Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2003, Page 88
In 1917 Aïvanhov met his ―master,‖ Peter Deunov (1864-1944), a guru he served and
emulated all his life. Raised by a father who was an Orthodox priest with radical views,
Deunov studied medicine and theology in the United States and in 1895 he returned to
Bulgaria, where he published his dissertation on ―Science and Education.‖ Steeped in
Theosophy and Gnostic (Bogomil derivative) ideology, Deunov created his White
Brotherhood movement in 1900. His theosophy was ―Christ‖ centered echoing earlier
Rosicrucian movements and the later Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner. Most concurrent
versions of theosophy emphasized a more oriental bias with foundation myths featuring
Buddhist and Hindu masters. Deunov may have gathered up to 40,000 followers at the peak
of his movement according to Feuerstein (Mystery, 25).
Aïvanhov became Deunov‘s principle disciple by 1937 when he moved to France to extend
the movement. In 1959 Mikhaёl Aïvanhov traveled to India, met with ―various masters‖ and
claimed he met the legendary (I say fictional) adept Babaji (This ―god‖ was popularized in
Swami Paramahansa Yogananda‘s Autobiography of a Yogi published long before Mikhaёl
Aïvanhov‘s India sojourn). One master Aïvanhov met apparently gave him his moniker
Omraam, a combination of the mantra Om and the divine name Ram. This master was
purportedly none other than Neemkaroli Baba, popularized later by the American guru of
LSD fame, Dr. Richard ―Ram Dass‖ Alpert. This represents a departure from his master,
Deneuv. Feuerstein reports group estimates that Aïvanhov‘s following (1998) approached
10,000 worldwide. That is a considerable loss from his master‘s numbers in 1944.
The Fraternité Blanche Universelle (FBU) may be in decline, as movements that depend on
charismatic leaders tend to go after the guru dies, but this does not prevent self-proclaimed
upstarts from revitalizing and refining the cult. Currently I‘m tracking one communal group
out of Quebec, Cite Ecologique de l'Ere de Verseau (Ecological City of the Age of Aquarius),
that recently relocated a few dozen followers to Florida. Unlike most FBU devotees, the Cite
Ecologique group lives communally and it hawks standard New Age products through
members and on a web site (http://www.kheopsinternational.com )that makes no mention
of the group. Another Michael, a Michel de Cornellier, leads and founded it around two
decades ago. De Cornellier was a gym teacher. Its primary texts are the writings of Mikhaёl
Aïvanhov in French. Controversy follows this sect regarding their strict parochial treatment
of children, racist and elitist practices, and complaints from former members who allege
undue influence to gain donations (The Gazette, May 26, 1990, Montreal). But that takes us
off my topic.
Of the two books, I think Holy Madness would be a worthwhile read for any student of the
new religions and cults whether or not you share the author‘s valuation. The presentation
on Omraam Mikhaёl Aïvanhov however is overly apologetic and leaves much back-stage
information out. My one experience with Aïvanhov and his devotees is enough to convince
me that the guru and his cult are more problematic than Feuerstein likes to imagine. One
couple I interviewed after Omraam‘s lecture is illustrative. The young lady, a devotee, was
clearly smitten with the man, even saluting him with raised right hand as all devotees did
during his final blessing. Her boy friend, like me, just stood there watching. We may have
been the only two who did so among the thirty or so folks left, most of whom were
Aïvanhov‘s entourage and choir. I asked the young man what he thought of it: ―Boring,‖ he
said out of earshot of his smiling girl friend.
*For those readers unaware of this divine White Brotherhood, it is basically a heavenly or
metaphysical hierarchy of ―ascended‖ beings, angels, gods, and goddesses who guide the progress of
the human race. White purportedly stands for the pure white light that these beings emanate both
literally (in case you ever meet one!) and symbolically as a sign of their spiritual attainment. Each
Theosophical group expresses its unique myth on the Brotherhood, a.k.a. the Masters or the
Hierarchy.
Joseph P. Szimhart
In 1917 Aïvanhov met his ―master,‖ Peter Deunov (1864-1944), a guru he served and
emulated all his life. Raised by a father who was an Orthodox priest with radical views,
Deunov studied medicine and theology in the United States and in 1895 he returned to
Bulgaria, where he published his dissertation on ―Science and Education.‖ Steeped in
Theosophy and Gnostic (Bogomil derivative) ideology, Deunov created his White
Brotherhood movement in 1900. His theosophy was ―Christ‖ centered echoing earlier
Rosicrucian movements and the later Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner. Most concurrent
versions of theosophy emphasized a more oriental bias with foundation myths featuring
Buddhist and Hindu masters. Deunov may have gathered up to 40,000 followers at the peak
of his movement according to Feuerstein (Mystery, 25).
Aïvanhov became Deunov‘s principle disciple by 1937 when he moved to France to extend
the movement. In 1959 Mikhaёl Aïvanhov traveled to India, met with ―various masters‖ and
claimed he met the legendary (I say fictional) adept Babaji (This ―god‖ was popularized in
Swami Paramahansa Yogananda‘s Autobiography of a Yogi published long before Mikhaёl
Aïvanhov‘s India sojourn). One master Aïvanhov met apparently gave him his moniker
Omraam, a combination of the mantra Om and the divine name Ram. This master was
purportedly none other than Neemkaroli Baba, popularized later by the American guru of
LSD fame, Dr. Richard ―Ram Dass‖ Alpert. This represents a departure from his master,
Deneuv. Feuerstein reports group estimates that Aïvanhov‘s following (1998) approached
10,000 worldwide. That is a considerable loss from his master‘s numbers in 1944.
The Fraternité Blanche Universelle (FBU) may be in decline, as movements that depend on
charismatic leaders tend to go after the guru dies, but this does not prevent self-proclaimed
upstarts from revitalizing and refining the cult. Currently I‘m tracking one communal group
out of Quebec, Cite Ecologique de l'Ere de Verseau (Ecological City of the Age of Aquarius),
that recently relocated a few dozen followers to Florida. Unlike most FBU devotees, the Cite
Ecologique group lives communally and it hawks standard New Age products through
members and on a web site (http://www.kheopsinternational.com )that makes no mention
of the group. Another Michael, a Michel de Cornellier, leads and founded it around two
decades ago. De Cornellier was a gym teacher. Its primary texts are the writings of Mikhaёl
Aïvanhov in French. Controversy follows this sect regarding their strict parochial treatment
of children, racist and elitist practices, and complaints from former members who allege
undue influence to gain donations (The Gazette, May 26, 1990, Montreal). But that takes us
off my topic.
Of the two books, I think Holy Madness would be a worthwhile read for any student of the
new religions and cults whether or not you share the author‘s valuation. The presentation
on Omraam Mikhaёl Aïvanhov however is overly apologetic and leaves much back-stage
information out. My one experience with Aïvanhov and his devotees is enough to convince
me that the guru and his cult are more problematic than Feuerstein likes to imagine. One
couple I interviewed after Omraam‘s lecture is illustrative. The young lady, a devotee, was
clearly smitten with the man, even saluting him with raised right hand as all devotees did
during his final blessing. Her boy friend, like me, just stood there watching. We may have
been the only two who did so among the thirty or so folks left, most of whom were
Aïvanhov‘s entourage and choir. I asked the young man what he thought of it: ―Boring,‖ he
said out of earshot of his smiling girl friend.
*For those readers unaware of this divine White Brotherhood, it is basically a heavenly or
metaphysical hierarchy of ―ascended‖ beings, angels, gods, and goddesses who guide the progress of
the human race. White purportedly stands for the pure white light that these beings emanate both
literally (in case you ever meet one!) and symbolically as a sign of their spiritual attainment. Each
Theosophical group expresses its unique myth on the Brotherhood, a.k.a. the Masters or the
Hierarchy.
Joseph P. Szimhart
