‘A mark of a great spiritual teacher is to convey wisdom
of such luminous clarity
that it seems genuinely simple - as if we might have known it all along,
as if it is innate in everyone.’ Larry Dossey*
Georg Feuerstein 'The Mystery of Light'
The Master Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov (1900-1986) was born in Bulgaria and received French citizenship just before his death. At the age of 17 he became Peter Deunov’s disciple and stayed with him until 1937. It was at this time that Peter Deunov, founder of the White Brotherhood, asked him to leave Bulgaria for France in order to spread the teaching.
From 1938 until 1986 he gave some 4,500 talks in French, first of all in France (in Paris and its outskirts, and later at Fréjus in the Var region), and then in Switzerland, Canada, the United States, India, Sweden and Norway. He also visited many other countries.
His talks were first recorded in shorthand, then in 1960 on audio tape, and then on videotape. Finally, in 1972 Prosveta Publications released several collections of these talks in the form of books and brochures (translated into 30 languages), CDs and DVDs with subtitles.
'Through my teaching,' he said, 'I want to impart to you some essential notions of the human being: how he is designed, his relationships with nature, the exchanges he must make with the universe if he is to drink from the springs of divine life.'
'We cannot know someone only by following the events they have lived, but by understanding how they lived them and the wisdom they gained from these experiences.'
Brother Mikhaël at his arrival in France in 1937
'He would look at us with a feeling of total inner sacrifice, such as belongs only to Saints and Masters. When we observed brother Mikhaël, we had the impression that his one purpose was to express this gift of divine love to everyone without exception, young or old, beautiful or ugly, rich or poor.’
‘If I am compelled to speak to you, it is because the subject has suddenly presented itself to me, as an inspiration, as a suggestion that has come to me from somewhere else...’
'My desire is to explain to you, as simply as possible, truths on which you can base your lives, truths which can help you to improve your lives ….’
‘As he entered the hall and stood to face his audience, they saw him bathed in a indescriptible aura. They were days when he seemed to be inhabited by a mysterious presence : sitting perfectly still, his eyes closed, he talked soberly and succintly. At other times he expressed himself with tremendous energy, like a prophet who had been sent to shake his contemporaries out of their well-worn rut. Usually, however, he spoke to his spiritual family with the simplicity of a father speaking to his children. His laughter, totally spontaneous and unaffected, expressed a profound joy in life.’
‘On the material plane, he never uses his will to act against others. He is a pure soul, filled with sacred, impersonal love. All those who listen to him recognize his intelligence as a particularly luminous and penetrating one, with an extraordinary gift for analysis and synthesis. What is more, he thinks divinely, he feels it, and he carries it out.’Svezda - Only in French
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, teacher and example of his teaching
‘Everything was linked and coherent in brother Mikhaël’s life. I could never find any discrepancy between his everyday life, his talks and his behaviour. He never gave advice to anyone unless he practised it profoundly in his own life. Having lived with him closely for many years, I am able to vouch for this fact.’ Svezda - Only in French
‘I am leading you to the sun so that you can take him as your model. He is the most perfect pedagogue. The true education is that in order to warm others one has to be warm oneself ; in order to illuminate others one has to be luminous ; in order to vivify others one has to be vibrantly alive. A true pedagogue must emanate the qualities he wants to teach others. He should be a contagious, stimulating, irresistible example !’
‘My sole concern is writing my own book, that is to say myself; I have never written anything other than this book that I am. But, you will say, “What about the books we are reading?” I did not write them, I gave this work to certain people. My only concern is to write my own book, and I talk knowing that talking is also a form of writing. Yes, I talk with the intention of imprinting celestial writings on your souls. And, each and every one of you is also a book, a book that is in the process of being written. Your thoughts, your feelings indicate the character of the writing which will be engraved in the matter of your subtle bodies. So, become a living book; that is your life’s purpose. By applying yourself to this work you will have a beneficial influence on all those you meet. That too is fraternal love.’
‘Many people believe that what really matters is what a Master says, the wisodm he transmits. They think that if he says nothing they learn nothing. But even if a Master does not say a word, what emanates from him communicates something of his light and strength to you.’
‘I have known the mystical way:
The heart, feelings, sesnations, love.
I have known the spiritual way:
Study and knowledge.
I have also followed the way of concrete realization
Through work and exercise of the will.
I have tried these three ways one after the other,
and in each I have achieve results.
And yet, I do not want to follow one or the other: I want all three.
‘When I meditated, I tried to perceive the universe as an immense symphony. One day I felt myself being transported very far into space, and suddenly I heard the entire universe singing. No human music can compare to what I heard… This music cannot be heard with the physical ears, only with the soul and spirit… This experience that I had so early in my life has remained sealed in my soul and has inspired me always to seek harmony everywhere.’
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, a being of love
His was the laughter of someone who is pure, free, happy,fraternal ... It was extraordinary to see how someone who had worked with such asceticism to advance spiritually and who had endured so much could be so happy. It was because he was interested in others, because he was always seeking to reveal its beauty to others. Biography of Louise-Marie Frenette ‘The life of a Master in the West’
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov: the ideal of universal brotherhood
‘The idea of brotherhood, for which we are working, is still like a newborn child. I am talking to the entire universe about this child who wants to grow, to learn how to walk, to be educated. I know all its needs; my constant concern is to ensure it lives and grows. I have no other work, and I have to be so vigilant!’
‘This idea of brotherhood, it is that and that alone which has the power to bring peace in the world. I came to be with you here to achieve an ideal of fraternal life which will serve as an example for the future… to bring a model of collective, fraternal life, where each individual will consciously accept a kind of magnificent servitude in order to reach another kind of freedom, which is truer, deeper, that of their higher self. This is the moment to experience something that humanity has not yet tried, something that will free them from their illusions, their isolation and powerlessness.’
‘For this work that I envisage, I want human beings who are rich in their heart and soul. We should not be content with talking about love, peace and brotherhood. We must live them by learning to meet and exchange in places where society’s values are not so important. Come and support my work, give your energies to it, be examples of the fraternal spirit. You claim to love your country, but what are you doing so that everyone may live a fraternal life there? You do not know yet how contagious your example could become.’
