Mouni Sadhu

Mouni Sadhu was the mystical name taken by this noted Occultist and devout Mystic of the first half of the Twentieth Century. The word "mouni" means "silent" and "sadhu" refers to a wandering holy man.

If you are reading this, then chances are you have discovered for yourself the intricate and enlightening writings of Mouni Sadhu. This site represents an effort to catalog and preserve his writings, discover some of his biographical information, offer you glimpses of his life and act as a resource for your further studies. I make no effort to 'sugar coat' Mouni Sadhu's humanness, nor is there intent to multiply his egregor. Mouni Sadhu sought respect for the teachings over the teacher therefore details about his life are rare.

With your help, I look forward to offering insightful reviews and pointers to Mouni Sadhu's various books rather than those simply intended to market the same. If you have any information, additions, corrections, links, articles, photos, biographical data ... anything that you can share with us, please do so by sending an e-mail to info@mounisadhu.com. Significant contributors will be duly credited. No retail sites please. If possible, include links and direction for further inquiry.

According to Mounis' application for Australian citizenship: He was the child of Alexandre Sudowski born 10/01/1867 and Elisabeth Onacewicz born 05/15/1869, both of Poland. He was married Jan.30,1936 to Catharine Gunt who was killed in a bomb-attack at Wilno Poland during the German invasion, September 1939. He had no children. By the same source, Mieczyslaw Sudowski seems to have fought in the Polish army and was taken as a prisoner of war to the U.S.S.R (Sept.18,1939 to Nov.27,1939) and subsequently Germany (Nov.28,1939 to Jan.12,1945). Upon liberation he was moved to France and changed his name to Michael Sadau. He worked there for the US Army until Nov.15,1946. On Dec.01,1946 he relocated to Brazil were he wrote his first book, "Quem Sou Eu?". He immigrated to Australia in June 1948. He changed his name to Mouni Sadhu after staying with Sri Ramana Maharshi in 1949. He was an electrical mechanic by trade, a member of the Australian Society of Authors (his literary heirs) and very fond of cats (Miss Lapa).

"I knew Mouni Sadhu personally from September 1965 to his death just before Christmas in 1971. I studied in his Tarot classes, as did Melbourne author and psychologist Dr. Ronald Conway ...

He told us that he was born in Warsaw on 1 September 1898 of mixed Polish and East German (Prussian) parentage. The two names he gave us were Michael Sadau and Michael Sadowski, the latter being Polish, the former German, I believe.

He had a magnificent album of photographs, but its whereabouts I know not: the two women to whom he was close, Monika and Elfriede, had access to it; but Elfriede died soon after him.

He fought for Germany in World War I and showed me a photo of himself then, superbly handsome and with a fine head of black hair. He married after the war, but his wife (no children) was, he told us, killed in the bombing of Konigsberg around 1939. He showed us a photo of this wife, a slim and moderately attractive blonde.

Mouni was definitely Catholic and his funeral was at a Catholic church in Melbourne."

- Nigel Jackson *

• 1897 Date of birth 08/17, Warsaw (Natal Chart) according to Australian Immigration records, however, he gives his birthday and place of birth as 09/01/1898 at Wreschen (East Germany) in corrospondance with Allen & Unwin.
  
• 1918 Occasionally in Kiev - Ukraine (Concentration)
  
• 1925 Seances with Stefan Ossowiecki (Tarot)
  
• 1926 - 1933 Studies Hermetism exclusively (Tarot)
  
• 1930 - 1935 Associates with Stefan Ossowiecki, Sadhu lecturing in public on Hermetism (Meditation)
  
• 1936 Marries Catharine Gunt (Immigration Records)
  
• 1938 First 7 Arcana of Tarot written (Tarot)
  
• 1939 Catharine killed in a bomb attack - Wilno Poland (Imm. Rec.)
  
• 1939 - 1945 Held as a prisoner of war (Imm. Rec.)
  
• 1945 - 1946 Stays at St Vincent de Paul Monastery - Rue de Sevres, Paris France. (Merton letters) Is given a copy of Paul Brunton's "A Search in Secret India" and begins to study the philosophy of Ramana Maharshi.
  
• 1946 Leaves Paris France for Brazil
  
• 1947 First Book - Quem Sou Eu? (Who Am I? - Portuguese) published in Brazil
  
• 1948 Arrives Melbourne by SS Bernhard, 01 September
  
• 1949 Departes Commonwealth by "Orcades" on 07 May for France and India. Purpose given "for personal research about Indian contemporain (sic) philosophy" (Imm. Rec.)
  
• 1949 Meets Sri Ramana Maharshi stays at Ramanashram untill October
  
• 1949 Has falling out with Gurdieff (Tereshchenko)
  
• 1950 Returns to Melbourne Australia
  
• 1952 Correspondence with Paul Brunton (Ways to Self - Realization)
  
• 1953 In Days of Great Peace published
  
• 1959 Concentration - a guide to mental mastery published
  
• 1962 Ways to Self-Realization published
  
• 1962 Samadhi - the superconsciousness of the future published
  
• 1962 Tarot published
  
• 1965 Theurgy - The art of effective worship published
  
• 1967 Initiations - By Paul Sedir - Translated from French to English by Mouni Sadhu published
  
• 1967 Meditation: An Outline for Practical Study published