseptic resources and contributions of the mentors, for whose preservation we must all strive, endeavoring to maintain or create a restorative, welcoming, peaceful, and inspiring spiritual climate, so that we may all benefit.”

Natércio adds regarding responsibility for the psychic environment of the Spiritist center: “The Spiritist center must present a significant psychic difference in relation to other centers of any nature, thus attesting to the quality of its spiritual workers and the type of purpose for which it is intended…”

In the third part of chapter III of the book Dramas da Obsessão (Dramas of Obsession), dictated by the Spirit Bezerra de Menezes and psychographed by the medium Yvonne do Amaral Pereira, we find the following guidance regarding the precautions that should be taken with regard to mental emanations inside a Spiritist center:

“The vibrations disseminated throughout the rooms of a Spiritist center, through the care of its invisible guardians; the useful fluids necessary for the varied and delicate work that must be carried out there, from healing the sick to converting suffering discarnate entities, and even the oratory inspired by spiritual instructors, are essential, even indispensable elements for a certain series of expositions moved by the workers of immortality in the service of the Third Revelation. These vibrations, these specialized fluids, very subtle and sensitive, must remain immaculate, carrying intact the virtues that are natural to them and indispensable to the unfolding of the work, because, if not, they will become mixed with impurities that are harmful to the work itself, nullifying its profound possibilities. That is why enlightened spirituality recommends that followers of the Great Doctrine show the utmost respect in Spiritist assemblies, where frivolity and inconsistency, slander and intrigue, commercialism and worldliness, noise and less serious attitudes should never be allowed to enter, since these are inferior manifestations of human character and inconsistency, whose magnetism, for such assemblies, and therefore for the association that allows such things, will attract bands of hostile and malevolent entities from the invisible world, who will influence subsequent work to such an extent that they may adulterate or render it impossible, since such environments will become incompatible with enlightened and benevolent spirituality.”

The importance of the unifying movement

The unifying movement is a means to an end. It is in the Spiritist center that the ultimate activity of Spiritism takes place. The Spiritist center that participates in the Spiritist Movement benefits from a team of workers who can assist in the ongoing training of volunteer Spiritist workers. The Movement’s proposal is to bring Spiritist centers together to exchange experiences.

As the late Leopoldo Machado used to say, always shoulder to shoulder, always side by side, let us work with great joy for a more Christianized Spiritism, for the establishment of peace and harmony. The proposal is not to work alone, nor to compete, but to always cooperate. It was not for nothing that Allan Kardec proposed that Spiritist centers visit each other. The proposal of the Spiritist Movement is cooperation, so that we can build together what we would like to do in our volunteer work at the Spiritist center. We are certain that we are autonomous, that there is freedom, and that there is no hierarchy in the Spiritist Movement.

In message 38 of the book Educandário de Luz, the benefactor Emmanuel reminds us: “Never forget that even the greatest genius cannot achieve anything alone and that, for this very reason, Jesus brought us to the building of the Kingdom of God, valuing the principle of interdependence and the law of cooperation.”

Guillon Ribeiro, in message number 44 of the book Palavra aos Espíritas (Word to Spiritists), teaches: “We thus understand the importance of the unifying movement in the Doctrine, whose most experienced institutions will guide the balanced growth of new centers, still lacking in foresight and security.”

In addition, the Spirit of Vianna de Carvalho, in the book Atualidade do Pensamento Espírita (question 206), reminds us: “The best-guided Spiritist centers, those with the most solid doctrine, will have more reason to avoid becoming superior to others, instead teaching by example and transforming themselves into true schools of Spiritist Doctrine, or pilot centers that serve as models for others that are still in their infancy and in need of guidance.”

The target audience

Guillon Ribeiro recalls in the message quoted above that “the Spiritist center will be, above all, an educational establishment for incarnates, since the spiritual plane does not refrain from organizing the appropriate environment for the protection of discarnates.”

Obligations under the law

“Attentive, therefore, to the legal and social organization of our institutions—without neglecting the economic burdens imposed by daily life— let us observe, with particular emphasis, their physical adequacy with a view to the ideal functioning of the doctrinal centers, mindful that the Spiritist center, however simple and small, will require from each of us dignity of conviction and faith, as well as discipline and elevation in the sublime priesthood that befits us in the sanctuary of our spiritual renewal.”