History of the White Brotherhood

1897-1913

The inauguration was in 1897, when was established Society for Uplifting the Religious Spirit of Bulgarian Nation. The first annual gathering of the White brotherhood was held in Varna on 6th April, 1900.

Since 1901, as a part of his first tour of Bulgaria, the Master visited different towns and villages in the country, as he gave public talks, and between 1901 and 1912 he carried out phrenological studies of selected representatives from the Bulgarian people. Thus was founded the synarchy Chain of the White Brotherhood in Bulgaria.

In 1902, started the publishing of Videlina Journal,

which was a sequel to New Light Journal. The Master made his second tour around Bulgaria, which started and finished in Varna again.

In 1903 1904 and 1904 1905, made his third and fourth tour of Bulgaria. The

number of those who present at the annual meeting grew more and more..

In 1912, the Master compiled The Testament of the Colour Rays of Light in the

village of Arbanasi.

During the wars from 1912 to 1918 most of the fellows of the Chain went to The

Balkan War (1912 1913), and the Second Balkan War (1913). According to the instructions of the Master everyone wore in their tunics The Good Prayer and Psalm 91.

1914-1921

In 1914, during a prayer meeting, the Master announced solemnly the advent of a

New Age in the Spiritual world /Age of Aquarius/. In Sofia, disciples started taking down in shorthand the Sunday lectures, in which were presented the main principles of the New Teaching of the White Brotherhood.

In 1917, the Master started a cycle of special lectures /the so called Thursday talks/

at the presence of married women, which continued up to 1932.

In the years after the years, a lot of young people join the White Brotherhood. In

1919, the Word from the Gathering was taken down in shorthand for the first time.

1922-1944

In 1922, the Master opened the School of the White Brotherhood and formed two

classes: General Occult Class and the Special /Youth/ Occult Class.

The same year (1922) were established the first communes in the White

Brotherhood, and a special saloon, for prayer meetings, was built in Sofia, at 14 Saborna Street, where was founded the first printing house of the brotherhood..

In 1923, the First Youth Gathering was held, which inaugurated annual youth

gatherings.

In 1924, Jitno Zerno Journal (Grain of wheat) started publishing, which became the

official organ of the White Brotherhood in Bulgaria.

In 1926 a parlour for the Master was built on a parcel, which had been bought

south-easterly from Sofia. Later this became the physical and spiritual center of the Brotherhood that was called Izgreva (The Sunrise). During the following years, disciples, followers and listeners of the Master bought small parcels of land around him and built wooden dwellings. Izgreva developed as a spiritual settlement, where worked the School of the White Brotherhood.

In 1929 the Master went out, for the first time, to the Seven Rila Lakes along with a

group of disciples and opened The School at Rila Mountain.

In 1930 the Master started a new trend of the Word of Izgreva Sunday Morning

Sermons, which continued up to April 1944.

In 1932 was issued Bratstvoto Newspaper (Brotherhood Newspaper) in Sevlievo,

which was being published up to 1943.

In 1934 the Master presented Paneurhythmy a cycle of twenty-eight exercises

that comprise a melody, a text and rhythmical movements.

In 1937 Mihail Ivanov, a disciple of the Master, emigrated to France and established

White Brotherhood Society in Paris. During the next year, Vittorio and Anina Bertoli settled in Paris and created a circle of disciples of the Master. Later they started publishing "Le grain de ble" (The Grain of Wheat Journal).

Since 1939, disciples of the Master

from France, Latvia and Estonia visited

Izgreva and the Gathering at the Seven Rila Lakes.

In 1942 courses started, by decision of the Ministry of Education, with Physical

Education teachers with the purpose of introducing Paneurhythmy in the Bulgarian schools.

On December 20, 1944, the Master delivered his lecture The Last Word to the

General Occult Class.

On December 27, 1944, the Master completed his earthly pilgrimage. His body was

laid on the south slope of Izgreva. It is called, nowadays, the place of the Master.

After 1945

In 1945 the heads of groups of the White Brotherhood instituted the High

Brotherhood Council, and Jitno Zerno Printing House was opened at Izgreva. By tradition the annual camps of the brotherhood continued to happen the gatherings by the seven Rila Lakes in August.

In 1957 the communist regime launched a campaign against the Brotherhood. All

over the country, searches were undertaken and any literature, which was related to the name of the Teacher, was confiscated. Thousands of volumes of talks, manuscripts, pictures, notes and any kind of materials of the Brotherhood were taken away and destroyed. Auditing was done, and book-keeping troubles were fabricated. The assets of the brotherhood were nationalized. Boris Nikolov, the chairman of the Brotherhood Council, and other brothers were arrested. After a fabricated lawsuit, Boris and Zhecho Panayotov were given a prison sentence of 12 years. In 1963 they were granted an amnesty and were released. The following year (1958), Sofia Town Council nationalized all parcels that were property of residents at Izgreva. For decades, the brothers had to make copies and distribute the Word of the Master illegally, as they kept copies of the talks at several places in order not to lose it.

In the 70s of the 20th century, the traditional gatherings of the White Brotherhood

were reasserted, they were organized in Aytos.

After the changes since 1989, the legal activity of the White Brotherhood has

started. In 1990 The Council of Ministers approved the statute of Universal White Brotherhood Society, and in 1995 was approved the statute of White Brotherhood Society with headquarters in Sofia, conformable to Law on denominations. In Sofia was established a working group for learning of Paneurhythmy. The following year was renewed the publishing of Jitno Zerno Journal, and in 1992 started working the printing house and journal Power and Life in Burgas, in 1993 Jiten Klas printing house in Sofia started publishing documentary materials from the history of the white Brotherhood in Bulgaria.

Since 1993 annual youth gatherings of the White Brotherhood have been held in

Madara, in May.

In 1995 near the village of Bistritsa, Sofia Municipality, a parcel was bought for

building a Brotherhood settlement, which is called Nov Izgrev (The New Sunrise). The same year was founded Bialo Bratstvo Publishing House (White Brotherhood Printing House), and in 1996 was established Cultural and Informational Center Izgrev.

In 2005, started the publishing of Bratski Jivot Newspaper (Brotherhood Life)