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Madness, 259). Herein the author hints loudly as to his adopted philosophy, which explains
how and why he finds value where I do not—my weltanschauung differs from his.
Let me try to briefly elaborate. This difference goes beyond the social psychological
approach differences, say, between sociologists of religion who study these groups
―objectively‖ and mental health workers or therapists who assist former members of abusive
teachers. To say that there are different narratives between the anthropological model and
the medical model is another way to state the above. But Feuerstein is after something
more radical and spiritual. Persons as well as whole cultures adopt world views that become
essential operating mythologies or cosmologies—frameworks that guide their thoughts
about life experience, birth, death, and afterlife. When he talks about ―that larger Reality,‖
he specifically accepts the grand scheme of Advaita philosophy, the one that sees the
essential ―self‖ as Atman, which is identical with the ground of being, Brahman. In other
words, the human life force in its essence is uncreated and co-exists in eternity, albeit
trapped in a ―fallen‖ or corrupted form—in ―ignorance.‖ Enlightenment is that state of
awareness, not unlike gnosis, that mystically absorbs us in that consciousness of That.
Once absorbed or identified with the divine state (atman/brahman), the yogi is said to tap
paranormal abilities or siddhis. Though warnings about the pursuit of psychic powers,
magick, siddhis, and rituals to create miracles abound in every sophisticated religion, the
temptation is great to ―prove‖ that someone is enlightened or sanctified because they
demonstrate paranormal abilities. Both oral and written narratives about nearly all the crazy
adepts mentioned by Feuerstein in Holy Madness and in Mystery of Light flaunt the
miraculous powers of the masters. I am not ignoring the Jewish stories about Moses or the
miracle stories about Jesus. But let‘s go on.
Another world view, one that infuses mainline Jewish, Christian and Muslim philosophy,
holds that persons are created in time and can be lifted by God into a co-eternal state
through submission to the divine will and acceptance of God‘s great gift of life. This is
commonly known as theism, the ―Western‖ alternative to Feuerstein‘s monism. To proclaim
the kind of Self-realization a yogi claims would be blasphemy to a theist: the creature
cannot claim to be the Creator. Herein lies much of the contention between Theists and
Monists—the theist might argue that if God wills the disciple or saint to have miraculous
power, he or she will demonstrate it. The monist might argue that there are steps or
initiations one can take to attain the siddhis, that in fact we already have these powers but
our ignorance is in the way. The skeptic might argue that they are both full of idealistic
claptrap. There are other world views, however we will ignore protestations by neo-Gnostics
or the New Age argument that Jesus really wanted each of us to proclaim to be God. We will
also ignore the overworked, naïve belief of the liberal seeker who blathers that all paths
eventually lead to the same goal. Feuerstein is not naïve, but he does appreciate
philosophical kinsmen and that is why, I believe, he wrote such a kind biography promoting
Omraam Mikhaёl Aïvanhov in The Mystery of Light.
When I met Aïvanhov in 1984 I did not speak with him. I spoke with some of his disciples
and I heard him lecture. He struck me at first as an elegant character attired in a white suit,
sporting long white hair and beard, and carrying an ornamental cane. He wore large gold
rings on his pinky fingers. He appeared short to me (I‘m 5‘ 10 ―), but he definitely seemed
larger than life to his devotees. His English was poor and he apologized for that.
Nevertheless, after a devotee gave a proud introduction and a small choir sang two
Bulgarian folk songs, Aïvanhov pontificated for nearly three hours. I left after one hour to
get some coffee and to peruse one of his books. I returned for the final half-hour or so. By
the time I returned, fully 80% of the several hundred members of the audience had vacated
the auditorium, many of whom had given the requested $2 donation. In a word Aïvanhov
was boring. Despite his pedantic style and thickly accented English I managed to grasp

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much of what I heard as he reiterated arcane ideas common to the Theosophical theater of
teachings resembling those of Rudolf Steiner and Rosicrucianism.
I purchased and read two of his more popular (among devotees) books, but I have since
thrown them away. All I have is a few sheets of notes I took after the lecture and from the
books. I did write that Aïvanhov teaches that honey bees were a gift from the planet Venus
(Aïvanhov, Vol.1, p.48), and that he believed in an extensive and ancient underground
civilization: ―the center of the Earth is the home of the extraordinary culture of the
Agarthians‖ (Aïvanhov, Vol.1, p.xviii). Within the Theosophical milieu, these are not unusual
beliefs. Feuerstein traces the roots of the Agarthian myth in a section describing some of
Aïvanhov‘s troubles with the law—in 1947 he was accused of espionage in France and
served two years of a four-year sentence. The incident was bizarre a Cuban occultist who
called himself ―The King of the World‖ and who was an Aïvanhov adversary, Cherenzi Lind,
allegedly started a campaign against Aïvanhov. Women filed complaints of sexual
impropriety against Aïvanhov, thus preciptating his arrest. Feuerstein reports the group
version that Aïvanhov was framed. Later a 1950 French news article exonerated Aïvanhov,
and his name was officially cleared in 1962. Feuerstein gingerly insinuates that Agartha is a
real place and reports that Lind claimed to be from there.
I mention this because Feuerstein seems to me to bend and twist page after page to make
Aïvanhov into a sage and heroic figure and not appear delusional and racist. Then again
maybe I bend and twist to try to adjust my impression of Aïvanhov, one I formed nearly two
decades ago. Aïvanhov was born in 1900 in Macedonia his home village was burned by
Greeks in 1907 his father died when he was nine and he had his first spiritual ecstasy at
age 16. He experimented with color effects on his psyche and with trance states. He claimed
his room once flooded with a mystical, purple light. He discovered that he had psychic
abilities: At one of his talks he apparently crippled a friend by psychic power, then released
him from the affliction. As if these were supernatural powers, Feuerstein mentions a few
other demonstrations of Aïvanhov‘s magic, but in every case I found alternative, more
prosaic explanations: Stage magic, autosuggestion, hypnosis, and plain delusional
memories both in guru and disciple.
Do I believe that these psychic powers or miracle workers exist? I can tell you that I have
known and counseled several individuals who told me of even more profound shamanic
powers than anything I read about Aïvanhov. Some of their stories were inexplicable and I
had no reason to doubt them. However, psychic powers, if real, are fickle at best and there
is no reason to believe that shamans who supposedly demonstrate these powers are holy,
dependable, or sane. In any case, Aïvanhov did resort to the same mantra magic used by
most Theosophical cults, particularly the ―I AM‖ Activity and Church Universal and
Triumphant, whose students and former devotees will easily recognize the following
example:
―Sixth Exercise: Kneeling down on one knee, bring both hands up to your face
and then move them away from you in a movement similar to the breast
stroke, saying, ―May all the enemies of the Universal White Brotherhood be
routed, defeated and dispersed, for the Glory of God!” (6 times). The enemies
of the Universal White Brotherhood are not human beings but are dark forces,
ill-intentioned spirits that invade humans in order to destroy the divine work.
You have every right to chase them, you can even say, ―may they be struck
down, ground to bits, annihilated!‖ They have no right to undermine the
Light.‖ (Aïvanhov, 1982. A New Earth, Vol. XIII, 198-199)
There are pages of these magic mantra exercises, most of them for healing and good
fortune.