Astral City (Nosso Lar) — the book and the film

Nosso Lar — published in English as Astral City: A Spiritual Journey — is the most famous Spiritist book in Brazil and one of the country’s greatest publishing phenomena: more than two million copies sold since its first edition, in 1944.

The book

Psychographed by Chico Xavier and attributed to the spirit André Luiz, Astral City is the first volume of the series that narrates the experiences of the physician André Luiz after the death of his body. The work describes his passage through the so-called Umbral — a region of suffering and disturbance — and his rescue by spiritual relief teams, who take him to the spiritual colony Nosso Lar (“Our Home”), a city built and inhabited by spirits who, under the blessings of Jesus, work for their own progress and for the aid of the incarnate.

The book presents, in clear and accessible language, central ideas of Spiritism: the continuity of life, reincarnation, work as a law of life, prayer, charity and the mercy of God. Instead of fear of death, it offers consolation and hope — which is why it has touched generations of readers so deeply, Spiritist or not.

The book’s success gave origin to a collection: The Messengers, Missionaries of the Light, Workers of Eternal Life, In the Greater World, and other volumes of the André Luiz series.

The film

In 2010, the book reached the cinema with the film Nosso Lar — released internationally as Astral City: A Spiritual Journey — directed by Wagner de Assis, with Renato Prieto as André Luiz. It was one of the biggest releases in Brazilian cinema history, drawing more than four million people to theaters in Brazil alone.

In 2024, the continuation Astral City 2: The Messengers premiered, also directed by Wagner de Assis, following André Luiz’s journey.

Why Astral City matters

For those who have lost someone dear, Astral City is a balm: it portrays death as a passage, not an end. For those who seek meaning, it is an invitation to reflect on how we live and what we sow. For American readers meeting Spiritism for the first time, the book and the film are a perfect starting point — the story first, the doctrine at your own pace.