Thought for the day
Doubt
is a pain too lonely
to
know that faith is his twin brother. - Khalil Gibran
Take home – Chico Xavier
He
is widely regarded among Brazilians as the foremost proponent of the Spiritist
movement. The anniversary of his birth is also being marked by the release of a
film biography.
Chico
Xavier is one of the most famous and prolific practitioners of psychograph,
commonly known as spirit writing or automatic writing. Using this technique of
transcribing without awareness or premeditation, Xavier produced over 400
books, some of them in foreign languages in which he was not fluent.
The
respect for Xavier in Brazil is akin to the reputation of Mother Teresa in
India. He was hailed as a living example of a true Christian, thanks to his
dedication to making himself and his talents as a medium available to anyone
who requested them. The wealth he accumulated from donations and the success of
his writings was immediately distributed among the needy of Uberaba and
numerous charities.
Despite
the power and appeal of his message, Xavier eagerly professed that none of the
abilities attributed to him were really his, but that he was only a channel for
the work of the spirits. He never professed to perform miracles such as healing
people. The phenomenon of psychography, or spirit writing, is an age-old
mystery and decried by skeptics, who point out there's no way to prove the
author of the writings is anyone other than the writer. Proponents of automatic
writing, however, insist that although deception is not unheard of, there are
genuine practitioners of spirit writing, like Xavier. The most famous
proponents of automatic writing were the Surrealists of early 20th century
France.
During
Xavier's lifetime, Liberation Theology became popular in the Catholic churches
of Brazil and throughout Latin America, a religious philosophy that distances
itself from many of the Pope's strict dictates, for example, and like
Spiritists, views death as simply another dimension. It is common to hear these
Catholic priests in Brazil speak about reincarnation to their congregants
Chico
Xavier may have been an honest medium in more than the coincidence of his
departure on the day of the World Cup finals. He also may have seen what
challenges lay ahead for a country that straddles the old and new world. Perhaps
he was trying to prepare Brazilians and people everywhere for a time when
"foreign" was no longer in the dictionary.
Picture of the day, Eyjafjallajökul, Iceland
The volcano Eyjafjallajökull,
in Iceland, just before dawn
on April 23, 2010: The worst is over. Lava flows freely. Earlier, as it punched
through the ice cap, it triggered a meltwater flood that destroyed roads and
farms, and a steam explosion that hurled ash into the stratosphere, stopping
air traffic for a week.
Wisdom Message
The parents gave you this
body and fostered the intelligence and love that are embedded in it; so,
gratitude is their due. If you do not honour the parents who are the creators
in human form, how can you learn to honour the Creator in Divine Form?
Moreover, the parents reveal to you the glory of God and the means of
worshipping Him; they are the first representatives of the authority which you
meet with, authority modified by love and care. Learn to bend before that authority
and you will learn how to submit before the Lord.
Recipe for the day - Green
Side Salad
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