Mikhaël always worked without payment

Brother Mikhaël came to France for reasons that were entirely altruistic: everything was done without payment. Within the first year, after he had been giving his weekly talks for eight months, he took an unequivocal stand in this respect: speaking to a group of regular listeners, he declared that he would always work without payment, as Peter Deunov had always done. ‘Above all,’ he added, ‘God gives freely and we should do the same.’ His attitude in this regard was always firm and unambiguous. Throughout his life he never accepted payment for his talks.

Image: Michael and the little caravan in which he lived at the Bonfin for a number of years until a cottage was built. The caravan can be seen today at the Bonfin.

There were people around him, of course, who contributed voluntarily and anonymously to his expenses, but Mikhaël was always content with very little.

He refused gifts of property

Later, when he received offers of property—houses or land—he invariably refused, for his conduct was dictated by his knowledge of what he termed ‘natural law’. He knew that by accepting a gift from someone he would be binding himself to that person in the future, and this he could not do; he owed it to himself and to his mission to remain free of all such ties. It was only forty years later that his circumstances would be eased somewhat, thanks to royalties received for his published talks.

Striving to resemble God is the highest ideal

As the months went by he continued to speak of the glorious future that awaited those who persevered in their striving for perfection. He often used to tell them that the highest ideal of every human being was to resemble God, even though that seemed utterly impossible. ‘That is what is so wonderful!’ he exclaimed, and he gave them a prayer which he had received from Peter Deunov and which he called The Prayer of the High Ideal.