In Soviet times, there was practically no person who would not hear about Porfiry Korneevich Ivanov. This name was well known to everyone, and his work and theory still cause a lot of controversy and discussion. The followers of Ivanov and the associations they created more than once were declared totalitarian sects and were banned in Russia. Today, the philosophy of Porfiry Ivanov is carefully studied, it has its fans and opponents in almost all walks of life. However, it is rather difficult to come to a consensus on the system created by this unique person. Some experts elevate him to the rank of God, while others consider him the greatest mystifier of his time. To you, readers, we reserve the right to form our own opinion about who is often called the "God of the Earth." So who is he, the great people's teacher Porfiry Korneevich Ivanov?
Genius or quack: let's find out
Porfiry Ivanov is considered the founder of a special system that is based on fasting, hardening and unity with nature. Thanks to this, previously unused resources are discovered in the human body. This system is considered as a set of recommendations that completely change lives. Based on this, the followers of the doctrine perceive it not only as a practical guide to gaining health, but rather as a system of spiritual practices. It takes a person to a new level of self-awareness and insight.
Porfiry Korneevich Ivanov is known by many names and nicknames. Most often he was called Parshek and Teacher of the people. Foreign followers came up with his name for him - the god of the Earth. He himself usually called himself more modestly and simply wanted to teach people to live correctly, returning to their origins.
Many of Ivanov’s followers claim that his healing system can lead to real immortality. However, pundits refute these data and tend to attribute certain mental illnesses to the Teacher of the people. They argue that Ivanov’s theories have no scientific basis, which ultimately led to his death. However, he did not even benefit from the gift of healing, which supposedly raised many people to their feet during the life of Porfiry.
short biography
We can say that the biography of Porfiry Ivanov consists of two parts. The official contains all the confirmed facts from his life. Usually they are published in various sources and on Internet resources. However, in addition to this information, there is still a huge amount of data that is known from the words of the teacher himself. He personally recorded some of them in notebooks, but most of them were restored from the memoirs of his students and followers. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to vouch for the reliability of this information, and we will cite them in a separate section of the article.
Porfiry Ivanov’s life is full of events, many of which could break any person. However, they became just milestones on the path of the one who raised nature to a special rank and deified it as a special force that can do almost anything with a person. We will try to present you a biography of Ivanov as briefly and clearly as possible.
Porfiry was born in an ordinary peasant family on February 20, 1898. He was the fifth son among nine children. From childhood, he was distinguished by his violent disposition and was very active. Ivanov often participated in village fights and did not shy away from alcoholic beverages.
The future founder of the wellness system Porfiry Ivanov graduated from four classes of the school and went to work. Over the years of his youth, he managed to change several professions, once even worked as a miner.
In family life, Porfiry was quite happy. He successfully married and had two sons, but the ridiculous and premature death of his wife permanently knocked him out of the usual rhythm of life. Ivanov’s contemporaries said that he grieved for a very long time.
From thirty-five years old he abruptly changed his life, imbued with thoughts of the primacy of nature in our existence. Ivanov began to gradually give up clothes, food and all kinds of comfort. Many called his lifestyle nothing more than an "experiment." It lasted for almost fifty years, and during this time a full-fledged philosophy of health was developed, developed by Porfiry Ivanov.
It became widespread in the eighties of the last century after the publication of an article in the magazine "Spark". The work of the village philosopher aroused incredible public interest, and many followers reached out to him.
Porfiry Ivanov died in April of the eighty-third year of the last century, a year after the publication of an article about him. The cause of death has not been elucidated. After himself, he left not too many works. Basically, all his thoughts, ideas and advice were enclosed in three hundred handwritten notebooks. Until today, they have been published more than once with edits and comments. If desired, these works in the original version can be found on the pages of information resources of the relevant subject.
Ivanov's life before enlightenment
In order to better understand the ideas of Porfiry Ivanov on hardening and starvation, it is necessary to study his life in more detail. Until the age of twelve, the boy grew very active and mobile. It is known that he studied pretty well, but was forced to leave school to help his family.
From the age of twelve, the boy was hired to work for more prosperous neighbors, and three years later he began to work in the mine. This work was very hard, but it allowed a pretty good support for the family.
At the age of nineteen, in the midst of hostilities, Porfiry was called up to the front. However, he was not able to fight: a truce was concluded, and the young man returned home unscathed. Almost immediately, he got married and began to live his home.
The future creator of the wellness system often changed jobs and moved from one place of residence to another. The family always followed him, despite the fact that it was difficult to call Porfiry an exemplary husband and father. He often drank, rowdy, and even once was convicted of theft. It is known that for about one year he left his family and went to another woman. The future healer returned with the firm intention to change his life. On April 25, the thirty-third year of the last century, a great Idea was born in his head. It was she who laid the foundation for his teaching, which completely changed the life of Porfiry himself and many of his followers.
The essence of the teachings of Ivanov
The teachings of Porfiry Ivanov are accessible to everyone. It is based on the idea of the unity of man and nature. Over the years of evolution, people have almost completely come off the natural conditions of life. They began to pursue comfort, expressed in warm clothes, delicious food and the desire to live in apartments away from the village. For all this, a person pays for problems, including mental ones, and his health. Moreover, the greater the level of comfort people have, the more often diseases cling to them.
Ivanov urged to strive for unity with nature and live independently of external conditions. He believed that a person could well manage with water, air and earth. This is enough to feel healthy and help others.
Porfiry himself began an experiment on himself, gradually abandoning clothes, and brought his body to such a state that even in the most fierce cold could cost only cowards knee-deep. This became his usual outfit in which he appeared on the street. In the future, he often arranged medical fasting for up to fifty days or more and did not think of his life without ice pouring. Porfiry Ivanov even created a whole hardening system based on everyday dousing in the fresh air. In an adapted version, it was even used in Soviet kindergartens.
Many were amazed and admired by Ivanov’s ability to endure cold and other austerities absolutely calmly. Therefore, later part of the followers deified their teacher, especially considering his gift for healing. However, official medicine could not confirm or refute such cases of miraculous healing thanks to treatment according to the Porfiry Ivanov system.
Idea development: a new stage in Parshek's life
As a new idea penetrated Ivanov’s mind, he increasingly appeared on the street without clothes. Two years after the main essence of the doctrine was formed, he decided to promote the idea of healing among the people. For this he was detained by police and placed in a psychiatric clinic. After treatment, Ivanov was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Because of this, during the war he was not drafted into the army, but he happened to be in the territory occupied by the Nazis.
From 1951 to 1968, Ivanov was regularly detained in psychiatric hospitals of the former USSR. More than once criminal proceedings were instituted against him, and after that he again returned to compulsory treatment. Naturally, all this affected the health of Parshek, but he did not give up his ideas and continued to adhere to the system he created.
Long awaited recognition
By the seventies of the last century, Porfiry Ivanov was handed over to his students in extremely poor condition. According to unverified information, he was injected with experimental drugs that nearly killed Parshek. However, the students, picking him up, poured cold water on him almost every hour, and after a while he regained consciousness. And a day later he returned to his usual way of life.
For their guru, the followers built the Teacher’s House. In it he lived and received people who in crowds came to him for advice and healing. The house was located on the farm Upper Kondryuchy and was well known to all locals.
Books and manuscripts
Around the same stage of life, the first books of Porfiry Ivanov appeared, if they can be called that. Of course, these were not full-fledged publications, but rather manuscripts with recommendations and advice. But later they found their reader and are now published.
Among them, the most popular collection of recommendations is "Baby." Porfiry Ivanov created it after a sensational article in The Twinkle, which made him famous. Today, many begin to study the ideas of Parshek from this collection.
He also creates an unusual hymn, “Glory to Life.” It had only eight lines in volume, but the essence of the healing exercise, which was recognized on the territory of the USSR, was concentrated in a concise form.
Unverified information from the biography of Ivanov
There are a lot of similar facts around Parshek. He confirmed some of them, while others simply did not comment. For example, Ivanov’s followers claimed that he showed them the path to immortality. As the first to embark on the road of limitations, which in the end were to completely transform his body and open new horizons.
In the thirties, Ivanov discovers the gift of healing. He developed treatment methods independently, individually approaching a person in each specific case.
During the occupation of his city by the fascists, Parshek personally met with General Paulus and talked with him for a long time about something. As a result, he was issued a special document confirming its uniqueness and value. However, this did not save him from a series of experiments in which Ivanov was buried naked in the snow all night at an air temperature below twenty degrees Celsius and doused with ice water. He spent almost a month in the dungeons of the Gestapo and remained unharmed.
Followers of Parshek argue that at the dawn of the eighties of the last century, their teacher spent five months without food. However, most of this time was the so-called dry fasting. It involves not only refusing food, but also a long-term restriction in the use of water.
Also, some contemporaries of Porfiry Korneevich say that once he predicted the birth of a man who would not only become the de facto king of the country, but would also rule the whole world. According to his assumptions, this unique personality was to be born in 1975 near his native village.
All the information we listed in this section is extremely difficult to verify, but many perceive it at face value and literally elevate Ivanov to the rank of holy or holy fools, who in ancient times have always been especially revered in Russia.
Porfiry Ivanov: “Baby”
After Ivanov’s healing system was briefly described in the print media and became famous, many began to ask teachers to create a code of practice that would help them change their lives. Then Parshek wrote his twelve commandments, which were called "Baby."
Keep in mind that in most reprints of Ivanov’s manuscripts, the author’s style, manner of presentation and punctuation are preserved. Do not forget that he graduated from only four classes and often made many mistakes in words. At the same time, Porfiry Korneevich did not even try to comply with certain rules for writing texts. Many said that he writes with his soul and heart.
Tips Porfiry Ivanov
We already mentioned that after himself the Teacher of the people left many handwritten diaries and letters. All of them contain his thoughts about life, advice and recommendations. In Soviet times, they were distributed using photocopies, later publications with edited text were published. However, today, if you are interested in Ivanov’s work, you’ll most likely stumble upon his original style on the Internet. Indeed, in a simple and uncomplicated language, deep folk wisdom lurks.
Particularly popular are Parshek's advice on a healthy lifestyle and relationships with the world. Moreover, doctors and scientists believe that they are not without a certain meaning and, with some reservation, can be used by any person.
Health group or sect?
Surprisingly, so far, despite the fact that the achievements of Porfiry Ivanov in creating a universal system of healing are universally recognized, his personality causes a lot of controversy in society. Parshek’s teaching was thoroughly studied by various experts, including religious scholars. They noted that it clearly shows a mixture of various philosophical and religious movements from around the world. The most striking features of Taoism, neopaganism and Buddhism. You can also find certain characteristics that make Ivanov’s teachings similar to the basic principles of yoga. However, all experts unanimously argue that this mixture has generated something new, which is fundamentally different from most Eastern practices.
Today, there are a lot of followers of Ivanov in Russia and abroad, but they can be divided into two categories. Some openly adhere to Parshek's advice and recommendations regarding a healthy lifestyle. They regularly pour cold water, walrus, temper their children and practice fasting. Such associations can be attributed to health groups that do no harm.
But a different category of followers of the teachings of Ivanov finds in him a religious-mystical component. Ivanovtsy, as they are called, draw a clear parallel between Christ and Porfiry Korneevich. They elevate their teacher to the rank of god and create a large number of associations where they preach on his behalf. Such organizations are recognized by totalitarian sects, and their activities are defined as illegal. To date, three similar sects are known whose work has been suspended: The Cult of Porfiry, Ivanovo Porfiry Children and Ivanovo Life.
Death
The cause of death of Porfiry Ivanov has not yet been clarified. He died quietly in his house and was buried by his students on the fourth day after his death. The autopsy of his body was not carried out, and therefore scientists can only guess what caused the death of Parshek.
Some researchers of his life believe that, having reached the age of eighty-five, he could have died for natural reasons. Others claim that he starved himself to death, and the body simply could not stand the next load.
But most often the version sounds that the Teacher of the people got gangrene, which developed as a result of hypothermia. A few days before his death, he complained of severe pain in his leg, which he even wrote about in his diaries. However, similar pains are associated with his last stay in a psychiatric clinic.
Be that as it may, this is how the life of a person ended, whose ideas to this day excite people's minds and have a large number of followers. But whether Porfiry Ivanov was a hoaxer is unknown. Perhaps this is for everyone to decide for themselves.