Page 212 - The Mirror of My Soul. Vol. 1

Nicolai Levashov. The Mirror of My Soul. Vol. 1. Born in the USSR

everything and in the evening went to visit my friends, where I introduced my student

to these people.

One of the reasons, why I did not stay much longer in Germany, was that at the
beginning of November, 1990 I had to be in Kiev, where a seminar at “The
Phenomenon” would take place. It was one of the first institutions in the USSR, which
had the right to give certificates under the aegis of the Ministry of Health of the USSR
(now Ukraine). Albert Ignatenko, a famous exponent of the original genre in the USSR
headed the centre and taught in this school. I did not meet him before, but his name was
familiar to me due to documentaries in which he demonstrated his unusual abilities on
suggestology—as he called his method of influencing people.

My Kharkov acquaintance knew him well, because once or twice he supplemented
his income as his helper during performances. Despite the fact that my name was already
more or less known in the country, I did not have an official “paper”. I could not give
one to myself, because I had no organization, under the “roof” of which I would work.
Certainly, a “roof” could appear instantly, but unfortunately, not that which I would like
to have. I think everyone understands what “roof” I am talking about. One way or
another, I operated as a “free lance”. I was free and never “bent” before anyone and
never will in future. However, I needed this kind of “paper” to secure myself somehow
from bureaucracy! And the centre “The Phenomenon”, which gave official certificates,

suited me very well.

Therefore, in a couple of days after my returning from Germany I flew to Kiev
together with my Kharkov student and another person, Valery, whom I had known
before my move to Moscow in 1988. We all settled in a hotel near the airport and next
day went to Albert Ignatenko’s school. There were also several other persons who gave
lectures in his school.

It was interesting for me to listen to his lectures, because I saw and heard him for
the first time. He expounded the understanding of suggestology from the point of view
of a practical worker, a gifted man, but I did not get the feeling that he understood well
what he received from nature. It was not surprising—he was not scientific in the
complete understanding of this word, but an artist of the original genre, who not only
used the gift but also tried to understand its nature. It is necessary to do him justice—he
achieved herein more than most people who considered and called them-selves
scientists. My student introduced me to him after the lecture and our first meeting took
place...

I honestly attended all lectures during the ten days and did it not because it gave me
some-thing new—I already knew and understood, if not everything, but quite a lot. Many
things given at lectures like revelations were known for me from my own practice. But
I did not consider it to be right or necessary to announce this fact. As they say, when in
Rome, do as the Romans do! And I tried to follow this rule. I am not asked, so why
intrude with my understanding, no matter how correct it would seem to me, and meddle
with another. A guest must observe the rules of etiquette.

However, I could not manage to avoid an unintentional interference. During a break
between the lectures, one of the students came to me unexpectedly and with an
expression of utter surprise on her face, asked me whether I remembered her or not? I
never saw her before and already wanted to answer in the negative, but asked myself,

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