The Second Birth
(Volume 1 of the Complete Works by Omraam)

— Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

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In 1938, Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov gave his first public lectures in France, laying the foundation for all that he would teach in the next five decades. The Second Birth contains the illuminating essence of these initial lectures.


In his first talk, Omraam stated:

“My wish is to explain to you as simply as possible the great truths on which man can base his existence, and by means of which he can not only better his life but also his relationship with Nature and the beings of the divine world.”

Omraam then focused on the topic of The Second Birth:

“The man who is born a second time represents a living spring from which flows a pure water, and at the edge of which a whole civilization comes to live.”

“Water corresponds to the heart, to love, to the feminine, passive principle. Fire corresponds to the spirit, to wisdom, to the active, masculine principle. In order to be allowed to enter the Kingdom of God, we must be born of the two principles, love and wisdom. When our intellect becomes like the Sun and our heart like the water which flows from the spring, then we will be born a second time.”

A week later, he had this to say:

“The essential thing in life is to know how we can harmonize ourselves with the superior world, the divine world.”

“The elixir of immortal life is divine love.
The philosopher’s stone is divine wisdom.
The veritable magic wand is truth, which brings absolute freedom.”

“Love, wisdom, and truth allow us to dominate the passions within us and to transform them, so as to utilize them finally in the world of action. A new culture must come, one which is based on love and on brotherhood among men.”

Another week later, Omraam spoke on Truth Is Hidden in the Eyes:

“Our Master, Peter Deunov, gave us the following rule: ‘Take goodness as the basis of your life, justice as the measure, wisdom as a barrier, love as your joy, and truth as a light.’ These five virtues are necessary to man’s development. Goodness is linked to the legs, justice to the arms and hands, love to the mouth, wisdom to the ears, and truth to the eyes.”

“It is the heart which opens or closes our eyes. If we want to know a person, let us love him.”

“There are four ways to experience love: you can eat it, drink it, breathe it, and live it.” (see pages 78–87 for more details)

The next week, Omraam spoke on Wisdom Is Hidden in the Ears:

“The five senses are so constructed as to allow us to communicate with the five elements: solid, liquid, gaseous, aerial, and etheric. Touch relates to the physical body, taste to the astral body, and smell to the body of lower mind (the intellect). The ears represent the body of higher mind (the causal body), and the eyes represent the divine body.”

“According to astrology, the ears are under the influence of Saturn. Saturn has some magnificent qualities; without Saturn one can neither be powerful, nor tenacious, nor patient, nor enduring, nor stable. If we love it, that is to say, if we love wisdom, silence, meditation, and perseverance, Saturn will be good for us.” (see pages 93–111 for more details)

“This is wisdom: always knowing how to discriminate everything at any moment. The organ that gives this ability to discern is the third ear.” (see pages 106–108 for more details)

The following week, Omraam spoke on Love Is Hidden in the Mouth:

“The man who wants to study alchemy must study it within himself, in his own mouth and its functions.”

“The mouth represents a small spiritual stomach. If we know how to eat and we eat with love, we will become the greatest alchemists. You must know how to eat in the three worlds at the same time: the physical world, the astral world, and the mental world. Knowing how to eat is an immense, profound science.” (see pages 123–130 for more details)

And in the next week, Omraam spoke even further on Love, Wisdom, and Truth:

“Wisdom is knowing how to listen to the gentle voice which speaks within us. The first teacher is the Sun, which teaches us through the eyes; it shows us the truth in order to vivify our intelligence. The second teacher is Venus; it is love, which comes to touch our hearts. As for the third teacher, we all know it: it is Saturn. All the lessons in life represent the third teacher.”

“True clairvoyance means being able to see God in all of Nature, being able to see wisdom, reason, and everything which is superior. Someone who is not pure may become clairvoyant, but it is not the divine world he will see. He will see monsters all around himself and in others. The best method of obtaining clairvoyance is to develop one’s spiritual love and purity, because the moment we are transformed, total clairvoyance will manifest itself spontaneously.”

“The eyes contemplate, the ears listen, and the mouth relates that which the eyes have seen and the ears heard. Here is hidden the secret relationship between the three virtues: love, wisdom, and truth.”

“When we see our eyes in the mirror, we must be thankful and immediately link ourselves with truth. When we hear through our ears, we must instantly link ourselves with wisdom. And when we taste with our mouth, we must link ourselves with love.”

“In reality we have three eyes, three ears, and three mouths . . .” (see page 156 for more details)

The next week, Omraam introduced his listeners to the life of his Master, Peter Deunov. This is the longest chapter in the book, and it touches on many interesting topics, including the subject of Masters:

“What is a Master? He is a being who has succeeded to control and to dominate his thoughts, his feelings, and his actions. True Masters are powerful because they have succeeded in living according to their philosophy. The greatest blessing for men is to have a Master who comes to guide, direct, and enlighten them.” (A footnote on page 203 points out that, as of the time of these lectures, Omraam had always refused to be called Master. “It was only on his return from India in 1960 that, through the insistence of his disciples, he finally accepted.”)

The book’s final chapter goes into enlivening detail on The Living Chain of the Universal White Brotherhood, “at the head of which is the Christ.”

“For the moment I only want to make you understand that human beings are in continuous relationship with all the beings who are above them and all those who are below.”

“The secret of life is found in thanksgiving, humility, prayer, and in our link with the great Beings.”

“All humans are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the same Celestial Father and Mother, and they must be united like the cells of an organism. This is the new element which our Teaching brings to the world.”

I close this summary with a prayer from Omraam:

“Let us unite with love, wisdom, and truth.
Through our mouths we will taste divine love,
Through our ears we will hear divine wisdom,
And through our eyes we will see divine truth.”