I have met Divaldo Franco when he came to Vienna for a lecture on Spiritism, Science and Mediumship in 1990. I didn’t know him. Although I was born in a family with Spiritist roots, I didn’t have any interest in Spiritism. At that time, I just had read few related books, nothing else. Nevertheless, I was interested in knowing more about the mysteries of our soul and got caught by his truth words, his logical mind and spiritist view of mankind and life. Divaldo spoke with enthusiasm. He seized the audience including myself. His words came as a sweet medicine to my heart, to my soul and maybe to many people there.

The thirsty for answers to my questions led me to read more.  Books were the only source I knew. At that time, I read books about different religions and esoteric teachings. The Buddhism was charming, the masonry showed its rituals, the Hinduism and its thousand gods brought me to other worlds. Autogenic training and meditation came as a consequence to settle and prepare the pathway. Nevertheless, Jesus, the master of my childhood, called me deeper. One day, I decided to read the Book of the Spirits. I read it through and read it again. The rational and logic of its teachings got me. 

All those years, I had searched, looked for answers, for inner peace. In those years, I had had the opportunity to meet and listen to Divaldo many times. I have listened him talking about love, Spiritism, the need to know oneself to evolve.

Slowly, I got to know other persons who also attended Divaldo's lectures and met to discuss Spiritism. At the beginning I have thought my ideas were quite different of those discussed in that small group. They read the books of Allan Kardec. I had already read almost everything and put all in the same pot. But, I also understood there were a lot of common points. At that time, I got the Gospel according to the Spiritism which turned to be my favorite book, my prayer book, my consolation book.

Divaldo has come to Vienna every year. I have always been there for his lectures and sometimes, assisting in the organization of some of them in the Esoteric Society of the Vienna International Center. At that time, I was also a member of that Society founded by United Nations staff.

One day, through that small group of spiritists, I got to know Divaldo has also traveled to other towns in Europe and I could participate in a three day Seminar held in Zurich , Switzerland. I felt, I came back home.

To say my life has changed since then, it would be to use common words and repeated expressions, to lower the feelings. In fact, I took back my responsibility with my own soul and in front of those who walk with me in this life journey.

Certainly, essential factors for my coming back to the true spiritual path were the opportunity to have met and listened to Divaldo every year, to have submerged myself in the love vibrations of Joanna de Angelis and her lovely team. Without those opportunities, I could have lost myself in the thousand opportunities life offers and went on the intellectual and rational path without the essential link with the love path.

This is what the lectures and seminars of Divaldo Franco bring for many people like me. People lost between believes and religion, between spirituality and spiritualism. People who were not able to unify knowledge and love, but now can go within for the great discovery – the self and the love for the self.

Introductory text

The Spiritist journeys are trips to promote the Spiritism and bring back to the flock, the lost sheep all over the world. In 2002, a new phase in the promotion of the Spiritism doctrine started in Central Europe . A new door opened in Hungary and the street started to be paved. Love spreads...lost sheeps come to the flock… come back home...

When the shepherd finds one of his sheep, he brings back to the flock. The sheep comes back home.

The joy of being among friends, the feeling of being at home, give us strengths to go through the most difficult life moments, those when we redeem our past mistakes and acquire inner peace and harmony.

Therefore, this year, we went with Divaldo Franco in his trip to Central Europe. This trip was part of his five weeks’ travel to eight European countries. The journey started in Zurich, Switzerland, where he conducted two lectures and a two days seminar in the Whitsuntide. The central theme of both lectures and seminar was “Ask and you will get”, a theme that talks to our soul. Divaldo talked about the meaning of our life, our difficulties, our sorrow and joy. He talked of hope, forgiveness and love. The journey within started in the first lecture on Friday night. It has gone on, even after the seminar ended on Whitsunday night.

After Zurich, Divaldo went to Vienna, Austria, then, to Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic. After that, he went to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, finally to Budapest, Hungary and then, back to Vienna. In this short trip, he held 3 lectures and 2 seminars.

In the Vienna’s seminar Divaldo took the example of the bamboo and compared this particular tree to our life. The bamboo tree has tiny hollow, jointed stems, which bend with the wind, but after the storm passes by, come back to the upright position. In the same way, we bow ourselves in front of the difficulties, but after, stronger, we continue our search for harmony and equilibrium. The bamboo is a symbol of our evolving experiences. The stem rings symbolize growing phases, which can be compared to our many reincarnations. After each of them, the bamboo gets higher. It nears the sky. In the same way, we grow and evolve spiritually after each reincarnation. Using this simple image, Divaldo talked about our needs, how we can confront our problems and avoid our miseries.

Although each lecture approaches a different subject, it contains the central message of Joanna de Angelis _ to present the way to self-love, self-discovery, and self-forgiveness, because only when you love yourself, you are able to love others and to evolve spiritually.

Central Europe has a beautiful landscape in spring. There are green fields side by side with yellow, red and blue flowered fields. Sometimes, you look to the side and see the ruins of a middle age fortress or an imposing timeless castle. You travel a lot in these Spiritist journeys. The landscape passes by the car window. The body shows its tiredness and you get into sleep for some minutes. Nevertheless, the feelings are always very pleasant.

Time went fast. Soon we arrived in the lecture’s place.  Divaldo showed a sweet smile. Tiredness evaporated from his face. When the lecture started, he is enlightened by a special luminosity. A special light coming from within, from someone who knows who is, where he stands and therefore, he knows who is with him. In this love light, Jesus sends his messengers: Joanna de Angelis, Bezerra de Menezes and many others who also are part of this mantle of love. Divaldo has been always alert, tolerant and tenderhearted. He has always answered to everybody who has come to talk to him. We proceeded with the journey. He seemed never to get tired!

In these Spiritist journeys, Divaldo, Joanna de Angelis and her team have got back many stray sheep from all over the world. After the periodic lectures and seminars, the groups start slowly to build with local people and emigrated Brazilians. The results of a work based on love, patience and understanding.

This trip was also a boundary mark in the dissemination of the Spiritism in Central Europe. A new door opened in search for lost sheep in Hungary. There, the selected theme, “Science and Spiritism” aimed to avoid mysticism, clarify the phenomena and bring the scientific aspects of the Spiritism. Therefore, it has answered the questioners and opened the way to bring the moral and religion aspects of the Spiritism doctrine.

If in Hungary a door was open, the asphalt started in the Bratislava’s street.  The seminar on “Forgiveness Therapy” put us in front of ourselves - although the human being is already spiritualised, he/she still suffers the influence of the matter, where inferior feelings such as envy, jealousy, and pride are predominant. Therefore, he/she is an afflicted human being. From that starting point, Divaldo taught to exercise self-forgiveness and self-esteem, because when you forgive yourself, you are able to forgive other s. He also explained that the Spiritism wiped two words: Guilt and Sinn and replaced them for Responsibility. When you take over your responsibility, you ask to reincarnate, to exercise forgiveness and love to yourself and to all those who walk with you in the life journey. Then, you can go forward following the steps of Jesus…

The seminar about “Forgiveness Therapy” reached deepest in the heart and soul of those who were there. Soon, people were talking to each other. Some asked for a small group to meet and more often discuss the Spiritism doctrine. Another small group of people is getting together. Another group is being formed. The love spreads…and the lost sheep come back to the flock…come back home…