André Luiz (Biography)
In his last life, he was a medical doctor and researcher, in the early 20th century. Today, Spiritists know the spirit author, André Luiz, as a magnificent messenger, teacher and friend, one who is greatly admired and honored for his literary contributions to the advancement in mankind's understanding of spirit matters. From the moment his first book, "Nosso Lar" was published in Brazil, in 1944, after having been psychographed by the Brazilian, Spiritist medium, Francisco Candido Xavier, also known as Chico Xavier, André Luiz captured the hearts and minds of his readers. "Nosso Lar" was the first in a series of novels that would literally catalyze the Spiritist movement, by awakening readers to the "tangibility", so to speak, of spirit life and of the interaction between the spiritual and material worlds. We could, perhaps, say that the study of Spiritism, as we know it in more recent years, would not be the same without the literary gifts presented by André Luiz and his loyal medium, Chico.
Faithful to the indispensable and solid foundation found in Allan Kardec's codification of Spiritism, the collection of novels from André Luiz, in reality an amazing, non-fictional, first-hand account of the author's educational and transformational experiences in the spirit realm, literally bring to life the teachings of Spiritist philosophy, the revealing observations of Spiritist science, and the unequivocal operation and justice of the natural laws that regulate life.
About "Nosso Lar" Andrea Dessen writes¹,
"André Luiz acts as a reporter on conditions in the spirit world, revealing details of its life, people, places, and organization. He does so through the lens of his reflections on his own after-death experience, and his struggles to make sense of his new reality. In this very personal account, André Luiz reveals his identity as a medical doctor who practiced in southeastern Brazil in the first decades of the twentieth century, and who left the physical body a few years prior to the beginning of World War II. A true skeptic at the time of his demise, he is initially shocked at the discovery that death is nothing more than a doorway to a new and richer life. As time progresses, however, he undergoes inevitable experiences and teachings in the spirit realm which lead him to a better understanding of life's meaning".
This progress that began for André, or "André", in "Nosso Lar", continued on, as narrated by André in the books to follow. In each book, "André" takes readers along with him as he accompanies his mentors and other friends he makes along the way, in carrying out different tasks that take them to a variety of places. Readers, especially those new to Spiritist ideas, will be surprised by the realities of spirit life, as seen through André's eyes2, and by how much we interact with those living beings who are not presently incarnated. Yet, that is the beauty of André's accounts. We may know, for example, that God helps us in our troubles, or that we need to trust God's justice and wisdom. André however, observes the literal "embodiment" of this true love and compassion, executed by his mentors and friends who consider themselves God's workers. On top of all this, what André discovers along this journey and shares with his readers, include ideas and concepts that reveal the spiritual mechanisms behind physical phenomena that science is only now discovering ! Whether André is acquiring new scientific awareness or being taught important moral lessons, as readers, we feel like we are right there, learning along with him. We get to read about the people, places, and events that make us see life in a whole new way. Over time, the impact that all these experiences have on André, and the way they transform him is educational and inspiring.
Despite the newness of ideas, and, in some cases, the complexity of concepts covered, André Luiz shares them with us in a language that is both comprehendible and captivating. In addition to the novels discussed here, André Luiz wrote several books with messages that both inspire superior thoughts and sentiments and guide our behaviors in the right direction. The beloved Chico Xavier is no longer living among us here on Earth. However, as Spiritists, and as people, in general, we will all benefit from the contributions that André has already made and from the fruit of his collaboration with Chico Xavier.
¹ Andrea Dessen, Ph.D, Project (translation) Director of the Allan Kardec Educational Society (A.K.E.S), in the introduction to the book, version of translation published by A.K.E.S.
2 The authors of the André Luiz biography on the site of the André Luiz Spiritist Center, in Guara-DF, Brazil (http://www.cealdf.org.br), remind us that, in part, André's descriptions are similar to ones that that existed from the early times of "modern spiritualism" - for example, those registered by Andrew Jakson Davis (1826-1910), but were later forgotten."
2 The authors of the André Luiz biography on the site of the André Luiz Spiritist Center, in Guara-DF, Brazil (http://www.cealdf.org.br), remind us that, in part, André's descriptions are similar to ones that that existed from the early times of "modern spiritualism" - for example, those registered by Andrew Jakson Davis (1826-1910), but were later forgotten."
Source: http://www.explorespiritism.com/Biographies/Andre%20Luiz.htm
