Every year on August 19th, the Seven Rila Lakes witness the sacred dance Paneurhythmy, or the Supreme Cosmic Rhythm.  The ritual combines movement, music, and words in universal harmony. It is performed by the members of the White Brotherhood (official site), established by the spiritual teacher Peter Deunov (a large collection of his teachings on this site).

The White Brotherhood is partially Esoteric Christianity, partially occultism, partially a new religion and partially a new philosophy. The teaching was founded by the Bulgarian Peter Deunov (1864 – 1944), referred to by his followers as Beinsa Douno.

Peter Deunov was born near Varna when it was still in the Ottoman Empire. After Bulgaria regained its independence, he studied theology in an American protestant school near Svishtov, and later left for the States. In 1893, Deunov graduated from the School of Theology at Boston University, and a year later obtained a medical certification from Boston University’s Graduate School of Medicine (Martin Luther King, Jr. also graduated from BU School of Theology but in 1955). In 1895, he returned to Bulgaria, where he began writing theological and philosophical books, gained followers, became a central figure in the Bulgarian clerical community, and established the White Brotherhood. Deunov’s only personal belongings are the white costume and shoes, a violin, and a Bible.

Cardinal Giuseppe Roncalli, later elected as Pope John XXIII, said:“In the present epoch the greatest philosopher living on the earth is Peter Deunov.”

Beinsa Dounos’ teachings emphasize love, wisdom, truth, justice, and virtue as attributes to Jesus Christ, who was a historic, cosmic, and mystic figure. The disciples of the teaching also follow a special diet, replace medicine with drinking hot water, meditate, and perform physical and musical exercises. The New Teaching, as the spiritual master calls it, is a complex system of rules and guidance for every aspect of life: spiritual, cultural, and scientific.

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On August 19th, 2010, about 2000 followers from Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, England, Scotland, Spain, and Portugal took part in the ritual Paneurhythmy near Lake Babreka, part of the Seven Rila Lakes (read my previous post) in order to celebrate the New Year according to the White Bortherhoood’s calendar. In pairs, the participants form two big concentric circles with the orchestra in the middle and dance under the sunrise.

Paneurhythmy is a series of dance movements performed in the morning between March 22 and September 22, accompanied by various musical instruments. For best result it is performed in a group and out in the nature. Paneurhythmy benefits the breathing, blood circulation, and general physical health, as well as for concentration, positive thinking, and the sense of harmony with other people, with nature, and with the universe. This Supreme Cosmic Rhythm has a miraculous effect on the mental and spiritual health.

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All the world renders homage to me, and I render homage to the Master Petar Deunov from Bulgaria,” Albert Einstein.