Henriette Dufeu

 

Henriette Dufeu was trained in piano and classical guitar, which she taught for several years.

From 1978 to 1986 she lived in the spiritual school of the Master Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov.

In 1997 she became company head and co-owner of the Boulangerie Dufeu (Bakery Dufeu) in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

 

 

I was twenty-two years old when the spiritual Master Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov gave me this advice:

“Never cease loving, always enhance your love, love all beings, love nature, the whole world, the angels, archangels, the whole universe. Love without expecting anything in return, and always choose what is best, choose the best conditions for your soul.”

It was this dimension of love I was looking for, a limitless, infinite dimension…sacred, spiritual states of consciousness, of profound joy, and the knowledge that changes us within.
It was my wish that this spiritual and profound love that so inspired me would be expressed in all domains of my life, awakening my consciousness to subtle, extraordinary worlds which, when we contemplate them, imbue us with the certainty that the divine exists, within ourself, in others and everywhere in nature. Over the years, this certainty has become a force, a stability, an extraordinary power that nothing can shake. For when we live these divine states, when through contemplation the soul fuses with the light, we feel such plenitude, such a strong and intense joy, that our whole being becomes this joy, this love, this happiness.
This love, this beauty was my life’s purpose. I wished for it to be great, but I did not yet know how. I wished with all my heart that my destiny would not be limited to an earthly existence… passive and materialistic…in which every event would take place with the same tedium. On the contrary, I wanted to be able to create, to study, to contemplate, to know, and above all I wanted to be happy. I needed happiness and joy, which are food as indispensable to me as fruits are to the body.
Very young, I knew intuitively that I would meet a Master, a spiritual guide. I knew this, and searched for it…

I read many books in quest of everything that could teach me about the perfectibility of the human being… until one day a teacher friend gave me a book of the Master Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov’s teaching. When I saw his photo on the back cover, an intense electric current passed through my being. I was struck by the beauty, the holiness and the radiance of his face, which reflected a profound wisdom and spiritual elevation that only the Great Initiates express. I began to read his philosophy and his teaching and became insatiable. No one had ever explained the great universal principles and laws with such clarity, precision and transparency. Little by little, all the great mysteries of the universe became accessible and comprehensible.

When I met him for the first time in the south of France, I was once again awestruck by his radiance, by the harmony and perfect mastery of his gestures. Around him was an aura of light so powerful that we could almost feel it penetrate us and instantly raise us toward the summit of our being, toward that part of ourselves which is most noble and selfless. His face emanated a gentle and powerful light, great purity and perfect beauty, and a penetrating regard which seemed to know everything about me without judging me. On the contrary, his eyes expressed an immense, divine love, and an infinite tenderness.
I felt such peace, such serenity, and I was filled with a happiness and joy so intense that I had a desire to laugh, yes, with a great happiness that poured out in bursts of laughter. Everything I had searched for, everything necessary for the development of the soul and spirit were there before me.

He had me come to his garden for a meeting, as he did with each person granted an appointment. With a disarming simplicity, he signaled for me to come toward him and spoke to me softly. As his sole purpose was to help us resolve the problems of our existence, to enlighten and lead us toward a higher consciousness, he simply asked: “What can I do for you?”

I had the chance to converse with him often and to speak freely of all the subjects that especially interested me and were close to my heart. He shed light on each subject with knowledge, both philosophical and practical, so that the great spiritual truths could manifest in one’s daily life.
He always introduced me to new elements which broadened my way of thinking and my understanding of the structure of the human being, and did so both in his physical manifestations as well as through the more subtle aspects of his being.
Among his many precious words of advice, there are three I would like to share with the readers. Why? Because these truths concern all beings and can be useful to everyone.

-- First: One day the Master said to me: “Never forget that we are linked (by subtle ties) to thousands of creatures in the visible and invisible world. In this sense, we become models for one another. All our actions and thoughts influence all of these beings. If each day you do something sacred, profound, and if you raise your consciousness very high, you lead these same creatures upward. But if you descend, you lead these creatures downward. Thus the importance of the High Ideal, which gives spiritual meaning to our lives and is a link, like a rope reaching heavenward, which we can cling to when we are in difficulty.”
I concluded that our responsibility as humans is much greater than what we see on the physical plane. Our actions and our most intimate thoughts can destroy or build. Our slightest thought produces beneficial or destructive effects in the world, both around us and thousands of miles away, by way of the subtle threads which connect us all. It is for us to become conscious of this.

-- Second: “Never cease to enhance your love. Love (spiritually) the whole world, all its creatures, nature, and (on the subtle planes)) the angels, archangels, and never stop loving. Embrace the entire universe, love without expecting anything in return, love as the Initiates love, beginning with nature. And if you love God with all your soul, everything that is divine within you will be realized, and you will be astonished at your riches.”
The Master often spoke to us of the law of echo: In the mountains you say: “I love you, I love you” and the echo responds, “I love you, I love you”. This is a law: what we project, we receive. The conclusion: When we send out our love by thought to all creatures without expecting anything in return, we develop true Love… disinterested, luminous and profound. And the more we practice this, the more we become fulfilled, the happier we are, and a constant joy springs forth in us like the living water from a spring. This love fills our entire being.

-- His third piece of advice is more general, but it is an extremely effective antidote to the various difficulties in our lives. It is something very simple.
“Learn to give thanks; even in the greatest difficulty, say ‘thank you’. There is always a good reason for giving thanks. Be thankful every day… when you arise, when you walk and breathe, give thanks for all that life brings you. When you are sad, unhappy, discontent, indisposed, why not give thanks? The whole world will find this ridiculous, but people haven’t understood. These words are magic, they detoxify, they neutralize poisons, they bring us extraordinary things. You must try it and see for yourself. You must give thanks day and night, even when there are no reasons. It is precisely at these moments that you must give thanks.”