© 2023 Pablo Segovia
© 2023 The Urantia Book Fellowship
by Pablo Segovia
Translated by Jack Holloway
The 2022 Santiago International Book Fair was held at the Mapocho Station Cultural Center, honoring Chile and its literary and cultural heritage, including Chilean and foreign writers with their invaluable works. More than one hundred exhibitors, publishers, foundations, distributors, and bookstores participated, with thousands of books on display from various worldwide publishers in the most diverse themes and categories. And needless to say, our beloved Urantia Book had to be part of this most important event.
At this forty-first Santiago International Book Fair, there was also a rich cultural program, with more than 200 activities to enjoy with the entire family.
Days before the opening of the fair, the Chilean Book Chamber, the organizer of the event, announced:
We are very excited and eager to meet in person with all reading and book lovers, and with all the people wanting to share in this iconic space in our city. The Mapocho Train Station Cultural Center, a place that was once a large train and travel hub, was repurposed in 1989, and has become a renowned meeting center each year for all those who enjoy the magic of books and reading.
Following this annual tradition, those who visited the fairgrounds during the ten days that this literary and cultural festival lasted, were able to tour 115 booths, with the presence of twenty-one universities and more than three hundred publishing labels. T his combined effort made available to readers the latest literary news, children’s and youth books, poetry, novels, essays, science and humanities, spirituality, self-help books, comics, illustration, classics of Chilean and universal literature, among Other themes and genres.
The Chilean Book Chamber awarded the book fair’s Recognition for Literary and Cultural Heritage to:
- the poet, chronicler and visual artist Carmen Berenguer;
- Luis Alarcón, actor and theater director;
- the writer, poet and National Literature Award winner Hernán Rivera Letelier;
- the poet and National Literature Prize winner, Raúl Zurita;
- and the Chilean Writers Society.
In addition, the Guided Tours program, which functions to promote books and reading, received thousands of students who attended with their teachers and professors from different areas of the country.
The Chilean Book Chamber stated:
We are very happy to be able to return again to the commitment we have with the reading public and to be back in person with this version of [the Santiago International Book Fair], after having been forced to use virtual means during a long and difficult pandemic which was difficult for everyone. Thus do we give continuity to our role of being a bridge between creators and their readers.
Our organization could not pass up this great opportunity to spread and disseminate the teachings contained in The Urantia Book. Felipe Arrigorriaga, our Area Coordinator for Chile, put ideas into action, thus creating another success story during this 2022 season of The Urantia Book Fellowship (a.k.a. the Fellowship) presence at book fairs. Bravo Felipe!
Although the booth was small, it had a very, very big heart. It was beautifully decorated, with the help of several local Urantia Book readers. NO sooner had Felipe put out the call, “To the Santiago Book Fair!” when he was immediately joined by volunteers Lissette Mansilla, Rafael Avaria, Oly Tartakowsky, Yesica Ariaran and husband Rafael, and Kenya and Jon DeToy, who are all deeply appreciated for their time and dedication. Besides these local helpers, we were graced by the presence of Pablo Segovia, the beloved President of the Fellowship’s Latin America Subcommittee (LASC) (which represents the Spanish-speaking sector of the International Fellowship Committee), who gave a totally improvised presentation. Although it was not in his plans—he felt that it was in the Father’s plans—Pablo rose to the occasion as a faithful son Of God, overcoming all obstacles and personal prejudices to appear before a group of truth seekers, and to everyone’s approval. Bravo Pablo! Congratulations! (Below in this article we share his experience.)
Felipe Arrigorriaga tells us:
Different readers of the book helped to attend the booth, which was very positive from his point of view, since it united readers from different study groups, whose leaders in the past had chosen not to work together for a unified movement Of Urantia Chile, this being a very important mission for the present and future of the Urantia Book movement in this country.
Flor Robles achieved this unification of efforts when she was in Chile leading the movement, but after her departure, the different group leaders refused to continue joining forces and remained closed to expanding the movement, if this meant sharing and giving up their individual leadership. T his is something important to take into account for the future, and at the same time teaches us to be coherent with the book we read—our egos must be put aside. Expanding the knowledge of the book comes first.
Regarding the dissemination Of the book, an important agreement was reached with an independent bookstore that holds traveling book fairs in the north and south of Chile, promoting only books from the spiritual field. This focus will help us reach readers searching for truth, and will thereby help to spread the revelation. There are truth-hungry individuals in a large part of Chile. These organizers also plan to be present at Other book fairs that take place in different regions of Chile, along with Special book presentations.
Felipe said:
A presentation of the book was made in one Of the rooms arranged for this, by Pablo Segovia, who also came to help attend the booth, exhibiting his positive energy, knowledge of the book, and great faith. In addition, he brought some secondary works by North American authors with very good references to The Urantia Book. These were given to those who are just starting out on the spiritual path, with the hope that they will later upgrade to The Urantia Book.
Pablo Segovia was the link with the Fellowship and thanks to both it was possible to be present at this 2022 fair, which will undoubtedly be the jump start needed to give a new impetus to the Urantian movement in Chile.
The reception from the public was very positive. There were several people who already knew Of the book, and they were very happy and surprised to find our booth. As for those who had never heard of the book, the content caught their attention, as did the diagram Of the master universe. The visual content was a good motivator for people, who were attracted to its composition and colors—a valuable lesson to take into account in future fairs.
The gifted books were very special, going to people who had been searching for the book for a long time but had not found it, as well as people who were yearning for and needing answers that they had not yet found so far.
Felipe Arrigorriaga said:
One person to whom the book was gifted thought it was totally magical. She was on the underground subway when she saw a woman sitting in front of her with The Urantia Book in her hands. She approached her to ask her about the book, and the owner of the book told her that we had given it to her at the book fair and gave her the flyer where she could find us. A few days later she went to our booth and was given a copy Of the book, which she had only known of through emails that had been sent to her upon occasion. She was very grateful and so were we, since there can be no doubt that the hand Of her Thought Adjuster was present in this transaction—and in all of them— since the right people found the book or the book found them.
Books could not be sold at our booth, since we did not have the necessary legal paperwork nor registration with the Chilean department of revenue. At any rate, a few things were sold, many books were gifted, and something very important took place—they managed to add many future potential readers of the book to their data base.
Overall statistics:
- Forty-seven new contacts
- Twenty books gifted
- Three books sold
- Four books gifted to readers who attended the booth
- Three books left on reserve
Kenya tells us:
Being at the book fair and being able to assist in the dissemination of the Fifth Epochal Revelation [that is, The Urantia Book] fills me with energy and, above all, with the understanding that people are increasingly open to this information, I was able to observe the public interest, questioning, and deeper understanding of the concepts that the book contains. I was overwhelmed with hope to See the impact The Urantia Book is causing at an internal and spiritual level in people.
In response to his personal experience Pablo Segovia said:
Santiago de Chile, a most charming city, is particularly special for me, as I lived there for several years. The book fair took place in the most emblematic train station in the city, famous for its imposing metal structure dating from the nineteenth century. The Mapocho station, which had been closed for many years, currently functions as a convention center, book fair venue, auditorium, and event hall.
It was truly a joy to enter those gigantic portals and witness the life that was unfolding within. Dozens of students came to explore what the literary world had to Offer; some of them were surely obligated by school programs, but many others came with a genuine curiosity for the new and the unknown. In addition to these, there were a large number of people who came to browse and buy books on topics as diverse as stories from local mythologies, indigenous cultures, or the already worn-out political issues that remain in the collective subconscious of this culture.
It was eleven in the morning when I arrived at our booth, as agreed upon with Felipe, our LASC Area Coordinator for Chile, who would arrive later to accompany me that Tuesday. Felipe had already worked at the booth, with the help of Other volunteers, beginning the previous Friday. I was putting the books l’d brought on the shelf as best I could, but before I was finished, the first person came up to me asking about The Urantia Book, trying to figure out what it was all about. Having no prepared speech in mind, the words flowed out of my mouth as if I had been doing it forever, as if I were telling that person the best part of my life—the happiest— the part that you would tell a friend or a brother,
The sensation came over me that I never stopped talking that morning. I felt that I had given something of value to some people, while others simply looked at me as if to say: “Who is this madman trying to convince me Of some Other version of the truth. What will he want to sell me?” Observing these reactions, I modified my speech, hoping to reach as many people as possible. I replaced the word “religion” with “spirituality,” and observed that people were not so elusive when it came to discussing the subject. It was my first experience, but I felt completely at home.
A few hours later Felipe arrived, and I immediately felt that he was a brother. We talked intermittently as we responded to the questions and concerns of the various people arriving at our booth, curious to know what it was all about. At the same time I was surprised by the many visitors who had heard at least once of [The Urantia Book], many of them due to the connection with the works of the Spanish writer JJ Benitez, particularly his book the Caballo de troya (the Trojan horse).
Unbeknownst to me, Felipe had prepared a surprise for me. He had scheduled a presentation in one of the auditoriums of the station. But on that day Felipe was totally hoarse, no doubt brought about by the many days invested in talking to the visitors and answering questions. But not wanting to lose the opportunity, he suggested that I be the one to make the presentation. This was something I had never done before, and I was at first terrified by the proposition. But at the same time, I was enveloped by a mysterious feeling of confidence that sprang from the idea that everything that was happening was somehow in accordance with the will of our Paradise Father.
And so it was, we went to the auditorium, where around twelve people participated in the explanation and subsequent discussion on the way in which the book organizes historical events in a wonderfully explanatory sequence. Interesting questions arose such as the reason for evil, the true [stories] of Mary Magdalene, and Adam and Eve, among many others.
In short, it was a wonderful experience, one which has helped me to reinforce the conviction that what we are doing has a value that transcends materialistic logic. Little by little we create affective bonds, and it is in this process where the light Of truth manifests itself with greater force. We try to preach by doing, and we do it only because God is with us, and thanks to that, we give ourselves the chance to see him in the eyes of our brothers and sisters.
The Fellowship and its mission have a great future. I am blessed to be able to live this experience, and grateful that it has been this way with each of the wonderful beings I have met on this path. The actions are ours, the consequences God’s. Momentary discouragement is only part Of the process of expanding our consciousness. Let’s embrace it as one more gift in the magnificent design of existence.
The possibility of witnessing and collaborating in book fairs undoubtedly strengthens the personal ties between participating readers; being united in purpose also fosters peaceful coexistence and consequently allows us to know our brothers more deeply. At the same time, we experience the immense happiness of meeting new and sincere seekers of spiritual knowledge, and Of generating brotherhood with them.
Felipe Arrigorriaga said: “Thank you all! We are already thinking about an upcoming meeting with all the readers of Chile to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.”
Let us all make an intelligent effort to be present in the largest possible number of book fairs in Latin America. We have the unconditional support of our beloved Fellowship to achieve it, so let’s unite our intentions and make it happen! I have no doubt that it will be so. We can do it!
