Teachings

Man and Society	Thought, Mind & Consciousness	Women
The Death World	The Occult and Beyond	Belief Systems

The Thought of Bernard de Montréal

Bernard de Montréal published three works, namely La Genèse du Réel, Dialogue avec l’Invisible and Beyond the Mind. He distinguishes himself from prevailing schools of esoteric thought. The reader will be at odds to identify a deductive and rational progression of the author’s thought process towards a gradual maturation of his ideas. His entire work is an open thought system, according to the author, inasmuch to the expansion of the mind as to the ensuing infusion of new knowledge. One must nonetheless inquire about the nature of this singular and impersonal thought source, to which he attributes the sum of his work.

Bernard de Montreal did not adhere to a particular school of thought but sought rather to introduce a fresh and compelling analysis of the mind and of the mechanisms of thought. His observations were formulated from the vantage point of a pre-personal and “integrated” source of knowledge, or “fusion”. He also brought to light the multiple facets of the human psyche which precedes human psychology and determines its nature. On a larger scale and from early on, the evolution of human consciousness was a fundamental theme for the author, whereby man was destined to grow beyond a finite existence of psychological dimension, towards a state of evolution measurable only on individual terms, yet having relevance on a collective and long-term evolutionary scale. This development in human consciousness would ultimately lead towards the liberation of man’s psyche from a flawed perception of life's purpose, and ultimately from the ignorance of his universal status.

For over twenty years, Bernard de Montréal’s public witnessed a depth of insight which has been associated with the paths of initiation, and the comparison with those individuals destined to experience the gift of revelation. It is in these terms that the role of “initiate” is attributed to him. Bernard de Montréal expressed a “supramental” knowledge that man would eventually come to know, he wrote, due to a gradual awakening to “consciousness” free of egoic reflection. He also formulated the existence of parallel worlds, and described their function and influence on the human experience as exerted through man’s thought process. A central aspect of his work tends to reject the notion of free will or rather the illusion of it, as experienced through “involution”, as opposed to man freeing his psyche by developing will throughout his experience in “evolution”. Hence, free will becomes possible only once the human spirit has been freed in “evolution”, becoming conscious and experiencing supramental identity. In a straightforward manner, he further expresses his views concerning the source of human thought. His elaboration of an analysis of the mind seeks to raise man’s awareness of the insidious “manipulation” of what he called “the cosmic lie”, maintained by forces that are intrinsically anti-man.

Bernard de Montreal brings forth the notion that man is manipulated by the intervention of parallel worlds acting through his thought process. The awakening of conscious creativity thus requires the comprehension of the mechanisms of the dimension of thought. This, he writes, promises to operate a historic break, which will bring about a new era in the evolution of man's psyche, as opposed to the previous period of “involution”, where his psychology was dominated by external belief systems, and his consciousness of the psyche was rare if even intuitive. This knowledge heralds the emergence of a new “state of consciousness” which will allow the comprehension of the laws of internal life and thus benefit man in his development of conscious will, to put an end to millennia of spiritual servitude.

Short of condemning religion, he insists on the importance of protecting oneself from “belief systems”, whichever they may be, in order to ward off all forms of domination, spiritual or other, which act through the wiles of conditioned thought. Furthermore, he warns those likely to fall pray to the “seduction” of esoteric symbolism, which has made a comeback in the West, hence his tempered praise of the “fracture of forms” witnessed by his era. While underlining the importance of “not believing”, he makes use of terms referring to the universal and millennia-old concepts of Tradition, such as karma and reincarnation, commonly held as esoteric. His teachings are exoteric, that is destined for a public audience, as he strongly rejected common notions of a priviledged attaintment of 'esoteric' knowledge, to be restricted to an initiated few.

Finally, Bernard de Montreal’s teachings address the impending awakening of « mental » lucidity within man, necessary for the removal of the veils symbolized by occult and esoteric sciences, against which the author vehemently spoke. He transfers a unique force of comprehension of the mind, operating beyond the rational and speculative intellect through the formulation of a geography of the mind’s construct and of the mechanisms of thought. Evoking the future constitution of a “tangible link with pre-personal levels of thought, ultimate nature of supramental activity”, these three works, remain unique in their genre, by the depth and resonance of their insights and revelations.

Talks by Bernard de Montreal

The Bernard de Montreal archived lectures number well over 1500 titles. Bernard de Montreal’s thought remains associated with certain fundamental themes and concepts, namely the “Cosmic Lie”, “Supramental consciousness”, the “Illusions of Free Will”, the “Invisibles Worlds”, "Soul programming", the "origins of Prepersonal thought" and the" Laws of death". Indeed, Bernard de Montréal tackled a wide range of topics over the years, ranging from relevant contemporary issues to the great metaphysical questions of humanity. These varied themes range from the question of consciousness, of human evolution, of the soul and of the thought phenomenon among others, to the classic topics of sociology and psychology, surrounding couple relationships, homosexuality, child education and insanity. Among the author's fundamental themes, one finds the dangers of sectarian and spiritual trappings and the importance of protecting youth from the “seduction” exerted by occult and esoteric trends or the lure of the paranormal. The nature of thought, reincarnation and various marginalised issues relating to the paranormal such as possession, mediumnity and the u.f.o. phenomenon were also developed by the author at different periods of his life, all within the scope of what he termed Evolutionary Psychology.

He lectured over a period of twenty-five years. The author was interviewed from 1985 to 1989 by the author François Payotte and from 1989 to 2001 by astrologer and consultant Daniel Ménard.  His intense mode of delivery was unique, at times unsettling. His expression was prophetic in tone, while formulating a fundamentally critical analysis of the present human condition.  He was profoundly disturbed by human suffering throughout history.Those who witnessed the evolution of his talks over a twenty-five year span, testify to the consistency of his thought.

His recorded talks can be roughly categorized into three periods, from 1978 to 1988, (The Genesis of Reality, 1988), then from 1988 to 1998 (Beyond the Mind, 1998), and later from 1998 to 2003. His high-intensity on-stage appearances during the first decade of his career made him less acessible at times. This earlier period could be categorised as more “occult”, as he gave free reign to his source and delved more freely into the mysteries. Over the years, as his source prevailed in the public arena, his more personal counterpart seemed to wane, exposing the duality of his being thus more, as channeler and as thinking individual. Those who witnessed this period of his life remember a man whose mere presence could trigger strong internal transformations in people. His magnetism concealed an ongoing state of inner struggle directed at the “total human ignorance” of the cosmic laws governing life, in his words, and against the life forces which, he said, manipulated man. He would oftentimes allow humour to lighten the tense mood of the lecture hall in his native québécois. This coloured language, as he often noted, could like no other form of expression, convey his state of mind and break down the barriers of language and of an “atrophied psychology”.

These electrifying performances gave way to a more tempered approach  during his later years, having established the foundations of his thought. Bernard de Montreal would later attribute this change to the importance of having set “the vibrational frequency” of a new thought early on. This period was defined as one of "integration" by this lone warrior, when, as he once stated, he gained control of his energies and of his source. He became more pragmatic in the topics he treated. He became increasingly aware of the importance, in his view, of protecting the public from himself and from his potentially unsettling impact of his teachings . From this heightened sense of responsibility as a figure of influence in his immediate milieu and in whom individuals placed their trust, he often commented on the fragile balance of the human psyche which he had witnessed over his many years as lecturer, and on the fine line which should never be crossed in applying one’s influence. Over the years, he became more accessible to people's queries, dedicating his time to alleviate man’s suffering to the best of his ability. He also made his teachings more tangible for people regarding issues of daily concern and taboo topics.

What he implies by “consciousness” finds its definition in what he termed “Evolutionary Psychology”. Hence, far form denying the present, B de M confronts the present consciousness of man, questioning what, to the latter, is real only in appearance. The author tackled the subjects of « reality », of « consciousness » and of «the beyond», among others. He sought to awaken man to a level of “consciousness”, which he said, was a birth-right. His vision did not elicit the ideal of the thinking man per se, a product of dialectical truths. He spoke of the reality which lies dormant within man, in his perpetual quest for answers which he can access, in light of the immanent knowledge contained within consciousness itself, and from which, according to the latter, he was cut off long ago.

Finally, the constancy and strength of Bernard de Montréal’s thought reveal the undeniable value and universality of his teachings. Toward his later years, this lone crusader seemed less divided, between one state of mind as "channeler", and the more personal dimension of his being. In his lectures, he insisted evermore on the important balance between the visible and invisible dimensions of life, towards a rejection of the naïve spiritualization of our perception of the latter. The comprehension of reality became the keystone of his teachings, to the full measure of a mature individualized consciousness, awakened to the multidimensionality of our being and of its limited physical experience. Yet until the end, his fire did not wane as he transmitted the uncanny sense of a perpetual battle being waged within, against what he called “the astral forces working against man.”

Christine Boucher, 27 octobre 2007