The International Committee for the Banner of Peace

70-th anniversary of the Banner of Peace in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Ten years ago I was invited to Moscow to celebrate the 60-th Anniversary of the Banner of Peace with the followers and students of Nicholas Roerich. On that occasion, I was accompanied by our valued coordinator in Mexico Pilar Gallego.

When we saw a gigantic Banner flapping over the principal frontage of the Central Library, tears of emotion came into our eyes, and we commented humorously: ”We did not have to climb to set it there”.

It seems incredible; when twenty years ago I started proclaiming the extraordinary figure of Nicholas Roerich and the Banner of Peace, first in Mexico and later in different countries, I had to realize all the responsibilities. From buying the Banner, putting it in the flagstaff, supervising the sound, inviting the assistants, the Institutions, checking the programs, inviting the press, giving lectures... and after some years, a set of generous souls have been taking the Mission, to serve the message of Prof. Roerich and the Symbol of the Banner.

In Russia, everything on that occasion engraved indelibly in our minds and in our hearts. But the visit to Isvara, where Nicholas spent so much happy time, moved us most of all.

It was a privilege to visit that forest-garden that I had had in my mind for years, still having not visited the place earlier. To see the remains of the furniture used once by the Family of Roerichs... The place where his mother used to pray ... The window from which Roerich used to look at those fields... All this was like a dream. We did not know where was the reality and where was the magic and the attitude of the Curator of the Museum which made us feel so.

Just when we arrived from Saint Petersburg, with our interpreter, a man with a wild flower in his hand came rapidly on and approached saying to me lovingly: ”The last summer flower of Isvara, for the favourite disciple of the Teacher...”.

In deep emotion, I accepted it with humility, in front of astonished Pilar Gallegos.

We had the privilege of attending the house, fully alone, and clearly felt the presence of the Teacher. Whenever I present the Banner of the Peace, in different corners of the Planet, I feel the same presence.

On this occasion of 70th Anniversary of the Banner, I returned alone and went to Siberia. (See the article ”Mystical journey...”) The villagers said, in amazement, I was a heroine coming there alone.

My dear Spiritual Guides, taking care of me have chosen the three Guardian Angels, in my Mystical Journey in Russia: Gai Sever, Leo Bolgov and Vladislav Monastyrskii. The last one, although being very young, has gone through three wars in a high officership. He has already retired of the army and now is a Philosophy Professor at the University of Saint Petersburg, and a serious researcher of paranormal events in Altai.

He met me in the Airport with the flowers, along with a group of his Saint Petersburg friends, where I arrived to give several lectures about Nicholas Roerich and the Banner of Peace, at the University of Saint Petersburg.

Unforgettable was the visit to the beautiful Palace in restoration, which belonged to Helena’s cousin and was to lodge the City Roerich Museum. (The board of Directors of the Museum is planning to build a big statue of Nicholas Roerich, in Saint Petersburg port.)

As valued treasures, they put in my hands some things which some day would be in the Museum, now being showed to me as a rare jewellery; photos carefully placed in familiar albums, shaving razors of Nicholas, with his paintbrushes, Helena’s necklaces, private letters, and many personal objects charged with the energy of our dear Hellene and Nicholas.

Mr. Bondarenko, V. Melnikov and my spiritual Guardian, Vladislav Monastyrskii (who belongs to an important family in the history of Russia), were looking at me in silence, daring not to break the magic of the moment.

Vladislav, who does not speak Spanish, told me with a contained emotion that he had received the message of looking after me in my trip to Russia; he spoke to me in English, slowly: ”Alicia, we have the same Master...”

Really, during all my stay in Saint Petersburg, he took great care that everything was well.

Proudly, he brought to me a special invitation signed by the Director of the Mariinsky Theatre to see the ballet ”The Nutcracker”, and gently took me to the stage, knowing it to be a sacred place for me.

The International Conference to which I was invited, was called: ”The scientific, spiritual and practical inheritance of Nicholas Roerich”.

Important personalities and lecturers came from different countries of the world, to honour Nicholas Roerich.

The lecture I gave at the University of Saint Petersburg, was titled ”The New Culture Of Peace”.

In one of the most important places of the city there was an exhibition of pictures, photos, garments and furniture belonged to Hellene and Nicholas.

In that impressive Cathedral Smolny, I gave my second lecture, inviting the assistants to live the teachings of Roerich, not as a just a theory.

Like curious thing, I comment that the same phenomenon that occurred 10 years ago, which so much impressed my dear and valued co-worker Pilar Gallegos, happened again.

At the beginning of the lecture, almost all of the assistants were very pale and some were sleepy. But when I started speaking with the agni in my heart, the expression of their faces changed, and the pale white colour of their faces became rose again, and even red.

Immediately I remembered the same phenomenon which happened ten years earlier, in the same City of Saint Petersburg, when I gave a lecture in the Central Library; then an aged gentile approached me, saying:

”Tonight we have listened to Helena Roerich again.”

Several Teachers of the Institute of Spanish Language, directed by Veronica Kirillova and the Guatemalan Fernando, were the expert translators at my lectures in the University, the Cathedral Smolny and the Institute of the Spanish language, as well as in the Museum Hermitage.

My guide was beautiful Olga, married with a happy Mexican man. She is an expert in the history of the city, and gave us interesting explanations on the Fortress of Pedro and Pablo, where the Zars are buried, and in general of the beautiful City of Saint Petersburg, where I’ve had the honour to be invited to several Conferences dedicated to the Roerich’s.

My stay in this city was full of harmony and full of delicate attention of my friends, with a beautiful brooch of gold; Vladislav cooked for us a delightful meal, to the astonishment of my translator and of the Director of the Institute of Spanish, Veronica.

I wished to stay for some more days there, as they wanted, but I had to leave to Moscow, following the invitation to give another lecture in the Roerich Museum in the course of the celebrations of 70 Anniversary of the Roerich Pact and the Banner of Peace.

Flowers, happiness of having experienced so much harmony, and sadness of getting separated of those beings, united powerfully by: THE LOVE TO THE ROERICH’S.

Alicia Rodríguez

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70-th anniversary of the Banner of Peace in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

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