Initial Prayer

         First: please distribute one of the following activities for the children to match the abbreviations to its meanings: SG, SC, SS – ISC - BUSS – FEB – USC. As soon as they complete this activity, please check the answers and ask them the meaning of each abbreviation.

         In order to make it easier for the children to understand this lesson, please use if possible a World Map or World Globe. The teacher could point out the regions that the different institutions are involved with.

         Please find here below some suggested activities:

         activity 1

         activity 2

         Click here to see a picture of the illustration we did with the children.

         Resources for the Spiritist Teacher.

          Spiritist Groups are non-profit organizations whose sole aim is to promote and disseminate the Spiritist Doctrine, as codified by Allan Kardec. A Spiritist Centre is a gathering place of people who intend to study the Spiritist Doctrine, give moral counselling and also provide, free of charge, material help to those in need. It could be seen as a school of Spiritism, a hospital for the souls and a workshop for the practice of love.
         The main interest of those who have good knowledge of Spiritism is to use this knowledge to spiritually and morally better them. The Spiritists Associations are mainly formed with the purpose of studying and spreading the word of Spiritism and have no lucrative means while running this work. They have the doors open to all those who freely want to study the Spiritist philosophy. Spiritism has no chiefs, leaders or clergy, and no hierarchy whatsoever. The Spiritist institutions democratically elect their own directive members amongst their memberships who follow the constitution and the internal regulations of each group. These associations promote the study, practice and dissemination of Spiritism. The members’ work is entirely voluntary.
         Please mention to the children the Spiritist Education for Children and Youth department is also part of the spiritist centre. Please also reinforce that at the spiritist centres we rationally and sensibly study and analyse the Spiritist Doctrine, because in Spiritism there is no such thing as “blind faith”. We do moral counselling and charitable work and we also have Spiritist mediumship practice in which, for example, we receive moral support from the good spirits. Spiritist mediumship practice also gives help to suffering spirits when they undergo the turbulent stage that comes with disincarnation.

          Local organizations are usually called Spiritist centres or Spiritist societies. Regional and national organizations are called "federations", as the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB or BSF) or the Spanish Spiritist Federation; while international organizations are termed "unions", such as the Union Spirite Française et Francophone and BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
         The Federations, such as the Brazilian Spiritist Federation or the Spanish Spiritist Federation, develop activities aimed at the union of the Spiritist Institutions and the unification of the Spiritist Movement in the country they are established. They are responsible for Spiritism on a national level. They also organise seminars, courses and meetings for spiritist workers all over their countries. By joining together, the Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies constitute the Federations and Entities of Unification of the Spiritist Movement at local, regional, state, or national level.
         The Federations and Entities of Unification of the Spiritist Movement at the national level constitute in turn the Entity of Unification of the Spiritist Movement at the international level: the International Spiritist Council.

          The International Spiritist Council, founded on November 28th 1992, is an organization resulting from the unification, on a world wide scale, of Representative Associations from each Spiritist Movement within the various countries. The objectives of the International Spiritist Council are founded upon the Spiritist Doctrine as codified by Allan Kardec and other works which, according to its directives, may be considered complementary and subsidiary.
         Its objectives are: To promote solidarity and the fraternal union of Spiritist Institutions in all countries, as well as the unification of The World Spiritist Movement; To promote throughout the world the study and the dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine in its three basic aspects: scientific, philosophical and religious; To promote the practice of spiritual, moral and material charity, according to the Spiritist Doctrine. The International Spiritist Council (ISC) is an organization resulting from the union, on a world-wide level, of the organizations representing national Spiritist Movements. The ISC helps with the exchange of spiritist workers, by taking spiritist lecturers to different parts of the world in order to disseminate Spiritism.
         The work of the Federations and of unification of the Spiritist Movement, as well as that of the union of the Spiritists and the Spiritist Institutions, is based upon the principles of fraternity, solidarity, freedom, and responsibility as prescribed by the Spiritist Doctrine.

         Second: please explain to the children what Spiritist Movement means.

          The Spiritist Movement is the cluster of activities whose objective is the study, dissemination, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine, as contained in the basic works of Allan Kardec, placing it within the reach and at the service of all Humanity. The activities which compose the Spiritist Movement are carried out by individuals, jointly or on their own, and by Spiritist Institutions. The Spiritist Institutions consist of:
         * Spiritist Groups, Centers, or Societies, which develop general activities related to the study, dissemination, and practice of the Spiritist Doctrine. They may be small, medium, or large in size;
         * Federations, which develop activities aimed at the union of the Spiritist Institutions and the unification of the Spiritist Movement;
         * Specialized Entities, which develop specific Spiritist activities, such as those devoted to social assistance and doctrinal dissemination; and
         * Study Groups of Spiritism, basically concentrating on the initial study of the Spiritist Doctrine.
         All the work at the spiritist centre is unpaid; volunteer. The money gathered from the sale of books, t-shirts and newspapers will be used to maintain the Spiritist Movement. Please mention, as an example, there is a cost for a speaker to go and talk at another city, since he/she will need to travel. You could also mention there is a cost to maintain the spiritist centre as well.

          The Spiritist Movement has workers; speakers travelling worldwide to disseminate Spiritism, such as Divaldo Franco, Izaias Claro, Sérgio Lopes and Raul Teixeira. Please recall Divaldo has travelled worldwide to disseminate the Doctrine. You could also mention there are spiritist magazines, books and newspapers which are published in order to disseminate Spiritism as well. You could show them a copy of some international spiritist newsletters and/or Revue Spirite in French or The Spiritist Review English (Monthly journal founded by Allan Kardec in 1858, and for many years the official journal of French Spiritism, published in Paris. The ISC now produces these magazine editions in different languages)

          In spite of the official numbers presented by the Brazil’s Census (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE) of the year 2000 that show a number of 2.3 million spiritists, it is estimated that in actuality there are 20 million people that follow Spiritism in that country. Spiritism is the third greatest ‘religious’ group in the country. It is estimated that the number of Spiritist organizations in Brazil are about 12,000 (Veja Magazine of April 26, 2000) with around 9,000 people enrolled in the courses offered by those groups.
         An example of the scope that Spiritism reaches can be seen in its literary market, estimated in more than 80 thousand titles published in Brazil. The spiritist books are reaching even those who did not have the habit of reading books. The Brazilian Spiritist Federation alone has already published more than 400 titles that have sold 38.6 million copies (source: Brazilian Spiritist Federation and Wikipedia).
         Each individual follows the right religion they need for their moral progress. “Spiritism is not the religion of the future, but the future of all religions.” This statement has been the adopted approach by great Spiritists such as Divaldo Franco, since in the future other religions will belief in the spiritist principles such as: reincarnation, law of cause and effect, many planets in the universe are inhabited; Spirits can naturally communicate with living people, as well as interfere in their lives; the spirit is eternal, and evolves through a series of incarnations in the material world.
         Please highlight to the children that this doesn’t mean everyone needs to become a spiritist.

         Third: please ask the children what is the goal of the Spiritist Doctrine. Please reinforce, using the children’s own works, that the main objective is to help everyone to carry out their own inner reformation, using as a guide the doctrine of Jesus through the Spiritist perspective, as codified by Allan Kardec.

         Inner reformation also includes one's participation in the improvement of society. As we reform ourselves, we reform society, and through our attitudes and example we influence our incarnate and disincarnate brothers and sisters. Jesus demonstrated this through his own behaviour. His Word raises the awareness of the incarnate and disincarnate and assists them on their path to spiritual evolution.

         Spiritism softens the distress of life's sadness, calms the despair and agitation of the soul, dissipates the uncertainties and fears of the future and eliminates suicidal feelings. At the same time it brings happiness to those who believe in it. This is the secret of its fast propagation. It’s important to highlight the great opportunity they have of getting to know Spiritism now since this knowledge will stay with them throughout their lives.

         Obs: in our class, the children mentioned the goal of the Spiritist Doctrine is to do charity, forgive the offenses, respect one another, do to others what we would like them to do to us, etc.

         Fourth - activity: please give the children the following test, which will give them the opportunity to get to know them. This will enable them to get to know them getter, thinking of all the positive values they already have and how they can improve themselves. This test was not collected from the children. We suggest that if someone doesn’t want to answer it, please ask them to read it at least.

         Click here to find a test we recommend to be distributed for the children to answer.

         We also distributed a similar test which the children could take home to their families, with an explanatory note on the topics discussed in class.

         Click here to find a suggested note.

         Click here to find a test we recommend for the family to go through.

         Click here to find a suggested text to be distributed to the children.

         Closing Prayer

         Class suggested being suitable for: 2nd cycle (9 to 10 years old) and 3rd cycle (11 to 12 years old).

         Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.