Peter Deunov /1864 – 1944/ is for sure one of the greatest Bulgarians, famous worldwide. Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the papal nuncio to Bulgaria and later on Pope John XXIII used to call him “the greatest philosopher of today’s world”. Paco Rabanne said that the teaching of Deunov would ground the spiritual culture of the new century. A new edition was released on the book market a few days ago – the first of its kind - a novel, devoted to the Great White Neighborhood. It was written by prominent Bulgarian journalist and writer Dimitar Shumnaliev, who named it Byalo Sladko /White Candy Jam/. The man has over 30 novels and story books on his record, some of those having been translated into English, Russian, German, French etc. His Vlyubeni Razkazi /Stories in Love/ collection received the Balkanika prestigious literature award back in 2004. Mr. Shumnaliev is also a laureate of the Big Literature Award of the Sofia University. How does the image of Peter Deunov stand amidst today’s literature landscape?

His teaching was self-determined as esoteric Christianity. According to Dimitar Shumnaliev, Deunov still remains a spiritual leader with many followers in this country and abroad. “They monitor the way we honor his deed, whether we give the proper love and respect. His teaching is alive, along with his heritage,” the writer says and adds:

“Thank God, he was surrounded by stenographers and those were very punctual. Their talent has recorded in a perfect manner the words of the great Bulgarian. Well, dozens of fakes have appeared as well, I must say. That is why I used to look for another opinion on each new text that I came upon. My magnificent consultants work in the White Neighborhood’s bookstore, situated in a house, bought in the Sofia neighborhood of Izgrev, two minutes away from the grave of the Master. The exact address is Shteryu Atanasov Str. and I name it, in order to aim at the spot those of your fans who show interest. The wonderful sisters from the bookstore told me which text was real and which – forgery. By the way, I myself am not a member of the Great White Brotherhood, maybe because I don’t like groups and unifying principles.”

However, the writer claims that the teaching of Deunov becomes more and more modern, even in everyday life. He used to teach his followers to love and care of nature, to live the healthy lifestyle, with no meat or fried meals. “This is essential, especially today, when we don’t know what we eat. Sometimes our food is scary for our health and the health of our children. Contemporary food industry places nearly anything in that processed food…”

The Rila Mountain will once again gather Great White Brotherhood members this year, coming from Bulgaria and abroad.

“Anyone who has the possibility may feel invited to the Rila Lakes on August 19. The Kidney Lake is the spot where the Paneurhythmy dance is performed – a system of gymnastic exercises, accompanied by music and combining movement, words, mind and the influence of natural environment. One can see the number of foreigners, coming from all over the globe, including Japan and now Africa, to say nothing of West Europe. It is very attractive, since exactly the modern world’s conflicts seem to prove the premonitions and messages of Peter Deunov.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev