The Mystery

of Light

The Life and Teaching of

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.

Foreword by Larry Dossey, M.D.

PROSVETA

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Original title : The Mystery of Light

copyright 1992 by Therese Bony

Cover design by Steven R. Jerman

Passage Press is a division of Morson Publishing

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In memory of Dr. Giovanni Boni

For all who understand that our life

is best lived as a pilgrimage.

May these pages help illumine their way.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to record my gratitude to the following people:

– my spiritual friend Therese Boni, for making this book possible and for her boundless Mediterranean enthusiasm, which was manna for my psyche;

– the late Dr. Giovanni Boni, to whom this book is dedicated, for his ready appreciation of my efforts and his unfailing kindness;

– Rachel Haik, for her generous help with the French edition, which contributed to the improvement of the English edition;

– Paul Henri Gaillard, for cosponsoring the creation of this work;

– Christian and Jeannine Pleines, for their faith in me and their prompt and generous support of the revised version of this book;

– Lorli Chodrof, for generously cosponsoring the revised edition;

– Sister Blagost, a long-standing disciple of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, for adding to the book›s color by providing some anecdotal material and other valuable information about the life of her teacher;

– Cherry Frizzell, for freely sharing with me several anecdotes about Master Aïvanhov during her and her husband’s sojourn with him;

– Violet Nevil, for kindly assisting with the creation of the chronology (see Appendix);

– the officials of Prosveta, France, for granting permission to quote copyrighted material free of charge;

– David Lorimer, for kindly providing information about Peter Deunov, the Bulgarian teacher of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov;

– my wife, Trisha, for applying as usual her formidable editing skills and sound judgment to this work;

– Larry Dossey, M.D., for generously giving of his time to furnish this book with a much-appreciated foreword.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

FOREWORD by Larry Dossey, M.D.

Author of Recovering the Soul; Space, Time, and Medicine;

Meaning and Medicine; and Beyond Illness

There are rare moments in our life when the discovery of a particular book, teaching, or piece of wisdom simply stuns us and leaves us breathlessly filled with awe, gratitude, and joy. We recognize immediately that we have come upon a great treasure. As we stand in its presence and yield to its brilliance, we can sense immediately that it has begun to change us. That has been my response to encountering the work of the remarkable Bulgarian spiritual teacher Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov.

The pages of history are littered with wise spiritual teachers. Regardless of the truths they have spoken, many of them have not made a great difference in people’s lives or the world in general. What accounts for the transforming power of some of them? Whether or not a great spiritual teaching actually engages us depends on our openness to it, of course, but on other factors as well. It is not enough for the teaching to be true. In addition, it must be coherent not only with former wisdom but with the best current knowledge as well. It must convey relevancy, immediacy, urgency. Above all, the teaching must somehow be right for the times, and it must feel right. At some point, if these conditions are met, magic may happen: We, and the world around us, can be transformed.

Not only is Aïvanhov’s teaching consistent with the greatest wisdom traditions of humankind, it is at the leading edge of our evolving knowledge about the world. This means that those who prefer their spiritual teachings to be dusty and crusty, archaic and arcane, will need to look elsewhere. Aïvanhov does not advocate taking refuge in a sentimental past.

Using reason to the fullest, and supplementing it with his remarkable visionary powers, he enunciates a breathtaking picture of human transformation that is modern and up-to-date.

One of the most striking qualities of Aïvanhov’s teaching is the simplicity and clarity that shine through at every moment. His unadorned, uncluttered words are a refreshing contrast to the hopelessly obscure obfuscations that pass today for “spiritual” teachings. What a joy to rediscover that authentic wisdom need not be opaque and impenetrable!

Although Aïvanhov’s teaching is consistent with the best of the ancient wisdom that has gone before it, it is in many respects fresh and new. Aïvanhov was obviously aware of the penetrating insights of modern science. He honored this window onto the world and, by applying his considerable intellect and understanding, opened this window even further. Unlike many spiritual teachers, Aïvanhov never went around the modern picture of the universe; he marched straight through it and expanded it. This is one reason his teaching seems so relevant for our age.

There are probably more so-called spiritual teachers today than ever before. The West is flooded with them, and it has been difficult in many instances to sort out the sage from the scoundrel. Amid the current super-market of offerings, the spiritual seeker’s task of finding a genuine teacher can be daunting. That is one reason why it is a great honor and privilege to recommend the teaching presented in this book. It is in a class with few others.

Georg Feuerstein is uniquely qualified to bring the writings of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov to our attention. Dr. Feuerstein is a world-renowned scholar in the field of spirituality and comparative religious studies, from whose books I have benefited for years. His writings—and his life—embody the same depth, integrity, and dignity of his current subject.

This volume is an enchanting, lyrical song between Feuerstein and Aïvanhov—Aïvanhov singing the melody, and Feuerstein rounding out the score with his skillful, unobtrusive interpretation.

I am frequently asked in lectures and seminars, “Who today is a believable, genuine, spiritual teacher?” Now I can answer without hesitation: Encounter Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov and see what happens.

Larry Dossey, M.D.

New Mexico

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

PREFACE1

The present work is the product of a series of most felicitous circumstances. In 1989, I came across the English translation of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov’s book Toward a Solar Civilisation. I had requested it for review, and to my delight found the book absolutely fascinating. I gave it an appropriately laudatory review.

This is where Therese Boni appeared in my life. As the then director of the American branch of Prosveta, the publisher dedicated to promoting Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov’s life work, she thanked me for my review with her characteristic enthusiasm. Before I knew it she had gifted me with forty volumes of Aïvanhov’s talks that had been translated into English.

Soon afterward I met Therese in person, and we instantly struck up a wonderful friendship. I also found myself delving into Aïvanhov’s teaching with growing admiration and gratitude. I was amazed that I had never heard of him before, not even during my many years in Europe, although he had taught in France for nearly half a century. I particularly regretted that I did not know of him when he visited California in 1984. I would gladly have journeyed to Los Angeles from my home in Northern California to see him.

However, in the course of working on this book I came to appreciate the degree to which great teachers live on in their ideas. There were also many moments in which I felt an invisible presence supporting me. Sometimes writing can be a laborious task, but in the present case the work was filled with so much joy and luminosity that I almost regretted completing it.

I hope that this book will inspire you, the reader, as much as I was inspired by the powerfully transformative ideas that form its backbone. I am not referring to my own ideas, which merely serve to provide a context for Aïvanhov’s teaching, but to those potent thoughts and images that express a universal truth, crystallized by one of the finest representatives of perennial philosophy.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov was a simple and direct man. Sometimes simplicity and directness are merely the product of lack of sophistication. In Aïvanhov’s case, they are the fruit of a wonderful mental lucidity and great personal integrity. He presented even the most complex ideas in a clear and lively manner, and with an unpretentiousness that is deceptive.

Our age loves complicated matters. We pride ourselves in being sophisticated, and we generally assume that profound thoughts call for complex expressions. We always wonder whether an opaque thinker might not be incredibly deep. Aïvanhov cut through all this pretense and confusion. His countless talks—he never wrote anything—are uniformly simple, lucid, and deep.

Many who have listened to Aïvanhov during his nearly fifty years of teaching found him to be too simple and moved on to other, more complicated-sounding teachings and philosophies. We discover the depth of his ideas only when we approach his teaching without intellectual snobbery and preconceptions. As the American physician and writer Larry Dossey, M.D., remarked:

“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. Such a teacher is Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, whose words have the ring of familiarity and truth. In an age that confuses profundity with impenetrable esotericism, Aïvanhov is a refreshing discovery.”

There is a traditional story about a somewhat presumptuous aspirant who came to a renowned spiritual teacher for instruction. When the teacher asked him to sweep the floor, the young man hesitated. When the teacher reassured him that this was in fact his teaching, the newcomer sneered and left. He had missed the whole point of the instruction and hence never caught even a glimpse of the teaching that would most certainly have transformed him.

In some respects, reading Aïvanhov’s published talks is like sweeping. Many of his ideas sound so familiar that we easily come to the hasty conclusion that we have already moved beyond them. But there is a vast difference between knowing something and living it. Aïvanhov’s talks and his exemplary life constantly remind us of this crucial distinction.

As we delve into Aïvanhov’s recorded talks, we are humbled by his tremendous depth of understanding. When we follow his thoughts attentively, and gradually discover their profundity and beauty, we are touched and transformed by them.

In the present publication I have tried to express myself as simply as possible. Of course, I could never hope to successfully emulate Aïvanhov’s rich metaphoric language, and to compensate for this shortcoming of mine I have interspersed my commentary with ample quotes from his vivid talks. The purpose of this volume is to introduce Aïvanhov and his teaching to the English-speaking world and to provide the necessary background for understanding both.

In presenting Aïvanhov’s life, I have almost exclusively relied on the scattered biographical tidbits found in the volumes published in English. This was supplemented to a certain degree by the information I was able to obtain from some of his longtime disciples. Thus, my book does not purport to be a biography, which, however, is a definite desideratum.1

I have focused on what I believe to be the salient features of his teaching. I have said nothing about the cultural and ceremonial life as lived by his community of disciples around the world. There are two reasons for this. First, while I hold Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov in the highest esteem and treasure his teaching, I have never been a formal student or a member of his community. My own path stems from a different tradition. Second, I feel that this dimension of experience is best discovered individually by those who desire to explore his teaching further.

More than my other books, the present work reflects my deep practical commitment to spiritual life. I have written it as a pilgrim on the path for others who have attained a similar orientation. May this little book prompt you, the reader, to want to refresh your whole being directly at the pure fountain of wisdom that flows so abundantly in Aïvanhov’s numerous published talks.

Georg Feuerstein

Well over fifty volumes of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov’s talks have so far been published in English. They can be obtained through the various branches of Prosveta, the publishing arm of the fellowship founded by Aïvanhov. A list of Prosveta organizations and contacts is provided at the back of the book. The American branch also publishes a triannual newsletter, Circle of Light, which can be obtained from Prosveta U.S.A., P.O. Box 49614, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Subscription is $9.00 per year.

1 For an important step toward a full-fledged biography of Aïvanhov, see Louise-Marie Frenette’s book Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov et le chemin de Lumière (Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov and the Path of Light), published in French by Editions A.L.T.E.S.S. and distributed by Laval Publisher & Distributor, Inc., 1565 Montée Masson, Laval, QC, Canada H73 4P2.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD by Larry Dossey, M.D.

PREFACE

PART I: THE TEACHER

Chapter 1: The Early Life of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Chapter 2: Spiritual Discipleship

Chapter 3: Aïvanhov - Visionary, Teacher, and Healer

PART II: THE TEACHING

Chapter 4: Philosophy and the Mystery of Being Human

Chapter 5: The Magical Universe

Chapter 6: Deciphering the Book of Nature

Chapter 7: The Secret of the Sun

Chapter 8: The Spiritual Work

Chapter 9: The Discipline of Light

Chapter 10: Taming the Sexual Dragon

Chapter 11: The True Depth of Christianity

Chapter 12: Aïvanhov’s Teaching and Global Renewal

Afterword

Appendix

Select Bibliography

About The Author

PART I: THE TEACHER

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

contemplating the morning sun

Chapter 1: The Early Life of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

The Prophecy

To a humble family will fair child be born

From a Balkan country will this Eagle fly

To dwell in the Land of the Rooster

His name the same as mine the world will long recall

His voice the peoples of the earth will hear

And following upon upheaval and disaster

A New Age will begin.

Thus reads a quatrain by Nostradamus, the great astrologer and prophet of the sixteenth century. This verse was found on an old parchment discovered in the South of France in 1957.

Over three hundred years later Mikhaël Aïvanhov was born in the Balkan country of Bulgaria. The “Land of the Rooster” is none other than France, which has the rooster as its emblem. It was Aïvanhov who, in 1937, was sent to France to spread the spiritual teaching he had received from his teacher, the saintly Peter Deunov. The rooster is a symbol of the rising sun and of perpetual vigilance, and the sun and vigilance play a central role in Aïvanhov’s teaching.

The eagle mentioned in the prophecy also represents the lofty sun—a fitting symbol for Master Aïvanhov, who boldly soared in the dimension of the spirit, close to the source of all light.

Finally, Nostradamus’s full name was Mikaelis de Nostradamus, as inscribed on his tomb in the Church of Saint-Remy at Salon-de-Provence.1A plaque on the wall of the house in which he died on July 2, 1566, gives his name as Michel Nostradamus. The French name Michel is none other than the English name Michael, which is rendered as Mikhaël in Bulgarian.

Is all this coincidence? Perhaps. But assuming that Nostradamus was not merely a madman but was in fact able to see into the future, and also granting the possibility that Mikhaël Aïvanhov’s name might one day be more widely known than it is today, it does not seem too farfetched to connect Nostradamus’s quatrain with him.

Be that as it may, the historical significance of Mikhaël Aïvanhov and his teaching in the spiritual field do not depend on our speculations about the possible meaning of such prophecies. Aïvanhov’s life and, even more importantly, his work, speak for themselves.

Aïvanhov himself had no doubt that one day his teaching of light, which has most ancient roots, would be universally recognized. But to understand this prediction correctly, we must also understand that he regarded his teaching as giving out universal spiritual principles. He did not immodestly expect a worldwide movement based on the particular form he had given those principles. Rather, with this prediction he simply intended to express his personal faith in the wisdom of human evolution, which one day would guide humanity to a universal spirituality.

Like many great spiritual personages, Aïvanhov was naturally reluctant to talk about himself. He wanted people to focus their attention on his teaching rather than become attached to him. His own life mattered only insofar as it demonstrated the validity of the teaching for which he stood. Teachers, he once observed, are their own works of art. As he elaborated:

“I have immense admiration for the great cathedrals, symphonies and sculptures of the world, but the true ideal is to create such splendours inside oneself; to be one’s own painting, one’s own statue, poem, music or dance ... A human being who is his own creation, his own work of art, does far more for humanity than all libraries, museums and masterpieces of the world because these are all dead, whereas he is alive!”2

Fortunately, over the years Aïvanhov communicated just enough about himself in his lectures and private conversations to instill confidence and faith in his disciples. What we can gather from these various disclosures is that he led a quite extraordinary life, dedicated early on to higher ideals, and rich in experience, insight, and spiritual accomplishment.

Childhood in Bulgaria

Bulgaria, as one of the Balkan states, is a country slightly larger than Tennessee but with historical roots that reach as far back as the early Neolithic. This was the time when the Great Goddess religion captured the hearts and imagination of the people, as the American archaeologist Marija Gimbutas has shown in her epochal work The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe.3

Archaeological evidence dating back to over 9,000 years ago indicates a complex and diversified religious culture in the area of Eastern Europe. This culture knew sanctuaries, rituals, cult paraphernalia, festive attire, sacred signs, music, art, and mythology. Dominant were the vegetation Goddess, often shown in her bird or snake form, and the vegetation God, a forerunner of the later Dionysus. God and Goddess were complementary, with the Mother Goddess carrying the main symbolic and ritual load.

...