Issue 2, May 2012 - Love Street Breezes

May, 2012
Meher Baba, Eruch Jessawala and Don Stevens at the Longchamps restaurant, in New York.
July 1956
Editor’s Page
Jai Baba Dear Readers,
ell, it is almost a year since I
greeted you in the Premiere issue of the Breezes. I think most of you
know what the year 2011 was like for
me. Lets call it The Year of the Eradication of Sanskaras! They tell me that for
the spiritually inclined, this is a good
thing — something we should thank
Baba for. Well let me tell you, while He
was cleaning off some of my sanskaras,
I felt like I was being tumbled in the
most vigorous washing machine ever
built! But what the heck – I have come
through it so much lighter and cleaner,
like a new born baby.
After the death of my dear daughter
in Australia, followed five weeks later
by that of my darling husband, I felt a
great need to lay my sorrow at His feet,
so I took off for Meherabad in February and was there for the wonderful
celebrations for the Birthday of our
Beloved Avatar. You can read all about
it under the heading What’s Happening
at Meherabad.
I returned renewed, refreshed and
rejuvenated, ready to throw myself into
the work of getting this magazine out to
you ­— my faithful readers. Many of you,
when you heard that the Love Street
LampPost was no longer, and that my
staff and I had quit and had formed the
fresh, new Love Street Breezes, sent in
your subscription donations and asked
to be put on the mailing list. And very
happy we were to do it.
However, there are over 700 LampPost subscribers who may not have
heard about the Breezes and don’t know
what they are missing. Please spread
the word. Now that we have our own
website—lovestreetbreezes.org—we
won’t be emailing PDFs out anymore. To
those of you who were used to receiving
it that way, know now that the magazine
can always be read on line. That way you
get to see it in glorious color!
W
The Shoppe on Love Street
Perhaps you may already have noticed the fabulous colored centerfold we
2
have for this issue. Cherie created such a
beautiful Grand Opening for our Shoppe
on Love Street, I simply had to have it
printed in color for the larger amount of
you who want to read the hard copy, not
sit in front of a computer to take it all in.
We will not be selling books (wouldn’t
want to compete with the wonderful
Sheriar Bookstore: www.sheriarfoundation.org/ but we will be featuring items
that I loved, and couldn’t wait to share
with my friends.
Some of these items are not available anywhere else, like the gorgeous
little cushions I saw when I was having
dinner at my dear friend Pathan’s home.
(Pathan has been my wonderful, totally
reliable driver in Ahmednagar for over
30 years!) His daughter Yasmeen has
created these cushions and makes them
all by hand (and sewing machine.)
I have made available in our Shoppe,
two CDs of my dear departed husband,
the famous Charles Gibson. The first is
Rough Around the Edges, which features
the much talked about Nothing Less Than
Everything. The second one is a collection
of songs he put together For Dina and
that I am very happy to share with all his
fans. Charles composed his own music
to the Master’s Prayer, track number one,
followed by his unique way of singing the
Gujerati Arti: speaking the line in English
followed by singing the line in Gujerat.
Seven songs later (not Baba songs) he
closes with the best version of Amazing
Grace I have ever heard. As an appetite
whetter, the first one v can be heard on
Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dnzEKs1zL5I&feature=related
My first visit to India was in 1969 for
the Great Darshan. I waited till the Australian group had left the large meeting
room in Guruprasad, then slipped back in
and took the photo of the whole room,
with the Beloved’s empty chair in the
center. The photo is infused with the atmosphere that was present in the room
at that time. Available in a variety of
sizes, call me to order your preference.
Another photo I took is of the Mandali in
the ‘90s, and signed by them all.
Paul Comar so very generously gave
us CDs of his beautiful piano music to
sell in our Shoppe, two double albums.
Even more wonderful is the DVD “Beyond Words”. Some years ago, Paul
talked his friend Louis Van Gasteren into
giving the footage the famous Dutch
filmmaker had shot of Baba in 1967, to
Sheriar Foundation so they could release
it as a DVD, selling for $45. But for just
$5 more, you get from the Shoppe on
Love Street a double DVD, the second
one called Avatar Meher Baba’s Mandali
– Beloved Mehera. This is a silent film,
accompanied—at Mani’s request—by
Paul’s piano music. Paul took some really
beautiful footage of the women mandali
in the ‘70s, focusing on Mehera. Two
comprehensive booklets come with this
DVD set—not to be missed—at just $50.
But wait! There’s more! Turn to the centerfold and see inside our Shoppe, and
you will find more treasures there with
each issue of the Love Street Breezes.
For those very enthusiastic, thoughtful and loving people who sent in their
subscriptions early last year, as soon as
you heard about the new Breezes coming your way, please don’t feel cheated
on your year’s subscription. Because
of... shall we say... extenuating circumstances, it has been a year since the
Premiere issue, your subscription will
run for four issues.
If this is the first issue of the Breezes
you have read and would like to start
your collection at the very beginning,
know that we do have plenty of copies
of that Premiere issue. We can send you
one for just $4 a copy plus postage. We
had an amazing story in that issue: Meher
Baba and the Petroleum Connection. If
you haven’t yet read it — do so now.
It’s an eye opener!
If Baba has finished taking care of
my sanskaras for a while, and lets me
get down to some serious work, your
next issue should reach you in about
four months.
I look forward to hearing from you, by
phone, email or the old fashioned way.
Till we meet again — on the written
page —In His love and service,
Dina
Love Street Breezes
Feel the Breezes!
Is there a breeze in the realm of love
That does not bear the scent of life from Your tresses? —Sana’i
Features:
Information:
T
he Love Street Breezes is dedicated with love to Avatar
Meher Baba. Its primary purpose is to contribute to a
sense of community among all His lovers by providing a
place for sharing His remembrance.
All members of the Baba family are invited to contribute
to this feast of love. Breezes is mailed (approximately) each
January, April, July and October.
Subscriptions:
Printing and mailing you the magazine costs us over $25
per person per year (in the States) and $35 to $40 overseas,
and many times that is for the postage only. However, you
can have the option of receiving the magazine by email in
a PDF format. It is recommended that you have hi-speed
Internet access to take advantage of this offer. No one is
refused the Breezes due to lack of money. Give what you
can and what feels right to you and we will receive it with
great appreciation.
Although the Love Street Press is a non profit 501 (c) 3
corporation, please note that to be compliant with IRS rules,
a donation of the exact amount of the subscription is not
tax deductible. However if you feel moved to help us spread
His message of love and truth “to Infinity and beyond” and
can donate over and above your own subscription cost, that
part is definitely tax deductible. We can accept a charge to
Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. If you prefer to send a check
please make it out to Love Street Press and send to
Dina Gibson
8906 David Avenue
Los Angeles, CA. 90034-2006
If you don’t want to put your credit card number in an
email, [email protected], you can fax the number to
me at 310-839 BABA (2222) or phone me at 310-837-6419
between 9 & 5 Pacific time.
Submissions
We seek expressions of Baba’s message of love and
truth. Your stories, photos, artwork, poetry, letters, articles
and humor are all actively solicited, but in digital format
only (email please).
Love Street Breezes is published and copyrighted by the
Love Street Press.
Staff
Editor in Chief:
Managing Editor:
Assistant Editor:
Design and Layout:
Proof Reader:
Assembly/pre-flight:
Printing:
Cover:
Avatar Meher Baba
Dina Snow Gibson
Kendra Crossen
Cherie Plumlee, Tom Hart,
Pris Haffenden
Mickey Karger
Tom Hart
Ray Madani
Meher Nazar Publications
And the Winner Is........................................................ 5
What’s Happening at Meherabad
Bhau’s Grandson Weds..................................... 6
The Wedding of Pushkar and Veena................ 7
A Visit to Gurdev’s Farm.............................................. 8
A Visit to Pumpkin House...........................................10
Seen Around the MPR................................................ 11
Dawn Breaks on Baba’s Birthday ..............................14
The Mahabarat...........................................................15
Baba’s Birthday Celebration at Meherabad
Fire and Ice: Draupadi’s Story.........................16
What’s Happening at Meherana ...............................19
Welcome to the House of the Beloved . ................... 21
Poetry......................................................................... 26
The Kingdom in the Air ..............................................27
Beyond Words: The Face of God .............................. 29
Are Immense Changes............................................... 32
Don’t Worry, Be Happy!..............................................41
How Bobby McFerrin Came to Write DWBH ........... 42
Reviews ..................................................................... 43
The Shoppe on Love Street ....................................... 45
Meher Baba on Death............................................... 32
Words of Love From Mehera....................................88
He is Always Remembering You...............................89
The Singer and the Song......... .................................90
A New Kind of Baba Meeting? . ............................... 93
Featured Story:
Don E. Stevens...................................................54
Departments:
Editor’s Page................................................................ 2
Announcements......................................................... 4
Know Before you Go.................................................40
Passings
Charles Wayne Gibson.................................... 67
Helen Franklin.................................................. 71
Dr. Moorty........................................................72
AKH (Amiya Kumar Hazra)............................. 73
Shaligram Sharma........................................... 75
Robert Dreyfuss.............................................. 76
Donna Sanders................................................ 78
Miroslaw (Mirek) Popowicz........................... 79
Leif Martin Rego............................................. 82
Arlene Stearns................................................. 83
Humor for Huma........................................................ 87
Worldwide Meher Baba Meetings............................ 95
3
Meheru Irani
A
vatar Meher Baba gathered His dearest Meheru
into His loving embrace on April 21st, 2012 at 4:06
p.m. in Meherazad. Meheru went to her Beloved due
to a stroke; she was 84 years old. The cremation will
be at Meherabad on April 22nd, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. Her
ashes will be interred on Meherabad Hill by the side of
Meher Baba’s Samadhi as He directed.
Meheru had the great fortune to be born to two of
Meher Baba’s very close disciples from His earliest
ashram days, Rustom and Freny Irani, Freny being
Mehera’s sister. From her early childhood, Meheru
longed to be a part of Baba’s ashram, and as soon as
she finished schooling in her mid-teens, Baba accepted
her as one of His intimate women mandali. Immediately
she dedicated her life to serving her two beloveds, Baba
and His dearest Mehera. Meheru’s lively, spirited, active nature was combined with a deep sensitivity and
grace that served her well as one of Mehera’s closest
companions, especially after Beloved Baba dropped His
body. She was the last remaining of Baba’s New Life
companions, the last of those with Baba in His 1952 car
accident in the West, and also the last of the Meherazad
resident women mandali from Baba’s time.
After Mehera rejoined Baba, Meheru continued to care for Baba’s Home and His personal things in the way Mehera would
wish, both at Meherazad and through her guidance of the Trust’s archive team. She also continued to welcome Baba-lovers
to Mehera’s porch with warmth, treats, witty remarks, games, and most of all, touching memories of a life spent with the
God-Man and His beloved.
Meheru’s lifelong courage, sacrifice, unswerving focus, and whole-hearted dedication is a tribute to her Beloved, and an example to all His lovers now and to come.
We, your Meherazad family, salute you, dearest Meheru, for your life of complete surrender and service to the Avatar of the Age.
AVATAR MEHER BABA KI JAI !!!
Meherazad family
Meherazad
21 April 2012
O
ur next issue will be a memorial to our darling Meheru, as we have done for all the Mandali as one by one they are called
back to their Beloved.
Please send us any rembrances you have of time spent with her, any very meaningful talk she may have given you to help
you with your problems - as she was won’t to do...
We would also love some photos, especially ones from the ’70s and ’80s. If you are sending us hard copies, please place
your return address sticker on the back of the photo so we can make sure they find their way back to you. If emailing the photos, anything taken from websites is not suitable (hi enough resolution) for printing in the magazine. If emailing an original of
yours, 300 dpi tif or a large (20 x 30) jeg would be fine.
The deadline for these submissions is June 30th.
4
W
And the Winner Is…!
e asked our readers to send in their best ideas for a caption to this photo, taken of Michael Da Costa’s little granddaughter as she faced the Ocean for the first time. We felt the photo spoke volumes, but we wanted to hear your ideas for a
caption. We offered a prize of a year’s subscription to the Breezes to the winner.
These were some of your entries:
“Toddling into the Ocean of Love” – Meher Kashi
“I’m just a little drop in your Ocean of Love!”– Melody
Dickinson
“Junocea Wave’ – Bree Rael
“Journey Towards the Ocean Of Love – rao p r
“Headin’ for the Pearl” – Jim Migdoll
“I am” – Mike D Costa’s friend
“You’re serious, Baba? Dive in and not get a drop of water on
me?” – Ed Flanagan
“Embracing the Infinite” – John Prettyman
And the winner is …… Melody Dickinson with –
“Take me O great Ocean. I’m all yours!”
Congratulations Melody, you get four free Breezes.
And thank you to all who sent in their best suggestions for an
appropriate caption to this great photo.
A Conversation with God
Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure.
Me: Promise You won’t get mad?
God: I promise.
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late.
God: Yes.
Me: My car took forever to start.
God: Okay.
Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong and I had to
wait.
God: Hmmmmm…
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked
up a call!
God: All right.
Me: And to top it all off, when I got home I just want to soak
my feet in my new foot massager and relax. BUT it wouldn’t
work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of My Angels to battle him for your
life. I let you sleep through that.
Me (humbled): OH.
GOD: I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk
driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on
the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The first person who made your sandwich today was
sick and I didn’t want you to catch what they have, I knew
you couldn’t afford to miss work.
Me (embarrassed): Okay.
God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on
that call, I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be
covered.
Me (softly): I see God.
God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that would
knock out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn’t
think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I’m Sorry God.
God: Don’t be sorry, just learn to Trust Me... in All things, the
Good and the bad.
Me: I will trust You.
God: And don’t doubt that My plan for your day is Always
Better than your plan.
Me: I won’t God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for
Everything today.
God: You’re welcome child. It was just another day being
your God and I Love looking after My Children...
From the Internet.
What’s Happening at Meherabad
Bhau’s Grandson Weds
Zubin Kalchuri, son of Mehernath, [son of Bhau] married Sheenal Srivastava, on January 27th in Ahmednagar.
6
The Wedding Of Pushkar And Veena
I
n case many of you pilgrims are
thinking...”Hmmm, I recognize that
handsome face..” Well, yes you do.
Before the year 2000, Ramesh Jangale, a Trustee of the AMBPPCT, had a
telephone booth just up the road from
the old Pilgrim Center. His son, Pushkar
was only 15, and he used to help his
father by manning the overseas calls.
At the end of 2000 the phone booth
was expanded and renovated into the
wonderful cyber cafe and Baba bookstall
(not to mention other goodies in the
food & toiletries line) that is constantly
chock-a-block full of pilgrims. The young
Pushkar was a constant and very helpful presence in the Meher Dabar cyber
café – and where would we pilgrims be
without it?
When I was manager of the Love
Street Bookstore I used to spend many
hundreds of dollars in this store each
Amartithi to bring back books,
pendants, photos, posters, tee
shirts and many other wonderful goodies, for the bookstore
at the L.A. Baba Center.
Asking him what he had
done since leaving the Cyber
Café, he told me that in 2005
he had gone for his MBA at the
National Insurance Academy in
Pune, and thereafter spent two
years in Dubai working with an
insurance broker.
Earlier this year I received
a very beautifully designed
wedding invitation. Pushkar,
my dear young friend, was all
grown up and getting married!
Being a nosey reporter, always
on the lookout for a good story,
I pressed Pushkar for more
details. For instance, the question uppermost in people’s minds: “Was it an
arranged marriage?” He answered me
honestly: “Yes, our marriage was arranged and I met Veena Bhole for the
first time in Jalgaon (at her home) with
my family. Both of our families had a
long chat. Later on after the approval
from both the families we tied the knot
of our relationship.” They were married
in Meherabad on 14th of May 2011.
We went to Manali & Dalhousie
(north India) for our honeymoon. The
place is spectacular.”
So they are now back Meherabad, he
is working in his chosen field and Veena
is pursuing advanced courses in Animation. She is passionate about getting
into VFX – its all about animation. Veena
is also helping the Meherabad Archives.
My congratulations to the happy couple!
“When married life is thus brought
into direct line with the Divine Plan for
the evolution of the individual, it becomes a pure blessing for the children
who are the fruit of the marriage, for
they have the advantage of absorbing
a spiritual atmosphere from the very
beginning of their earthly career.”
Avatar Meher Baba, Discourses,
Vol 1, p. 150 Mr. and Mrs. Ramesh Jangale, Pushcar, Veena and Mr. and Mrs. Kishor Bhole
7
A Visit to Gurdev’s
Farm
Jean Brunet, New Jersey
D
March 15, 2012
When he’s not at his farm, he has
a full time manager looking after
the day-to-day operations.
Although I know nothing about
farming, some features stood out
as very different from ordinary
chemical-based farms as
soon as we started walk- The sign that greets you as you step off the road and
ing between the fields.
onto the Farm
The first thing I noticed is that
some crops are planted in gone bankrupt using these companies’
circles instead of straight rows. artificial GMO (genetically modified)
Another unusual feature is that seeds and other products that may
the urine of cows is collected work for a few years and then when a
and used as fertilizer, not the bad year comes, the farmer is wiped out
bull’s, just the cow’s urine, be- and a suicide results. The seeds cannot
cause of the female hormones be harvested and used in the spring,
contained in this liquid.
Another thing I saw was a
large vat of earthworms, which
will be added to the soil to aerate it, and their castings will
Dinner time at the MPR and what to our wondering eyes fertilize the earth too. Everyshould appear but...fresh lettuce?! Hitherto unheard of. thing is recycled and composted with nothing wasted. The
vegetarian foods, but fresh lettuce?
That was a first for us. Upon enquir- only outside substance that seemed to
ing, we found out it was from a farm be needed was electricity. Vegetables,
close by, owned by a Baba lover, and herbs, fruits and grains are all grown,
under the auspices of Prithvi ­— a local and his lettuce was used for our salads
organization of very forward thinking each day at the MPR. Beautiful green
Indian women dedicated to raising the fluffy leaves that made the best salad
consciousness of the women in the local I’ve had in a long time.
Gurdev holds classes at this farm for
villages and helping them get ahead, get
Would you believe bottles of cow urine
local farmers who wish to learn more
educated, and earn a living.
(a good fertilizer)?
about
this
type
of
organic
farming
and
It turned out that the owner, Gurdev
Chhokar, was none other than one of hopefully some
our tablemates, and seeing our interest, of his methods
he invited us on a tour of the unique will catch on and
Ayurvedic farm. So one morning we be used, so that
took rickshaws and traveled a few miles t h e s e f a r m e r s
with the owner of this most interesting will become less
six acre farm that was being operated d e p e n d e n t o n
entirely on ancient Ayurvedic principles. c h e m i c a l s a n d
Gurdev told us he studied other organic large corporations
methods such as Permaculture and w h o s e l l t h e m
BioDynamics but decided that the Ay- these products,
urvedic method was the one he wished such as Monsanto,
and DuPont.
to follow.
Gurdev lives in British Columbia, Maharastra State
Canada and spends his vacation time has the highest
each year at his farm in India where he n u m b e r o f
intends to retire in a couple of years and suicides in India,
live there permanently in a house he will m o s t l y a m o n g
An ingenious design to capture the urine, cows only wanted!
be building there for himself and family. farmers who have
uring our stay at the MPR last
month, several of us eating together expressed our delighted surprise at
fresh lettuce on the menu! We all know
that Alan Wagner is a brilliant chef and
keeps us happy with a wide variety of
8
Bulls at the top end, cows in the front.
because they will not germinate and so
if the farmer has no money, he cannot
buy new seeds to plant again.
Because of this year’s drought, this
beautiful little farm is struggling with
water issues, and if the Monsoon is not
plentiful later this year, then Gurdev will
have a severe problem when the rainfall
does not refill his well. Hopefully this
won’t happen and next year’s crop will
be abundant— by Baba’s Grace.
And then the kids need to
be seen to
Papaya tree, also know as paw paw in
Australia
Right: When he was
starting out, Gurdev
himself walked behind the oxen-pulled
plow
A farmer’s life isn’t easy, especially when the wife has
two little ones to look after
Left: Brilliantly
colored Bougainvillea makes a beautiful
fence around the
farm
Machine for threshing grain
With Gurdev on the left, the group who came that day
A future fruit tree orchard
9
A Visit to Pumpkin House
W
Dartha Hopkins
March 2012
with love, harmony and
hile on our pilgreat happiness. The
grimage to
children treasure their
Meherabad last month,
visits to Meherazad to
my husband Tom and
be with the women
I had the pleasure of
Mandali, and their trips
visiting Pumpkin House
to the Samadhi at varifor Children Trust, an
ous times. They always
orphanage a few miles
perform at Amartithi
dow n the hig hway
too.
from the old Pilgrim
We were then takCenter.
en
on a tour of the
It was our first visit
new
addition that is
to Pumpkin House,
presently
being built
which is run by Stella
t
o
p
r
o
v
i
de much
Manuel, a middle-aged
needed
room
for the
and friendly woman
growing
number
of
who greeted us with
children
who
arrive
smiles and hugs. She
whenever Stella hears
has help with the enorof a need of a home for
mous task of caring for
yet another orphaned,
75 boys and girls from
abandoned or at-risk
her daughter and sonchild. Hearing the
in-law but I wondered
background of some
how she could find the
of these children was
time for all the many
heartbreaking. Somejobs entailed, since StelFiona, Stella’s daughter and # 1 helper, stands with her Mother and their children
times they are picked
la also works full time
up
off
the
street
when they are found
as the principal of the Meher English be seen in some of the photos, the older
scavenging
for
food
on a rubbish dump.
ones also choreograph movements to
Others
are
rescued
from brothels and
go along with the songs.
a
brother
and
sister
were even saved
They are probably the only Children’s
from
being
hanged
by
their
father. Stella
Home in India that has a Bruce Springstakes
them
all
in.
teen poster on the wall!
Although these orphans cannot presWe noticed a plethora of inspirational
ently
be adopted, the legal paperwork is
and motivational words to live by stuck
in
progress
for this to happen one day.
up all over the walls. The whole atmoEven
though
Stella says she would be
sphere of the Pumpkin House is rife
School, not just tending to the Administrative duties but also teaching classes.
I wonder when she has time to sleep?!
What our little group of visitors saw
when we arrived was 75 children aged
between two to mid-teens, in clean
clothes and well fed with happy smiles
and giggles, not unlike any group of
children anywhere. They performed
several songs for us in English and then
went off for their school lessons. We
were told they can also sing in Spanish,
German, Hindi, Gujarat, Marathi, Tamil,
Bengali and would you believe Latin?!
Vianni (Stella’s son in law) told us
the children just love singing, and will
do so at every opportunity. And as can
10
Vianny accompanies the children for their songs and helps them learn all
the different languages.
Gettin’ their “groove” on.
Aniket Salve practicing to be a rock star.
reluctant to let any of them go—she
loves them all so much—It would make
more room available for other desperate
cases to come into Stella’s warm and
caring home.
We found our visit so enjoyable we
wanted to share our joy with others. The
children love having visitors; they really
get a kick out of performing their songs
and dances; so I highly recommend a trip
there next time you are on pilgrimage to
the Beloved’s Samadhi. And if you have
clothes your children have outgrown,
these are always greatly appreciated.
But if you don’t have a trip to India
planned in the near future, you can visit
them via computer at:
www.pumpkinhouse.in/
For the visitors.
Thanks to donors through PH USA, Charlie Gar’dner and
the many Indian friends who were generous towards the
project. The new building is being constructed on the
land purchased in the name
of Pumpkin House for Children Trust.
Stella shows Dartha the crafts room.
Proud Mama shows off her children’s excellent craft works.
11
Seen Around
the MPR
Dina Gibson
A
s a lot of you already know by now,
after the death of my husband on
11/11/11, I high tailed it to India as soon as I
could. Although I spent the first week crying in my room, gradually I became more
social and ventured into the dining room
at the Meher Pilgrim Retreat. I’m so glad I
did, as I renewed old friendships and met
some beautiful new people, especially
two old friends, Simon Reece and Sky
Wiseman, both of whom were so wonderfully happy with their second wives.
Simon, from England, met the lovely
Carla from Argentina at the MPR a few
years ago. Baba sprinkled His magic marriage dust, and they are now making beautiful music together, having just released
a new CD: Romanzo Divino – a beautiful
follow up to Muchas Voces, Mucho Corazon. These CDs are available in our Shoppe
on Love Street.
Sky met his beautiful Kenyan bride
Njeri (pronounced Je’ree) while working
in Nairobi. There is a beautiful long story
behind their finding each other – a series
of ‘coincidences’...but that is for a future
issue.
Not having been to Meherabad for
six or seven years I wasn’t aware of just
how many foreigners are coming these
days. Previously the majority of Western
pilgrims were from the U.S., the U.K.
and Australia. But this time, many different languages were heard in the Dining
Room. I managed to talk a group of
Russians into posing for me and also two
lovely Japanese ladies.
12
Meherwan Mistry
weeks I was there we heard Rick Chapman, Meherwan Mistry, Nosh Anzar, Sam
and Roshan Kerawalla.
Sky and Njeri Wiseman
Naosherwan Anzar
Simon and Carla Reece de Sousa
I also saw the prettiest Goth girl this
side of Abbie in the hit TV show N.C.I.S!
Unfortunately, she was too shy to have
her photo taken, and she told me she
didn’t consider herself Goth, but theatrical. Whatever she was, the clothes she
wore were wonderfully eye-catching. I
looked out for her each day to see what
new creation she was wearing. Arnavaz
was an excellent costume designer, having bought or created the costumes for
the “Fire and Ice” Birthday play. They
were spectacular!
I believe there was a movie or talk
each night after dinner, or concerts up in
the music room on the roof of the MPR.
I headed back to my room right after dinner so I missed all that entertainment. But
we also had some wonderful talks given
in the old PC dining room, with a bus to
take us all down there. Just in the two
Sam (above) and Roshan Kerawalla (below)
They came from around His world
The Russians were always a happy group!
France - The lovable Laura Lai, so popular with
all who see her, stands in front of the beautiful
painting by Beth Ganz
The Aussies: Julie and Paul Morris
Anyone who has ever been to Amartithi knows
Sue Biddu, the striking blonde that always sits
by Bhau’s side, attending to his every need.
Here she is with her husband, well known in
Indian films simply as Biddu.
The Japanese: Masako Okada from Osaka, and
Mayumi Watanabe from Nagoya
USA - Rick Chapman
13
S
Dawn Breaks on Baba’s Birthday
hortly after I took this photo (and
my camera lost its charge) the sun
hit the top of Baba’s Samadhi. The first
quatrains of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat
sprang to mind — so wonderfully appropriate:
Awake! For morning in the bowl of night
Has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.
And lo, the Hunter of the East
has caught
The Sultan’s turret in a noose of light.
Dreaming when Dawn’s left hand
was in the sky
I heard a voice within the Tavern cry:
“Awake my little ones and fill the cup
Before life’s liquor in its cup be dry.”
The pre-dawn crowd
4 a.m. at Upper Meherabad
Dawn breaks
Mohsan with the daf drum
Waiting their turn
Ward Parks plays for us
14
Is that her breakfast or her
pet chicken?
The Mahabarat
Baba’s Birthday Celebration
at Meherabad
February 25th 20012
Dina Gibson
I
“Fire and Ice: Draupadi’s Story”
have just returned from the best production I have seen in many a long
year, and since I live in Los Angeles and
have been in a number of Hollywood
plays myself, I know whereof I speak.
The production values, not to mention
the performances, were on a level with
anything I have seen in the most professional of theaters, with many a famous actor performing.
Joe DiSabatino, an American who has
lived at Meherabad since 2010, was the
guiding light behind it, being not only
director and producer, but scriptwriter
as well. He was inspired to write the
play by the novel “Palace of Illusions”
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni which
itself is taken from the famous Indian
play “The Mahabarat,” which, when
performed in full, usually runs for at least
eight hours. The story takes place 3000
years before the birth of Christ, but I will
let Joe himself tell the tale of how this
fabulous production was put together
in three weeks:
“I went to Alan [Wagner] in early 2011
with an idea for a play featuring Arjuna. He
suggested I read “The Palace of Illusions”
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, which I did,
and loved it. So I decided to do a stage
adaptation (a la Baba) of that novel. I
wrote it in Thailand in the spring of 2011. I wanted the story to be a tragedy about
the awakening of Draupadi’s heart. Along
with her twin brother Dri, she stepped
out of the Yugna fire as a 10-year-old,
an additional gift from the gods for her
father King Drupad, who had prayed for
a warrior son to avenge his enemy, King
Drona. The gods say to Drupad: ‘And behold we give you this girl, a gift beyond
your asking. Take good care of her for she
will change the course of history.’
She was programmed for vengeance
by the gods in the Yugna fire. As a youth
she tried to resist her fate but when
she was humiliated in the Kaurav court
later in life, her vengeance Yugna programming kicked in and lasted until the
war. In the play I have three Demons
symbolize Drauapdi’s pride, hatred
and anger, the emotions that fuel her
driving need for vengeance. After the
extreme devastation and death of the
18 day war, and through the grief of
losing her brother and five children, her
heart opened. She became more human,
applying what had been her youthful
ideals of helping her female subjects; her
transformation culminating in the scene
on the snow ledge where Krishna floods
her heart with Divine love.
An important theme for me in the
writing of the play was the role of women, not just in society, but also spiritually
in relation to men. (It gave me pause for
thought -- here I was a Westerner doing
a play on an important Indian cultural
subject, and beyond that, a man writing
a play about a woman’s journey.) One of
the main ideas I wanted to get across
in the play is the notion that a woman
is naturally in touch with the Divine because of her innate ability to be in her
heart, the only place where God can be
found. The Sufis teach that in a committed relationship a man can access the
Divine thru his beloved’s heart more
easily than he can do that on his own.
To get that across, I had Krishna say
something to that effect to the teen
Draupadi in the scene where she is upset
about her dark skin. Then again later,
when Draupadi scolds Yudhishthir in the
forest, saying what she wishes for him
to learn, is that loving and protecting his
wife can open him to the Divine, not just
fasting and reading the scriptures, as
was his preference. And Krishna’s gift to
Draupadi at the end was to fill her heart
with Divine love, whereas He gave Arjuna a more ‘masculine’ gift, in the way
He showed Arjuna His Universal Form.
I wanted to take the story line as
given in “The Mahabarat” and enhance
it with more modern psychological and
spiritual perspectives.
The fact that a woman played such
a significant role 5000 years ago in
Krishna’s work with the decadent ruling warrior class in India and with all of
humanity, is a link, I believe, to our age
where Baba also changed women’s
position in society and gave them significant roles in His work. In that sense,
Draupadi is a very modern woman and
her struggles speak directly to her contemporary sisters.
I think Draupadi’s story has universal appeal because, like her, we are all
‘programmed’ by our sanskaras from
past lives and so often it is the pain of
losing that which our sanskaras have
driven us to acquire—relationships,
comforts, accomplishments, money,
etc.—that enables our hearts to open.
Sharmie Shaligram and I worked on
her major role as Draupadi during the
summer and fall of last year. I didn’t
think anyone could do it justice coming
at it fresh in only three weeks. I think all
that preparation showed in Sharmie’s
brilliant performance. She was in touch
with Divakaruni for several months
before the play and Chitra was really
pleased that we were staging her novel. She loved the photos of the play and
wants a copy of the DVD when it’s ready.
Funny how Baba works: I wanted to
give the main production people several
months to think about it so they could
start work early. Larry Thrasher was
originally going to compose the music,
working on it from home in the States,
and then had to cancel his trip to India at
the last moment. So I turned the music
composing over to Simon Reece, who
did an excellent job on such short notice.
Likewise, I gave Nadia Wolinski—my
set designer—the script, six months in
advance, but then she had to leave for
the States two days before rehearsals
started, so I was directing by day and
designing and building sets at night.
Nadia was able to return with four days
to go and worked literally non-stop until
the play opened. We both ended up doing three all-nighters in the days before
the play. I’m surprised I didn’t fall asleep
during the performance!
How we got it done in only 18 days of
rehearsal seems like a Baba miracle now
that’s it over. It felt like Baba was saying:
‘So you think you’re in charge, do you,
with all this advance preparation? We’ll
see!’ There were moments of tremendous panic, and at one point I thought
I’d have to cancel the play because I
continued on bottom of p. 25
17
Draupadi played by Sharmila Shaligram
1. Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharta, addresses the
audience. As in the epic, Vyasa is both a narrator of the
play’s story and a participant.
4. Grand Finale: Draubadi’s Dance of Adoration for Krishna
2. In the Kauravan court Draupadi is humiliated but is saved by
a miracle from Krishna. This is one of the main events that triggered the great war.
3. Krishna informs Pandava brothers that His peace
mission to Duryodhan has failed. Yudhisthir must now
decide: war or peace?
18
5. Krishna appears to Draupadi as she dies on
Himalayan ice ledge.
Draupadi and Krishna in a
tender moment after
the play
What’s Happening at Meherana
Greg Dunn, Mariposa, California
W
inter 2012 has been a busy time
at Meherana, and for the growing community of Baba lovers who live
in Mariposa. Recent “immigrants” to
Mariposa include Ben Leet, and Jay and
Jeannie MacDonald, all of whom have
moved here from the Bay Area; the Choi
family ­­ —Mark, Peni, Michael, Aaron,
and Kayla, who are developing the
“Meher Haven” property, and Therese
Minehan, who moved from Australia.
They join Greg, Gay, and Aminta Dunn,
who moved to Mariposa last August and
are now the Caretakers at Meherana.
We have regular weekly reading meetings throughout the year, in addition to
intermittent music and sharing meetings, a celebration of Baba’s birthday,
and impromptu hiking excursions and
bike rides. And of course, there are
always abundant service opportunities
at Meherana!
In early January, volunteers constructed and planted an orchard of 25
fruit trees and several berry bushes in
the northwest corner of the 189 acre
property that comprises Meherana’s
western side. During the remainder of
the month, final touches were put on
plans for a cottage in the Meadow area
that will provide comfortable year-round
accommodations for visitors and small
gatherings. Telephone and propane infrastructures were installed, work was
done to activate a new water well, and
the annual task of pruning, brushing,
and burning was carried out.
In early February, construction on the
cottage began in earnest. In addition to
a dedicated local team including Chris
Pearson, Ralph Brown, Paul Williams,
Ben Leet, Peter Justin, Michael Comerford, and Joe Leonard, others have
travelled from considerable distances
to help out. Jim Wilson came from
Oregon to share his skills as a construction foreman (and singer/songwriter!)
for six weeks. Walker Horne came from
Georgia and worked on the cottage
for a month, also finding time to play
a country blues gig with Ralph at the
River Rock Cafe in downtown Mariposa.
Cynthia Shepard came up from Southern California, and of course numerous
people have travelled from the Bay Area
to volunteer their time. Locals Cheryl
Johnson, Christi Pearson, Kebi Brown,
Therese Minehan, and Michalene Seiler
have helped out by providing meals for
the hungry workers!
Incredible progress has been made
in six short weeks. The workers took
full advantage of unseasonably temperate weather in February, so that by
the time the rain and snow arrived in
mid-March, the entire structure was
up, with a plywood and tar paper roof.
A team of volunteers including Heather
Stovall, Brian Dolan, David Greenstein,
and David Kershaw arrived from the
Bay Area on the snowstorm weekend
and worked with members of the local
team on installing electrical wiring inside
the cottage. A weather break following
Meadow Cottage before the storm...
the snowstorm has allowed installation
work on the wood siding for the house
to begin.
When complete, the Meadow Cottage will provide meeting facilities for
40, dining facilities for 25, two bedrooms
for guests, and bathroom and laundry
facilities. Four new 4-person tent cabins
will be constructed nearby; residents
of those will share cooking, dining,
bath, and laundry facilities with house
residents. Everyone’s very excited that
visitors will now be able to enjoy Meherana year-round, as some of the best
daytime weather in Mariposa occurs
during seasons when it’s a bit nippy for
outdoor camping.
Fund-raising for the Meadow Cottage is ongoing; if you can help, please
contact Christi Pearson by email at
[email protected] or by phone at
209.966.5078.
In May, everyone will shift gears to
prepare for and host distinguished visitors. First Ward Parks will arrive to lead
a nine-day class on the book Infinite Intelligence and related works, May 12-20.
(A few spots are still available for the
class.) Then Ella Marks and Margaret
Bernstein will join Ward as guests at
the 2012 Spring Sahavas, to be held May
25-28. For information about either the
class or the Sahavas, please contact
Christi. It’s an exciting and dynamic
time at Meherana, and we’d love to see
you here!
...and after!
19
Pouring the foundation
Hoisting the second wall
Installing roof trusses
Brian D., David K., Heather S., and Andrew T.
Paul & Bob working the rafters
Chef Cheryl Aoife (left) serves up lunch for a hungry crew
20
Baba’s Cabin
Agua Fria
Welcome to the House of the Beloved
in Hamilton, New Jersey
Beloved Archives opens
the Meher Baba Archive
to the public
By Naosherwan Anzar
Photographs by Robin Vogel and Philip Ludwig
S
eptember 24, 2011 was a day of miracles. The climatologists had predicted
thunderstorms, heavy rains and flooding.
In preparation, organizers had set up a
large indoor hall elegantly dotted with
photographs and paintings of Avatar
Meher Baba.
It was the launch of the first Meher
Baba archive in the West open to the
public — to people of all castes, creeds
and religions. And 200 seekers came in
by cars, buses and airplanes to celebrate
the Event.
And then the Beloved One turned
the key. Streaks of sunlight parted the
dark clouds and the 2-day celebration
was soaked in sunlight and completely
rain-free.
ENTERING THE RED DOOR. Small
groups of attendees entered the red door
of Beloved Archives clutching an elegant
printed program with Meher Baba’s image on the cover, to review Meher Baba’s
artifacts, photographs and documents
and then walked over to the “The Garden
of the Beloved.”
The emblem of “Mastery in Servitude”
with symbols of all the major religions Meher Baba, 1932 England
at the Devonshire Retreat
welcomed visitors. Tom, Diane, Seth and
Photo: R. L. Knight
Obe Golding in Vermont have lovingly
crafted the plaque after acclimating the
wood to interior humidity.
IN GRATITUDE. Opening the event,
Naosherwan Anzar welcomed visitors
to the House of the Beloved and shared
stories of his meetings with Meher Baba.
He introduced Beloved Archives and
its contents and lovingly expressed his
gratitude to be given the opportunity to
serve Beloved Baba and to create an outreach for his universal message — a mandate from Meher Baba himself in 1965.
Naosherwan thanked the contributors
who had assisted in making the House
of the Beloved possible. He later pointed
to the ‘Wall of Love’ that lists the names
of donors who helped create the archive
and continue to do so and invited seekers
to assist with its ongoing archival work.
A MATTER OF CONVICTION. Judge
Henry Kashouty spoke of his “awakening” in Meher Baba’s love. “I received
a gift copy of God Speaks, saw his photograph and called the lady who sent
the book and said, ‘He is the One. ’ I had
complete conviction in his divinity,” said
Henry. He wrote directly to Baba, and
said, “Dear Meher Baba, I have your book
God Speaks and it has great meaning for
me. I want to meet you and I don’t think
that’s impossible.” He added, “Baba says
the ego stands between you and your
own Godhood, and you can’t get rid of it.
The antidote for ego-addiction . . . is God
Himself. He’s the only antidote. He has
to come into human form to free us. And
when we’ve become convinced about it,
Home of Beloved Archives
21
there is that path, there is that goal, there
is that destiny, that is the key that Baba
has placed in our hands.”
MESSAGE OF “NO DRUGS.” Allan
Cohen, author of the classic Mastery in
Consciousness spoke with characteristic
candor and humor about his early years.
“It was a sunny, fresh autumn day in
1964. I was a graduate student at Harvard, where I had come into contact
with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert
and quickly became absorbed in their
extra-curricular explorations of ‘better
living through chemistry.’ The chemicals
in question were psychedelic drugs.
Learning of Meher Baba, the foremost
living spiritual teacher in India, and finding
that his clear and precise descriptions of
higher consciousness seemed to parallel
my own drug experiences, I had written
him, never expecting an answer.” Cohen
did receive a response from Meher Baba,
who emphatically stated that no drug
of any kind could generate spiritual illumination. Meher Baba drew a powerful
and decisive contrast between authentic
spiritual experience and the deceptive
illusions created by chemical approaches
to inner development.
ENTERTAINING THE LORD. All day long
and into the next day, singers and musicians regaled the Lord with music and
songs. Troubadours from Sufism Reoriented filled the air with music and songs
in praise of the Beloved. Their program
opened with a resounding musical video
of Jai Ho by Mischa Rutenberg. Paul Birge
and Hilary Hogan sang Nothing Above Him
and a sweet rendering of Victory Unto
Thee. While music filled the air, Celebrate
in Silence was sung by Miriam White,
Ginger Hammer and Merwan Shafa. The
program of English music ended with a
film of the East-West Gathering narrated
by Murshida Conner.
Dr. Sunil Arora flew in from Wilmington
in North Carolina to stand in solidarity
with Beloved Archives and sang a few
bhajans to his Beloved.
13-year-old Meheresh and 8-year old
Merwan Yeditha sang a number of songs
accompanied by their mother Vimala and
father Srinivas. These two young boys
have been learning Baba songs from a
teacher in India through the medium of
Skype. We bow down to their love and
devotion. The 2-day celebration culminated with the songs of Larry Hunt, who
brought the house down with his spirited
singing and Jack McLoryd, one of the
22
most soulful singers we have ever heard.
MEDIA LAB. Philip Ludwig has brought
his professional expertise in music engineering to create the Media Lab at
Beloved Archives. The House of the
Beloved now has an archival video and
audio suite to encompass transfers from
all incoming formats to digital. The suite
is acoustically treated for live recording
of voice and instruments. This new facility
enables Beloved Archives to record both
video and audio programs held in the
Darshan Room. The audio suite consists of
a digital audio workstation, video editing
with a mixer, audio monitoring and a 43”
HD TV/Computer Screen. Seekers visiting
the House are able to view Meher Baba
films in the Media Lab in a comfortable
atmosphere.
DARSHAN ROOM. All activities
in the House of the Beloved revolve
around the beautiful photograph of
Meher Baba taken in 1932 in England
by the distinguished British portrait
photographer, R. L. Knight. All documents
and photographs have been scanned and
the originals placed in fireproof cabinets.
Photographs have been preserved in
acid-free sleeves. Some of the artifacts are
displayed in large cases, while preserved
garments are stored away. We have
received several letters from Baba lovers
who have “treasures” of Meher Baba and
his close disciples — letters, locks of hair,
signed copies of books, photographs and
a range of artifacts. We are fully equipped
to preserve and display them in the House
of the Beloved. They will be displayed with
the name of the donor of the artifact.
Please consider Beloved Archives when
you wish to donate any or all material
associated with Meher Baba. They will be
preserved, protected and shared.
PRESERVATION. With limited funds
Beloved Archives has taken the necessary
first step in preservation by scanning all
documents and photographs. This is an
enormous job and it is ongoing. At the
same time hundreds of cassette tapes are
being digitized and some are being transcribed (with the possibility of publication
in the future.) And many of the one-of-akind photographs have been restored.
As funds become available through taxdeductible donations, Beloved Archives
will continue with this massive restoration
and preservation project.
THE GARDEN OF THE BELOVED.
Alexander Hamilton, who calls himself
“God’s Gardener,” volunteered to work
on the untamed land at the back of the
House. Here is his account of his work
on Meher Baba’s Garden: “In just a few
months, great strides have been made in
transforming the backyard jungle of the
House of the Beloved into a landscaped
environment worthy of the greatest
lover of gardens, Meher Baba. The first
step was to remove the brambles, briars
and grape vines that had overgrown the
site. A spacious brick patio and stairs have
been added to the back of the house, and
a privacy fence installed. Fortunately the
grounds are blessed with some magnificent mature native tree specimens, such
as tupelo, red maple, cottonwood and
pin oak, which tower over the property. These provide dappled shade in summer,
gorgeous fall foliage, and beneficial habitat for the abundant wildlife and birds.”
FILMS & MORE. As the years go by,
and the light of Meher Baba’s divinity
illuminates humanity, the human side of
God will need to be preserved and shared.
Beloved Archives preserves a large collection of artifacts; Meher Baba’s hair from
different periods of his life, his handwritten letters, his sadras and slippers,
even his finger nails, and a lot, lot more,
some on display and some put away as
“preserved” items. The original Master’s
Prayer dictated by Meher Baba, with hand
corrections by Eruch Jessawala and a lock
of Hazrat Babajan’s hair are prized items,
carefully preserved for posterity. Mani
Irani, Meher Baba’s sister, always felt
that “Baba’s treasures are Baba’s, we are
simply the fortunate caretakers.”
These past few months we have received several films depicting Beloved
Baba’s beautiful image, in video, DVD and
reel format — and hundreds of cassette
recordings. Beloved Archive’s foray into
enriching our film collection got an unexpected boost with Sufism Reoriented donating 15 films of the Beloved and of dear
Mehera Irani, Meher Baba’s chief woman
disciple. We were amazed to view the
rare footage and the exceptional quality
of the restoration process. Two months
later we received a large cache of films on
reels that are yet to be transferred on to
DVD and later onto our external storage
system.
And then we received a gift from a
mandali, Mansari, who has since joined
her Beloved. She had presented her autograph book to one of Meher Baba’s dear
ones in America and it was in turn handed
over to Beloved Archives for preservation
The Master’s Prayer dictated by Meher Baba with corrections made by Eruch Jessawala as directed by
Meher Baba himself in Dehra Dun in August 1953. Original in Beloved Archives
and sharing. It opens up with the signature of Meher Baba himself followed by
signatures and pithy notes by some of the
early disciples.
CONNECTING TO THE BELOVED.
Beloved Archives is a very special place.
Since we opened the doors of the House
of the Beloved, Baba lovers and seekers
alike have visited us. They feel his love.
They weep with joy. They experience a
solemn calm, an environment of peace.
As they connect to the Beloved One,
they feel healed and that brings about
a transformation of consciousness. We
invite you to come to Meher Baba’s House
and partake of his infinite bounty. Bring
your family, your friends — and please
bring your children as well. Each month
we hold a meeting for followers and nonfollowers of Meher Baba to help them
learn more about Meher Baba’s ministry
of divine love.
THE BELOVED’S WEBSITE. On July
10, 2011 Beloved Archives, the Meher
Baba Archival Foundation, launched the
Meher Baba Web Portal (belovedarchives.
org), with a strong focus on the life,
work and teachings of Avatar Meher
Baba. Created by web maven Jon
Truelson, the portal opens with a rotating
series of photographs of Meher Baba
superimposed by pithy messages.
continued on p. 23
23
Naosherwan Anzar welcomes seekers to the House of the Beloved and
shares stories of his meetings with Meher Baba
Judge Henry Kashouty talks of his life with Meher Baba and his deep
conviction in Meher Baba’s divinity.
Troubadours from Sufism Reoriented sing to the Beloved.
The Garden of the Beloved with pathways and areas for quiet meditation.
Meher Baba brought a kaleidoscope from America in 1952 and presented
it to Naosherwan in 1953 during a visit to Dehra Dun.
Hazrat Babajan’s hair in the
Beloved Archives collection.
Meher Baba’s shaving mirror used
by him in the 1920s.
Meher Baba’s alphabet board in Braille used by him in 1953
in Dehra Dun during his visit to St. Dunstan’s
School for the Blind.
Meher Baba’s waistcoat, part of a complete 3-piece suit worn by him
in 1934 in Europe, presented to Keki Nalavala in Dehra Dun.
24
Left: Meher Baba’s watchcase used by him in 1927 during
seclusion on Meherabad Hill.
Beloved Archives continued from p. 23
A DISCOURSE A DAY. Daily browsers
will be able to read a new discourse by
Meher Baba each day from the collection
of discourses recorded in the Silent Teachings of Meher Baba. The portal narrates a
detailed account of Meher Baba’s life and
work as detailed in Naosherwan Anzar’s
book THE BELOVED, complete with photographs of Meher Baba from the vast
photo archives of Beloved Archives.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLEDGE OR
DONATE. For this Archive to continue with
preservation, publishing and sharing, we
would like to give you an opportunity to
serve by PLEDGING $100 each month (or
every 3 months if monthly pledge is not
feasible) to assist with maintenance and
to continue the work mandated by Meher
Baba himself. While it is a tremendous
opportunity for each one of you to serve
by giving generously, it will help us with
archival and publishing projects.
Beloved Archives is a non-profit, tax
exempt 501[c]3 organization. Your donation is tax-exempt to the extent of the
law. Feel free to write to meherbaba@
aol.com or call cell number 609.529.6129
for information on how you can assist
with work for the Beloved.
BELOVED ARCHIVES, INC.
116 Youngs Road
Hamilton, NJ 08619
www.belovedarchives.org
Baba’s Birthday continued from p. 17
was having a hard time finding enough
people to fill the parts. February 25th
started to feel like an execution date
rather than His birthday. I kept saying
to Him, ‘There is no way I can do this in
such a short time, Baba. I’ll do the best I
can, You will have to do the rest to make
it happen.’ Obviously He did.
This was the biggest production I
had ever directed (a previous major
production was ‘L’Amore Divino in Portofino,’ a musical I wrote and staged at
Meherabad in December 2010.) Baba
pushed me to my limits in every which
way with this one. I think being involved
in Baba’s birthday play in any way is an
incredible opportunity to learn a bit
about what life with Baba must have
been like at times: having to accomplish
something extremely difficult, like put-
ting together a Sahavas program, with
a shortage of time, a shortage of people
and on a tight budget.
Baba teaches you how to surrender
to Him under severe pressure, but without giving up, and you realize there’s
always more you can give, and deeper
ways you can turn to Him for solutions to
the daily problems that always turn up.
‘Baba, I just lost one of my Demons with
five days to go. Please send a replacement.’ And He always did. I put together
the video and stills projection on the
back screen, with significant help from
Bob Fredericks and Hughie MacDonald.
There was a Baba group from Hamirpur in the audience, many of whom
didn’t speak English. However the day
after the play, a woman in the group
who speaks Telegu only, told Sharmie
she could follow the play as if she understood English. That was the most
touching feedback I heard. I was more
than a little nervous about being a Westerner producing a play that is such a vital
part of Indian culture, especially with so
many Indians in the audience.”
[Joe need not have been nervous.
The show came off brilliantly! Everybody
was thrilled by the magnificent production they had just seen. The DVD of the
play will be available in the Shoppe on
Love Street - $15]
The Cast:
Draupadi................Sharmila Shaligram
Teen Draupadi................Meher Mistry Krishna...............Meherprakash Tiwani
Dri.......................Meherprakash Tiwani
Arjun...................................Ben Flayton
Bheem..............................Saeed Naderi
Yudhisthir.........................Rayhan Miller
Vyasa.................................Alan Wagner
Demons.....................Marika Akermalm
Meher Buji......................Judy Stephens
Duryodhan................Michael Pettingill
King Dhritarashtra.................Dara Irani
King Drupad....................Thom Fortson
[Some believe that Krishna brought
about a war that left a million corpses
on the battlefield at Kurukshetra to
transition the world into the Kali Yuga,
the last of the four ages the world goes
through. Only Baba knows...]
©MSI Collection, Meherabad, India
Baba dressed as Krishna in Toka, 1928
As Krishna’s love was for
Radha, so is my love for you.
Mehera was destined to become the
Master’s chief woman disciple. One day
on the post office veranda, Baba told her
the story of Radha and Krishna and said,
“As Krishna’s love was for Radha, so is
my love for you. You love me as Radha
loved Krishna.” A few days later, Baba
declared before all the women mandali,
“Mehera is my Radha. Her love is unique.
She is most special to me.”
Lord Meher Vol 2, p. 697
Meher Baba said:
“When I came as Ram I was a Gentleman.
When I came as Krishna, I was a Rogue.”
25
Poetry
The Human Face of God
Thank You
Fountain of Fire
Rumi
Come on sweetheart let’s adore one
another before there is no more of you
and me.
a mirror tells the truth, look at your
grim face brighten up and cast away
your bitter smile.
a generous friend gives life for a friend,
let’s rise above this animalistic behaviour and be kind to one another.
spite darkens friendships, why not cast
away malice from our hearts.
once you think of me dead and gone
you will make up with me. you will miss
me, you may even adore me.
why be a worshiper of the dead. think
of me as a goner, come and make up
now.
since you will come and throw kisses at
my tombstone later, why not give them
to me now. this is me that same person.
I may talk too much but in my heart is
silence what else can I do, I too am condemned to live this life.
An extract, translated by Nadar Khalil
26
Avatar
Avatar Meher Baba
You fill our souls with warmth and
love
as we go about in your world
we know that everything is yours
and that you are constantly watching
over us
so we try to impress you
to do our best no matter what
so once our many lives are up
we will be with you for eternity
but we realize we don’t need to impress you
we just need to do right by you
and have faith in you
in you and your undying love
for us and for all your creations
so we thank you
for always loving us
because when we fail or when we let
others down
it is you that is always there
always loving
always believing
always caring
always supporting
you complete us
you never let us down
you are the one thing in all of our lives
that can never do that
you are our rock
stabilizing us
keeping our heads clear
because when we think of you we are
peaceful
so we thank you
thank you
-Nicole Mendoza (12 years old.)
O Baba, do I love You as the human
face of God,
Or the divine face of man?
Or because You love me the way only
pure love can?
As man, You are perfection, beauty,
wisdom, grace, play.
As God, You are the sun at midnight
And the hidden roll of thunder at midday.
O Baba, do I love You as the human
face of God,
Or the divine face of man?
Or because You love me the way only
true love can?
As man-God, You are my best companion: my nearest, dearest friend.
As God-man, You are the Ancient One:
He who was and is from eternity’s
beginning till its end.
O Baba, do I love You as the human
face of God,
Or the divine face of man?
Or because You love me the way only
matchless love can?
As God, You are immanent, latent,
concealed within all.
But as God-man, are You not greater?
Being His compassion, mercy, kindness
and love made visible?
Baba, I love You as the human face of
God,
And the divine face of man.
But most I love You because You are
Love itself
And love me as only the very Source of
all Love can.
Rosie Jackson, England
o Beloved Baba’s Children’s Corner o
The Kingdom
in the Air
Story by Nicole Mendoza, 11 years old. Los Angeles
A
Painting by Margit Wypyszyk
little boy looks up to the clouds,
wondering what’s there. He asks his
mother but she says, “It’s just clouds,
Jacob.” Jacob is disappointed, but if
he really knew what was up there, he
wouldn’t be quite as sad. For you see,
floating on the clouds is a whole city.
And in the city is a castle, in which lives
a wizard. His name is Aaron, and it’s his
job to keep the city floating. However
not one person in the entire city has ever
seen him come down from his tower, not
even the servants he has working for
him. No one dares speak out against the
mysterious wizard, fearing they will be
the cause of the whole city falling if he
hears them with his all knowing powers.
Everyone dreams of the day he will come
down from his tower and use his magic
to make everyone’s wishes come true
with a wave of his wand.
They are still hoping though, because
Aaron has been up there for over 20
years. The only reason he is still alive is
because Joe, his butler, sends up food
for him on a dumbwaiter. Working with
Joe is the cook, Maggie, and the kitchen
maid Rosetta who is only 12 but needs
the money to survive. Her parents were
killed, so she lives alone with her little
sister and has to take care of them both
with the money she earns from her job.
Those three are the only servants Aaron
has working for him. They all have their
own private visions of the wizard, and so
do all the townspeople. All think of him
as a sort of God, someone special they
can look up to.
In his tower Aaron is sleeping, but he
is also dreaming. This is unusual because
when Aaron dreams, he has visions of
the future, which even for a wizard is
very uncommon. He dreams that a great
evil will steal the scepter that gives him
his magic. The evil will then use the
magic for its own terrible deeds and
take over the city. Only someone pure
of heart can save the city and defeat
the evil. The wizard wakes up in a cold
sweat. The dream did not show the faces
of the pure heart or of the evil one, just
leaving behind a sense of urgency. Aaron
needed to do some searching; it was
time to come down from the tower and
meet his public at last.
Downstairs Rosetta is humming
a tune as she washes the breakfast
dishes. Suddenly she hears a noise on
the stairs, she turns around and drops
a plate when she sees whom it is. Joe
rounds the corner. “Rosetta, what did
you break this time? It’s going to come
out of your pay…” The butler trails off
as he too sees Aaron coming down the
stairs. Joe suddenly falls to the floor in
a faint.
And then Rosetta stammers “I-i-is it
really you? The all powerful wizard? Are
you coming down to grant everyone’s
wishes?” “Well... not exactly” Aaron
replied. He hadn’t been expecting this
kind of reaction so he certainly wasn’t
ready for Maggie.
Maggie had always believed, in her
own little world, that the wizard was in
love with her and when he came down
from his tower it would be to propose.
The excited cook flew at Aaron and
tackled him. “Oh my love, I knew this
day would come!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “They all said I was crazy, that you
would never marry me, but look, you’re
here and…” She was cut off by a flick of
Aaron’s wand. The ecstatic 19-year-old
was paralyzed, held in place by Aaron’s
magic.
The tired wizard looked almost
expectantly at Rosetta. “Are you going
to faint or attack me, or anything?”
he asked warily. “Um…no, I’m just
wondering why you are here,” the
curious kitchen maid asked. “I’ll explain
everything later,” Aaron responded.
“Just help me gather all the villagers.
Tell them the wizard is here and has an
announcement to make.” “Sir, yes sir!”
she exclaimed like an obedient soldier.
Aaron floated Maggie onto a nearby
couch while Rosetta shook Joe awake
to help her call a town meeting.
Twenty five minutes later Aaron
stood in front of the town. They were,
Photo of Meher Baba © unknown at this time
of course, all screaming. Joe, Rosetta
and the now mobile Maggie were trying
to get them to quiet down, but Aaron
was the equivalent of Justin Beiber.
Nothing could get them to shut up…
except one of Aaron’s spells. He waved
his wand and everyone in the courtyard
was paralyzed. So Aaron was free to
explain what he had seen in his dream.
He then asked if anyone would like to
nominate someone they thought was
pure of heart.
Once the spell was lifted everyone
tried to nominate themselves so they
could meet the wizard. However there
was one who nominated Rosetta. It
was her little sister Emily, who idolized
Rosetta, and rightfully so. Rosetta was
kind, caring, loyal, and would be an
amazing contestant in Aaron’s contest.
But Joe interfered. Joe hated children,
especially Rosetta, so the conniving
butler told the wizard not to consider
her. “Rosetta? Oh please your highness,
she is a lowly kitchen maid! She does not
deserve to be a hero, and she doesn’t
even have the qualities of a pure heart!”
Emily pouted, knowing he was
wrong, but being only six, she was not
able to do anything about it. “Well Joe,
anyone nominated by someone else has
a chance to participate in my little contest. Any other suggestions then?” Two
people raised their hands, nominating
Kevin, the blacksmith known for telling jolly jokes, and Michael the grocer,
known for giving lower prices to people
who couldn’t afford it. “Okay well then
the contestants are Rosetta, Kevin, and
Michael. You three meet me at my castle
tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. Good day everyone.” With that Aaron and his three
servants returned to the castle.
Later that day, after Aaron had retreated to his castle once more, Rosetta
was given the silent treatment. With
Joe it was normal, but she and Maggie
27
were good friends. “Hey Maggie what’s
wrong? Why won’t you talk to me?” she
begged, hoping for an answer. “I’m
sorry for whatever I did, just please talk
to me.” Maggie whirled around. “You
stole my fiancé from me!” She accused.
“You just have to be SO perfect all the
time. So you will win the contest and
Aaron will fall all over you!” Tears were
streaming down her cheeks. “You’ll be
a hero and everyone loves a hero.” Then
Maggie slapped poor Rosetta and fled
down the hall.
Bang, bang, bang! Went Rosetta’s fist
against the door to Aaron’s tower. When
he refused to open it she knocked again,
but louder this time. BANG BANG BANG!
“Aaron! Open up! I need to talk to you!”
she yelled. “You’ll just have to wait for
the contest!” the exasperated wizard
replied. “This is urgent, I need to talk to
you NOW!” “ See you at 8 AM tomorrow
Rosetta, and not a minute earlier! Now
if you don’t mind, I need to rest up, it’s
going to be a long day tomorrow for
all of us!” Rosetta knew she wouldn’t
be able to talk to him, so with the blow
from Maggie still stinging her cheek, she
retreated down the stairs.
That night the evil grew stronger.
It fed off of people’s pain and misery
28
and Rosetta’s tears
were delicious. The
taste of a friendship breaking was
even sweeter. Soon
the evil would be
strong enough to
break the bond the
wizard had within
his scepter, and
then it could rule
over the city. Only
one of pure heart
could stop the evil
spirit, and they
were close to done
for.
Aaron sat awake
in his room. He had
woken from his
deep sleep to have
a strange sense of
foreboding and
danger. Something
bad was going to
happen soon, he
could feel it. He
hoped he would
be able to find the
one with a pure
heart, and fast! He
got out of bed and checked his alarm
clock. 8 AM was five hours away. Aaron
groaned. He couldn’t wait that long. The
anxious wizard grabbed his wand and
muttered a spell. “Father Time please
don’t be late, this could determine a
city’s fate. Father Time please go a little
faster, not much, just four hours.” He
chanted. It was like someone pressing
a fast forward button on a TV. Aaron
walked over to his window and saw everyone waving at top speed. In less than
a minute his alarm clock started beeping. It was almost time for the contest.
Rosetta woke up and rubbed her
bleary eyes. She hoped that last night
had been a dream, that she and Maggie were friends again, but it was not
to be. When she arrived at the castle
after walking Emily to school she got the
silent treatment once again. The reason
Rosetta had gone to the tower the night
before was to try and withdraw from
the contest. She and Maggie would be
friends again and she probably wouldn’t
have won anyway. The grandfather
clock in the grand hall chimed eight
times; it was time for the contest.
She met Michael, Kevin, and Aaron in
the front of the castle. As soon as she
saw the wizard she ran right towards
him. “Aaron, I need to talk to you.” She
exclaimed. “I want to withdraw from
the contest.” Her competitors highfived, “One less person to deal with!”
Kevin cheered. “You know it!” Michael
clapped. Aaron wasn’t as cheerful. “Why
Rosetta, what happened?” “I just don’t
want to participate.” Aaron took her
aside. “Ok, what really happened?” he
insisted. Rosetta sighed, “My friend
Maggie is in love with you and she thinks
I’m going to win the contest and therefore your heart. She won’t talk to me
and I really miss having her as a friend.
So if I drop out she will like me again.
Can I go now?” “On the contrary Rose. I
think you are the winner of the contest.”
The kitchen maid was petrified. “DID
YOU NOT HEAR A WORD I JUST SAID!!”
She screamed. “Of course I did,” Aaron
replied. “You win because you were willing to give up your chance at fame and
glory for your friend to be happy. And
you found out who the evil is.”
A mysterious figure crept around up
in Aaron’s tower, looking for the scepter. The evil knew it had a lot of time
because of the contest, but what if the
wizard had taken the staff with him? The
demon quickened its pace, wanting to
get out as fast as it could. Suddenly the
door opened, covering in light the evil
that was…Maggie?
“Maggie it was YOU?! How could
you do this!” Rosetta cried. Maggie
hissed at her. “Looking for this?” Aaron
asked, brandishing his scepter. Maggie
lunged at him and threw him to floor.
The scepter flew out of Aaron’s hand
and skidded across the floor, coming
to a stop in front of Rosetta. She bent
down and picked it up, unsure of what to
do. “Rose, you need to kill Maggie!” the
wizard shouted, still pinned to the floor.
“What!” she cried, “I can’t kill Maggie,
she’s my friend!”
Maggie got up from the floor, but
not before throwing Aaron against the
wall. A change suddenly came over the
former cook. She grew a foot taller,
and her skin turned red. Her teeth grew
longer, turning into fangs and her eyes
glowed with hatred. Two horns popped
out from the top of her head and claws
protruded from her fingertips. The beast
standing in front of Rosetta was no longer Maggie, it was a demon. “Give me
the scepter” it growled. Rosetta gritted
her teeth, knowing what she had to
do. “Over my dead body!” The demon
laughed. “Happy to oblige.” It charged
at her intending to run her through
continued on p.31
Beyond Words: The Face of God
The Paradoxes of Life with Meher Baba
Aude Gotto, Norwich, England
T
he day before He dropped His
body, Meher Baba gave this message to His disciple Bhau Kalchuri:
“Remember this, I am not this
body.” To give more weight to this
statement, He even used His voice,
which had remained silent for nearly
44 years, and said aloud: “Yad Rakh,
remember this.”
Yet throughout His life, Baba
used His image, made liberally available on photographs and films, to
strengthen the sense of His presence and keep contact with His
followers. Baba’s picture continues
to draw to Him countless individuals who did not meet Him in the flesh,
and who are in this way given the opportunity to gaze on His form, feel His
companionship and maintain regular
dialogue with him. People who cannot
read English, or one of the languages
into which He has been translated, and
therefore have no access to Baba’s
words and teachings, have been drawn
into a close relationship with Him
through encountering maybe one single
picture, and have recognised Him as God
in human form. This shows that Meher
Baba, the Silent Messiah, can bypass
words to contact those whose hearts
He wants to touch.
Yet in spite of His statements “I have
had enough of words, you have had
enough of words” and “I have come not
to teach but to awaken,” Baba spent
hundreds of hours dictating thousands
of words of precious teachings. Such apparent contradictions are common in all
great masters. Most religious traditions
start with a statement that the reality of
God cannot be described, that He is the
One who cannot be named, and then
proceed to give Him countless names and
describe His Nature, His Will, His actions.
This paradox is not necessarily a
contradiction. It holds together two
opposite poles which are both essential
elements of the spiritual experience:
even though we know that God cannot
be grasped by words, that He is beyond
rational understanding, it is the nature of
our mind to keep asking questions and
looking for explanations. And when our
hearts feel deeply that God is the ground
Meher Baba in Switzerland, July 1934
of our being and the goal of our life, we
cannot help but want to talk about Him.
While recognising the need of our
intellect for answers, and responding
to this need with a wealth of discourses
and profound insights, Meher Baba
pointed out that intellectual conviction
is insufficient to bring knowledge of
God, and that even His own words could
fall far short of the Truth.
The speechless wonder in front of the
unfathomable mystery and the urge to
express the inexpressible, are two sides
of the same coin. Silence and words have
to hold hands. This fact, that there exists
a knowledge which is beyond words, is
beautifully conveyed by Michael Polanyi
in his book Personal Knowledge where
he writes: “We can know more than we
can tell, and we can tell nothing without
the knowledge of things we may not be
able to tell.” This reliance on a knowledge
that we cannot articulate is the essence
of faith.
If whatever we say about God remains grounded in the recognition that
He is essentially beyond the reach of
words, it does not damage the truth;
but as soon as we lose this grounding
and start to believe that we can indeed
describe God, we are on the way to
dogmatism and dry intellectualism, and
the reality we are attempting to express
is lost.
As Baba said: “God cannot be explained, He cannot be argued about,
He cannot be theorized, nor can He be
discussed and understood. God can only
be lived.” (God Speaks, p. 202).
The 18th century philosopher
David Hume laid the foundations
of modern science by stating that
knowledge does not arise from
dogma or tradition, but from personal experience, by which he
meant the experience of our senses,
and he used this as a basis for his
agnosticism. However he did not
recognise that God can indeed be
experienced, at a level which is just
as independent from the physical
senses, as it is from the discursive
teachings of religions.
This experience is an inner event,
which brings total conviction and
needs no explanation; it is not the
same as belief which seeks proof and
can be argued about and doubted; belief
is the adherence to a system of doctrine
or tradition, faith stems from a direct
knowledge and just is. Carl Jung made
this distinction very clear when he was
asked in an interview whether he believed in God. Jung answered pointedly:
“I do not believe, I know.”
As I have said above, for many of
Meher Baba’s followers, the experience
has come not through His words, but
through His picture.
In my case, when I first came to know
Meher Baba thirty-four years ago, the
decisive element was the Don’t Worry
Be Happy picture, which also inspired
Bobby McFarrin to write his famous
song; I felt instant recognition that
this man was indeed God, although I
acknowledged that I could never understand what it meant for someone
to be God in human form. I just felt the
truth of it, and realised that this was who
Jesus was, and what was meant by the
word “incarnation.” The experience was
not rational, but it was beyond doubt.
After this, I was eager to read everything Baba had written, to absorb
His words and teachings. I avidly pored
over the Discourses and God Speaks, and
felt somehow that my mind’s questions
had been answered. At the same time I
carried on a daily dialogue with Baba’s
picture. I was not very interested in the
stories of His life, as what had drawn me
to Him was not yet Love, but a sense
that He was speaking the Truth, and it
was Truth that I wanted, or at least this is
29
how I saw myself then: a seeker of truth.
However, during my first stay in
Meherabad, this limited stance was put
in its place. One day as I sat in Mandali
Hall and Eruch was patiently answering
rather esoteric questions from an eager
American pilgrim, I thought I would also
ask a question. I had been sitting rather
quietly in these gatherings, but now
took my courage in both hands, quite
unaware that I was trying to prove myself clever, and asked Eruch to explain
about the “provisional ego” which Baba
mentions in the Discourses. Eruch, who
had been responding in great detail
to questions about Mahapralaya
and such deep subjects, looked
at me pointedly, and said: “The
trouble with you is that you don’t
read enough stories. Go and read
stories.” Then he turned away and
took no more notice of me.
Somewhat taken aback and
chastened, I felt I must treat this
as an order from Baba, so I started
to read all the stories I could lay my
hands on, in books such as Glimpses
of the God-Man by Bal Natu, Charles
Purdom’s The God-Man, Kitty Davy’s
Love Alone Prevails. Bhau Kalchuri’s
20-volume biography Lord Meher
hadn’t yet been published, but since
then I have read it more than once
from beginning to end.
As I became immersed in the life
of this extraordinary being, and my
relationship with him deepened, I
realised that the way the God-Man
lives is His most profound teaching. The myriad details given in
Lord Meher, which the intellectual
mind, looking for wise pronouncements,
thinks repetitive and unnecessary, are
crucial in giving the flavour of a life perfectly lived: we feel that we are there
with them as we read about Baba’s
intimate exchanges with people and
the small facts of His everyday life, and
this creates the sense of companionship
which He requires of us when he says,
“I want you to make me your constant
companion.”
Stories and pictures bypass the intellect; their impact cannot be rationalised.
But they go straight to the heart, and
are invaluable tools for the work of
remembrance, which can become the
fabric of our daily life, building a sense of
familiarity and closeness with the impossible paradox of a God in Human Form.
There are innumerable stories that
bear witness to Baba’s use of His image
30
to communicate with people, and to the
tangible power of His picture. To quote
but one of many, here is Ruth White’s
description of her first encounter with
Baba at the home of Malcolm Schloss
in 1944 (taken from Bal Natu’s When He
Takes Over):
“[Malcolm] led us to a photograph on
the wall. ‘This is Meher Baba of India,’ he
said. Looking at the photograph, great
waves of power emanated from the face
as palpably as if the sun had suddenly
flashed on a cold winter day. ‘How wonderfully kind He looks,’ I managed to say,
Photo of Meher Baba ©MSI Collection, Meherabad
although silence would have been more
in keeping with the waves of delight
that were sweeping over me. After that
eventful evening, if anyone had tried to
lessen my faith in Meher Baba it would
have been futile. I had contacted Him
spiritually and the impact of that meeting would remain with me forever.”
There are also stories of people
seeing a mysterious stranger in their
dreams, and later recognising Him as
Meher Baba on seeing a photograph of
Him. One of these dreamers was Dorothy Hopkinson, whose psychoanalyst
became very angry and accused her
of making up these repetitive dreams.
When Dorothy saw Baba’s picture on
the cover of Charles Purdom’s book
The Perfect Master and recognised the
man in her dreams, she stopped her
psychoanalysis!
For me, simply looking into Baba’s
eyes can be a transforming moment,
when I truly feel that “Nothing is Real
but God, nothing matters but love for
God.” The Love that radiates from His
face awakens my love for Him and often
tears flow.
There is also the extraordinary diversity of expressions Baba offers us. In
the book of photographs entitled Love
Personified He is shown in such a variety
of moods, ages, activities and costumes,
that one feels that He is indeed everyone
and everything. And these pictures have
a life of their own: the same photograph can convey, depending on the
need of the moment, smiling benevolence, tender compassion, frowning displeasure or chuckling glee.
This is not only my experience but
that of many people I know. “You
are Omnipotent and Omnipresent,”
we say in the Master’s Prayer. Baba
can indeed do anything He chooses,
including “talking” through His photograph, and He is literally present
in the pictures of His human form.
However, the paradox surfaces
again: “I am not this body. . . Try to
see Me as I really am.” If we cannot
see Him as he truly is, what is the
point of gazing at a form which is
now dead and gone? Meher Baba
the man is no longer on earth, so
who or what is it that we are contemplating? There are days when
such doubts overwhelm me, when
His face is silent and empty of
meaning. My mind scoffs: “What
on earth are you doing, bowing
down to a photograph?” God seems
completely out of reach, as the Master’s
Prayer describes Him: “beyond imagination and conception, without colour,
without form, without expression and
without attributes.”
At these times I have reflected on
the use of icons in Christian Orthodox
tradition; it is clear in Orthodox teachings that the icon, or image, is not the
Reality, but the gateway which connects
us with it. The icon is sacred, not in itself,
but as the vehicle that puts us in touch
with something too great for our limited faculties to grasp. Similarly, Meher
Baba’s picture, even though it does not
show the Reality of God —“Remember
this, I am not this body” — serves as a
focus for our contemplation, a pointer
towards our goal of a “divinely human
life” and an object for our love. Like a
Byzantine icon of Christ, or the smiling
face of the Buddha in the temples of
Angkor, it has the power to remind us
that God so loves the world that again
and again He takes a human form and
lives amongst us.
So Meher Baba the man, as all the
other Avatars before Him have done
over the centuries, gives us the possibility to contact the intangible reality
of God. God the Father incarnates as
man—becomes God the Son—in order
to help us find within the Holy Spirit, our
divine nature. Jesus said: “I am the Way,
the Truth and the Life. No one comes to
the Father but through Me.” By taking
a personal form, the impersonal God
awakens our ability to love Him. We can
feel wonder and awe when faced with
eternity and infinity, absolute Power
and absolute Knowledge, but it is not
so easy to feel love for something so
completely beyond our reach. By becoming human, taking on the appearance
of limitation, sharing our suffering and
our joys, Meher Baba made God totally
approachable; we can be natural with
Him, we can be fond of Him as we are of
a friend, we can appreciate His sense of
humour, laugh at His jokes and cherish
the traces of His passage on earth.
Rivers of theological ink have flowed
trying to explain how Jesus was both
God and Man. I find it simpler to accept
that the fact of the Incarnation is quite
beyond my understanding. However, I
have come to know, with this beyondwords knowledge, that it is true. In the
end, all we have is our own experience;
it is the touchstone of our reality and if
we do not trust it we flounder. I cannot
doubt the fact that Meher Baba has
made Himself known to me, that He has
touched my heart and revealed Himself
as God, and continues to communicate
with me through His image, and directly
through inner intuitions and feelings.
His words have satisfied my reason, and
my intellect is at peace. I have no need
or desire to prove this to anyone else,
although I am glad to share it when it
feels appropriate.
I can only rejoice and be grateful for
all the help I have found in Meher Baba’s
words, images and the example of His
life, to assist me in the journey towards
Reality.
The end of it, the homecoming, will
be the realisation that the kingdom of
God is within us, and has been all along.
As T. S. Eliot puts it in the Four Quartets:
. . . the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
And to remain with poetry for the
final word, I would like to quote from Gareth Calway’s ghazal “Coming Home,”
which beautifully conveys the ultimate
experience of the end of all separation,
and the finding of our own true Self:
I am Him. Now the primal Beloved
and lover are one: This is God. I’ve
become who I journeyed towards and
from whom.
O my love! He’s embraced me and
brought me at last to Himself:
This is God. Now I see there is only my
Self in the room.
In this place of Oneness all paradoxes
are resolved.
References
Calway, Gareth. Coming Home. King of
Hearts Publications, 1991.
Davy, Kitty. Love Alone Prevails: A Story of
Life with Meher Baba. Sheriar Foundation,
1981; 2nd ed., 2001.
Eliot, T. S. Little Gidding, from Four Quartets.
Faber & Faber, 1959.
Kalchuri, Bhau. Lord Meher. 20 vols. Manifestation, Inc.
Meher Baba, Discourses (1967), 3 vols.
Sufism Reoriented. Reprint, 4 vols., Sheriar
Foundation, 2007.
Meher Baba, God Speaks: The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose, 2nd ed., rev. Dodd,
Mead, 1973.
Natu, Bal. Glimpses of the God-Man, Meher
Baba. 6 vols. Sheriar Foundation.
Natu, Bal, ed. When He Takes Over .
Polanyi, Michael. On Personal Knowledge:
Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1962.
Purdom, Charles. The God Man: The Life,
Journeys and Work of Meher Baba. Sheriar
Foundation, 1964, 2010.
Reiter, Lawrence. Love Personified: Photographs of Meher Baba. Manifestation Inc.
“And that’s why I am honored to
present Rosetta Mendoza this year’s
medal of bravery!” Aaron shouted
over the crowds’ cheers. A month
had passed since the death of the
demon, and Rosetta’s life had changed
tremendously. She was now thought
of as a hero and everyone looked up
to her, respected her. She had many
more friends, and even Joe wasn’t as
horrible. But she still missed Maggie.
Even though she was a demon that had
been planning to kill Aaron and take
over the city, when she was human she
was a great friend.
But that was all behind her now. She
had a great life, and she deserved it. She
went on to find the cure to a deadly
disease and discovered new technology
for the city. She donated to the poor
and was a leader in the community.
Rosetta Mendoza, a lowly kitchen maid,
had a pure heart that saved the city,
and then made many new discoveries.
This teaches us that greatness can
come from where you least expect it.
“Kindom of the Air” continued from p. 28
with its sharp horns. Rosetta held out
the scepter in front of her. Even though
she had never heard them before, the
words came to her naturally. “Demons
from the other side, run away from me
and hide. Demons that have no pure
souls, WATCH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
FACED WITH HEART!” The scepter
glowed and shot out a beam of light. A
piercing scream was heard, and when
the light cleared, Maggie was gone. All
that was left was a little pile of ashes.
31
Are Immense Changes
on a Planetary Scale Coming Soon?
I
n the year 2009, I gave a talk
at the Los Angeles Meher Baba
Center (Meherabode) on Meher
Baba’s connection to the Mayan
Calendar end date of December
21st, 2012. Dina Gibson was on
hand and asked me to write this
presentation as an article for the
Love Street Lamp Post, which I
did; however, it wasn’t printed.
Interestingly, the film 2012 by
Roland Emmerich screened that
same year. It depicted the neartotal cataclysmic destruction
of the earth with the exception
of several life-saving arks that
preserved selected remnants
of the human race. Three years
later, contacting Dina via email,
I suggested that now would be
a good time to revisit and print
this article. Extensive revision
has been incorporated into this
2012 version.
In providing an overview
for this article, it addresses the
Mayan Calendar issue but additionally will explore related
topics. These will be: Meher
Baba’s connection to Revelation
– the prophetic section at the
end of theBible. Various musings about
Baba breaking His great silence and the
subsequent manifestation. Additionally,
the notion that Meher Baba is Kalki - the
long-awaited White Horse Avatar.
In order to establish a link between
the Avatar of the Age and the Mayan
Calendar end date, as well as other topics discussed in this essay, I have utilized
the Chinese 60-year cycle Calendar [see
this calendar at end of article]. Many readers will already be familiar with this tool
either through the literary works of Kenneth Lux or my two DVD’s.
The Chinese Calendar is ancient – its
origin given as 2637 B.C. Thus, it is presently over 4600 years old. Kenneth Lux’s
book: The Mystery of the Manifestation,
states that the possible originator of the
60-year cycle calendar may have been
Zarathustra (Zoroaster) – the first of the
six Avatars that preceded the advent of
32
Harry Thomas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
birthday of December 22nd,
1907. Extending from this, her
placement on the Great Wheel
is in position #44 and her sign is
Ting Wei – Fire Ram (or Sheep).
Mani, December 15th, 1918,
in turn is #55 Mou Wu – Earth
Horse. Following this, I added
Mehera’s number of 44 with
Mani’s number 55 and arrived
at 99. Nine represents a numerical ending for after that, every
number is then reused in differing combinations. Therefore 99
(any doubling of a number from
a Chinese numerical perspective
is significant) would indicate
(from my interpretive position)
a numeration for “end times.”
I stated this in my talk of 2002.
However, when Meher Baba’s number on the Great Wheel,
#31 – was added to Mehera’s and
Mani’s combined number of 99,
the result was 130. For years I
grappled with this conundrum
and sought to understand how
the resultant sum of 130 could
still signify “end times.”
Fortunately for me, while on
Kalki by Diane Cobb ©Sufism Reoriented
the East Coast, Ken Lux introMeher Baba. If this is indeed so, then an duced me to Maya Cosmogenesis 2012
Avataric origin for this calendar system by John Major Jenkins in the early part
is established.
of 2004. Upon returning to Los Angeles,
Explaining the Chinese 60-year cycle I purchased and read this book and then
Calendar­ – there are 12 animals in this on October 23rd of that same year, the
system and five elements: wood, fire, answer flooded into my mind and literally
earth, metal and water. Combining these froze me in my tracks; whereupon ambutwo constituents (each animal coupled lating again at a snail’s pace I repeatedly
with all five elements), 60 combinations uttered, “Baba, that’s impossible – that
are enacted. Additionally, each of the 60 can’t be.” In repetitious fervor I continyears has a numerical designation, name- ued proclaiming, “Baba, that’s imposly, 1 through 60. Meher Baba’s placement sible – that can’t be.”
on the Great Wheel is in position #31. The
I will duly reveal this connection but
Chinese designation for Baba’s sign is first a brief introduction. The Mayan
Chia Wu – Wood Horse.
Calendar began in the year 3114 B.C. and
it constitutes a 5,125 year cycle in which
Mayan Calendar Material
we are literally at its terminus. This 5,125This connection began in seed form
year cycle, also called the Mayan Long
from a talk I delivered at the Los Angeles
Count, is divided into shorter periods of
Meher Baba Center in April of 2002. Contime. The longest is labeled a Baktun,
sulting the numerical designations on the
which is about 400 years in length, of
60-year calendar, I calibrated Mehera’s
which there are thirteen on the Mayan
coordinates by using her celebrated
Long Count. According to Jose Arguelles
who authored The Mayan Factor, as of
1618, the world entered the final Baktun.
This quad-century time period is
divided into 20 Katuns of twenty-year
length. Of special interest is Katun #14
that began on Baba’s birth in 1894 and
concluded its 20-year span in 1914, the
year that Babajan conferred God-Realization upon young Merwan. By this placement, the Ancient One is chronologically
connected to this segment of the final
countdown of the Mayan Calendar. After
this there are three more time shortenings: Tun (about one year) and Vinal (20
days). Finally you arrive at Kin – which is
a single day.
Using a calibration system known as
Mayan Notation, the Mayan end date
of December 21st, 2012 is written as
13.0.0.0.0. When I conjoined this end
date to Baba, Mehera and Mani’s combined numbers on the Great Wheel as
adding to 130 – the connection to the Mayan Calendar end date was established.
Simply by removing the points and the
last three zeros in the Mayan Calendar
end date, an exact match is established
between 130 and 13.0.0.0.0. Any number
of books or websites will confirm that in
Mayan Notation, the end date of December 21st, 2012 is written as: 13.0.0.0.0.i
On another note, how incredibly interesting that Mehera’s celebrated birthday
(the one that connects her, Baba and
Mani to the Mayan Calendar end date)
will be day number one of the next 5,125
year Mayan Long Count. According to
the Mayans, this end date doesn’t signify
the Armageddon-like destruction of the
world, but instead the end of an era; in
this case either the conclusion of the
fourth or fifth age depending on which
author you choose to cite. Afterwards,
an exalted new type of social life upon
this planet will spiral outward.
Revelation
While working on the Mayan Calendar article for the Love Street Lamp
Post in 2009, I was inwardly prompted
to consult Mehera – Meher by David
Fenster and obtain Mehera’s birthday
from this source. I had read this exquisite work in the spring of 2006 but still,
I thought of Mehera’s birthday in terms
of its celebrated day of December 22nd.
From page three it’s stated, “Sukkur
is somewhat cold in the early morning
hours of Friday, 7 January 1907. Jehangir
[Mehera’s father] leaves, but before he
can return, the baby is born, another
girl – who is named Mehera.”
The next wave of inspiration struck
and I investigated online to ascertain
which of the animal signs January 7th,
1907 fell under. Reiterating - when utilizing Mehera’s celebrated birthday of
December, 22nd, 1907, her sign is that
of a ram or sheep. With the recalculated
birthday of January 7th, 1907, an entirely
different reading occurs. First of all, Mehera’s place on the Great Wheel became
the preceding sign; numerically, this
would confer #43 upon its placement.
However, incredulity and amazement
accompanied the realization of what her
new animal signature was on the Chinese
Calendar. In that moment of discovery I
gleefully exclaimed, “Oh my goodness,
Mehera’s a horse!” Specifically, she’s
Ping Wu – Fire Horse. Joining Baba and
Mani, Mehera’s sign is also a horse, when
her actual birthday is used.
Shortly after this realization, the notion
of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
from Revelation percolated into my
receptive consciousness. Concerning the
Bible’s Revelation, this is no small matter to millions of Christians worldwide.
Many passionately believe in the prophetic veracity of this part of Scripture.
As an example, there is the Left Behind
series (sixteen books total) written by a
Christian writing team, one an author the
other a biblical scholar, that depicts within
a fictional format the cataclysmic events
of Revelation. More than 63 million of
their books have been sold and volumes
7 through 12 were all number one on
the New York Times bestseller list. In
other words – mega-sales that scant few
authors experience or enjoy.
Interestingly, turning to the Islamic
world, there exists a prophetic legend
similar to aspects of Revelation. This
prophecy concerns the arrival of alMahdi, the twelfth and final imam, who
will appear in the end times brandishing
Allah’s sword Zulfiqar. He along with
Jesus will bring peace and justice to the
world. Millions of Muslims believe in this
end-times scenario.
The narrative resumes with my pondering of The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse in Revelation. The horse-trinity of Baba, Mehera and Mani configured
3/4ths of this prophetic arrangement but
lacked definitive completion. I steadfastly inquired, “Where’s the fourth horse?”
Several days later while walking, it
came to me, “Eureka – we have the
fourth horse!” Given Meher Baba’s
repeated indications that He is indeed
Kalki, the White Horse Avatar, this addition to the existent trinity convincingly completes the arrangement of
four horses. Interestingly, following
Mani’s animal signature of Mou Wu,
#55, the succeeding horse sign is Keng
Wu, #7 which is the metal horse, whose
color is white. The White Horse Avatar
aligned with the trinity of Baba, Mehera
and Mani’s horse signs on the Chinese
Calendar, satisfactorily established in my
mind a connection to the Four Horsemen
of the Apocalypse in Revelation.
From the Bible, chapter six verses one
through eight in Revelation describes
the actions and words of these four
horses. Each horse uttered, “Come and
see” then afterwards, a vision enfolded.
The first steed to appear was white,
the second red, the third black and the
fourth was a pale horse.
Modern interpretation posits that
from this quaternary of equines, the
white horse represents pestilence,
the red horse war, the black horse
famine and the pale horse death. So In
this sense, the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse represent negative qualities. However, it’s my firm position that
Baba, Mehera, Mani and the White Horse
Avatar aren’t the symbolic equivalent
of these four horses. Symbols are given
credence due to the context in which
they appear. From this understanding,
Baba, Mehera, Mani and the Kalki Avatar
don’t represent these adverse attributes
but instead serve the purpose of being
the fulfillment of prophecy.
Revelation is replete with symbolic
images: seven candlesticks, seven seals
and seven stars are but a few examples.
Perhaps the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse was the easiest and most
convincing to match. I honestly feel
that with Baba, Mehera and Mani all
being horses on the Great Wheel, and
this equine-trinity being aligned with the
White Horse Avatar, a prophecy-fulfilling
match occurs.
Further in Revelation, in chapter 19,
verses 12 through 16, a white horse again
appears but this time it’s ridden by Lord
Jesus. “On his head were many crowns
… his name is called Word of God and
his armies in heaven followed him upon
white horses. … And he has on [his]
vesture and on his thigh written, King of
33
Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Returning to the Four Horsemen of
the Apocalypse, in order for the triumphant Christ to later appear in Revelation, the stage first had to be set with his
malevolent counterparts. Then properly,
the divine battle between good and evil
could commence, with the Lord and
his heavenly army achieving decisive
victory over the Prince of Darkness and
his minions.
On another note, in terms of the fulfillment of Scripture with this particular
section of the , within Meher Baba’s advent, there were four prominent horses;
namely: Sufi, the white horse from early
in His advent which He sat upon and applied vermillion to his forehead. There
was the unnamed white horse who
participated with the caravan during one
particular phase of the New Life. There
were the two horse pets: Begum and
Sheba. Other horses contacted the Avatar but only briefly and not significantly.
These four horses were with the Avatar
for extended amounts of time and were
a part of His ongoing advent.
After all of these mental gymnastics, my thoughts then drifted to the
composition of the Samadhi. From my
perspective, the Samadhi is actually a
trinity in its arrangement; namely that
Baba along with Mehera and Mani actually comprise the Samadhi. This tripartite
structural arrangement reminded me of
an atomic nucleus whereby Baba is the
proton and Mehera and Mani are the
neutrons. How incredibly interesting
that the nucleic core of the Samadhi is
comprised of three divine personages
all sharing differing designations of the
sign of the horse.
An Intriguing Silence-Breaking
Numerical Arrangement
Reminiscent of the Mayan Calendar
correspondence highlighted earlier, another intriguing numerical arrangement
will now be introduced. Previously in
the essay, it was stated that the Chinese
Calendar began in 2637 B.C. However,
there are two origination dates assigned
to this calendric system. The alternate
start date is 2697 B.C. which makes this
calendar exactly 60 years older than its
counterpart.ii With this slightly older
calendar, some fascinating numerical
synchronicities occur.
For starters, if you add our current
year of 2012 to 2697 B.C. you arrive at the
34
number: 4709. This would be the current
Chinese year when the earlier start date
of 2697 B.C. is used. Interestingly, when
you advance to the year 2013, then the
Chinese year equivalency will be: 4710.
Note the last three numbers: 710. This
precisely synchronizes with July 10th
(7-10), the day of Baba’s silence in 1925.
Chinese Americans, however, use the
start date of 2698 B.C., and from this
reckoning, our current year is 4710. In
maintaining a single stream in this time
correspondence, I will use the Chinese
start date of 2697 B.C., since China is the
source of this calendric system.
Another fascinating numeration occurs at this point. However, allow me to
restate what Baba, Mehera and Mani’s
numbers are upon the Great Wheel.
Meher Baba’s number is #31. Mehera is
# 43 when her actual birthdate is used
and Mani is # 55. If you take Baba’s number of 31 and add it as 3+1 you obtain 4.
Mehera’s #43 on the Chinese Calendar
would be tallied as 4+3 which renders
7. Mani is sign #55 and totaling 5+5 one
arrives at 10. Hence, by adding together
the numbers in Baba, Mehera and Mani’s
calendar signs, then forming a conjoined
series, the numeration reads: 4 – 7 – 10,
an exact correspondence with the Chinese year of 4710.
When one contemplates the soaring
emphasis that Baba placed upon His silence and its breaking, realization of this
fact posits that Baba’s silence was the
premiere aspect of His divine ministry.
Likewise, recall the numerous times Baba
asserted how powerful the aftereffects
would be following the breaking of His
silence. He stated that it would be more
powerful than thousands of atom bombs
exploding. Given the fact that 2013 corresponds to the Chinese year of 4710 and
that Baba, Mehera and Mani’s numbers
on the Great Wheel when added produce
4 – 7 – 10 should be recognized as possessing a high degree of significance.
It’s exceedingly easy to scoff at this
numeration and maintain that it’s mere
coincidence; however, that would surely
be intellectual laziness or curiosity depravation. Had Baba, Mehera or Mani’s numbers on the Great Wheel been different,
the numerical tally of 4 – 7 – 10 wouldn’t
have transpired. Additionally, had the
start date been other than 2697 B.C. by
even a few years, the 4710 numeration
for 2013 wouldn’t have occurred at this
particular time-juncture.
With miniscule variances to Baba,
Mehera or Mani’s numbers on the Great
Wheel and the origin of the 2697 B.C.
calendar, a match of this magnitude
would be totally eliminated. Additionally,
the numerical configuration of 710 in the
Chinese year of 4710 previously appeared
1,000 years ago and will reappear 1,000
years in the future. From my perspective,
the chances for this number matching
being purely coincidental are utterly
impossible.
Even with this astounding synchronicity, another silence number of the Avatar
looms tantalizingly into the picture. Baba
maintained silence for 43½ years which
rounded off becomes 44 years. If you add
44 years to the time that Baba dropped
His body in 1969, you again arrive at the
year 2013. Therefore, from two entirely
different means of computation, Baba’s
silence numbers of 710 and 44 both intersect with the year 2013. I ecstatically
resonate with this dual correspondence
and find its numerical quality to be absolutely incredible.
For the record, what is the Chinese
sign for 2013? It is Kuei Szu – the Water
Snake whose color is black. The black
water snake is the designation for the
year 2013. Remembrance evokes the
Avatar’s words when on July 9th, 1925,
before becoming forever silent, amongst
other pronouncements, Baba uttered,
“Beware of snakes.”
In terms of the following year, 2014
– what is that sign on the calendar? Interestingly, the succeeding year of 2014 is
when Meher Baba’s sign on the Chinese
Calendar, Chia Wu – Wood Horse – comes
up for the second time since His birth.
The first time was in 1954 and anyone
familiar with Baba’s advent would be
aware of the amount of significant work
accomplished during this 60-year cycle
reappearance of the Avatar’s birth.
Besides 2014 being the reappearance
of Baba’s sign on the Chinese 60-year
cycle Calendar, a profound connection
exists between this year and a pagematching feat in Lord Meher. The full
implications of this correspondence
strongly proclaim that Meher Baba is
indeed the anticipated Kalki Avatar.
Being such, Baba’s possible silence
breaking and subsequent manifestation
is embedded within this overarching reality. To examine the full range of these
synchronicities, I’ll make reference to
Kenneth Lux’s book: The Mystery of the
Manifestation – Suddenism, Gradualism
and Nihilism; also my DVD: Meher Baba
and the Chinese Horoscope. About this
DVD, I’ll emphatically state that the
various correspondences are totally
non-astrological in nature. Everything
presented therein operates completely
outside of the Chinese horoscope system. The 60-year cycle calendar was
the instrument for affecting the sundry
synchronicities and findings.
Another projection for the possible
breaking of Baba’s silence could be the
year 2016. As mentioned in Ken’s booklet
and my DVD, this is the page number
in Lord Meher when Baba is riding on
Champa, the white donkey thereby
signifying His upcoming role as the Kalki
Avatar. Interestingly, this would be the
Chinese year of 4713 and July 13th (7-13)
was when Baba began “the book” and
likewise was the scheduled day in 1932
when the Silent Master was slated to
speak to the world via a radio broadcast
from the Hollywood Bowl.
Further Relationships with the
year 2016
By means of the Chinese 60-year cycle
Calendar, some intriguing relationships
to 2016 are established. Sixty years prior
to 2016 was 1956, the year of Baba’s second auto accident in Udtara, India. The
Chinese sign for both of these years is:
Ping Shen – Fire Monkey - which is sign
#33 on the Great Wheel.iii This area of
the country is strongly associated with
Shivaji and interestingly, is near Satara
which hosts the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji
Museum, which amongst its many holdings, has a section devoted to the legacy
of Shivaji. It features a large painting of
the great warrior of the 17th century who
was responsible for halting the relentless
advance of the moguls. The display section also features weaponry used in the
various campaigns of Shivaji.
Baba revealed on numerous occasions that He was in fact Shivaji, the great
Maratha liberator, and this role constituted a minor advent. As an interesting
aside, a statue of Shivaji was unveiled in
Ahmednagar in 1922, the year that Meher
Baba began His advent.
We will continue regressing by means
of 60-year implements from the year
1956; remembering that each succeeding
date will be Ping Shen – the Fire Monkey;
#33 on the Great Wheel. Hence, they
are all the identical signs and are totally
connected.
The descending years are: 1896, 1836
and 1776. The final date, 1776 is the birthdate of the United States of America. By
means of the 60-year cycle calendar, 1776
directly links up with the year 2016, and
reiterating, on page 2016 in Lord Meher,
Baba is proclaimed as being the Kalki
Avatar. What confers radiance upon this
calendric connection is Baba’s repeated
assertion that America would lead the
world spiritually.
On January 26th, 1933 in Ceylon,
Baba made this statement within the
Ceylon Observer, “Shortly, my mission of
preaching will begin. My reason for starting in America is that America, being the
most deeply engrossed in material things
and suffering the most in consequence,
is the soil on which a new spiritual rebirth
will first take place. America requires
only the guiding hand of a Master to redirect its material powers to the heights
of spirituality.”iv Nineteen years later, on
May 16th, in the year 1952 at the Meher
Spiritual Center Baba stated, “America
now leads the material side of the universe and has such infinite possibilities
that it can lead the world spiritually, if
awakened.”v
Kalki – The White Horse Avatar
Throughout the course of Meher
Baba’s advent, he provided numerous
indicators that He was the fulfillment
of prophecy and was indeed Kalki, the
White Horse Avatar.
In the early days of Baba’s advent,
He sat upon the white horse Sufi and
later applied vermillion to his forehead.
Mehera was present for this event.vi
On September 24th, 1931 Baba and
His entourage went to see a play entitled, White Horse Inn at the Coliseum
in London.vii
On August 24th, 1932, Baba rode a
white donkey to visit the Pyramids and
Sphinx while in Egypt. A picture of Baba
mounted upon this white donkey can
be seen in volume 5, page 1704 of Lord
Meher. Baba’s reason for venturing to
Egypt was to visit the Coptic Christian
Church where Mary and Joseph stayed
after fleeing Herod.
On January 12th, 1933 Baba and His
group began a three day stay at the
White Horse Hotel in Colombo, Ceylon.viii
During a particular phase of the New
Life, an unnamed white horse was a part
of the animal caravan.ix
In volume 6 on page 2016 of Lord
Meher, the wording under the photograph states: “In Hindu mythology the
next incarnation of Vishnu or the Avatar
is called Kalki and he is symbolized by
a white horse or riding a white horse.
Meher Baba riding Champa [a white
donkey] at Meherabad, July 1936; this
photograph reflects that symbolism of
the Kalki Avatar.”
Within Hinduism, Kalki is a prophesized projection who as the 10th Avatar,
will completely vanquish wickedness and
inaugurate a harmoniously spiritual rule
for all of humankind. On September 24th,
1954 during the Three Incredible Weeks,
Baba had Vishnu read Dasavatar (The 10
Avatars) to the Westerners and mandali.
“I bow down to the Incarnation of Kalki,
who is yet to come in this terribly sinful
Kali Age, who is devoid of all religious
rituals such as sacrifices, who will be
riding a white horse, who will have a destructive sword in his hand, and who will
cause the destruction of the multitude
of wicked non-believers.”x Intriguingly,
this reading occurred in 1954 when Chia
Wu – the wooden horse, Baba’s Chinese
birth sign, had reappeared.
Summation
All of these projections are highly
speculative; however, I’ll emphatically
admit to possessing deeply-held inner
convictions that the correspondences
in this essay align with truth. Stemming from what was presented, I firmly
believe that immense changes upon a
planetary scale are indeed coming and
within the time-frame of 2012 to 2016.
I cannot, however, state with total
assurance that gigantic alterations upon
this world are definitely arriving soon.
Lacking omniscience and instead being
solely possessed of human consciousness, I don’t have the Divine Knowledge
that the Avatar and Perfect Masters
have. Therefore, my position rests exclusively upon a strong belief and not
upon rock solid certainly resulting from
operating with higher consciousness.
Supporting my position, however,
are numerous references. Starting with
Meher Baba, He imposed divine silence
upon Himself and repeatedly claimed
that upon its breaking great power
would be unleashed. He delivered many
messages about a coming New Humanity
and along with 20 companions, personally participated in the New Life. He provided sundry hints and clues that He was
indeed Kalki, the White Horse Avatar.
35
All of this serves to confirm that Baba
put much effort and visionary impetus
in preparing the Earth and its people for
stupendous upcoming changes.
The Avatar repeatedly posited that
powerful spiritual forces would stream
into the world upon His releasing them at
their destined time. Likewise, the various
synchronicities highlighted in this essay
serve to proclaim the probable veracity
of Baba’s divine predictions. Conjoining
Baba’s statements with this article’s offerings, the glimmering indications are
that massive alterations to our globe will
eventually manifest.
From my deep understanding of the
subject matter, I contend that the various correspondences highlighted in this
article can’t be the result of coincidence.
In my opinion, labeling the numerical,
symbolic and calendric synchronicities
exhibited in this essay as mere chance,
and not attribute them to the conscious
and deliberate working of the Avatar, is
to belittle His omniscient and omnipotent state.
From this assertion, an honest inquiry
arises: does Baba or does Baba not have
the ability to create the synchronicities
displayed in this essay? I steadfastly
affirm that what was presented in this
article represents a conscious and deliberate set of acts by the Avatar. This in
turn fuels my belief and faith to support
this strong conviction.
Additionally, periodically, I received
“confirmations” that the information
presented here is indeed accurate. These
“confirmations” weren’t listed in the
essay and I won’t do so now. Suffice
to say that over the years, within precise events, I noted occurrences in my
environment that confirmed that the
highlighted information in this essay is
aligned with truth. Once again, all of this
is belief on my part and not absolute certainly that things will unfold as projected.
Returning to the subject of
stupendous alterations to our world; and
then acknowledging that these changes
are forthcoming – inevitably a question
arises: are these transformations to the
human family far into the future or right
around the corner? Given these two
prospects the second inquiry naturally
arises: why is a distant unfolding of
powerful events more likely than one
close at hand? If massive planetary
changes are indeed coming – what’s
preventing them from appearing soon?
36
Why shouldn’t they be proximate to our
current juncture in time?
Concerning how these massive Earth
changes will manifest – in that respect
I have no insights. I don’t have Edgar
Cayce-type visions where I see things in
my spiritual mind’s eye. Instead, I have
inner convictions and unseen premonitions which sustain my spiritual foundation in this area.
I would like to sincerely direct the
reader to either or both of these works
if unfamiliarity is the case. These being
Kenneth Lux’s: T he Mystery of the
Manifestation – Suddenism, Gradualism
and Nihilism or to my DVD: Meher Baba
and the Chinese Horoscope. Each of these
offerings provides additional numerations especially around the 2014 projected date. Additionally, Kenneth’s book
provides fascinating insights into Baba’s
silence breaking and manifestation. Each
of these works would provide charged
fuel for thought and contemplation.
From my perspective, concerning
these potential Earth changes headed
our way, I’ll firmly admit that I feel
empowered knowing this represents a
precursor for Baba’s exalted vision of
the New Humanity easing into destined
manifestation. From this position, I feel
hopeful and prepared rather than worried and scared.
To fittingly conclude this essay, I will
present the magnificent words of Avatar
Meher Baba on the upcoming reality
of the New Humanity. I have selected
seven quotes and may every reader find
inspiration, peace, faith and profound
joy in their enlightened utterances. May
the New Humanity gloriously dawn for
all of humankind and additionally, for
the animals, plants and things on this
struggling planet which we of the English
language call Earth.
Glorious Words of the God-Man
“The New Humanity will come into
existence through a release of love in
measureless abundance: and this release of love itself will come through
the spiritual awakening brought about
by the Masters.
“Humanity will attain to a new mode
of being and life through the free and
unhampered interplay of pure love
from heart to heart. When it is recognized that there are no claims greater
than the claims of the universal divine
life which, without exception, includes
everyone and everything, love will not
only establish peace, harmony and happiness in social, national and international
spheres, but it will shine in its own purity
and beauty.
“Divine Love is unassailable by the
onslaughts of duality and is an expression of Divinity itself; and it is through
Divine Love, that the New Humanity will
come in tune with the Divine Plan. Divine
Love will not only introduce imperishable
sweetness and infinite bliss in personal
life, but will also make possible an era
of New Humanity. Through Divine Love,
the New Humanity will learn the art of
co-operative and harmonious life; it will
free itself from the tyranny of dead forms
and release the creative life of spiritual
wisdom; it will shed all illusions and get
established in the Truth; it will enjoy
peace and abiding happiness; it will be
initiated into the life of Eternity.
“The coming civilization of the New
Humanity shall be ensouled not by dry
intellectual doctrines, but by a living spiritual experience. Spiritual experience has
a hold on the deeper truths, which are
inaccessible to mere intellect; it cannot
be born of unaided intellect.
“The New Humanity shall be free from
the life of limitations and allow unhampered scope for the creative life of the
spirit, and break the attachment to external forms and learn to subordinate them
to the claims of the spirit. The limited
life of illusions and false values will then
be replaced by the unlimited life in the
Truth; and the limitations, through which
the separative self lives, will wither away
at the touch of true understanding.xi
“Creative leadership of the New
Humanity will have to recognize and emphasize the fact that all men are already
united with each other not only by their
co-partnership in the Great Divine Plan
for Earth, but also by virtue of their all
being equally the expression of One Life.
No line of action can be really helpful or
fruitful, unless it is in entire harmony with
this deep Truth. The Future of Humanity
is in the hands of those who have this
vision.
“Out of the agonizing travail and
suffering of the present times, the New
Enlightened Humanity has to be born.
Man shall be weaned away from the allurements of the ego-life; he shall come
into full inheritance of his own divinity
and know himself to be none other than
the Supreme God himself; and his heart
shall be unlocked so as to release the
Dynamic Love Divine. Divine Love knows
no decay, fear or corruption, because it
is illumined by the understanding that all
life is One. Let those who are alive to the
real values hearken to this call of mine;
they will have an ample share in bringing
into existence the New Era of Truth and
Love. I give my blessings to all.”xii
Endnotes:
i Any number of websites will confirm
this numeration. At google.com if you
type in 13.0.0.0.0 you’ll be directed
accordingly.
ii Various websites will confirm this
date. A search under Chinese Calendar
will yield results. Wikipedia can also bestow information about this alternate
starting date of the Chinese Calendar.
iii The 60-year cycle of Baba’s car
accident in America occurs in 2012.
The Chinese name is: Jen Ch’en—the
black, water dragon — #29 on the Great
Wheel.
iv Lord Meher by Bhau Kalchuri — vol.5, pg. 1757
v Ibid, vol. 11, pg. 3823
vi Ibid, vol. 2, pg. 631
vii Ibid, vol. 4, pg. 1434
viii Ibid, vol. 5, pg. 1755
ix Ibid, vol. 10, pg. 3513
x Ibid, vol. 13, pg. 4502
xi The five excerpts were all from the
essay: The New Humanity by Meher
Baba which is located at the very beginning of the Discourses.
xii The two concluding exerpts were
from a source other than The New
Humanity essay in the Discourses. My
particular source was a booklet entitled:
Avatar Meher Baba’s Messages for The
New Humanity edited by Peter Rowan.
Both quotes were on page 13 from a
chapter entitled: The New Humanity.
37
Announcements
Planning a trip to India
in August?
I
f you are, plan on going to Khammam to see the beautiful Centre
there and participate in their Golden Jubilee. It will be held 10th - 12th August 2012.
Khammam is a big city, accessible
by train from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune,
Chennai and Kolk at a [C alcut t a].
The nearest International airport is
Hyderabad. Preferred route for those
in the West would be to go by air
to Hyderabad or Mumbai and catch a
train to Khammam. One could go by
bus also from Hyderabad to Khammam.
(Luxury Buses). For more information
you may email R Ramachandraiah, Chairman, AMBCCharitable Trust at:
[email protected] or
mobile phone: 09848607718.
Planning a trip to
Hawaii?
O
n the beautiful island of Moloka’i
is the Meher Baba retreat founded by Stan and Shirley Alapa. Visitors
are welcomed. Go to /www.meherdhamhawaii.com and read all about it.
When Stan went to the Great Darshan on
1969 he was given many Baba treasures:
sadra, sandals, Baba’s hair and other
items. Murshida Duce emphasized that
he must carefully preserve these items,
not only for the spiritual growth of local
Baba lovers, but for the well-being of the
Hawaiian islands.
Baba in Hawaii, 1935
O
n January 17th, Baba mailed letters
from Honolulu, Hawaii, to his lovers
left behind in America. Whenever Baba
wrote to Minta, he always enclosed a
poem. On this occasion, he wrote:
“You have all my love
My darling dove
Below, above
I am ever with you.
You are ever in my heart
We are never apart
You, a part of my heart
I am always with you.”
Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher Vol 6 p 1948
38
Avatar Meher Baba on the Internet
P
laces of Pilgrimage: Meherabad,
home of Meher Baba’s Samadhi
(Tomb-Shrine) in Maharashtra, India, is
maintained by the Avatar Meher Baba
Perpetual Public Charitable Trust: www.
ambppct.org o Avatar’s Abode in Australia: www.avatarsabode.com.au o
Meher Spiritual Center, Baba’s “Home
in the West” (Myrtle Beach, SC): www.
mehercenter.org o Meher Baba Heartland Center (near site of Baba’s 1952 car
accident in Oklahoma): www.ambhc.
org o Meher Mount in Ojai, CA: www.
mehermount.com
Websites: for information on pilgrimages to India: http://userview.home.
mindspring.com/welcomehome
Places Baba visited: Meher Baba Travels, created by Tony Zois, presents info
about the Avatar’s world tours by train,
ship, and air: www.meherbabatravels.
com o Traveling with the Beloved features Baba’s Indian destinations: www.
travelingwiththebeloved.com
Bhau Chat: Bhau Kalchuri (www.bhaukaluchuri.org), one of Baba’s mandali, has
an Internet chat almost every Sunday,
health permitting, for 4 hours. The chat
is at www.jaibaba.com/echat45/public/
index.html o The video and audio webcast is at www.ambppct.org/events/
bhaulive2007.php
Baba Literature: Over 25 books by and
about Meher Baba are available FREE
for reading, searching, and downloading at www.ambppct.org/meherbaba/
online.php o Diaries kept by Baba’s
mandali and correspondence to and
from Baba in the form of digital images
and typed transcriptions are viewable
at www.ambppct.org/archives o Audio
book versions of Discourses and Listen,
Humanity are at www.mehermedia.
com/audio.html o Lord Meher, Baba’s
biography, can be read and searched at
www.lordmeher.org o Books Stores:
Sheriar Foundation’s bookstore (Myrtle
Beach, SC) is at www.sheriarbooks.org
o Meher Baba Information bookstore
(Berkeley, CA) is at www.meherbabainformation.org o Searchlight bookstore
(Walnut Creek, CA) is at www.searchlightbooks.org o The Meher Baba
Association bookstore (London) is at
www.meherbaba.co.uk/books.html o
For Baba books in India, please go to:
www.meherbabatheavatar.org/books
General websites on Meher Baba:
www.avatarmeherbaba.org, www.
jaibaba.com , www.meherbabainformation.org , www.trustMeher.org , www.
meherbabais.org
Mandali Hall Talks: Listen to audio
recordings of talks given by Baba’s disciples at www.mandalihall.org , www.
archive.org/details/MeherBabaMandaliTalks, www.mb-videoproject.org/1969
(go to “The Sound” under “Australian
Group” on the left) , www.mehermedia.
com/talks/talks.html, and www.webanimator.com/mehercast
Baba Study: Meher Spiritual University
offers online courses about Baba’s life
and work at www.meherspiritualuniversity.org
Baba Quote Collections: www.avatarmeherbaba.org/erics/anth.html,
www.meherbabadnyana.net/life_eternal/Life_Eternal.html, and www.MeherBabaManifesting.com
Baba Movies: www.meherfilmworks.
org has complete versions of the movies
You Alone Exist and God in Human Form,
the latter in Hindi, Telugu, English, Farsi,
French, Spanish, German, and Italian.
View other films at www.meherbabafilm.
com/filminfo.html , www.mehermedia.
com/video.html , www.jaibaba.com/
index.php/the-mandali-speak/katie-irani/
katie-irani.html , and www.technobaba.
com o Baba movies for sale in Australia
are at http://mb-videoproject.org o Also,
www.youtube.com has over 600 videos
related to Baba, including many videos of
the mandali. Search for “Meher Baba.”
Baba Request and Baba-Talk Listservs:
These are forums for Baba lovers to share
postings about Baba-related announcements and discussion, respectively.
Two daily quotes are also delivered via
the Baba Listserv. It is recommended
to choose the “batched” option on the
sign up pages, www.mymeherbaba.com/
mailman/listinfo/baba and www.mymeherbaba.com/mailman/listinfo/baba-talk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MeherBabaNotes (news, quotes, photos), http://
twitter.com/MeherBabaSays (quotes),
http://twitter.com/AvatarMeherBaba
(humor)
Baba Alerts: Go to www.google.com/
alerts to sign up for e-mail notices about
everything related to Meher Baba published on the Internet.
Amartithi Webcasts: Every year
around 31st January, a live video and audio webcast of events in India surrounding Amartithi (anniversary of Beloved
Baba’s passing) is available at www.
ambppct.org/events/web-cast.php. This
site also has downloads of past Amartithi
videos, as well as of other videos. Check
in at the site a few days before the festivities begin for a schedule of events.
Baba Magazines: Love Street Breezes
has picked up where the Love Street
LamPost finished.We now have our own
website: www.lovestreetbreezes.org.
You can get current information on the
facebook page: www.facebook.com/
LoveStreetBreezes o Glow International
is at www.belovedarchives.org/glow_international for subscription and excerpts
o Om Point is at www.ompoint.com/
download.htm o Meher Baba, a Telugu
magazine, can be read online at www.
srimeherbaba.com o Information about
Meher Pukar, a Hindi magazine, is at
www.meherbabatheavatar.org/books/
pukar.htm o The Awakener (discontinued) can be read at www.theawakenermagazine.org o The Meher Baba Journal
(discontinued) can be read at www.
ambppct.org/meherbaba/Journal.php o
Love Street Breezes has picked up where
the Love Street LampPost finished. It will
soon have a website and you can find it
now on Facebook by searching for Love
Street Breezes. However, if you wish to
subscribe to the magazine, email [email protected]
Tavern-Talk: Sign up for this Baba Trust
electronic newsletter at www.ambppct.
org/events/news.php to keep up with
the latest happenings at Meherabad,
the site of Meher Baba’s Samadhi, and
Meherazad, Baba’s residence in His
later years. This newsletter also publishes
mandali diaries and letters from Baba to
His lovers.
Baba Centers, Groups, and Retreats:
India: Bangalore: www.mehergalore.org
o Bhopal: http://meherbhopal.tripod.
com o Delhi: www.meherbabatheavatar.
org o Hyderabad: www.avatarmeher.
org o Jabalpur: www.trustMeher.org o
For more centers in India, go to http://
meherbhopal.tripod.com/centres.html or
www.trustmeher.com/files/centers.htm
o Argentina: www.meherbaba.com.ar o
Australia: Melbourne: www.mehermelb.
jimdo.com o Israel: www.avatarmeherbaba-israel.com o UK: www.meherbaba.
co.uk o US: Atlanta and Athens: www.
avatarmeherbaba.org/atlanta/index.html
o Chicago: www.alishya.com/chicago
o Denver: www.ambdc.net o Hawaii:
www.meherdhamhawaii.com o Mariposa, CA: www.meherbabamariposa.
org o Meherana (Mariposa retreat):
www.meherana.org o New Orleans:
www.babanola.org o New York City:
www.meherbabahouse.org o Northern
California: www.meherbabameherbaba.
org o Oregon: www.enhancedimaging.
com/ambo o Southern California: www.
meherabode.org o Tampa Bay: www.
meherbabatampabay.org o Twin Cities,
MN: www.mbctc.org o Washington, DC:
www.meherbabadc.com o For more
groups, go to www.meherbabatampabay.org/world-wide-groups.php
Baba Material in Non-English Languages: Hindi: http://meherbhopal.
tripod.com/downloads.html o Telugu:
www.srimeherbaba.com o Farsi: www.
meherestan.com or www.meherbabairani.com o Spanish: www.meherbaba.
com.ar and http://mehery.googlepages.
com o Portuguese: www.avatar-da-nova-era.com o French: http://meherbaba.
fr o German: www.meher.de o Norwegian: http://home.online.no/~solibakk/
nor o Hebrew: www.avatarmeherbabaisrael.com o Chinese: http://meherbaba.
cn o Korean: www.meherbabakorea.
com o For material about Baba in 16
languages on Wikipedia, please go to
the “languages” section in the lower
left corner of http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Meher_Baba o For Baba movies
in languages other than English, see the
listing above for “Baba Movies.”
Miscellaneous: Visit www.michaeldacosta.com to read Michael da Costa’s poetry, hear his songs, and find out who this
crowd-pleasing, Baba-loving entertainer
is. o Superb photos of Meher Spiritual
Center by Greg Butler may be viewed at
http://primefolio.com/mehercenter o
“The Ocean of Love”: This favorite Baba
song by Bob Holdt has its own site, with
music audio and the story of its creation,
at www.the-ocean-of-love.com
Dina Suggests: “GoD and DoG by
Wendy J. Francisco: See if you can watch
this YouTube song, illustrated with anima-
tion, without a lump in your throat or a
tear in your eye, especially if you’re a dog
lover as Meher Baba was: www.youtube.
com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY
Updated and expanded lists of Baba
websites, as well as Baba quotations on
the power of Baba’s samadhi, the importance of remembering Baba, and the
opportunity to serve Baba, are at https://
sites.google.com/site/babawebsites. Painting by Charles Mills
The Avatar’s Name
The Real Remedy
“Whosoever takes His Name is guided
by the Name itself to that Original
Word from which the entire creation
sprang forth. Therefore, whether one
utters it wholeheartedly, half heartedly, ‘quarter-heartedly’, or no-heartedly,
the Avatar’s Name has a matchless
sanctifying effect.
It loosens the bonds of Illusion
and awakens the individual to the
Reality of God residing in the heart.”
From The Samadhi, Star of Infinity by
Bal Natu, p. 95.
39
Know Before You Go—But GO!
The List
Pilgrimage Planner for Westerners and First-Timers
Plan: Money, passport, air
reservation, visa, room at MPR.
Budget: Plan two weeks for
about $1500 - $2000 including US
airfare; staying longer costs less
than $100/week, so stay longer.
See www.housecarers.com for
info about finding a house-sitter.
If finances are really tight and you
don’t mind roughing it, ask PRO if
you can stay in Hostel D.
Photos from drug store: 2 for
passport, 2 for visa, 2 for MPR.
Passport: Valid 6 months past
stay. Applications: travel.state.gov/
passport/forms. Allow 3 months.
$100 for new, $75 to renew, plus
mailing.
Flights:Seek cheap “consolidator” charter flights in publications
at Asian groceries or via agents
specializing in India; web search
“cheap flight to Mumbai.” Travelocity, Kayak and Expedia are good
places to start. 20 to 30 hours flying from US. Fare research really
pays off; be sure to seek separate
fees charged for baggage, taxes,
etc. and try different dates and
routes.
Visa: travisa.com/Instructions/
indiainst, fee, application, passport, air reservations. $73 for six
months, $163 for ten years. Allow 2
weeks minimum.
Time: See www.timezoneguide.
com for your local zone vs. Mumbai.
Jet lag: Good advice at vagabondish.com/6-real-tips-to-beatjet-lag.
MPR: ambppct.org has complete
instructions. Six weeks before arrival, request reservations: Pilgrim
Reservation Office, [email protected] or phone 91.241.254.8733.
On to Meherabad: Arrange a
safe 6-hour ride by getting list of
approved car services when you
make MPR reservations. You can
easily connect by air to Pune or Au-
rangabad for about $50 and then
the drive is only 3 hours and $50
more; see www.90di.com/travel
for getting around within India.
Carry-on: Documents, books,
snacks, amusements, prescriptions, anything non-replaceable.
Nothing sharp. Read fine print for
airline and TSA rules!
Be a “mule” Ask Listserv, PRO,
& Love Street what needs transporting, in both directions. (Know
airline’s baggage restrictions and
fees.)
Wear a Baba button.
What to bring: www.onebag.
com/ has great packing advice.
Leave at home: Shorts, low necklines, tight or sheer garments, valuables, worries.
Phones: Your mobile carrier’s
web site tells if it operates in India.
You can get a cheap mobile phone
(or just a SIM card) at the airport
in Mumbai, handy for calling rickshaws.
In Ahmednagar: Meher Nazar
Compound, Trust, Meher Baba
Centre (devotional music Saturday
evenings), Meher Nazar Books,
shopping, restaurants.
In Meherabad & Meherazad:
Seclusion Hill. Baba’s Room; Blue
Bus; New Life Caravan; Jhopdi;
Rahuri Cabin; Cage Room; Table
House; Baba’s bicycle; Panchvati
Cave; Archives. Sit in the Samadhi.
History tour can be self-guided.
Jam sessions, volleyball games,
walking trails, gardens & verandahs, library. Volunteer opportunities. Master technique for washing laundry, hair, body with two
buckets of water. Auto-rickshaw to
bazaar or tailor. At Meher Darbar
call home or check your email.
Eat chicken curry and fruit at The
Cherry in Meher Colony. Check out
meherabad.wikispaces.com. Visit
Prithvi’s handicrafts store and organic farm, and play with the kids
at Pumpkin House.
What Not to Do: Rules for Pilgrims are based on Baba’s directives and should be honored at all
times: check Trust web page for
updates. Do not travel alone at
night. (Women: sunset). Maintain silence, and do not smoke in
and around the Tomb. No shoes
in the Samadhi and other places;
look for signs. Limit contact with
local people to business. Do not
sell anything to anyone. Do not
cash money with anyone. Ignore
beggars & people shouting “Jai
Baba” or asking your name. Do not
approach, feed or touch animals.
Lock valuables in Registration Office or an MPR closet or leave
home. Do not leave belongings unattended. Use auto-rickshaw fixed
rates. Do not tip, or lend money.
Do not photograph military sites or
equipment or enter military areas.
Unmarried couples do not share a
room anywhere. Do not express affection in public. Anyone not free
of illicit substances will not be accommodated. If you normally take
a prescription here, take it there,
especially psychiatric! Don’t pocket chunks of Seclusion Hill, soon
to be called Seclusion Pit. When
you leave Meherabad, go straight
home.
Culture Shock: Greeting—fold
hands & tilt head forward: Namaste. Many Indians are vegetarian & do not drink alcohol. Dress
modestly, even on beaches. Rapidly growing educated classes speak
English. You will see extreme poverty. Most toilets require you to
squat. Be prepared to enjoy sensory overload.
Arrival in Meherabad: Register at the Pilgrim Office, hit the
white rock trail, pay respects at the
Tomb:
Welcome home!
Health Tips: Refill prescriptions to last beyond arrival home; keep in carry-on. No “shots.” Most people who take
cholera vaccine get no benefit but suffer side effects! To prevent illness, eat in the MPR or the Cherry, or “boil it, cook it,
peel it or forget it.” MPR kitchen will disinfect fruit for you. Use DEET repellent (check EPA for safe amounts of Deet in
repellents) & tuck mosquito netting around bed. Know source of drinking water (only buy bottled water with cap seal
intact); disinfect hands every time you handle money. Check health insurance.Consider travel insurance. Allow time
after you get home to readjust.
Hot and Dry
Rainy and 68° to 86°
Jun
Jul
Aug
Warm, maybe Dry
Sep
Oct
Nov
__Adapter (240V 5A, 3 large round pins in a triangle)
__Anti-inflammatories, bandaids,
antibiotic ointment, antihistamine, a few pills for diarrhea,
strains, heartburn, insomnia,
colds
__Arnica or Traumeel
__Books, toys, games for kids
__Camera, dustproof case, batteries, memory
__Cell phone with SIM card for
India and charger
__Children’s items for Pumpkin
House Orphanage
__Coat, gloves, scarf, hat (Nov.
through Feb.)
__Collapsible duffle bag, empty
__Contact lens kit, specs/spares,
case, cloth
__Copies of prescriptions
__DEET insect repellent
__Diary, tape, art supplies, stationery, iPad or laptop
__Document copies in each bag
__Dust mask, or buy at Prithvi
__Ear plugs, eye mask
__Extra socks & undies
__Flashlight/headlamp, batteries
__Hand sanitizer, moisturizer
__Herbal tea or instant coffee,
mug, immersion heater
__Instrument or sheet music
__Jacket, shawl or sweater
__Light shoulder bag (men too)
__Moleskin for incipient blisters
__Pajamas & light robe or shawl
__Pegs, soap, marker for laundry
__Pillow if you are particular
__Rainwear (June - Nov.)
__Safety pins, sewing kit, pocket
knife, nail clipper (not in carryon)
__Sandwich-size zip bags
__Sanitary supplies, shaving gear
__Shampoo, soap, deodorant,
dental gear, foil-wrapped wipes
__Snacks, raisins or trail mix
__Sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
__Supplements
__Three changes lightweight,
layerable,conservative clothing
__Toilet tissue, squirt bottle, hankies
__Toiletry bag to hang on a hook
__Travel alarm, iPod, chargers
__Travel towel, face cloth
__Two pairs comfortable brokenin walking shoes, easy off & on
__Water bottle & strap
Mostly Dry, 59° to 77°
Dec
Jan
Feb
Hot, Dry
Mar
7
6
7
H 3
1
3
1
1
2
1
Rickshaws, laundry, 5/2
5 H /15 M /1 M /10 S Samadhi open from 6:30 am to 8 pm with Arti at 2/15 12/22 2/25 2/31 /31 A /25 B /1 M ostel /15 M
Ma M Ch Ne
internet, gifts,
ehe ile
ma irt ’zad D c PR
ost
P
7
am
&
pm
year-round.
Meherazad
open
rt hd
ni’s eher ristm w Y
raz nce
el D R o
c lo
&
garlands, snacks,
Bir a’s B as ears ithi ay Pl losed sed
ad Da
Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday mornings
op pen
a
thd
E
op y
i
y
en
r
tours, incidentals:
ve
en
ay thda
in season. Dhuni on 12th, sunset.
y
~$5-10/day
Free Trust bus from MPR to town or Meherazad most days, and to MPC or theater for programs.
Can I find a travel
Break
buddy on the Listserv Book car and driver and/
www.xe.com/ucc/
Firm up
Check Trust and
journey
or invite a friend?
or flight from Mumbai
for currency converter
mule duty
Welcome Home
in Paris?
websites
Home!
Check
credit
cards
3 Months: Apply 7-8 Weeks:Set
Pack bags,
6 Weeks:
20-30
6 hours:
Mail, pets, 3-4 Weeks:
for exchange rates stop mail, pay hours: US Mumbai to
MPR reservations by email
house,
for passdates; book
Apply for
& ATM fees; buy
(Fee includes 3 meals, 2
to Mumbai Meherabad
plants, yard
bills
port, shop fares
flights
Visa
teas)
arrangements
travelers checks
40
Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
I
Googled McFer rin to
particular use of his song,
make su re I spelled
including stating that he
h is na me cor re c t ly &
was going to vote against
was ver y happily surBush, and completely
pr ised to find Wikipedropped the song from
dia had the following :
his own performance rep“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is
ertoire, to make the point
a song by musician Bobby
even clearer. The George
McFerrin. Released in SepH. W. Bush campaign then
tember 1988, it became
reportedly desisted from
the first a cappella song to
further use of the song.
reach No. 1 on the Billboard
The song is frequently
Hot 100 chart, a position it
used in filmmaking and
held for two weeks. On the
television production
UK Singles Chart, the song
soundtracks to accomreached No. 2 during its
pany light-hearted scenes,
fifth week on the chart. At
such as in Sayonara ZetsuThose of us watching the nightly game of Jeopardy on our TVs were stunned when
the 1989 Grammy Awards, this question was asked! A good way to put His name out to millions! (The correct bou Sensei, Flushed Away
answer, Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin was guessed.)
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
(2006), WALL-E (2008),
won the awards for Song of the Year, The Katsimiha Brothers made a Greek
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Simpsons,
Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop cover of the song with original lyrics,
Futurama, Nip/Tuck and That ’70s Show.
Vocal Performance. The song’s title is and Montenegrin musician Rambo It was also featured in the soundtrack to
taken from a famous quote by Meher Amadeus made a parody entitled “Don’t 1988 film Cocktail and it was featured in
Baba.
Happy, Be Worry,” as a critique to the
the 1997 film Casper: A Spirited Beginning.
The Indian mystic and sage Meher optimism of the music scene in the
It has also been used in an ironic context
Baba (1894–1969) often used the former Yugoslavia in the face of war
for shocking or traumatic scenes, such as
expression “Don’t worry, be happy” and economic depression. The lyrics of in Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Jarhead
when cabling his followers in the West. “Fight the Power” by hip-hop artists
(2005). The song has been used in variHowever, Meher Baba communicated Public Enemy also refer to “Don’t Worry, ous forms in TV advertising for brands
variations of the sentiment; fuller Be Happy.” This song is also added into including Alamo Rent A Car, Walkers’,
versions of the quote — such as, “Do the Big Mouth Billy Bass, a very popular Huggies and Channel 4’s AXA Equity and
your best. Then, don’t worry; be happy animatronic singing toy. Hermes House Law in 1994, 1995 and 1996.
in My love. I will help you” — also Band covered the song on their Rhythm
Originally released in conjunction with
incorporate responsibility (“do your of the Nineties album in 2009. Reggae the film Cocktail in 1988, the song origibest...”) alongside the detachment artist Cas Haley covered the song as nally peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard
(“don’t worry...”), as well as the master/ a hidden bonus track on his Favorites
Hot 100. The song was re-released the
disciple spiritual relationship (“I will album (together with former Jah Roots same year and peaked at No. 1 on Sephelp you”). In the 1960s, the truncated lead singer, Josh Heinrichs). Also in tember 24, 1988. The song also peaked at
version of this expression by Baba was 1989 Dutch rock DJ Alfred Lagarde No. 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
printed up on inspiration cards and recorded a version in Dutch with a heavy Tracks chart and No. 7 on the Billboard
posters of the era. In 1988, McFerrin Surinam accent under the name Johnny Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
noticed a similar poster in the apartment Camaro. Spanish Ska band The Locos The song was also a hit in the United
of the jazz band Tuck & Patti in San covered this song in a similar style, Ska. Kingdom and peaked at No. 2 on the UK
Francisco. Inspired by the expression’s
Singles Chart.
charm and simplicity, McFerrin wrote Use in films, television and politics
Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The BiograThe song and its title are commonly phy of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba.
the now famous song, which was
included in the soundtrack of the movie repeated in US culture. Comedian Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986.
Cocktail, and became a hit single the George Carlin wrote in Napalm and pp. 5134, 5770, 5970, 6405, 6742.
next year. In an interview by Bruce Silly Putty that many Americans would
Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Fessier for USA Weekend magazine in embrace the philosophy of denial in the Don’t_Worry,_Be_Happy and read it all
1988 McFerrin said, “Whenever you see song. The song was used in George H. for yourself. Our Beloved did say that this
a poster of Meher Baba, it usually says W. Bush’s 1988 U.S. presidential election was the age of communication and the
‘Don’t worry, be happy,’ which is a pretty as Bush’s 1988 official presidential cam- Avatar (see the film of the same name)
neat philosophy in four words, I think.” paign song, without Bobby McFerrin’s
sure knows how to publicise Himself.
Versions of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” permission or endorsement. In reaction,
have been recorded by several artists. Bobby McFerrin publicly protested that
41
How Bobby McFerrin Came to Write
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy!”
B
obby McFerrin was friends with
Tuck and Patti, professional musicians and Baba lovers.
One day, feeling life was getting him
down, Bobby paid them a visit and was
struck by this framed photo they had on
their wall.
That chance encounter gave him the
inspiration to write and sing his multi
Grammy award-winning song. It was
perhaps the first time in recent memory
that Baba really started putting His name
out to the public, using the Age of Communication, as He then followed up with
the question on Jeopardy.
Here’s is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it
note for note
Don’t worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry
you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy...
Don’t worry, be happy, now
Ain’t got no place to lay your
head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy
The landlord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don’t worry, be happy
(look at me, I’m happy)
Hey, I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don’t worry, be happy
Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no
style
Ain’t got no girl to make you
smile
Don’t worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring
everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy...
don’t worry, be happy now
Now there is this little song
I wrote
42
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don’t worry, be happy
Now Listen to what I say,
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don’t worry, be happy...
Don’t worry, be happy now
Don’t worry, don’t do it,
be happy!
Put a smile on your face
Don’t bring everybody down
like this
Don’t worry, it will
soon pass
Whatever it is
Don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy!
Reviews
A Year With Hafiz,
Daily Contemplations
“One Soul, One Love,
One Heart”
Reviewed by Laurent Weichberger
by John Welshons
Reviewed by Jim Peterson, Walnut Creek
I recently met
a very fine fellow
who has been with
Meher Baba since
the early 1970s.
He is the author
of the book One
Soul, One Love,
One Heart, and
his name is John
Welshons.
Even though the book came out in
2009, it is not well known in the Baba
community. Also, it’s not technically a
“Baba book,” though John begins almost every chapter with a quote from
Baba, and the subject matter of the book
is really nothing but Meher Baba. That’s
why I wanted to alert Baba lovers to this
inspiring, exciting and remarkable book.
It’s really a practical guidebook as
to how to tread the spiritual path in
everyday life. He talks about carrying
out duties in life while at all times being
constantly mindful that everything and
everyone is God. He writes about relationships, work challenges, child rearing,
technology, death and grieving, and
even meditation. Every sentence is helpful and packed with insight and truth.
As our friend Allan Y. Cohen puts it
on the inside cover of the book: “[John]
asks the reader to take a new perspective on spiritual learning, using higher
love as a practical technology for transforming relationships, choosing wise action, and manifesting the sheer delight
of discovering one’s ‘higher self.’”
We “old time” Baba lovers sometimes take life with Meher Baba for
granted. John’s book helps make living
the spiritual life exciting again, and helps
us to see life as that “thrilling divine
romance” Baba says it is. Check it out. I
think you’ll be amazed.
It is available from Amazon.com for
$10. Well worth it. [Used copies for half
price also available.]
by Daniel Ladinsky
I am sitting at
my home in Boulder, Colorado
having just spent
a week with the
Persian spiritual
master, and great
poet, Hafiz. I had
just returned from
spending a week
with my family in
Arizona, and found
Hafiz waiting for
me upon arrival at my new home in
Boulder. The long awaited new book, A
Year With Hafiz, Daily Contemplations,
by Danny Ladinsky is structured as a one
poem per day journey, so that you can
open it to the day you are living through,
or any date that’s meaningful (such as
a birthday), and revel in the associated
wisdom. I decided to read a poem a day
for an entire week before writing about
this new volume.
Danny has come a long way from that
first volume of translations, The Subject
Tonight is Love, 60 Wild and Sweet Poems
of Hafiz back in the early 90s. When that
book came out, I knew that Danny’s
inspired work was to be the flute music,
the breath of life, making Hafiz truly accessible for the Western reader. It was a
fresh approach, and Danny stood on the
shoulders of Barks, and other great adventurers in the epic struggle to translate
what even Meher Baba and other great
masters said was almost impossible to
translate properly from the subtleties
of Persian.
I remember reading his next Hafiz
book, I Heard God Laughing, and I fell
into a nap while reading it on a summer afternoon. I dreamed that I was
explaining to someone about Hafiz,
but I couldn’t quite find the words to
express his greatness. To fully get my
point across I pretended to BE Hafiz, and
suddenly I started to become filled with
infinite bliss! I woke up with the book on
my chest, in a state of bliss. So, Danny
has taken on the job of translating bliss
into the most unromantic of languages,
English, God bless him. Of course we will
forgive him for using phrases that Hafiz
would never have uttered, like “Love
kicks the ass of time and space.”
To give you a sample of my week with
Hafiz, here is how my days started here:
“There is an invisible sun we long to
see. The closer you get to the present,
the brighter and more real it will become,
even at midnight.” Anyone who has
played on the floor with a five year old
child knows about that sun.
And this: “Anyone you have made
love with, it is because you were really
looking for God.” Ain’t that the truth we
don’t like to hear, that every romantic
affair is nothing but a desperate search
for the divine?
Then this: “We circle inside what we
love, what we fear, what we hope. The
mind is like a falcon ever ready with its
sight on its choice prey – beauty. For
nothing satisfies like Her taste. A holy
infant, taken from God’s womb, is each
creature.” Hafiz sees past the ragged surface of each one of us, like the Archmage
he really is, to help us realize our own
inherent divinity.
I have traveled around the world,
and been in many airports and coffee
shops, talking to Christians, Buddhists,
Sikhs, Jains, Sufis, and Hindus — as well
as atheists and agnostics, and all of them
seem to be reading Hafiz, and loving it.
They are more inspired by Hafiz in English
than their own scriptures these days.
Would they have been so thrilled with
Henry Wilberforce-Clarke’s 1891 renditions? Of course not. Chapeau (“hats
off to you”), Danny, your work for Hafiz
has arrived in all its glory, and when the
Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him
and his family) said, “God has treasures
beneath the Throne, the keys to which
are the tongues of poets,” I am certain
he counted you among them.
Available at sheriarbooks.org for $18
Avatar Meher Baba
and the Trail of Tears:
A Pilgrim’s Guide to the
Journey
by Julia Ross
Reviewed by
Kenneth Lux
This remarkable
book is at once
bold, deeply researched, and moral—or, in the best
sense of another
word, I would call
43
it a radical book.”
On May 20, 1952, Avatar Meher Baba
set out from Meher Center in Myrtle
Beach, SC, accompanied by a party of
close disciples, with the intention of
visiting Meher Mount in California. But
that trip was interrupted shockingly by
an automobile accident in Oklahoma,
in which Meher Baba and His beloved
Mehera were badly injured, and His
other disciples deeply shaken. This was
the shedding of His blood on American
soil that Baba had predicted, the “crucifixion” that would mystically benefit the
future of humankind. Today, the site of
this momentous accident in Prague, OK,
has become a major pilgrimage destination, with the Avatar Meher Baba Heartland Center providing overnight retreat
and information about the accident and
about Meher Baba’s unifying message
of divine love.
Julia Ross is the first writer to take on
the challenge of both commemorating
and interpreting this milestone in the
advent of the Avatar—an event that
will undoubtedly preoccupy historians
of the future. The fruit of decades of
research, her book is also the story of
her own pilgrimage of 2005, in which
she followed the route from the Center
to the accident site, accompanied by her
friend Kathleen McCay, who contributed
research and illustrations to the book.
Although the subtitle uses the phrase “A
Pilgrim’s Guide to the Journey,” this is no
ordinary traveler’s guidebook (although
it does provide information for those
planning their own pilgrimage). It is a
passionate work of historical research
that guides the reader to a deeper awareness of both the Avatar’s suffering for
the sake of humanity and the shadow
side of America, the land Baba promised
to spiritualize with His divine love.
While it evokes the archetypal road
trip celebrated in American fiction and
songs such as “Route 66,” this journey
is more than a saga of freedom and
adventure; it is a journey to a New Life
enhanced by knowledge and understanding of the Avatar’s mission. No
doubt there are many inner meanings
to Baba’s accident (for instance, many
have noted that Baba traveled in His
car with Eastern and Western women
companions, with Elizabeth Patterson
at the wheel), but the central focus of
this book is reflected in Julia’s words:
“The open road is the American Dream
for most, but Route 64/66 follows one
44
of the routes taken by the Cherokees on
their Trail of Tears—and for them it was
the American Nightmare.”
In focusing on the Native American
experience (among other topics), Julia
draws attention to what we know as
Baba’s “inner working”: the fact that
His visible and outer behavior is often,
perhaps always, a symbolic reflection of
what He is doing on the inner planes of
consciousness, and this also corresponds
to His Universal Work of awakening mankind. This quality of Baba’s inner working
is present throughout the book as Julia
weaves together many narratives in a
way that gives us a deeper sense of the
meaning of Baba’s journey and accident.
The “Trail of Tears” is an evocative
term for the forced removal of the
Cherokees and other tribes from areas of
the South, including South Carolina, following the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson,
who had originally posed as friends of
the Indians, turned against them when
gold or other desirable features were
found on lands on which the Indians had
been first settled. Then these prominent
Americans, among many others, conspired to move them further westward.
When Chief Justice John Marshall of the
U.S. Supreme Court made a decision in
favor of Indian rights, Andrew Jackson
is reported to have said, “John Marshall
has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.” As one historian pointed out,
in a nation supposedly built on law, in regard to such opinions and actions “there
can be no greater condemnation.”
Not only does Baba’s trip terminating in Oklahoma mirror the Cherokees’
forced trek to the Indian Territory in
Oklahoma, but Julia also draws parallels
between the Cherokees’ journey and
Meher Baba’s New Life. “Like the Cherokees imprisoned in the stockades before
the Trail of Tears, Meher Baba and His
companions began their New Life journey by staying in some inadequate huts
erected in a muddy field where they did
menial labor in conditions similar to that
of a concentration camp. In America,
Baba and the mandali followed what is
now Highway 64, once ‘Bell’s Route.’”
Then this striking coincidence: “The
Cherokees on ‘Bell’s Route’ were on the
Trail of Tears 89 days, and Baba’s pilgrimage on the roads of India also lasted 89
days.” Thus it is possible that some of
the mysteries of the New Life may be
uncovered by comparing that period to
the period of the Cherokees’ journey.
Along with the in-depth coverage of
the experience of the Cherokees, Choctaws, and other indigenous nations, Julia
adds sections throughout the book titled
“Pilgrim’s Journey” to describe her and
Kathleen’s interesting and sometimes
harrowing experiences as they followed
the Trail along Bell’s Route.
The book’s two closing accounts—
the Epilogue and the Supplement—also
have important stories to tell. The Epilogue describes the belated resolutions
and apologies for what America inflicted
on its native peoples. We learn that “In
1992, forty years after Meher Baba’s
accident in Prague, the state of Georgia finally admitted that it had ‘made a
mistake’ in forcing the Cherokees onto
the Trail of Tears.” The resolution is further described thus: “In the last half of
the 20th century, the Cherokee Nation
reinvigorated its government, councils,
and courts and now receives an ‘annual
infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funds . . . derived from
the government’s trust responsibility
to Indian nations.’” Opposite the page
with this information is a heart-uplifting
color photo of Cherokees gathering in
an opening ceremony of a “Dedication
of the Passage.”
In the Supplement, Julia brings the
whole account up to date, including a
discussion of Baba’s 1954 “Final Declaration” and the story of Baba’s second car
accident, in Satara, India, in 1956. From
there, Julia discusses many other topics of deep significance, such as Baba’s
circling the world, miracles, universal
suffering, and the “final crucifixion” that
was Baba’s dropping of His body.
Then, in a final paragraph and sentence, she puts the matter of Baba’s
Manifestation in a way that I find quite
perfect, given how this matter of ultimate significance is often casually and
presumptively treated. But to find out
what that is, you’ll have to read this
remarkable book!
Available from Baba bookstores or
the publisher, Multicultural Educational
Publishing Company: visit mcepub.com
or call 928-649-5449.
Reviews continued on pg 53
45
Meher Baba and the 5 Perfect Masters is 8 x 10 (in color) $14
(dry mounted)
Names of Love a DVD of Jim Meyer’s singing
and Bob Fredericks’ film editing. 35 mins of
mesmerizing shots of all the Avatars $20
11 x 7.5 x 4” deep, fuschia only, $15
46
Fire & Ice DVD $20
12” wide x 5” deep, aqua, $16
Baba and Mehera as Krishna and Radha. Original hand
colored with oils by Dina, matte finish 8 x 10 $15, 11x14 $20
Lost and Found by Michael da Costa $12
14 of his best songs!
9” wide x 5.5” deep, $12, (both styles of round pillows in all colors.)
The Great Darshan at Guruprasad 8 x 10 $12, 11x14 $15, 12x18 $20. 8 x 10 in solid wood frame with bevelled edge mat, $48
Photo of Baba’s Mandali: 8” x 10” $15. (See the full story on page 52)
47
Above–Piano Music by Paul Comar, 2 CDs $18. Below–Beyond Words $50
These letters and photos are inside the double CD set of paul’s beautiful piano music.
“The Universal Message” The latest CD from
Jim Meyer. Of the 10 songs, 5 of them are
Baba’s words Jim has set to music including the
eponymous Universal Message. An incredibly
dramatic reading, backed by Jim’s great musical talents. After listening to 28 minutes of the
names of the seven Avatars, (the sound track
to Names of Love DVD) just see if you can get
it out of your head! However if you’re feeling
down, put track 4 on repeat: “I’m So Happy.”
You simply cant be miserable with this infectiously happy song playing! $14
Charles Gibson “Just for Dina” $12
Baba Reclining 8” x 12”, hand colored and dry mounted photo $16
48
Three Magnets 6” x 2” laminated, $5 each
The Lord’s Fragrance and the
Malfunctioning Nose
This is an adorable little booklet by Michael Da Costa.
A crazy title, you say? Read this excerpt from it and you
will understand:
“So there I was on my first pilgrimage to the spiritual center of the Cosmos, being shown around upper
Meherabad by Mansari. She patiently pointed out all
the various places and things with Baba stories connected to them, and especially the rooms which were
blessed by His presence and work. As I was listening
she began to mention His ‘moustache room’. My mind
immediately took flight: ‘ah yes, I thought, of course;
that would explain how Baba’s moustache would look
so different in different photos; Each morning He must
have gone into that room where He kept a selection
of His moustaches, look around, and decide which one
would be suitable to wear that day.’ As my mind came
back down from this reverie, I heard Mansari continuing
to talk about Baba’s MAST-ASHRAM!!! I swear I heard
Baba chuckle.”
And so will you. My husband and I used to read one
to each other at night before going to sleep. $8
49
The Story of the Mandali Photo
Quite a few years ago I conceived the
idea (no doubt with Baba’s help) of how
to raise some money for the Mandali
members. Baba had made provisions
for them to be taken care of from the
donations that came in to the Trust. But
donations were at a low ebb that year,
hence my idea.
I approached Meheru with my plan
to take a photo of all the Mandali members and sell the 8 x 10 colored photo
for $25 in the Love Street Bookstore - $5
to cover the cost and $20 given to the
Mandali. Meheru said she would speak
to the other women and ask Eruch and
the rest of the men and see how they all
felt about it.
They graciously allowed me to go
ahead with the plan, telling me to get
to Meherazad early one Sunday morning before the crowds arrived for the
concert. They were all so sweet & accommodating, even to the point of either Katie or Goher, ( I forget which one it was)
going back to her room at my request to
change into her “Sunday best”.
I took at least 20 photos & rushed in
to Ahmednagar to have them developed
and printed. To my astonishment I found
a One Hour photo shop! I had them print
up a dozen of the best shots & rushed
back to Meherazad to let the Mandali
have the final say as to which one would
be THE photo. Eruch was very conscious
of his drooping jaw and so there was a
lot of discussion between the men and
the women as to which one they wanted.
Finally the choice was made – and
then I got another bright idea. How much
more precious would it be if they ALL
signed their names on the print, above
their heads! More discussion ensued and
they finally agreed.
When I returned to Los Angeles I had
copies made of the signed photo. The
original– nicely framed–sold for over
$1000 at our annual fund raising auction!
Needless to say, this was an extra bonus
for the Trust Firstly. (That was what
the monies set aside to look after the
Mandali were called.)
While going through my collection of
decade’s worth of negatives last month,
I came across it and decided to make it
available for you all again. It is such a
shame I didn’t think to take such a photo
before Mani and Mehera passed, but at
50
least in this photo we have many more
of these beautiful souls than we can see
today.
The photo—an 8 x 10—is available in
the Shoppe on Love Street. If you would
like larger than that, it can be arranged.
Call or email me.
Peg/Andy and the Franklins
Dina Gibson
Spend $75 or more on other products
and you get one free, or... make a donation to the Breezes. You get favored
treatment if you were good friends of
this wonderful, loving couple and didn’t
know about his book, but hurry, they
will go fast.
Below is a poem Andy wrote about
his beloved wife and about his Beloved
Baba.
Baba had instructed my first husband,
Jerry Franklin, and I, to go to the weekly
meetings Andy Muir and his wonderful
wife Peggy held in the ‘Green Room’ of
their apartment building in Washington
D.C. in 1966. They had met Baba many
times in the ‘50s, and He always referred
to them as Peg/Andy. The four of us
became very good friends, with them
visiting our home as well.
Some years after Peggy died, Andy
moved down to Myrtle Beach. He had
asked me before he moved, to come
with three empty suitcases and go
through all of Peggy’s beautiful things
and to take whatever I wanted, including dozens of the Memoirs on his life
inspired by Meher Baba – which he
playfully titled Memuirs. He told me
these books were not to be sold, but
given away to his friends, people who
knew & cared about him and enjoyed “Rough Around the Edges” 12 of Charles
his sense of humor. I have been giving Gibson’s songs for Baba including “Noththem away for a long time, so there are ing Less Than Everything” $12
not very many left.
I think he would approve of my having them in the Shoppe on Love Street as
I will be giving them away in this fashion:
Raine, the Australian songbird, has a prodigious
output of CDs. Just two are pictured here, Moon
over Meherabad and Gems. Space precludes us
from mentioning them all in this issue, but we do
have them. To see the rest go to her website at
www.nadaom.com $12 each.
Real Happiness poster in color 14” x 19” printed on heavy card stock $12
2” x 3” laminated photos some
black and white and
some in colour. $2.50 each
Simon Reece with his new bride
Carla de Sousa $12
51
In the Samadhi
In His Chair
The Water Tower
52
Meditations on the
Ancient One: Paintings
by Charles Mills.
Book review by Kendra Crossen
Meditations on
the Ancient One is
not really a book, although it looks like
one. It is a work of
art. You can’t read
it, because it consists of pictures, not
words—magnificent pictures that
are the culmination
of Charlie Mills’s 30 years of painting the
Divine Beloved. We can think of it as a
bound collection of 22 reproductions of selected paintings. Of these, 21 are of Meher
Baba and one is an exquisite portrait of
Mehera, whom Dr. Harry Kenmore called
“the exact feminine counterpart of Baba.”
This is not a coffee table book. The
pages are 8 by 10 inches, a size intimate
enough to hold in the lap or place on a
surface in front of you. The intention of
the book is stated in the title. These are
not just the artist’s meditations on the
Beloved; the book is explicitly designed
for meditation by the viewer.
In His Discourses, Meher Baba describes
“concentration on the form of the Master” as one of the most desirable forms
of personal meditation. It would include
gazing at the Master’s form in person or
in a photograph or artistic portrait. It occurs to me that this could be combined
with another type of personal meditation,
which is meditation on the Master’s divine
qualities: “By allowing the mind to dwell
upon the divine qualities of the Master,
the aspirant imbibes them into his own being.” I say that because looking at pictures
of Meher Baba naturally leads the mind
to remember His qualities. Interestingly,
though, Baba described meditation on
the divine qualities as a practice that “facilitates concentration on the form of the
Master.” In other words, thinking about
the Perfect One is a step toward a higher
meditation, which is looking without
thinking: “In this form of meditation, the
aspirant is aware of the spiritual perfection
of the Master and spontaneously fixes his
attention upon the form of the Master
without analyzing His spiritual perfection
into any of its component qualities.”
But meditation is whatever each person makes it, and different approaches
are therefore open to us. We could look at
the pictures in sequence, dwelling on each
for as long as we wish; or ponder one daily
(a good way to start the day); or choose
one at random to focus on. As we look at
these images, we may simply allow the
impressions of Baba’s image—their color,
texture, brushwork, movement, and flow
of energy—to be received by our hearts.
It’s certain, though, that some of these pictures will evoke thoughts of specific places
and times in Baba’s life: sitting regally
on His chaise-like gadi in the tin shed on
Meherabad Hill, near the Samadhi; smiling
with love for His Home in the West, Meher
Center, with the bridge, lake, boathouse,
and tall pines behind Him; saluting the God
in you during a Darshan program; gazing
out at sea while standing on the deck of a
swiftly moving ocean liner; relaxing gracefully amid flowers in His garden.
Or sometimes He is just there, intensely
present, gesturing with graceful hands,
His glance direct (looking at me!), or else
drawn inward in deep reflection or inner
work. At times I feel a picture is speaking
to me, telling me things: “I am a man, a human being like you.” “I know you; we have
met before.” “Look at my hair. Feel it.”
The possibilities of these meditations
seem limitless; doesn’t Baba say, in the
opening quotation of the book, “I am not
limited by this form”? And He continues:
“I use it like a garment to make myself
visible to you. I eternally enjoy the Christ
state of consciousness and when I speak I
shall manifest my true self; besides giving
a general push to the whole world, I shall
lead all those who come to me
toward Light and Truth.” (These
are the only words in the book,
besides brief biographical remarks
about the artist and some credits
in the back.)
It will be up to the owner of
this book to make sure it is not left
on a book shelf after only a few
sessions or showing it to friends.
It must be valued. You will be
reminded of that spiritual value
by the physical value that brings
the price to $185. Any reasonable
person will want to know if they
are getting their money’s worth.
It’s clear that this book has what
the publishing industry calls “high
production value.” It is beautifully
designed—simple and elegant—
and made with a special binding
that allows you to open the book
at any page and have it lay flat (this binding is more costly). The hardcover is glossy
paper on boards (there is no jacket to get
torn or lost, and there is no promotional
copy on the back, only deep, warm color).
The 22 reproductions are not backed (that
also raises the cost). While Charlie would
not suggest removing any of the prints,
their quality makes them suitable for
framing. Consider that if you went to the
artist’s studio and bought a single, slightly
larger reproduction, it would cost you $35.
At that price, the 22 images in this book
would come to $770. Now you have some
perspective on the $185 price of the book.
You really must see it and feel it. I like
the black endpapers. If I may be a bit
fanciful, it’s as if in opening the book and
turning the page I go from the (black)
Nothing to the Everything which is Baba.
The first page is an image of Baba that
appears veiled, as if translucent vellum
paper were laid over it. Below His face are
His words that I quoted above. Then you
slowly turn the pages, and the veil is lifted.
Let the meditations begin.
Unpaginated. Hardcover. Full-page,
full-color reproductions. Meditations on
the Ancient One is available from the Mills
Studio in North Myrtle Beach (http://www.
millsstudio.com/) Sheriar Books or the
Shoppe on Love Street.
53
Don E. Stevens
(January 14, 1919 – Imlay, Nevada to April 26, 2011 – London, England).
My Beautiful Big Bear and an Elder Brother in
Avatar Meher Baba’s Love
By Laurent Weichberger
B
oulder, Colorado During October
2011 we had a sort of memorial reunion of Don’s Young People’s Group
(YPG) at the Meher Spiritual Center.
I wanted to wait for after that experience of sharing about Don to write
this article about his life and work, to
start processing with a group of loving spiritual companions about one of
the deepest losses in my life. The YPG’s
first book project is now available as
The Doorbell of Forgiveness, by Don E.
Stevens (London: Companion Books,
2011).
This article is based on a eulogy I gave
at Don’s funeral in London this May, and
is focused on the facts of his life, not my
personal experiences with Don which
were many and varied over more than
seven years of working closely together.
Don Stevens was born on January
14, 1919 in Imlay, Nevada, the youngest
of three brothers: Earl (oldest), then
Wilfred, and finally came Don. At that
time Imlay was a “Nevada village of 98
inhabitants.” In fact, Don told me that
as a kid he knew men in Nevada who
were later scalped by Indians.
One of the most important aspects
of Don’s childhood was his relationship
with his dog. In preparation for writing
his biography (An Almost Perfect Balance), Don wrote to me:“Denny Brooks
Stevens. It is strange how much importance an animal can have on one’s
development during one’s youth. This
has always stood out in my mind when,
on many occasions, I had reason to remember my first dog, Denny. He was a
thoroughbred Scotch collie.
“Denny came into my life on my first
birthday, on January 14, 1920. I knew instantly that something unusual and certainly important was happening when
I saw my father open the door from
the kitchen into the living room where
I was sitting propped up on the couch.
Dad had a strange grin on his face I
54
had never seen before, and the way he
stood was very odd also. His arms were
behind his back and he seemed to be
holding something there; Even as I was
trying to relate all this to what little I
had at that stage of my life in my memory of my dad’s actions, he brought his
arms around and I saw he was holding
something that looked like a small pillow, but with fur on it, which made no
sense. Then he stooped towards the
floor and the bundle of fur developed
legs and in an instant raced directly towards me.
“I hardly had time to take in all this
before the bundle of fur rocketed up
onto the couch beside me and knocked
me flat onto my back and something
wet plastered all over my face. Anyway, there it was, my first birthday, and
my first dog. I think my father had divine premonition to have captured two
such important things together. Denny
was unique, but even that I did not
know at that time, nor what something
unique was, but the word gathered
deep meaning as the years rolled along
and my first dog taught me so many human things for the first time.”
One of the only times I saw Don cry
was while remembering Denny, and his
eventual passing.
During 1923 Don’s family moved to
Galt, CA (about 20 miles south of Sacramento). A few years later Don’s father
died (of illness). His dear mother subsequently remarried, and Don was fond
of his step-father. Again, for my work
on his biography, Don allowed me to
ask personal questions, and we are fortunate to have his answers1:
Laurent (LW): What did you do in California as a child? Was that move hard
on you? Did you spend a lot of time
with your brothers? Did you rapidly
make new friends?
Don (DES): Remember that when I
was 7 years old my father died and the
whole family went to work. There was
no time for anything other than helping mother in the house and starting
raking leaves for neighbors and later
studying music. I almost never saw my
brothers from this time on as they had
their jobs to make money and we only
saw each other at dinnertime. As both
went away to university at the age of
sixteen, I then saw them only for short
times in summer vacations.
I made a lot of friends quite fast as
I was smart and my first idea of finding oneness was to control the other
fellow so he was dependent on me. I
saw rather soon that this was a totally
erroneous idea of satisfying oneness
and ‘Mac’ in first year of college taught
me how erroneous that had been. It
was the man in the blue shawl2 who explained all that to me so I felt it in my
bones and felt into a totally new type
of oneness with others. This was not
easy, as this necessitates the lowering
of barriers on both sides, and very few
people feel able to do this.
LW: You said that you wrote as a child
and got published in one of the small
local California town papers. At what
age did you start writing work that got
published? What was your favorite subject to contemplate and write about
when you were younger? What is your
favorite subject now?
DES: About age ten. Animals. Creation.
During the 1930s, Don attends Montezuma School for Boys (MSB) in Los Gatos, California (near Santa Cruz). While
at MSB, Don met Professor Earnest Andrew Rogers (whom he later referred
to as simply “Prof”). Don said Prof was
a mystic at heart, but that he never in-
troduced the boys to any particular spiritual path. Prof simply
used the phrase “Cosmic Consciousness.” Prof singled out
Don and shared more personally
with him, and gave Don the notion of “True idealism.”
At that time, Don was involved with Church, Sunday
School, and sang in the church
choir. Don explained directly
about that time in his life:
I would say that by the late
teens I realized that not just
physical longing but an inner
need for wholeness was fundamental and could only be met
finally by a long process of understanding why oneness was
blocked within us. This is why I
became a Sufi and why I understood at once when I first stood
before Baba3 that he had completely answered this need for
wholeness, but not yet to be in
a permanent and total manner.
I was quite content to go through the
process of removing the huge internal block that was necessary. I did not
resent this nor wish to hurry it in any
manner. Just to know that there was
a solution and that I had already had a
taste of it was enough to be happy and
willing to go the course.
After high school, Don attended
freshman year at Black Mountain College (in North Carolina). It was an experimental college, and he didn’t like
their “liberal idealism,” leaving after
one year to attend Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Don was a member of
the Phi-Beta-Kapa Fraternity, whose
principles were: “personal freedom,
scientific inquiry, liberty of conscience
and creative endeavor.” While a sophomore at JHU he was a witness to one
of Prof’s dreams: There was a heavy
rain storm, and the students at Montezuma school would be unable to get
food, etc. Don heard about this dream
from Prof, and Prof sent a telegram to
the school warning of coming storm,
to help the kids. As fate would have it,
this premonitory dream came true, and
Prof’s intervention made a difference.
This experience made a deep impression on Don, still many years before his
initial contact with Meher Baba.
Don spent summers working on the
Coles’ farm in New Hampshire, they
Don and family. Don is center bottom.
were friends of his. They had also known
Ralph Waldo Emerson personally. During
1940, Don graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Organic
Chemistry.
Shortly after graduation, Don commenced with “thought-force experiments.” This was a type of experiment
using mental forces to affect the external world. The results of this proved to
Don that it works. During this time Don
was involved doing personal psychological work with Dr. Kathryn Ahlstrand
related to his spiritual experimentation. It was Dr. Ahlstrand who introduced Don to Murshida Rabia Martin.
Shortly after 1940, Don was initiated
by Murshida Martin as a mureed of
Hazrat Inayat Khan’s Sufi Order in San
Francisco. Don said he was individually
initiated, not in a group setting. Samuel
Lewis was already a member of this order at that time.
Don returned to Montezuma School
for Boys (MSB) as teacher of Physics,
Chemistry and Mathematics. He then
became an official advisor to Jr. and
Sr. classes at MSB to help them go to
University. Of this time Don said he was
interested in a marriage of science and
mysticism.
Soon after, Don became interested
in “Channeling,” and has conversations
with the author Stuart Edward White
and his wife “Betty.” Through
his advising the students at
MSB, Don became friends with
oil executives such as Mr. Clarke
Gester, Chief Geologist of Standard Oil of CA (later Chevron),
as well as Mr. Terry Duce, Texaco Representative for Aramco,
and also their wives, (who Don
said were spiritual), namely Bili
Gester, and Ivy Duce.
After two years of teaching
and trying to be a surrogate
father to the students, Don left
Montezuma school. Shortly after he has an experience one
night at the Olympian Hotel in
which he literally is visited by
a man with a blue shawl, who
guides him spiritually. Don
wrote a small book about this
figure.
During 1945, Murshida Martin put her Sufi order directly
under Avatar Meher Baba’s
guidance (a full seven years
before Don meets Baba in New York
in 1952). Francis Brabazon arrives from
Australia to Fairfax, California to prepare for Baba’s visit there. Soon after,
Murshida Rabia Martin becomes ill and
shares profoundly with Don on her
deathbed just before passing.
During 1952, shortly before Don
meets Baba, a letter came from Baba
to Don, in which he refers to Don as
“my son.” Unfortunately, Meher Baba
is involved in an automobile accident
while traveling from Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina to Ojai, California, and
never got past Oklahoma. Instead, Don
travelled to meet Baba in New York at
Ivy Duce’s Manhattan apartment. After
this initial meeting, a letter came from
Baba to Don, referring to Don as “my
spiritual son.” Meher Baba explains
about the “spiritual son” of the Master
in Discourses,4 in relation to obedience
(bold is mine):
“Such literal obedience is not even
bound by the requirement that the real
significance of the orders should be
within the intellectual comprehension
of the pupil, and it is the best type of
obedience for which you can aspire.
Through such implicit and unquestioning
obedience, all the crooked knots of your
desires and sanskaras are set straight. It
is also through such obedience that a
deep link is created between the Master
55
Don & Adele Wolkin, 2009.
and the pupil, with the result that there
is an unhindered and perennial flow of
spiritual wisdom and power into the
pupil. At this stage the pupil becomes
the spiritual son of the Master,
and in due time he is freed from all
individualistic and sanskaric ties. Then
he himself becomes a Master.”
Another statement from Baba was that
Don has, “An almost perfect balance of
head and heart.” Don wrote to me, “I
was reminded by Bal Natu of two brief
56
When Don did a book signing he
had a great many books to sign.
but very important actions
by Baba as he returned
from the 1952 visit to the
USA and Europe. On his arrival in Zurich after the accident and the final visit to
New York, he was sitting
in Hedi Mertens’ garden
with several of the women who accompanied him,
including several from the
USA to that point. One of
them wrote me from Zurich that on this occasion
Baba mentioned out of
the blue that it had been
worth spilling his blood on
American soil for the opportunity to meet someone of the caliber of Don
Stevens.”
Shortly
after
this,
Meher Baba commences
the personal training of
Don and the Sufi charges
now under the guidance of Ivy Duce. Baba
explains what he means by honesty to
Sufis, a long explanation which made a
giant impact on Don’s understanding
of spirituality. This was to turn into not
one but two “vows” of honesty Baba
asked of Don, both spiritually and in his
work at Chevron.
Soon after, Baba asks Don and Ivy to
edit God Speaks for publication. During
this period, Baba, Ivy and Don create
Sufism Reoriented, and the correspondence show that Don stresses the need
for “democratic principles.”
Don told us a great story about
what happened next. His version is in
the book Meher Baba’s Word and His
Three Bridges. Here is my version of
the same:
Once upon a time, Meher Baba invited
the Western male disciples to India for
three weeks of special sahavas (which
became the Three Incredible Weeks visit). Don Stevens was invited but was unable to attend due to illness. He wrote
to Baba about this, who responded, “I
will make it up to you, Don.”
So, the next year, Baba held the
“Four Language Groups Sahavas” for
the four main language groups of India. Each language group had one
week of Sahavas with Beloved Baba.
Don was invited to attend that. He was
one of only two from the West. Francis
Brabazon was the other.
Don told me that after the Sahavas, as he was packing to leave, one
of the disciples came to his room saying, “Baba is calling you.” Don stopped
what he was doing, and followed the
Indian disciple out of the building.
Don said, right outside the door, under a tree, sat Baba in a chair, with a
small table next to him. On the table,
was a stack of papers, and on the papers was a rock. Don was surprised by
all this, and Baba spoke to him through
a disciple, saying something like: Don, I
hope you have enjoyed your time here
with me, during this Sahavas.
Of course Don replied it was thrilling
and lovely, and how happy he was to
have been there. Baba continued, gesturing to the papers on the table: I have
brought here some of my messages
and words given out over the years,
which as I have told you in the past,
are of the type that I have personally
gone over with the Mandali (i.e. Baba’s
favorite words of his own). Would you
be willing to take these back with you
and make something like a little book
out of them, similar to Discourses? And
with that Baba picked them up off the
table and held them out to Don.
But Don said, Baba I don’t know how
I could do that, those are your words,
and etc. To which Baba responded, “I
will help you.” Don agreed, saying – “I
will do my best Baba”. And Baba was
very happy, and continued, saying
something like: And now that you have
been here at this Sahavas, you could
write another part that describes your
experiences here. In fact, I have had
my secretary keeping careful notes of
what I have shared here, and I could
make those notes available to you as
well. That could be a part of such a
book, don’t you think?
Don again agreed. Baba continued...
“and Don, Baba values your own insights and observations, and understanding. You could also be free, and
write another section just based on
your own feelings about Baba, and
spirituality. That would be a good section too, yes?” Don agreed, and Baba
handed him the papers.
When Don got back to the West, he
said he took the papers out of the envelope he had them in, and laid them
out around them in subject/topic piles.
Giving a talk at the L.A. Baba Center 2009.
Then he picked up each pile and read
it. He said, amazingly, each pile needed almost no writing from him to glue
the passages together into a coherent chapter! He felt this is what Baba
meant by “I will help you.” That is Part
II of Listen, Humanity. Part I is Don’s
experience of the Sahavas. Part III is
Don’s own feelings.
Baba has a room constructed at
Meherabad for Don and gives him a bill
for the materials.
e
Another time, on Don’s birthday, Baba
took off the sadhra he was wearing
and gave it to His Beloved Mehera,
with instructions to keep it for Don, as
a birthday gift. The next time Don was
at Meherazad to visit Baba, he asked
Mehera to bring this gift for Don.
Don said the two things that he tried
to work out without Baba’s help were
money, and his intimate relationships,
until he decided that he couldn’t make a
worse mess of both, and brought them
to Baba, for Baba’s guidance. Don said,
Baba gave him “direct instructions in
relation to my deepest and closest relationships at that time.”
Around this time, Meher Baba made
two references that Don is one of
His “close Mandali.” One was during 1956 at Meher Mount (California),
to Billi Eaton5 and the other at was at
Meherazad, to Eruch.6 Around this time
Don was asked by
Baba to edit Dr.
Deshmuk’s five volume version of Discourses by Meher
Baba, for a modern
Western audience
(specifically the hippies in America and
Europe). This lead
to the conversation between Baba
and Don about the
“atom bombs” of
spiritual energy attached by Baba
to his own special
words.7 Baba then
pointed his finger
at Don and told
him, “And it is your
responsibility
to
explain to Baba’s
lovers what I have
explained to you to-
day.”
In the late 1960s Don eventually
came to an impasse with Sufism Reoriented, and wrote a long letter to
Meher Baba pouring out his heart about
his struggles. In response, not a word
came from Meher Baba, but his boss
at Chevron suddenly reassigned Don to
live and work in Europe! Lastly, I asked
Don: What is it that Don Stevens most
deeply wants?
The rest of this story is too long to
squeeze into an article in a magazine.
Read his biography and you won’t be
disappointed. Thank you, dearest Don,
for all your love and care, and for sharing the beauty of your amazing life
lived with and for Beloved Meher Baba.
Jai Baba.
Notes:
1. From my unpublished research,
“DonAnswersMoreQuestions.doc.”
2. The “Man in the Blue Shawl” is a reference to a spiritual experience Don
had before meeting Meher Baba where
he received guidance from a man who
appeared to him.
3. That first meeting was in New York
in 1952.
4. See Discourses, by Meher Baba, 6th
edition, Volume I, page 90: “The Removal of Sanskaras: III”).
5. The incident with Billi Eaton I personally confirmed with Billi, via telephone
in New York and she said, “But Don
wouldn’t care about that.” It is an unpublished account.
6. The incident with Baba and
Eruch is published in Lord Meher,
p.
6289:
http://www.lordmeher.
org/index.jsp?pageBase=page.
jsp&nextPage=6289
7. For this story, see Meher Baba’s Word
and His Three Bridges (London: Companion Books, 2003).
Don: Oddly enough, neither God Realization nor to be rejoined with Baba. …
Baba gave me a glimpse of complete
oneness and I understand fully that
for that to be permanent, I must go
through the discipline of wiping out
sanskaras, and I have no wish to slight
or avoid that in any manner. And to be
rejoined with Baba, that is a bit ridiculous as again he showed me that first
day after dropping the body that he
was more constantly and closely at my
side than he was when his body was
sitting over in Meherazad. So, what I
find regularly to be the most important thing to me is to live completely
honestly and openly with those I love,
which is quite a few people, and that I
find to be a not easy bill to fill. In fact
it is a constant challenge, but I also admit, a delightful challenge.
©MSI Collection, Meherabad
57
My Precious Privilege
Rachel Dymond, England
F
irst of all, let me say that it has been
a pleasure and an honour to care for
dear Don over the past few months. It
was with some trepidation that I first
accepted the role Don offered me, but
I decided that if I was his choice then it
was ‘meant to be’. In preparation for his
arrival, Anna de Polnay, Renate Moritz
and I spent a day at Don’s flat getting it
spic and span prior to his arrival home
after a very long absence. We measured
doorways and the ‘turns’ between the
rooms to ensure that Don’s wheelchair
could be accommodated and with no
more than an inch to spare we were
soon ready for Don’s return.
With everything in order, my husband
Dennis and I set off to St. Pancras station
to meet Don from his unaccompanied
journey back to London from Paris. As he
was wheeled through the barrier the Don
who greeted me looked tired and frail,
but was very excited to be going ‘home’.
We managed to get him, his wheelchair,
his walking frame and his luggage into
the car before setting off on the journey
back to Hammersmith Grove. Once inside Don was glad to sit down and rest
and immediately began to negotiate our
‘contract’. I told him it was something
that would wait until another time.
He then went on to tell Dennis and me
that there had been a concerted effort
made in France to put him into an ‘Old
People’s Home’ and he emphatically
stated that he didn’t want that to happen
either in Paris or in London. Both Dennis
and I reassured him that we wouldn’t let
that happen! By the time Dennis left and
the excitement of being back home had
subsided, it became apparent just how
very fragile dear Don was.
He mostly moved from his bed to the
couch via the bathroom in his wheelchair
but in the first instance every bump and
jolt over an uneven floor would cause
him to wince with pain. Nevertheless
in true cavalier fashion Don was determined to do his best to improve.
Thus began a daily routine of breakfast, coffee, medicine, bathroom, exercises, a rest with the newspaper, classic
FM on the radio, a protein drink and the
ever present glass of water. By the time
58
Don Stevens in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, 1979. "In his apartment while listening
to the French group singing a song for Baba." Photo by Hasan Selisik.
I had whizzed around to make sure everything was clean and sweet smelling
I’d make the most of Don’s instruction
to sit down and have a cup of tea and a
cigarette. I used to say to him ‘Don, I’ll
go outside to smoke.’ “No you won’t”
he said, “If I can sit in board meetings
behind closed doors and windows with
20 or more men smoking their Havana
cigars, then I can definitely allow you to
smoke”. But he absolutely insisted that I
stop doing whatever it was I was doing
and he’d watch me. ‘Was it a good one?’
he’d ask … ‘a nice relaxing one’? Then
we’d chat about things he wanted to
do or for me to do them for him … or
sometimes just sit quietly enjoying each
other’s company.
Then I’d get Don his ‘three drops’,
originally a whisky and water but later
on it became a brandy and water. He’d
happily sit with that for half an hour or
so while I organized lunch. Always of
course, this regime was frequently interrupted with visits from the doctor,
the district nurses, the physiotherapists
and the occupational therapists, but Don
would trust me to sort out his diary in
such a way that he never had too many
things happening in any one day and I
always made sure that I asked Don first
so that he was kept ‘in the loop’.
As the days went by Don and I settled
into a routine that started at 8am when
I arrived with his favourite paper: the
‘International Herald Tribune’. I would
know that if Don was up and out of
bed, he was feeling pretty good, but
if he was still in bed, he needed some
extra care and attention. By the end of
the day we would aim to have him fed
and watered and back in bed by 8pm –
but it would often be 9 or 10pm before
I felt happy to leave him.
It soon became apparent, after the
first 11 days, that I needed a back up
‘relief’ team. It wasn’t easy finding
people willing to commit to a 12-14
hour ‘shift’ of personal care, but Don
resolutely refused to have more than
one person there per day. Nevertheless,
in true Baba style everything evolved
naturally and organically; I got a day off
every week or so and Don and I had lots
of fun as he recounted the events of the
previous day. For their support I must
convey my deepest thanks to Alfred,
Avril, Keith, Sally, Paul and Jan.
Dennis and I had two excursions
with Don. One was to Holland Park for
some fresh air and a change of scenery,
which he loved. He saw the Japanese
Garden, the peacocks and the spring
blossoms on the trees, but as usual he
thought it was cold! I never knew how
difficult it was to push a wheelchair
through a park! We take it for granted that we can walk along the paths
without realizing that the smallest bump
or crack in the asphalt causes discomfort
to the person being wheeled around.
Our second trip was to the dentist as
he had complained of a toothache, and
while I wanted a dentist I knew would
be kind and gentle, the only suitable
one I knew was on the first floor up!
How proud Don was when he managed
to walk up the flight of stairs! But of
course Dennis had to get him down in
his wheelchair.
As time went by, it became apparent that Don needed to have some
sunshine and fresh air. The first step
was to have the hedge chopped down
so that Don could see the sun, the sky,
and watch the people walking by. Then
we hit a blip: the therapists wanted him
to walk more, and go outside more, but
the pavements were too bumpy for
him to be safe. We put our heads together and decided the best place for
Don to ‘walk’ was to the front garden.
Then of course, Don being Don, he had
to have a reason ‘why.’
Here I take full responsibility for suggesting a bird table, so that Don could
walk out and feed the birds as well as
sitting indoors and watching them. Well,
once I’d mentioned it I didn’t ever hear
the end of it! “When is the bird table
coming?” was a regular question. Of
course the bird table is still coming, but
now it will say ‘God alone exists. In loving memory of Don Stevens,’ around the
border. It will certainly be done before
Don’s funeral, and the hearse will pull up
outside, so on his way out Don will visit
his garden and bird house for the first
and last time.
Don took great pains to make sure
that I had signed instructions from him
to conclude his affairs in London, and
he wrote and signed an open letter to
the UK Baba Association with what he
hoped would be an accepted plan for
the future.
One of the things that Don was deeply
committed to was the Berlin Seminar,
and when he first told me about it, I
questioned whether it was sensible for
him to consider it. He said that he would
go on his own if necessary, but that he
was definitely going. However, as time
went by it became apparent that Don
was becoming forgetful, repetitive and
sometimes confused. Nevertheless, his
stature as a man of integrity and honesty
always came shining through.
The following few days have become
something of a whirlwind of recollections; Claude came for a few days, but
Don’s retreat into himself had begun. He
was sleeping most of the time, though
he would still have his three drops and
his temptation. However the exercise
regime had been abandoned, and he
didn’t want to see anyone at all. Claude
left on the Friday and on the Saturday
and Sunday Don rallied somewhat, not
over exerting himself, but still reading
his paper and talking. His chesty cough
would rack his frail frame and all the antibiotics he was prescribed didn’t make
any difference. I’d coerce him to walk a
little or let me wash him and occasionally
I’d get a smile from him. He would sometimes have conversations with someone
--Baba? --that were largely beyond comprehension.
At one point, with tears in his eyes, he
said he felt that he had let Baba down
by not going to Berlin. I told him that in
his absence he had received a standing
ovation for the completion of the last
book, Listen Humanity into German,
which completed the translation of God
Speaks, Discourses and Listen Humanity
into French, German, Spanish and Italian.
By the Monday morning Don was still
in bed when I arrived. I helped him get
up, get washed and dressed and got his
breakfast. By mid morning he had rallied
and we talked and laughed together and
had lunch. I noticed a steady decline after lunch and would wipe him down with
a damp cloth always trying to weigh up
the benefits and consequences of calling
in the doctor. I was always mindful of the
fact that Don had said he wanted to die
at home and it was a fine line between
hoping for another rally and preparing
for the inevitable.
At one point Don said “I just can’t bear
the pain anymore”, so I asked him where
the pain was…. He said “It’s everywhere”. I sat with him and held him and
told him that he had achieved everything
that Baba had asked him to do and that
Meher Baba loved him dearly. I also told
him that if Baba was calling him to Him,
that it was OK for him to leave us. It was
very late before I left on that Monday
night, I always waited until he was settled, but that Monday evening seemed
somehow timeless and precious.
The next day was a welcome day off
with a lie in and a leisurely bath being the
first order of the day. Jan, with Don and
Dennis, was doing the garden, in which
Don was taking an active interest. Just
after lunch though, Jan phoned to say
there had been a further deterioration
in Don’s condition. That was not uncommon in the early afternoon because it
was always so hot in Don’s flat and the
sunshine now came pouring in. I said to
give him an hour or two and call again if
there was no change. Ten minutes later
Dennis phoned to say that he had seen
Don and he thought I should come immediately.
Within 20 minutes I was at Don’s and
I talked and cajoled him and he perked
up briefly then started to sleep again.
Jan and I watched him and talked about
whether or not to call the doctor in. We
kept on watching him in the hope that
there would be some indication that a
recovery was in sight, but by 6pm we
knew we had to phone.
The doctor arrived within the hour, examined Don and said he had a chest infection and was dehydrated and would
be best served in hospital. The ambulance arrived soon after and Don was
safely strapped in with Jan and I at his
side and taken to Charing Cross Hospital. It was about 2:30am before he was
finally admitted with IV fluids plugged in
and antibiotics, with a medical proposal
to do an endoscopy as they suspected a
blockage in the gut.
The next few days went by in a blur.
I had permission to go into the hospital early and would feed Don his meals.
There were no more ‘three drops’, but I
59
always bought an ice-cream and took it
upstairs for him and would feed it to him,
as well as grapes cut in half and as much
water as I could get him to take.
By that Monday evening I had discussed the situation with Jan and had
made the decision that Don would be
discharged and taken home rather than
stay in hospital to undergo invasive tests
etc. We then went to the London Baba
Centre where Paul Gregory ran a Monday meeting and after arti we prayed
that Baba would guide us and direct us to
make the best possible choices on Don’s
behalf. In His Infinite Compassion, at 5 am
on the Tuesday morning we got a phone
call from the hospital to say please come
immediately as there had been a further
decline.
When Dennis, Jan and I got to the
ward the curtains were drawn around
Don and six or seven medical personnel surrounded him. One of the doctors
asked us to wait in the ‘day room’ which
we did, then I suddenly remembered
the decision not to let them interfere
too much in the natural process. I went
and told the doctors that the family decision was that there should be no medical intervention, which was clearly the
right choice as they were just going to
put Don on a ventilator, after which
time they tucked him up and took away
all their monitors and stuff and Dennis,
Jan and I were allowed back in. Dennis
quickly paid his respects and left Jan and
I holding Don’s hands. I had asked the
doctor ‘how many hours’ and she replied
‘it’ll be minutes’.
So, we very quietly sang Welcome to
my World, Amazing Grace and Morning has Broken. Then we said the Masters Prayer and the Beloved God Prayer
and then we started repeating Baba’s
name in Don’s ear. After just a few
minutes we realized that the oxygen
mask was no longer moving. Our Dearest Companion, Don Stevens, had once
again been embraced by Baba and
will remain with Him always.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to
care for Don and there is no doubt that
his legacy lives on. He was, above and
beyond everything else, utterly devoted
to serving his Beloved Master, Avatar
Meher Baba.
Don E. Stevens in Neskowin, Oregon (2003).
photo by Douglas Frank, © 2012
On Don’s last visit to Los Angeles in 2009 he was feted royally
60
Don’s Last Days
Jan Baker, England
I
had the privilege of being with Don
during his last few days, and I would
like to share my experience with you
all.
Let me introduce myself and say that
although I am consciously a relative
newcomer to Meher Baba, this relationship has typically shaped and shaken my world since stepping into His in
January 2009.
Undoubtedly, the greatest influence
and grounding force since that time
has been Don Stevens. Don officially
wheeled himself into my life on the
first day of the Beads on One String
Pilgrimage 2010. I had just suffered another shake up after being tripped and
relieved of all my money, credit cards
and insurance at New Delhi railway station. In—as I grew to recognize—true
Don spirit, he embraced me, a relative
stranger, placated, calmed and personally loaned me the money to continue
the pilgrimage. His reassuring words
and presence not only dispelled my
anxiety but they helped me prioritize
and focus my attention on the real purpose for my being in India and a bead
on this string.
Since returning and subsequently
joining Don’s Sunday meeting group,
my relationship with him deepened
significantly and I became aware of,
at first subtle, but then quite tectonic
shifts occurring within me, especially whilst in his company. So it was a
very organic and instinctive wanting
to help, that culminated in me being on Don’s care team in London
and then at Rachel’s house on the
Tuesday morning when the hospital
rang shortly after 5 o’clock to report
a further decline in Don’s condition.
For the purpose of clarity I will share my
last nine days with Don in diary form.
Monday 18th April
I received a message to telephone
Rachel - she requested I come the
following day (assuming Don to be
in Berlin I’d spent the Sunday at the
Buddhist Centre in Golders Green observing a 24 hour fast and purification
practice and so had missed her call). Tuesday 19th
I arrived at Hammersmith Grove at
7.30 a.m. Sevn had stayed the night and
told me that Don had been awake for
much of it and was now sleeping. I left
him undisturbed until 10.0 a.m. when
he got up, ate a good breakfast and
after his morning routine sat watching
Dennis gardening through the front
window whist I manicured his nails.
Don soon fell back to sleep so I took my
time, gently creaming and massaging
his hands, arms and feet. His skin was
very delicate and tissue thin, his hands
still bruised from the IV in Paris and
I was deeply aware of the profound
privilege to care for and become quietly yet intimately acquainted with, not
Don the orator, or the philosopher, but
Don the elderly and vulnerable human
being.
After lunch he became more and
more lethargic, so seeking Rachel’s
opinion, Dennis left to collect her. As
soon as her vital energy entered the
room, Don woke up and they fell into
jokey banter. Don enjoyed his usual ice
cream “temptation” but then drifted
back to sleep. We both sat in observation, weighing up all concerns and
consequences, before telephoning the
doctor. We then went into Don’s bedroom and, standing in front of Baba’s
picture, prayed and asked for guidance.
In due course the doctor arrived and,
suspecting a chest infection and dehydration, advised he be admitted to
hospital. An ambulance was called and
we both spent the evening with Don at
Charing Cross Hospital where he was
thoroughly assessed and diagnosed
with dehydration and fluid on the lung.
They administered antibiotics and intravenous fluids but throughout Don
was his usual cheerful self. We kissed
him and left him some time after 2 a.m.
when he’d been allocated a bed.
Wednesday 20th
I visited Don in the morning and although he was still showing signs of
confusion, when I reminded him of
the random answers he’d given to the
doctor’s questioning he smiled and
said that “he had to fabricate a bit”.
Rachel stayed at Don’s bedside each
day and kept me informed each evening of his condition until I was free to
visit again the following Monday.
Monday 25th
On route to the hospital Dennis and
I stopped by a garden centre to buy
flowers and shrubs for the front garden
so that on his return Don would have
colour and beauty to view through his
window. On arrival at the hospital he
was sleeping. Rachel had gotten him
some ice cream earlier, which he had
eaten, and the nursing staff had reported him being awake for most of
the night.
We tried feeding him his evening
meal but he was not responsive
above fluttering his eyes and moving
his lips when moistened with water.
We stayed until 7.45 pm, just holding
his hand and occasionally smoothing his
hair, that he was always so fastidious
about parting and patting, and I kissed
him good bye ’til morning.
That evening we went to the Baba
Centre. Paul was already there and we
were later joined by Ajay. If nothing
else could be done medically, we determined to bring Don home the following day. Then we stood in front of
Baba’s picture, said the Universal Prayer
and Prayer for Baba Lovers and asked
that Baba guide our thoughts and actions with the wisdom to intuit and
honour His wishes. Of course this was
taken out of our hands with the hospital call at 5 am the following morning.
Tuesday 26th
We arrived at the hospital shortly after 5.30 a.m. Don’s bed was screened
from view by blue curtains and he was
surrounded by medical staff and linked
into an assortment of monitors. We
were immediately ushered into a day
room and asked to wait, but confirming
each other’s reactions to what we had
just witnessed.
Rachel returned to the ward and conveyed the family’s request that Don
not be subjected to any more stressful
or unnecessary interference, but left in
peace. We were shortly joined by one
of the female doctors who confirmed
that there was indeed nothing more
that could be medically done beyond
sustaining Don’s life artificially. The infection in Don’s chest had apparently
worsened, intensifying the carbon dioxide in his blood.
We waited for the medical staff to
leave. Dennis then said his goodbyes
and Rachel and I stood on either side of
61
Don. We each took one of his hands in
each of ours and, just as he had done for
me in India, we reassured him that he
was not, and would not, ever be alone,
that Meher Baba was waiting for him.
I can’t remember exactly what followed, as words just surfaced and
evaporated, as was their want - but I do
know beyond anything else that there
was a phenomenal presence of love.
We then recited the Universal Prayer
and the Prayer for Baba Lovers, and
gently whispering Beloved Meher
Baba’s name near his ear, our dearest
Don slipped away from us. It was truly
the most serene of passings and I was
reminded of Don’s appreciation and
love of beauty in the significant beauty
of this most precious of moments. We
sang Amazing Grace, Morning has Broken and Welcome to my World and Rachel placed Don’s photograph of Baba
on his chest and I put the small Don’t
Worry Be Happy booklet on his pillow.
A little time later a nurse came in and
confirmed that Don had gone.
We stayed by his bed just holding his
hand, first together and then allowing
each other time alone with Don and
my heart prompted me in the beautiful practice of taking and giving - simply
breathing in any discomfort, pain or anxiety of another and breathing out love. I
then thanked him once again for giving
me his friendship - for however short
in this life I felt such a knowing of him.
The registrar arrived at about 8.30 am
and we then left at 9 a.m.
After leaving the hospital we went
back to Don’s flat to be with Claude—
each of us separated in our own emotional bubbles yet held in a common
sea of calm. The day simply unraveled
with practicalities determining it’s pace
and I continued in this suspended state
of calm, but with the conviction that all
was as it should be, and I returned home
to St. Albans the following evening.
Then on the morning of Thursday
28th at 5 a.m. I suddenly woke up. My
chest felt so expansive as if cleaved
open and I was utterly immersed in
love. I just lay in bed repeating Meher
Baba’s name and thanking Him for allowing me entry into Don’s life and for
the circumstances that had culminated
and climaxed in this present moment.
And I will be forever grateful for being
a part of his leaving.
62
Memories of Don
Christine et Philippe Joucla,
Vannes (Brittany France)
12 May 2011
D
on came into our lives at Duneau,
in Gina and André Grimard’s home,
in 1988. We were both seekers on the
spiritual path, and it was Christiane Lecourt who told us about the meetings
with Don. Straightaway, we felt close to
Don and fully accepted as we were. He
would answer all my questions calmly
and the details of his own life-story gave
us trust and the feeling that we were living the same experiences in daily life.
We then mainly studied the different
chapters from “The Discourses” and the
virtues of Honesty and Loyalty. Don possessed this perfect balance between the
heart and the mind that was necessary
to guide me. Some time after our move
to Brittany, Vannes, Don suggested
coming to Vannes for the meetings, we
were thrilled. The meetings in our home
started in 1993 in our Arradon house.
Don would come once a month, then
every other month for the last two
years. Each time, I felt “recharged” with
love, understanding and peace, and my
anxious disposition (sanskaras) vanished. The most striking event for me in
Don’s anecdotes was the
story of when Baba had
“cut off” the wire of worrying in Don’s life. Don realized it on the plane coming back from New York
where he had met Baba.
The “wire” of anxiety had
totally disappeared, and it
stayed away for ever.
During his visits in our
Arradon home, Don carried on relating Baba’s
philosophy and stories
to the numerous visitors
who came to our home.
We launched the Berder
seminar, which thrilled
all participants, but after
a while I stopped inviting so many people and
we kept a small group of
companions composed
of Philippe and myself,
Françoise Laveuve and
Pierre, Claude Guichon, and for the last
two years: Mihaela, Isabelle, Hélène.
These last years, Don told us about his
intuitions, and each time, his words
would correspond to our own questioning or thoughts of the moment,
and Don’s words were full of optimism,
which was also amazing and powerful.
There was also this perfect synchronicity between his words and our expectations.
Philippe worked with Don for a long
time on the re-editing of the 1960 films
on Baba Don had made, and I assisted
Don in his choice of music. We also contributed to a part of the translations or
to editing some of the translations. Each
time Don came, he would sit at Philippe’s
desk to write his e-mails. Don would
have his meals with us but hardly ever
accepted our invitation to sleep at home,
he didn’t want to “disturb” us, and so
would stay in a small hotel outside the
train station in order to catch the train
back to Paris on the following day.
Our three children: Maïlys, Aurélien
and Solène grew up with his presence.
He always said we were “family” to
him. For me, Don was a second father.
We went on the pilgrimage to India
with him in 2004 and Aurélien, our son,
went on the same pilgrimage with his
girl-friend Yuri, in January 2009. These
were unforgettable experiences. Don
will remain present in our life for ever.
each group had different memories of
Don and his friendship with them, but
everyone could and did agree that Don
was truly remarkable and very special –
he was Baba’s, then, now and forever.
Ralph Lewis, England
This was very much in evidence
throughout the tributes paid to Don
19th May 2011
during the farewell. The Rector Lucy
Winkett welcomed us all and Christine
he day of Don’s farewell was beau- Joucla, one of Baba’s long time French
tifully bright and sunny, reminding lovers, who had worked with Don for
many of the tours and meetings we many years, gave us a magnificent solo
had with Don in India. And the con- of Pie Jesu from Faure’s Requiem. We
stant road works noise and clamour then all prayed reciting O Parvardigar
outside St. James in Piccadilly certainly –the words of which reminded us of
reinforced that. But Don wasn’t there Don’s work over the last sixty years for
– at least not in the flesh - and this was Baba. After an English hymn Love Dia strange fact to absorb. Beloved Don vine we heard the many tributes to this
who had served his Beloved so well and work.
Laurent Weichberger spoke of Don’s
with such grace and attention to detail
remarkable
life story, born in a small
since their meeting in 1952, had moved
town
on
January
14th, 1919, starting
on to be with Baba. As Bhauji said “He
with
his
deep
love
for his dog Denny.
will go direct to Baba. Now whatever
His
lifelong
search
for wholeness led
you want to do - all these ceremonies
him
through
mysticism
and the Suyou may do. Don will be unconcerned,
as I am unconcerned, with all ceremo- fis until he met Meher Baba. Laurent
nies. He selflessly did what is necessary spoke of Meher Baba’s letters to Don in
for Beloved Baba’s Wish and devoted his which He spoke of Don as His Spiritual
Son and also the need for Obedience,
whole life in service to the Beloved. “
Don’s service to Baba was very much which Don fully demonstrated. Baba
in evidence by the many, many peo- also said Don had almost a perfect balple who had come to honour him and ance of mind and heart.
Renate followed, speaking of Don’s
say farewell and thanks for this. From
those who had been with Don when he work with his English companions and
moved to London in 1968 and began the in the early days using the Discourses
Discourse meetings at Wardour Street, to work with Baba’s words. She spoke
to those who had been with him on the of the emphasis Don placed on clarity
Beads Pilgrimages of recent times – all and focus on the original sources of Bawere represented. Each individual and ba’s words. She also told of Don’s immense creativity manifested
though his intuitions and the
many inspirations that this led
to – and finally Don’s last intuition about the need for direct
relationship to God.
Francoise Lemetais then
spoke movingly of Don’s work
throughout France. She said
that Don’s name means “gift”
in French. Don travelled constantly around France to meet
the groups of Baba Lovers and
led many seminars leading to
strong bonds of friendship between different groups based
in France and the U.K. Many
tributes were paid to Don including that of Elder Brother
and spiritual teacher and an
Don with Laurent Weichberger, 2004.
example of practical mysti-
Don Stevens’
Farewell
T
cism and selfless service for others.
And most of all a vessel though which
Baba’s Love came through.
From America Richard Griffins spoke
of Don and his work there – especially
again telling of his work with groups –
and an example of perpetual motion
given Don’s constant travelling! Don
established groups in the USA in the
1990’s, and the publishing of The Inner
Path in the New Life and then his work
on intuition, Baba’s gift to humanity
in this incarnation. Following on was
Don’s work on Meher Baba’s Word and
the Three Bridges and in 2003 his work
with young people groups to pass on
the torch of Baba’s words. Cynthia
Griffins read a moving tribute from
Yolanda in New York. Finally in terms
of tributes, Sakshee Bhalekar read a
message from Australia of the work of
Don in Melbourne 2008 and his work at
Avatar’s Abode and the seeds of inspiration Don planted then.
There were many beautiful and moving musical contributions. The first,
already mentioned was Pie Jesu by
Christine Joucla. Jean Gousseff sang a
wonderful version of the Song of the
New Life and Sakshee Bhalekar gave us
a delight of a song written by Baba. Lol
Benbow contributed ‘Love is a Many
Splendoured Thing, a reminder of the
many times he played for Don at Sahavas and other meetings and a truly inspirational rendition of Amazing Grace
was sung by Kathryn Harris and Anna
Wales.
Sevn McAuley who has done so much
with Don on the Beads on One String
Project read Meher Baba’s last message from the alphabet board. “Severance of external links does not mean the
termination of internal links.” This was
a very poignant reminder of our debt
to Don and all his work in Baba’s Name
– something Don never forgot and for
which he strived to fulfil completely all
his life. And with that Claude and a few
close companions left to accompany
Don’s coffin to the crematorium.
The other companions went across
the road for refreshments, to catch
up with each other and to hug in the
manner that Don has demonstrated so
well. And also of course to share many,
many stories of Don and his ways of
being a true friend and a person of the
utmost integrity. No one would claim
that Don was perfect, least of all him,
63
but he certainly was a most wonderful human being, which is what I like to
think Don would be most pleased to be
remembered as.
Don’s generosity and constant efforts to spread Baba’s message of
Love was remarkable – and he never
stopped. The day of his farewell was
beautifully and lovingly organised by
the UK Association and Don’s closest companions and those who were
with him at the end. It was a day of
very mixed emotions, sadness at losing someone as special as Don, happiness for him at the certainty that he is
with Baba, tears, laughter and above all
love. Thank you so much Don – a true
Friend and Companion – we were so
lucky that Baba sent you to us.
Remembrances of Don Stevens
Harry Thomas, Arizona
May 8, 2011
I
had the esteemed honor of being a guest several times at his Companion Group
meetings in London. There was always a topic that was slated to be discussed,
with Don acting as the moderator, in which capacity he was superb.
The meetings would always be preceded by a sumptuous meal that would feature fine wine from France and Don’s famous “stinky cheese.” He would consistently bring a cheese that would assault one’s olfactory sense. It smelled disgusting and wafted through the London Meher Center where the meeting was held
but oh, it was so delicious!
I don’t recall any of the various topics but do remember being duly impressed
with the consummate skill and diligent focus with which Don would facilitate the
meetings. I learned a great deal from these Companion Group gatherings, which
I’ll carry with me lifelong. Like Darwin Shaw, Don was profoundly familiar with
Baba’s words and had expertly distilled their timeless meaning and elegance, and
he gladly shared his insights and understanding with us.
On this website there are many more photos of Don and scenes from his memorial service in London:
http://trustmeher.org/meher-baba-mandali/men-mandli/don-stevens
64
— Editor
Loving the One in the Many:
A Letter from the Beads-on-One String Committee
Marnie Franks, Oregon
Beads-on-One-String is a committee
formed by Don Stevens as a successor to
Companion Enterprises.
This letter invites the Baba community
to participate in the committee’s projects and activities.
—Editor
Dear Meher Baba Community,
O
n April 26, 2011, Don Stevens passed
into the arms of his beloved master Meher Baba. Through his writing,
study groups and companionship, Don
touched the lives of many who feel the
loss of him personally yet rejoice in his
reunion with his Beloved. Don’s love and
devotion to Meher Baba as expressed
in his tireless work for Baba up until the
very end of his life are an inspiration
which lives on.
A whirlwind of ideas, Don created
and supported many endeavours to
help spiritual seekers. One of these
was Companion Books, established in
the 1990’s under the aegis of Companion Enterprises. The original purpose of
Companion Books was to publish works
that Avatar Meher Baba had personally
asked Don to translate into the four
principal European languages. These
books are God Speaks, Discourses, and
Listen, Humanity, and this responsibility
was fulfilled within Don’s lifetime. Before Don’s death, he began the dissolution of Companion Enterprises with the
intention that the Beads-on-One-String
Trust would eventually take over the
responsibilities and activities for both
Companion Enterprises and Companion Books.
In His 1956 pre-eminent work God
Speaks, Meher Baba said:
I am not come to establish any cult,
society or organization; nor even to establish a new religion. The religion that I
shall give teaches the Knowledge of the
One behind the many. The book that I
shall make people read is the book of the
heart that holds the key to the mystery of
life. I shall bring about a happy blending
of the head and the heart. I shall revitalize all religions and cults, and bring them
together like beads on one string. (Meher
Baba, God Speaks, 2nd ed., rev. & enl.
[1973], p. xxxvi)
This idea of the One in the many as conveyed by his beloved Master, Avatar
Don Stevens' Young People's Group seminar weekend in New Hampshire, June 2010.
Front, from left to right: Don Stevens, Cynthia Griffin, Marnie Frank, Heather Masciandaro.
Back: Doug Frank, Sevn McAuley, Richard Griffin, Nicola Masciandaro.
Meher Baba, inspired Don throughout
his life. In the 1950’s and 1960’s beloved
Baba told Don to visit and film specific
holy sites in India. They represented
many different religions, including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Islamic
Sufism. Just before his death in 2001,
Eruch Jessawala viewed these films
and told Don that these were places
visited by Baba many times, but always
incognito and with the purpose of Avataric work known only to Meher Baba.
Upon reflection on this conversation, Don came to believe that the idea
of finding the One behind the many
was an extremely important legacy of
the Avatar’s Advent. To facilitate this
search for unity, Don organized pilgrimages to the Indian sites visited incognito by Baba and filmed by Don at
beloved Baba’s direction. There have
been four such pilgrimages: 2004,
2007, 2009 and 2010.
Don’s understanding was that the sacred energy at spiritual sites is not limited to those places visited by Meher
Baba, the most recent incarnation of
the Ancient One, but is at sites related
to other incarnations of the Truth and
represented today by various religions
and wisdom traditions. Don believed
that these storehouses of Avataric energy are tools Meher Baba uses “to
make people understand religion in its
true sense . . . developing that attitude
of mind which should ultimately result in
seeing One Infinite Existence prevailing
throughout the universe.” (“Message
to the West Given for the ‘Paramount
Newsreel’”, April 10, 1932, Meher Baba’s
Early Messages to the West [2009], p. 5)
Don recognized in Meher Baba’s
words that individuals of different and
diverse creeds and traditions exhibit a
profound understanding of and faith
in this underlying unity. In turn, Don
expanded the Beads endeavours and
sponsored the 2011 German Seminar
and the film of the 2009 Beads
pilgrimage. He expressed his intent to
develop many more projects to engage
persons of all faiths and traditions,
and those in the arts and sciences, in
65
this thrilling romance between the
individual soul and God.
In 2008 Don formed a steering
committee called Beads-on-One-String,
or Beads for short, which included
most of the directors of Companion
Enterprises. This committee has been
entrusted with the immediate work
of fulfilling Don’s vision. Although the
future will be determined by Beloved
Baba, we, the Steering Committee
of Beads-on-One-String, hope that
by sharing with you our sense of
responsibility and inspiration, you too
will feel inspired to participate in its
unfolding.
In September 2011 two focus groups
were held among Baba lovers who
had strong connections with Don and
Beads activities. One session was in
Marseilles, France, and the other was
at the English sahavas in Beaconsfield,
England.
In the light of these meetings and
with Companion Enterprises, Companion Books and Meher Baba’s message to the West as its foundation, the
Steering Committee of Beads-on-OneString met in England in late September 2011 to determine how to proceed
with Don’s vision.
Per Don’s instructions, Companion
Enterprises will be dissolved sometime
in 2012 and a non-profit, charitable corporation with an international focus
will be headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA., known as Beads-onOne-String Charitable Trust. Companion Books will fold into the Beads Trust
and continue its publishing work.
The most important resolution of the
September meeting is the revised vision statement which follows:
Beads-on-One-String* is a non-profitcorporation dedicated to the exploration
of the unity of all life and whose abiding
interest is in humanity’s common endeavour to understand, experience and creatively express the Oneness that lies at
the heart of all.
This search is independent of existing
traditions yet actively appreciates and
connects people from all religions, backgrounds and cultures, sacred and secular.
We intend through education, pilgrimage, film and media, arts, sciences and
companionship to invite opportunities to
explore and experience this unity.
The Steering Committee believes
that this vision allows the Beads Trust
66
to create, facilitate, and support activities inspired by persons searching for
the Oneness at the heart of all, whether they be lovers of Meher Baba or on a
completely different path.
The Steering Committee believes
that the Beads Trust is moving into
unknown territory which has yet to be
fully revealed. It is hoped that future
projects will include those within the
Meher Baba community as well as people without any external links to Avatar
Meher Baba, as has always been the
case with both Beads pilgrimages and
seminars.
We send this letter to our Baba community with love and look forward to
engaging with you in this remarkable
journey. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Marnie Frank
via email at [email protected]
and she will respond as soon as possible.
In Beloved Meher Baba,
Beads-on-One-String Steering Committee:
Marnie Frank, Chair Sevn McAuley, Vice-Chair Wayne Smith, Director
Richard Griffin, Treasurer Robert Hartford, Director
Jane Hoskin, Clerk Georgina Hartford, Director
Cynthia Griffin, Director
Renate Moritz, Director
For more information about
Beads-on-One-String, check the website:
beadsononestring.org .
As per Don’s wishes, Sevn casts his ashes to the wind.
Passings
4/23/50 - 11/11/11
Dina Snow Gibson
C
harles was born in Phoenix Arizona,
and went to high school in Dallas
Texas, but when people asked where he
was from, it was just easier to say “The
South”. He had moved so much throughout his childhood and adult life, always
in the South, and had absorbed all the
accents of the Deep South. I bought
him a T shirt that said “What part of
y’all don’t you understand?” It was so
appropriate as y’all was embedded in
his speech – always.
In his teens, he became interested in
spirituality and at 19 he read Autobiography of a Yogi which made him want
to join the Self Realization organization.
But they didn’t accept anyone under 21
for initiation into their fellowship. At that
time, Charles was renting a room from
33 year old Gabrielle, who was in the
process of divorcing her 3rd husband.
But it was this man (her soon to be ex)
who told Charles “You don’t need them!
Read this,” and gave him a copy of The
Discourses. “Meher Baba accepts everyone – no initiation required.” So Charles
was hooked on Baba since he was 20.
He graduated from the Sherman College of Chiropractic in North Carolina
in 1976 at the age of 26, and moved to
Albuquerque New Mexico to set up his
practice. He treated people in a number
of the Southern states and then decided
the pull of the sea was too strong to
ignore, so he sold his practice, bought a
Charles Wayne Gibson
sailboat and for the next 13
years he and Gabrielle sailed
from the Florida Keys to various islands in the Caribbean.
Charles was utterly fearless on the high seas. One
time he told me their small
sailboat was caught in 30’
waves. The guy with them
was green and hurling. Gabrielle was screaming, “Make it
stop!” But Charles? He lashed
himself to the mast and was
exuberantly yelling YEE HAA
as the boat slid down the
face of the 30’ wave like it
was a surfboard!
He lived a pretty rough
life, was a wild and crazy
man; never carried a gun, but
always had his knife strapped to his belt,
not that he ever had to use it. His stature, 6 foot 5, was enough to intimidate
anyone stupid enough to cross his path
in a menacing fashion. The bars he hung
out in in the Keys were the kind of places
I would be too scared to ever set foot
in. Dangerous! But he brought life and
joy to those bars as he would sing and
play his guitar till the wee small hours,
after a hard days work as a commercial
fisherman.
In 2001 Charles and Gabrielle moved to
India where he treated Baba’s Mandali,
pilgrims and local villagers with his very
special chiropractic talents. I met him
January 28th during Amartithi 2003,
and we seemed helpless under Baba’s
wishes for us. I knew him for only five
days before I returned to Los Angeles.
But the magic dust Baba had sprinkled
on us was too powerful to resist, so Charles
left India and arrived in
L. A. in March.
A letter from Joy
Carlson about her photo the right:
“Altho I haven’t
seen Charles since you
and he opened your
hearts to one another
that Amartithi 2003—
the afternoon he sang
for eight straight hours
under the big tent—re-
mains clear in my mind. I remember the
sparking of love between you two and
how you periodically ran for water and
refreshment for him to keep him singing. We were all spellbound listening to
his beautiful Baba songs. Who couldn’t
have helped falling in love with a beautiful spirit such as Charles? That afternoon of his singing ended,
but during the rest of my stay I would
catch glimpses of you two around ‘campus’ and I would think, “Well, she found
her love, what a lucky gal.” I also fell a
little in love with beautiful Charles that
day (what girl wouldn’t?) but my destiny
was to remain a misty eyed groupie,
while Baba gave him to you as your dearest heart and life companion.
I was so pleased the day you called
me long distance to thank me for the
picture I took of you falling in love with
67
him, taken the very first day you set eyes
on him. I didn’t expect a call, but your
big Baba heart prompted you to thank
me for capturing that moment on film,
and I was thrilled. I followed your love
story as continents merged and as your
realization of each other’s importance
grew, and marriage followed.
In Our Beloved,
Joy (Dhyana) Carlson”
Yes He did indeed, and two years
later when we realized Baba wasn’t just
fooling around, that this relationship was
for life, we planned our marriage – New
Years Day 2005. The above photo was
on the wedding invitation. Little did we
know that less than seven years later,
death would us part. Who knows what
sanskaras were created or erased in that
short period of time; I just hope I don’t
have to wait until I am 64 to meet up with
him again in our next lifetime together,
as I did this time around.
Back in his wild and crazy days he used
to say he wouldn’t live to 60. Well he
made it to 61, however as Baba has said,
“No amount of medical intervention or
lack thereof will change your appointed
time of coming to me”. But his death
was such a shock to us all. The doctors
had misdiagnosed him. We had no idea
he had a life threatening illness. I had
been in Australia for six weeks helping
support my son and their eight year old
daughter through the passing of Helen,
Christopher’s wife.
My daughter in L.A. told me I was
needed back there as she had had to
hospitalize Charles twice while I was
gone. So I flew back home, took one look
at him, and immediately drove him to
the ER. Three weeks later he was gone!
But 11/11/11? Just like my honey to go out
on such a memorable date. How ironic
it was seeing all the billboards around
68
town advertising the opening of a new
movie: all the billboard said was: The
Immortals 11/11/11 in huge big letters. And
his soul is indeed immortal.
He leaves behind his elder brother
Larry and sister Karen and her husband
Quanah, from northern California, who
were a great support to me in those
last few weeks. Charles also has a
younger brother Mathew, who lives in
Alaska. My daughter
and her family and
my oldest son, all
living in L.A. helped
me give a wonderful
send off to Charles.
The Celebration of
his Life was held in a
beautiful park in the
Marina del Rey, with
his loved sailboats all
around.
Following this, his
body was cremated
and a friend took us
out into the Pacific in his sailboat. My
daughter, her husband and their three
children and I took turns taking a cup
of his ashes and with many a rousing
“Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!” consigned
him to the deep. So Charles joined with
his beloved ocean and his Beloved Baba.
He is now one with the Infinite Ocean.
Goodbye my Darling – until we meet
again….
o
Remembrances of Charles from his
friends:
From the Chairman of the Trust
Beloved Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!
My dearest Sister Dina,
I received your email dated 12 November, 2011. It is really very sad news.
I loved Charles Gibson very much, but
now he is no more. But he is still alive in
me and in Baba. No one dies, and no one
takes birth. This is the play of illusion. We
get false mind and this false mind plays
tricks. That is its duty.
You must have heard Fred Stankus
singing this song, “Mind Mind Stupid
Mind.” He is also sick (he had surgery)
and he is recovering at home, and Gigi is
taking care. Still he can sing “Mind Mind
Stupid Mind.” Ask him to sing it once
more for you. Now you learn this song,
The celebration of his life held at the Marina del Rey
tell him that I have asked you to get a
copy of the song.
This life and death is a dream. When
his eyes open, he will know only God
is real. Everything is illusion. The same
thing will happen to your husband
Charles, so you must feel happy. He will
take Baba’s darshan and then come back
- but now he has the direct way to God.
Please be happy; your Charles is alive for
all time and I know that you will realize
this. He has got the direct way. He will
not stop anywhere.
Jai Ho! Jai Ho!! Jai Ho!!! Jai Jai kar Ho
yours!
With all love and Jai Baba to you, my
dearest Dancing Sister Dina, and to all
the children and members of the family,
and loving kisses to the grandchildren,
In His Love and Service,
Bhau
o
Meheru, Meherazad
When word of Charles’ passing reached
Meherazad, Meheru picked a white rose
from their garden and placed it on Baba’s
bed in memory of their chiropractor who
had helped relieve them all of many of
their aches and pains throughout his
time there.
curriculum was so intense,
and we were both fairly serious students, we found very
little time to get together.
One exception was when
we were able to spend some
quality time together in
February, 1974. Charles and
I and a few others rented
a fairly large public room
in Spartanburg, and put
together a “Happy 80th
Birthday” Party for Meher
Baba. It had paintings, displays, pamphlets, cake and
ice cream and a lot of love.
There must have been over
a hundred people who came
to Baba’s party that evening
of February 25th, 1974.
My memory of Charles
during those days was of a
Charles joyfully sings at his concert at Meherabode
very intense, quiet and intelligent young you went to India. I really didn’t want it,
man with a loving heart. Obviously, even but, well, it was part of helping you go to
then, Charles had been touched deeply India. Now it has become something that
by Meher Baba’s Presence in his life.
I love having, I often think of you when
After leaving Sherman College and I use it. Life is like that. Oh, that seems
Spartanburg and going our separate sooo many years ago. I love having the
ways, I enjoyed hearing from or about boat. It is something I never would have
Charles from time to time. I was espe- thought of, had I not gotten it from you.
cially pleased to hear of his moving to
I remember those days happily,
India, and then that he and Dina ‘found’ when you were in Chapel Hill, before
each other at such an important time in you moved to India. I always loved you,
their lives.
Charles, even though we never saw very
Although we haven’t spent time much of each other. I think somewhere
together literally in decades, I consider our lives were very close, in the past,
Charles to be an old and dear friend. a deep bond, like brothers. I was truly
Jonny Grumette
Richard Leveton, South Carolina
Charles began his studies at Sherman
College of Chiropractic, North Carolina, in
September 1973, about three months before I did. We shared a number of classes
over the next three or so years. As there
were very few lovers (or even ‘likers’) of
Meher Baba there, we certainly enjoyed
spending some occasional time together
discussing our experiences with Meher
Baba and His teachings. But, because the
o
[The following letter arrived a few
days before Charles passed.]
Dear Dina and Charles,
I told Meena, in India, about your
health, Charles, and she sends her love
to you. Many times she
has asked me, “How is
Charles?” She remembers you with great
fondness and love, and
wishes wholeheartedly
that you get better. She
told me this several days
ago, and each day she
asks me, “Did you write
Charles?”
Dina, we once lived in
Charles’ house when he
was away. I bought the
rafting pontoon boat
from you, Charles, when
moved when Meena thought of you with
such wholehearted love.
Charles, I want somehow, somewhere
to get a copy of you singing, “Nothing
Less Than Everything.” You know, we
all have something that we do “best”,
and I think when you sang that song, it
69
put you in a class by itself. It is one of the
most beautiful things I have ever heard.
I send you both my love. Meher Baba
is in your hearts, and in mine. In Beloved Baba’s Love and Great
Ocean, Your friend, Jonny
him? Unacceptable! I’m praying we meet
as teenagers next lifetime!
o
February 18th . I (Dina) am writing this
at the MPR (Meherabad), and at the dinner table last night a pilgrim recounted
an experience he had on his first visit
here. He was very new to Baba, and on
the evening of his arrival, he went to
the Samadhi and the first song he heard
was Charles singing “Nothing Less Than
Everything”. On listening to the words
he thought “Holy cow! What have I got
myself into?!” It is a very powerful song
and came to be known as Charles’ ‘signature song’. At every concert he gave
around the country he was always asked
to sing it.
February 26th. I am having a hard
time of it here. I know what Baba has
said about crying over a departed loved
one – how it is simply selfishness, so OK
– I freely confess – I am grossly selfish! I
have been to the Samadhi, laid my head
on His tomb, thinking I would find solace
there, but alas, the tears came out in
torrents! I had to leave the Samadhi, as
I am sure the others present found the
noise rather disturbing, so I spend my
days alone in my room, listening to his
music and howling my eyes out. I know,
without a shadow of doubt, how happy
is the soul that once wore the body of
Charles Gibson. He had been in a lot of
pain for a long time, so it was a blessed
relief for his soul to drop that body, but
that is small comfort for the heartbroken
wife he left behind.
At the dinner table the other night
David Fenster had something interesting to say – it made sense and gave me
a smidgen of comfort. Although Charles
and I didn’t understand it at the time we
first laid eyes on each other, nor did it
occur to us in the halcyon months that
followed, but David posited that we
were together in our previous life and
that through an accident to one of us,
it got cut short and so we were simply
being given eight years in this lifetime to
finish our karma together. Sorry Baba, it
took me 64 years to find my soul mate?
And You give me just eight years with
70
Newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Gibson leaving Baba’s
room at Meherabode
Oh – we did have fun together
The Sting Of Death
My Darling, I loved you in life.
But only death told me how much.
I miss you so much.
but what can I do?
Once you left your body
I was at a loss to see you.
You have gone to a place
beyond my sight and touch.
What am I to do with my aching heart?
It torments me beyond sadness.
I miss you so much.
A desperate man will do anything.
So I remembered something
that I read.
It is said, that there are those
who can leave their body and
come back to it.
As easily as taking off a coat and
putting it back on.
That this is not that hard,
if you know how.
It is said that death is an illusion.
That it is not true that no one
has ever come back.
Those who know the secret
see with a different eye.
Invisible loved ones become visible.
Then life takes on new meaning.
The sting of death is gone
once sight is restored.
Both sides of the curtain can be seen.
Love matters most in this realm.
My darling, I am always with you.
How can I miss you anymore?
Now that I know the truth.
I have had to conquer death
to be with you.
Now I know you are with me
whether I can see you or not.
Love is everlasting for both of us.
Dear Lord, finally I know the truth.
You never intended for death
to separate us.
All you wanted was for me
to love you so much
that I should want to find the way
to destroy the ignorance
of death forever
so we could be one at last.
And so it has always been written
on my eternal soul
And so it is. Not till death do us part,
but till liberation makes us one.
Irwin Luck
The Bearded One – my Mountain Man
Helen Franklin
December 26 1971 – October 4 2011
Dina Gibson
H
elen, my Aussie ‘daughter’, was married to my son Christopher. They
lived in Brisbane and their marriage was
very similar to mine and Charles – soul
mates who found each other by a chance
‘coincidental’ meeting:
In July of 2000 Helen was applying for
new job. She had put in her applications
to a number of places, and on one particular day, as she was waiting in the lobby
for her interview, Christopher passed
through the lobby. Helen saw Christopher and her heart skipped a beat. “I
must meet this man!” she said to herself.
And luckily she was offered that job.
Fate (Baba) took its course, they met,
became good friends, fell in love, got
married in June 2003, and had a baby girl
– Tabitha. But their karma, like Charles’
and mine, was such that they were only
given 11 years together.
In 2004 it was discovered that Helen
had contracted what far too many Australians get – Melanoma. She had it cut
out of her skin. Six years later…after having many lymph glands removed in early
2010 they said she had a 50/50 chance of
it coming back (to stage 4). The cancer
wasn’t finished with Helen. At the end of
that year a 20mm tumor was found in her
brain. The surgeon told them that there
was a possibility of five different outcomes: in removing it he may not be able
to get it all so it would re-grow, it could
leave her partly paralyzed, it could leave
her with no speech for the rest of her life,
she could die, or it could be a huge success. They asked me if I would fly over to
support them all through this terrifying
ordeal, which of course I did.
Christopher had been raised a Baba
lover (‘congenital felicity’ Eruch called
that) and wasn’t shy about speaking of
his beliefs. Helen had shied away from
the extremely religious upbringing she
had received, and found comfort and
faith in the Buddhist Philosophies, so she
was at least open to Chris loving Baba.
But what happened next really surprised
me...
Both families were assembled in the
waiting room, and as the nurses wheeled
Helen past us on the gurney towards the
operating room I waved and without
thinking, called out “Jai Baba!” To my astonishment, she raised herself up, waved
back, and responded with a cheery “Jai
Baba!” as they wheeled her away. I
looked at Chris in amazement. “Wonderful!” I thought. The next few hours were
spent in silent prayer. Finally the doctor
came out and triumphantly told us the
operation was a complete success - he
had got it all.
Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!!
Five weeks later Helen felt well enough
to travel and not knowing how many
more chances they would get, decided
they would spend Christmas with us
here in Los Angeles. It was a wonderful time with my three children all
together, and Tabitha got to spend
time with her cousins. But not too
many months after that we all heard
the awful news that Helen now had
three more brain tumors, and that
one was inoperable. Radiation may
only prolong her life by a few months
but at what cost – an awful quality
of life. So Helen bravely chose to die
at home, quietly and peacefully and
surrounded by her loved ones.
Chris asked me to come out and support them once again. Charles wasn’t
doing too well at that time, but we didn’t
think it was anything serious, so I flew
off to Australia. Before Helen’s previous
surgery I had brought with me Simon
Reece’s beautiful CD “Echoes of the Infinite,” thinking she might like it, and that
it would offer her comfort. Helen loved it,
and enjoyed listening to it.
She was in and out of consciousness
throughout the days and nights, with
the awake periods getting progressively
fewer. At all times there were loved ones
at her bedside, reading the prayers, both
Buddhist and Baba’s, and talking to her. I
sat by her for four weeks until the spirit
finally felt it had had enough of this body
and departed, quietly, peacefully.
Knowing the soul takes three days to
finally extricate itself from the body it
had worn for all Helen’s short 39 years,
she had expressed a desire to lay in rest
on the bed for more than 24 hours until
the funeral home came to take her body
away. It was a very beautiful funeral service, conducted by the wonderful Buddhist nun who had visited her quite often
for many months prior to her passing.
I stayed for two more weeks to help
Christopher and Tabitha through their
grieving, but my daughter here in L.A.
told me I had to come back right away, as
she had had to hospitalize Charles twice
in my absence. The rest of my story is in
Charles’ memorial. Christopher and I try
to comfort each other in the loss of our
soul mates.
I have my children to comfort me, but
Chris has to be all and everything to eight
year old Tabitha. We do understand it is
all Baba’s will, that everything happens
as it should happen, but that doesn’t
mean we have to like it, or that it is any
easier to bear.
Helen and Charles, 2009
When we genuinely open our hearts to the
LOVE which permeates all space and life, we
cannot be sad...for sadness is a darkness which
is born of separation, and separation is just an
illusion.
Concentrate on the LOVE, not the illusion, and
happiness, as promised by GOD, will fill and rule
our days.
— Jagrat
71
Dr. Moorty
16 March 1924 – 28 April 2012
A Family Friend
Dr. Hans Vaish, Dehradun
D
r. Moorty was born to a South Indian family. He was a brilliant scholar
of the Bhagwad Geeta. His knowledge
was so in depth that he could recite all
700 shlokas. Dr. Moorty’s father was
a great scholar himself. It was in his library that Dr. Moorty came across a
book with Baba’s photograph on it, and
Dr. Moorty instantly fell in love. I guess
that is the case with many Baba Lovers.
Dr. Moorty had a long and close relationship with Baba. ”. Baba lovingly
called him the “Talkative Disciple of a
Silent Master”. Dr. Moorty used to accompany Baba at all the Sahavases. He
was a dedicated disciple.
His association with Baba was a very
long one, I don’t think anyone was
lucky enough to have spent so much
time with Baba. Dr. Moorty helped attract Baba lovers from all over Europe,
United States, India etc. He was like
Baba’s right hand. Unfortunately Baba
wanted his lover back to himself. Dr.
G.S.N Moorty passed away on April 28th
2011, Thursday 3:20 pm (IST) at Sahara
Hospital Gwalior Ahemdabad. I will really miss this man who intrigued me so
much.
Hello folks, My name is Dr. Hans Vaish.
I am new to Love Street Breezes but a
big fan now, all thanks to Dina Gibson. I
guess all Baba Lovers are bound to flock
somewhere or the other.
I live in Dehradun (presently studying in Delhi) with my family. Each member of my family is an avid Baba lover.
Just open our mobile phones and there
you’ll see Baba beaming at us all the
time.
My father Dr. Vipin Vaish is a prominent pediatrician and physician in Dehradun City. It was through my father
that I fell in love with Baba. Indeed the
journey of love with Baba has been the
most beautiful and fulfilling all these
years for our family.
My father organizes a Kirtan (Devotional meeting) every year in Sahaspur
Meher Van, a small village near Dehradun. Dr. Moorty was invited every year
72
and he made a point of
attending the Kirtan every year.
My association with
Dr. Moorty was kind of
an observational one
(me being so young at
that time). Whenever
he used to get sick,
he was at my father’s
place, and frankly as a
kid I could never understand why my parents
used to look after him
so much. I was kind of
jealous. He was always
bragging and telling
stories about Baba at
Kirtans, I could never relate to him then.
I always asked myself,
who is this man and
why is he so in love with
Baba that he has literally left his own life for
Baba?? Well I must say,
the way he used to narrate stories about Baba,
he sure had a big fan following In Dehradun, and he even succeeded at giving
Birth to new Baba Lovers after every
Kirtan at Sahapur.
I remember my father once asked a
painter to paint a portrait of Baba. To
the painter’s surprise he could not paint
Baba. Thrice he failed. Once his painting got destroyed by the stormy winds
in summer. That very night the painter
had a dream in which Meher Baba told
him ‘You cannot recreate me unless you
love me from deep within your heart’.
Since then that painter has been a close
follower and a Baba lover. He attends
Kirtans every year and makes beautiful
paintings of the Beloved.
Coming back to Dr. Moorty, I always
loved how he narrated Baba’s stories
both in Hindi and English so that all his
listeners understood what he was saying. He had a strong command over the
language. He was never repetitive; every year he had something new to tell
about Baba. At the end of his sessions
he made sure he distributed reading
material about Baba. His book “Wonders Of Silence” was quite popular.
I remember him calling me Meher
Hans. Even though I was always jealous at the fact that he got so much attention from the people around him,
I remember the warmth with which
he used to hug me. Now that I have
grown up, I realize the greatness of Dr.
Moorty. He was indeed a true Disciple.
May his soul rest in Peace.
Mary Anne Bateman, Australia
W
hen I went to India in 2006, to
stay at the Meherabad Pilgrim
Centre, I didn’t know many of the faces.
I didn’t know who Dr Moorty was, just
that he was staying at the Pilgrim Centre like everyone else.
One day I was lining up to go to the
Samadhi, and I heard his voice loudly
answering a mobile phone under the
shelter, with “Oh, Jai Baba!” and so on.
The pilgrim behind me in the line chuckled and said “Sahdu with a cell phone!”
I’ll never forget it, it still makes me
smile!
Fond Memories
of Dr. Moorty
Harry Thomas, Arizona
I
n April of 1990, I journeyed to Dehradun and stayed with Dr. Moorty and his
wife and three children in Meher Dham,
the Meher Baba Center in the afore-
mentioned city. What a charming and
gracious host Dr. Moorty was. I had earlier become acquainted with him from
hearing him talk on several occasions at
various Baba Centers, as he was always
being asked to speak at gatherings in the
Beloved’s honor. During one of these
sessions, he enthusiastically invited me
to stay with him and his family.
While in Dehradun, he took me to Rishikesh and other nearby places. He
spoke to me at length, sharing his wonderful stories that involved the Beloved
and himself. During this stay, I heard
the miraculous tale regarding his childless marriage of 20 years. Baba asked Dr.
Moorty if he wanted to have children and
he responded, “Oh yes, Baba.” Sometime
after this conversation, Dr. Moorty’s wife
became pregnant and in 1965 gave birth
to their first biological child, a daughter
(the couple had previously adopted the
daughter of a relative). The following
year she bore a son, and in 1968 a second
son. Obviously Dr. Moorty was overjoyed
with these occurrences and proclaimed
them to be Baba’s miracle.
In 2004 I was living in Somerville, Massachusetts, when I heard that Dr. Moorty
would be staying and speaking at the
Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach.
Discovering that I intimately knew the
good doctor, I was asked to be his host.
In this service capacity, Dr. Moorty
and I went walking, and our meandering brought us just outside Phyllis Ott’s
home, in which he inquired, “Who lives
there?” “Phyllis Ott.” “Oh, let’s ring the
bell and pay her a visit. I must see her.”
“No, let’s call her first and set up a visit
time – that would be better.”
We turned and sauntered away and
heard from behind us, “Dr. Moorty –
Dr. Moorty,” an excited Phyllis shouted
as she quickly walked towards us. Dr.
Moorty turned about and exclaimed,
“Oh Phyllis, hi.” This narrative sounds
blandly mundane until the hidden details
float to the surface.
In the mid-1960’s, Phyllis had an audience with Baba and with a deeply troubled and heavy heart told Him of the
anguish she endured from having had an
abortion. In a grand manner Baba consoled her, “Oh not to worry, I gave that
soul to Dr. Moorty.”
Dr. Moorty also knew the explanation
of how Baba had transferred the soul of
Phyllis’s aborted child in order to ensoul
a baby for the Moortys. Yet Dr. Moorty
and Phyllis had never met—until now.
On that casual stroll in Baba’s Home in
the West, these two devoted ones to
the Avatar at last established a link and
AKH
18 October 1931 – 23 March 2012
The Famous Zetetic
Closes Up Shop
Keith Gunn, California
A
miya Kumar Hazra died of a collapsed lung together with heart
difficulties. His wife Gauri had predeceased him, but he is survived by
two sons, Meher and Aabir and a
daughter Mehernandini. She has two
sons known in the family as Betoo and
Titoo, devoted to Amiya. In addition
he had effectively adopted another
son, Sankalpa Shrivastava who, with
his wife Meheru and their son, lived at
the Hazra house. They sorely miss him.
“AKH” aka Amiya Kumar Hazra, aka the “Zetetic“
Photo by TrustMeher via www.trustmeher.org
Amiya met Beloved Baba in December 1957. From about six months prior
I felt fortunate to have witnessed this
special event. Phyllis naturally invited
us in for tea as their budding friendship
was launched. Needless to say, all of Dr.
Moorty’s talks at the Meher Spiritual
Center were fabulous, as he was such a
gifted orator.
While I was his guest in Dehra Dun, he
shared a story with me that will clearly detail the great love that Baba had for this
dear soul. In the latter part of 1968, when
Baba was continuing His strict seclusion
and when His health was noticeably
worsening, He summoned Dr. Moorty
to be near Him. While in the Beloved’s
company, Baba motioned for Dr. Moorty
to kiss Him upon His cheek, which he joyously did. This at a time when virtually no
one outside of Baba’s small and chosen
circle of mandali were in His precious
company.
Dr. Moorty knew deeply within that
this was his last visitation and intimate
time spent with his compassionate Lord,
and indeed it was. He was such a dear
soul to Baba and someone who, over the
years in India, spoke to thousands upon
thousands of people about our Beloved
One. At last he has ‘come home’ and is
once more reunited with his Beloved.
to his first meeting, Amiya was head
over heels in love with Baba. But prior to becoming Baba’s lover he had
spent about a year actively challenging Baba to show His divinity. A typical
challenge was, “I feel like fish tonight.
We’re a thousand miles from the
ocean, but I’ll believe in you if, when I
come home, there is fish on the table.”
This went on and on, Hazra’s nature
being to apply scientific standards of
proof to every event, from which he
became known as a Zetetic – one who
questions. To the amazement of many,
Baba always fulfilled Amiya’s demands
for proof.
Eventually Hazra’s intimacy with
Baba was such that Baba referred to
him as “My most disobedient son.” It
was Hazra of whom Baba said, “Amiya,
you have got a screw loose.” Amiya
replied, with all his heart, “Baba, you
please tighten my screw.” Baba said,
“How can I? When I see you my screw
73
Photo of Meher Baba ©MSI Collection, Meherabad
also gets loosened.” Such was their
intimacy. This story and many others
appear in Memoirs of a Zetetic, Amiya’s
autobiography, written in 1985.
Dozens of westerners know what
happened to him after that; because
his door was always open, many of us
visited him in those years, including
Rick Chapman, Paul Liboiron and Will
David, and Irwin Luck. He wrote several books and a memoir of his times at
Guruprasad with his grandson Titoo as
editor. In addition there is a web site:
http://trustMeher.org/zetetic
that contains his correspondence with
Baba with his commentary, as well
as a wonderful unpublished story. A
matchless storyteller, he once narrated a tale in the style of O. Henry
that appeared unedited in Seekers of
Love, another of his books. The story
required no editing – not a word was
changed.
In July 2001 when I was visiting Amiya, I woke up one morning in a weird
mood and wrote an obituary for him.
As luck would have it, I was editing
his autobiography at the time, and he
chanced to see the file, and to read it
while I was doing something else. He
was hugely amused, and here is the little bit of it that I wrote – certainly not
completed, for obvious reasons:
Amiya Kumar Hazra, born 18 October 1931, died today at 5:30 PM
(approx) in his sleep. Just before
lunch, he had been giving Baba
stories to a young woman of 26, a
Baba lover of just one year’s duration, who called on him to ask him
to pray for her that she might go
to Meherabad soon, and to request
some good books on Meher Baba,
in addition to the ones she had already read. Amiya was characteristically gentle with her as Sardar
74
Pritam Singh Meher had been with
the young Amiya when he had just
begun to love Baba. He invited the
young girl to accompany him and
his wife Gauri to Meherabad, since
they were going on the following
day. It was too much, and too soon
for her, so he didn’t press her.
AKH (as he liked to be known)
had offered Baba stories and hospitality to a large number of Baba
lovers in the days following the
interment of Meher Baba. The
mandali had begun to send Baba
lovers to Jabalpur to have the benefit of Amiya’s stories, and he had
given accommodation and cheer to
Baba lovers, particularly from the
West, for years before I met him.
I may have been the last to visit
him, but dozens of seekers from
the West and East had come to
see him over the years, journeying
either from Ahmednagar or from
the nearby villages and cities of
Madhya Pradesh (state) where he
resided.
This fashion of calling himself by
his initials had begun in their twenties when he, Sukesh Kumar Ganguli and Rabindra Nath Battacharia
had begin a career as the “three
musketeers,” hanging around with
each other when circumstances
permitted. They became AKH, SKG
and RNB just to achieve a practical
degree of brevity, without sacrificing all of the formality of the mode
of address that requires full names
(with his friends he adopted a formal tone of address quite often).
Many of Amiya’s stories were
captured in his autobiography
entitled, “Memoirs of a Zetetic”
(“zetetic” means one not easily
convinced). In his last days, he had
interviewed eastern Baba lovers
for a new book of Baba stories he
called “Seekers of Love.” Amiya
felt that there were stories that
had never been told to Englishspeaking audiences, partly because
the tellers were Indians, some of
whom lacked a confident command
of spoken English. For that reason,
the interviews were mostly in a
combination of Hindi and English.
Amiya’s translations were elegant
and fact-laced.
Amiya is survived by his wife
Gauri, his sons and daughter (respectively) Meher Kumar, Aabir
and Mehernandini.
I guess part of the humor was that he
lived almost 11 years more, in spite of
health that often seemed on the verge
of giving out. His wife Gauri did pre-decease him, and at this writing his son
Aabir is in very bad health and may not
survive this last blow.
Amiya spoke on Baba to the Baba
Photo courtesy of http://www.love-remembrances.com/
Centre in Pune, and some other Centers too. If you have access to his autobiography you’ll see how much effort
he took to work for Baba, in his healthy
years, and that carried on, when his
health permitted, into his later years.
He also went to Meherabad frequently, and used to talk at the Pilgrim Centre, where there are some videos of
stories not otherwise recorded.
He had gotten a reputation in Jabalpur of an unfortunate type. One day
in 2000 I was sitting on his bed. Lots
of talks took place on adjacent beds in
the Hazra household – the living room
consisted of four or five beds, with an
altar to Baba and just enough room
to set a harmonium down in front of
Baba’s altar. Anyhow, a man and a
woman, middle aged, came in through
the front door, came to the foot of his
bed, and spoke to Amiya in Hindi for
some time. He responded, and eventually they left.
Amiya explained that they had come
to petition him to grant them relief
from an onerous circumstance. He was
consulted because some local people
thought him a saint with magical ability to influence God to act on their behalf. He of course told them that only
Baba could help them and they should
pray to Baba, but it was with great reluctance that they left, unsatisfied.
It was the outgrowth of behavior
that he deeply regretted that had
taken place in earlier years. At that
earlier time, Baba had given him some
powers – chiefly great intuition. In displaying the power of this intuition, he
had revealed it to others, and in no
time there was a line outside his door
of people who wanted various goods
and services from him: help with medical conditions, fixing marriage contracts, blessing legal undertakings
and so forth -- basically, material help
and rarely anything one might call
spiritual. Life is much harder for the
average Indian than it is for the average American, and most concerns are
about avoiding various kinds of perceived material disasters. Even though
he had given up the behavior immediately, the echo of it had persisted for
15 or more years.
His humor and his kindness and generosity will be remembered for a long
time, especially by those who were its
beneficiaries.
Shaligram Sharma
14 January 1928 – March 20, 2012
Raghuvir Singh Gaur
I
was very intimate with Shaligram
Sharma, Indeed he had clutched
Baba’s daaman very tightly with both
hands, and was a real Baba lover. The
service he committed himself for the
Almighty is beyond words...I can only
say this for his effort, “Bade shaukh se
sun raha tha zamaana, tum hi so gaye
dastaan kehte kehte” (So eagerly was
the world glued to the stories you
had, and then you yourself went into
a deep sound sleep reciting them for
us!) Jai Baba!
ing into contact with Dr. Moorty and
many other Baba lovers, he accepted
Meher Baba as Avatar of the Age, although he had not yet met Him. A
photo and letter from Shaligram were
placed before Baba (who was in seclusion at the time) and Baba replied: “I
know everything about him and I will
surely call him one day.”
In 1961 Shaligram finally got to take
Baba’s Darshan. Baba instructed Pukar to ask Shaligram to sing a song
of his choice. Shaligram poured out
his heart, saying, “Baba, give me the
strength to surrender totally to Your
will and take refuge in You.” Suddenly Baba became supremely radiant and, raising His hand, said, “God
has heard you and has granted your
wish.” At that time the entire hall was
filled with brilliant light and a deafening explosion was heard by Shaligram
[described in talks by Shaligram as
a clap of thunder]. Shaligram was in
profound ecstasy and Baba too was
extremely happy.
Baba instructed him:
Photo by Niket Kale via love-remembrances.com
S
e
haligram Sharma (1928-2012),
a staunch Baba-lover from Uttar Pradesh, India , and the editor of
Meher Pukar, went to Beloved Baba at
3:15 pm IST on March 20, 2012, at the
age of 84.
Born in 1928, Shaligram Sharma
lost his mother at age four and subsequently his father rejected him.
Becoming cynical about the world, in
his teens Shaligram became a seeker.
Seeing him, a sadhu insisted he return
from his quest and resume his studies and a regular life. Some time later,
while seeking a job, Shaligram heard
Meher Baba’s name, and then had a vision of Baba in a pink coat and sadra.
After some time he met “Pukar”
and learned more about Meher Baba.
Shaligram became the public prosecutor for Hamipur. In 1960, after com-
“Be truthful in your worldly duties, see
Baba in all beings and work without
any worry.” Shaligram asked, “Baba,
how to see you in all beings?” Baba
said, “Do not worry about that. I will
take care of it at the appropriate
time.”
—Excerpts from ‘Remembrances’
http://www.love-remembrances.com/
baba-lovers/shaligram-sharma/
Photo of Meher Baba © unknown at this time
75
Robert Dreyfuss
January 10 1943 – October 31 2011
Alisa Genovese
R
obert Dreyfuss, 68, died after a
lengthy illness. He passed away peacefully at his home in Black Mountain, NC. He
is survived by his son, Joshua, his daughter, Mani Rose, and many friends and
loved ones across the world. Robert was
a learned man, who was a lover of poetry,
literature, and music. He was a traveler to
the end. He had an acute memory for the
details of his encounters with people everywhere. He loved his many friends, his
family, and he reached out to many. In the
last year or so of his life, he allowed others
to assist him even though he had a fiercely
independent nature.
Robert was a devotee of Avatar Meher
Baba, whom he met in India in 1965 after
an incomparable odyssey across continents. Meher Baba, whom tens of thousands in India and in the West take to be
the God-Man and the Christ, gave Robert
His message about drugs being harmful
physically, mentally, and spiritually to bring
to the youth in the West. Following these
orders became his work for the next several decades. While living in the Bay Area of
Northern California, he traveled widely in
the United States, giving talks about drugs
in schools, colleges, churches, and at other
gatherings. He was the long-time director
of a drug program in the Berkeley area. He
also lived in India at Meher Baba’s ashram
for several years.
After many years of the drug work, Robert became an acupuncturist and Doctor
of Chinese medicine, where he spent his
remaining years as a healer and beloved
doctor to many.
Upon his retirement, he moved to
Black Mountain where he lived during
his last years. His was an engaging personality and was deeply spiritual. He
will be greatly missed.
I first met Robert in late 1974, soon after
I moved to the Bay Area from England. As I
remember, it was over a game of monopoly at Meher Baba Information. I’m not sure
of the exact symbolism of the circumstances behind this encounter, but it somehow
seems appropriate that I would first meet
Robert over a game of chance in a house
dedicated to the Lord.
Robert was immediately generous
with his friendship and took me into
his world. And later, as we both remarried and had children, we grew close as
families. Perhaps it helped being English
as Robert, being the romantic that he
was, had a overly romanticized view of
my country, its culture and its people.
Somehow it was always high tea at Fortnum and Mason, and the fact that this
haughty English food emporium did not
in fact serve high tea, which I would often point out to Robert, was an irritating
minor detail that would not deflect him
from his vision. Robert’s ability to see
things as he would like them to be was a
great part of his strength and his charm
although it was sometimes a quality
which got him into trouble.
Robert and I shared a love of travel, of
poetry, of spiritual search, of mountains
and the men who climbed them and of tribal artifacts. On returning from a trip, Robert
would open up his suitcase and, being the
trader that he was, look to sell me something, a tanka, an Indian miniature painting, a tribal dress from Rajasthan. I usually
ended up buying even though I often felt
that Robert’s prices, like his dreams, were
not always grounded in reality.
I traveled with Robert. We once went
to Mount Shasta, which Robert was determined to climb. But we both knew that his
asthma would preclude going too high, so
we set out getting no higher than about
10,000 feet. For Robert, it was about the
companionship on the journey rather than
the ultimate goal. We met up in India on a
number of occasions and once spent two
nights at the Peninsular in Hong Kong.
Robert was an accomplished hardscrabble
traveler but he also had an appreciation for
luxury on the road.
Robert’s love for and dedication to Baba
was total. I had huge admiration for the
centrality of Baba in Robert’s life and how
his love for Baba illuminated his being and
fueled his cheerfulness. For me, Robert
was a powerful witness to Baba’s instruction: That life is a passing show and we
should take Him seriously and Life lightly.
As Robert’s physical condition declined
over the years, this Love seemed to shine
more strongly. Robert never spoke about
his physical troubles, at least to me, and
although he would occasionally mention
his Parkinson’s condition, it was if he was
talking about an uninvited guest who was
lingering, unwelcome in another room. So
part of Robert’s legacy for me and I think
for all of us is this legacy, and indeed triumph, of spirit rather than a lasting impression of his physical frame. I am reminded of
a few lines from WB Yates:
An aged man is but a paltry thing
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.
76
Being the determined seeker that he
was, Robert sailed his own seas and found
his Byzantium when he met Baba in 1966. I
am sure we have all heard the story of his
journey and how he met Baba against all
odds, reflecting his persistence, his headstrongness and the absolute imperative of
the Divine at the core of his being. I took
a photo of Robert on Seclusion Hill on my
first visit to India in 1978. He’s staring out
over the plain, underneath a spreading acacia tree that is no longer there, leaning on a
stick which he assured me, with that impish twinkle in his eye, was William Donkin’s
favorite. Unlike other photos I have of Robert, and I have many, his feet are solidly
on the ground. He is going nowhere, he
is clearly home. Goodbye, dear Robert, a
wonderful soul who has gone to Baba and
who is now really at home with Him.
Until the Very End
T
his is a great story that illustrates so
clearly how Baba was with Robert “til
the very end.”
The night Robert slipped into a coma and
eventually passed into His Beloved’s Arms,
although peaceful for him, was anything
but for me and for his family. We were
desperately trying to sort out whether to
have him stay home or sent to the hospital
and once again save his life. In the process
of deciding, I called some of his dearest
friends here. I told them they could call
because, although he wouldn’t respond,
people in a coma can still hear. So a few of
his friends did call, along with the kids and
me, so he got an earful at the end!
The endearing part of the story is that
the last person to talk to him was his friend
Roy. Robert passed away just minutes
after the phone was taken from his ear.
Roy is a very long time close friend of Robert’s; a man for whom Robert had deep
respect. Although Roy knows of Baba, he
is not a Baba lover nor does he know anything about our traditions in India.
After the cremation, I was feeling very
raw and sad, when Roy phoned to see
how I was doing. He then told me the
most amazing story. He said when he
was talking to Robert toward the end,
he had an overwhelming urge as he described it, to sing that Roy Rogers song
-- you know “Happy Trails”. He said he had
no idea why, but he just could not help
himself. Then he said, “I ended it with Jai
Baba, Robert!” He had never before said
Jai Baba. I told him just how significant
what he had done for Robert was. It was
no wonder Robert left just after talking
to Roy. He had heard “Happy Trails”! Baba
is so amazing in His myriad of ways. He
cares for us all.
Paul Birchard
S
orry to see you go Robert, but glad
you’re no longer burdened – as I
HOPE you’re no longer burdened – by
the “friends” that paved the way for your
‘graduation’. I didn’t meet Robert often.
The first time was on a Sunday evening in
September, 1968 when he and Rick Chapman gave a talk about Meher Baba at my
local Church of Religious Science, in La
Crescenta, California, at the invitation of
our Youth Group.
After speaking they showed 16mm film
from the 1954 “Three Incredible Weeks”
Sahavas with Baba. What struck me about
Robert – and he was only twenty-five or
so at the time – was how quiet and selfpossessed he was, how strong his opinions
and preferences were (it was to be “Robert”, not “Bob”!) – and also his open-mindedness. He wasn’t rigid about reading only
Baba literature, for example, and openly
talked about his love for Samuel Beckett’s
three novels Molloy, Malone Dies, and The
Unnameable.
I guess it struck me then that, young
though I was, Robert was even at that
time, prepping for his release, whenever
it should arrive. When I did meet Robert
again, nearly forty years later, I was struck
by how little he seemed to have changed
– a little more mellow, no doubt – but his
essential personality and strength of character shone as clearly as ever – and his humor too!
I feel that Robert embodied a powerfully focused intention to BE Meher Baba’s,
come what may, to hang on and show
up no matter what, to the best of his ability, for as long as necessary. I felt – and
still feel, upon reflection – that this tenacity was the gift he shared with me, even
though our paths crossed very seldom this
time around. Onward! Love and the Best in
Baba to you, Robert!
a phoenix on fire with the love of God.
Read the story of Robert’s meeting
with Baba in Lord Meher, vol. 19, pp. 63986404. Robert’s own memoir—as well as
a volume of his poetry—will be published
posthumously. When Francis Brabazon –
Baba’s Australian poet and Mandali member passed, Robert wrote this poem to his
memory:
As Dust He Sings
for Francis
The wordsmith has died,
gone to the silence he loved —
there where his words
could not take him.
He said to me once that poetry
should exalt the Beloved,
that the business of the poet
is to sing God’s glory,
to reflect, however little,
the sonority of silence.
I think of him then, the singer
short and intense, a lover
grafted to clarity’s fire.
His pen was a voice singing
of life’s shadow play
veiling the Beloved’s light,
and of the job of the lover
to fashion his heart as a chalice,
wherein he might consume himself
utterly in burning.
Now he, the Hafiz of our times,
still has not ended his passionate
poems to the sweetness of Meher;
he remains in the world as a song,
as the essence of dust he is singing
— Robert Dreyfuss
Jerry Carlin
R
obert was my acupuncturist for
many years. I always enjoyed chatting about Baba with him on every
visit, catching up on how the Mandali
were doing and discussing every new
Baba book that was published. My appointments were a chance to refresh
my spirit as he worked on rebalancing
my body. Jai Baba, Robert. I know you
flew into the Beloved’s open arms like
Robert atop Seclusion Hill in the early ’70s.
Donna Sanders
March 13, 1948 – August 12 2011
Stephen Sanders, Los Angeles
A
t 6:30 a.m. Donna passed into the
loving and compassionate embrace
of her Lord and Master Meher Baba. Her
release from her fight against cancer was
peaceful and she was in no pain. She was
surrounded in His Love with her son Steve
and her daughter in law Tracey and her
furry companion, her dog Lucy.
Donna B. Sanders, nee Glore, was born
in 1948 the daughter of a Colonel in the US
Air Force, Aburey Glore, originally from Arkansas. Her mother Margie was a Southern belle from Georgia. Donna was raised
in California, Ohio, Guam and Okinawa,
and finally in Rapid City, South Dakota,
where she graduated from High School
in 1966, and where she met Jack Sanders. Donna and Jack were heavily involved
in the 60’s and 70’s counterculture, were
members of a cooperative community,
and were actively opposed to the Viet
Nam war as teenagers and young adults.
Donna’s older brother Carl died serving in
the Viet Nam war in 1969.
They were spiritual seekers and first
became aware of Meher Baba in the summer of 1967, when a couple of travelers
-- “Sonny and Marilyn” -- who had visited
Meher Baba in India spoke to them about
Baba. Donna related that later that winter
in 1967, she had a vision of Baba protecting her while she was carrying her son
Stephen and there were complications
(nearly fatal) with her pregnancy. Later,
in 1973 or 1974, she first visited the Meher
Baba Center in Myrtle Beach, which really
cemented her relationship to Baba. After Jack and Donna’s divorce in 1978,
Donna was involved with the Colorado
Springs and Denver Meher Baba groups
in the late seventies and early 1980’s. During that time she worked first as an aid in
a Battered Women’s program, and later
as a shelter manager, while she went to
college part time and later full time. She
never remarried. She graduated from Colorado College in 1984, with a Bachelor’s
Degree in Sociology. Working on a Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellowship grant that she was
awarded based her strong academic
achievement and social goals, she traveled to India and Sri Lanka and lived there
78
Donna places a rose for Baba on Dhuni night
at the L.A. Baba center.
for two years, working on a documentary
on women’s issues in the Tamil/Nadu revolution/civil war in Sri Lanka. She traveled back and forth from
the Meher Baba Center and Trust in
Ahmednagar and other areas in India, and
then back again to Sri Lanka during that
time, later finishing post production on
the documentary when she returned to
the states, living for a time in Chicago.
She moved back to Rapid City in 1987, to
care for her mother who had contracted
Alzheimers Disease in her early sixties,
as well as her brother Glenn, who has
Down’s Syndrome. While caring for her
mother and Glenn, Donna worked first as
a non-profit Director of several Battered
Women’s shelters.
While serving as a director, she successfully lobbied in Congress for federal incentives for local law enforcement to provide
protection for women, including mandatory arrest policies.
Later, she worked in banking when social work became too stressful, while her
mother deteriorated. Later, she became
a production assistant and then worked
in the art department on the film “Dances
with Wolves,” which was shooting in Wyoming and South Dakota. She thereafter
worked on the television mini-series, “Son
of the Morning Star” in 1990.
In 1991, she moved with her mother and
her brother Glenn out to Los Angeles to
find warm “beach weather” and pursue
her interest in film and screenwriting. She
loved the ocean.
She wrote two screenplays and served
as an executive producer on an independent film. She also became a member of
and later worked on behalf of the L.A. Baba
Center in various capacities including as a
Director and Board Member. In 1994, she purchased property in Mariposa, California, near Meherana, though
she still remained active with the LA Baba
Center. Her mother passed away after nine
years with Alzheimers in Oakhurst, near
Mariposa, soon after she purchased the
property. Donna thereafter moved into a
home in Mariposa in 1997.
While involved with Meherana, the new
Center in Mariposa, she donated funds to
help build a cabin and worked on the Meherana Board. Meanwhile she was instrumental in locating the current site for the
LA Center, Meherabode, on Van Ness Ave.
She definitely was a believer and practitioner in Dharma Yoga, the Yoga of spiritual
work, devoting a substantial amount of her
life to such spiritual work on behalf of her
community. Meanwhile, she continued to
“pioneer” a rough, undeveloped property
in Mariposa, and made a life there for herself, with her brother Glenn.
She sold various lots, worked for Merced County Health Department, also for
the Mariposa County Counsel and Health
Department, and she worked as a Probation Counselor for men and women who
battered their spouses, continuing in social
work.
In 2006, she suffered a heart attack and
underwent a quadruple bypass. Her health
deteriorated significantly after that with
diabetes and other issues.
In March 2009, she discovered she had
Uterine Sarcoma, and though she received
treatment, the cancer reappeared in May
of 2010.
She valiantly continued to work at a new
position at Bank of America even while undergoing chemotherapy.
She fought for her life through multiple
chemotherapies, an experimental drug
therapy, and even radiation, but she succumbed to the disease on August 12, 2011,
and went to Baba at home in Woodland
Hills, surrounded by her family. She is survived by her son Stephen, his
wife Tracey, her brother Glenn, and her beloved dog, a Border/Queensland mix, Lucy,
who along with her many friends, will miss
her dearly.
Miroslaw
Franciszek
Popowicz
3 December 1951 – 15 November 2011
Our Dear Friend ’Mirek’
Sue Chapman, England
M
irek once told me that he was not
born into a family, but into a community, and at his funeral I came to see
what he meant, for his funeral, conducted entirely in Polish, resounded with the
voices of his childhood, voices of great
beauty and longing, serenading his soul’s
journey onward. Mirek remembered sitting for hours with community elders,
hearing their stories of loss and anguish,
while other children played outside. As a
child he said he had no concept of a family unit, but felt the whole community was
his family. This sense of unity and compassion seemed to create the foundation
from which his life with Baba would later
unfold. As an altar boy in the Catholic
Church, he experienced a love for Jesus,
which was sustained and later enfolded
into his love for Beloved Baba.
I understand Mirek heard Baba’s name
on Melanie’s song ’Candles in the Rain’,
and doggedly ’tracked Him down’ taking just a little time to recognise Him as
the Avatar of the Age. This was to be
fully ignited some years later through a
numinous experience. Whilst making no
secret of his own human frailties, Mirek
championed Meher Baba at every op-
portunity with a robust vigour that left
people scratching their heads in wonder.
He was unashamedly direct, but his motive was always to seek the higher truth
whatever the cost.
Above all, Mirek was a poet, and explored the panorama of the mundane
and sublime elements of human experience with such an exacting and intelligent narrative it could take one’s breath
away. With humour, compassion and
incisive perception, he could nail a moment, or a feeling, perfectly. It is rare to
find such intelligence blended so evenly
with such a loving heart. Mirek’s poetry
was much appreciated by Baba’s Mandali
who always entreated him to ’keep writing’. This he did unto his last – more than
100 poems in his final year alone. One
new book will be published in the spring,
and more will follow when his epic outpourings have been gathered and sequenced.
Since his wife Fiona’s passing in October 2009, Mirek had remained in their
remote home in Scotland. He received
occasional visits from Baba lovers and
friends who always experienced a most
loving welcome, and such an outpouring
of spiritual wisdom (through the veils of
smoke) that most agreed it took weeks
or months to digest. It seemed as if,
through his own personal and physical
suffering, Mirek had acquired such an enlightened perspective that it was almost
palpable in his presence.
In early October he experienced the
first of four brain haemorrhages, over a
period of weeks that were ultimately to
end this life. Thankfully during this time
he was able to embrace his family, including his most loved son Dylan. Mirek
will be hugely missed
by the many friends
who loved him – only
Baba could create a
man so unique in his
ways. He leaves a legacy of spiritual poetry
that undoubtedly will
be widely recognised
as significant in the
coming years, and
which serves to remind us of a life lived
most fully and wholeheartedly in Baba.
Debbie Sanchez, Fiona, and Mirek taken in Cannes in 2006.
Mirek, My Dear Friend
Rosie Jackson, England
Meherabad 2012
N
ew Year 2012 and I’m at Meherabad,
in the heat and dust, once more resting my head on that slab of white marble
which is more comforting than any pillow in the world. The air is fragrant with
jasmine, there are sounds of trains and
traffic in the distance, pilgrims’ footsteps
crunching the gravel, echoes of `Jai Baba!’
and my heart breathes a sigh of relief that
I am here.
I didn’t want to come on this trip, resisted it till the very last minute; even two
nights before leaving I told Baba I couldn’t
manage it, and I would need a dream of
Him to confirm that I should come. He
gave me my dream, a perfect one where I
was sitting by His side, gently stroking His
hands, asking if He minded me touching
Him while He was sitting working, and He
sweetly gestured no, He didn’t mind. So
now I am here again, reflecting on the last
year of change and loss – I lost my mother;
we lost Mirek – wondering what the New
Year has in store.
After drinking my fill at Samadhi, I wander round to the garden in front of the water tower then on past the East Room to
the ghadi and Mansari’s kitchen. I never go
in there, but for some reason I find myself
opening the door, with its dusty turquoise
paint, and stepping in. It’s quiet, almost
eerie inside like a ghost room, unaltered
since Mansari was here, with the same tin
cases, pans, and long out-of-date calendars. I remember Mirek telling me about
his times with Mansari, how he loved sitting in here, hearing her stories and jokes,
feeling Baba’s presence. On the table are
two dusty visitors’ books that look as if
various creatures have tried nibbling their
way through the faded red covers. Idly,
I open the top one and there, as its first
ever entry is Mirek’s distinct handwriting:
‘5 October 2006. Missing you so much,
my dear friend’ and immediately beneath
it their next one from 7 November 2006:
‘I Love You, Mansari! Jai Meher Baba –
Mirek and Fiona Popowicz, Scotland.’
I touch the page with a sense of awe,
feeling it connect me to Mirek again. This
must have been their last or last but one
visit here, before their unimaginable years
of suffering as they went through Fiona’s
ordeal of face cancer, then Mirek’s ordeal
79
the meal; he told
Him everything; no
thought or decision
was made without
referring to Baba’s
advice; nothing was
done without giving
Baba praise. He’d
long since stopped
caring for the junk of
this world; he adored
Fiona and his son
Dylan and loved his
family and friends,
but it was because
in them all he found
Mansari’s kitchen, Meherabad.
his beloved Baba.
of the loss of his beloved wife on top of his Baba’s name was on his lips all the time;
own extreme physical suffering, before His reality in his heart.
the strokes that eventually hospitalised
And unlike some of us, Mirek didn’t use
the thick suffering laid upon him to berate
and ended him.
As I look at his neat writing, his simple the Beloved; on the contrary, he found in
love filled messages, while the birds chirp it a cause for greater gratitude and praise.
outside and fleet footed chipmunks scurry Even when Fiona’s cancer was at its most
over the kitchen roof, I remember all the horrendous, they found a way together to
letters and texts Mirek would send to me see even this as a gift from God and to sing
and to other Baba lovers over the years, His praise. It was humbling to witness.
filled with ardent messages of Baba’s Love
Mirek gave us a supreme modern exand the urgent necessity of one-pointed ample of how to follow the Avatar; he
devotion to Him. Many of us who received loved Baba with all his heart as the Christ
these messages came to think of Mirek as of the age. I believe he is helping us still
a modern day mystic; his eyes were not on now, through his huge soul, his wise spirit,
this world and its illusory pleasures, but and the stunningly powerful poetry he
on the hidden world of Baba and His close has left us (some of which Michele Waerones. He spoke of nothing else and his un- ing is working into a new volume). Most
yielding focus on Baba seemed to give him of all, though, he is helping us through the
memory of his example and his insistence
insights few others had.
More than anyone I know, other than that we offer EVERYTHING to Baba, down
the mandali, Mirek followed literally Ba- to the tiniest detail. Sometimes I chat to
ba’s injunction to make Him our constant Mirek still and ask questions; always, as he
companion: he breathed, read, wrote, did in life, he refers me on to Baba, urges
ate and drank Baba. At mealtimes he laid me to make Him the intimate One, even
a place for Him and asked Him to join to the point of asking for the dream that
brought me here.
And thank God it
did. What can the
worldly loves and
comforts I still crave
compare to this? I
wander in the dust
back from Mansari’s
kitchen
towards
Samadhi and lay a
flower for Mirek and
Fiona on the tomb
slab that houses the
most radiant and divine Love in all the
worlds. May they
be united forever in
Fiona, Mirek, and Don.
80
Baba’s joy and may their light shine back
to their dear friends left behind. I am so
happy for you, dearest Mirek. Thank you
for your Baba life.
My Tribute to Darling
Mirek
Jill Hobbs, New Zealand
W
hen thinking about Mirek and my
long distance relationship over
many years with him, I am struck by its
loving intensity, which emanated from his
being. He was, in all things, a most devoted lover of God. His suffering, which was
intense and prolonged, bought him to his
beloved Baba as nothing else could have.
My initial introduction to Mirek was in
the mid nineties when he wrote the first
of many long, hand written letters, pleading for us to publish his poems in our New
Zealand Baba newsletter. The urgency of
his request resonated with a love for Baba
that was impossible to ignore. His poems
were often about his intense physical and
spiritual suffering and ultimately how
it shaped his relationship with God. We
would always publish at least one of his
poems which inspired in him such gratitude that even now as I write this, brings
tears to my eyes. Occasionally included in Mirek’s beautifully crafted and insightful letters were
pieces of Fiona’s exquisite artwork. She
too was immensely grateful to us (as we
were to her) for printing the ones she
wished, on the covers of our newsletters.
Over the ocean grew a most loving and
treasured “Baba pen-pal” relationship
with both Mirek and Fiona. I would marvel at the immense effort that Mirek had
put into his letters with never a spelling error. They were so carefully written, sometimes over the space of many days, and
were often up to 10 pages long! Each letter echoed with Baba’s love and his struggle to come to grips with his suffering. Finally, I met Mirek and Fiona on my first
visit to England to see my son. Mirek was
so unwell, that he lay on his bed in a darkened room and could not lift his head off
the pillow. To see such a fine soul in such
physical distress was heart wrenching. His
absolute love for Beloved Baba is what
I wish to pay tribute to. After meeting
Mirek and Fiona at Meherabad on their final visit to His tomb shrine remains a most
vivid memory. They were both healthy then, but on arrival back in England, Fiona developed the cancer which stole her away. MIrek, I believe, may well have lost his will to
fight, as Fiona was his pillar of strength. Their life was a constant prayer of devotion
and gratitude to their Lord Meher. I would like to finish with an excerpt from Mirek’s book Songs Grown From Sand
and Stones.
“Real Companionship
and the
True Human Being”
(A conversation between Mirek and Baba) Page 147 - 149
“Will you help me!” I ejaculated involuntarily, and you stared at me with incredulous eyes, as if
I were crazy.
“What do you think I have been doing? I am always helping you whether you want my help or not!”
“But why didn’t you tell me all this?” I asked pathetically.
“At times you are impossible!” You laughed.
“What would that have accomplished? You would have sat and done nothing, but smugly glowed! This takes real fire - so I set you alight!”
“Thanks!” I murmured. “So now what?”
“You really are hopeless! Always wanting a guarantee at every step! Where’s your sense of adventure!” And you laughed like a star. “How can you trust God completely, if you’re nervous and afraid
at every step! You must trust me completely and totally! You must love me more than your own life
and self!”
“Then come closer to me!” I retorted.
“I can’t come any closer to you than I already am. I am you - and everyone and everything. It is for
you to see and experience this!”
“But I feel so utterly lost and confused!” I complained.
“Good! It will force you to find your real self then!”
“You can be so hard and cruel at times!” I replied.
“Do you really believe this?” you enquired with great interest.
“No”.
“Then there’s hope for you yet!”
“I love you,” is all I could say.
“Yes I know. And one day you will realize my love!”
Then before I could say another word, you took hold of my hand and it felt like a warm sea of
light flowing in and through me - until the walls all around me melted and dissolved. ~
(From the introduction Mirek has written, this conversation flows through us all without
a break or end. All we are required to do is tune ourselves in and to listen. What we hear
can be alarming, painful or miraculously blissful, because everyone and everything are
contained within it.)
Mirek, Fiona, and their driver Somnath,
in Meherabad.
God’s Smile
Before we start making supper, Baba,
hold me in Your Love and kiss me again.
the way you did so many years ago, when I
was still growing into a man.
It took but one kiss on a cold and black
January morning to rip off my head,
which then rolled down through all
the Planes and Kingdoms of Creation,
revealing to me so many mysteries.
Finally it came to rest at God’s Feet.
And when God picked up my head
and held it in His hands facing Him, it was
only then – somewhat to my surprise –that
I realised I was looking at and seeing God
in all His Oneness as Truth, Knowledge and
Bliss. I didn’t know how I knew him as this
– only that I undeniably knew that I knew
Him: that I had always known Him and will
always know Him – for there was nothing
to know but Him.
And as God held me before His Infinite Self I
could not help but express my great surprise
at seeing Him so close, so real and actual – And
I blurted out “ You’re really God aren’t you !”
This seemed to amuse Him, for His Great
Universe- like Countenance was lit-up with
the gentlest and tenderest smile I’d ever seen.
When, a few years after this, I met you
Baba, I recognised God’s Smile in yours.
— Mirek
Pouton, January 2011
81
Leif Martin Rego
March 9 1978 – July 18 2011
Carol Verner, North Carolina
L
eif Rego, 33, died at Duke Hospital
amidst an outpouring of love and
music from his family and friends.
To the lover of life, the friend, the
brother, the son, the musical soul, the
teacher, the guardian and transmitter
of positive energy … “Todo Chevere.”
brother, Daniel Rego; and his many
friends who were touched by the beautiful energy he offered to this world.
To hear Leif’s music, please visit youtube.com/LeifWynn
[PS from Dina: I am eternally grateful to
Leif for putting together the only commercial recording Charles ever made –
“Rough Around the Edges”. Charles so
named it feeling it described himself, but
also because he wanted Leif to do the recording all in one take, with no sweetening of the sound. Leif did a brilliant job
of it – getting it absolutely right the first
time round.]
January 27, 1930 – August 4, 2011
[Arlene’s stories have been made into
a print book, My Inner Life with Meher
Baba (available at SheriarBooks.org and
also at the 2012 Southeast Gathering),
and can also be viewed free at MischievousPeeps.com (see the Books section).
Here is a particularly moving story from
the book, about Arlene’s own experience
of near-death.]
Donna Stewart, Myrtle Beach
Arlene’s Death Experience
Arlene Stearns
A
We loved him from Chapel Hill and
Carrboro to the coast of California.
We admired the brave athlete biking
amongst the Monterey cypress, the
redwoods, the North Carolina mountains, surfing and praying with the
strength of the ocean, singing straight
from the heart through many instruments. We will forever be grateful for
the experiences we shared with Leif.
His energy was effervescent, an outpouring of love. He was respected for
his integrity and self-awareness, and his
huge and generous heart invited beautiful connections and inspired friends
and musicians to be their best and to
love themselves. He truly cherished his
friends and family; his gifts of love will
continue to nourish us.
Leif could feel the vibrations of those
around him, and through music and
spirit he ignited what was the most
beautiful and positive, bringing it to
song and to life.
His memory is cherished by his parents, Carol Verner and Philip Rego; his
82
important to focus on getting these stories ready to be released. I took them as
far as I was able, and Kendra Crossen has
been very generous in offering to help. I
feel very strongly to release them over
the Internet right away, as Arlene’s “children,” as she called all those to came
to her for help, would feel comforted
through them, and also feel her love
for each and every one of her dear ones
whom she loved so unconditionally.
t 7:50 p.m. on August 4, 2011, Arlene
went to Baba. She was at Loris Hospital under Hospice care, and Jeff Stearns
and I and a doctor (who kept thanking
Jeff for his kindness) were present. A
month or so before her passing, Baba had
let her know that her work was finished.
She stopped taking any calls, or seeing
people, and had Jeff take care of the calls.
Arlene was born in Quincy, Illinois. She
is survived by her husband of 34 years,
Jeff Stearns; three sons (Jim Weichert,
Dennis Weichert, Ken Weichert); two
daughters Barb and Susie; fourteen
grandchildren; and her identical twin sister, Eileen Williams, who lives in St. Louis. All of her children still live in Quincy
except her daughter Barb, who lives in
Alabama.
In 2010 I asked Arlene if she would
be willing to record some stories of her
experiences with Baba, in order to make
them available to others. Arlene agreed,
with the stipulation that they were not to
be released until she dropped her body.
Arlene would give tours on Meher
Center in Myrtle Beach — Meher Baba‘s
Home in the West — and Jane Haynes
had asked Arlene many times to please
record stories from some of the tours she
had given. Arlene played this tape for me
once many years ago and I was deeply
touched, not only by the stories but also
the way in which she told them, and the
beautiful quality of her voice.
In the past two weeks I felt it was very
I
n 2000 I was pronounced dead for five
minutes, my eyes were set — the death
set eyes — open, looking straight up, and
there was no pulse.
My husband, Jeff, was in the house at
the time and also the Registered Nurse
who was taking care of me, as I was very,
very ill for many years. I was standing in
the bathroom and I remember being told
― Look at yourself for the last time, so
I looked in the mirror, and I looked right
into my eyes. There was no fear or anything like that, it was — just look! Then I
turned and reached out for the R.N., who
was standing by the door.
The next thing I remember I was going
into a pure white light. My soul was taken
into this pure white light; it was the most
beautiful, wonderful feeling. Words cannot express this, but I‘ll try. It is like going home, and you have been waiting so
long. The most beautiful and wonderful
feeling of God‘s love. This pure white light
was God — no sound, no movement, only
God; and it was as if my soul was traveling quite fast. My mind, of course, died
with my body, so I was experiencing this
from my soul, which was going further
and further into this pure white light. This
light is nothing but love, the love that we
have all been longing for. Longing for
purity of love, without any judgment of
any kind, just a beautiful and sweet love.
The further I went, the more and more
into the God state I went, and there was
nothing but that pure white light of God
and His beautiful love. So beautiful is God.
Then I heard Meher Baba‘s voice and He
said to me, “You must go back. Your work
isn‘t finished, you must go back”. And just
like that my soul came back into my body
and I opened my eyes.
At the time that I reached for the R.N.,
she had tried to hold me up, and she said
I was dead before I would have ever hit
the floor. She called Jeff to come and he
laid me out on the floor in the living room
and called 911. Dead on arrival. Two ambulances and the fire department came,
Arlene and Jeff Stearns
and all of the men and women were
standing there ready to do something,
but because I was so long gone, no one
had touched me, nothing had been done.
Baba brought me back.
As I opened my eyes I looked around
and saw a lot of people standing over
me, a ceiling and the walls, and I thought:
What is this? What kind of confinement is
this? Then I felt it in my body — my soul
was in my body; but because of Baba’s
most complete compassion, He never left
me to feel how hard it is to have to come
back into the body. When you go and
die, you don‘t want to come back. The
love there is so complete, so beautiful,
so powerful, and so real, you just don‘t
want to come back. Although I have five
children, thirteen grandchildren, and
my husband Jeff, I really wanted to stay
there. But when Baba said, “You must
go back, your work isn’t finished,” there
was nothing left for me to do other than
to open my eyes and know that this is
what Baba wants.
So I stay here, but I always, always have
this feeling, this experience of death. So
dying for me was hard, but never, never
could I ever fear death. Death is beautiful,
absolutely beautiful, and you go Home
and you know Yourself, and you know
what you have been always wanting,
longing for, and that is that purity and
love of God’s Love, and becoming what
it is that Baba has suffered and worked
for as the Avatar. All the Avatars have
helped us to get to know our self as God,
and this is what I experience—who I really am; and then come back to tell my
story and let others know. There is no
reason to ever feel afraid of having the
soul leave the body. The soul immediately
goes into the pure white loving light, and
you go home and it‘s beautiful. So that’s
the experience of the love that I have and
live with all the time; it never, ever, ever
goes away.
God’s love is so compassionate, that it
is compassion itself, and as far as judging
is concerned, all Baba would want to ask
is, “What did you learn?” And if you need
to learn something more, then you come
back again, and you learn more, because
Earth is the OM Point where everything
started, and Earth is a school and we learn
more and more about ourselves. As we
learn, we come to know that our minds
are very fickle, but our soul is of God, and
that is our inheritance from God. To become God. We are children of God and we
become Him. That is the beautiful part of
knowing not to be afraid of God, because
God is nothing but light and love. So you
don‘t have to fear Baba, don‘t have to
fear death, when you know that you are
going to feel your own love — your own
pure love, which is God.
Meher Baba
on Death
When his brother Jamshed died, Meher
Baba told the mandali:
B
elieve me, Jamshed is not dead.
His body has died. Everyone thinks
he is dead, but I say he has taken birth.
The joy expressed by people at the
birth of a child should be expressed
when a person breathes his last, instead of all the show of sorrow, grief
and sympathy. This is sheer ignorance,
and those who understand the secret
of birth and death feel sorry at this
hypocritical pretense.
If you had divine sight, you would be
fully convinced, and see for yourself
that after the dropping of the physical
body, the soul, which is always
Photo by Rosie Jackson
83
immortal, is always there. And death
does not make the slightest difference
in this as you believe.
Everyone is feeling that Jamshed
left this world in the prime of life. But
one has to go sooner or later, and no
one but God knows the right moment.
How can you say he was young? He
was thousands of years old, and God
knows how many births he will take on
this earth. Whatever you saw before
your eyes was only the gross form of
Jamshed, and its absence makes you
weep with sorrow for him. If you wish
me to be a partner in your dense ignorance, forget it.
Death is common to all, and it is a
necessary step forward toward real life
— eternal infinite existence. The soul
merely changes into a new abode; thus
dying is nothing more than changing
your coat. Jamshed has changed it after experiencing life in it on this plane.
It is like an actor who plays different
parts in different dramas, or changes
costumes in the same play behind the
curtain, and then reappears on stage in
a different garb; or it can be compared
with sleep.
The difference between death and
sleep is that after the former state, one
awakens in a new body, while in the
latter state, one becomes conscious of
the same body. Worldly-minded people
do not become upset when a person
goes to sleep at night, simply because
they expect to see him awaken alive
again the next morning. Then why not
exercise the same indifference when
he sleeps the sleep of death, since he is
bound to awaken alive sooner or later
in a new body?
You at times travel in a train, and
other passengers, without a care in
the world, depart at different stations
such as Lonavla, Kalyan and Dadar, all
according to their tickets. In the same
way, Jamshed was traveling, and when
he reached his destination, according to his ticket, he departed from the
train — left his body. His station was
nearby. But according to you he has
passed away in his youth. The trains go
on running day and night, and numberless passengers travel in them, and depart at different stations according to
their tickets. How many are you going
to weep over?
Thus it is the selfishness of not being able to satisfy their minds in the
84
absence of the sight of their dear ones
that makes people weep and wail, and
not so much the death itself. After
the death of a person, a hue and cry is
raised from all sides: ‘My beloved father or mother is dead! The source of
my life is gone! The light of my eye is
dimmed! Where is my sweetheart? My
support has disappeared!’ Such exclamations are heard in the house of
death. But in spite of a great display of
grief and pain, ‘my’ and ‘mine’ remain
uppermost, rather than consideration
for the welfare of the one who has
passed away.
The sword of death has been swinging freely since the beginning of man’s
history. Every day I see hundreds and
thousands of my brothers dying, without feeling anything for it, and Jamshed’s death is no exception to this.
All admit that death is unavoidable,
the unavoidable end, and though the
fact is universally acknowledged and
experienced, at the time of its happening, people immediately start crying. It
is either madness or weakness of the
mind.
Nothing lasts, everything is indefinite in this world, except the jeevatma (individual soul) who is subject to
births and deaths. Even Perfect Masters and Avatars leave this world when
their duty is over, so what to say of ordinary souls? This come-and-go game,
the alternating experiences of life, and
gathering and spending of sanskaras,
is really quite difficult to understand.
Most people generally do not believe in the principle of karma and are
firmly convinced that there is no other
body. The very thought of reincarnation, of another body, makes them
shudder and shake. They say that once
one is dead, he is dead, and there is no
rebirth, in the same way that dry wood
does not turn green again.
It will be a pleasant surprise if Jamshed is really dead. But he is not. If
he were really dead, all should rejoice
over it, since it would mean real life for
him — eternal, infinite existence. Unless we really die, meaning our ego is
annihilated, we cannot realize divinity.
So all this expressing of sorrow and regret is bunk.
Although you find me moving about
among you, playing with you, and in
fact doing all that a supposedly living
man does, I am really dead. I am truly
and really dead, though I seem alive
and active to you. If you die once, truly,
there will be no more life and death for
you, since you become one with God.
Because I am dead I am alive. As Kabir
says:
Everyone says, ’I am dying,’ but
none of them die.
Only he who is dead before dying
has not to die again.
These are the words of Kabir. Die
such a death that you will not have
to die again. Die, all of you, in the
real sense of the word, so you may
live ever after. The stopping of
breath and the absence of pulse
are not real dying. It is no use letting your earthly body die; all your
desires and longings should die.
That is, seek out the death of maya
[illusion] first and become sanskara-less. Then alone you will have
died the real death and have been
born into eternity.
An earthly being who realizes God can
be said to have earned real birth. All
the wise ones, holy ones, Sufis, saints,
Pirs [6th-plane saints] and Prophets,
by surrendering every worldly thing to
God, have reached the goal, union with
God. So do such acts that will earn you
freedom from the recurring rounds of
births and deaths.
When you understand this, what
is the use of sorrow and weeping? If
you have love for the dead, it should
be selfless. The dead do not want
your expression of sadness. Manifest
such love for them that they would
be pleased and at peace. If you want
the consciousness of their souls to
progress, express selfless love. Do not
make them unhappy by your weeping
and wailing.
Jamshed was my brother, but I am
‘Jam Sheth’ — the Master of Death.
The same death has brought Jamshed
to his Master. Jamshed is near Jam
Sheth. So give up this worthless conduct and be absorbed in your duties.
Do not have the idea that because
Jamshed is dead the world is dead.
He who is convinced that after death
there is birth again never worries or
sorrows. What is the use of sorrowing
over dried-up crops in the field?
By dying after death, and thereby
annihilating the mind, you will gain
both worlds. Otherwise it is a neverending cycle of taking birth and dying.
There is no escape. It is a matter of
luck, fate.
What can we do when our last day
dawns? It is not in our hands, so what
can be done? We all have to go one
day. So what is the sense of weeping?
One can do nothing except submit to
God’s will.
—27 February 1926, Meherabad,
Lord Meher, vol. 3, pp. 779-83
Baba Says
The greatest warriors, scientists, doctors
and astrologers, without exception, have
to bow to nature’s common law, death.
If you have love for the dead, it should be
selfless. The dead do not want your expression of sadness. Manifest such love
for them that they would be pleased and
at peace. If you want the consciousness
of their souls to progress, express selfless
love. Do not make them unhappy by your
weeping and wailing.
He who is convinced that after death
there is birth again never worries or sorrows. What is the use of sorrowing over
dried up crops in the field? By dying after
death, and thereby annihilating the mind,
you will gain both worlds. Otherwise it is
a never-ending cycle of taking birth and
dying. There is no escape. It is a matter of
luck, fate.
What can we do when our last day dawns?
It is not in our hands, so what can be done?
We all have to go one day. So what is the
sense of weeping? One can do nothing except submit to God’s will.
A person dies when his sanskaras are exhausted, spent in full. After a person dies,
his sanskaras snap the mind’s connection
with the Gross body. And at that time
he receives such a shock that he forgets
every incident of his past life. But, even
though the Gross body drops, the mind
and the Subtle body remain full of sanskaras. For the next forty to seventy hours
after death, the attention of the sanskaras
is centered mostly on the place where
the body is kept. But, after that, there is
no connection whatsoever between the
dead person and that place. Within the
next eight or ten days, the spirit of the
dead person experiences the Subtle state
of either heaven or
hell, according to his
sanskaras.
After a person dies,
many people perform
rites and ceremonies
for a long time. But
all these are useless.
No ritual is necessary
after ten days. However, the best rites
would be to feed either dogs or crows
near the body, because they have Subtle sight and can see
the spirit of the dead
person. Crows and
dogs are not Subtleconscious, but they
have Subtle faculties
of perception, and
Photo of Meher Baba ©MSI Collection, Meherabad, India
draw towards themselves the sanskaras of dead people.
is consciousness plus ego. After the death
of the physical body, the soul remains,
You eat food, and to keep yourselves together with the limited ego, the mind,
healthy and fit, you pass out the residue and the Subtle body. Only the outer garas excrement. But do you ever shed tears ment has been left behind. From one to
for the waste you eliminate? Do you ever three days, the Subtle retains its connecthink about it, or feel regret over it? Not tion with the Gross body, but never longer
at all. Then, if someone dear dies, why do than that.
you weep for that discarded body, which
is like food to the soul?
Four days after death, the Astral body
rises up to gain pleasure or pain accordYou preserve and protect your body to ing to its good or bad actions in physical
feed your soul. The body is the medium life. When the store of virtue (poonya)
for the soul’s progress. When your excre- and vice (paap) is exhausted, the soul, in
ment is eliminated, you eat fresh food. accordance with the faint impress of the
Similarly, with the disposal of the old sanskaras, takes another Gross body - that
body, you take a new body. So why worry is, is reborn in the physical world - which
and weep over that which is the law of na- process goes on until the soul is freed
ture and cannot be altered?
from the chains of birth and death.
Sadgurus and the Avatar consider human
death to be absolutely unimportant. They
do not feel sad about anyone’s death. For
them, the whole universe is a very, very
small thing, a small point. The human
body can be compared to the fibers on
the outer shell of a coconut. Hundreds of
such hairs fall off, but the coconut water
remains safe inside. Similarly, thousands
of human bodies may fall, but the soul is
immortal. It never dies. It is always living
and eternal.
In sound sleep, there is consciousness but
no ego, while in the state of death, there
There are four main conditions of existence after the final severance with the
Gross body:
1. Upwards
2. Immediate reincarnation
3. Heaven or hell
4. Downwards
1. Upwards: Only the spiritually advanced beings go upwards, that is, be85
yond and above the lunar sphere. There
they stay until such time as they can reincarnate upon earth, since Perfection
can only be realised in the Gross human form. During the interim, however,
such advanced beings can and do utilize
the bodies of earth beings to work out
a certain kind of sanskaras.
2. Immediate reincarnation: Those
whose good and bad sanskaras almost
balance each other, but are not exactly
equal—because if they were, such souls
would at once attain to God-realisation—reincarnate immediately on earth
in human form.
3a. Heaven: The person who has accumulated a large portion of good sanskaras, and few bad ones, experiences
through the Subtle body the state called
paradise or heaven. Here the capacity
for enjoyment is increased tenfold, and
the sensitivity to suffering as the result
of the few bad sanskaras is proportionally diminished. In other words, in this
condition there is practically no suffering at all, but only enjoyment, until all
the good sanskaras are spent. However, the impressions of these sanskaras
remain, and ultimately impel the soul to
take another body on earth.
3b. Hell: One who has contracted many
bad sanskaras during his earth life experiences after death the state called hell,
wherein the susceptibility to suffering
is increased tenfold, and the capacity
for enjoyment is proportionately diminished. In the hell state there is only suffering, until all those sanskaras, which
induced this state, are exhausted. The
impressions remaining compel the soul
to rebirth in a human body.
4. Downwards: Those who have acquired extremely bad sanskaras, resulting from deeds like murder for lust or
greed, after death go downwards into
the region of animal spirits, to await a
suitable Gross form for earth life.
The condition of one who arrives at
death through suicide requires special explanation. Such a one goes neither upwards nor downwards, neither
does he immediately reincarnate, nor
pass into heaven or hell. Such spirits
remain suspended closer to the earth
plane, inasmuch as no entry is possible
86
for them in any of the aforementioned
states. Their condition is pitiable in the
extreme, because they too feel the
pull of their sanskaras, but unlike those
on earth, they have no Gross body in
which to fulfill their desires. These are
the ones which in common parlance
we call ghosts or disembodied spirits.
It is these spirits whom mediums sometimes contact, and they prove a source
of harm as well as good. Sometimes
such a spirit tries to possess a human
body with which it feels an affinity due
to similarity of sanskaras.
If, for example, a person who is otherwise eligible for the heaven state commits suicide, he remains suspended
near the earth plane, and if he comes in
contact with a human being does him
no harm. But if one who, through his
bad sanskaras, was eligible for hell dies
before his time, then he may become a
source of harm and pain to those whom
he contacts. The relatively good spirits,
however, usually seek redress through
yogis, or they seek to serve a Perfect
Master in the darkness of night. Yet,
owing to the karmic law, it takes many
cycles for such suspended spirits to
have the chance of reincarnating again
in human form through the aid of the
Master. The evil spirits run as far away
as possible from a Perfect One.
Both good and bad suspended spirits
can sometimes work out their sanskaras
through a human being, if they can find
one with similar sanskaras and suitable
past karmic connections. However, the
ignorant victims of such possession by
a suspended spirit may suffer physically
and materially, though spiritually they
are benefitted to the extent of dispensing with three or four incarnations.
—Assorted quotations
from Lord Meher
“The human form is the best of all
physical forms. It is the only form
in which God can be realised, and
until God is realised, the soul must
continue with births and deaths.”
—Meher Baba
(from The God-Man, p. 69, Charles
Purdom)
Do not listen to the
voice of the mind.
Listen to the voice
of the heart.
M
eher Baba says: Do not listen to
the voice of the mind. Listen to the
voice of the heart. Mind wavers; heart
does not falter. Mind fears; heart is not
daunted. Mind is the house of doubts,
reasonings and theories; heart, when purified, becomes the dwelling of Beloved
God. So get your heart rid of low desires,
temptations and selfishness, and God
will manifest in you as your own Self.
At 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, February
21st. (1954) the mandali were called
before Baba at his residence. Baba informed Dhanapathy Rao, “On the 2nd
(of March) I want all workers present,
small and big, every one of them, because work must be done honestly or
be stopped. I work since ages. I am the
only one who works. But if you want to
share my work, then it must be done
honestly. No compromise, no competition, no ego-tickling, lest it spoil the
work. “Wherever I go, people do not
even know who I am. As soon as they
hear my name, they flock to me, but
they do not know anything about me.
So this morning (at 5:50 a.m.) I have
dictated three messages. I know messages mean nothing since eternity. The
only message is to make one like me.”
Baba concluded, “I am most slippery.
You will never catch hold of me because,
being divine, I am also very human. Only
if you lose your will one hundred percent
in my will, will you know me; otherwise
not.” Baba then asked Eruch to read
out the three messages that Baba had
dictated. The first message was: Do not
listen to the voice of the mind. Listen
to the voice of the heart. Mind wavers;
heart does not falter. Mind fears; heart
is not daunted. Mind is the house of
doubts, reasonings and theories; heart,
when purified, becomes the dwelling of
Beloved God. So get your heart rid of low
desires, temptations and selfishness,
and God will manifest in you as your own
Self. The second message Eruch read:
Be content with your lot, rich or poor,
happy or miserable. Understand that
God has designed it for your own good
and be resigned to His Will. You eternally were and always will be. You have
had innumerable forms – man, woman,
beautiful, ugly, strong, weak, healthy,
sickly, powerful, helpless – and here you
are again with another such form. Until
continued on p. 92
Humor for Huma
Life Through the Eyes
10) SCHOOL ~ A little girl had just
finished her first week of school. “I’m
just wasting my time,” she said to her
mother. “I can’t read, I can’t write, and
they won’t let me talk!”
of Children....
1) NUDITY ~ I was driving with my
three young children one warm summer
evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved.
She was stark naked! As I was reeling
from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old
shout from the back seat, “Mom, that
lady isn’t wearing a seat belt!”
11) BIBLE ~ A little boy opened the
big family Bible. He was fascinated as
he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible.
He picked up the object and looked at
it. What he saw was an old leaf that had
been pressed in between the pages.
“Mama, look what I found,” the boy
called out. “What have you got there,
dear?” With astonishment in the young
boy’s voice, he answered, “I think it’s
Adam’s underwear!”
2) OPINIONS ~ On the first day of
school, a first-grader handed his teacher
a note from his mother. The note read,
“The opinions expressed by this child
are not necessarily those of his parents.”
3) KETCHUP ~ A woman was trying
hard to get the ketchup out of the jar.
During her struggle the phone rang so
she asked her 4-year-old daughter to
answer the phone. “Mommy can’t come
to the phone to talk to you right now.
She’s hitting the bottle”.
4) MORE NUDITY ~ A little boy got
lost at the YMCA and found himself in
the women’s locker room. When he was
spotted, the room burst into shrieks,
with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched
in amazement and then asked, “What’s
the matter, haven’t you ever seen a little
boy before?”
5) POLICE # 1 ~ While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary
school, I was interrupted by a little girl
about 6 years old. Looking up and down
at my uniform, she asked, “Are you a
cop?” “Yes,” I answered and continued
writing the report. “My mother said
if I ever needed help I should ask the
police. Is that right?” “Yes, that’s right,”
I told her. “Well, then,” she said as she
extended her foot toward me, “would
you please tie my shoe?”
6) POLICE # 2 It was the end of the
day when I parked my police van in
front of the station. As I gathered my
equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was
barking, and I saw a little boy staring
in at me. “Is that a dog you got back
there?” he asked. “It sure is,” I replied.
Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then
towards the back of the van. Finally he
said, “What’d he do?”
Meher Baba MSI Collection, Meherabad, India
7) ELDERLY ~ While working for an
organization that delivers lunches to
elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-yearold daughter on my afternoon rounds.
She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly
the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One
day I found her staring at a pair of false
teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered,
“The tooth fairy will never believe this!”
8) DRESS-UP ~ A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When
she saw her dad donning his tuxedo,
she warned, “Daddy, you shouldn’t
wear that suit.” “And why not, darling?”
“You know that it always gives you a
headache the next morning.”
9) DEATH ~ While walking along the
sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that
nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently,
his 5-year-old son and his playmates had
found a dead robin. Feeling that a proper
burial should be performed, they had
secured a small box and cotton batting,
then dug a hole and made ready for the
disposal of the deceased. The minister’s
son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity
intoned his version of what he thought
his father always said: “Glory be unto
the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and
into the hole he goooes.”
The Priest and the Pilot
A priest dies and is waiting in line
at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is
a guy who’s dressed in sunglasses, a
loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans.
Saint Peter addresses this cool guy,
“Who are you, so that I may know
whether or not to admit you to the
Kingdom of Heaven?” The guy replies,
“I’m Jack, retired Continental Airlines
Pilot from Houston.” Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the
pilot, “Take this silken robe and golden
staff and enter the Kingdom.” The pilot
goes into Heaven with his robe and staff. Next, it’s the priest’s turn. He stands
erect and booms out, “I am Father
Bob, pastor of Saint Mary’s in Pasadena for the last 43 years.” Saint Peter consults his list. He says to the
priest, “Take this cotton robe and
wooden staff and enter the Kingdom.” “Just a minute,” says the good father.
“That man was a pilot and he gets a silken robe and golden staff and I get only
cotton and wood?! How can this be?”
“Up here - we go by results,” says Saint
Peter. “When you preached - people
slept. When he flew, people prayed.”
87
Mehera © Win Coates
Words of Love from Mehera
And Baba said, “I will never fail my lovers.”
So someway or another He will help you …
He is here as well as everywhere, He is. Baba said, “I am with all My lovers.”
Baba had said that. And once Baba said that “I will never fail my lovers.”
This is what Baba said. So you all are very fortunate to love Him.…
He is so compassionate, because we, in our work, and what would you call it?
When you are engrossed in something, you are not thinking of Baba.
But that moment, also, Baba is thinking of you. He never forgets you.
We may [forget Him] – but He doesn’t. His grace is so …
His eyes are on all His lovers. You know? He keeps an eye. Yes?
Baba said, “My love brings you to me.” So that shows Baba loves you.
It is wonderful to be loved by the God-Man. Yes? Always know that.
Be happy in His love. He is with you wherever you are.
Say His name and He is very near you. Helping you always. Jai Baba.1
1Mehera J. Irani, recorded by David Fenster on Meherazad verandah on 25 June 1978 and 8-9 October 1977.
This audio recording can he heard by clicking on the following website: http://www.meherameher.com/html/AVframe.html
88
He Is Always Remembering You
Though His name is but a faint cry in some foreign darkness
Know that He has named you as His lover and is always remembering you.
Though you cannot see, hear, or feel Him anymore
Know that His daaman covers you like a cloak, though you feel it not.
Though the dark night sees no promise of the dawn
Know that His light surrounds you always.
Though the enemies within are greater than the enemies without
Know that He was, is, and will ever remain your truest and best friend.
Though Love’s pain is sometimes greater than you can bear
Know that He is bearing it with you, and for you, and even more than this.
Though the body’s aches and the mind’s tortures tear both in twain,
Know that the thread of His name sews them up again.
Though His face and form fade before ranker images
Know that His nazar is always upon the face and form of His lover.
Though you cannot seem to catch even one of His glances
Know that His glance is always upon you.
Though the spent actions of ill spin skeins of the darkest thread
Know that His loving kindness is unwinding every knot.
Though the rain of tears falls hard and often
Upon the hardscrabble earth of your heart
Know that out of that soil grows the many thornéd rose.
Though you call out and out to Him, and He does not answer
Know that His Silent speaking may be the greatest answer of all.
Though your grasp of His daaman is weak or not there at all
Know that He is holding on to you, and will never, ever let you go.
Though you cannot seem to take one more step, or breathe one more breath
Know that He has already walked that step and breathed that breath for you.
Though you cannot even remember to remember Him
Know that He always remembers to remember you.
And even when you forget Him completely,
Know that He never forgets to remember you.
Mickey Karger, Florida
Meher Baba MSI Collection,
Meherabad, India
89
The Singer and the Song
or
How Pete Townshend and My Ego Stopped Me Singing for Several Years
M
eher Baba Himself is of
course the Singer and the
Song who, in His compassion,
lets His lovers sing to Him.
My mother encouraged me
to sing from a very early age, and
one of my earliest memories is of
myself, aged 6, standing alone
on a stage at my first school singing, without accompaniment, a
popular war-time song, ‘You’ll
never know (just how much I
love you)’. In later years, when
I would travel to market with
my father, as we went along we
would sing all those fantastic
songs of the ‘30s and ‘40s which
are to this day embedded in my
memory. Not having a particularly good voice, singing stayed
on the back burner for many
years. Instead I discovered jazz,
and at the age of 15 was playing
clarinet in the jazz clubs in the
north east of England.
Fast forward: After university, I went to live in Spain,
grew my Hemmingway beard,
and started writing the worstever never-finished novel. But
undaunted, I began writing poetry,
and back in London, as the ‘60s became THE SIXTIES, I was performing
my now progressive works in the
flourishing poetry scene.
This is when (1968) Meher Baba came
into my life and stole my heart. From
that moment on everything I wrote
was related to, and dedicated to, the
divine Beloved, and when in 1970 Pete
Townshend decided to make himself
and his studio available to a variety of
Baba lovers, I recorded my sound poem,
‘Meditation,’ which went onto the first of
three Baba albums which Pete produced,
called ‘Happy Birthday.’
For the second album I decided I
wanted to sing. I had written a song - ‘The
Old Man Says’ - which I could hear in my
head, but as I did not play guitar Pete
worked something out, and eventually
we put down a backing track with Pete
90
Michael Da Costa, England
on guitar and drums, (the late) Ronnie
Lane on bass guitar, John McLagen (not
a Baba lover) on piano, and myself on
saxophone. I then added the vocal. What
happened next put me off singing for a
very long time.
At some point, as we were listening
to the playback, I caught the other three
rolling their eyes to the heavens in a gesture which seemed to say, ‘what the ****
is this!?’ I felt mortified and said nothing,
but after a restless night I called Pete and
arranged to go back in and change the
vocal. I had a poem which I had always
thought would work with a rock backing,
and sure enough it worked perfectly with
the backing track and after just one take,
‘Affirmation’ went onto the second British Baba Album, ‘I AM,’ and I swore never
to sing again.
Fast forward to 1979, and my first
pilgrimage to Meherabad. As I listened
to the singing at the Samadhi,
my heart was deeply stirred
and a longing to sing to Baba
and His lovers rose up in me.
But how could I? The spectre
of that ‘look’ was still haunting
me. And that is how it was until
one day in Mandali Hall I heard
Mani tell of how people would
come to see Baba, and were
often moved to sing and dance
for Him. She explained that
sometimes they were awful,
and the Mandali would cringe
in embarrassment, rolling their
eyes to heaven! However, Baba
would beam at them and make
that sign of perfection with
His fingers, because He was
responding not to the quality of
what they were doing, but the
heart with which they were doing it! That was enough for me;
the lights turned green!
And so, feeling like the little 6
year old me, I stood at the back
of the crowd at the next Arti,
and, without accompaniment,
sang ‘Our Love is Here to Stay,’
and wept. Later I got together
with Buzz Conner, who had been inspiring me with his own great voice and
songs. The very first poem that I wrote
after coming to Baba—‘The Everything
and the Nothing’—I had always thought
would make a good song. Buzz worked
out a few chords, and before you could
say ‘don’t worry, be happy’ there I was
standing in front of a crowded Mandali
Hall, with Buzz on guitar, and my knees
trembling, singing to the Lord’s lovers.
Fast forward again. Through the
eighties and beyond, Baba graced me
with many songs which went first onto
tapes, and then CDs. One day in the
’90s I got a call from Pete who I had not
been in touch with for many years. And
so we would chat occasionally by email
or phone, and one day I decided to ask
him if he remembered that ‘look.’ To my
surprise he said he did remember, and
he was shocked to hear that it had had
such a traumatic effect on me, because
the ‘look’ had nothing to do with the
song or my singing. In fact he thought
both were really good. It was just that
the music was going on far too long. He
added that because John McGlagen was
there, Pete and Ronnie were reluctant
to tarnish their ‘hard-man rock image’ by
showing their love for Baba. So, were all
those years wasted, or was Baba’s timing
impeccable, as it always is?
Pete eventually dug out the original
recording and sent it to me. It is now on
my latest CD, ‘Welcome to My World,’
and do you know what? It’s not too bad.
Dina’s note: In Charles and my opinion,
Michael is a wonderful singer and song
writer – as well as being a very dear sweet
man! We were privileged to have him as
our houseguest a few years back when he
was on his long awaited tour of the U.S. To
my delight, the two singers had a wonderful jam session one evening. All of his CDs
feature some beautiful songs, but my very
favorite one is “Lost and Found,” Charles
and I used to love singing these songs!
There is a booklet of Michael’s poems
“Nowhere to Now Here” and seven CDs
of his work: four of songs and three of
spoken dramatic monologues. There is
also a terrific DVD of his one-man show,
filmed at the Sufi Center in Walnut Creek.
These are all available at The Shoppe on
Love Street, Sheriar Books, or from Michael’s website, www.michaeldacosta.
com. If you live in Europe, it would be
easiest to get them directly from Michael.
“Affirmation” has recently been brilliantly illustrated by Bob Fredericks, in
two versions, and can be seen on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtVpz_
nJxZQ and http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=FQ99H_Xdokc
Spirituality must make man more human.
It is a positive attitude of releasing all that
is good and noble and beautiful in man.
It also contributes to all that is gracious
and lovely in the environment. It does
not require the external renunciation of
worldly activities or the avoiding of duties
and responsibilities. It only requires that,
while performing the worldly activities
or discharging the responsibilities arising
from the specific place and position of the
individual, the inner spirit should remain
free from the burden of desires.
—Avatar Meher Baba
Discourses, 7th ed. pp. 14-15, 1987©AMBPPCT
Meher Baba’s Photo
Jack Small, Arizona
O
n several occasions Baba would
ask certain of His lovers to put
a light next to His photo so that it
could be viewed at night. I recall reading this as well as hearing it from
some of His early lovers. I presume
that the purpose of Baba’s suggestion was so that His lovers could see
Baba’s photograph before they went
to sleep and in the night if they awoke.
In Ahmednagar, a photographer and
Baba lover named Panday used to take
passport photos for pilgrims. In addition, he sold photographs of Baba
and could arrange to get special handcolored photographs. They were quite
lovely. He also was able to have photos
of Baba printed on a transparency. With
a transparency, you could see Baba’s
photo stand out with the light behind it. At one point, I arranged for
Panday to print a photograph on a
transparency and to put it in a specially
built frame with a light bulb controlled
by a rheostat to adjust the brightness
of the light. In this way, the light could
be left on at night, but would not be so
bright as to keep one from sleeping. The
photograph I chose was the one of Baba
reclining in a hammock with Mehera
looking at him so lovingly. I gave this photograph in the frame
to Mehera, showing her how to adjust
the light. Frankly, because Mehera received so many gifts, I thought it would
just be put away with the other gifts
or perhaps given away to someone
else. I always understood that anything
given as a gift to any of the Mandali
might always be given to someone else. After Mehera passed away, I was
allowed to visit her room. Much to
my pleasant surprise, I discovered
that the photograph I had given her
was on a wall in her bedroom. It was
very comforting to me that Baba allowed me to be the vehicle to make
Mehera happy seeing His photograph.
Actually, I had two photographs on transparencies made at the time. I had given
the other one to Naosherwan for his son
who was ill with cancer in those days. At the time of Baba’s birthday in
2008, I returned to India for pilgrimage. When I went into Mehera’s room,
sure enough, that photo was still there
in her bedroom. Seeing it, I decided
that I wanted one with a light for myself. I went looking for Panday’s studio,
but it was gone and I discovered that
he had passed away sometime back.
After returning home, every now and
then I would wish for a photo of our Beloved that I could see at night. I thought
it wasn’t practical, however, not being
very handy myself, and knowing the
difficulty of getting things hand-crafted
in America. I had always found it easier
to get things like that done in India. Sometime back I was at a Radio Shack
store, when I heard two salespeople
taking about a discounted product on
the front counter. I turned to look at it. I
immediately thought of Baba when I saw
the shadow box picture frame with a motion-sensitive light that turns on with any
nearby movement. It was exactly what
I had longed for and it was the perfect
size to put on the table beside my bed. Now, when I go to sleep at night I
look at the photo and think of Him.
If I happen to wake up at night, He
greets me and I have conversations
with Him when the photo lights up.
Once one of His lovers was worried
that he couldn’t remember Baba enough.
Baba said not to worry, that He would
help him. And so this story ends with
my Beloved once more helping me to
remember Him.
Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!
91
Baba’s Real Pleasure
A Story from The Real Treasure vol.3 by Rustom Falahati
B
aba lovers often wrote letters to
Mandali members with whom
they had a close connection. Some
would write about their problems
seeking advice, others would write
just to stay in touch. On one occasion, a Baba lover who had stayed
frequently in touch with Bhauji
wrote to him about her coming
marriage. This woman was going
to marry a man with whom she had
been living for the past few months.
The man was already married to
another woman for close to thirty
years. They seemed like a happy
couple to everyone who knew them
and they had been married for so
long that the news came as a disappointment to Bhauji and to those
who knew them.
The woman, in her letter, mentioned that she felt a strong connection to Baba through this man
and, by marrying him, they were not
only fulfilling Baba’s wish but also pleasing Him. Bhauji turned to us and commented, “People pursue their selfish
desires by deceiving themselves that
this is what Baba wants and, by doing
it, they are pleasing Baba. You cannot
please Baba by pursuing selfish desires.
To please Him, one has make sacrifices
and to give up selfish desires. In order to
do that, one has to undertake all kinds
of hardships and suffering, then you are
pleasing Baba. If you are causing someone pain and suffering, do you think Baba
will be pleased? Let the love be there for
everyone in this whole creation, but why
create entanglements through relationships and marriage? Get entangled only
with Baba, offer all your love and feelings to Him, create a relationship with
Him, which is the real relation of the soul
with God, then you are pleasing Baba. All
such physical relationships everyone is
having with one another, thinking they
are pleasing Baba, is nothing but deceiving oneself, and will create suffering for
them.”
Bhauji often would dictate a reply
after reading a letter. However, on this
particular occasion, some urgent work
came up and he did not get the opportunity to reply to the concerned Baba
lover. Next day, it came as a surprise
when Bhauji, in his reply to this Baba
lover, expressed his happiness at the
92
criticize me behind my back. Why do
I do this? Because its Baba’s pleasure
and wish for me.”
When Bhauji finished this, it
helped me understand so many
controversial decisions the Mandali
had taken, which did not appear correct from the worldly point of view.
They were acting in a fashion that
was similar to what Baba would do
when he was in His physical body;
they were honoring Baba’s wish. continued from p. 86
news, congratulated them and hoped
that their marriage would bring them
together strongly in Baba’s love and
that they would come closer to Baba. I
was surprised by Bhauji’s reply because
he had appeared very upset the previous day. So when he finished the letter,
I asked, “Bhauji, did you mean all the
things you said in the letter, especially
that the news made you happy?” Came
Bhauji’s straightforward reply, “No.”
“Then why did you write it?” I asked.
“No one really wants to hear the truth,”
Bhauji said. “There are very few who are
ready to live the kind of life that would
please Baba. To them, I tell the bitter
and harsh truth, because I know they
will implement it in their lives by making the correct effort. To others, I tell
them what they want to hear, because
I have already in the past told them the
significance of pleasing Baba by putting
Baba’s pleasure above oneself, above
everything and they have refused to
listen or understand. So I allow them to
do what they want. As per Baba’s wish,
I have to carry them along in the hope
that some day, when they have suffered
enough, they will renounce the falseness
and seek Baba’s pleasure. If I don’t do
this, such people will criticize me and
turn against Baba. And when I do this,
I will get criticized by other Baba lovers
who think they are following Baba, such
is my plight and suffering. I have to help
everyone, knowing full well that they will
you get spiritual freedom, you will
be invested with many other forms.
So why seek temporary relief which
has in its wake more bindings? Ask
God not for money, fame, power,
health or children, but seek His grace
of love, which would lead you to eternal
bliss. The third message Eruch read: For
the rich, I am the richest. For the poor,
I am the poorest. For the literate, I am
the most literate. For the illiterate, I am
the most illiterate. Thus I am one of you,
one with you and one in you. We are all
one. To realize this Oneness, love God
wholeheartedly and honestly, sacrificing
everything at the altar of this supreme
love, and you will realize the Beloved
within you.
©Lord Meher, Vol. 12, pp. 4292 - 4294. Bhau Kalchuri,
Mani sayings
“Take it as a blessing,
or take it as a test;
What ever happens,
happens for the best!”
“What one can’t avoid,
might as well be enjoyed.”
“As a rule,
man’s a fool,
When it’s hot,
he wants it cool.
And when it’s cool,
he wants it hot.
He’s always wanting
what is not.”
From the Family Letters
A New Kind Of Baba Meeting?
Jim Migdoll, Australia
S
everal years ago an American Baba
lover wrote something for the online Baba Listserve. The gist of it was
how meetings around the world in His
Name had become stale or too formulaic. The focus of most meetings had narrowed down to a few themes: Watching
film/DVD, listening to talks by those who
had met Baba in the flesh or reading
and discussing His Word. This person
made the point that some of those who
weren’t in Baba’s Physical Presence had
truly dynamic and moving experiences
to share; or through the years had gathered deep insights into the ways the
Beloved works. Unfortunately the opportunity for them to share was rarely
available in the regulated meetings of
the various Centres or active Baba communities. The groups and Centers of
today seem compelled to seek out those
who had been with Baba physically, or
those who were close to them.
Secondly this person made the point
that there was rarely a “Bhakti” element
present in the meetings. (*Bhakti = the
path of Love) Baba’s focus on Love;
loving Him, humanity and His Creation
is central to His Cosmology. So besides
the current themes used in the meeting
formats mentioned above; how can a
Baba group hope to generate a feeling
of His Love when we gather in His Name?
Granted – the moments of Silence we
observe in our meetings now certainly
bring Him close, as does reciting the
Prayers. But both of these “formulaic”
elements only last a few moments. What
if that total focus on Baba Himself were
extended? To 15, 30 or even 45 minutes?
The old trick: “When two or more are
gathered in My Name” – always works!
I think while those who met Baba in
the flesh pass on, and even those of us,
who knew them intimately, also pass
away: There will come a fork in the road.
One fork will lead to a ‘new humanity’
style ‘evangelical’ Baba meeting! (where
the attendees come purely and simply to
re-ignite their love for, and feeling connection to, Him) - and the other path that
will only sanction readings, films, and
talks by those who were close to those…
who lived with those who “met” Him!
Perhaps a cynical take? – but possible?
Baring His Manifestation (as it’s interpreted by some as an earth shattering
event that changes everything) isn’t this
fork in the road a real possibility?
To the point. 20 some years ago in
Sydney, Tricia and I tried an experimental
Baba meeting at our home. Our home
was one of the regular Baba meeting
venues in Sydney at the time. I decided
to have one of these “New” types of
meetings, where the focus was on Baba
directly. A “Meditation” meeting. Here
it is described in the Discourses, (6th Edition Volume II pages 159-160) followed by
how I set the meeting up to implement
this description.
A way is thus prepared for the meditation which attempts to make the
mind blank[8], which is one of the most
difficult things to achieve. The mind is
without any ideas during sleep, but consciousness is then in abeyance. If during
wakefulness the mind has the idea of
becoming blank, it is thinking about that
idea and is far from being blank. But this
difficult trick of making the mind blank
becomes possible by an alternation
between two incompatible forms of
meditation so that the mind is caught
between concentration and distraction.
Thus the aspirant can concentrate
on the Master for five minutes and
then, as the mind is getting settled on
the form of the Master, he can steady
his mind for the next five minutes in
the impersonal meditation in which the
thought is “I am Infinite.” The disparity
between the two forms of meditation
can be emphasised by keeping the eyes
open during meditation on the form of
the Master, and closing the eyes during
impersonal meditation. Such alternation helps towards making the mind
blank, but to be successful, both forms
of meditation have to be seriously pursued. Though after five minutes there is
to be a change-over to another type of
meditation, there should be no thought
of it while the first type is going on.
There is no distraction unless there is
concentration. But when a change-over
is effected, there should be no thought
of the first type of meditation. The dis-
traction has to be as complete as the
previous concentration. When there is a
quick alternation between concentration
and distraction, mental operations are,
as it were, cut through by a saw which
goes backwards and forwards. The disappearance of mental operations of all
types contributes towards making the
mind absolutely still without allowing
consciousness to fall into abeyance.
Several pages before this material
Baba expands on the process of steadying the mind with the thought: ‘I am the
Infinite within’ (page 155/156) By using
the images of sky or ocean or infinite
emptiness within. He says: “It is not
necessary to repeat the formula in so
many words; it is enough to cling to the
thought expressed in the formula.”
So at this Sydney meeting we did
this: For 5 minutes we silently focused
on Baba’s photo (with the direction to
just contemplate Him; His Life/Name/
Message/GodHood… whatever). Then
as soon as the pre-recorded bell sounded
after 5 minutes … close the eyes – forget
Baba! … And focus totally on grasping
and realizing the significance of the Infinity within; using the thoughts mentioned
earlier; (*repeating silently: “I am the
Infinite within”...or “I am as Infinite as
the ocean within,” etc). Bell sounds again
and back to staring at His photo and
meditating on Him. (4 ‘rounds’ totaling
20 minutes) I never asked the others how
they felt about this meeting, but for me
it was unbelievably powerful. My mind
didn’t stop, but it almost did!
Conclusion: OK… you might well say
that a meeting like this, that recurred
regularly, could become ‘formulaic’
and too predictable. Then what about a
Baba meeting focused on bringing Him
and His Love into the moment that was
‘free-style’/open ended - without limits?
How would that be conducted?
Comfortable chairs are provided for
the older or infirm, others bring their
favourite type of meditation pillow or
stool. After we’re all comfortable and the
lights are turned off, maybe (maybe not)
… someone gives an invocation along
the lines of: ‘Beloved Baba we are all here
to feel Your balm of Love in silence, and
continued on p. 94
93
Like Beads on One String…
The Reality is Coming Closer
[Remember, Baba told us He “did not come to teach, but to awaken.” He said He came
to draw all religions together like beads on one string. According to the following article from Newsweek on line, (used by permission) that time is drawing ever nearer.]
A
We Are All Hindus Now
merica is not a Christian nation. We
are, it is true, a nation founded by
Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify
as Christian (still, that’s the lowest percentage in American history). Of course,
we are not a Hindu (or Muslim, or Jewish,
or Wiccan) nation, either. A million-plus
Hindus live in the United States, a fraction
of the billion who live on Earth. But recent
poll data show that conceptually, at least,
we are slowly becoming more like Hindus
and less like traditional Christians in the
ways we think about God, ourselves, each
other, and eternity.
The Rig Veda, the most ancient Hindu
scripture, says this: “Truth is One, but the
sages speak of it by many names.” A Hindu
believes there are many paths to God.
Jesus is one way, the Qur’an is another,
yoga practice is a third. None is better
than any other; all are equal. The most traditional, conservative Christians have not
been taught to think like this. They learn
in Sunday school that only their religion
is true, and others are false. Jesus said, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the father except through me.”
Americans are no longer buying it. According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65
percent of us believe that “many religions
can lead to eternal life”—including 37
percent of white evangelicals, the group
most likely to believe that salvation is
theirs alone. Also, the number of people
who seek spiritual truth outside church is
growing. Thirty percent of Americans call
themselves “spiritual, not religious,” according to a 2009 Newsweek Poll, up from
24 percent in 2005. Stephen Prothero, religion professor at Boston University, has
long framed the American propensity for
“the divine-deli-cafeteria religion” as “very
much in the spirit of Hinduism. You’re not
picking and choosing from different religions, because they’re all the same,” he
says. “It isn’t about orthodoxy. It’s about
whatever works. If going to yoga works,
great—and if going to Catholic mass
works, great. And if going to Catholic mass
94
plus the yoga plus the Buddhist retreat
works, that’s great, too.”
Then there’s the question of what happens when you die. Christians traditionally
believe that bodies and souls are sacred,
that together they comprise the “self,”
and that at the end of time they will be
reunited in the Resurrection. You need
both, in other words, and you need them
forever. Hindus believe no such thing. At
death, the body burns on a pyre, while the
spirit—where identity resides—escapes.
In reincarnation, central to Hinduism,
selves come back to earth again and again
in different bodies. So here is another
way in which Americans are becoming
more Hindu: 24 percent of Americans say
they believe in reincarnation, according
to a 2008 Harris poll. So agnostic are we
about the ultimate fates of our bodies that
we’re burning them—like Hindus—after
death. More than a third of Americans
now choose cremation, according to the
Cremation Association of North America,
up from 6 percent in 1975. “I do think the
more spiritual role of religion tends to
deemphasize some of the more starkly
literal interpretations of the Resurrection,” agrees Diana Eck, professor of
comparative religion at Harvard. So let us
all say “Om.”
[Or perhaps “Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!”]
Karma and Grace
A Story from Real Treasure, Vol 1
iscussions about karma invariably
lead to questions about whether
one can alter one’s karma. Once, in
response to such a discussion, Bal Natu
told the following story.
“Suppose a man goes to the bank
where he has an account and asks the
banker for a sum of Rs. 1500/- because
he wants to go on pilgrimage and needs
the money. The banker asks the man to
wait as he needs to check the man’s account. After checking, the banker says,
‘Sorry, but you can only withdraw Rs.
D
1000/- from your account because that
is all that you have.’
“Karma is like that. You only get what
is due to you, which is decided by your
actions, whether good or bad, which
get recorded in your account as your
sanskaras. You can call it destiny.
“Now if the banker’s son was to approach him with the same request, asking for Rs 1500/- to go on a pilgrimage,
the banker’s response would be different. He would ask his son to take at least
Rs 2000/ and even then, would express
concern that it might not be sufficient
for the journey.
“Baba’s grace is like the banker’s
love for his son. He would not insist
on checking his son’s account. Out of
love for his son, he would want to help.
Baba’s grace is like that. You have your
karma following you from the past, but
His grace supersedes karma. In order to
invite this grace, one has to remember
Him constantly and call out to Him.”
Bal chuckled and added, “We are
like the foolish son who tells his banker
father, ‘Dad, I can’t take Rs. 2000/ from
you, because I have only saved Rs. 1500/
in my account.’ The son could not understand his father’s love and concern.
“In the same way, if we insist on going
through our karma instead of accepting
Baba’s loving grace, Baba says, ‘All right,
if you want what’s due to you by way of
karma, it’s okay. I wanted to give you
more by way of grace, but since you want
karma, it’s okay.’”
This reminds me of how Bal would
often laugh as he quoted the following:
“Agar na abhi, toe phir kabhi hum
mast banege kabhi na kabhi.” “If not
now, then later we will become God
intoxicated some time or another.”
“Worry is a product of feverish imagination working under the stimulus of
desires. There are few things that exhaust energy as much as worry. Remain
cheerful in all your trials and know that
I am with you.”
Avatar Meher Baba
’New meeting’ continued from p. 93
experience Your actual Presence … if it
is Your Wish.’ (* If such an “Invocation”
is made, making sure that it’s kept very,
very short and sweet)
We close our eyes and He ‘comes to
the party’!
After the 15, 20 or 30 minutes or more
we enjoy tea, cakes, laughter and general
sharing in His Love.
United States
Alaska
Juneau—Kathy Hill, 907.209.5070 or
[email protected] (mid-March to
mid-October only).
Meetings
Washington, D.C.
Pamela Butler-Stone, 301-946-0236,
www.meherbabadc.com
Arizona
Washington State
Tucson—Irma Sheppard: 520-321-1566,
[email protected].
Flagstaff—Laurent Weichberger 928774-8305, [email protected].
Seattle—Cynthia Barrientos, 206-7139905, [email protected].
International
California
Los Angeles—323-731-3737
Meherabode.org.
Ojai—Meher Mount: 805-640-0000,
Samantha and Leslie Bridger,
[email protected].
Sacramento—premsay@sbcglobal.
net. www.premsay.com/MeherBaba.
San Francisco Bay Area—Ben Leet:
510-351-8259, [email protected].
Colorado & Southwest
Denver—Barbara Roberts 303-2384649, [email protected]. Contact Barbara for info on Utah, and Wyoming.
Florida
Delray Beach—Mickey and Wendy
Karger 561-638-3114
[email protected]
Naples—Bob Mulligan, 239-261-2840
[email protected]. Thursdays 8pm
Discourse readings, videos & prayers.
Tampa—Jane Paladino, 813-962-8629,
[email protected]
Hawaii
Maui—Meredith Moon,
[email protected]
Molokai­—Shirley Alapa, 808-567- 6074
[email protected]
www.meherdhamhawaii .com
Illinois
Chicago—Fereshteh Azad 630-207-9461
[email protected]
www.ambcc.net
Louisiana
New Orleans—Joe Burke, 504-616-1111
[email protected]
Maine
Orono or Rockland – Daniel and
Carolyn Montague 207-594-4115
[email protected]
Massachusetts
Cambridge—Michael Siegell 617-8643997, [email protected]
Brewster Nancy Geagan 774-207-8023
[email protected]
minnesota
Minneapolis—AMBC of the Twin Cities
Pat and Sandy, 612 920 2056,
[email protected]
Texas
Nacogdoches—Chris and Anne Barker,
936-560-2631, [email protected].
Australia
©Meher Nazar Publications, Ahmednagar.
Mississippi
Jackson—Peter Rippa 601-355-8959,
[email protected]
Montana
Emigrant—Anne Haug 406-333-4582,
[email protected]
Missoula—Andy Shott 406-549-5949.
New Hampshire
Liz Miller 603-749-3668
[email protected].
New Mexico
Santa Fe—Robert Reser and Edle
Andersen, 505-983-6621
[email protected].
Nevada
Las Vegas —Dick and Carol Mannis
702-326-1701, [email protected].
New York City Area
Bronxville, NY—Meher Baba House,
212-971-1050, MeherBabaHouse.org.
New York City—212-971-1050,
[email protected].
North Carolina
Asheville—Winnie Barrett, 828-2747154, [email protected].
Peter and Debbie Nordeen
[email protected].
Greensboro­—Sheldon Herman,
336-459-0711 voicemail
[email protected].
Chapel Hill-Durham-Raleigh—Carol
Verner, 919-933-3550
[email protected].
Oklahoma
N.S.W. Sydney—Meher House
Jenny Keating 2-9938 3737
[email protected];
Michael Le Page 2-9971 2486
[email protected]
Queensland Kiel Mountain—Avatar’s
Abode www.avatarsabode.com.au
Ros Hayes 7-5442-1544, Fax 7-5442-1700
If calling from outside Australia, add
the country code 61
[email protected]
england
London— Neela Gillet (0044) 020 8743
4408, [email protected]
www.meherbaba.co.uk.,
Devon—Anne Eve 01769 580 617
Norwich— Michael Da Costa
[email protected]
Northumberland—Sue Chapman
[email protected]
Sussex—Tanya Moller 01273 473 966
[email protected]
france
Cannes—Debbie Sanchez 04 94 45 81 39
[email protected]
Marseille: Marc Molinari 06 50 54 62 23
[email protected]
Paris: Claude Longet, 01 44 59 30 06
If calling from outside France add the
country code 33 and drop the zero.
Israel
Tel-Aviv—Michal Namo Sivan
03-5346505 [email protected]
Mexico
Mexico City, Cancun, Acapulco—
Rafael Villafane, [email protected]
From US: 011 52 555 295-0512
or 011 52 555 502-7225
Wales
Sheila Bassett 016398303 20
Prague—Avatar Meher Baba
Heartland Center, retreat and
Baba’s accident site. 405-567-4774.
[email protected]
www.ambhc.org.
95
Avatar Meher Baba’s Home in Meherazad, His Bedroom Entry.
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