Chico Xavier

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Chico Xavier was a popular medium in Brazil´s spiritism movement. In his life he wrote more than 400 books in a process known as psychography. He was born in 1910 and died in 2002.

1 Biography
2 Notes
3 List of Works by Chico Xavier
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Biography

Francisco Cândido Xavier (April 2, 1910 - June 30, 2002), was the most popular and prolific medium in 20th century Brazil's Spiritism movement. He was born in the city of Pedro Leopoldo, State of Minas Gerais and is popularly known as "Chico Xavier" (Chico is the Brazilian nickname for Francisco). Throughout his life he wrote more than 400 books, using a process known as psychography, where his hand was said to be guided by spirits that wanted to leave a written message, or sometimes entire books.

Xavier's spiritual guide - his link with the spirit world - was called Emmanuel. According to the medium's writings, in Roman times Emmanuel had been Senator Publius Lentulus; he had been reincarnated in Spain as Father Damian, and later as a professor at the Sorbonne. Spiritists believe that Emmanuel is already being reincarnated into another Brazilian, to continue the spiritist mission.

Some of his books are considered by Brazilian spiritist followers to be fundamental for the comprehension of the practical aspects of the doctrine. The doctrine found in his books often diverges from "orthodox" Kardecism for its more Christian tendencies, relegating the experimental and theoretical parts of the doctrine to second place.

Chico Xavier kept a simple life, donating all the income from the books he wrote and the donations he received to charity. He was also a great patriot and believed that his mission was to establish Brazil as the Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho (Brazil, Heart of the World, Home of the Gospel).

His appearances on TV talk shows in the late 1960s and early 1970s helped to establish Kardecist Spiritism as one of the main religions professed in Brazil. At the peak of his activities, it was common for celebrities to visit his home in the city of Uberaba, Minas Gerais, for moral and spiritual advice, or just for talking. For more than 30 years he was seen as a kind of national "guru" whose advice people sought out.

He often stressed the point that none of the abilities attributed to him were really his, but that he was only a channel for the work of the spirits; that he was not able to produce any miracle, such as healing people, and he could not contact someone that was dead, unless that person was willing to be contacted. Nevertheless, he was not able (or didn't concern himself with, according to his followers) to produce scientific evidence, under controlled circumstances, to convince skeptics of the real nature of his work. His supporters claim that the very size of his body of work (about a hundred thousand pages), the diversity of their subjects, their different styles and their elevated moral are self evident proof of his gift.

Chico Xavier's popularity remained unchanged in Brazil throughout his life. Despite his health problems (general weakness as a consequence of old age), he kept working up to his death, in June 30, 2002.

His death was marked by a strange coincidence, as he died on the same day the Brazilian football (soccer) team won the 2002 World Cup. He had declared in a TV interview, years before, that he wished to die on a happy day for the country, so that his death would not be remembered with sorrow. His supporters claim that the coincidence proves that he was indeed a saintly man because God conceded him his wish.

After his death, some followers of Chico Xavier have claimed that he was the reincarnation of Spiritist founder Allan Kardec.

[edit] Notes

A letter channelled by Chico Xavier from a supposed victim of a murder once helped to establish the innocence of the presumed murderer. The case became nationally famous because the case had already been tried and a man was convicted. The letter caused new investigation and the real murderer was arrested.[1]

As told in his biography As Vidas de Chico Xavier (The Lives of Chico Xavier), Xavier, on a trip to the United States, supposedly encountered the spirit of Marilyn Monroe while visiting her grave. According to Xavier, Marilyn revealed to him that while she was suffering from depression at the time of her death, her death was accidental.

[edit] List of Works by Chico Xavier

The following is an incomplete (he wrote about 400 books) alphabetical list which includes only some of the titles that are still popular and influential in Brazilian Spiritism: