No one in the world has been able to take full advantage of my wealth, yet it remains intact. You human beings began to think and act on Earth in such a way that death arose within you—but it is not within me. My living forces remained hidden from you.
I need a man committed to being the first to walk this path. Only then will he know what life is.
I decided to go into nature, to walk with my feet on the ground like an animal, to charge myself with energy, to fill myself with those forces and possess them.
As soon as a human being is born, he is already captured. We still don’t know why he cries, but we would like to understand.
When I was 35 years old in the Caucasus, a thought came to me: Why is this happening to people? They eat fatty foods, wear clothes to protect themselves from the cold, and live inside houses—yet they still get sick. They get sick and die. This is not good.
One winter in the mountains, I saw a man walking in freezing cold without a hat. Suddenly, I realized: A hardened man is not afraid of nature. He is not afraid of the cold or disease. The human body can adapt to any natural condition. We all can—and should—develop this ability further.
I once dreamed of a beautiful man walking naked through the snow, his skin tanned. I woke up deeply inspired. That image became the purpose of my life. So I decided to harden my body, to pave the way toward harnessing the riches nature offers.
I threw away the hat I always wore. This was new to me, but I didn’t yet know it was the beginning of a new idea.
The neighbors noticed my bare head and laughed. “Where are you going?” they asked.
I replied, “I go where others don’t.”
Once, a child was crying from misfortune. I thought, If I take him in my arms and he calms down, then my purpose in life is true. It would mean I’m on the right path.
I asked the child’s mother for permission. She agreed. The boy calmed in my arms. Is it really up to me to turn everything around? To become useful for every such child? This could bring peace to all.
You all seek refuge from harsh weather. You love spring, warm days, and clear sun—but I wait for the white snow. For me, to love nature is to live in harmony with her.
I began listening to my body. I walked through frost with confidence, trusting nature would not harm me. At first, I wore shoes like everyone else, but I had already learned that walking barefoot—even in winter—was necessary. I just lacked the courage.
One day, a man came to me. His mother had been bedridden for 17 years. I visited her, thinking, If nature gives me strength and I can help her walk, then I will walk barefoot in winter snow.
I attended to her, threw her crutches into the attic, and left. Later, they told me she could walk again. My hair stood on end. Now I must take off my shoes and walk on snow. This is where my strength will be born.
I stepped outside the village, removed my shoes, and for the first time walked 10 km barefoot on snow. It was cold, but I endured consciously.
When I returned, people laughed. Why? I wondered. I’m cold—something’s not right. Then I realized: Everything a person wears is foreign, dead. So I began undressing until I was down to my underwear.
Wonderful! What incredible health! I can’t even describe it. Nature has amazing qualities. We must experience them, learn from them, and understand them. Master this, and you can live a long life.
So I realized: I must learn to live without needing a house, food, or water. Now, Earth, air, and water suffer because of man. Through this, humans have built only a temporary life.
An evolutionary request—that’s the essence. To learn to ask nature, without any whim: “Nature, my love, give me life.” My teaching is to live in harmony with you, to live like you.
But today’s dawn has not yet arrived. We all live in yesterday. People are never satisfied. No matter how much they’re given, it’s never enough. They will consume everything on Earth and still remain hungry. They will burn the entire Earth and still not feel warm.
A criminal is born through money multiplying among people. What is bought becomes useless; wealth is but dust. There is nothing alive in money—everything is dead. Through money, we’ve created death.
A person in the north kills a polar bear, and somewhere, a war begins.
Here in the garden, the master walked, always thinking, always searching for a way to share his idea—to guide people toward nature so they would never lack, for nature provides.
To demonstrate, the master fasted for many days, enduring, knowing it was possible. “You can live in this world feeding on other things,” he said. “Humanity will feed on a new form of nitrogen—a living form.”
This is what we do not yet understand: In nature, one can live without food. It takes long work—rebuilding the mind so the brain isn’t afraid of running out.
September 14th – The fifth day of my dry fast. I consume nothing—no water, no food—only the air around me.
September 20th – 11 days of dry fasting. I dedicate this to all people of the world.
In nature, habits disappear. Patience arises—not just any patience, but conscious patience. Evolution will open our eyes. We will begin to live anew.
I haven’t eaten for 65 days. No water either. There are two of us—Valia and me—now in our third month without food. All that was foreign to the body is gone, but natural forces remain. There is no disease.
Nature is forcing people to change. As a result, they will become hardened. If we miss this, we are worthless. We are the new humanity.
Cold water is strength. It is natural, alive. It loves children; it gives them health. Cold water is a remedy for the human mind.
According to Ivanov’s teachings, we shouldn’t seek cures but prevent disease. Don’t forget nature—air, water, Earth. Keep them close like friends. Love them with your body.
I came to Earth not for your economy or politics. I need neither. My will is to free the sick from suffering and give them strength.
I’ve learned to be useful. Now I need patience—but few accept my science. They don’t believe it’s instant, useful, harmless.
I tell the pastor: “Without a master, even a sheep cries.” They ask, “Is the master of nature good for you?” I reply, “Then give me back my vision. Is it really you, Father?”
I’ve earned these gifts. I never forget my duty to the sick. I want to give science everything I’ve found in nature. Perhaps medicine will discover more and apply it.
Poor people, what are you waiting for?
Once, I asked to enter an office. “Are you a doctor?” they asked.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said: “Unless nature itself heals man, you’ll need a scalpel.” Medicine has done much, but it doesn’t save people. They still die.
The doctor stopped me: “Are you saying people can avoid death?”
I replied, “They are not going to die. Though we haven’t seen it yet, I believe it’s possible.”
The doctor concluded I was mentally ill. “Wait,” he said, “we’ll take you where they’ll help you practice your method.”
I didn’t know they’d decided to isolate me. Doctors feared my ideas. So I was sent to the Vovo psychiatric hospital. Now, among people, I’m no longer normal. My illness? My idea.
1941 – Hitler marched toward Moscow and Stalingrad. I wanted to hinder him. The Germans asked Russian men, “Who will defeat us?” I wasn’t afraid to answer: “Those who started this war will lose it.”
I tried to influence Hitler’s mind. At the front, I was tortured—buried naked in snow for half an hour. When dug up, my skin steamed. It was November 22, 1942.
They paraded me naked on a motorcycle through the city all night. I endured, asking nature for Russia’s victory. Hitler’s success ended.
The master said everything would culminate. Workers would face repression. Diseases would grow terrible, incurable. Pure water would vanish. Children would disobey; parents would unravel. Scientists would multiply like desert sand, rivaling each other.
The master often closed his eyes, speaking of disasters—catastrophes unseen in billions of years. But he said it would be the last time. Afterward, people would live in peace, love, and friendship.
1936 – I suffered convulsions, epilepsy. My mother took me to healers, but none helped.
The master led me outside, had me walk around a table, then asked, “What do you feel?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“Good. Squat down.”
I did—no pain. Embarrassed, I flushed.
He smiled. “Don’t worry. Let’s go outside again.”
After three more laps, he instructed:
- Pour cold water over yourself morning and night.
- Give alms to the poor.
- Fast from Friday 6 PM to Sunday noon.
- No alcohol, no smoking.
- Upon returning to your village, visit every neighbor first—greet them, apologize, seek forgiveness. Only then go home.
“But I owe no one,” I protested.
“Do as I say,” he replied, walking away.
When I meet the sick, I urge them to awaken in nature. They feel better immediately. You must:
- Pour cold water over yourself daily—morning and night—with heart and soul.
- Be kind. Greet everyone first; bow respectfully.
- Help those in need—give without judgment.
- Fast weekly—42 hours (Friday 6 PM to Sunday noon). After, step outside, breathe deeply three times, and ask: “Master, give me health.”
- No alcohol, no smoking, no pollution. Earn your place in nature.
He calls himself a conqueror of nature—a master awakening the brain’s natural forces to cure disease.
The commissioner ruled: “Ivanov suffers a mental disorder. Send him to psychiatric prison for treatment.”
But the master said: “There should be no planes, helicopters, police, hospitals, or ships. People must live freely.”
“The master kisses you all. Do you know why? This is about natural love. I stop enemies with love. I take them with me, so they leave you. Only shadows remain—fleeting. Understand this idea: alive, natural. Nothing is more beautiful than your living body.”
You realize illness comes when a person lacks spiritual nourishment. But when one feels the Creator’s presence, they transform. A great love fills them—they breathe differently, see differently.
The master fasted so humanity would awaken. His followers fasted weekly—a beginning. “I did little. You must do more. Saturday is a great day.”
I studied psychology at Leningrad University but suffered mercury poisoning, forcing me home to Siberia.
One night, I dreamed I was lifted into the air. A man asked, “What do you want?”
“Knowledge for humanity’s good,” I answered.
He gestured: “Go ahead.”
My health improved.
Later, friends told me of a Russian master who understood nature’s laws. My joy was indescribable. India had its masters—but here was ours!
That winter, we traveled to his village. The door was open. I stepped inside—and froze. I’d seen him before… in my dream. This is God himself. No doubts remained. This is what must be done.
In Rostov-on-Don, at -37°C, I saw him: a tall, strong man with a gray beard, walking confidently in only shorts, arms swinging freely.
When I heard he was in Moscow, I had to find him.
Seeing him, I knew: A remarkable man. He radiated energy, glowed with kindness and love.
For 40 years, he shared his idea—persecuted, insulted, locked in hospitals and prisons. No one truly knew him.
But when recognition came, people flocked to him. Then in 1979, authorities isolated him again—for 1,260 days, his home became a prison.
On my 50th birthday, guests came from across Russia and abroad. Then—a miracle. The door opened. There he stood: Porfiry Ivanov and Valentina.
The room erupted. He answered all questions, proud he’d done right despite the ban. “Nature told me go—so I went. Now, hold this teaching. Become masters. Show seekers what you know. Nature demands it.”
In nature, there is action. In action, work. In work, the idea. We must reclaim nature’s gifts—only they can preserve humanity.
You must live. But you must not die.
About Porfiry Ivanov
From the age of 35, Porfiry Ivanov, following his idea of health and immortality, gradually abandoned clothes and shoes, until he began to walk barefoot all year round, dressed only in shorts. In winter, he demonstrated the extraordinary ability of his body to endure any cold and frost. In everyday life, he practiced dousing with cold water, went without food and water for 65 days, and successfully healed according to his own system.
Porfiry Korneyevich Ivanov (February 20, 1898 – April 10, 1983) was a Russian mystic whose beliefs have attained a cult status, with followers estimated in the hundreds of thousands. He was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital. In total, starting from 1933, Ivanov spent 12 years in isolation (special hospitals of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and house arrest).
In 1935, Ivanov was detained by the police at the central market in Rostov while promoting his teachings. He was taken to the acute care unit of the Rostov Psychiatric Hospital, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Medical and Labor Expert Commission of Rostov declared him a first-degree invalid. Because of this, he was not drafted into the army during World War II.
In the winter of 1937, Ivanov was arrested by NKVD officers in the city of Mozdok as a “saboteur.” He was tested for endurance—at a temperature of -17°C, he was doused with water from a well for an extended period. After three months, he was released with an apology.
During the war, in the fall of 1942, Ivanov met with German General Paulus while his headquarters were stationed in Krasny Sulin. As a result of the meeting, Ivanov was issued a protective document in German, signed by Paulus, stating that he was “of interest to world science.”
Despite this document, in November 1942, Ivanov was subjected to 27 days of testing at the Dnipropetrovsk Gestapo. He was buried naked in the snow and, on the night of November 22, during severe frost, was paraded through the streets of Dnipropetrovsk on a motorcycle while undressed.
On February 13, 1951, Ivanov was arrested in Moscow under Article 58-10, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR for anti-Soviet agitation. On April 14, 1951, a Special Council of the MGB of the USSR ordered his compulsory treatment in isolation. He was held in all three of the special psychiatric prisons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR at the time—in Leningrad, Chistopol, and Kazan (approximately a year or more in each). Before being sent to the Leningrad facility, he was held in Taganka Prison.
Ivanov was released on November 29, 1954.
On May 23, 1964, Ivanov was arrested in Ukraine, and a criminal case (fraud). On September 1, 1964, he was sent for examination to the Serbsky Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Moscow, where he was declared legally incompetent. On November 12, 1964, the case against him was closed. Through Butyrka Prison in Moscow, he was sent for compulsory treatment at the Kazan Special Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he was held from February 13, 1965, to May 4, 1967. He was then transferred to the Novorovenetsk psychiatric hospital in the Rostov region. By the decision of the Krasny Sulin court, he was finally released in the spring of 1968.
In 1978, Ivanov conducted an experiment on prolonged abstinence from food and water. Together with Valentina Sukharevskaya, they went five months without food, including extended periods without water. During this time, Ivanov’s diary entries included words that later formed the basis of the Hymn—eight lines that, according to Ivanov, encapsulated the essence of his idea in a concentrated form.
Ivanov wrote a book Detka (literally – “Child”, his usual address to the followers), a health system that included dousing, hardening and dry fasting. He based this system on the belief that removing one’s clothing while outdoors in cold weather was healthy to become closer to nature. Ivanov also advocated swimming in icy water, a belief that has been applied to ice swimming.
Porfiry Ivanov passed away on the morning of April 10, 1983, at the age of 85 in his home in the village of Verkhny Kondruchiy.
According to journalists, the exact cause of his death remains unknown, as no autopsy was performed. They note that Ivanov fundamentally refused to seek medical assistance. At the same time, in his final diary entries, he complained of severe pain in his leg. It is speculated that his leg problems were a consequence of his time spent in psychiatric hospitals.
An abbreviated version of the feature documentary film “Living Life” (1993). Studio Tsentrnauchfilm, Russia. The film was shot by order of the Public Institute of Man. Directed by Nelya Gulchuk and Vadim Ivanov.
Location: in La Pastora of Santa Cruz of Turrialba, just 1.5 hours from San José, district: Santa Cruz, canton: Turrialba, province: Cartago, Costa Rica. Zone postal code: 30504.
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