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3rom the Editor

Jai Baba Folks,

Once again I am apologising for adouble issue! In fact I am being

called before the Meherabode Board ofDirectors to tell them why I have beenunable to get out a single issue on time!Ah me, the life of a slave—overworkedand paid nothing, except the joy of thejob itself. And it does indeed give me

extreme pleasure to put together thismagazine for you all, I just wish I hadmore time to spend on it, so you couldat least get a copy every quarter. Here Iam retired from my payingjob these pastseven years, Kathy has taken over theBookstore, I spend at least eight hoursa day on the computer and still can’t getit all together in a timely fashion. Butenough about me!

Although late-this issue has somewonderful reading in it. Starting withour lead story What Did Baba ReallyMean By [that ubiquitous phrase] Don’tWorry—Be Happy, and then part one ofthe Amazing Life and Death of DannyMaguire. Amazing indeed—we canvery visibly see Baba’s work in action inDanny’s story.

Please do check out Kathy’s Bookstorearticle first, so you can get your holiday

gift orders in early enough for her to getthem back to you in time. Remember youcan always go to the website:www.lovestreetbookstore.com to see theitems in color. If you would like to availyourselfofupdates on the latest arrivals andspecials she has, send an email to Kathysimply saying ‘add me to your database.’She may have your snail mail but not youremail. Her address is:bookstore@meherabode.org

Los Angeles’ loss is Myrtle Beach’s gain:After forty or more years living in LA,nonagenarian Adele Wolkin packed upand left us, but we did give her a rousingsendoff We shall miss her.

Injune I went Down Under to celebratethe 50th anniversary of Baba’s second visitto Australia (I met Him when He firstcame in 1956). Avatar’s Abode has a verydear place in my heart and notjust becausemy mother (Diana Snow) was one of theprivileged builders—along with FrancisBrabazon, the designer and originator—but because it is so very beautiflil and hassuch a ‘Presence’ of Baba there. Fantasticcelebration! Check out the photos in color(website provided in the article.)

Talking of beautiftil places, the LASahavas this year was held in La Casa deMaria, a place built expressly for spiritualretreats in the beautiftil town of SantaBarbara, a two hour drive up the coast fromLA. After 30 or so years in the mountainsat Pilgrim Pines, it was time for a change.La Casa holdsfrwer participants than thePines does—we had to turn down somepeople’s last minute requests to come-sobe sure to plan early to be here next July.Stan Barouh put up a website with hisgorgeous color photos of it.

For our Children’s Page, a nine yearold—whose stated ambition is to be anauthor when she grows up—submittedher latest short story There must be otherchildren out there who would like to sendus their work? Writing or artwork, we’dlove to have it. Remember this is yourmagazine, send us your stories.

Read on and enjoy life livedin His love,

Order Now l3efore Tkej Are. . .

See Bookstore Report on Page 4for Details

Remember the present In thelrame ofthe past and the future.

You eternatty were end always wilt be.

Avatar Meher Baba calendar, $10 “Rurni Heart ofthe Beloved” calendae $13

‘ , 1:ktE ILLUMINATED

RUMI;H,: ‘ A W’‘ ‘ i .,

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“The IllurninatedRurni” calendai; $13 Hafiz ‘Yours is the Heart... ‘ calendar, $13

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4ç/?elcome to Love Street, Love Street £ampRost is dedicated with love to Avatar

Meher Baba. Its primary purpose is to contribute to a senseofcommunity among all His lovers by providing a place forsharing His remembrance.

All members ofihe Babafamily are invited to contribute tothisfèast ofLove. £oveStreetJampBost is mailed (approximately)eachJanuary, April,Juiy, and Octobei

SUBSCRIPTIONS:Sending you the magazine costs us $25 per person per yeardomestic; $35 overseas. Subscription is by donation only, andwe can publish only by the generosity ofyour donations.Please send your checks to:

Love Street LainpJPostc/o Avatar Meher Baba Center1214 South Van Ness AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90019-3520

SUBMISSIONS:We seek expressions of Baba’s message of love and truth. Yourstories, photos, artwork, poetry, letters, articles, and humor are allactively solicited, but in digital format only (email please).DicuLINEs: November 1st, February 1st, May 1st, August 1st forthe issue printed in thefollowing quarter (November 1 deadlinefor First Qiiarter issue).

SEND TO: Dinagibson@mac.com. Ifnecessary to mail a disk (pleaseno hand or typewritten manuscripts), send to Editor, address above.STAFF:

Editor in Chief:Managing Editor:

Contributing Editor:Design and Layout:

Assembly and pre-flight:Printing & Distribution:

Circulation:Cover Photo:

Back Cover Source:

Please notify Pris, our Mailing List Walli, of your address change at theabove address or by email: Stillyetmore.more@verizon.net

For information regarding our Center or the Bookstore please go to:meherabode.org, Iovestreetbookstore.com, or meherbababooks.com

IThe Miraculous Life and Death

of Danny Maguire2008 L.A. Sahavas50th Anniversary of Baba’s Visit

to Avatar’s AbodeOnTaking His Name 81Blessing oftheAnimals 82Memories & Revelations 84Spirituality & Psychotropics 858,400,000: A Numerological Coincidence 86

,OVER STORY:

What Did Baba Really Mean When He Said:

“Don’t Worrj — 73e.2lappy?11

c

EPARTMENTS:

(page 12)

Editor’s Page 2Bookstore Report 4Reviews ..- 9Passings 34What’s Happening at Meherana 35What’s Happening at Meher Mount 38What’s Happening at Meherabad 40Know BeforeYou Go 49What’s Happening at Meherabode 52Children’s Page 74Poetry Page 76HumorforHuma 77Announcements 78What’s Happening at the Heartland Center 80Worldwide Meher Baba Meetings 87,

RED ITS:

ocr &reet £aiitpost is published by the Avatar Meher Baba CenterofSouthern Ca4fornia. We extend our hearftlt appreciation to all

owners ofcopyrights to theMeherBabapictures we have usedto bringjoyand love to the hearts ofall,Cove StreetCanLjil?ost readers. Specialthanks tothe MSI Cllection, Meherabadlndiafor their kindperrnission to use thephotos ofour Beloved that appear in this magazine. All words, images,and,graphics in thispublication areproperty ofihe copyright holders and/orcontributors. Messages andphotos ofMeher Baba ©Avatar Meher BabaPeipetualPublic Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar India, and © LawrenceReiter Estate. Other contents ©Avatar Meher Babe Center ofSouthernCalifornia. Unauthorizedduplication isprohibited by law.

&rcct’JiimpPost

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Avatar Meher BabaDma Snow GibsonM. Concannon

Tom Hart, Cherie Plumlee, Pris HaffendenTom Hart

Ray MadaniPris HaffendenMeelan Studio, Poona, 1957en.wikipedia.org/wikilAlfred_E.Neuman

:E’HANK TOUØABA!

M)elcome to Love Street ‘13ookstorerkathy 21i11

New Film

sew,improved Beyond Words DVD (38

minutes), a longer version of Louisvan Gasteren’s 1967 video ofMeher Baba.It features previously unreleased footageof Baba and includes digitally remasteredfootage ofthe original 1967 exquisite film.A second section, Eruch, documenting thevan Gasterens’ return visit to Meherazadin 1997, and a third section, Beyond Time,have been added. The DVD is in Englishand is accompanied by a 32—page bookletdescribing the film project with 69 colorphotos of Baba from the film. Produced2008. $52.

New Calendars

Love Street Bookstore is having atough year as the economic down-

turn has had quite an effect on people’sshopping habits—well, it’s either that ormy poor management! In any case, I ampleased to announce that we now acceptpayment with PayPal! That means thatanyone who has an email address can payfor their order electronically, to book-store@meherabode.org. PayPal accepts allcredit cards or will draft your bank accountsecurely. Just let me know what you wantto purchase and I will email you back thetotal including shipping. (Sorry, with me,emails are always much faster than phonecalls.) We nearly always ship on the Fridayafter an order is received, but it sure helpswhen people order early in the week. I willneed to know whether you need expeditedshipment (takes about 3 days in the US,expensive) or regular (takes one to twoweeks, cheap).

We received some exciting new merchandise since the last LampPost was pub-lished. I had another shipment from myfriend with the beautifrul Himroo hand-woven scarves and shawls in Ellora, moreabout that below—these items make fabubus gifts, and are going FAST at extremelyinviting prices. I will be offto Indiajan. 21through Feb. 8, to shop at the Amartithibazaar where Baba lovers from all over In-dia show off their wares, and I will visit

Meher Tailor, Meher Darbar, and MeherNazar, to pick up as much in the way ofIndian-made items as I can carry home, tostock the store for the coming year.

Please forgive me, but I am taking abreak for a family vacation and will not beable to work on orders December 20 - 28.If you want gifts for the holiday season,please order as early as you can - beforeDecember 15 at the very latest but sooner

2009 Meher Baba calendars! One ofmy favorite days of the year is the

day the calendars get here from Chris-tina Arasmo. Sweeter than Christmasmorning. Last year I got a little tooexcited and ordered way too many, soI have cut way back, order early! (Andifyou can use old calendars for crafts...let me know.) As usual she has outdoneherself, such a great trove of meaning-ful Baba quotes, important dates fromis much, much better.

I

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New Books

His Advent, and beautifully reproducedphotographs, on very nice paper stock.If you want to order in bulk for yourBaba group, please note we offer bulkpricing. One calendar is $10; 10 at $9,20 at $8. I think it is a requirement tohave one in the office, one in the kitchen, and one in the bedroom, right?

We also offer three colorful Rumiand Hafiz calendars, only $13 each, onrecycled paper. Rumi (1207-1273) isstill this country’s most-read poet, anda major spokesman for open, boundary-crossing spirituality. “A poet is someonewho can pour light into a cup, then raiseit to nourish your beautiful, parched,holy mouth.” The poetry of the 14thcentury Persian, Hafiz, has been referredto, along with Rumi, Shakespeare andDante, as one of the seven great liter-ary wonders ofthe world. For centuriesHafiz has been called “the tongue of theinvisible,” and through these modernversions he continues to sing wild andbeautiful love songs to this world fromGod. Meher Baba often quoted Hafiz,as well as Rumi, and their verses haveas much intense meaning for spiritualseekers today as they did when written.And the art is so eye-catching in theserenditions:

Rumi: Heart of the Beloved features translations by Coleman Barks.Thanks to the magical translations ofBarks, Rumi’s poetry is more popularthan ever. Here they are paired withexquisite Persian miniatures. The richintricacy of the artwork complements

the mystical metaphors, in which theyearning for the divine beloved represents the soul’s quest for wholeness.

Hafiz gives us versions by DanielLadinsky, and photo collage by Saliha Green. Hafiz has come alive againthrough the work of Ladinsky, whosebest-selling books include The Gfl, TheSubject Tonight Is Love, and IHeard GodLaughing (all available in Love Street).

A New Illuminated Rumi highlightsMichael Green’s magical art, alongwith his sensitive renderings of Rumi’spoetry, to make this a classic guide tothe life of the soul.

ery new from Keith Gunn and Pro-fessor A. K. Hazra, Seekers of Love.

218 pages (paperback),just released. ManyBaba lovers are familiar with Hazra’s bookMemoirs ofa Zetetic. Some years ago Gunntracked down professor Hazra and jointlythey produced a sequel, OfMen and Me-herBaba. This is yet another collaboration.A fi1l review from Kendra Crossen Burroughs will be appearing soon on the LoveStreet Bookstore web page, but the book ishot offthe press and a review could not becompleted in time for this issue. However,let me tell you, Hazra and Gunn travelledall over India collecting first-person accounts of incidents that took place whileMeher Baba was in His body. Their focuswas on elderly early Indian Baba lovers, tocapture memories before they were goneforever. From the introduction: “Anothercuriosity of several of these stories is thatthe persons in the stories took various occult realities for granted. This topic doesnot appear often in other literature aboutMeher Baba and His people. In thesestories, the reader will see strange occur-rences, . . . encounter tantrics with powersunknown in the West, hear about a saintwho performed his own death through anact ofwill alone, hear about rains that don’tfall when or where they logically oughtto... .“ Sounds intriguing, and I can’t waitto snuggle up with it for a good read!

Meher Babai New L/è, Bhauji’s latestopus, was reviewed in our last issue. Wehave plenty of copies, and our $60 price

S

includes Priority (fast) shippingin the US. (It weighs about fivepounds!) Every detail of thatamazing period in Baba’s adventwhen he roamed the subconti—nent with a band of stalwarts,“helpless and hopeless” is to befound herein. How appropriate to study this era when somuch ofthe planet appears to beplunging into a deep economicdepression.

Rick Chapman has just released two titles. You may remember How to Choose a Guru,an A to Z guide to spiritualitywith pithy explanations of important concepts. It has now been releasedin an expanded version as Introduction toReality ($15 softcover, $20 hardback). 190pages. There is plenty of humor here: thepage for “Flattery, Beware of” is blank.My favorite entry is under “Theology” Itreads, “When you have come to the real-ization that religion is nothing more thanthe husk around the kernel ofreal spiritualit)?; why in God’s name would you wastetime on the study of religion?” Some en-tries, such as the one for “Ego,” go on forseveral pages, but most are brief pointed,memorable.

Meher Baba The Compassionate One isRick’s other title. This one comes hardcover ($20), soft cover ($15), or as a shorterbooklet ($3). In any form it makes an cx-cellent and accessible introduction to theAvatar’s life, work, and importance; 139or 68 pages. Both versions include (alongwith the theme of creation and a biography) a list of pilgrimage sites, the text ofthe prayers and the Universal Message,brief descriptions of God Speaks and TheDiscourses, and such classic texts as “Howto Love God.” At only $3 the little bookletis a great freebie for the friends who ask“Whose picture is that on all your walls?”

Love Street had the helpftil little bookUnderstanding Death by Pascal Kaplanreprinted, with a regular “perfect” bind-ing instead of a plastic comb (they tend todeteriorate). Dma and I like to keep copieson hand to share with friends enduring thetransition of a loved one. Unfortunately,the price has increased with this new cdi-tion: $10. Well worth it for the sage wisdom it contains, a study of what MeherBaba said about this passage.

Back in print: Bill Stephens’ fascinatrng work, Souls on Fire, has been hard tofind, but is now in a new reprint. $12. He

talks about Meher Baba’s favorite saintsand masters, including Rabia of Basra, St.Mira, Milarepa, Rumi, Hafiz, St. Teresa ofAvila, St. Francis of Assisi, Ramakrishna,George Fox (founder ofthe Quakers), Kabir and Hazrat Babajan.

Not quite out of print: The price hasgone up for Mehera-Mehei a Divine Romance, the three-volume boxed set that isalmost a thousand pages, a biography ofMehera that describes life on the women’sside ofthe compound. It is now $77 and Ionly have a few left and I suspect when it

is reprinted it will be nowhere near as nice!

(There are rumors about a new title fromDavid Fenster soon...)

New Music

A long last, we can offer you The BestofBob andJane on a CD ($15 plus $3

First Class shipping). We are still receiving orders for the long-gone cassette tapesproduced when Bob Brown was still withus! There are no more popular Baba sing-ers and you will put this CD on “repeat”for days. The cuts are All for Love, Takea Run for the Water, I’m Yours, MeherBaba’s Love, Depend on You, Our DarlingBeloved, Joy in Your Reign, Victory UntoThee, Purity Silence Day Song, Still I Linger, Your Time Has Come, Creative View,Merciful One, Gujerati Arti, and Once ITurned My Eyes to the Sk (Dma and Iare begging Jane to get us a recording thatincludes Ishtiake as soon as possible.)

Julie Rust with a crystalline vocal talenthas been busy this year, producing a CD foradults Believe, $12 and another for small fryLovelandLullabies, $12.These are nice evenfor non-Baba lovers and make good gifts....and who said lullabies are just for babies?After a long stressful day, lie down with

headphones on and see whathappens. The cuts on Believe arePaint the Sky Green, Your Eyes,Starting Over Believe, Drown-ing, I Won’t Stop Feeling ThisWay, It’s Simple, My Every-thing, Whatever the MomentBrings, Meher’s Song.

I have just ordered the newCD by Carol Gunn, BeyondTime. I will soon have a reviewfor you, but if you have heardher sing at the Samadhi, youknow you want one. Price TBA,it just arrived on my desk today.The cuts are Open Up, Always,The Moon was Lo’ Leave Ev

cry Care, All I Want, Liberation, King ofBeauty Love’s Refrain, My Romance, AgeAfter Age, My Heart Longs, What a Cup,Over the Rainbo Reflecting His Light,and Beyond Time. More information is at:www.musicsystems.com/carol

We have new three-CD sets of Indianstyle music. The proceeds from the sale ofthese CDs will be used to fund projects ofthe Avatar Meher Baba Universal Spiritualcenter at Byramangala near Bangalore, In-dia. You can get just one (such as Chants orGhazals) for $10 or the set ofthree for $25.“With Baba’s Grace and in His love, wehave produced the Silent Melodies series of3 audio CDs Silent Melodies — Ghazals (45

minutes); Sacred Chants (60 minutes), andSilent Melodies — Meher Mouna Geetanjali

(60 minutes in Telugu). The lyrics of theghazals were written byAvatar Meher Babaunder the name Huma during His intensespiritual training under Sadguru UpasaniMaharaj. Baba echoed in His spiritually-charged words the outpourings of agonyofevery aspirant’s longing for oneness withGod. The music for these ghazals is composed by Ramesh Chadaga, a popular clas—sical singer and composer from Bangalore.The music captures the human longing ofa devotee intoxicated in the love of God.The compilation of Meher Baba chantscaptures different moods, at times energetic, at times soothing, and at times theyconjure up images of the playfulness thatBaba demonstrated on numerous occasions. This is not a profit making venture.This center was initiated by Baba with Hisown hands in the year 1939. However thedevelopment of this center is incompleteand stalled for the want of funds. Withthe purchase of these CDs Baba loverscan, in addition to relishing this divinelymelodious music, realize the satisfaction of

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contributing towards Baba’s cause in Byramangala.”

Surrenderance: Blues & Gospel Songs &Ghazals ($14). Raine Eastman-Gannettwrote us, “Surrenderance is done! The mu-sic is blues and gospel. One might wonderwhat on earth an Australian singer and mu-sician might know of such music, especiallyone who studies and teaches classical voice,guitar, raga and harmonium, plus Hindibhajans, Sanskrit mantra and Westernvoice? Well I spent eight years in the Oak-land Interfaith Gospel Choir, and many ofthe spirituals on this CD I sang with Me-her Baba ideas running through my musicalheart and mind even while on stage touring.It was through this group I finally got tosing in the Sydney Opera House. Thus onthe CD are eight gospel songs; then thereare eight blues songs. These are mostlyFrancis Brabazon lyrics set to traditional-style bluesy tunes. One cannot say Franciswrote them and yet one cannot say some-one else did either as most are variations ona traditional blues idea. The Brabazon lyrics, as always, are amazing. There are othersby me, and it closes with Blues Ghazal, theoriginal inspiration for this Baba CD. Thelast line quotes Rumi, ‘They say that thereis no death worse than expectancy,’ and thisis also the mantra that dominated my workon this intense musical project, for all theseyears: try to keep detached, keep Baba withyou at all times, and just keep going.”

“One of my compositions is Rock youMerwan (Dhondi’s Song). It is about Ba-ba’s ayah (nanny) and is in the qawali tradition of Islam, like songs to Halima whowas Mohammed’s nanny and wet nurse.Once when Mani—at Baba’s request—wasnaming all the people to remember fromtheir lives over the years, Mani forgot towrite down Dhondi. Baba clapped for at-tention and said ‘We forgot Dhondi.’ Manywonderftil musiciansjoined me: Sam Saunders on guitars, Billy Goodrum on Ham-mond organ and piano, Michael DeVrieson drums, and the great harmonica playerKevin Connor.”

Also new from Raine: Grin and GuipGhazals (fl4). Upon hearing this CD pop-ular Baba troubadour Jim Meyer wrote toher, “A few sanskaras concerning your remarkable, poetic CD: How happy and impressed Francis would be (is) upon listeningto these 27 gems - they are clearly born froma synthesis of his genius and yours and, if Imay be so bold, are equal in quality Hereis the real rap music! It requires a certainamount of courage and foolishness to put

out music/poetry that probablywill not be recognized until afterthe Manifestation. Keep beingfoolish! Much love and admiration,Jim.

If you just want a sampler ofRaine’s greatest hits, ask for Gems($14).

Jamie Newell and MarkTrichkahad great acclaim at ourJuly Sahavas and I am nowwell-stocked ontheir CDs. Mark’s new MandolinWalla ($12) was written up in theprevious LampPost. I never seemto get tired of it and anyone whohas heard it, buys it.Jamie’s warm,sonorous voice will be familiar tomany and if it is not, it shouldbe. We stock Songs ofHafiz, TheWindow to Goc4 and BluesAre MyBusiness, $15 each.

Missing from our website is allthe excellent music (and poetry)from Michael Da Costa. Wow!He did a concert here recently—lucky us—and every time he performs live he blowsme away with his humor and his heart-feltwisdom. We have all his CDs at $12 eachand carry his books too. Info is atwww.michaeldacosta.com

Holiday Gift Suggestions

ewTextiles from Ellora! The family

of Baba lovers near Aurangabad whoproduce fine “Himroo” weavings have sentme more shawls and scarves in lovely colorsand patterns in time for your holiday gift-giving, at unbelievably Baba-family friendlyprices. I have only a few and each is unique,so order early and state a second and thirdchoice! (I will be ordering more, they aregoing fast!) And remember you don’t haveto wear them, many are suitable for dress-ing up tables or windows, throwing over theback of a chair or sofa, or just using as wallhangings. Ifyou watchTV keep a wool onehandy for those cold nights. Here are thedetails, while they last:

Cotton—Silk scarves, 21” x 75”, $10: Finewithout being ffimsy, these are lightweight,satiny-shiny, suitable for men or women,dressy, with subtly intricate patterns, shortfringe and a right side/wrong side weave.Colors: Turquoise/black, purple/burnt or-ange, black/black, royaL/crimson, light blue/charcoal.

Silk/Wool shawls, 28” x 82”, $20; Soft,light, thick enough to use for a wrap on achilly day, dressy, with luminous patterns on

a plaln background that matches deep borders and knotted fringe: Bronze on black,soft red on black, silver on bronze, deep redon bronze, aqua on bronze.

Fringed Light Wool shawls, 30” x 82”,$30. A comfortable year-round weight forwearing, or for using around the house (youwon’t want them to languish in a closet,they have eye-catching patterns in floraland paisley motifs that are just stunning).Magentalpurple/red/beige; maroonlaqualpurple; bold maroon and creamy orangeon black, burnt orange/ maroonlblack; turquoise/periwinkle/maroon.

Silk/Cotton scarves, 21” x 74”, $13. Al-most transparently lightweight, gauzymatte texture, cottony feel, in brilliantcheckerboard stripes of jewel tones,the perfect hot-weather accessory for asplash of dramatic Indian color. Purple/turquoise, orange/turquoise, turquoise/purple, gold/purple, beige/maroon/ burntorange.

Wool/Cotton wrap, 28” x 70”, $16.Finely woven, light but warm, similar toa Pashmina in texture, this is what youwant to take everywhere you travel, asan all-purpose wrap that goes with cv-erything and takes up no room in yourbag. Solid colors: slate blue, pale pink,deep greenish bronze, rich maroon, win-ter white.

Popular, Too Popular! I have to keepreordering Jim Meyer’s music. We stockThe Time Has Now Come, Relentless Love,Ways to Attain the Supreme Reality, and

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Love Chains, all $15, and the double CDset Om Namo, 2O. Load up your iPodand prepare to be entranced.

Radiant Heart fine jewelry. I wouldnever leave the house without my silver colophon pendant (8O) and RandelWilliams makes them in gold too, butthe price of precious metals has gone up.Special order, but I do try to stock oneof each metal, call for the latest pricing.We have a few “portrait” pendants, solidgold, a small oval reliefofBaba’s face anda flat gold disc (well, it’s rectangular) withBaba’s face etched on it in black. Call meon a Wednesday afternoon and I will giveyou exact measurements and the bestprice there is. They are small enough towork as a watch fob or charm ifyou don’twant to wear a pendant.

Silver Chains. We have plenty of silverchains, purchased in India. They are 20 to24 inches long, mostly medium weight,some heavy a few fine. 24. The plus:Free clear lucite oval double-sided Babapendant ifyou buy a chain and ask.

Crystal pendants. I am headed backto India for Amartithi and I promise tolook for more of these popular pendantswith Baba’s image on a photograph em-bedded in a thick crystal disk. They sellfor around $30 or so. Last year I boughtall there were and it still wasn’t enoughto meet the demand, so start sendingme emails now if you want to be on thewaiting list. Anybody want to go to Indiawith me and help me schiep home all themerchandise?

Other pendants. These look like silverdollars, and are indeed solid silver, butthey feature the profile we love the best.l3O. That too pricey? For only 2 I havesome aluminum pendants with the sameprofile, same size.

Stocking stuffers: One-inch clear lucite oval double-sided Baba photo pen-dant, $1. Incense from India, $3. Ittybitty incense burners with Baba’s picflare, $2. Bumper stickers or license plateframes that say Don’t Worry Be Happy,2 each. Baba buttons, dozens of them,and Mehera and Mani and Upasni...look at the web page, $1. Note cards,check out the web page, most are only$2 or $3!

Mugs: $8 for tall, teal, MischievousChicken, 18 oz.; $6 for Be Cheerful, 12oz; $8 for Mastery in Servitude cob-phons on one side and Avatar MeherBaba kiJai on the other, 12 oz. Our mostpopular one is beige with a burgundy rim

and with His signature also in burgundy,$10 for 14 oz.

Multicolor flags in several sizes, andflag tote bags, check the website.

MS Irani signature tee shirts, $11,many colors and sizes from S to XXL.

Castings by Jurgis Sapkus make greatgifts because people are reluctant to spendthat kind ofmoney on themselves. But it’snot that much money! And these make agreat centerpiece for a home shrine or altar, or just a nice item to keep on a Bababookshelf. One hand, $55. Pair ofbronzedfeet, $110. Pair ofwhite footprints, $60.A little bust, maybe four inches tall, inwhite, bronze finish, or whitened bronze,tell me which, $35, what a steal.

Art books: An art book makes a welcome gift. We have Pete Caswell’s photos of 2008 Amartithi, or beautiful shotsaround Meherabad and Meherazad, yourchoice, soft cover, nice paper, $25. Hispictures also appear in his wife PatriciaCaswell’s Bach Flowers book, worth theprice for the transporting images of theflora around the tomb, a must for anyonewho is into both Baba and Bach flowers:Light Spirit Essences includes a workbookof prescribing advice, $25, great for anyholistic practitioner really.

Appointment by Roger Essley is a briefbut masterftii retelling of the classic “Appointment in Samarra” tale. The full pagepaintings are phenomenal (Roger’s workhangs in the Metropolitan Museum), andMeher Baba’s face is used for the Master in the story, but no mention of YouKnow Who in the text. Give it to yourun-clued-in relatives for eye openingreading. $15.

Because ofLove is the artistic autobiography of Rano Gayley, who painted under Baba’s explicit directions. Profuselyillustrated, large format, good stock, hardcover, originally released at $45, specialholiday sale: $20. I suspect when theselast few copies are gone there will be nomore.

Universal Prayer and Song ofThe NewLfr by Will David are colorful, fat,small-format books that offer a full-cob-or, cheerful, light-hearted illustration forevery page, which contains only a wordor a phrase of text. If you are strugglingto memorize the Master’s Prayer, or thefamous New Life Song, do it with theseimages to fill your heart and eye. $20each.

Meditations in Color by Sharon Muir:perhaps my favorite. Excellent printing

on art stock, hardback large format artbook of frameable watercolor drawingsofthe places we love best: Seclusion Hill,Mehera’s Garden, etc. Awash with thebrilliant colors oflndia. $25.

If not an art book, how about a photo,framed or not, or an art print, or a poster?We have a wide selection in every pricerange, on the web page. Can’t have toomany!

More for your iPod: Here is my nomination for sadly under-listened-to music:Whisper I Love You, by Mischa Rutenberg, who has been most prolific thisyear. He has taken the work of Hafiz andset it to popular Western song styles. Healso took most of the contents of DannyLadinsky’s I Heard God Laughing, set theHafiz lyrics to music, and sang them onthree other CDs: Dance Dervish Dance;Come to My House; and The Great Secret.Try it, you’ll like it; if Hafiz is to yourtaste on the page, you will love having hiswords in your ears! And Mischa’s voiceis large, round, warm, and inviting. TheseCDs are only $10 each.

For Spoken Word: I have plenty, in-cluding the Discourses, intelligently read($15 for 2 discs ofMP-3 files, or $20 fora set of CDs if some are still available)and I can also recommend the meditativeMeher Baba on Love, War and the HumanExperience, which are artfully read discourses with dreamy background music.$10. Not for when you are driving!

Lost suppliers! There is still demandfor Tuck and Patti’s music but I wrote tothem via their web page and never heardback. Help! Somebody must know howto find them. Anybody got a music in-dustry directory?

Please get your holiday orders in assoon as possible! I want to make absolutely sure you get them in time for giving! I try to man the MOO (Mail OrderOffice) Wednesday and Thursday after-noons.

You can call me at 323-730-5281 butplease leave a message if you get voicemail. Email is always faster: bookstore@meherabode.org. Remember, holiday or-ders have to be received EARLY!

And do remember to check out ourwebsite for hundreds more ideas:www.lovestreetbookstore.com

Happy shopping!

W;ot offthe Press!See latest bookstore arrivals on page 45

8

JieviewsCelebrating

Divine C1resence:Spiritual 3oumejs

by Laurent Weichberger, YaakovWeintraub, Karl Moeller, et al,

with a Foreword by Don E. Stevens

I “ February 2002, in response tothe tragic events of September 11,

2001, Laurent Weichberger producedand presented a full-day symposium atNorthern Arizona University entitledEastern Heritage Symposium: Beads on OneString. At that event,presenters from the ma-jor world faiths sharedthe essence of their faith,and their walk on thatspiritual path.

Laurent started off theday with Ancient Mysticism, then the guestspresented, and then heconcluded with ModernMysticism,with emphasison Avatar Meher Baba.This group of “Beads” asthey came to be known,were asked by many to continue thatmuch-needed sharing, where all faithsstand side by side honoring one anotherin peace and harmony.

Now they have done just that. Each

of the original presenters has writ-ten a chapter in Celebrating Divinity:SpiritualJourneys. Since 2002, two ad-ditional contributors have joined thesespiritual companions; Kelly McCabeand Yaakov Weintraub also offer theirpriceless spiritual vision. The chaptersinclude: Laurent Weichberger, AncientMysticism; Karl Moeller, Sufi; Yaakov Weintraub, Judaism; Thomas M.Knoles, Vedanta; Kelly William Mc-Cabe, Hindu; Ameeta Vora, Jam; Lopon Tsultim Wangmo, Buddhist; MaryEsther Stewart, Christian; Mary EstherStewart, IfSt. Francis Were Here; Haring Singh Khalsa, 511th Dharma; Laurent Weichberger, Modern Mysticism;and Laurent Weichberger, Listening.

In addition, the book contains a special section entitled “Sacred Places” which givesan overview and somedetails about some of themany places Meher Babavisited in each of thesefaith traditions. The an-thology is introduced byJane Chin, Ph.D. andthere is a Foreword by“Baba’s Man” Don E.Stevens. This publication,seven years in creation,is a must read for anyone

,

who is eager to learn moreabout the sacred beads.Beloved Baba said “I intend

bringing together all religions and cultslike beads on one string and revitalizethem for individual and collective needs”

(Lord Meher, Vol. 5, p. 1554). We expect a shipment in December, $20.

J4landolin Wallaby Mark Trichka

Reviewed by Karl Moeller

M ark Trichka’s new CD forthe Meher Baba community,

Mandolin Walla, is sophisticated acoustic vocal and instrumental folk music.The album begins with a leisurely andnostalgic Italian-flavored instrumental,‘Mandofino.’ It’s clear we’re in the handsof a relaxed and confident pro and hismusician friends in this clean and intimate recording.

To my ear, there are two standoutson this CD. Meher Baba composed asinuous and infinitely-adaptable melodyfor the ‘Gujerati Arti’, and Mark givesus a uniquely focused instrumental ad-aptation featuring mandolin and tabla.‘Everywhere Everything’ has a near-rockmood, with tabla standing in for a rockdrum kit. Jamie Newell joins Mark sing-ing this instant classic.

While the instrumentals on this CDare all excellent, the vocal tracks are in-stantly memorable. I found myselfwalk-ing around humming ‘Let Love Start’and ‘Beloved God’ recently, which is thereal test of music’s quality and accessibility. The lyrics to ‘Beloved God’ areBaba’s own prayer. ‘Help Us To FindYou’ lyrics were from a 1953 messageby Baba and rearranged into a prayer byChristi Pearson.

While Mark’s mandolin playing isprominent throughout, the instrumentation includes acoustic bass, percussion, guitars, backwoods fiddle, and theoccasional harmonica and accordion. Attimes there are echoes of Django Rein-hardt at Le Hot Club; ‘Hold On’ usesForties-style close harmonies and jazzchordings. ‘One Step Closer’ is a relaxedCajun-fiavored Baba song, completewith a few bars of rock’n’roll mandolin,followed by fiddle and accordion instrumental sections. Lisa Brande and otherscontribute fine vocal harmonies to allvocal tracks.

Mixed and mastered deep in Louisiana, Mandolin Walla features wonder-ful mando-folk songwriting and expertperformances. Memorable music froma master mandolinist. A great time andhighly recommended.

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l3elieveA new CD byjulie Rust, Reviewed by Karl Moeller, Arizona

I the songs on this album were paintings, they would be pastels or watercolors ofvarious views of a limpid pool in twilight. The main colors are Julie Rust’s flawless

voice, and her well-crafted piano playing. A few tracks have her singing harmonies withherself, and a few have very welcome guitar or string backgrounds.

Julie’s lyrics remind me in a way of George Harrison’s in that the songs may be heardas love songs to a lover, or as love songs to God. Other than a final piano solo named“Meher’s Song”, there is no overt mention ofBaba’s name.

The test ofan album, to me, is whether it invites and stands up to repeated listening. Bythe second time through I was humming or singing along (in my mind); these songs gainfamiliarity through their simplicity. Longing for Baba comes through in every piece.

This music, while not exactly meditative, is all of a piece, slow to medium tempo,perhaps ‘contemplative’ best describes it. It’s perfect tea on a rainy afternoon music.Understated and extremely well done. Reviews continuedonpg. 11

U

LA Conversation with 13hau 2<alcIiuri4rJ1bout the Rew Life J3ook

Payam Russ, Los cJlngeles

JjuringBhauji’s visit to Los Angeles in

the summer of 2008, I had a won-derftil opportunity to speak with Bhauabout various topics at my parents’ home,where he was staying for a few days. It sohappened that on July 8, when I was visit-ing with him, I offered to read Bhau somearticles from the recent (first and secondquarter 2008) Love Street Lamp Post. AsI ffipped through the pages, I came acrossthe book review section, and the first review happened to be on Bhau’s recentbook, Meher Baba’s New Life. NeitherBhau nor I had read it until that moment.As I was reading it aloud, I felt I had thegreat opportunity to address some of thequestions and issues raised in the reviewright then. Bhauji agreed to answer myquestions. When he was explaining, I feltI should be writing the information downso I could share it with others who mightbe interested. It wasn’t until the spontaneous interview finished that I thought tocall Dma and see ifit would be OK to havethis printed in the next Love Street LampPost issue. She agreed, and so here it is! Ofnote, I sent this to Bhau to review for anycorrections before I sent it to Dma.

Payam: Bhauji, in the review [by KendraCrossen Burroughs] it says that “no clearexplanation is given ofwhat this account isbased on, other than the vague notion thatdiaries and reminiscences were used.” Canyou explain this?

Bhauji: When I was taken in theTrust—to do Trust work—Erico [Nadel]came to me. He was interested in Hindi,so he used to come practically every day.

Payam: When was this?Bhauji: This was in the year 1974—1975.

He said to me, it would be nice ifyou writeabout the New Life separately, because it

is very useful for this age. So, at that time,every day, I would go to Meherazad inthe evening after office work and I wouldwrite about the New Life. But sometimesI would ask Eruch, Pendu, Mani, and onceI asked Mehera; she was not talking withus [men mandali] but through Mani. Andshe would tell something about the NewLife—about the time she was in it. So Icould secure a little information from this,

I0

and because I had already written LordMeher, this helped me to write separatelyabout the New Life. My main concern wasthat information should be collected fromthose who were in the New Life. So I didnot ask anyone about the New Life [otherthan the mandali noted above]. I also tooknotes from Dr. Abdul Ghani, who was inthe New Life.

Payam: Can you explain that?Bhauji: I took notes from his printed

booklets. And then [I took notes from]Dr. Nilu. He also wrote some ofthe thingsthat were printed. And the whole thing, it

was easy for me to write because I had thematerial. And generally Baba would saysomething about the New Life from timeto time that I remembered. The New Lifecirculars were also used. Manek Mehta,Baba asked him to come to New Life. Buthe wanted to take care of the Center.

Payam: Who was this Manek Mehta?Bhauji: He was the one who called

himself a “guru.” Manek Mehta is the onewho would act as a guru. He would cometo Baba from time to time, and he wouldbring his disciples with him. He wouldpraise everyone whom he introducedto Baba, and his order was that nobodyshould go to Baba at any time on theirown. Only at the time when he wouldbring them should they go to Baba.

In the New Life, Baba called ManekMehta. Baba said to him, “Look here, Iam leaving for New Life and I don’t knowwhere I will go, just walking and walk-ing and begging, and it is a very important phase of my New Life. Because youare important, I don’t want to leave you.Though for others there are conditions,for you I don’t impose any conditions. Idon’t want to miss you.”

Manek Mehta said, “Baba, I also wantto join the New Life, but now because ofyour grace and also money, I have con-structed the Center in Bombay. And nowif I leave, then of course the Center willbe there, but no one will be there to guidethe people.”

So Baba said, “Don’t worr I will lookafter the Center.” And Manek Mehta said,“Baba, ifl leave it, then a mess will be cre

ated. I must guide them properly”Baba said, “How much time will you

take?” And he said, “Six months I will require.”

So Baba said, “All right, given. I havenot given this to anyone of the mandali.They have to sign conditions that they willobey, that they would not write anythingto anyone in the world. They will be leaving the world and will never have any con-tact with the world or any relatives whoare very close to them. But I will make youfree from this for six months. Then after-wards, this freedom will also not be therefor you.”

Manek Mehta said, “These conditionsI will accept, provided you just make mefree for six months.”

So Baba says, “You are free, but wherever I am at the end of six months, I will in-form you through telegram that I am here,and youjust come there andjoin Me.”

ManekMehta accepted. Baba had giventhe money for that Center which was builtin Bombay. Then Baba left, and when Hewas in Benares, six months were completed. Baba sent a telegram from Benares, andManek Mehta did not reply. Then Babawent to Majri Mafi near Dehra Dun. Hesent another telegram, but Manek Mehtadid not reply. Then Baba stopped.

After Baba returned to Meherazadfrom the New Life, there was a man fromManek Mehta’s group who had come toAhmednagar for some work. He cameto know that Baba had returned. So hethought, “This is Manek Mehta’s or-der, and as I have come from Bombay toAhmednagar, I must go and see Baba.”

He asked Adi K. Irani if he could seeHim, and Adi replied, “Don’t go to Meherazad because Baba does not meet anyonenow.” But he went to Meherazad anyway.Baba told him, “Sit down.” And then theman from Manek Mehta’s group sawthat the atmosphere there with Baba wasvery free! He only knew whatever ManekMehta had told them.

In his group, Manek would tell them,“Sit like this. Don’t spread your legs, thatis disrespectffil.” But here, many were sit-ting and spreading their legs, for example

Gustadji and Kaikobad, who were veryold. They would sit with their legs spreador stretched out, and Baba would not say,“Sit like this, or sit like that.” And also, allthe mandali would talk very freely withBaba. Then the man thought, “This isManek Mehta’s own thing that he says,‘Sit like this and sit like that . . . don’t beso free. . ..“

He went back to Bombay and gradually told everyone about the atmosphere atMeherazad with Baba. Then they wouldalso come and they would see for them-selves. Gradually, they came to see MeherBaba on their own, and they left ManekMehta. Eventually, all of them left thegroup, and what did Manek Mehta haveat the Center? An empty hail without asoul.

After completing the New Life, Babawent to America in 1952 and came backto Meherazad. During the first visit Babapaid to Bombay, Manek Mehta came tothis darshan program. In his hand therewas a garland. He came in a queue, andwhen he reached Baba, he leaned over togarland Baba. As he was doing so, he saidin Baba’s ear, softly, “Baba, forgive me.”And just see, Baba said, “Forgiven.”

Because of his wrongdoing, Baba wasinsisting that he should come and jointhe New Life. Only for Manek Mehtadid Baba make this exceptional case. AndManek Mehta didn’t come. He becamea guru, enjoying his life. So Baba hadsaid when he drops His body, all thesefalse selves and masters will come up likemushrooms. And He had to deal withthem when He’s not in the body

Payam: In the revie Kendra speaks ofthe “team ofpeople who worked so hard toproduce this impressive volume” and says,“I say ‘team of people’ because, not onlydo we see from the acknowledgments thatmany contributed their skills (and financial support), but also it seems rather obvious that Bhau didn’t literally write most ofthis book (unless much ofit is drawn fromhis previous publications . . .).“

Bhauji: It [the information] was notcollected from anyone except the mandaliwho were in the New Life.

Payam: Were you the only one whowrote this book?

Bhauji: Yes. I personallywrote all of thisbook. JeffWolverton wrote the foreword.

At this point we had to conclude ourconversation, but I am glad I had thischance to record Bhauji’s stories, and Ithank him for answering my questions.

Kendra Crossen Burroughs comments:

For those who didth read my revie Iwant to point out that I praised the bookand recommended it; it was not a negativereview. However, I am disappointed whenan important history ofMeher Baba’s Ad-vent lacks documentation (meaning specific citations) for the material. As for say-ing that Bhau obviously didn’t write mostof the book, I should not have phrased itthat way, because I don’t personally knowall the details of how the book was prepared, so I apologize for that

Reviews continuedfrompg. 9

i3aba 73ollo &ars Agctinon2’Jew CD Belease

i?eview by jim clfrkyer

JeborahAsh and Michael Cam-

pagna’s unique musical love offer-ing originally recorded and released oncassette over 20 years ago is now availableon CD, along with two additional bonussongs. The improved sound quality onlyemphasizes and enhances all the musical gifts that Deborah and Michael arejustifiably well-known for: extraordinaryvocals, skillful and tasty guitar licks, pro-

fessional production, solid songwriting,and, quite frankly, a level of divine funkiness that nobody else has delivered in theBaba musical world.

Baba Bollo (literally meaning “to say orsing Baba”) begins with the “HollywoodArti” which sets the tone for all the treasures that follow. Right from the get go,

Ash and Campagna offer their love forMeher Baba on a firm musical foundation forged from American Black Gospel rhythms with a special tangy saucereduced from New York herbs and LosAngeles spices. The results are uniqueand exhilarating. I love the “HollywoodArti” because it is so heartfelt and hip androckin’, and Deborah Ash is smokin’!

All these songs are tremendous, but ifyou need only one to convince you to buyBaba Ba/b, listen to their rendition ofJeffMylett’s “House of the Lord”. I daresaythat, in the hands ofAsh and Campagna,this song is elevated to the rarified realmsof true art—devastatingly beautiflil.

Which brings us to the centerpiece ofthe CD—Baba Bob. Way back in 1981,Deborah and Michael were in Meherazad, and after Deborah sang the American Gospel song, “Drown in Your Love”,Baba’s sister Mani was moved to teachthem the traditional qawali song, “BabaBob”, playing the tune on her sitar rightthere in Mehera’s Garden. Mani felt thatqawali music and American Black Gospelmusic were linked and when you listen tothis twelve and a half minute renditionby Ash and Campagna you’ll definitelysee why. Ably assisted byJohn Busher ontablas, Jeremy Wall on keyboards and achoir of in tune LA Baba Lovers, BabaBob is a moving tribute to the Lord ofLove and a clear reason why this song isused to awaken His lovers in Hamirpuron Baba’s birthday.

I was particularly impressed by theslide acoustic guitar work of MichaelCampagna, creating an unusual synthesisof East and West. That boy can play! TheCD ends with two bonus songs, “Could Itbe Someone” and “Show Me The Wa5?’,and they further enhance the rocking devotion of Baba Bob and Deborah Ash’sgifts as a songwriter. And if that weren’tenough, the new cover art by Deborah isone more earthy artistic stroke that corn-pletes Ash and Campagna’s masterpiece.There is a lusty honesty about Baba Bobthat is very appealing to me—it speaks tomy ears as a musician and my heart as aBaba lover. So enjoy this terrific love of-fering.

$ 15 plus first class shipping anywhere inthe US is only $3 for any CD or DVD.

II

What Did Baba Really Mean When He Said:

“Don’t Worry BeCompiled by M. Concannon, Missouri

One of Meher Baba’s most oftenrepeated messages was “Do your

best, then don’t worry, be happy in Mylove and I will help you.” The messageis comforting, but it can also present achallenge. It is not always easy to stopworrying, or to be happy in the midst ofdifficult circumstances. Yet Baba promisedto help each person internally, and theprocess ofreceiving His help is facilitatedsimply by remembering Him.

Eliminating theRationalizationsfor Worry

Before one can jettison worry, it maybe necessary to eliminate a few rational-izations. Worry is sometimes considerednecessary, even virtuous. Worrying aboutpeople, for example, is often taken as asign of care for them. Worry about workis supposedly indicative of dedication toit. Yet Baba traced the roots of worry toseffishness.1

Meher Baba said, “Worry has neverdone anyone any good, and it is very muchworse than mere dissipation of energy, forit substantially curtails thejoy and fullnessof life. Among the many things whichthe aspirant needs to cultivate, there arefew that are as important as cheerfulness,enthusiasm and equipoise. All these arerendered impossible unless the aspirantsucceeds in eliminating worry from hislife.”2 Baba drew an important distinctionwhen He said “Man must think, but hemust not worry.”3

In the following excerpts from ManSearchfor Certainty, Don Stevens tacklessome rationalizations for engaging in worry.He expands upon what Baba explained inthe Discourses: that worry drains energy thatcould otherwise be put to creative use inseffless service. Stevens also notes that thevery benefits a person hopes to derive fromworry—inspiration and insight—cannotflow to such an encumbered mind.

“Removal of the apparent causes ofworry by no means brings even short-

lived peace. For many this results only inautomatic transference ofworry to the nextavailable situation.”4

“Just to attack the problem of worryand make some progress in controlling it isalready a great achievement. It is difficultto do, however, partly as we have said be-cause we feel instinctively that we are notdoing our duty unless we are worrying. Ifone begins to get somewhere with worry,it comes as a distinct surprise to find thatall unknowingly, some progress has alsobeen occurring in no backbiting, thinkingmore of the good of others and the rest.As soon as a little free psychic energy hadbeen released from excessive worry (andother unnecessaries) it began to flow allunseen into activating some ofthese divineattributes.”5

“Worry is mistakenly seen as the prod,the flagellation to action.When questioneddeeply about this the individual inevitablyreplies with the question: But if I didn’tworry, how would I get things done prop-erly? In the depths ofhis conscience he seesworry as the stern Spartan component ofhis nature that applies the whip to keep theinherently lazy, rebellious selfin line.”

“The situation parallels the creativeartist who believes his best works havebeen born from the pains of life. Whenpresented with the possibility of avoidingneedless suffering he rises in alarm, for hebelieves in his heart that this will removethe secret resource of quality in his work.The idea that the human being does thedecent things in life only under the lashofinner agony is profoundly rooted in ourpsyche... Therefore one comes to an attitudeof associating ultimate values with innerpain, and one tries to aid the process byconstant worry over detail.”

“Inspiration, high creativity and clearinsight are all products of consciousnessin direct touch with the deeper layers ofthe inner man. Once the dustings of habitcompulsion are removed from an importantfacet oflife, direct inner contactwith realityis made and maintained. It is notlost. Nor is

continuing pain the prerequisite for furtherinsight and creativity”6

Meher Baba on Worry

The following quotes were taken fromMeher Baba’s Discourses and other writ-ings, and from records of meetings withdevotees.

WorryAbout the Past

There are very few things in the mindthat eat up as much energy as worry. It isone of the most difficult things—not toworry about anything. Worry is experiencedwhen things go wrong, but in relation topast happenings it is idle merely to wishthat they might have been otherwise. Thefrozen past is what it is, and no amount ofworrying is going to make it other thanwhat it has been. But the limited ego-mindidentifies itselfwith its past, gets entangledwith it and keeps alive the pangs of frustrated desires. Thus worry continues togrow into the mental life of man until theego-mind is burdened by the past.7

Worry accumulates and grows instrength, becomes a habit long after theoriginal cause has ceased to be. When youwere young, this and that happened, youcried, you felt sad, and worry began, andafter 50 years you still worry, although thetime when worry began in you has gone.If another 50 years passes you could at theend of that time be still worrying aboutsomething that was happening now. It iscrazy.8

Worryilbout the Future

Worry is also experienced in relation tothe future when this future is expected tobe disagreeable in some way. In this case it

seeks to justify itself as a necessary part ofthe attempt to prepare for coping with theanticipated situations. But, things can neverbe helped merely by worrying. Besides,many of the things which are anticipated

12

never turn up, or ifthey do occur, they turnout to be much more acceptable than theywere expected to be.9

Worry overTransient Things

There can be no real fiJfillment throughtransient things. The satisfaction derivedfrom the fleeting things of life is notlasting, and the wants of man remainunfulfilled. There is thus a general senseofdissatisfaction accompanied by all kindsofworries.’0

The Root ofWorry

Seffishness, which is the common basisof these three ingredient vices [lust, greedand anger], is the ultimate cause of disappointment and worries.”

Worries AboutImagined Things

Now the griefs and sorrowsof this world are imaginary andself-created, for there is no causefor them that would justify theresult. The result in order to besubstantial and believable musthave some cause for it. Ifthe causebe absent, then it naturally followsthat the effect or result is unsubstantial or imaginary Then whyworryyourselfabout the sorrows,griefs or pleasures of this worldwhich have no cause behind themother than mere imagination?Be a passive spectator of whatis passing around you, and keepthe mind free and happy. Haflzenjoins the same when he says:‘0 Hafiz! both the sorrows andhappiness ofthe world are to passaway; hence it is better that I should remainhappy throughout!”2

Be a Detached Witness

Knowledge of the soul may also beapproached through a form of meditationin which the aspirant tries to realizehimself as merely a witness of all physicaland mental happenings. After a personwakes from a dream, he realizes that hewas not a real agent of the actions in thedream but that he was merely a witness ofthem. If the aspirant persistently practicesconsidering himselfa witness ofall physical

and mental happenings that he experiencesin wakefulness as well as in dreams, he soondevelops utter detachment, which bringsfreedom from all worries and sufferingsconnected with worldly event5.’3

Worry BlocksRealization ofthe Se’f

Due to worr this universe came intobeing. And now man is unable to realizehis own Real Selfdue to engaging his mindin worry

I advise you to be at peace and remainquiet in the face of any agitation, anyworry and any calamity Do not allow suchthoughts to enter your mind, but pushthem toward me, saying, ‘Go to Baba!’ Ifyou follow my advice, things will comeout fine.’

Nothing in the Worldto Worry About

Read God Speaks. Ifyou understand itproperly, you will find that there is nothingin this world to worry about! Whateverhappens, happens due to impressions or‘sanskaras.’ Sanskaras make the Dream ofCreation appear to be real and lasting, andthey create undue worrie5.15

Willand Worry

Duality implies separateness. Separate-ness causes fear. Fear makes worry. The

way of Oneness is the way to happiness;the way of manyness is the way to worry.I am the one who has no second so I ameternally happy. You are separate from yourSeIf, so you always worry. To you, what yousee is absolutely real; to me it is absolutelyfalse. I alone am Real and mywill governsthe cosmic illusion. It is the truth whenI say that the waves do not roll and theleaves do not move without my will. Themoment the intensity ofyour faith in mywill reaches its heightyou say goodbye toworry forever. Then, all that you sufferedand enjoyed in the past, together with allthat you may experience in the future, willbe to you the most loving and spontaneousexpression ofmywill; and nothing will everbe able to cause you worry again.’6

Holdto Baba’c Daaman

Do not worr Be happy in myLove and continue to hold fast tomy daaman to the very end. Restassured that all will be divinelywell. God does not abandon thosewho trust Him.’7

Speqjic Things BabaToldPeople not to

Worry About:

ChildrenSuppose I say don’t worry

about your children. You musttake my word, as it comes fromGod. Because I am that! Whatdoes the word of God mean?God must know everyone, doeverything. Therefore, when Hesays, “Don’t worry about yourchildren,” it means you do nothave to wor”

SpouseAhh, if you only knew how many

husbands and wives you have had downthrough the ages, you would not worry soover this one!’9

MoneyLud Dimpfl described how he worried

briefly about money left in a pair of trouserssent to the cleaners. Baba sent for his wife,Bea, who said she hadn’t worried about thelost money at all. Baba continued to Lud:

“Why not lose your selfso you can cometo Me! Forget your worries, and find Mewithin you. When I give out the Word let

3 love you. ‘EDo not worry about yourweaknesses. eventually they will go; eveniftliey linger, love will one day consume

them. Cverything disappears in the Oceanofi.ove. J3emuse 3 love you, you have

a pool of love within you. vVhen you feelwretched, when you fall in your weakness,

have a dip in that pool oflove. &freshyourself in that pool of my love within you.:Jt is always there. Even if you wash yourweaknesses every day in that poo1, it willremain clear. 73on’t worry. 13aba loves

you, that is what really matters.

12

it touch your heart. It will give you such

happiness that the loss of even millionsofdollars will not matter. No amount ofmoney can give you that experience.”20

Family,job, physical bodyYou worry now about some condition,

yet you have experienced all conditions.You have been blind, sick, poor, old,young, beautiful, ugly. You worry aboutyour children—you have had numberlesschildren, and they have had numberlessparents and children. You worry aboutyour job—you have been in every sortof occupation. You worry about yourwife—you have had so many wives. Youhave been everything and experienced allconditions, and yet you worry about theslightest thing that happens to you.2’

Unwanted thoughtsBe happy in any conditions and don’t

worry about anything. Ifthe whole worldrocks, don’t rock with it! And particularlydon’t worry about thoughts. Ifyou wantto alter anything, start with actions. Why?Because thoughts belong to the mentalworld, and you have no control over themunless you are established on the mentalplane. But you can control your actions.

[To Clarice] For example, you are mar-

ned and you may loveanother man. That isall right; don’t worryabout it at all, but don’tact out your love exceptwith your husband.22

Past misdeedsThey sat at a quiet

corner table and Bailypoured out what hadhappened to him.Hearing it, Merwan[Meher Baba] admonished him, “Let thepast be gone. Whyworry about pastwrongs? Every personhas done somethingvery wrong. . . God isthere to forgive.”23

YourselfBaba advised Keki,

‘If you worry aboutyourself, God does notworry about you. Andwhy should He? Ifyoustop worrying, God

has to begin to worry for you! RememberHim wholeheartedly; leave your troublesto Him. Then you will be free to remaincheerful.’24

Other peopleBaba again asked, ‘Why are you

worrying about others? Even if everyonewere to die, what is that to you?’ Hethen very pointedly told me, [Arnavaz]‘You have shown enough concern foreveryone. Now you must think only ofMe, Nariman, and Mehera. . . . ‘ I tried toobey Him, knowing that ifl left mattersin His hands, He would take care ofall myreal needs. Baba once said ofHis lovers,‘The trouble with you is that you don’tleave everything entirely to Me. If youhad a hundred percent faith in Me andleft it entirely to me, the burden wouldautomatically fall on My shoulders.’25

Results of serviceAlways think of helping, and not

of results. Never worry about results,because ‘selfless service’ means trying tohelp others, not even thinking ‘I am doingthis or that.’26

Even a great soul like Gandhi worries,because he wants results. One must sin-cerely try to do his duties, but the results

must always be left with God. Worryingabout the results is no good and of nouse. If a person wishes to do anythingfor others, he must do it sincerely. Andhaving done it, he should not worry aboutthe results, for results are not in humanhands. It is for humans to do, for God toordain. To remain alooffrom results is notdifficult, but men do not try. Because it

is human nature to think ofthe results ofone’s actions, however, it does not meanone should worry! Man must think, buthe must not worry. Try to attribute allyour acts to God and let results be His.Gandhi says he does everything for Godand attributes it to Him, but he still worries because he cares about the results.27

Difficulty comprehending theDiscourses

The discourse on ‘Fana’ was to be read.Baba preceded the reading by saying:‘This is short but difficult. Those whocannot follow it, must not worry. It’snothing but words. Only love counts. Ifthe most unintelligent one can love Me asI ought to be loved, he is infinitely moreblessed than the most intelligent one whodoesn’t know how to love Me.’28

Difficulty acceptingMeher Baba’s divinity

Ifyou cannot accept me as God, thatshould not worry you. Accept me as aTrue Friend. I am God undoubtedly.But it is difficult for the Western mindto accept the concept of God in humanform. Jesus was God Himself, but Judasdid not accept Him as such. Even PeterdeniedJesus three times. So how can youaccept Me? I am the Only Reality whileall else is false.29

ImpuritiesThe Master is the divine Beloved; and

when the disciple meets his Master, allthat he has to do is to love Him. For ifthe disciple loves the Master out of thefullness of his heart, his final union withHim is assured. He need not worry aboutthe quality ofhis love. He should love inspite of his weaknesses and not tarry tillhe can purify his own heart.3°

WeaknessesI love you. Do not worry about your

weaknesses. Eventually they will go; evenif they linger, love will one day consumethem. Everything disappears in the Oceanof Love. Because I love you, you have a

‘4

pool of love within you. When you feelwretched, when you fall in your weakness,have a dip in that pooi of love. Refreshyourself in that pooi of my love withinyou. It is always there. Even ifyou washyour weaknesses every day in that pool, itwill remain clear. Don’t worry. Baba lovesyou, that is what really matters.3’

Not loving BabaAs long as you are Mine, you need not

worry. You are Mine, that is why I havedrawn you such long distances. If youcan’t picture Me, don’t worry; ifyou don’tlove Me, don’t worry: I love you.32

Not loving at allIfyou have not a grain oflove, do not

worry. Do selfless service. I am in all andserving others is serving me.33

MisfortunesIf, instead of worrying over our own

misfortunes, we think of ourselves asmore fortunate than many, many others,we are loving God.34

What Baba said weMAYworry about

Let your only worry be as to how tolove Me and obey Me more and more.35

Ifat all you must worry, let it be how toremember Me constantly. This is worth-while worry because it will bring aboutthe end ofworry. Think ofMe more andmore, and all your worries will disappearinto the nothing they really are.36

Christ said with divine authority, ‘Yoursins are forgiven,’ and I say with divineauthority, ‘Love me, and your worrieswill vanish!’37

*****

Quotesfrom Mandaliand Devotees

Baba ordered me [Dr. Donkin]...totell Him of anything which is on mymind or worrying me. Secondly, I amnot to worry about thoughts, good orbad, but am not to put the bad ones intoaction.3’

In July 1947 Norma wrote me [IvyDuce] from Myrtle Beach that one ofBaba’s close disciples, Meherjee Karkaria,would be in NewYork and that perhaps Iwould like to meet him. While we werelunching, I was wondering how this man

could look so young, as I knew he was atleast forty. Finally I asked him, ‘Don’t youever worry?’ He looked astonished andreplied, ‘Why no! The Master forbidsit!’39

He told us to begin by rememberingHim, to constantly turn our thoughtsto Him, by surrounding ourselves withthings that remind us of Him, and bytaking His name. Our remembrance ofHim, He assured us, would graduallyseep into our heart, and slowly awakenthe love for Him which is buried there.As this happens, our thoughts naturallyturn from other desires and worry andtowards Baba, making once what was acontinual effort as much a part of us asour very breath.[Meherji 0

Nariman [Dadachanji] called worry‘interest paid on trouble before it fallsdue.’41

I [Charmian Duce Knowles] decidedthen that the one gift we could give Babain return was exactly what He’d alwaysrequested—for us to ‘be happy,’ to tryto maintain a positive, joyous attitudeabout life and the world around us. Inthe years to come, I would remember Hiscomments about being within us, and ifI was feeling sad, I would say to myself‘Oh, Baba is feeling that. I don’t wantHim to feel sad. I want to make Himhappy.’ Then I would try to cheer up, forHis sake. After a while, it began to worksplendidly.42

So meticulous was [Ella Winterfeldt]in carrying out her responsibilities thatshe was a real ‘worry wart’ at times. Atthe Center, Baba called her into the Barn.As she stepped in the door she could seea very displeased look on His face. Shesmiled nervously but Baba’s expressionremained the same, so by the time shereached His chair she was in a state ofgreat anxiety. She stood with her armstrembling behind her back, desperatelywondering what she could have done todisplease Him so. Suddenly Baba ‘said’one word to break the tension: ‘Relax!’She loosened up instantly and He sent heroutside again. Ella said she never reallyworried again to that depth.43

There was Baba gesturing, looking atme—what?! Yes! His eyes flashing somekind of reproof. . .As we walked throughthe forest, I saw His hands gesture,heard Mani’s voice: ‘Filis, Baba says stopworrying. ‘ I couldn’t stop! Again, ‘Filis,Baba wants you to stop worrying.’ Andthen a third time. Finally Baba called me

to Him, took my left wrist in His righthand, and a soft shock ofcurrent went upmy left arm, blotting out all tension. Notuntil hours later did I recall what I hadbeen upset about.44

Sometimes Baba, in order to help us,brings our faults up to the boiling point.The person who worries, worries morethan ever. A climax comes, an emotionalupheaval takes place within the person.Then ifthey have the courage to face upto themselves, in a flash the whole thingclears up and they are free from thatparticular worry.45

We are meant to be happyand to make others happy

Kitty Davy remembers Baba emphasizing that no one should expect to gethappiness from others, but that eachshould be happy within themselves.Indeed, as an aspirant progresses, itbecomes increasingly difficult to derivereal happiness from external conditions.Inner changes may cause the seeker tosuffer more acutely when faced with theselfishness ofothers. Baba explains:

“As the aspirant advances on thespiritual path, he acquires, through hiscontact with a Perfect Master, an increasingly deeper understanding of true love.This makes him painfully sensitive to theimpact from outside actions that not onlydo not taste oflove, but actually bring himinto contact with cold contempt, cynicalcallousness, agonizing antipathy, andunabating hatred. All these encounterstry his forbearance to the utmost. Eventhe worldly person suffers in a world heoccasionally finds indifferent or hostile.But he is more thick-skinned and hissuffering is less acute. He does not expect anything much better from humannature, and thinks that these things areinevitable and incurable. The aspirant,who has tasted a deeper love, knows thehidden possibilities in every soul. Thushis suffering is very acute because he feelsthe gulf between that which is and thatwhich might have been, ifonly the worldhad even faintly appreciated the love hehas begun to understand and cherish.”46

Neither is it possible to attain enduring happiness through the fulfillmentof desires, for as Baba pointed out, thetree of desire bears two fruits, one sweetand one bitter, and those who bid forone kind of fruit must be ready to havethe other.47 Meher Baba provided a verypractical bit ofadvice about this. He said

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to try to make others happy, for therebyone can find real happiness. As long as anindividual thinks only of his own happiness, he does not find it.48

Meher Baba says in Not We but One:“Everyone is unconsciously tired of thislife, because everyone seeks happiness,but knows not how to get it. But life isso beautiful. It is meant to be happy. Iwill help you. Then things will appearchanged. You will see it. It is always theoutlook that counts, and not the object.Todayyou feel tired, upset, seeing nothingbeautiftil in the things around you in life. Iftomorrow you do not feel bored but cheer-liii, the same things that appeared blackyesterday will seem changed. It is all dueto changed mentality and outlook. Theeasy way is not to make much of things.Say to yourself, ‘I am meant to be happy,to make others happy,’ and gradually youdo become happy and make others so too.Don’t suggest to your mind, ‘I am tired,haggard, depressed.’ That will make youfeel worse. Always say, ‘All is well andbeautiful. I will be happy.’ I will help youspiritually.”49

In a letter to a Baba lover, Mani wrote:“Once we come into the Avatar’s Love-Orbit, and as long as we surrender ourlives into His, giving and leaving all toHim, we are moving directly under Hiswill. We then have nothing to worryabout, except to do our best and leave toHim the rest. And so Baba tells us ‘Don’tworry. Be happy.’ And that is another thingthat is often misconstrued. Being happyneed not mean being merry—happinessand pleasure are not the same thing. Ifwecan accept every circumstance we are putin, i.e. keep our mind unaffected by theoscillations ofjoy and sorrow, taking it tobe His will, then we might be said to ‘BeHappy’ as Baba means it.”5°

i6

Don worry, be happy,

Give a smile and make it snappy.

Even fitc a burdensomeyoke

Neverforget allhfe ajoke.

Baba is theplay and actor,

He the tears andHe the laughter.

So when mostyou want to cry

Think ofBaba andsay His

— A poem by Mehera Irani, 1971

Meher Baba said, “Even ifyou feel youare being cut into pieces, show a smileoutside on your face. In love, this is themeaning of bravery.”52

He also indicated in the Seven Realities that “the only Real Surrender is thatin which the poise is undisturbed by anyadverse circumstance; and the individual,amidst every kind ofhardship, is resignedwith perfect calm to the will of God.”53

Kitty Davy tells us: “All Baba askedfrom each was a happy face and work donecheerfully. To Baba, this cheerftiiness wasa goal most worth striving for, a goal ofparamount importance. Baba told us, ‘Ifyou don’t want to be old before you reallyought to be old, be cheerftil in thought,word, deed and appearance—most of allin appearance. Maybe you are not happyinside, perhaps gas in your stomach! Butyou must look happy. I always find halfof you garlic-faced. When you eat garlicit is a smell passed on to all; so when youappear garlic-faced, that too is contagious.It is a divine art to always look cheerful. Ithelps others. When you are garlic-faced, it

makes others unhappy.’ Baba emphasizedthat no one must expect to get happinessfrom others, but be happy in

Kitty also remembers Baba telling her,“If I say ‘Be happy!’ be happy at once.Forget. Away with it! Why brood? I neverbrood. Laugh! Be cheerful! It is all illusion - why not be cheerful, happy? Startnow!!”

Don Stevens came to the conclusionthat “Happiness in the last analysis doesnot have to be justified. It just is. . .Thereneed be no logic for this type of content-ment. It can be, and be experienced, justbecause it is.”56

*****

Handling Djfficult Feelings:GriefandAnger

Anger and grief each deserve morecomprehensive coverage than this articlecan provide. Still, these quotes from Babaare reassuring:

“It is natural that at times you feel100% miserable. Be sure that I knoweverything. When everything goes wrongthe mind becomes helpless and has to relyon the heart. These are moments that youhave to resign to My will and rely solelyon My help. When you leave all to Me,I dare not neglect you, and you get relieffrom your predicament. I am the OceanofLove and Compassion.”57

“Ifborne willingly, physical and mentalsuffering can make one worthy of receiv—ing spiritual healing. Consider mentaland physical suffering as gifts from God,which, if accepted gracefully, lead to everlasting

GriefIn a letter to Delia [De Leon], Baba

stated: “I know how you feel parting withdear Mabel, but Mabel has not partedfrom you. She is closer to you know thanshe was or could be before. Love knowsno separation and because you lovedher so much, nothing, not even death asphysical separation is called, can breakthat tie oflove there is between you.”59

Baba always encouraged us to face thedeath ofour loved ones not with undiluted sadness but with an alloy—a mixtureofhappiness and sadness. Sadness for ourloss, but happiness for their gain.60

On the subject of death, on oneoccasion after another close disciplepassed away, Baba said. . . ‘Why sufferunnecessarily? The ‘dead’ live in Me.That should make you happy. Why notrejoice in his [the physically departedone’s] happiness? Loving Me as youdo, knowing Me for the One I am, youshould be only happy that he is happyin Me. Knowing this, any mourning youmay do therefore must be for yourselvesonly — from selfish 61

Mani’s pet cocker spaniel, Peter, wasput to sleep. The dog had cancer, andDr. Alu Khambhatta administered theinjection. Peter breathed his last in Baba’spresence in His bedroom. A few momentsbefore, Baba lovingly caressed the dogand Peter wagged his tail feebly.. . Babamissed the little fellow and remarked,“Even I, who am God and know how

(

The Element ofGracetruly blessed Peter is, miss Peter’s presence as ‘Peter.’62

Dma Talati, who was grief-strickenover her husband Naval’s death, cameto Him and Baba comforted her.. . Babaurged her to cry aloud to give vent to allshe felt, dreaded and suffered. The entireatmosphere for a short while rang withher cries of “Baba! . . . Baba!” touchingthe hearts of all those gathered, fillingsome eyes with tears. Baba watched herwail with a soft smiling expression onhis face.63

AngerIn the Discourses Baba said: Anger is

the fume ofan irritated mind. It is causedby the thwarting of desires. It feeds thelimited ego and is used for dominationand aggression. It aims at removing theobstacles existing in the fulfillment ofdesires. The frenzy of anger nourishesegoism and conceit, and it is the greatestbenefactor of the limited ego.

At least control your anger and takepractical steps to check it. When you feelyou are getting excited or angry, rememberit and try to control it. Pinch yourself, goaside, dance, skip. Do this and rememberme, and you will at once turn your angerinto laughter.65

It is better to feel angry sometimesrather than merely to repress anger. Al-though your mind may be angry do not letyour heart know it. Remain unaffected. Ifyou never feel angry you will be like stone,in which form the mind is least developed.Let the thoughts of anger, lust and greedcome and go freely without putting theminto words and deeds. Then the related impressions in your mind begin to wear outand become less painfril. When you feelangry or have lustftil thoughts, rememberBaba at once. Let My name serve as a netaround you.’66

Baba further stated, about His excitablenature [in November 1953, immediatelypreceding the start ofhis ‘Fiery Free Life’]:“These days I try not to get angry orexcited. Whenever I am about to do so, Iremember the words ofJesus Christ andsay: ‘Get thee behind me, Satan!’ There-fore, whenever any thought oflust, greed,anger, jealousy, money matters or familyaffairs tries to possess your heart, say withme, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan!’ and beat peace.67

*****

When struggling with difficult emotions, it is helpftil to remember that thataccording to the book God Speaks, grossconscious souls do not have mastery overtheir feelings.75 When consciousness hasinvolved to the fifth plane of the mentalworld, mastery of thoughts is achieved. Inthe sixth plane ofthe mentalworld, masteryoffeelings. Gross conscious individuals whohave not yet begun the process ofinvolution(i.e., have not yet started on the first plane)are not yet conscious ofthe mental world.One of the quotes listed above touches onthis point and bears repeating. Baba said,“Don’tworry about thoughts. Ifyou want toalter anything, startwith actions.Why? Be-cause thoughts belong to the mental world,and you have no control over them unlessyou are established on the mental plane. Butyou can control your actions.”76

Mani observed, “Baba is the Sun andSource ofall things, and whatever we offerHim has been received by us fromWhen He says “be happy,” it can be takenas more thanjust encouragement. He couldnot be telling us to perform an act ofemotional mastery which He already stated isbeyond our abffity What appears to be operating is a bestowal ofgrace, hidden withinan exhortation. Mani explains this conceptin the forward to the book Mehera:

“Shortly before He dropped His body,Baba asked me to take a message to Me-hera. He told me to tell her, ‘Mehera, bebrave.’ And, although it seems that Babawas asking something from Mehera withthese words, in actuality Baba was givingher the courage with which to be brave.And because it came from Him, she wasable to be brave during the most difficultperiod after He left His form.” 78

In light of this, when considering theexpression “Don’t worry be happy,” considerthe possibility that through the sincere at-tempt to follow his order, we receive thegrace necessary for its fulfillment.

TheAvatarc TouchGary Mullins’ story of meeting Baba

at the East-West Gathering in 1962 wasoriginally printed in the book Dancing theBeguine. It is an endearing and honest account of how difficult it can be to shake abad mood (or “blue funk,” as Gary calls it,)and how Baba helped. He writes:

During the trip, and especially when in

India, I had a growing sense I was expectedto feel a certain way. Many ofmy travellingcompanions gave me the impression that Ishould be deliriously happy, as they were,when indeed I was not. On the contrarI was unnerved and sometimes disgustedwith the sugary outpouring of what Ithought to be a lot of sentimental crap.I was totally unprepared for those strongexpressions oflove and devotion. So, ifl didnot share the feelings of my companions,what choice did I have but to revert to theold family pattern so deeply ingrained?My loner instincts came to the fore, andI became anti-social. I did not, could not,and would not pretend to feel anythingother than what I was experiencing at thetime. And it hurt badly because I wantedto share the joy.

The truth is I felt nothing for MeherBaba. Nothing. And for much of the timewhile in India, thrown as I was into a totallynew social situation, I experienced fearand bewilderment. In Ivy 0. Duce’s book,HowAMaster Works, she writes about several people coming to her and asking whyGary was in such a ‘blue funk.’ Well, I’vealways gotten into a grumpy mood whensomeone expects me to feel as they do. Sowith the happy rejoicing ofmy fellow tray-elers ringing daily in my ears, I retreated.Emotionally, I went underground and hidmy emptiness. In fact, most of the time, Iwalked around like a zombie.

At one point, I hurt so badly that I eventried to talk to Ivy Duce about my misery Itwas difficult because she was sick with theflu. She was so exquisitely happy to be withBaba that she must have been bewilderedby my emotional difficulties. But, bless herheart, she simplytold me not to worry aboutmy painful feelings. Theywould soon pass,which they did. She told the others to ‘GiveGary a little time. He’ll come around.’ She

.

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knew Meher Baba’s love would eventuallytouch my heart.

Now I see clearly that my pain hadnothing to do with the poverty and filth ofIndia per se. Nor did it have anything to dowith my fellow travelers and any problemsthey might have had. I now know that mygarbage pail was filled to the brim, if notoverflowing. After all, I was being sanitizedby the ‘Great Garbage Collector.’ In truth,only Meher Baba could clean up such afoul mess. When I had the good sense tofocus exclusively on Baba, whether it waslooking at him, thinking about him, andespecially the times I was, blessed beyondwords, touched by him, all was well. Thenthe loneliness passed, the void vanished, thefear abated, and the stench of my garbagepail, my ego, lessened. I could not have feltany better....

I would give up everything in life, and Imean everything, ifl could experience, onceagain, those few moments when I first metMeher Baba. It is my supreme memory ofbeingwith him while in India. It happenedthat first afternoon when the Westernmen met Baba at Guruprasad. WheneverI talk about it, I choke up and it is hard tohold back the tears. It is so precious and soexquisitely rare that every moment of mylife is an opportunity to relive it, if I canbut learn how. I do know I cannot separatethat eternal moment in 1962 from this lateafternoon in 1999. Hopeftilly, I will haveanother opportunity when Baba comesagain in seven hundred years.

We were being introduced to Baba byEruch.When my turn came, I stood still fora moment as Eruch quietly asked my name.He then introduced me. ‘Baba, this is GaryMuffins.’ Baba, sitting on his couch, beck-oned for me to come to him — so simply,so childlike, and so far beyond any words Icould possibly create. I walked to him andhe reached up and pulled me down in anembrace that is forever. I experienced hishug as the essence ofintimacy. At the sametime, his embrace was perfectly impersonal.For a few seconds, I was simply in anotherworld, in a tranquil pink and blue cloud, ina sky far, far higher than words can con-

vey. Although only a faint glimmer then,

but now a filler intensity, I experienced

something coming from Baba that was

precisely what I had felt as a child sitting

on that street curb in San Diego, realizingmy father had come home from the war

in the South Pacific. It was overwhelming

radiance and the fhllness of love. For oneeternal moment, which grows richer with

each passing year, I was at home with myreal father, Avatar Meher Baba.

During the ffight home, I realized I feltdifferently than I had in years. The empti

ness was gone. The void that had been my

constant companion had vanished. In itsstead, I felt a new and tiny growth ofsome-thing solid and substantial. Today, I knowit is faith. Baba had started his work onme and that process continues to this day.Sure, it is sometimes painftil, but knowing

that someday he is going to open my heartsustains 68

‘Meher Baba, Discourses, 7t1 ed., (North MyrtleBeach SC: Sheriar Foundation, c1987), p. 12.

Full text atambppcLorg/meherbaba/BooksByMeherBaba.php

2lbid., p. 358.

3Kalchuri, Bhau, LordMeher The Biography

ofthe Avatar ofthe Age Meher Baba, (North

Myrtle Beach SC: Manifestation Inc., c1986-

2001), vol. 5, p. 1866. Full text at www.

lordmeher.org

4Don E. Stevens, Manc Searchfor Certainty,

(NewYork: Dodd, Mead &Company, c1980),

pp. 108-109.5Don E. Stevens, Listen! The New Humanity,

(Jersey, Channel Islands: Companion Books,

c1985), pp. 101-102.6Stevens, Manc Searchfor Certainty, pp. 112-

115.7 Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 357.8Meher Baba, The Path ofLove, (North Myrtle

Beach SC: Sheriar Foundation, c2000), pp.116-117. Full text at

ambppct.org/ineherbaba/BooksByMeherBaba.php

9Meher Baba, Discourses, pp. 357-358.10Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 1 1.11Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 12.

‘2Abdulla, Ramjoo, Ramjooc Diaries, 1922-

1929.A Persona/Account ofMeherBabac Ear/y

Work, edited by Ira G. Deitrick, (Walnut

Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented, c1979), p.

105.

‘3Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 237.14 Kaichuri, LordMeher, vol. 3, p. 808.

‘5Meher Baba, Darshan Hours, edited by Eruch

Jessawalla and Rick Chapman, (Berkeley CA:

Beguine Library, c1971), p. 64.

16Meher Baba, The Everything andthe Nothing,

(North Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Foundation,

c2003), p. 62. Full text at

ambppct.org/meherbaba/BooksByMeherBaba.php

‘7Meher Baba, The Path ofLove, p. 115.

18Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 14, p. 5081.

19Ivy Oneita Duce, How a Master Works,

(Walnut Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented,

c1975), p. 90.

20Filis Frederick, “Notes on The East-West

Gathering of Baba Lovers In Poona, India,

November 1962,” The Awakener A JournalDevoted to Meher Baba, vol. 9, #1-2, 1963,

p. 37. Full text at

www. theawakenermagazine.org

21Meher Baba, The Path ofLove, p. 117.

22Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 14, p. 4902.

23Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 1, p. 272.

24Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 10, p. 3562.

25Arnavaz N. Dadachanji, Gfl ofGoc4 (East

Windsor, NJ: Beloved Books, c1996), pp.171, 172.

26”Baba Pearls,”Awakener vol. 6, #1, Winter-Spring 1959, p. 7.

27Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 5, p. 1866.

28”Real Birth and Real Death,”Awakener, vol.5, #3, Special Sahavas Issue 1958, p. 50.

29H P. Bharucha, “Guruprasad Glimpses,1963,”Awakener, vol. 9, #3, 1963, p. 26.

30Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 148.

31The source for this exact quote could not bedetermined, but a very similar version appears

inAvatar: The Ljfè Story ofMeherBaba byJean

Adriel (Berkeley CA: John F. Kennedy Press,

c1947), pp. 126-127.

32Charles Purdom and Malcolm Schloss,

“Three Incredible Weeks with Meher Baba,”

Awakener vol. 2, #3, Special Issue 1955, p.56.33Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 13, p. 4821.

34Meher Baba, Listen Humanity, narrated and

edited by D. E. Stevens, (New York: Harper

Colophon Books, c1967), p. 189. Full text at

ambppct.org/meherbaba/BooksByMeherBaba.php

35Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 18, p. 6060.

36Meher Baba, The Everything andthe Nothing,

p. 62.

37Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 14, p. 5094.

38William Donkin, “My Days with the

Master,” Awakener, vol. 20, #2, 1983, p. 6.

39Duce, How a Master Works, p. 21.

40Meherji Karkaria, “How to Love Baba,”

Awakener, vol. 19, #2, 1981, p. 6.

41Dadachanji, Gift ofGod, p. 171.

42Charmian Duce Knowles, Spread my Love,

(Walnut Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented,

c2004), p. 189.

43Filis Frederick andJeffWolverton, “Fredella:

A Bouquet ofMemories,” Awakener, vol. 21,

#2, 1985, p. 14.

44Filis Frederick, “Memories of’52,”Awakener,

vol. 14, #2, 1972, pp. 11-12.

45Delia De Leon, “Don’t Worry,” in Treasures

from the Meher Baba Journa/s 193 8-1942,

compiled and edited by Jane Barry Haynes

(North Myrtle Beach SC: Sheriar Press,

c1980), pp. 163-164.

46Meher Baba, Discourses, pp. 356-357.

47Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 389.

48Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 396.

T

49Meher Baba, Not We but One, edited byWilliam Le Page, (Bombay: Meher HousePublication, c1977), pp. 16-17.50Letter from Mani Irani datedjune 11, 1970,printed in Letters From the Mandali ofAvatarMeherBaba, editedjim Mistry (North MyrtleBeach SC: Sheriar Press, c1981), pp. 33-34.51Duce, How a Master Works, p. 489.52David Fenster, Mehera-Meher: A DivineRomance, (Ahmednagar, MS. India: MeherNazar Publications, c2003), vol. 2, p. 400.53Meher Baba, Discourses, p. 2.54Kitty Davy LoveAlone Prevails: A Story ofLife with Meher Baba, (North Myrtle BeachSC: Sheriar Foundation, c1981), p. 239.55Ibid, p. 241.56Stevens, Mani Searchfor Certainty, p. 62.57Quote from Meher Baba, originally printedon p. 176 of 82 Family Letters to the WesternFamily ofLovers andFollowers ofMeherBaba,written by Mani from December 1956 toAugust 1969, quoted again inJohn A. Grant,PracticaiSpirituality with MeherBaba (Sydney,Australia: Merwan Publications, c1985), p.138.58”Baba Explains,” Awakener, vol. 1, #1, July1953, p. 33.59Davy, LoveAlone Prevails, p. 230.60Ibid, p. 312.61Loc. Cit.62Kalchuri, LorciMeher, vol. 19, p. 6376.63Ibid, vol. 7, p. 2405.64Meher Baba, Discourses, p.11.65Kalchuri, Lord Meher, vol. 7, Part 1, p.2341.66Meher Baba quoted in Davy’s Love AlonePrevails, p. 449.67Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 11, p. 3924.68Kalchuri, LordMeher, vol. 18, p. 5966-5967,5974.69lrani, Mani S., Forward in Mehera, JanetJudson and Shelly Marrich eds., (EastWindsor, NJ: Beloved Books, c1989), Forwardby Mani S. Irani, p. x.70Loc. Cit.

c

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“Do your best, then dont worry, be happy in Mylove and I will help you”

Next issue: In light ofthe Mumbai attackson such Baba lover haunts as LeopoldCafr.. some may be wondering: “What didMeher Baba say about terrorism?”

Visit www. leopoldcafe. comfor some cafehistory.

See Baba-lover owneri story at: news. bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7756616.stm

7h see slideshow withphoto below visit:nytirnes.com/slideshow/2008/11/27/world/asia/20081127-mumbaiday_11.html#

Baba i unscathedpicture on bullet-riddled carparked infront ofLeopold Cafe & Bar in Mumbai

iq

IIr-7- I (—;.“ -‘ -1. r—r 1111

\_von t ‘iiejaruc Jacea:Wendy Haynes Connor,

Myrtle Beach*

.,;

A the anniversary of the New Lifeperiod of Baba’s advent draws near,

I find myself thinking of Baba’s familiarmessage “This New life is endless. . .“, inparticular, the line where Baba describesone ofthe conditions ofthe New Life forthe disciple: “. . .and who, without beingupset by calamities, bravely and whole-heartedly faces all hardships with onehundred percent cheerfulness,. .

This idea of cheerfiilness became en-livened in my mind years ago because ofsomething that happened to me at the EastWest Gathering in 1962. During one ofthe early morning sessions when westernfollowers were sitting with Baba, He beganasking different ones about their health,their work, and their families back home.Suddenlywithoutwarning, Baba turned tome and gestured: “Always keep cheerful inMy Love.” I remember nodding happilysimply because Baba had noticed me. Atthe time, I was aware that Baba had givenme a direct order but I was eleven yearsold and had no understanding of what‘keeping cheerful’ meant.

As a result of this seemingly simpleexchange, cheerfiuiness became an ongoing theme in my life. Needless to say, as Itrekked through my daily existence, I beganto realize that cheerfulness was somethingthat actually required effort on my part.Heaven forbid! Sounds a bit naïve, I know,but when I was young, I was by nature anoutgoing and happy person. So cheerful-ness was kind ofeffortless. It seemed quitewonderful that Baba would give the ‘cheer-fulness order’ to someone who was alreadycheerful! The spiritual life didn’t look sodifficult; what was all the fuss about? Inan adolescent way, I thought that certainattributes and strengths, such as surrenderand trust, wouldjust come naturally, with-out any effort on my part. Ofcourse, I wasan adolescent when this spiritual view hadits hey day. Not surprisingly, after a while,I began to realize that ifl really wanted to

please Baba, I would have to work at myinner life — inner cheerfulness! I’ve cometo believe that being cheerful means notallowing myself to be brought down bywhat Baba brings up. And, that this innerattitude ofcheerfulness comes from relyingwholly on Baba. It is He who is stirring meup, and it is He who wants me to focus onHim in the midst ofthe hailstorm. In myexperience, one ofthe biggest challenges tocheerfulness is depression, something I’veencountered on and off in my life. Whenthe darkness descends, the effort it takesto rise above those feelings ofunhappinessand even despair can seem insurmountable. At those times, the only thing I cando is call out His name. Usually, nothingchanges in that moment, but if I keepdoing it, eventually the inertia ofthe darkmood begins to pass and slowly I begin topull out of it.

On one of my visits to India, Baba’ssister Mani, shared a personal story withme that has given me much solace throughthe years. One day I was out at Meherazad,visiting time was over and everyone wasmaking their way out to the bus. Somehow,I found myself standing alone under thearchway by the caravan. Suddenly Maniappeared by my side and stood with me—itwasjust the two ofus. She asked me abouta friend of mine, someone she knew well.

so happened that I hadjust spoken withthis woman before leaving on the trip. Itold Mani truthfully that my friend wasdepressed. I, too, was feeling depressed butI didn’t tell her that. To my utter surprise,Mani began telling me about an experienceshe had had a few months before. She hadhad a very serious case of the flu and wasbedridden for two weeks. She describedhow she was so ill that she found herselffilled with despair so much so that she hadno desire to even stretch out her arm to getsomething offthe dresser next to her bed.After about a week of feeling completelymiserable, one day, two images came un

bidden into her mind.The first was a memory of Margaret

Craske and the day she was teaching the“girls” how to swim at Ventura beach nearBombay. The women were, of course,laden with clothing that pulled them downrepeatedly beneath the surface ofthe water.Consequently, Mani was becoming moreand more frustrated. Finally, she became soangry that, when she came up sputteringfor the last time, she yelled out angrily:“Margaret: How do you come up?!” Un-perturbed, Margaret replied with a smile,“Mani dear,just keep your head up!”

The second image that came into hermind was one ofBaba’s hands holding anopen book. Baba was pointing to a page,saying, “Look, Mani, see the story?” ThenHe turned a few pages and pointed again,saying, “See Mani, see how the storyis different?” He continued to turn thepages, stopping to show her how the storykept changing. She then heard Him say,“Remember, dear sister, I wrote the story.”Mani felt deeply comforted by these images, knowing they came from her belovedbrother. Immediately, her despair began tolift. I was deeply touched that Mani sharedthis with me, not only because she wasn’toften personal, but also because she wasone of the most extraordinary examplesof cheerfulness in my life.

Another constant example in my lifewas Kitty. Outwardly, she appeared almostalways cheerfuL However, as she would tellBuz and me, inwardly, that wasn’t alwaysthe case. In the early days, when she livedin the ashram, she often fell prey to moods.She didn’t even realize it until Baba would

see her and say, “I don’t want garlic-facedpeople around Me. You must make an effort to be cheerful. Don’t be garlic faced.”

For Kitt pleasing Him meant making

this effort. And what a great impact this

effort had on so many people who weretouched by the lives of these amazing

women — Mani and Kitty.

3...

Often times if I take His name andjust begin to act cheerfully, even though Idon’t really feel it, my actions will begin toawaken a lightness within me. Like someDivine improvisational theater exercise,feelings follow action. And, in turn, responses from others towards me are lighterand happier as well. I know I often feelfortified by the cheerfulness ofothers — it

triggers an uplifting heart exchange withinand between us.

As time passes, something that hasbecome wonderfully apparent to me is howwhen we try to develop any one aspect ofthe spiritual life it reflects and calls uponevery other aspect, like facets ofa diamond.Take honesty, for example. To be cheer-ful, one has to be honest with oneself In

my experience, honesty requires callingon our ability to root out those feelingsand thoughts that are false and admit thateverything He brings to the surface is butthe play ofthe ego.

To be cheerftil, one has to have trust inBeloved Baba’s love. We have to trust thatHe accepts us with all our weaknesses andfaults; trust that every experience is for our

continued onpg. 26

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21

Revisiting the,‘4vatar’s Command:ll(I Womj — Be2lapp(

D.E. Stevens, France

en, for the first time in my life Imet Baba face to face in New York

City August of1952, I had no idea that toworry or not to worry was up for grabs inthe Avataric game we played so incrediblyall that week-end. But it was, and I becameaware ofit as I took the Sunday ffight backto San Francisco.

Once seated in the plane, I reviewed forperhaps two hours the drama ofthe week-end ofexperiences with Meher Baba I hadlived so frilly, and which had covered suchunexpected vistas of human relatedness.Then I found my mind turning back tothe problems that would greet me when Ientered the door ofthe research laboratoryofwhich I was in charge at that time.

The questions with which I wouldhave to deal that Monday were varied andimportant, including the annual budgetfor the lab, and a real tough one involvinga fellow I enjoyed very much who had tobe either fired for neglect of attention tohis assignments, or given a very sharp anddifficult lecture on what sort of work hewas expected to accomplish. Not a verypleasant prospect and I dreaded havingto meet it.

That was not all, but they were thetwo subjects that were the most crucialin the hit parade oftroublesome topics tobe handled. Beyond them was a furthergood long inventory of everything fromhealth and sex on into where I had leftthe copy of the book I had been readingjust before leaving San Francisco for NewYork on the Friday. I had a really long listofthings bothering me, and I had alreadyrealized that my rather good mind had itsdown side in that it could turn up morelogical sources of possible trouble andthings to go wrong than could the mindsofalmost any other ofmy close friends andassociates. The latter included a crowd ofchemists and engineers who representedthe cream ofthe crop from the universitiesofAmerica and Europe.

As I went down the list ofpet things inneed of inspection and attendant tensingof the intestinal muscles, I was shockedto find that not even the first two priorityitems twisted my abdominal muscles intoknots. Something strange going on here!

‘

My curiosity increased, and then changedinto astonishment when I concluded thatnot a single one of the pet peeves couldelicit the slightest sense of inner discomfort. Being a reasonably good amateurpsychologist I concluded that my weekendhad included such deeply charged andunusual happenings that obviously theyhad crowded out for the time being anyreactions from even the priority worryitems. But give it time, I said to myself! Ina week or a month they will all be back inorder and yelling their heads off.

Not so! Great heavenly days, what isgoing on here?! Nor were they back aftersix months, and the really fantastic thingis that even today, more than 55 years later,neither they nor substitute occupants forthe worry slots have come back to plaguemy life.

When I had gotten to know MeherBaba far better through direct contactand working on projects for Him in closecontact with Him on a frequent basis, Itold Him that I finally realized that during that first visit in New York, He hadperformed some sort of a miracle on myworry apparatus. Baba looked at me inan amused fashion, as ifl had quite a fewmore things that I had to learn about theAvatar, and said that He had not done anysort ofmiracle, but had simply transferredsomething I had earned in another part ofmy life over into the worry account andused the accumulated earnings to wipeout worry for me.

(As I exchanged thoughts with Sevnon this I realized that this needed afurther clarification. I should not give theimpression that the situations that hadcaused me worry in the past were wiped

out completely by some sort ofmagic. Farfrom it. I was still as conscious as ever ofdelicate and even dangerous aspects, butseeing them produced absolutely no knotsin the stomach. I was perhaps even moreaware of the risks and delicate maneuversthat might well be involved, but theemotional content always hovered aroundabsolute zero.)

I have realized now that an accounttransfer was exactly what Baba had done.I do not know the nature of the depart-ment where I had over-earned, but it

is completely clear that the Avatar haddone a complete and thorough job of thetransfer.

Perhaps it may sound as ifthis is all toosimple, and so that this seeming simplicity may be put into proper perspective, Iwould like to tell the part ofthis story thatI have never recounted to date. I realizedquite soon that the things I had worriedabout so diligently were not imaginary onmy part. Theywere good, logical and quitedisastrous possibilities that my quick mindcould see and which I could not dismiss,and frequently, not even plan for in myscenarios of work. This is why they werefrequently so deeply unnerving.

And where was Baba’s busy creativitywith this side of the problem? Actually,right next to me and abundantly available.He was always right there, I found, andalthough disaster was not eliminated frommy life from that point on, it came under astrange sort of control that I would neverhave anticipated. In some extraordinarymanner, when disaster did strike on occasion, the simple fact ofBaba’s existenceand the sanity and rationality that reignedeven at the height ofcrisis was always sufficient for the occasion, and I never feltthat disaster was about to take over. Andit never did.

Baba never did a miracle to erase aproblem, but often it was reduced farbeyond what I had thought its potentialfor destruction would be; and people didnot seem to go out ofcontrol and mess upthings out of sheer fear. It was realistic,but measured and under control, with resources being drawn in that I would never

continued onpg. 26

22

The Ashevil!e* Daily ‘J2lanet on “Don’t Woiry 13e2lappy”Editor’c note: Mr. North may not be

aware that Baba said “Not a leaf falls butby My will” and so would put his writingthe following editorial in his North Carolina newspaper last October—just as I wasplanning on making the lead story for thisissue Baba’s meaning behind this ubiquitousphrase—as mere coincidence.

Debbie Nordeen first brought Mr.North’s editorial to my attention after herhusband Peter had written a response tothe paper, which, showing the utmost openmindedness, Mr. North published, followedby the many letters to the editor that followed. You can see the original paper at:ashevilledailyplanet.com/content/view/1527/7

John North, Editor & Publisher of theAsheville Daily Planet

ile attending a recent frmnction atan Asheville-area school, I saw a

bumper sticker on a locker with the slogan“Don’t Worry — Be Happy’.

My gut reaction was, indeed, to worry.To me, the philosophy represented by thatstatement is one of the most worrisomethat one could propose for a culture likeours, which continues to veer relentlesslytoward mindless narcissism.

Most people’s exposure to the phrase isfrom the vacuous song of the same nameby Bobby McFerrin that hit No. 1 for twoexcruciating (for me) weeks in September1988.The songwas borrowed brieflywithout permission by George H.W. Bush forhis successflil campaign for president in1988. However the Bush campaign quicklydropped it when McFerrin, a Democrat,strenuously objected.

Since then, the cliché has becomeubiquitous in American culture, much tomy chagrin. I hate to spoil the party butlet’s be honest—there are major problemsgoing on that cannot be solved by donningrose-colored glasses. Instead, ignoringsuch problems only makes them fester andworsen.

As I often heard bitter survivors ofatrocities utter toward their apatheticcountrymen during my travels overseas,“You may not like politics, but politics likesyou.” Their message was that it is vitallyimportant to keep up with what’s happen-ing, even ifit’s upsetting, because one’s verylife could depend on it.

Asheville, North Carolina

Interestingly, the phrase “Don’t worry,be happy” appears to have originated withMeher Baba (1894-1969), who was an In-dian spiritual teacher who claimed he wasthe Avatar. (I do find it ironic that Baba’sfavorite song reportedly was Jim Reeves’“There’s a Heartache Following Me.”)

The guru was known to conclude hiscommunications with his Western devoteeswith the phrase that McFerrin later spottedon a Baba poster and lifted for his hit song.McFerrin—who must be easily impressedwith self-styled incarnations of God—termed it “a pretty neat philosophy in fourwords, I think.” (McFerrin must not havebeen exposed to much philosophy ifhe wasmoved by Baba’s psycho-babble.)

I’m no Avatar, but if I were a dictator,I think this would be the message I wouldconstantly be sending out, so that I wouldhave no critics or challengers,just a passive,care-free populace of mindless supporters.

To that end, I often suspect that government bureaucrats and school officials,among others, are seeking to tranquilizethe masses in whatever way they can to en—

able them to perpetrate theiragendas unhindered by acritically thinking populace.

We all know people whonever want to read, view orhear bad news because it isupsetting to them and theydon’t want their pristine stateof happiness disrupted bythese unpleasant intrusionsinto their fragile mindsets.As a result, these practitionersofdenial thinking—extremistpositivism—are unable toforesee the negative consequences of their own actionsand are blindsided by slingsand arrows from the outsideworld.

Taken on its face, Baba’sphilosophy also provides aconvenient crutch for anyonehaving to grapple with difficult choices. This mindsetencourages seif-centerednessand narcissism by puttingone’s own happiness first.

As for worry within reasonable bounds, it is a naturalhuman characteristic that isa key survival skill, having

evolved since human beings first foresawthe need to protect themselves and planfor hard times.

To me, “worry” represents an interest inthe world outside oneself, a caring attitudeabout others and a concern for making theworld a better place for now as well as forfuture generations.

Granted, there are many in our societywho have elevated worry to a stratosphericlevel, resulting in self-paralysis and general misery for them and everyone aroundthem—extreme hypochondriacs, for example. However, I am advocating a middleroad on worry—and see either extreme asproblematic.

When it comes to happiness, I am notan advocate ofgloom and doom, but I alsothink happiness is not something you canjust “be,” unless you are marketing blissvia the sale ofbooks, CDs and workshops.From my own personal experiences andresearch, happiness seems to be more theresult of a process resulting from one’sinteraction with the world.

An improvement over Baba’s philos

23

I.-’

ophy—and the only way I’ve ever seenit work for anyone—would be: Enjoylife where you can, but don’t make beinghappy or avoiding worry your number onepriorities.

However, I realize that this is won’t fiton a bumper sticker on anyone’s schoollocker—and that this more nuanced phi-losophy will be hard to make into a catchysong lyric.

John North, publisher and editor ofthe Daily Planet, may be contacted atpublisher@ashevilledailyplanet.com.

LSLPeditori note.Mr North very kindlygave us his permission to print this series ofletters, askingfor a copy ofthe magazine.Hmmm. . . do we see Baba hand in this

Letters to the Editor:Meher Baba scholar contends columnoversimplifies ‘avatar’s’ views

We enjoy the Asheville Daily Planetand saw your (John North’s) article aboutMeher Baba just as we were leaving forMeherabad, India, where we live everywinter. We took you with us on theplane!

My husband, Peter, has written aresponse. We’d love to see you publishit in fairness to this subject. It is two

hundred words less than your article.We ask you not to publish it if you arenot able to present it in its entirety.Looking forward to hopefitily seeing thisin your paper soon!

From Meherabad, India to you in

Asheville, in the spirit of “Onepeople, one planet, one future”.. .. “You and I are not ‘we’but ‘one.” — Meher BabaI’m grateful, Debbie Nor-

deenMeherabad, India

*****

Recently, someone shared anarticle with me written by thepublisher of the Daily Planet,John North, entitled, “Don’tworry, be happy’ — OK, ifyouprefer tyranny.”

Mr. North cited that thephrase originated from MeherBaba, whom he referred to as a“guru,” with a “philosophy.”

I found it interesting thatJohn North took the liberty touse several hundred words to

criticize this “philosophy” which he as-sumed could be reduced to four words.

So even though, during his lifetime,Meher Baba was lovingly indifferent topeople who criticized or praised him, I feltthe need to respond for the sake ofthe fewreaders who might be genuinely interestedin the truth ofMeher Baba.

Meher Baba stated that his life’s mis-sion was to help all souls come to a deeperunderstanding ofthe inviolable unity of alllife in creation, not by establishing a newreligion or cult, but byliving a practical lifeof loving service without self-interest. Healways frowned upon religious bigotry andspiritual pretension of any type. As such,there is no carrot-on-a stick in followingMeher Baba—no promise ofbeing a member of an exclusive dogma while others bedamned (since we are all one).

What then has attracted the growingnumbers ofpeople from all different faithsto Meher Baba, despite the cynical reactions of both the religious and intellectualorthodoxy?

From the very beginning it has been,and continues to be, his unparalleled love.The price and the reward for his followers(known as Baba-lovers) for enjoying thatlove is an increased capacity to live honest,pure, and natural lives.

Meher Baba gave little importance tolectures and speeches, focusing instead onhis work to deliver a great spiritual push tothe world, which he promised would hap-pen within the century after he “droppedhis body” (January 31, 1969). Indeed, oneof the elements of that work was his self-

imposed silence of 43-1/2 years. Yet hecontinued to communicate eloquently, andmany ofhis messages and explanations havebeen recorded and published.

The phrase “Don’t worry, be happy”often loses its context in a world obsessedwith pop culture and sound bites; MeherBaba did not mean “don’t be concerned withanything, do whatever you want.”

In a list of directives he gave to hisfollowers entitled “My Wish for My Lovers,” number one is “Do not shirk yourresponsibilities.” In the book Discourses byMeher Baba, one can read a chapter withthe title, “The Conditions of Happiness.”The explanations of spiritual life in thisbook are considered to rank amongst themost beautiful and comprehensive by serious seekers of truth.

A clearer context for the phrase in question here, often used by Meher Baba, is: “Iwant you to do your honest best, then don’tworry, be happy.Just think ofme, and I willhelp you.”

Of course, this doesn’t fit on a bumpersticker. Though it may be less appealing toour present culture, ifwe were to ask MeherBaba himseiffor one ofhis short messages,he might reply, “Inscribe these words inyour heart; nothing is real but God—nothing matters but love for God.”

Oh, and by the way, though he didindeed enjoy the song “Heartache Follow-ing Me,” his favorite song was “Begin theBeguine.”

Peter Nordeen, Meherabad India

Editorc Note: Peter Nordeen is the writerandproducer ofthe biographical documentary,God in Human Form: the Lfè and Wrk ofAvatarMeherBaba. He lives in bothAshevilleandMeherabad India.

Letters to the Editor:

I never cared for the phrase “Don’tWorry, Be Happy.”You (John North) madea good argument against it (in a columnheadlined “Don’t worry, be happy’ — OK,ifyou prefer tyranny’ in the Oct. 24 editionofthe Daily Planet.) I’ve been a Meher Babadevotee for more than 30 years. You wrotea good article. I appreciate it. But you don’tget off entirely scot-free. You might lookdeeper into the psychology of the phrase,and, ofcourse, you’ve read Peter Nordeen’sresponse.

There was one follower of Baba’s whoactually tried very hard not to worry, to be

24

happy. He found it a difficult path. I can’tdo it. He was Meherji Karkarian, a Parsibusinessman who visited the U.S. in the1970s and ‘80s.

I have about 1,200 ordinary pages ofBaba quotes on this computer. Here’s one:

“Learn the art of taking your stand onthe Truth within. When you live in thisTruth, the result is the fusion of the mindand heart and the end of all fears and sorrow ... a love which is illuminated by theintuitive wisdom of the spirit will blessyour life with ever-renewing fulfillmentand never-ending sweetness.”

Hope you get a raft ofresponses to yourarticle. You’ll love them.

Best to you. Hey, Be Happy! Yours,Ben Leet, San Leandro, Calif.

*****

I read your (John North’s) recent articleabout “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” with sadamusement. Sad because I feel your under-standing ofMeher Baba’s intent missed themark by a thousand yards. Amused becauseI can imagine taking it all at face value andvisualizing grinning zombies wanderingthe earth with bumper stickers plasteredto their heads.

As a follower of Meher Baba for over30 years, I have had the privilege of meet-ing many of his close disciples. No finerbunch of people have I ever met. Earlyamong those drawn to the truth he broughtthrough the very example of his life wasMahatma Gandhi. Gandhi first met MeherBaba in 1931 on the 5.5. Rajputana en routeto Europe. They stayed in contact up toGandhi’s murder in 1948.

Gandhi was no ninny. He was certainlyno self-involved slacker. If anything, hisrelationship with Baba gave him courage topursue a most courageous course, standingup to tyranny as we do today.

I’m no Gandhi, but I’ve been on thefront lines with Cindy Sheehan, CynthiaMcKinney and others in recent weeks making our voices heard. I find the directive tonot worry and be happy difficult. However,I take it seriously and do my best.

As a political cartoonist, humor is one ofmy main tools in pointing out the hypocrisyof the day. Knowing Meher Baba has myback, in a sense, helps me stay sane and notgive in to constant worry and misery, whichthe daily headlines readily promote.

On the wall of my studio is a photo ofMeher Baba containing the quote, “Realhappiness lies in making others happy.”

I do my best. I draw my cartoons, I

teach kids at the Charles Schulz Museum,but I do worry and get depressed. For-tunately Baba is there to remind me of ahigher truth. As a result, I bounce backfaster and get back to work. Tyranny lovesself-involved zombies. I have no ambitionto be one.

Sincerely,Brian Narellewww.cartoonfreeamerica.comRohnert Park, Calif.

People without knowledge of Him(Meher Baba) interpret this saying wrong-ly, I think.They read, “Take it easy, be cool,you’re not supposed to struggle.Just ignorewhat is troubling you and stay amusedsomehow.” But that’s not it at all, really. Abetter interpretation would be somethinglike this:

The practice to which we are called is tochoose happiness; to deliberately and in-telligently, even bravely, through an act ofinternal will, exercise the innate power ofour spirit to return, right now and in everymoment, to a state ofcomplete sufficiency. . . already happy . . . even when confrontedwith every apparent reason whywe shouldretreat from that happiness into doubtand self-concern. It is to stand free, inthe midst of all the misery in the world,by the conscious action of simply turningour thoughts to God; by remembering ourinherent being in God. This remembranceis possible through having the God-Manto relate to.

We should always do this, but especially when negative experiences arise.We should remember at those times thatwhich is cause for celebration: our know-ing that God actually exists and that Hehas begun, somehow, to awaken us to HisReality We must establish this practice ofremembrance and, from this state, beginto function as happiness.

Not that we should close our eyesto what is difficult or disturbing in life.If anything, we are more present, moreaware of suffering. But beneath it all weare rooted injoy, buoyed up from within byour very existence as conscious Spirit, con-fident that all our (real) needs will be met.We are not upset by factors that we cannotchange or control or have; not fearful ofwhat might happen next; not dependenton any particular response from life tomake us feel OK. And thus we look with afull heart at others around us and considerhow we might serve as an instrument of

this awakening, so that it might become alittle more accessible to everyone.

This then is the practice, the choice. Itis a struggle, not a negation of struggle. Itis the very struggle that leads to the Goal.Moreover, we find that to do any less thanthis when facing the crush of events andcircumstances is to allow worry to chooseus, so to speak. And it will! It will catchus up in endless complications, maintain-ing its control over us by a kind of mentalinertia until at last we realize that theproblems are never solved. Circumstanceswill never be made perfect. Life will neverbeallftxedup.

Rather, then, we choose happiness ineach moment ... NOW! ... and by thispractice gradually build ourselves a newlife, right here, in this happy place thatoutshines the old and dissolves the illusionof separation perfectly. It is a process ofconscious choice and remembrance. Andif death intervenes before the process iscomplete ... so what?!

Author unknown, submitted byMichael D Ivey Prague, OkIa.

* ** **

In response to John North’s article“Don’t worry, be happy’ — OK, if youprefer tyranny.” I must say that I disagreewith his assessment ofa worry-free populace as prime fodder for tyranny. In fact, ifhistory is any indicator, a tyrant’s main toolis fear. This is true of any leader or groupwhose main interest is in wielding powerover others. Fear is a powerful ally for thosewho want to govern. In my experience,worry is a state ofhabitual fearfulness!

Worry tends to take me out of thepresent by focusing my attention on imaginary future problems based on past badexperiences. This robs me of the healthymental state ofliving in the “here and now”causing unnecessary stress and an inabilityto act effectively to correct the actual difficulties at hand.

Real concern for others and theproblems of the world we live in is notworry-based, but is based in compassion,in essence, based in love not in fear. Feartakes away our strength, while love givesus strength.

I read a quote somewhere, whoseauthor I’ve forgotten, that went some-thing like this: “where there is fear,there can be no love.” In order for realprogress to be made individually or asa society, I suggest we shun the fearmongers and proceed to change the

25

world with calm, compassionate action.John North opened up a great topic fordiscussion with his article, and I really appreciate that. Thanks John!

Tom Hart, Santa Rosa, California

Column on ‘Don’t worry, be happy’attitude triggers further comment

I just read your (John North’s) essayon “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and I have tosay I very much agree with much of yourtake on it. I’ve been involved with MeherBaba for about 25 years, and that phrase(as it’s being quoted) can sound so pithyand shallow. Makes me cringe, too. Butthere’s two things I wanted to mention:the fuller quote that these words are takenfrom is “Do your best. Then, don’t worry,be happy. I will help you.”

So, those first three words change thewhole tenor of the quote. Those threewords completely disable any leanings to-wards self-centered laziness or narcissisticlaxity In fact, those three words keep mebusy day in and day out. But then there’sthat assurance: once you’ve done yourbest, you have help. Pure grace, no? Onceyou’ve done your best ...

The second thing I wanted to mentionis that one ofMeher Baba’s main teachingsis the importance of serving others. (Infact, “Mastery in Servitude” are the wordspainted over the threshold of his holytomb.) So, you see .. . ifone does not knowmore ofMeher Baba’s teachings, it’s easyto toss off a quote as selfish drivel.

But being self-centered is just notsomething one can tolerate on this par-ticular path. The focus is on doing yourbest, deepening your heart and sincerelycaring for others as ways to love God.So very far from rose-colored glasses andsimply denying the worries we all face inour world.

I think (maybe) Meher Baba wouldhave exhorted us to take a clear look atthe worries and suffering, roll up oursleeves and get to work bettering things,actually.

Thanks,John. Appreciate your time inreading this.

Elizabeth Heaney, Tucson Ariz.

Thanks so much (to Daily Planet Pub-lisherJohn North) for keeping the spirit ofOne people, One planet, One future . .. andpublishing the Meher Baba responses.

It was really great to see people from

all over the replying... I felt that you chosea wonderful diverse group of replies. I soenjoyed seeing the variety...

Injoy, Debbie Nordeen,Meherabad, India

As we go to press, these letters are still on theAsheville Daily Planetc webs ite:ashevilledailyplanet.com/index.php/Opinion/Letters-to-the-Editor-Nov.-14-2007.html

‘Garlic Faced’ continuedfrornpage 20

spiritual growth and designed to bring uscloser to Him. Trust that as our Master,He will never let us down.

To be cheerful, one has to be patientwith oneself and forgiving of one’s so-called “mistakes”. To be truly cheerful, onehas to surrender everything to Baba.

For me, the most important aspect ofthe spiritual path is remembrance. Babasays this over and over again in variousways: to remember Him more and more,to hold on to His damaan, to take Hisname when we first awake and before wego to sleep, or to dress our souls in Baba,first thing in the morning. It is throughremembrance that the lover is remindedto make an effort to be cheerful, bothinwardly and outwardly. It is through remembrance we can surrender and let go.

I’ve come to experience that the in-terplay between the demands of the ego(which He stirs up) and our efforts toremember Him (which is what He wants)is the only spiritual path I really know. Atthis point, it’s more a path of ignorance-realization than God-realization. Andmy so-called weaknesses are the verystepping-stones of this path. Withoutthem, it wouldn’t even be possible to loveHim or to long for Him. So, if it is Babawho is stirring us up, it is only natural thatwe become a little garlic faced from time totime. In those moments, when the claimsof the ego turn to ignorance-realizationand despair, with Baba’s help we can follow with remembrance, trust, acceptance,forgiveness, patience, surrenderance, and,oh yes, cheerfulness.

*Reprinted from Wendy Haynes Connor’scolumn in “All (Baba) Things Considered” onshcriarbooks.org

“Revisiting...” continuedfrornpage22

have dreamed of but there they were andready to be used, and they were what wasnecessary. And if the answer finally ham-mered out was not perfection, at the veryleast those present and responsible werepleased with the outcome, and acceptedit as a fine product of competence andgood judgment. In some internal processof chemistry I knew Baba kne and thatthe resources were at hand if we all hadthe good sense to look about and do theobvious.

All this was an enormous learningprocess and I could not argue with it.

There was no longer any way to inventuncertainty and worry in a situation whenyou knew the Avatar kne and that Hecould be depended upon ifyoujust did anintelligent job with the things at hand orwaiting nearby in the wings ofthe stage ofthe drama. You get to know a friend prettywell after you go through three or four dramas with Him as the constant companion.This is when the real inner links are forgedand welded into place.

I should not leave discussion of thistremendous happening in my life withBaba without reminding myself and mycompanions ofwhat Baba has embodiedclearly in His writings for us—but whichwe tend repeatedly to forget in the excite-ment ofthe battle oflife: This is His calmreminder that when one starts on the pathof return to God, the way is littered withbarriers that have to be removed, and thisdemands a ready and large store ofpsychicenergy. He then goes on to comment that,unfortunately, when such a situation arisesand the energy must be applied, we usuallyfind that the energy storage tank is emptor almost so. It has been wasted, He says,in many situations in which we have oftenfrittered it away, largely needlessly, andthat of all the causes for this, the greatestculprit is our capacity to worry endlessly.Ofcourse, those words are pure Don Stevens and not Meher Baba, but this is Hisbasic reason for prodding us constantlywith “Don’t worry, be happy.”

1(t

26

just Like a2’Jut Caught in the Crusher_71’k1ier BaIrn

Ihave been saying all the time, age afterage, that when I, the Ancient One, as-

sume this human form, there are many falseprophets who claim themselves as Avatars.For instance, a week back I received a letterfrom Uttar Pradesh; a devotee writes thatthere are two persons in his town, and eachproclaims himself as the Avatar of the age.This created a great deal ofconftision in hismind. Also, in one ofthe towns inNorthern India, there is one so-cial worker who claims, and has agenuine feeling for his claim, thathe is the Avatar.

I am telling you all these thingsin detail for it is My right alone tosay so as all of them are My children. As far as you are concernedyou should neither criticize nor in-dulge in backbiting. Ifyou speak illofa real saint, it will be harmftil foryou. You will create dreadifil (sanskaric) bindings. You should avoidscandalizing even the so-calledmahatmas who call themselvessaints, because it is not possiblefor you to be certain whether theyare real or not. The presumptuoussaints outwardly act like real saints.You will not be able to differentiate between them, just in the sameway as you would not be able todifferentiate between the mastsand the mad persons. Yet what aworld of difference lies in their in-ner states!

Coming back to the point ofrealsaints, I would like you to knowthat to become a saint is not child’splay. The very word saint, when commonlyused or made applicable to anyone, createsa lot of misunderstanding. I will tell yousomething that will clear offthe misunderstanding regarding saints.

There are two types of saints: (1) realsaints and (2) imitation saints.Just as an or-dinary person cannot distinguish between areal and an imitation pearl, you cannot distinguish between a real saint and an imitation saint. I, alone, like a jeweler can makeout the difference.

Particularly in India we find a lot ofimitations saints, and this is due to the superficial study of the Vedanta. By studying

Vedanta one can say, “I am God;” sadgurusalso say, “I am God.” Imitation saints alsosay the same thing, but with the help ofVedanta. Real saints need no such help; theysay what they experience. There are alsosome who, after reading Vedanta, realizethat they have no such experience. But theystill say, “I am God.”This is hypocrisy Alsothere are some imitation saints who, after

reading Vedanta, have a genuine feelingand say “I am God,” though in reality theydo not have any conscious experience.

If anyone confers greatness on you andbegins to worship you, and garlands you,you know yourself that you do not deservethe same. At the outset you are tempted toaccept this greatness which makes you feelhappy. But your conscience will be con-stantly pricking you and you will always bein a state of anxiety about future develop-ments. You will be frequendy in a fix eitherto accept or reject the greatness which isthrust on you.

Once you accept this conferred greatness

it is very difficult for you to get out of thesituation. After a time, the pricks of con-science even cease troubling you for you getused to them. Then it becomes an addiction and you cannot do without it. You thenpose as a real saint. This posing will causeyou to take additional innumerable births;so why pose as a saint, without inner experience?

As for Myself I say, “I am theHighest of the High.” Had I notbeen the Ancient One I wouldhave encouraged you to visit theso-called saints. I would have evenpraised them and they too wouldhave praised Me in return. Thusa clique would get formed thatwould promote mutual praise todupe the public.

If anyone of you meets an imitation saint or an imitation Avatar, what would he say to you? Hewould say the same thing as I do.If you tell him that Baba is theAvatar, he may even say, “I am the

‘real one, and that Baba is a fraud!”

r When anyone approaches an imitation saint and is attracted by theoutward atmosphere which he cre

-

ates around him and, if owing tohis faith in the imitation saint hegetsz experiences, he is likely toattribute them to that imitationsaint. This creates confusion....

What is the remedy for this? Iwill tell it now. It will be very use-fiil only ifyou grasp it thoroughly.If all of you are convinced thatBaba is the Avatar, God Incarnate,

the question of confusion does not arise atall. In this case, just hold fast to My daaman, and close all doors for confusion andconflict to enter your minds. Ifyou are notconvinced, leave Me. Seek someone else.But ifyou try to stick to Me with a waver-ing mind, without being convinced of MyDivinit you would bejust like a nut caughtin the crusher.

The Best of the Glow, ed. NaosherwanAnzar, pp. 17-20 Copyright 1984 Naosherwan Anzar.

%K1*,..

: 4

27

7he JIJ/tiraculous Life and Death ofDanny J/l/ktguire

JeffMaguire, Los AngelesEditorc note.• Many thousands ofpeople

the world over know ofDanny Maguire—the lucky ones throughpersonal experience—and the others, through the writings ofhis Oscar nominated [In the Line ofFire]screenwritingfatherJeffMaguire. Since thatday,July 1 72005, when Fate stepped in andhanded Danny the cards he was to playfornigh on threeyears,Jeffkept us allclose to the

family by his daily emailupdates on Danny.Atfirst these emails went to extendedfam—ily and closefriends, but gradualiy, like therzpples in apondreacting to a thrownpebble,they circledtheglobe. People ofallFaiths werecaught up in the miraculous events surround—ing thisyoung manc lfè. For those who werenot recipients, I askedJeffto encapsulate theamazingstoryfortheLove StreetLampPost.He tried, but the loss was stilltoo close. ‘7 willwrite morefor the next issue, “hepromised us.‘The Miraculous Lfè and Death ofDannyMaguire’ sounds like a wonderful titlefor afilm, andFve no doubt the screenplayforthatfilm willbe written by Dannycfathe All inBabacperfect timing.

For right now,JeffandLynn are headedoffto Meherabac4 to lay it allat the Belovedc

fiet.To begin, wegiveyou a briefbiography of

Danny,followedby examples ofthe wonder-fulemailsJeffwouldsendoutto the worldandthen we close,for now, withJeffc story ofhisamazing son and the work that we believeDanny was brought into this world to do.

A BriefBiography

fanny was born on May 19, 1985.Growing up, he enjoyed the sup-

port and love of a large close-knit family,a remarkably loyal and affectionate circleof friends and the global Meher Babafamily. He attended Manhattan Beachpublic schools and played youth sportslike soccer, baseball and the sport he lovedmost: hockey.

Everyone who knew Danny appreciated his great sense of humor,his kindness toward others, and hispassion for music. He began writingsongs when he was seven, and startedhis first band, “Beyond”, in sixthgrade, performing “Purple Haze” atan awards assemblywith his lifelongfriends, Sherif Shoucri, TommyOstendorf and stalwart roadie MattPalmer.

Danny and Sherif continued towrite music and perform togetherin several bands, culminating inthe legendary “Good For Nothing”with Brian Gregoire and Ediz Basol.Danny also loved writing and playing

music with his big brother, Andy Owens,whom he considered his most importantmusical influence.

After graduating from Mira CostaHigh School in 2003, Danny attendedthe University of Colorado and formedthe band “Fisticuffs” with Brian, KevinHalcomb and Mike Cascio.

During the summer after his sophomore year, Danny, aged 20, was hit by adrunk driver while cycling home in theearly morning ofJuly 17, 2005. Doctorsgave him little chance of surviving, yetwith an indomitable will and vast amountsof love and prayers from thousands ofpeople all over the world, of every imaginable faith, Danny triumphed againsttremendous odds.

His large family, including parentsLynn and Jeff cousin Katie, Aunt Ten,brother Andy and Andy’s wife Tnicia,along with a huge number offniends, likeMisti James, who never missed a nightat Danny’s bedside, devoted themselvesto his care and recovery for the next two

years and ten months.Eventually, Dannywas able to commurncate by touching letters on an alphabet

board, and spelled out messages like“GOD’S LOVE IS REAL”; “MEHERSAYS NOTHING IS REAL BUTGOD”; and “I LOVE YOU”. He evencracked a few jokes and played blackjackwith friends. By answering “Yes” or “No”questions, he indicated that he was always

4 that he was never sad, angry or

U- _:t

1988, Love that birthday cake! His 3rd Danny andEruch, Meherabad

28

scared, and that he saw angelsand Meher Baba constantly.

Through emails sent regularly by Danny’s father, thou-sands of people participatedin Danny’sjourney. When hepassed on May 18th, 2008,after a brief battle with aninfection, Danny’s familyreceived over 1,000 emailsexpressing love and gratitudefor the inspiration that Dannyprovided to so many people.Danny’s was truly a life well-lived.

At the age of 13, Dan-ny wrote a song called, MyHeart Goes Out To You. Thevery last verse is:

‘Now ThiJèeling worn out, my headand brain are gone;

But, one thing: my heartstands strong;

I amfilled with watei, and inthe hospital;

Ijust scored the winning goal.”

Despite his physical suffering, Dannyalways let us know he was happy. Imaginehowjoyflil he is now that he’s free...

Danny News — August 15th 2007

Dear friends and family,So much to report on since the last

update. I’ll start with the big event lastweekend: Andy [my stepson] and Triciawere married under a beautiful CaliforniaLive Oak tree, alongside a waterfall, in theSanta Monica Mountains above Malibu.Last fall we had asked Danny ifhe was go-ing to attend the wedding and he touched“YES” on his board and he was true to hisword Saturday.

We drove off in Danny’s van at 3:30pm and didn’t get back home until aftermidnight and Danny did great. He sleptnow and then but for the most part he wasalert, taking it all in.

While the guests were arriving and set-tling in, Danny’s old band mates, SherifBrian and Tommy, played acoustic guitars.I got choked up when they played one ofthe mellow songs that Danny and Sherifwrote and performed.

During the ceremony I spoke of howTricia, who has felt like a member of thefamily from the first day we met her, hadsupported us so lovingly in our difficulttime. I also said how happy we all were tohave Danny there. I explained that whileDanny could not communicate in hiswheelchair, he could understand every-thing said to him so everyone should feelfree to come over and say hello to him. Hewas the recipient oflots oflove and goodwishes and by the time he left had lipstickmarks on both cheeks.

Danny was also referenced in several ofthe toasts that night. Andy made a speechin which he remembered telling Dannyback in the ICU that when he made it outofthere he would be his best man, and thatalthough Daniel Stevenson (the same Dr.Dan we call when Danny needs medicalattention) was subbing for him, Dannywasthe best man for miles around.

The week before, we had asked Dannyifhe had a message for us to give Andy andTricia on their wedding day. He spelled outon his board “I LOVE YOU”. We took aphoto of Danny with the board and, during the wedding toasts, Lynn presented itto the newlyweds as Danny’s toast whiletears flowed like the evening’s wine.

Two days after the wedding, Danny

was back on the therapy tablewith my nephew Eruch andhis wife Cory helping. Dannyrapidly spelled out “ERUCHIs WONDERFUL”, practically tossing himself towardthe letters furthest from hisreach. He also solved thismath problem: 52 x 17 — 906= a. 32 b. 22 or c. 12 [fyouhave a calculator handy, orhave a brainfor math, you willknow that the answer must bea minus, butJeffforgot to putit in when heshowedthe boardwith theproblem on itto his son.Amazingly Danny pointed to22, just knowing it was really

meant to be minus 22!]A few weeks back he spelled out “As

it was is ever will stay. . .“ We weren’tsure what that meant but I found myselfthinking ofthe Christian prayer that goes,“Glory be to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit, as it was in thebeginning, is now, and ever shall be, worldwithout end. Amen.” I emailed Bhau aboutthis and he wrote back, “That means GodIs, and there is no past and no future, andexcept God, there is none. It is illusionwhich creates the dream, and we thinkthat dream life is the real life.”One othernote: many ofyou sent us information andlinks about the man who had an electrodeimplanted in his brain to jumpstart hisspeech process. We will be looking intothis closely and watching the new studythat will involve 12 subjects who are eitherin comas or minimally-conscious. We’velearned to approach this sort ofprocedure

“Baba, Baba, Baba, make my dream be my lift”

,

II”Danny and mother Lynn at Meherabad

29

with caution since it’s a risk any timethe skull is opened up. Also, Dannyis much further along than the manwho was helped by the electrode andwould have more to lose if thingswent awry. Finally, we’ve learnedthrough some past setbacks that someprocedures and drug treatments mayproduce a big initial improvementonly to pendulum the subject backso he is worse off than before. Sowe’ll look into all the pros and consand consult carefully with Maggieand Penny before trying anything onDanny. At the same time, we wantto thank everyone who sends us in-formation. We’re always glad to readabout anything that comes along nomatter how experimental, and we’realways appreciative to know that somany people are thinking of Dannyand us.

Two days ago, I again wrote onDanny’s board, “Are you happy?” Wedidn’t read the question to him. Wejust let him look at it and watched as hequickly moved his hand to “YES”. That’sthe most important thing, isn’t it?

Much love, Jeff

Danny’s Passing,Mayl8,2008

Dear friends and family,I’m so sorry to have to report that our

beloved son, DannyMaguire, passed awaytonight at Torrance Me-morial Hospital at 5:30

pm PDT. Although theofficial time was 6:25 pm,it was clear to us that heleft his body earlier.

He fought valiantlyagainst an aggressive in-fection throughout theday today as his kidneysfailed and his heart andlungs stressed. A teamof doctors and nursesworked hard to save himand to bolster his flag-ging blood pressure butlate in the afternoon,after a lengthy dialysissession, it became clearthat his body could notmake it.

With the end imminent, and Danny barelyconscious, he was surrounded by loved ones,including Lynn, me, Ka

K tie, Andy, Tricia, Mistiand close friends BrianGregoire, Matt Palmer,

Kevin Halcomb, Sarah and StaceySteinmeier, Tommy Ostendorf andhis momJerr and SherifShoucri andhis mom Sylvia. We all held handsand several songs were sung, including a beautiftil rendition of “DannyBoy” that Lynn sang to her boy. Wealso sang Bob Marley’s “RedemptionSong” and Rancid’s “Roots Radicals”,two songs that Danny loved.

We all told Danny how muchwe loved him and what a wonderfrdson, brother, cousin and friend he’sbeen. And we praised him for hay-ing fought such a courageous fightin the past three years, inspiring somany people around the world, butwe conceded that his body could notgo on, and that now it was time forhim to go to God and be free fromhis difficulties. We urged him to goto Meher Baba. Several nurses andhospital staff members remarked onhow much love they felt emanatingfrom the room. I told them how so

many ofyou, all over the world, were send-ing love and energy to Danny.

Finally, his friends lined up to offertheir goodbyes. Just as the last of hisfriends turned for the door, Danny’s eyessuddenlywidened and then it seemed as ifa candle had been blown out. The nursesat the station outside the room came inand said that the monitors indicated agreat shift at that moment. Although forthe next half-hour, his heart continued toslowly beat, it was clear to all of us thatwhile he still looked very beautiftil, he hadleft his body. He was free.

It’s now 10 pm and we’re still stunned. Itall happened so quickly - yesterdaywe gaveDanny a shower, played music for him andread him books in the backyard. Tonight Iwrite about my son in the past tense.

I can say that he was one of the great-est guys I’ve ever known, unequaled inhis courage, work ethic, ability to endurepain, and sense ofhumor these past nearlythree years.

When I got home tonight there wereanother 200 emails waiting, many of thembirthday greetings still coming in fromaround the world, others responses to theupdate I sent out this morning. So many ofthe writers remark about how Danny hasinspired them and given them a new per-spective on what is important in life andthe primacy of love, faith and courage.

Danny would have been 23 years oldtomorrow. His life was more significant

Danny andBhau 7/8/05, nine days before the accident

—rnr—

F •

Playing bass as a back upforJane Brown and Billy Goodrurnat the LA Sahavas 2 weeksprior to the ‘accident’

and more inspiring than the vast majorityof men who live to be three times his lifespan. I will forever be proud of Danny—one of the most remarkable men I’ll everknow.

So many ofyou have gifted Danny andus with love, prayers and support sinceJuly2005. I don’t even know how to write aboutit right now. I’ll try to write another updatein a few days, when I’ve had a chance tocatch my breath and get some sleep. Andthen I can try to put into perspective thegreat blessing that caring for Danny hasbeen for us. For nojust know how grate-ful my family and I are.

With great love and gratitude, Jeff

May 21, 2008

Dear friends and family,I’m pretty exhausted but I just wanted

to say thank you for all the love and themore than 1,000 emails we’ve receivedfrom so many of you all over the world,hundreds of which I haven’t even had achance to read yet!

Our west coast family has gatheredhere, along with Danny’s Aunt Ten whoflew in from the east.

We’re hoping to have an outdoor me-morial service for him on May 3 1 st here inManhattan Beach and sometime thereafterat the L.A. Meher Baba Center. It won’tbe so much a memorial service as a memo-rial festival. A number ofmusician friendshave asked if they could perform, and lotsofpeoplejust want to get up and say a fewwords, so we’ll have an afternoon ofmusicand stories, laughter and tears. During thesummer, we’ll bring Danny’s ashes backeast and have similar gatherings in NewHampshire and in Myrtle Beach, SC. AndI’m certain Danny will enjoy it all.

In time our tears will be far outbalanced byjoy, for as so many ofyou havenoted, Danny is free of the body whichcaused him so much discomfort sinceJuly 17, 2005.

The first 24 hours were pretty impossible, but last night we felt very light, as ifDanny were reassuring us. Despite all hispain, he always let us know he was happy.Now he is both happy and free.

As I’ve told some friends, Danny’s losshas left a huge void in my heart, but I’mconfident that with time, that void will befilled by God’s love and each ofyour emailshas been a drop ofthat love, the level risingsteadily.

There are dozens of stories surround-

ing Danny’spassing thatI’d like to tellyou one day,and so manyofyou have expresseding sentimentsabout Danny inemails, lettersand phone calls.And my God,the number offloral bouquetsdelivered to ourhouse! Yesterday, Andymused that often there is a notice about“in lieu offlowers, please make a donationto. . .“, but in Lynn’s case she absolutelyloves every blossom that comes throughthe door, basking in the love that everybloom suggests.

I can’t possibly tell you all the things Iwant to right now - I’mjust too tired, andmy throat hurts from talking on the phonewith so many loving friends who’ve called.So I’lljust share a few random wonders:

I spoke to our dear friend—and Dan-ny’s musical mentor—Billy Goodrum thismorning. He told me of how he and hisfamily were at the Meher Baba Center inMyrtle Beach at the time that Danny wasstruggling in the hospital. Billy’s children,Annabelle (nine), and Benjamin (four),have always been very close to Danny.At around 5:40 pm Pacific time, minutesafter Danny passed, Billy said Annabellelooked up and said “Danny’s gone.” Sincethen, both kids have been saying, “Danny’swith Baba”.

We learned that in India, MeherBaba’s close disciple Meheru Irani placedthree roses on Baba’s tomb for Danny.One observer said that as she emergedfrom the tomb, she looked radiant andjoyful and everyone present was filledwith the sense of Danny’s joy at being inhis Beloved’s embrace.

Yesterday, Danny’s friends who werewith us at the hospital came over andplayed music in the backyard. Dannywasn’t sitting with them in his wheel-chair this time, but through the laughterand tears it was pretty clear that he waspresent.

Although the vast majority of peoplewho sent us emails had never met Danny,there is a common theme that echoes:Danny was a huge inspiration to masses

of wonderftil people. Many of you havewritten that making Danny’s journey withhim has forever changed your lives. Manyothers have written that Danny helpedthem grow closer to their faith, whetherChristian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or ontheir own unique path. The boy with theword “UNITY” tattooed on his back hasdone his part to, in Meher Baba’s words,“bring the religions of the world togetherlike beads on a string.”

A neighbor wrote to us, “Danny’s jour-ney made each and everyone ofus take thetime to hug our loved ones a little longerand a little tighter. It made us appreciatethe small yet most meaningful things inlife and accept each day as a gift.”

Danny always loved sports and was aterrific competitor, so I’m sure he lovesthe fact that his cousin Donald Ross, 18,dedicated his high school golf tournamentto Danny on May 19th and his ChathamHigh School team won the State Championship.

And last night, the Mira Costa HighSchool ice hockey team that Danny playedon for three years lined up on the blue lineopposite their opponents and both teamshad a moment of silence for Danny. TheCosta Mustangs wore armbands with theletter “D” on it and will continue to doso for the rest of the season. I thankedCoach Mel Bridgman for letting meknow and told him I’d like to come in thelocker room before a game and tell theguys how I’ve learned from my adventurewith Danny that any day you are able tolace up your skates and play the greatgame ofhockey, is a good day. You shouldnever take thejoy ofplaying the game forgranted. Winning and losing really areimmaterial when viewed in the context ofDanny’s experience.

3’

I hope you’ll indulge me ifl write somemore updates in the coming weeks. It’sgood therapy for me and you’ve all beenso generous with your support that I’vecome to rely on you, and I really appreciate knowing that we’re all still together.Eventually, I will hope to answer all theemails—more good therapy—but for nowplease know that we are grateful for all thecommunications and the flowers and fruitand most especially the love.

I’ll close with a sweet email sent to us byone ofDanny’s friends from the two yearshe spent at the University of Colorado. Itsays a lot about Danny:

“I wanted to write you a brief noteabout what an amazing person your sonwas. During our two years at CU, I real-ized he was the epitome oftalent, humility (both of which were often displayedsimultaneously), and unconditional generosity. Although undoubtedly virtuous,it was his exuding aura ofgood vibrationsthat made everyone in his presence alittle happier and notably more at peace.Danny was the person who would stickhis neck out for anyone and everyone.Whether it was bringing an outsider tothe party because he felt the person coulduse a few friends, or letting us know ifsomeone had endured enough berating forthe day. Nobody ever questioned Dannybecause it was understood that his intentions were always selfless and genuine. Iknow that everything I have said qualifiesas “preaching to the choir” but I meanthese words from the bottom ofmy heartand everyone I know who got to knowDanny would wholeheartedly agree withme. Your son was—and asfar as I’m concerned—is andalways will be, one ofthe mostamazing people to have everlived and I’m proud to saythat I’m friends with DannyMaguire.”

*The Lfè and Times ofDannyA/Iaguire will continue in thenext issue ofthe LSLP.

The Life and Times ofDanny Maguire - Part 1

One day lawokefrom this dreamOnly tofindthe reality

By a bash to the headl was deemedTh the truth and itc so enlightening

Pm alive nowYeah lean breathe now

Ii;n so awake nowThi so awake now

From Beads On A String

My son Danny Maguire wrote andrecorded those lyrics in December of2003,when he was 18 years old, about a yearand a half before he received a “bash tothe head” when struck by a drunk driverwhile bicycling home in the early morningofJuly 17th, 2005.

At the hospital, the doctors suggestedmywife Lynn and I should donate Danny’sorgans, but we and the rest of our familysensed an extraordinary life force in ourson, so there was no question of turningoff his ventilator as he lay in a coma inthe Intensive Care Unit. The doctors explained gloomily that Danny had sufferedsevere brain damage; they were looking atsome of the worst CT scans they’d everseen; Danny would never open his eyesagain. They looked on us with pit frustration and—when we shrugged off theirpronouncements—some disdain.

But ifthey could have known the jour-ney Danny would take with his Belovedduring the next three years, they wouldhave been envious—of Danny and all the

rest of us who were blessed to be alongfor the divine ride. For this was anotherchapter in the timeless epic of love thathas been playing out since creation sprangforth, the onlylove story that really mattersaccording to Meher Baba: the romancebetween God and man.

Beads On A String continues fromabove:

As I walk by the light ofthe moonMy mind drifts away with

each step I takeI see straight through this illusion

Like beads on a stringAnd they all mean the same thing

While Dannywas unconscious in the hospital, I read a book about coma patients inwhich several had awoken and describedthe sensation of being comatose as “likewalking by the light ofthe moon.” Danny’slyric about “beads on a string” is, ofcourse,a reference to Meher Baba saying His mis-sion was to bring all the world’s religionstogether “like beads on a string.”

Two years before the accident, our family had gathered in Ireland for a wonder-ftil time. Lynn and I stayed on for a fewmore weeks after Danny left for home toprepare for college. When we returned,we found he had got a tattoo on his lowerback, the word “UNITY” in Old-Englishlettering. We were somewhat perturbed atthe time, but in the wake of the accident,“unity” and “beads on a string” took onnew meaning: the news ofDanny’s injuryspread throughout a worldwide network offamily and friends. While Danny lay in acoma, we received emails, phone calls and

cards from every state in thenation and soon from everycontinent.

In churches and synagogues throughout the U.S.,Europe, Latin America andAustralia, prayers, massesand special services were of-fered for Danny. The Bha’iFaith, centered in Israel,placed Danny on a worldwideprayer list, as did the African-American televangelist T.D.

Jakes. Prayers were offered inmosques in India and Turkey,and in Pakistan 50,000 Muslims gathered and prayed fora 20 year old infidel from theUnited States!

In Guatemala, Mayan In-dian priests performed cer

‘:

—fr.

Lynn and Danny

32

emornes for Danny’s well-being that wereusually reserved for their own people.Native Americans in the U.S held similarceremonies. In India, Danny was therecipient of prayers by Zoroastrians inMumbai, Hindus in Hyderabad, and themany members ofour Meher Baba familyin Meherabad who made constant tripsto Baba’s tomb to entreat Baba to care forHis boy. In Meherazad, Baba’s dear ones[the mandali] placed a photo ofan eight-year old Dannywith Dr. Goher on Baba’sbed and regularly offered roses to Baba inDanny’s name.

Whether due to the prayers, Danny’scourage, or simply Baba’s wish, he defiedthe doctors and after ten days in the coma,he opened his eyes and stabilized.

Throughout this penod, we were in constantcommunication with BhauKaichuri who was on a U.S.

was happening around him, I had no ideathat his “work” over the next three yearswould bring Meher Baba to thousands ofpeople throughout the world and teach usall life lessons that we’ll never forget.

I’ll write more about Danny’s miracubus recovery, startling communicationsand sudden passing, in the next issue ofthe LampPost. At present, the words donot come easily since each one carries meback to difficult times.

I’ll close this piece for now by sayingthat while we very often miss Danny tern-bly, our predominant feeling is gratitude—we’re gratefhl for all the prayers, love andsupport we received and most importantly,grateful for the conscious knowledge of

Meher Baba’sLove, withoutwhich I cannotimagine hay-ing got throughthe past threeyears. We are allso blessed to beclose to Him inthis lifetime.

To Be

Continued

(Place was written in 2000 whenDanny was 15, about the Meher BabaYouth Sahavas in Myrtle Beach)

PLACE

There is aplace where Ican go whenDnfreling down, when flnfreling solo,wego to His home to rejoin, to rejoice,

and everyonec heard even thosewithouta voice.

And now, Jam nevergoing to Go.

Now Ican see that we’re all treated equal,andfln waitingfor nextyear

so I can see the sequel,and who wouldhave thought

that life was so greatlivin’like this in such a bliss state.

And now, Jam nevergoing to Go.

(Danny’s friends found the song below,One Long Day, on his digital recorderafter the accident. Initially I thought the“nightmare” referred to his coma anddifficult recovery, but now I wonder if“digressing from the path” refers to his lifeprior to the accident.)

One Long Daynfl tired, so tired, open my eyes and close

them again,Pve been, spread thin, decaying slowly

Shaken, I rest, on the last thread ofsanity,nfl searchingfor an escape, a better way,

than waking every day, in thissef-inflicted haze,

digressingfrom thepath.

Iwouldnsay that itc ailbeen a nightmareParts were okay, butlin notgonna

dwell thereI think ofmy days ofinnocence

The morellearn the morellong

for ignoranceI)iz restless, impatient, exhausted,

lost and aloneItc lonely, so lonely, behind closed doors

Dreaming, Ishield myse(ffrom this realitynfl searchingfor an escape, a better way

than waking every day in this se(f-inflicted haze,

digressingfrom thepathWhen lawake, lawakefrom

this nightmareI’llbe okay, andl’lllaugh at

these words then,Ipray to GodI make it out alive,

mustfind the strength to open my eyes.

tour and had been stayingwith us until three days be-fore the accident. Duringone of Bhau’s earlier visitsyears before, when Dannywas a little boy, I con-fessed to him my fear thatsomething terrible wouldhappen to me or Danny,a fear no doubt rooted inthe death ofmy own father,which came when I wasfourteen years old.

“You cannot die,” Bhautold me, smiling, “becauseyou have to take care ofDanny. And he cannot die,because he has great work

I I to do. You will see.”That day in the hospital,

GreatPhoeoshop workfrom an unknownperson in England when Danny so tentativelyopened his eyes, long be-

fore we knewwhether he understood what

Pr4 :t: :: ib cwct

‘tr + cloodS..

€cLc

z’ M/2

33

:1assings

13ettj !Rycrns

3u!y 1942 - july 2008

Irene Short, South Carolina

Betty was born in Charlotte, NorthCarolina. Her father was a minister and

as she was growing up her entire life revolvedaround the churches he pastored. From avery early age Betty sang in the church choirand learned to play the piano and organ.

While working in the biology departmentat Duke University in the mid sixties,she heard about Meher Baba and wasimmediately and completely drawn to Him.I met Betty in the winter of 1970. She cameto stay with me and a few other girls livingtogether in Miami, Florida. Immethatelywe were sisters in Baba and remained so forthese 38 years.

One of her special friends was AnnForbes who for years was the head of theMiami Baba Group. After Ann moved to

Myrtle Beach she and Betty remained bestfriends until Ann’s passing in 1988 at theage of94. After Ann’s death, Betty relocatedto New York where she worked at WyethPharmaceuticals doing research on vaccines.She remained there for almost 20 years untilshe retired in Oct. 2006 and returned toMyrtle Beach a few months later.

Over the years she enchanted so manyBaba lovers at various Meher Centerprograms and special events with herbeautifril voice. She was dearly loved by allthe Mandali, whom she felt so lucky andblessed to be with during her numerousvisits to Beloved Baba’s Home at Meherazadand Meherabad. Mani lovingly called her“BedTea”. She became very close to Baba’sbrother Jal and often spent weeks with himin Poona during her many trips to India, andhelped care forJal during his last days.

Betty’s entire life was Meher Baba—herheart yeamed only for Him. She passed intoHis loving embrace quietly and alone late inthe evening ofJuly 7th, six days before her66th birthdayJhe Babalover who found herthe next morning said that her arms lookedas though they had been reaching up andthat she had a smile on her lips. ihere is nodoubt in my mind that she was reaching outto her Beloved and is with Him now andforever.

3ojce 7Jird1910 - 2008

Joyce was originally from the EnglishBaba group and then moved to

Australia and became a member of theAvatar’s Abode Baba family. She passedpeaceftilly August 25th. She was 98 yearsyoung and ready to be released to fly toHim.

Joyce met Baba in London in 1952 andin Myrtle Beach in 1958 and loved Him,thanked Him, blamed Him and gave allinto His hands right to her end.

When in her early nineties she wrotean autobiography A Searchfor the Truth,

My lfr with Meher Baba* and also twomore unpublished works — More Light on

the Sayings ofJesus and How to be Happy

in Old Age. Joyce tried her best to keepBaba’s Wish.

*Available in the Love Street Bookstore

—,

\‘

What “IS” it WitIi J44eher 13abct and CI’tctrlie Chaplin?!Dinci9ibson

Our faithful readers will rememberthat in our second issue of Meher

Baba in Hollywood [page 59 of the thirdand fourth quarter 2007] we printed thespeech that the little barber (CharlieChaplin) made at the end of the movieThe Great Dictator. I commented at thetime that it sounded as though BabaHimself had written the speech! He maydefinitely have inspired Mr. Chaplin inthe writing of it, because Baba said thatthis film was the only one He would liketo have seen seven times! He also in-structed all His Mandali to see it—eventhose who had been banned (under Hisinstructions) from going to the movies.And now this:

Recently I was at a jazz festival andheard a young lady sing “Smile”. It is in-deed a lovely song, but I was really joltedupright when she told us it was writtenby Charlie Chaplin for the movie ModernTimes.

I paid particular attention to the wordsand was struck by how exactly it mirroredBaba’s words in the “Song of the NewLife:”

“Even if your heart is cut to bits, letthere be a smile on your lips.”

Smile,thoughyour heart is aching

Smile,even though its breaking

When there are clouds in the sky,you’llget by

Ifyou smile throughyourfear and sorrowSmile,

and maybe tomorrowYou’ll see the sun come shining throughforyou

Light ip yourface with gladnessHide every trace ofsadness

Although a tear may be ever so nearThati the timeyou must keep on trying

Smile,whatc the use ofcryingl

You’llfind that life is still worthwhileIfyoujust sadie.

So, I went on line to research it and readthat Charlie Chaplin wrote “Smile” as thetheme music for his film Modern Times in1936. However, I was a tad disappointedto find it was not Mr. Chaplin who wrotethose words—just the melody. In 1954,John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons addedthe lyrics, and it became a popular hitwhen Nat ‘King’ Cole recorded it. Butthen, as Baba said, “Not a leaf falls but byMy will” so He obviously put a little of theNew Life into John and Geoffrey.

Go here for a clip from the movie:youtube.comlwatch?v=Yqnk4qNlAZk

JVkhercrnct .Spring &thctvas 20087<ebi Ei3rown, J4/Iariposa

I you were to mention cold, stormy,grey, and rainy all in one sentence, this

could pretty much sum up the weatherat Meherana’s Spring Sahavas heldover Memorial Day. I doubt if anyonecan remember the last time it rained inMariposa over Memorial Day, as rain latein May in California is pretty darn rare.Could Bhau’s visit have something to dowith it? Some attendees felt so.

Leaving the weather aside, the raincertainly didn’t deter themany attendees as theyall shone with that special“Baba Glow” so apparent inHis Lovers when they gathertogether. Many newcomersto Meherana spoke offeelingBaba’s Love as soon as theyturned in the driveway andothers came to relish thatremembered feeling ofletting their everyday lifedrop away to be filled withBaba.

Having Bhau and Adelewith us once more wasdeeply appreciated by all.Bhau talked for two hours twice a day andfor the first time at Meherana we webcasthis talks as well as the music programs.Adele was not only available for thoseone on one chats that are so cherished byall, but also presided at a chat circle whereall were free to ask questions about hermany years of service to the Beloved.

With so many Baba lovers at Arti eachday, we were all thankful for the newverandah that extends around Baba’sCabin and the heater inside as well asthe extension of the outside platform somore could be accommodated; and whenit came time for Dhuni, all gathered atBaba’s Cabin for songs and remembrancewhile waiting to dart out in the lightsprinkle to place a stick in the fire.

Speaking of the Dhuni, everyone hadlots oflaughs when the young adults puton their skit of “Avatar Meher Baba KiJeopardy” with categories such as “DhuniConfessionals” plus “Bhau Kaichuri”,“The Book”, “In Baba’s Words”, AmericanHistory and others. To view the skit copy

this link onto your web browser:youtube.com/watch?v=_oMQjwZQGr8

And the light rain certainly didn’thamper all the children as they relished alarge pile ofdecomposed granite that wasa major attraction next to the children’spandal. They dug in it with shovels, ormade mud pies. In more advanced mode,they divided it into territories, terraced it,

made roads, made lakes (even putting inpaint to make colored lakes), made tunnels

Babac cabin with snow!and volcanoes. Endless creativity!

The kitchen crew was in rare formputting out one scrumptious meal afteranother. One certainly doesn’t attenda Meherana Sahavas feeling that theywill be fasting or needing to pop out fora Big Mac. Kudos to all the volunteerswho helped in thekitchen!

I have to saythat the lastmorning was themost incrediblepart of theS ahavas—Raine’sconcert with thechoir, plus LarryThrasher on tablasand Cans Arkinon the guitar hadeveryone involvedeither clapping orup dancing andit was as thoughall the notes and

music and words had everyone on firewith Baba and His Love. Throughoutthe Sahavas, Raine and Larry and Cansperformed over and over again giving ustastes of many musical forms that openedall hearts.

Bhau, having arrived in Maniposaexhausted and worn (could I even say“frail looking”?) a few days before theSahavas seemed to gain in strength andfervor of Baba’s Love as each day of the

Sahavas progressed and thelast morning his talk keptall spellbound as he sharedpersonal moments of his lifewith Baba.

All were sad to say theirfinal farewells but the echoof “we’ll be back soon”carried on the air. And thiswas a special time indeed atMeherana, as Bhau stayeduntil June 30th, all wereinvited to visit to spend timein his company.

This was an incomparableopportunity to spend timewith one ofthose chosen by

Beloved Baba to be one of His Mandaliin a relaxed atmosphere. Sad to say, butour time being with His Mandali isdrawing to a close, so how wonderful tohave seized this opportunity.

:x

*- - -

Agna Fria creek

35

tfoday,June 30th, through many peo

pie’s cooperation and efforts we wereable to complete our “ChilIa-Nivisi”—fortydays in the circle—at Meherana. Bhau’shealth has held up well, considering hischallenges, and he has not left the propertysince his arrival on May 20th. Bhau gaveover fifty talks from his rediner chair in theair-conditioned house in addition to thosegiven in the meeting pandal, six talks at theSpring Sahavas and three talks on the SufiSaturdays.

Bhau is rested and looks well and even

though his health remains weak overall, hewas able to maintain his health at its cur-rent level and was able to give talks nearlyeveryday. It is impossible not to be touchedby Bhau’s effort to share his wealth of Babastories and knowledge unstintingly with usduring the “Chilla-Nivisi” at Meherana.

Again we returned to the situation, as inprevious years, where none ofus could keepup with Bhau and we scrambled to complete the many tasks required to keep Me-herana going while enraptured with Bhau’stalks from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m. nearly everyday. Most of thetime he was not ready to stop talking andonly our mealtimes would break the flowfrom his heart to us in the sharing of ourBeloved Baba.

on Bhau’s “rest days” we would catchup, but often he would think of all those

at Meherana who had come from sofar and give a talk even on his rest days.I think that the Sufi Saturdays were thehighlight of Bhau’s stay. At 11:30 a.m.,the charter buses would roll in with abouta hundred Sufis on board to join all thosewho had come to Meherana for the week-end. They headed for the pandal, ate theirpacked lunch that they brought with them,and then went down to Baba’s Cabin or tothe kitchen to help prepare for dinner. Wehad thirty to forty people at a time workingin the kitchen and the prep was done in no

time!At2:OO p.m. chai

and cookies wereserved and thenwe would gatherat the pandal for adelightful musicalprogram put on bythe Sufis, and thenat 3:30 p.m., Bhauwould come andgive a two-hourtalk. At 6 p.m.,dinner was servedand by 7:30 p.rn.,everything wascleaned up and thebuses would rollout. It is difficult

to accurately portray thejoyous atmospherethat permeated Meherana on these days.

At each turn one would greet someonethat they met at Meherabad in the 1970’sor who had not come to Meherana for yearsor who they knew from years before.

It was wonderftil to connect with oldfriends, and hugs and laughter prevailed.This was balanced out by getting to knownew friends as we worked together orwatched the performances.

Bhau had felt keenly that he would missseeing those in the various places that hehad visited for so many years and that theywould be disappointed because of his restricted travel due to his health consider-ations. His face would shine with delightwhen day after day people would comefrom all over the U.S., Canada, Mexico andEngland to see him.

The stream started out as a trickle afterthe Spring Sahavas, but really started toflow as the days went by, until at the endofthe stay, the house was frill for every talkand there were over 150 people on the lastSufi Saturday.

Throughout it all was the “Mastery inServitude” effort of all the volunteers woyen into each and every task done. Anyonewho came and asked, “Is there anything Ican do?”,joined in the flow ofwork.

The entire forty days was staffed by volunteers and we even began construction ofthe Children’s Pandal that will be weather-proof.

J714e1’tercrna’s ffijpsy Lifeand the Chillct-Rivisi

Chris JPearson, clVlariposa

Bhauji, in warmjacke4 scarf and bere4 arrives at Meherana

-S:-__ ‘i ‘ -

;::Building the newpandalfor the children

The challenges of camping and livingwith a group ofpeople for an extended penod of time were balanced out by a beau-tiftil camaraderie that developed amongus. The family meals were long and drawnout with laughter and sharing and yet onecould always slip away to be in the exquisitesolitude ofBaba’s Cabin.

Today we are cleaning and putting every-thing away and packing up.

Tomorrow Bhau will fly with his amazing team to Los Angeles and then on July14th, he will return to India. Our hearts arefilled and we have drunk deeply at the wellduring the days of “Chilla-Nivisi.” Theseforty days of “Gypsy Life” will be remembered by all as a wonderful time surroundedby others who love Avatar Meher Baba andwant to serve Him.

We send our love to all ofyou who want-ed to join us but could not. We hope to seeyou soon at Meherana!

Meheranac profèssionally-equzped open-air kitchen

Antoinette Davis sings with American Articomposer Hank Mind/in on guitar

•‘•L ‘ is1Raine sings before Bhazyi speaks Bhau greets the crowds on the stage surrounded by mariposas (‘butteiflies,)

27

Sam Ervin, Los Angeles

O a day of sunshine and blue skies,with the molten gold of California

poppies and purple wildflowers brighten—ing the meadow leading to Baba’s Tree,21 people gathered at Meher Mount onSaturday, May 17, as Gus and Rada DeGreef shared their memories and insights

Racla

from many years of commitment to Baba’swork.

Dr. Gus is a psychiatrist from Argentinaand the U.S., Rada is a nurse from Serbia

and they are both also highly qualifiedhomeopathic doctors. Each shared howBaba found them and drew them to Him,and then how He brought them to India,where they met, and where they managedthe medical clinic at the Pilgrim Center atMeherabad for about 15 years.

Among many wonderful stories and in-sights, they stressed that one does not serveBeloved Baba, because He serves His by-ers, planning and seeing to the smallest details long before we can even perceive theneed.

As so often happens in a Meher Babaplace like Meher Mount, a serendipitousevent beyond the claims ofcoincidence occurred at the beginning of the meeting. Ahusband and wife arrived who had been toMeher Mount only once before and hadnever attended any sort of Baba meeting.The man had heard of Baba in 1969 andreads daily in God Speaks. They had recent-

by moved to Thousand Oaks and he hadvaguely heard ofa Baba place around Ojai.He Googbed “Baba, Ojai” and found Me-her Mount and visited the previous week.Manager/Caretaker Elizabeth Arnold hadtold them of the upcoming meeting withGus and Rada, and they came.

On greeting them, we mentioned thatCharles Gibson was going to play a fewsongs. To our astonishment, the mansaid he had known a Charles Gibsonin Texas some thirty years ago! Hewas very excited to find out it was thesame Charles Gibson, and we werea]l delighted to witness their reunion.Charbes himselfhad not been to Me-her Mount for about a year, and thiswas only his second visit ever. [Asboth Meher Baba and CarlJung said:“There are no coincidences!”] Charlesplayed guitar and sang beautiful andmoving songs, including his ownmusical version—with Baba’s words ofcourse—of”O Parvardigar” to help set thetone for the expression ofBaba’s Love.

A delicious potluck lunch with chai wasshared by all. After Rada and Gus spoke, alljoined in saying the “Beloved God” prayerand many Baba hugs. Before and after themeeting, people walked alone or in smallgroups to paytheir respects and sit awhile inBeloved Baba’s presence under Baba’s Tree,where He sat—the giant live oak tree on

the point overlooking the Pacific Ocean—the tree that burned but was not consumedin the October 16, 1985 fire that sweptaway all the buildings at Meher Mount.At the end of the day as the group dispersed, “Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai” wassounded from hearts warmed by the sun-shine ofBaba’s Love.

Meher Mount is a universal spiritual center near Ojai, California dedicated to

Avatar Meher Baba. Meher Baba visited MeherMount on August 2, 1956.

Meher Mount9902 Sulphur Mountain RoadOjai CA 93023Phone: 805-640-0000,Email: info@mehermount.comAnd on the web at: www.mehermount.com

What’s :‘1appening cit J44eherJ7I/!ount9us and !i?ada Dejre4Speak at JII4elier J4/lount

Charles

LA yiq:lection on the 5pirit of J44eher J44ount

Bing Heckman, California

Meher Mount is a place. It has uniquequalities, and many have found

it inspirational. Some also hold MeherMount as a spirit; one that encourages refiection and engagement, an aspiration for

awakening to and embracing what is. Thisspirit is founded in Meher Baba, though itsupports being open to many sources forguidance and insight. It also sees the valueof singular focus.

This spirit encourages us in many ways.It helps us sense that each ofus is truly anddeeply loved just as we are, and each of ushas valuable gifts to contribute for tendingto the creation and to its unfolding.

Innate within us is all the guidance thatwe need (though it may lead us to find-ing assistance in various ways or practices).Still, we are distracted.

There are ofcourse many paths and eachperson has his/her own unique way. Livingone’s life clearly provides many challengesand lessons. There are many traditionsthat provide rooted direction and also helpsupport and enhance one’s life, encouraging us in various ways. Some things couldinclude:

Encouraging awareness—sensing ourgifts and ways to engage them.

Fostering awareness/mindftulness to feeland sense needs of and opportunities toserve the creation and others.

Being open to and responding to suchopportunities to serve as one may becalledldrawn.

Being a bit entrepreneurial and creative.Seemingly small things often are quite

meaningftil.

The creation is a divine romance for seeking, sensing,and serving the pleasure ofthe Divine Beloved.

“The important thing isnot to think too much, but tolove much.” — Teresa ofAvila

She noted that this is notdone by strenuous effort, butby mindffilness, encouragednatural inclination.

“The way we treat otherpeople is the way we treatGod.” — Pierre Teithard deChardin

Sensitivity and consider-ation are good things; slanderand backbiting are not good.In conflicts and disputes, firstseek to understand-hear, thenseek to be understood. Evenin our political process, bespectftil ofother views, refrainfrom personal attacks, andseek clearer understandingof issues. There may be manythings that are shared in corn-

mon; try to keep these things in perspective and not simply focus on contentiousdifferences.

“Purify yourself by a well ordered anduseful life. Watch over your thoughts, feel-ings, words, and actions. This will clearyour vision.” — Nisargadatta Maharaj

We are clearly confronting limits to ourresources. Helping to become sustainableappears to be increasingly important; revering all aspects of the creation and sensing them as being interrelated seems pm-dent.

Fostering healing, well being, andgrowth would seem to be good staples aswell.

As Eckhart Tolle put it: “Awaken toyour life’s purpose.”

“The only reason why I call upon everyindividual to work for Me is to make eachone share the Divine Cause.” — MeherBaba

A good sense ofhumor and playful mis-chief are not only delightfiul, they can bevery helpful.

While in Los Angelesfor his concert, Michael Da Costa expressed a desire to visit Meher Mount

Michael sits on thefireplace, the only part left ofthe original house destroyed in thefire of1985

39

Whctt’s 1appening cit Jll4eherabctd7Iie J44eherabad Dictnj

Judy Stephens, Meherabad

June 1. I returned to India with rainpouring down in Mumbai. The driver

was waiting for me with a ‘Jai Baba’ sign.We stopped at the Samadhi first. Theenergy was so powerful inside, as if Babaturned up the wattage. Oh, it was so niceto be home!

The wind was blowing almost hurricane force, and it pulled huge treesout of the ground. There had beenthree inches of rain from two storms.When I walked by Meherabad MandaliHall the new roof tiles were all in place.When I was leaving, all the roof tiles andmatting had been removed as part of renovations. A resident on the veranda told mewhat happened when they were workingon the roof. After all the covering was removed, they tried to get the crusted dirt offthe exposed wooden beams so they couldoil them, but no matter how they tried, it

would not come off. Then it rained for afew minutes—just enough to wash thedirt off the beams without soaking them.Workers were able to oil all the beams, andbegin putting the roofingbackon.Just afterthey laid the last tile, it began to pour rain!

Jeff DeLoe, MPR garden supewisorplanted a neem tree in the children’s play-ground on the sunny side of the building.The city of Ahmednagar received per-mission to build an overpass over thetrain tracks. The bypass work from thePune road stopped just before the traintracks, and then continued the other sideof the Dhound road (I hope its futurename will be Meherabad Road). We cantake it from the MPR to Lower Meherabad without going through that rail-road crossing in Arangaon village whereyou can sit and wait for twenty minutes.We now have large green metal barrels fortrash placed all over Meherabad. Finally!

l2June. Hostel D opened at the end ofMay and held around eighty pilgrims sothere were a lot ofpeople at Dhuni. Nice tosee residents returned from vacations. Someofthe Australians went home for the 50thAnniversary celebration at Avatar’s Abode.On my morning walk in the fields near theMeher English School, I had to changemy path because a large area was packedwith camps ofsheepherders and sheep.

l5June. Opening day ofpilgrim season,and the Retreat had a few pilgrims. TheNational Cadet Corps began eight days oftraining. For years they have used Meherabad because it has a lot of open space,and the large hostels fit their needs. Thisyear there were four hundred and fiftycadets and instructors in tents and Hostel C. They put colored flags along theroads inside Meherabad. They usually dosome kind of service project, like cleanup.Today was the grand opening of thetended section of Meher Darbar. It wasquite a celebration with music and singing.This new section will be where

______

they sell snacks and soft drinks. ‘

The main part of the Darbarwill have only computers and theBaba material.

19 June. Weather has beenovercast for days with a lovelywind. It is very pleasant weather.Attended ‘decades’ dinner party ata resident’s home to honor thosewho turn 40, 50, etc. this year. Itwas a very harmonious and relax-ing evening.

20 June. A notice was put uptelling us not to water our gardensuntil further notice. The only rainwe had was before the monsoonstarted, and we don’t have enoughwater in the wells. Peter Boothsaid the plants won’t die, they justwon’t grow.

2lJune. For the HistoricalTourof Meherabad we went to theCage Room and Jaloo, who lives

in the compound, let pilgrims stand at thedoorway and say hello to her. Tea and cakewere served on the Music & Arts Centerveranda and two old video interviews ofPadri were shown. Rode my scooter nearthe Garden Terrace Condos, seeing to thefinal stages of construction of a friend’shouse. There were a lot of sheepherdersin the vast open areas behind the Con-dos. The construction supervisor pointedto four little deer running so fast that if adog tried to chase them it would not havea chance. It looked almost like they flew.He sees deer quite often in the area behindthe new Meher Pilgrim Retreat.

23 June. Men from the military came tohave lunch and look at the Retreat. Theyvery much liked it. We are happy to showthe beauty of the place that was built withlove for Baba.

30 June. There was a special Arti at theSamadhi for the fourth anniversary of Dr.Goher’s going to Baba. Meheru attended,a wonderful Arti. Two men from the In-dian Department ofForestry came to takepictures of the reforestation going on allaround the MPR. There are row after rowofcurved trenches being dug for the plant-ing of trees. We had a bit of rain in theafternoon. It wasn’t heavy rain, but it did

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c;.;:. .

give the thirsty plants a little bit ofwater.I July. This was a most happy day for

everyone in Meherabad—it was the open-ing day ofMeherazad for this pilgrim sea-son. I had hired a car and took Virginia[Small.] When I got to Meherazad, I hadto use one of their wheelchairs for her asshe can no longer walk around much. Myheart is always happy to see the hugs, kiss-es, and love that are given to Virginia. Sheis so sweet, almost like a child. She willturn 93 in October.

5 July. I was up the hill by 5:30 am andwas present when the Samadhi doors wereopened. After helping remove the old gas-lands and cloths, I went to clean Baba’sCabin Room. After putting flowers on thestretcher cover, I also put flowers on theGhadi and then the Samadhi threshold.Next, I went down the hill to clean theJhopdi and Table House with Fereshteh.After going home to have breakfast, I gotready to do the HistoricalTour of Meherabad. Whenwe reached the Cage Room,the pilgrims had a chanceto say ‘Jai Baba’ to Jaloo.It is such a sweet event towitness—the pilgrims, oneby one, introduced them-selves and said ‘Jai Baba’with folded hands. Jaloo sosweetlyreturns the’Jai Baba’.In the afternoon there weretwo videos shown at theMusic & Arts Center. Thefirst was of Mani show-ing some of Baba’s handgestures—Welcome to MyWorld. The other video wasthe one for Mehera’s 100thbirthday—Happy BirthdayDarling Mehera. Both filled the heart withjoy. What a golden time that was whenMani and Mehera were still around toshare their life with Baba!

7July. In the morning some ofour menresidents cleaned the verandah covering,top and underneath, of both the Jhopdiand Table House. Every year we do a corn-plete cleaning of both the Jhopdi and Ta-ble House a couple of days before SilenceDay. Baba began His Silence in the Jhopdi.On the way to the MPR I stopped topick up Fereshteh near our Labor Office.It was a very busy day at the Retreat. Itwas also one with two major incidents. Inthe morning one ofthe pilgrims fell in thebazaar. When she returned to the Retreat,her foot was giving her much pain. We put

ice packs on it and had our doctor from theMeher Health Clinic come and write a slipsaying she needed to have x-rays. She wasthen taken to a hospital in Ahmednagar.While that pilgrim was having x-rays atthe hospital, another pilgrim from themen’s side decided to take a shortcut to thevolleyball court by climbing over the fence,instead of going around the building. Hefell from the top ofthe fence, six feet down,and landed on his back. We had to put themedical board under him and also sendhim to the same hospital in Ahmednagarfor x-rays, to see if he had hurt his back.The woman pilgrim returned with a caston her foot. The male pilgrim returnedwith a brace around his neck, but thankGod he had no back injury.

9 July. I picked Fereshteh up at 8:00am so we would be at the MPR extraearly. We were expecting 135 pilgrimsand we wanted to have some time put-

ting things out before opening the doorsfor business. The receptionist fromTuesday, before going home, had rear-ranged the Reception Office fttrniture tomake the check-in work more smoothly.What a day! All the receptionists were onduty We all had different assigned dutiesand by the end ofthe daywe were exhaust-ed. On top of all the arriving pilgrims, wehad a constant stream of pilgrims fromthe Hostels coming to see the MPR.We were giving out badges that the pu—gnms had to wear in order to get into themen and women areas. We set up like atAmartithi, having a security guard at theentrances and only those staying at theMPR would be allowed into the wings.We were also giving each pilgrim a ticket

to the Baba movie that would be shown onSilence Day. The pilgrim had the choice ofthe morning or afternoon film. When wewere finally finished and ready to go homeitwas 7:15 pm.

10 July. Today was Silence Day.What a wonderful day it was! Every-where it was quiet. I especially savoredit because of the chaotic day of the 9th.I went up the hill near the Ghadi andwaited for Meheru to arrive at 10:00 am.The whole atmosphere around the Samadhi felt charged with an intensity ofenergy—it was so powerffil! You couldalmost feel the silence! When Meheru arrived it was such a beautiful experience tobe able to be present. There is somethingextraordinary, almost like a more beautifuldimension, opening up when the Mandaliare around the Samadhi. I don’t know howelse to explain the experience. I am justgrateful to have been able to experience it.

After Meheru put garlandsin the Samadhi, she wentto Mehera and then Mani’sshrines. Her love toward herlifelong companions is verybeautiful to behold. Meheruthen went to Baba’s CabinRoom where she again putgarlands and flowers. Last,she went to the Ghadi be-fore going down the hillto Lower Meherabad.I got a ride to the bottomof the hill, then got outand hurried to the Jhopdi,unlocking it. The jeep thatcarried the flowers arrivedand a stool was put on thefloor to hold a huge basket of red roses. These

were for pilgrims to give Baba.Meheru arrived and opened the Jhopdidoor. She went in and garlanded Baba’sphoto, she also put flowers on the two other photos on the window ledge. She nextwent to the Table House. She had a verylarge, long garland for the front ofthe TableHouse. It went from one end to the other.Meheru then went under the table part andput flowers next to the screen door. Aftershe bowed down she got in the car and left.For me, she helped make this SilenceDay an extra special treat. I was feelingso happy! I am so thankful to be herein Meherabad. I started to walk back tomy room, when I stopped by the SavagesKitchen and saw a sign on the board say-ing there were extra tickets to the morn-

4’

ing Baba film. I picked one up and wentto Hostel-A (our Music & Arts Center). I was able to see the last half As Iwas leaving the building I saw two otherresidents and started to say hello. Well, Ijust blew my silence once again! I caughtmyself but I had already spoken. Dam!After a wonderftii nap, I went back up thehill to the Samadhi. The line was so longI took Darshan at the threshold. I noticedsome ofthe residents were inside the Samadhi, trying to remove some ofthe garlandsfrom the three-foot high pile on the mar-ble. I helped until the Samadhi attendantwas satisfied the area was cleaned up a little.I then went down the hill and sat in theJhopdi for a while. Silence Day is the onlyday of the year when we are allowed to sitinside. At sundown, Mariko, Jo-seph, and I shut the doors of theJhopdi and locked it. Tomorrowat 6:30 am we will go in and remove all the flowers and give ita cleaning.

11 July. There was a new filmto be shown in our Music &Arts Center about Meher BabacUniversal Message. The show-ings were in three languages.The 10:00 am showing was inEnglish.The 11:30 showing wasin Telegu and the 4:30 pm show-ing was in Hindi.

l2July. This was Dhuni Day. Iwas up the hill by 5:30 am.Therewere at least 30 pilgrims at theSamadhi. When the doors were openedthere was a rush of everyone wanting togo in. I was surprised there was no order,and I stayed at the door and tried to main-tam some semblance of order. I will writea letter to the Hill Committee about thelack of order and the need for some typeofcontrol when we have so many pilgrimshere. Hostel-B, C & D had almost 1400pilgrims for Silence Day, and the MPRhad almost 200. Many stayed for Dhuni.After cleaning Baba’s Cabin Room, Iput flowers on the stretcher and thenthe Ghadi. Next, I went back to myroom to get ready for the HistoricalTour of Meherabad. The tour takes threehours, so by 1:00 pm I am very tired.The evening Arti was at 5:00 pm. Dhuniwas lit at sundown: 6:15 pm. There werestill hundreds of pilgrims here. Before theDhuni was lit, there was beautiful chant-ing by some ofthe Indian groups.The en-ergy was intense.

l4July. On the window ledge inside the

Reception Office this morning I foundtwo milk coconuts had been left for us.My name was on one of them. The storyof these coconuts is interesting. A pilgrimnamed Dr. Ravindra Gin lives on a farmabout one hour away from Meherabad.Baba had visited his farm on 21st May,1941. Dr Gin’s farm is named Narangaon,but 500 to 1000 years ago it was calledArangaon. It was the birthplace of Shivaji—one of Baba’s ‘minor’ incarnations!Then centuries later, in His current incarnation as the Avatar of the Age, He opensHis ashram next to a village also calledArangaon! Coincidence? I think not.

15 July. We still have not had any rain.The garden plants are all drooping. We arenot allowed to water our gardens because

of the shortage of water. We need some-one to do a rain dance!

18 July. On a visit to Pune, walkingtoward us on the side of the road was aSadhu! They are wild-looking holy men—well, some of them are truly holy. Theyhave long, matted hair, and are naked.In downtown Pune, on a regular day, aSadhu was walking down the road! Whenwe passed him, I turned around to makesure I was seeing what I thought I sawYes, there was his naked behind. The onlything he had was a string of beads he waspraying with. “Wow!” I thought to myself“My very first view ofa Sadhu!”

20 July. This was my 64th birthday.Throughout the day, parts of the Beatlessong “When I’m 64” were sung to me. AtMeherazad as I passed out candy, I waswished Happy Birthday. In the evening, Itook three bags ofcandy to the Samadhi tobe given out as prasad after evening Arti.Dolly had everyone sing Happy Birth-day to me. It was very nice! Then Pedro

quietly sang some of the words from theBeatles song.

22 July. At the weekly MPR Groupmeeting one of the issues we discussedwas trash thrown on the pathway from theMPR to the Samadhi. It was decided toput one of the new green trash cans at theMPR Samadhi side gate.

23 July. Talk of emergency changes toour water usage! We have had so littlerain that not only are we not allowed towater our gardens, we may have to restrict bathing at the MPR. I was toldthat in Arangaon village the womenwere in a near riot because they hadnot had running water in over ten days.I was told that all day Friday the railroadcrossing would be closed. The Railroad

Department wants to raise theroad so that bicycles and motorcycles can no longer go under the gate. Everyone tries togo under the gate because it issometimes put down 25 mm-utes before the train comes!

25Ju1y. I woke to a wet earth.It did rain overnight. It wasn’ta heavy rain, but oh our plantsneeded it. It began raininglightly again in the afternoon.Bhau was scheduled to give atalk in the MPC but at the lastminute the talk was cancelledbecause he was not well. In theevening at the MPR, a moviewas shown.

26July. At 10:00 am I went to meet fourpeople for the Historical Tour. It began torain lightly. After about one hour the rainstarted to come down more heavily. Wedecided to go up the hill and continue theTour there. When the Cage Room doorswere opened we found white ants all alongthe threshold and on parts of the doors.White ants are termites! They can destroywood in no time. We all started knockingtheir mud off everything. Meanwhile, Icalled one of the Trustees to immediatelyspray in places the white ants ate away. Icalled to see if my scooter was fixed. “Yes,madam, it is ready.” When I arrived theycould not get it to start, one of the problems they were to fix. The manager toldme it would only take five minutes. Well,anyone who has been to India knows what‘only five minutes’ means! It could meanany time in this lifetime! He said theywould deliver the scooter when they got it

fixed. Good thing I had the rickshaw waitfor me. Trudy Gardner and Pedro Miran

da gave a concert.28 July. We had a ‘water crisis’ at the

MPR the other day. We almost ran out ofwater. We have had quite a drought, ourwells are low, and we get almost no water from Ahmednagar. We are requestingpilgrims bathe once every other day. Weclosed all the showerheads, so you canonly take a bucket bath. We also closedthe bathrooms next to the reading roomsas they take water to clean. We put noticeson the Dining Hall doors asking pilgrimsto conserve water. Residents are not allowed to wash floors, or scooters, cars, etc.

3 August. The annual InternationalYoung Adult Sahavas (YAS) started today.It lasts one week and there are around 100attendees in Hostel C. It is a wonderhilexperience for everyone, and close bondsofthe heart are formed. You can feel a fireoflove from the attendees, and at eveningArti their singing is beautiftil.

4 August. It started to rain today! It isnot the heavy monsoon, but it rained allday, and the roads are muddy. You now alsosee frogs everywhere. What is really won-derftul is the rain came just in time. Hun-dreds of little trees had just been plantedbetween the MPR and the Samadhi. I wasconcerned how they would survive. Then,Baba brings rain! Not heavy but enoughto help a]l our plants.

5 August. It is still raining. It is so niceto see the puddles everywhere, though notso much fin walking around them. Walk-ing on muddy paths is a cautious journey,as you can slip and fall.

8 August. I went to Meher EnglishSchool. There is a family here from Myrtle Beach, Walter, Kim, and daughter Zoe,the Witkowskis. For the past three yearsthey have been having a ‘giving of gifts’day for the children of the school. Theybuyboxes ofbagged snacks, bananas, balls,pencils, ice cream, etc. When I arrived atthe school around 10:30 am, the little children were already sitting in a line waiting.Then the Trust bus came full of pilgrimsfrum the International Young Adult Sahavas. They had picked the same day to doa service project at the school. They wereable to help distribute the treats.

9 August. There was work going on atthe Jhopdi so I was not able to clean it.They are moving some of the farsi slabson the verandah to clean out the wasphives underneath. Each slab is numbered,so it will be replaced exactly where it wasbefore. The verandah was built whenBaba was here, and therefore it is to re

main as it was when He walked on it.During the Historic Tour of Meherabadthe mason was working on the Jhopdi ye-randah, so we sat at the Table House forall the stories. Mandali Hall is also stillbeing worked on, so we sat in the RahuriCabin and told stories about both places.It started to sprinkle a little on our wayup the hill. When I went to get the keyto the Museum in Mansari’s kitchen, Isaw a group of residents walking aroundthe compound. These are the people whomoved here when Padri was still here. Thegroup was organized last year to collectstories about Meherabad that Padri toldthem. They remember precious storiesas they walk around Meherabad. A filmof Padri giving a tour of Meherabad wasshown.

10 August. I woke to a light drizzle,not enough to get wet. The InternationalYoung Adult Sahavas closed in the morn-ing. It began to rain lightly by the time Igot to Meherazad. No heavy rain, whichwe need so badly. But this rain will helpwater the plants and help the farmers. InMandali Hall they showed the film GodAlone Is Real. It is such a powerftil film Ihave decided I am going to buy it. Afterit was over, Meheru said the various photoshots and the music went together so well.We stopped to pick up some ice cream andlater I went to the MPR to video Margaretand Donald Eucker’s story ofgoing to the1969 Darshan for the Los Angeles group’svideo archive.

13 August. We have been having verylight rain for days now. We are very grate-flu for anything, yet we sure wish Babawould send several days of heavy rain. Iam glad to have Fereshteh’s help with Re-ception. We seem to have Iranians comingon most days. Many are directly from Iran,and Fereshteh is able to speak with themif they don’t know English. It helps themfeel welcome. Baba had said that a waveoflranians would be coming and we haveseen the beginning of this wave ever sincewe opened the MPR. They are the thirdlargest group to come here, next to Indiansand Americans. They are very proud thatBaba’s family came from Iran.

l4August.There is stillworkgoing on atthe Jhopdi. Hussein, our mason, has beenbreaking up the cement holding the piecesand cleaning underneath. Then Husseinsmooths the slabs and replaces them, us-ing new cement to hold them together.I collected several of the old chipped cement pieces. These had been there since

Baba was here in the body he may havewalked on them. I will give one piece tothe LA Baba Center.

15 August. Independence Day. 98rivals bring the pilgrim total to around153. The road was packed with horses andtongas. Every Independence Day there areraces on the road in front of Lower Me-herabad starting at 12:30 pm. They are really wild. Not only do the tongas race twoor three at a time, you have around thirtymotorcycles, two to three riders each, allblaring their horns right next to the horseswith yelling men and honking horns. Thefinal group of horse tongas are the strongest. They start from 20 kilometers away.It is the final race of the event. By thistime you have at least sixty motorcycleswith lights on, horns blaring, men yeffing.What fin!

16 August. I stopped by Meher Tailorto remind Anil we would be needing theBaba flags ordered for the New Life walkon 16 October. He still has 50 to make. Inthe evening, I stopped to visit Jaloo, wholives in the building behind the Samadhi.Her father was one of the Mandali, Kaikobad. Under Baba’s instructions he usedto say Baba’s name 100,000 times a day.

17 August. At the MPR it was a slowday, but the weather has been beautiftil.Some clouds, but the wind has picked up.It is so beautiful to look out over the fieldsfrom the upstairs windows and see hun-dreds of little trees the Trust planted lastmonth. All this rain is doing wonders forthem.

19 August. The anniversary of Mani’sreunion with Baba. Meherazad was closedbecause Meheru came for the special10:00 am Arti at the Samadhi. I sat under the Tin Shed until Meheru’s car came.They always give a honk to let us knowthey have reached the top ofthe hill. AfterMeheru arranged flowers in the baskets,she came out of the East Room and weall walked to the Samadhi. Meheru placedgarlands on Beloved Baba’s Samadhi, andthen prayers and Arti followed. Meheruand the women in the Samadhi came outand sat on the benches. The songs thatwere sung were only ones Mani wrote,or were about Mani. It is always a differ-ent atmosphere when one of the mandaliattends. To me, seeing the depth of rev-erence displayed by women mandali is alesson in one-pointedness for the Beloved.When Arti was over, Meheru went toMehera’s tomb where she placed a garlandand flowers. One of the baskets of flow-

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ers was passed around to those standingnearby, and each would take a flower andplace it on Mehera’s shrine. Next, Meheruwent to Mani’s tomb where she placed abeautiftil garland. Meheru put flowers onthe tombs of Dr. Goher, Khorshed, andMansari, then she went into Baba’s CabinRoom and in each place where there was aphoto ofBaba, she put flowers. Finally shegarlanded the Ghadi.

20 August. At the MPR there was ameeting for all who do Samadhi duty Oneitem on the agenda was pilgrims coming tothe Samadhi to say prayers out loud. Twotimes a day the prayers are recited aloud,but the rest of the time quiet is requestedaround the Samadhi so everyone may havea chance to be with Baba insilence. We are to let peopleknow they can say prayersquietly, to themselves. Thereis now a continuous streamof people coming up thehill for darshan. They oftencome in packed cars or hiredbuses. It would be utter chaOs ifprayers were said all daylong!

Pilgrims also keep want-ing to exchange weddingvows inside or in front ofthe Samadhi. It has beena standing policy for years,from the mandali, to forbidthis. People are not allowedto perform rites at Meherabad or Meherazad either.They may quietly put a garland on the Samadhi and then take it with them, but noceremonies.

27 August. One ofthe watchmen killeda snake at the Samadhi this morning. Itwas before cleaning, and there were only afew people there. The watchman, Jaychan,pointed to this small, skinny-lookingsnake. It was up against the divider of theportico, where we put our shoes.The snakewas small, but it was a krait, whose venomis more deadly than the cobra! They areabout as round as a finger. They have alight underside, and circles across the back.It was taken out back and burned.

29 August. Around early afternoon,there was the beautiful sound of thunder.The weather had been hot and muggy Itsure seemed this could be a welcome storm.But the stormjust went away. We need therain. Bhauji was scheduled to speak but hewas not well so the talk was cancelled.

30 August. I have made copies of a dia

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gram of all the historic places, and I amgoing to have these laminated and placedin Hostel-D, the MPC, and the MPR.The brochure is being translated to makeit easy to know where the tour will takeyou. It is a holiday, a day of honoring thebuffalo. There were some wonderful darkclouds, deep thunder, and then, nothing.Later in the afternoon there were lightshowers. Where is the rain? It is now hotand muggy, perfect weather for a goodstorm. Yet we are getting nothing.

18 September. I drove to Ahmednagarto see the phone company. The traffic wasunbelievable! Now, when I say traffic, Idor?t mean the type of bumper to bumperwe have in the West. No, no, no! We are

talking about cars, a couple of trucks, sixor ten motor cycles, plus bicycles and animals, all in two lanes—at the same time!And don’t forget the rickshaws! And someof those rickshaws, bicycles, and scootersdon’t believe in going the same way thetraffic goes. They come towards you, onyour side, scooting around everything intheir path, all because they are turning in ashort while. Oh, and you also have all thepedestrians cutting through all this—yet,amazing as it seems, it works—somehow!

20 September. When I got up in themorning I found there was no runningwater. The water didn’t come on until almost 10 am. Later, I found out theproblem was someone was stealing theexpensive shut-off valves. In the pastmonth we have lost a number of them.On the Tour of Meherabad HistoricalSites, when we went into Mandali Hall,there was Baba’s photo back up on thewall. Mandali Hall has been in the pro-

cess ofbeing restored since the end of lastpilgrim season. There had been no photoof Baba all these months. There was sucha warm feeling in my heart to see Baba’sphoto back in its original place. They havealso put lights up on the wall above thephoto. As we came out ofthe museum, thesky opened up and it poured rain so hardwe could hardly talk over the sound of therain hitting the roof of the Tin Shed. Itwas one of those amazing monsoon rainswhen buckets ofwater seem to be pouringdown! In the afternoon, there was a musical concert in MPC Hall and Jeff DeLoeand friends gave a concert.

21 September. On Mehera’s porch, Katie and Meheru greeted the pilgrims. In

Mandali Hail, Hooyar sangthe ‘Seven Names of God’and another song. Abbas,another Iranian resident,sang a devotional song inPersian. After that a pilgrimsang a song in Hindi. Whilethe program was going on inMandali Hall, Bhauji cameand sat outside on the ye-randah.

26 September. Up thehill to take an early darshanas morning dawn was justbeginning to give light tothe sky On both sides ofHostels B, C, and D are talleucalyptus trees, home forhundreds of crows. As I waspassing by, theywere making

a racket as they began their morning ffightover the Samadhi to some unknown des-tination. Often, they will stop in the treesaround the Samadhi before going on. It islike they too want their morning darshanfrom Baba! Smart crows!

28 September. At Meherazad, therewas a group of sweet children from an or-phanage in the south of India called Me-her Ashram, run by Baba lovers Gita andShiva. The children are growing up in anatmosphere of Baba’s love. It touched myheart that Gita and Shiva brought the children such a long way, so they could knowthe wonderful atmosphere of Meherabadand Meherazad. They gave the children achance to have Baba’s darshan at the Samadhi, and to meet the Mandali.

29 September. In the morning at theMPC, Bill LePage gave a talk during the‘Meherabad Mornings’ program. In theafternoon, Bhauji’s talk followed tea andpopcorn.

30 September. At dawn as I was get-trng ready to cross the road by the dhuni,a runner passed holding a lit torch. Ac-companying him on a motorcycle werethree men. It is the first day of Nava-ratri,which means “nine nights,” observed inthe beginning of summer and again atonset ofwinter. Hindus invoke the energyaspect of God in the form of the universalmother, Durga, the remover of miseries.The tenth day is Dusshera, for celebrating the triumph of good over evil, the defeat and death of the demon king Ravana.Fifteen days later is Diwali, the festival oflights, the largest holiday in India, whenall religions celebrate the victory of lightover dark.

3 October. During the night in Meherabad there was a big storm and it pouredrain all night. We have had some wonder-flu storms lately.

4 October. In the morning, again Ifound there was no water for a few hours.Later, I found out it was because the thiefhad once again stolen another ofour water‘shut-off’ valves. However, this time therewas some good news. The thiefwas finallycaught later in the daywhen he tried to sellit to the ‘scrap iron man’ in nearby Kedgaon. In other words, the ‘scrap iron man’was the ‘fence’ for the thief They wereboth caught because the Trust had somepeople waiting for the thiefto show up.

6 October. In the morning, there is aregular program at the PRO in the oldMPC, called ‘Meherabad mornings’. Thisis the forum for guest speakers who hadmet Baba to share their stories. The pro-gram begins at 10:00 am. This day’s guestspeaker was M. Rama Rao. He first heardof Baba in 1963, and saw Baba in 1969when He lay in the Samadhi crypt afterdropping His physical form. In the after-noon, Bhauji gave a talk in the MPC Hallat 4:30 pm after tea and popcorn wereserved.

8 October. Today there was an inauguration of a permanent exhibition that willbe kept in the Upper Halls (Old StudyHall) of Meher Retreat, in the compoundnext to the Samadhi. The exhibition is onthe Life and Work ofAvatar Meher Baba,and is now open for all Baba lovers. Bhaujiwas present for the inauguration that tookplace in Meherabad Hill Library.

9 October. In the morning, as I amgetting ready for my duty at the MPR,Marge, my neighbor, comes over to tellme our gardener, Sandeep, wants me tocome and do ‘puja’ for the tools. This day

was Dessara, a holiday in India where allthe tools and machines that help provide aliving are honored.The tools and machinesare washed, garlanded, incense is burned,and a coconut is broken. We even putgarlands on our cars, trucks, motorcycles,and bicycles.

At 2:15 pm, at the MPR, there was anambulance training session for all workers.We now have a new ambulance and theworkers need to know how to use and secure the stretcher, etc.

In the afternoon, Adrienne Shamszadgave a concert in the MPC Hall. She hasbeen studying the guitar and writing songssince she was around thirteen. We all verymuch enjoyed her songs. Her final songwas in Persian—truly magnificent.

I took the back road of Meherabadwhen I drove home. As I neared my area,there were a group of about seven birdsjust standing on the road. I slowed downso they could take ffight. I was surprised tosee they were all a lovely green color. Theylooked like parakeets. We are getting morevariety ofbirds because of all the differenttrees and foliage.

That evening Anil (Meher Tailor)had a rickshaw deliver 60 Baba flags forthe ‘New Life walk’ to my place. It is fianholding and waving Baba’s flag during the‘walk’. The 16th October is the anniversary of the New Life, and the Trust, foryears now, has been celebrating it withan annual ‘New Life’ walk from the TrustOffice in Ahmednagar to Beloved Baba’sSamadhi. It is such a joyous event to par-ticipate in.

16 October. I woke with the excitedfeeling it was the day of the ‘New Life’walk. At the Trust the whole compoundwas packed with pilgrims, residents, officeworkers and others all getting ready for thewalk. Tea and breakfast were served whilethe Baba flags were signed out to thosewanting to carry one. We also put the flagson the trucks and other vehicles. It lookedso festive! Mehernath and Raj made aposter that covered the whole front widthof the truck. On the poster were photosof the seven Avataric incarnations, show-mg what Baba said ‘to bring all religionstogether like beads on one string’.

We began walking, the first vehicle hay-ing a large photo of Baba on the front.The band was walking in the middle ofthe Padyatra (religious walk). Karim, fromAustralia, stood on the green truck backand held Baba’s flag high, waving it fromside to side. He did this during most of the

walk. Everyone was in high spirits and wedanced as we walked.

Our first stop was at the Jaln (religion)temple. They have in the past offered usrefreshments and shade to rest. Since it

was a very hot day, the break was muchappreciated. After about twenty minuteswe started once again to walk

By this time we had alreadyjoined themain road. We had police assistance fortraffic until we got to the Kinetic Chowkand headed toward Meherabad. A watertanker also traveled with us, so peoplecould drink or pour water on themselves,since it was a sun-scorching day. I boughtwater at a nearby store.

When we reached the Dhuni area, theflags were collected from everyone. We allthen walked up the hill to the Samadhi.After taking Darshan, we went to the Eastside of the compound where food was be-ing served. We were all so grateful to beable to eat and sit.

The next day when I went to the TrustOffice, Mehernath and Raj showed me aphoto ofsome ofus Westerners with someof our Indian Baba family (all dancing)on the front page of a Marathi languagenewspaper that is distributed throughoutthe whole state ofMaharastra. Raj said thephoto caption said how the foreign andIndian followers of Avatar Meher Babawere dancing injoy and harmony in honorofthe New Life.

0“Bookstore “ New Re/eases, coizt.from pg. 8

Seekers ofLoveby A K. IIazra and K. Gunn - $12.50

The Lft ofBuddha asçLegend andHistory

by Edward J. Thomas - $9

.Translated byJ. i\/I. Rodwcll - $5

Mohammed, the ManandHis FaithbyTor Andrae - $8

The Loves ofKrishna in IndianPaintingandPoetry - $13

Sifism, an Account of

the Mystics oflslarn. .. by A. J. Arberry - $10

45

3ndia, Sweet Dndict&tndy Schwanz,7I4innesota

I had been rnne years since mylast trip toIndia. Since then, the newPilgrim Center

(MPR) opened up. The center is beautiftil,ftffl of art in many forms, and with lots ofspace which gave me the illusion that it wasnever crowded even though it was filled tocapacity over Baba’s birthday, and built withsuch an elegant simplicity one feels they arestrolling through the hallways ofan ancientpalace. The open fields surrounding thecenter add to the feeling of vastness, and Iloved roaming through the fields nodding atgoats and cows along the wa

I learned an important lesson this trip.Sun stroke is not a pretty picture.Even though I was wearing a hat,I must have logged in too manyprime time sun hours walkingbetween the Darbar, Samahdi, andbackto MPR. I was in bed for threeand a half days, head pounding,severe diarrhea, unable to eat andwasjust plain exhausted. The hikefrom the MPR to the Samadhi ismuch longer than the path fromthe Pilgrim Center on lower Me-herabad to the Samadhi, and youwalk through open sunny fieldsinstead of the tree lined path onthe way up the hill. So I may haveunder estimated, or over estimated,depending on one’s point ofview.

At least that is my rationale forgetting sun stroke. Some people told meBaba does a little something to most peoplethat come,just perhaps to more Lilly get yourundivided attention (even though I thinksleeping seems an odd way of getting ourattention, but hey, what do I know?)

Someone asked if I thought it hadchanged much in Meherabad. I said yes, andno. New Pilgrim Center more houses andcondos being built and occupied byresidents,more bus loads of pilgrims being shuffledabout from point A to point B. More andmore people coming from Iran, Russia (14ofthem while I was there) Serbia, etc. Thereis a feeling in the air that things are changingquickly at upper Meherabad. As I lookedacross the fields in the night sky and sawa few glittering lights across the horizon, Ireveled in the experience ofthe calm peaceftilbeauty the empty fields held, and imaginedthat it will not be so many visits away untilthe emptyfields wouldlook more like a small

46

town, then a city someday. Each change inthe physical surroundings ofMeherabad hasbeen an adjustment for me, at first difficult,but soon I came to appreciate the positiveaspects ofthe changes. Myfirst visit in 1973preceded even the Pilgrim Center on lowerMeherabad, so the changes since then havebeen considerable.

BUT- Meher Baba’s Samadhi, my reasonfor going to India, that eternally feels thesame. The cool soothing balm of being inthat precious space decade after decade neverfades. Someday the city ofMeherabad willbe bustling all around Baba’s tomb, but it

will feel like 1973 all over to me again onceI step over that threshold.

It was ofcourse like being in heaven to bein Meherazad again getting to see Arnavaz,Katie, Meheru and Meherwan Jessawala.Arnavaz was bed ridden but her face wasbeaming, her beautiful smile radiating Baba.Katie &Meheru both seemed in good healthand fully enjoyed a song and dance presentedto them on their porch by 14 Russian Babalovers! It was fantastic to see the smile ontheir (Katie & Meheru’s) faces, as the Russians enthusiastically entertained all! Emch’sbrother Meherwan shared beautiftil storiesin Manda]i Hall continuing the tradition ofhis brother and Bal Natu.

I must say it was a highlight to witnessso many people from all corners of theworld, continuing to be called to Baba’shome. Russia, Serbia, Iran,Japan, China, onand on. Each one has an incredible story!

Another highlight ofmy trip was a tour

of lower Meherabad given by Peter Nor-deen. Even though fve been to India fourother times, I was amazed to hear so manyhistorical facts that I hadn’t heard before, orwell, they may have fallen out the bottomsomewhere. Peter has a bri]liant abi]ity ofretaming volumes ofdetailed information anddelivering that info in a clear inspiring man-ner. Not to be missed. I heard that they arethinking ofhaving tours guided by someonewho speaks Hindi or some other Indian lan-guage as there are so many Indian pilgrimsregularlyvisiting Meherabad. I was told thatthe largest group of Baba lovers coming to

Meherabad now is Indian, thenIranian, then Westerners.

I tooka side trip to Mahableshwar with a wonderful woman I gotto know while staying at the center.We rented a car/driver and headedoff the winding steep roads up tothe beautiful mountain town ofMahableshwar where we stayed atthe Dma hotel for two nights. Ourhotel and the view from the townwas spectacular! Green mountaintops, cool air, clean streets anddozens of comfy hotels make thetown a resort destination for manyIndians from Mumbai and Poona.Baba visited the area staying at theRipon Hotel which is still thereand is run by Baba lovers. Our

driver took us to several ‘points’ as they callthem, one being Arthur’s Seat where thefamous photo of Baba was taken, his armsoutstretched on railings with mountains inthe background. The trip ended on a lessthan perfect note as my traveling companiongot sick on the last night ofour stay and hada very nauseating and uncomfortable ridedown the long and winding road that led usback home. And yes it was good to get back‘home’ again! It seemed as though we hadbeen gone for at least a week!

I am so thankful that once again I wasable to touch the beautiful soil of Baba’shome in the east and to share the tidal waveofHis love with so many beautiftil souls!

Brectthe DeeplyDavcina 13rown, JlVtekerazad

29th June

The almost unbearable summer heathas virtually disappeared now, and

in its place is the almost unbearable humidity that heralds the blessed down-pours ofthe Monsoon Season.The clearblue skies of summer have disappeared,leaving behind a thick blanket of greyclouds and fierce winds. Sometimes,these winds are so strong that we findflower pots overturned, plants uproot-ed and unripe fruits ripped from theirbranches only to land in great heaps onthe ground below.

But all these happenings are notwithout meaning; they arethe hints, the changing faceof seasons that lead us to be-lieve that soon the Monsoonrains will deluge Meherazad,turning the dry crackedearth into muddy puddlesand rivulets of rushing water. So we accept this transitional landscape as a marker,a clue as to what is to come,a reminder that will lead usto the “promised land”. And,although the promise hasnot yet come to fruition, wemark these advancing signswith hope. And we wait.

In the meantime, with loveand care, the flower pots aremoved to more sheltered locations, thefallen fruit are picked up and broughtto the kitchen to be transformed intopickles and jams, and we finish all thesummer projects and house cleaningthat heralds the beginning of the Pilgrim Season. For, as paradoxical as itmay seem, sometimes within the unfolding of change lie the seeds of preservation; Nature evolves in order topreserve.

Today, at Meherazad, we are begin-fling to take these hints to heart. Na-ture is giving us the clues as to how topreserve His home for posterity. We arebeginning to take control of what wemust change, so that there will be as lit-tie change as possible. So that the scentof His Being and what that life waswhen He lived as Man amongst menin the simple confines of Meherazad,

will continue to fill the hearts of all thepilgrims who come here. And althoughnow it can only be a picture, just thatsight can help open up our hearts to receive His love.

As I sit at my computer, wonder-ing what I should write about for thismonth’s Tavern Talk, what strikes mostdeeply—what resonates within my be-ing—is the timeless beauty of Baba’shome, and the importance of preservingthat. Whatever the season, whatever theweather, however the landscape variesand changes, there is an unmistakablefragrance of His Being that permeates

and pervades every molecular space.Call it atmosphere, call it His pres

ence, or call it the imprint of Realityupon illusion, but it has impregnatedthe very ground that He has walkedupon. It is in His sandals and the clothesHe has worn, the board that He used,the seat that He sat upon, the carpetsHe stood upon, the dining room tablewhere He ate; it is in the chairs, thebeds He has slept in, the cushions thatHis Feet or arms rested upon; it is inevery nook and corner of all the placeswhere He has lived and breathed. Andit is for this perfume that we come backagain and again to His Home, to thistiny spot on earth where Reality walkedamongst mankind.

Sometimes, in the Mandali Hall, pugrims would ask what is the value ofcoming here when Baba is no longer in

physical form? Or, isn’t one pilgrimageenough to last one’s lifetime? Or, afterthe mandali are gone, what is the pointof coming to Meherazad, won’t it justbe a museum?

I am reminded of something thatEruch would tell us. He used this fig-ure: we are like hounds, the dogs usedby the police when they need to trackdown a criminal. The dogs cannot beexpected to find the culprit, just by be-ing let loose. They need the criminal’sscent. They must be taken to the sceneof the crime and allowed to sniff. Theyare given some article of the thief’s

clothing or something heused in order to imbibe hisscent. And after awhile whenthey again seem to lose track,they are brought back to thescene of the crime to renewthe scent. Only in this waycan they track him down.

We, like the hounds, needto come here to sniff at theplaces where He has been,to breathe into our heartsthe redolence of His Being.When we become enmeshedin the world of illusion andthat scent that keeps us go-ing becomes faint, we needto come back and fill ournostrils once again.

Coming to Meherazad and imbibingthe atmosphere where He lived, Eruchwould tell us, does not give us the endresult, but it leads us towards Reality.It helps to saturate our heart with HisPresence so that He can fill it with Hislove.

On 1st July, the gates of Meherazadwill once again be opened to all His by-ers, pilgrims, and even those who admitto not understanding why they have feltdrawn to come here. But whatever theexcuse, whatever the reason, it doesn’tmatter. All that matters is to breathedeeply. He will do the rest.

Baba home at Meherazad

47

LA &lcnce EDay Story2leatlter 2’Iade!, J1l/Iehera&id

July10th, Silence Day, has come and

gone, as have most ofthe 1400 peoplewho came to Meherabad to observe it

near Beloved Avatar Meher Baba’s Samadhi. But what a splendid Day it was!People began arriving at lower Meherabad all night long on the 9th, and asthe sky lightened, heralding an overcastwindy day, almost everyone at Meherabad headed for the tomb, streams ofpeople all in silence walking

________

up the hill from the Hostels,or across the hill from the Re-treat, or from the homes andstaff quarters nearby. Peoplewho got into line, took a rosefrom the basketful ofred roseson the bench near the Samadhi door, went inside a few at atime, bowed down one by one.There was no Arti, of course,and all the praying was in silence. The profound EternalSilence at the heart of Meherabad seemed to flow out fromthe Samadhi like perfume. Asilent crowd sat around it allthe ensuing day into the eve-ning—pilgrims to His Oceanshore, drinking in the sea-breezes ofBaba’s sweet, deeplyserene atmosphere.

Mid-morning Meheru camefrom Meherazad to bow downto Baba there, and then wentdown the Hill for a specialdarshan at Baba’s Jhopdi (thesmall hut where He startedHis silence in 1925) and theTable House. In this she was followingin the footsteps of dearest Mehera, whowould always visit these sacred spots onSilence Day. At the small window grillinside the Jhopdi are two pictures of it

from the early days and pointing to oneof them, Meheru smiled and gestured,“I saw it like that!” The Jhopdi was openfor darshan all day too, and scores ofby-ers took advantage ofthis rare chance toenter the tiny room and pay homage toBaba there.

There were two silent showings ofa Baba film in the theatre, one in themorning, one in the afternoon. And atmeal and tea times, crowds ofpilgrims at

48

Hostel D verandah tables or in the Re-treat Dining Hall, sat together enjoyingsilent companionship and the uniqueambience served up by the Beloved.

(And yes, there was the annual silentvolleyball game!)

What couldn’t be seen, but was at theheart of the day, were the efforts of eachone of all those many lovers to upholdBaba’s order (given for the last Silence

woman who works for him to beware ofspeaking to the cat on Silence Day bymistake. She laughed and reassured him,“Oh don’t worry about that! You can talkall you like to animals! You just can’t talkto humans!” (Well, no. . . . but wouldn’tthat be easy!)

Mehera was often sad on Silence Day,remembering how much Baba’s silenceadded to His suffering. But Mani some-

times related an explanation Baba gaveShireenmai, their mother, about His silence and His work for the world: “Myfavourite memory of Baba and His silence was a little discourse He gave toMother, one of those natural, casual,spontaneous sayings of Baba’s that I callthe ‘simple sermons’. It was after Toka,at a time when Baba had been doinga long fast. While He was fasting, of

_______

course, He went on keepingsilence as He had been doingfor many years.

“Now all this hurt Mother,who loved Him so much,and who knew what a beau-tiful voice He had. Why wasHe doing all this? Why wasHe imprisoning His beautiful voice, why was He fastingand wearing out His beautifulbody?

“So she said to Him oneday, ‘Merog, why should youfast for all these months? Youhave become so thin and frail.And why should you observesilence and lock up your beau-tiful voice? You say there’snothing for you to gain fromit, and that you’re doing it forall these young chits aroundyou. So why don’t you makethem do it!? If it’s for theirsake, make them observe silence, make them fast! Whyshould you do it?’

“That’s when Baba gave usa hint, a glimpse, ofthe differ-

ence when we do something and whenHe does it for us. An insight into thedimension of His silence, His fasting,or whatever He does out of His love formankind.

“He said, ‘Mother, if the whole worldwere to fast for the rest of their lives, it

wouldn’t equal one day of My fasting.And if the whole world were to observe silence for the rest of their lives, it

wouldn’t equal one hour ofMy silence.”

i. /

Day of His advent) to keep total silencefrom midnight to midnight ofjuly 10th.It was a continual meditation, as it wasfor His lovers everywhere around theworld observing silence. The day before,one of the residents had reminded the

PiiN: Money, passport, airreservation, visa, room at MPR.

BUnGET: Plan two weeks forabout $1500 including US airfare;staying longer costs less than$100/week, so stay longer.

PHOTOS from drug store: 2 forpassport, 2 for Visa, 2 for MPR.

PASSPORT: Valid 6 months paststay. Applications http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms. Maytake 3-4 months! Send photos,birth certificate, $97 plus mailing.

FLIGHTS: Seek cheap charterflights in publications at Asiangroceries or via agents specializingin India; web search “cheap flightto Mumbai.” Bad connectionsmay mean empty seats (stretchout); mileage upgrade to first classlie-flat seat? Refuel in favorite city:make 24-hour layover to breaktrip. 20 to 30 hours flying. AirIndia & Delta fly nonstop fromJFK to Mumbai in 15-16 hrs.

VISA: https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com Fee,application, passport, air reservations.$65 six months, $155 ten years.Allow 2 weeks minimum.

TIME: New York 6 Aa’i is 4:30PM in Meherabad. 9 PM in LA is10:30 pivi there.

JET LAG: Try to synchronizeyour schedule with India time asbest you can before leaving if yourwork permists.

MPR: No kids under 6. Sixweeks before arrival requestreservations for up to one week,then as available. (Note holidays.)Pilgrim Reservation Office:pimco.ambppct@gmail.com orphone 91.241.254.8733. Cite:home address, phone, shortpersonal introduction, names,birthdates, gender, exact arrivaland departure dates/times,nationality.

4 Months:ApplyforPassport

ON To MEHERABAD:Arrange a safe 6-hour ride withPathan: pathan13@yahoo.com.tel. 011+91.982.324.7022 or241.232.5022, meherbabatours.corn.

CARRY-ON: Documents, books,snacks, amusements, prescriptions,anything non-replaceable.Nothing sharp. Read fine print onticket for airline rules!

BE A “MULE.” Ask Listserv, PROand Dma what needs transporting.

WEsR: a Baba button.Li&vi AT HOME: shorts, low

necklines, tight or sheer garments,valuables, cell phones, worries.

IN AHMEDNAGAR: Meher NazarCompound, Trust, Meher BabaCentre (devotional music Saturdayevenings), Meher Nazar Books,shopping, restaurants. ATM!

IN MEHEiau AND MEHEIzAD:Seclusion Hill is eroding; use care.Baba’s Room; Blue Bus; Jhopdi,Rahuri Cabin, Cage Room, TableHouse for meditation and prayer.Baba’s bicycle in the museum;tour archives. Sit in the Samadhi.History tour. Jam sessions,volleyball games, walking trails,gardens and verandahs, library.Volunteer opportunities. Mastertechnique for washing laundry,hair, body with two buckets ofwater. Motor rickshaw to bazaaror Meher Tailor. At MeherDarbar phone calls to US are Rs.8/minute; check your email. Icecream and good coffee at TheBlue Tank (BT) Café.

WaT NoT TO Do:Rules for Pilgrims are based on

Baba’s directives and should behonored at all times. Do not travelalone at night. (For women thismeans sunset). Maintain silencein and around the Tomb. No

$1 40 Rupees

.try crazKslist. corn

shoes in the Samadhi and someother places; look for signs. Limitcontact with local people (drivers,shopkeepers, tailors, hotel staff,army) to business matters. Donot sell anything to anyone. Donot cash money with anyone.Ignore begars and peopleshouting ‘Jai Baba” or asking yourname. Do not approach, feed ortouch animals. Lock valuables inRegistration Office or an MPRcloset or leave home. Do notleave belongings unattended. Useauto-rickshaw fixed rates. Do nottip. Do not photograph militarysites or equipment or entermilitary areas. Unmarried couplesdo not share a room in a hotel orelsewhere. Do not hold hands,kiss, embrace or express affectionin public. Anyone not entirely freeofillicit substances will not beaccommodated. Ifyou normallytake a prescription here, take itthere, especially psychiatric! Don’tpocket chunks of Seclusion Hill,soon to be called Seclusion Pit.When you leave Meherabad, gostraight home.

CuLTUu SHOCK: Greeting—fold hands and tilt head forward:Namaste. Many Indians arevegetarian and do not drinkalcohol. Women dress modestly,even on beaches. Rapidly growingeducated classes speak English.You will see extreme poverty.Most toilets require you to squat.Be prepared to enjoy sensoryoverload.

ARRIvi. IN MEHEiiaAD:Register at the Pilgrim Office, hitthe white rock trail, pay respectsat the Tomb:

l’Velcome home!

Firrn up Check Trust andmule ditty Welcorne home websites

Check credit cards

for exchange rates&ATMfees; buytravelers checks

THE LIST

_Document copies in each bag_Rainwear (June—Oct.)_Coat, gloves, scarf; hat (Nov.—Feb.)

_Jacket, shawl or sweater_Sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen_Three changes lightweight,layerable, conservative clothing

_Extra socks and undies_Pajamas and light robe or shawl_Two pairs comfortable broken-inwalking shoes, easy off& on

_Flaslilight, batteries_Adapter(220V5A, 3 large roundpins in a triangle)

_Toiletrybag to hang on a hook_Pillow ifyou are particular_Ear plugs_Camera, dustproofcase, batteries

film or memory_DEET insect repellent_Toilet paper and tissues_Travel towel, face cloth_Diary, tape, art supplies,stationeryAnti-inflammatories, bandaids,antibiotic ointment, a few pills totreat diarrhea, strains, heartburn,insomnia, colds

_Moleskin for incipient blisters_Arnica or Traumeel_Hand disinfectant, moisturizer_Safety pins, sewing kit, pocketknife, nail clipper

_Sanitary supplies, shaving gear_Travel alarm, iPod_Shampoo, soap, deodorant,dental gear, foil-wrapped wipes

_Contact lens kit, spare specs_Copies ofprescriptions_Supplements_Herbal tea or instant coffee_Sandwich-size zip bags_Nalgene water bottle & strap_Snacks, raisins or trail mix_Dust mask_Pegs, soap, marker for laundry_Light shoulder bag(men too)_Books, toys, games for kids_Collapsible duffle bag, empty_Instrument or sheet music_Whole spices make a nice gift_Children’s clothing and toys forPumpkin House Orphanage

2<now 1kforePILGiuMAGE PLNER FOR WESTERNERS

kzstbeyondarrivalhome;keep in carry-on. No ashot(ostpeoplewbtake

tho1era vaccineget no benefit butsuffer side effects! (Toprevent cholera, eat in theMPR or the B1 or oii iz, cook it,

peelit orforget it. ‘) Dailygarlic andBlfor two weeks before departure, andafter arriving, maypreventmosquitobites; useDEETrepellent, tuck mosquito nettingaroundbed. Pay attentionto drinkingwater;disinfrcthands often.

Cbeckhealthinsurance.Consider travelinsurance.Allow tirneafteryozigethometo readjust. Ifnot well, don’tg

Hot and Dry 4 Rainy and 68° tO 86° Warrn and Dr3r 1and 59° to 77° Hot,_Dry

II 4 JUN JUL Auc SEP OCT NOV •DEc JAN FiB MAR

RlL-kshasLc, laumby, ‘- 2.,

z ‘-s ?-- ‘— - ‘ 2-

inte7net gfls garlands 4 iOJe Dhuni on 12th atsunset <% 47ç ‘ 1

snacks tours incidentals e4e Sarnadhi openfrorn 6 3OAM to 8 PM with e

, “,S ‘C4e C4e

IS-lO/daytA.4 Arti at 7:00AM &PM. p44,, ‘% ‘

Can Ifind a travel Meherazad bus on Tuesday,

buddy on the Listserv or Thursday & Sunday.

invite afriendl Break

Book car anddriver Murnbaito Meherabad (Pathan)

7-8 Weeks:Set dates;

bookfiights

_

6 Weeks: Mail,pets, 3_4 Weeks:MPR reservations by email house, Applyfor

(Rs 270/day includes 3 meals, plants, yard Visa2 teas) arrangements

journeyin Paris?

—Pack bags, stop 16-30 o hours:mail, pay bills hours: US to Mumbai to

Mumbai Meherabad

49

J1l/kI’terctzctd 2tectlth LIpdctte.SItel!ey Jklarricli

December 3, 2008

Loving greetings to Baba’s familyaround the world.

The time has once again come to sendnews of all your dear Meherazad family.

Last April Arnavaz began warning usthat her departure was imminent. Oncewe recovered from our anxious need towatch her every move, we relaxed, real-izing that ‘imminent’ did not mean im

mediately. And though she’s had her upsand downs, since that time her health hasbeen stable and she has continued to generously share her love for Beloved Babawith all.

However, over the last month we findthat she is steadily declining. Arnavazstill receives pilgrims in her room, takesmeals on the veranda of her cottage andwatches Baba movies every evening fromher bed, but during each day she spendsmore and more time asleep and in thelast two days has become unable to walk.Arnavaz’s sleep is sometimes so deep thatwe are unable to rouse her and we feelmore and more that she is with her Be-loved. She’s aware of her condition and

when asked says she’s happy because during sleep she has nothing to do with theworld.

Though we have tried to find the sourceof Arnavaz’s somnolence we have beenunable to uncover any physical reason. So,we can only rely on our Divine Doctorfor the proper diagnosis, and continue tokeep her comfortable and free from pain,as the prognosis is always in His Hands.

I will keep in touch.While I am on the subject of

Mandali health at Meherazad,I should also mention Katie and Meheruwho have been absent from the verandaat Meherazad on pilgrim days for the lastweek. Meheru has been slowly recover-ing from a flu she caught from a sneezing pilgrim about two weeks ago. This isthe second flu she’s had since Septemberand she feels too vulnerable to exposeherself to the flus and colds still circulating among the pilgrims at Meherabad.Meheru has been resting and regainingher strength, and hopefully will be wellenough to visit with Baba’s lovers at Me-herazad very soon.

About three weeks ago Katie starteddeveloping symptoms of heart failure,a diagnosis which was confirmed by

Echocardiogram. Katie’s heart failure isunder control with medication but shetires very easily and still requires a lot ofrest.

So although it seems the towers at Me-herazad are tottering, their resignation toBeloved Baba’s Will remains strong. Theysend their united loving appreciation toall who have sent wishes for their speedyrecoveries and a heart-filled Jai Baba to

everyone.

December 8, 2008

Iam writing to let you allknow that dearest Ar-

navaz’s condition appears tohave suddenly deteriorated.

She has developed a chestinfection which has furtherweakened her and as a resultofthis we are unable to awaken her for very long. She isresting comfortably in bedon oxygen and is receivingappropriate treatments forthe infection.

Although we continue tohope that dear Arnavaz’scondition will improve, as weall know she is completely inBeloved Baba’s Hands.

Katie and Meheru are do-ing much better but of course are veryconcerned about their dear Meherazadcompanion.

I will keep in touch.With much love in Baba,

Shelley Marrichin correspondence for Meherazad

Clockwisefrom top lefi—Arnavaz,Meheru, and Katie

so

7;wo 24kw Progrctms from the 7rust LibraryDiana 13lois , J44cltertthad

112tovember 2008

T exciting new programs havebeen launched in recent weeks

through the Trust Library under thedirection of Gokaran and UrmilaShrivastava. The first ofthese programsis “Welcome to His World: An Exhibition on the Life and Work of AvatarMeher Baba,” a collection of photo-graphs currently on display in the StudyHall Room located in the upper story ofthe Meher Retreat on Meherabad Hillnear the Samadhi. The Meher Retreathas a long and rich history; and as wellas having served as a residence for thewomen mandali in the late 1930s, a decade before that, prior to the construction of the upper story in 1938, Babasecluded Himself in one of its groundfloor rooms in 1926 while writing partof”the Book.”

Welcome to His World is intended tobe the first ofmany exhibitions that willbe held in the Meher Retreat. Theseexhibitions are intended for all, butmost particularly for a comparativelynew kind of pilgrim, that is, day pilgrims who visit Meherabad as one stopon a bus tour and who come knowinglittle or nothing ofBaba’s life and work.These pilgrims take Baba’s darshan atthe Samadhi, and afterwards, manyseek to learn more about Baba. To meetthis need, the Trust Library intends tokeep this exhibition and others like it

open through the daylight hours so thatpeople can access it and learn. In thefuture, exhibitions might also includeshort films shown to groups on a wide-screen television.

In the current exhibit, there are 120stunning black and white photographs,measuring 12” by 15,” which presentBaba’s life and work in thirteen phases,for example, His childhood and family,His interaction with the Five PerfectMasters, the early days at Meherabad,His seclusion work, His work withmasts, and His trips to the West. Run-fling beneath these photos, is a seriesof larger photographs, each one 2 feetby 3 feet, which are blowups of framestaken from colour films. These blowupsgive the viewer the sensation of beingin the midst of the events that they depict. One is virtually surrounded by and

engulfed in the historical events.At the center of the room is a table

with a large chart displaying a pictorial representation of Darwin’s theoryof evolution. This is juxtaposed againstRano Gayley’s chart showing the jour-ney of the soul. The combined chartspresent a clear comparison of the two

and will help newcomers to understandBaba’s spiritual cosmology.

Many people assisted in preparingthese materials, notably Martin andChristine Cook, who reproduced thephotographs, Sue Chapman, who wasinstrumental in developing the exhibit’sthemes and organizing the placementof the photographs, and Ted Judson,who oversaw the setting of the displayboards.

The exhibit was festively inauguratedon October 8 at an event under the TinShed on Meherabad Hill. About two

hundred people assembled there forthe opening ceremony, which includedtalks by the chairman Bhau Kalchuri,trustee Jal Dastoor, and others.

Less than two weeks later, the secondofthe Trust Library’s new programs waslaunched. On October 22, the Library’slecture series was inaugurated with aprogram about the commemorationof the fiftieth anniversary of the 1958Australian Sahavas at Avatar’s Abodein Australia. While the photographicexhibitions in the Study Hall are mostimmediately intended for newcomers toBaba and wayside pilgrims, the lectureseries is intended for all pilgrims as wellas the residential community and willaddress serious topics of interest.

The scheduled main speaker for theinaugural lecture was Bill LePage, oneof Baba’s earliest lovers in the West,who first heard of Him in the 1940’s.Unfortunately, Bill was unable to at-tend due to illness; in his stead Gokaranprovided extensive background on theSahavas and showed a video of Billspeaking very movingly about his experiences at the 1958 event. Then variouspeople who attended the commemoration spoke about their impressions;they poignantly conveyed a sense of thelove that suffused this summer’s eventat Avatar’s Abode and made clear to us

that Baba’s presence there was palpable.

Jal and Dolly Dastoor, Dara and Am-nt Irani, Ted Judson, and Ward Parks,attendees at the Avatar’s Abode commemoration in May, gave the audi-ence a sense of the selfless dedicationevinced by the event’s hosts in additionto providing personal impressions.

The Trust Library’s current plans areto have a lecture about once a month,if possible. The subject matter of thelecture series will include discussions ofBaba’s books, commemoration of majorevents from Baba’s life, and recounts byold-time Baba lovers of their experiences with the Beloved. The goal is tofoster an atmosphere which helps us allto share and grow in our spiritual understanding through examining Baba’swork and studying His words. For asBaba said, “Of [the] different types ofservice, the service which is concernedwith spiritual understanding is thehighest...”

Both the exhibition and the lectureseries serve as a fulfillment of Baba’swishes expressed in the Trust Deed:“For depicting and unfolding the lifeand words of Avatar Meher Babathrough establishment of or helping inthe establishment of museums, memo-rials, study—halls, libraries, fairs or exhi—bitions, or ‘melas’ at such places as maybe feasible.”

The Welcome to His World exhibitand Australian Sahavas commemoration talk are inspiring examples of Ba-ba’s workers enthusiastically using theirspecific talents cooperatively, withoutfuss, and without drawing attention tothemselves.

vWi3r

SI

What”s 1appening cit JlVkherctbode

..Adele’s 3ctrewell to California

Marta Velasquez created one ofher beautiful quiltsfor us all to write afarewell message to Adele

Adele is now completely moved in to her new apartment across the street from MeherSpiritual Center, and is happily able to e-mail and take calls. Her address is:

10301 N. Kings Hwy #18-1, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572Home phone: 843-213-1690, E-mail: meheradele@aol.com

Farewell to Adele Wolkin

I n our last issue we showed the great 90th birthday party Meherabode threw for Adele. This time the party was a farewell to the nonagenarianwho, after many decades in Los Angeles, has decided to spend the remainder ofthe years Baba has allotted her in Myrtle Beach. We saw many

people we had not seen in years who came especially to farewell their old friend. In the case ofour current President on the Meherabode Board ofDirectors, Richard Stermer had known Auntie Adele since he was a little boy.

52

Cathy Broadley andBrian Drygasfiewinfrorn out oftown

Many musicians turned out toplayAdelefavorites

If : __.

Clockwisefrom toJ left: Richard PeikoffCharles Gibson sings the Gejeiati Arti,Richard Sternzei; The UPS guys who

pached up hei- apartment look to haveadopted her!, All crowded around the caras she drove off Mauieen Hazard, The Still Yet More players...

c I

c

53

Reminiscences on Centers..Ade!e Wolkin, Los Angeles to J4lyrtle Beach

he best thing I can do as I’m leaving LosAngeles is to share the reason I came

here to begin with. It was by Baba’s Gracethat I was directed to reside near Fills, whohad moved to L.A. to accept a position atMattel Toy manufacturers, before I left forIndia in 1962.

When my appointment to the NursingStaff of a Bombay Hospital was confirmed,and my plans progressed and were also con-firmed, we reflected on the possibility that Imight not stay for as long as I originally in-tended. Then to where would I return? Mywords to Fills were that I would probablyjoin her as we had both been related in Baba’sservice since the inception of our connectionwith His Western women, namely NormaMatchabelli, Elizabeth Patterson & NadineTolstoy. As I concluded my appointment innursing at Wadia Hospital, there was a finalinterview that Baba requested of me. Baba’sdirective was that it would be best for me toreturn to America. He said jokingly “If youstay longer you will need a nurse.” It wasagreed that I would probably go help Fills atthe L.A. Baba Center.

Backin 1956 Baba gave time to the peoplewho had controversies about what a centershould be. The big controversy at the timewas between the New York group and theSufi group. It was a lack of knowledge ofBaba’s fill purpose for the two entities, that’swhytheyturned to Baba to clasifjTheywereall doing their best. Baba had given the Sufistheir charter and Ivy Duce was very obedientto that charter. At that time, John Bass wasone ofthe group heads. Group heads, such asJohn, Ivy and the Winterfeldts, would get allthe circulars that Baba sent out periodically,and from there they were distributed to thecommunity The purpose of circulars was tocommunicate the ongoing activities of Me-her Baba. Some were strictly meant for Indiaand some strictly for Westerners. Circularsmeant for Westerners were shared some-times with Europeans, and I was responsiblefor forwarding a number ofcirculars directedto Greece and to Israel via Chris Andrewsand Carrie Ben Shammai.

In Adi K. Irani’s description, we followblindfolded (by faith alone) in contrast tothe spiritual path. On the spiritual path youconsciously tread the ladder of conscious-ness. When you are blindfolded through thegrace of the spiritual master, you are totally

given to love of Baba through obedience,surrender and holding onto His Daaman.We are destined to follow one or the other.Baba has some blindfolded in faith and someconsciously on the spiritual path. But for all:“When you leave all to Me, I dare not neglectyou, and you get relief from your predicaments. I am the Ocean of Love and Corn-passion.”

Baba spoke with us in July 1956, the second Sahavas. This was more like the officialopening ofthe Center. Why did Baba speakabout Centers? Because of this misunderstanding between the NY group and theSufis. The two paths ll always remain different, as characterized by these two groups,because how is cooperation and harmonypossible ifeveryone is doing the same thing?Everyone should become like dust. All thesecenters express His Love. Whether followingthe ways ofa group with Ivy orwith Fred and

John, the bottom line is supreme tolerance ofeach others’ differences with love for God.

Baba’s fill message on centers is to be foundin the Awakener Issue, VolIV #4, Fall 1957—Baba said: 7Zast evening, ItoldJohn Bass andothers that in India there are one hundred df

ferent groups. Each has a group heac4 and allworkfor the love ofme. All love me. The groupheads are responsibleforthe work thegroup does.But there should be cooperation and harmony,and the group heads should not try to win overother membersfrom one ffice to anothei WhyWhatj?r? T’t/ all workjbr Baba. There shouldhe harmony and cooperation. There should beno competition. Each one, especially the groupheads, shouldbe an example to others, be humbleas dust. One must become like dust to workfirGod The ego shouldnotbe tickled aboutpositionandffice andsay, 7am agroup head1”

‘2 wantyou all to bear in mind one thing. Inow enphasize onepoint that lemphasized inIndia also when I called allgroups together attheAndhra meeting [1954]. Isaidthatfor Me,there is no needfor centersfor dj/,fèrent places,nor dffirent groups, with dfiêrent heads ornames. My center is the heart ofevery lovei Ev—ery lover with a heart that loves Baba is a centei’The secondpoint I would like to emphasize isthat whoever wants to work spreading my message oflove and truth absolutety needc a centraloffice andgroups ofworkers who can function

from that central office. There is always a need

Ior a group to have a centei You can have manysuch centers. Myrtle Beach is such a center—and

it stretchesfor many miles!”“What aboutElizabeth To whatgroup does

she belong Yetshe may be lovingMe even morethan any group heads, or those working in certam groups. There may begreater lovers fBabathan the group heads; that is not to be judgedYet, someone who does not belong to any groupmay be thegreatest lover falll’

“What I want is love, and to make othersknow about truth—what I say about truthand lovejbr humanity. So naturalty, you havegroups and ffices. Everything should be donein harmony. Each group should cooperate witheach other Idon like backbiting, criticism, andconfusion. ..“

My experience with Centers began withthe NewYork Center and with Meher Spin-tual Center. But I think most of my experience has been with the Los Angeles Center—“Meherabode”. As Baba had told us, most ofus benefit from a Center. His message to Fillsand me was : “Let these words be inscribed inyour heart—nothing is real but God.”This isone ofthe ways Baba gives for achieving theSupreme Reality I had commented to Fillsthat this is a message that would answer everything—a real guide to living. How do weput Baba’s words into action? He has given usthe answer, so that we can hold the messagenow and forever. Everything is unreal exceptHis Love and Truth, everything else is ‘eetineti”, not this, not that.

Now that I am leaving Los Angeles andmovrngto the EastCoast nearMeher Spinitual Center, the emphasis again is to strengthenthat goal ofharmony and cooperation. All ofus are conscious ofthis but we don’t always goabout it the right way. Baba’s words resoundstronger than ever, “What I want is Love, andto make others know about truth and whatI say about truth and love for humainty Sonaturaky you have groups and offices. Every-thing should be done in harmony. I would likeyou all to belong to certain groups. Why? Be-cause you can cooperate and tell others aboutMe and share your thoughts. You learn muchmore than when you remain by yourselfWhen you listen, exchange thoughts, prayers,My Presence is there. Where there are fivecollected together Parameshwar is there. I amthere. Ifyou are tailting ofMe, having love forMe, then there I am.”

54

J7.I/lichael ‘Da Costa’s 2Jcttionwide 7ourDina9bson

Michael’s first performance was hereat Meherabode in September. I was

honored to play host to him at our home,and when I picked him up at the airportI really surprised him by telling him hehad been a part of our family since theearly 70s! Having only met me once be-

fore a few years ago when he performedat the LA Sahavas, he was understand-ably puzzled. “It was your ‘Meditation’piece on the Pete Townshend album WhoCame First” I told him. It was one of thethree albums Pete dedicated to Baba, andon it Michael did a humorous sketch of aman trying to meditate — and all the way-ward thoughts that came flooding intohis mind. The line that really tickled mychildren was “Oh no! Itchy toe!” cried outin an anguished voice. So forever after—down through the decades—if an itchy

toe occurred, Michael’s cryissued forth.

His concert was wonder-ful. Hilarious—as in his‘Garland of Egos’ readings,rousing—as in his Baba rap‘And the Love Flows On’

and so meaningful as inany of his other songs.I was so happy to hearthat Michael was thecomposer of one of myfavorite songs ‘I ShallReturn’. I had badgeredTed Judson to sing it every time I was at the Samadhi, think-ing that was the only place I couldhear this wonderful song. So I wasthrilled when I saw Michael had it onhis Lost and Found CD.

In recent years he has been per-forming his one man show all overthe Baba world. It is a full and variedprogram ofhis work, including songs,performance pieces, dramatic mono-logues, poetry, jokes, frill of Babameaning and humour.

Adele Wolkin had this to say abouthim: ‘Meher Baba wishes Michael to rejoice and make sure that Hisgifts to him are shared farand wide. Michael has obviously been greatly favoredwith unique ability to spreadjoy and humor and loveof the Beloved, and thusis elected by Him to carryand infect us with the bless-ings of heart and mind, viz.happy humor and increased

understanding.’In his review of some

of Michael’s CDs inGlow International,George Chen writes:‘Michael’s dramaticmonologues, Garland ofEgos, give the listener theimpression ofhearing anexplicit rendering of hisown internal ego-chat-ter. The effect is funny,vain, denuding and attimes maddening—justlike the ego itself.’

‘It not only entertains but enlightens.It is surely one of the most original Babaworks.’

‘In Michael’s songs lies something undeniably original and authentic; they beara patina of agelessness. He has the poet’sability to put over a story; overcomingthe listener’s prejudices and teaching himsomething new—and sometimes surprising—in the process.’

Visit his website at michaeldacosta.com

-‘i ‘

ss

73ob Een cit the Walt Disney Concert .2/ct!!with 9he Cscctpe /lrtist11

rkatliy 21i11, Los /lngeles

Alarge contingent of Los AngelesMeher Baba Center members were

present for a sold-out performance ofRobert Een’s new production on Sept.24 at the “Redcat” theater in downtownLA (240 seats), which is part of the bigWalt Disney performance complex, similar to Lincoln Center in New York.

“The Escape Artist” was categorizedas “opera” in promotional materials, partof the elaborate and engaging WorldFestival of Sacred Music that runs for

two weeks all over greater Los Angeles. However, I am not certain the term“opera” adequately describes the performance I so enjoyed. When I think ofopera, I think ofelaborate sets (this hada simple black backdrop with interest-ing ‘light orbs’) and a massive costuming effort (this had everyone clad inblack, and fabulous big white eyeglassesthat made me think of domino masks).Frankly: if this is not opera, I preferwhatever this is.

The three-act storyline follows theups and downs of the spiritual path, andmany musical numbers featured imagi

native use of onomatopoeia: The trainjourney sounds like chuff chuff chuffchuff the running-away episode soundslike a runner’s huffing and puffing. Stag-ing could not be simpler. The International Mystical All-Star Band formed ashallow semicircle facing the audience(and sitting in the front row in this compact space, I was practically in their laps).Front and center was Bob Een on cello;anchoring the left end was Billy Good-rum at a nine foot grand piano and key-

board. The other eight chairsheld four female vocalists andfour multi—instrumentalists, allmale, with hammered dulcimer,Tibetan singing bowls, bouzouki, wood flute, accordion,drums, etc., a highly eclecticvariety ofsounds. Though theynever left their chairs, this didnot seem to be a limitation toexpressiveness.

Every bit as engaging asthe story, with music and lyr

...

ics that told the tale so well, was a vocal technique Bob calls “overtones”which seemed reminiscent of Tibetanthroat singing, but in a higher regis-ter. My attention was riveted to thewords (“The reward is you get to diewith no regrets”), the music (how canthat guy play flute and bouzouki at hesame time?!) and the deeply involvingnarrative, throughout the performance,which ended too soon for me. Then I

was waking, as if from a dream state orfugue.

In addition to Bob Een and BillyGoodrum, other Baba lovers who helpedput this amazing effort together included Karin Levitas (dramaturge) and Bar-bara McReynolds (whose l.a.Eyeworksprovided the phenomenal eyeglasses).I understand the performers cloisteredthemselves for several intense days ofrehearsal before the performance. It paidoff; they seemed to be in utter unity, andenjoying it. Bob told us his voice was giving out due to a head cold, but I couldn’ttell. I can’t think of a single negative inthe entire production.

I think this show should go on theroad so more could enjoy it, but I wasnot certain the rest of the audience wasgetting as much meaning and significance as I was. But at the end, the entiretheater was on its feet cheering for quitea long time.

I was pleased that the “To pen-etrate into the essence.. .“ Meher Baba

quote was chosen for the program andthat under Acknowledgements, after a long list of supporters, there wasthis paragraph: “Most specially also:Meher Baba.” Had He been in theaudience, He would have been beam-ing and giving that “perfection” sign.

L —-

Recent19uests cit J4/teherctbode

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Clockwisefrom top left:

Raine entertains us as herse’fsingingher own compositions and those ofFrancis Brabazon and then as heralter-egos Rainetta (gospel) Ranididi(Eastern)

Davana Brown tells us of thewonderful years she spent as Eruchcright handgal

Laurent Weichberger spoke of Babas;-‘i to us oflntuition, reminding methat Einstein once remarked “The onlyreal, valuable thing is intuition.”

Bob Eenc daughterAria dances to herDaddyc music__o

y .

/7cCarisArkin gave us a rousing concert,

again sending many to the Bookstore tobuy his latest CD The Diving Horse!

I I

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57

Announcements continuedfrompg. 75

‘The4Oth .Amartithi

AMessage From V.S. Kaichuri Chair-man of the Trust

Dear Sisters and Brothers in BelovedAvatar Meher Baba,

The fortieth Amartithi ofBeloved Avatar Meher Baba falls on Saturday, 31stJanuary, 2009. For this sacred occasion itis expected that pilgrims from all over In-dia and around the world will be visitingthe Tomb-Shrine ofAvatar Meher Babaat Meherabad Hill, Ahmednagar (M.S.)India to take part in the EducationalGathering.

The observance of the fortieth Amartithi (Anniversary ofAvatar Meher Baba’sDarshan) will be for two days, i.e. 30thJanuary morning to noon of 1st February,2009. The main function, as usual, will beon 3lstjanuary, 2009.

By Beloved Baba’s grace, it will bemade possible for pilgrims visiting theTomb-Shrine of Beloved Avatar MeherBaba, for the fortieth Amartithi, to stayat the Meherabad Estate from 8:00 a.m.of 30th January to 12 noon of 1st February, 2009.

ATTENTION Darshan of BelovedAvatar Meher Baba will be available in-side the Tomb-Shrine through a regulated queue designated specifically for thisoccasion. However, due to theinflux of pilgrims during Am-artithi, it is requested for thebenefit ofall that pilgrims takethe least time possible for darshan and to take darshan onlyonce on 3lstJanuary, 2009.

QUEUE TOKEN SYSTEM We are continuing ourQueue Token System. Aftercollecting a single token with anumber on it, each Pilgrim willbe free to move about until thenumber on his/her token is an-nounced and displayed on thesignboards. THE PILGRIMSSHOULD JOIN THEQUEUE WHEN THEIRNUMBER IS DISPLAYED.Please be alert because if yournumber has passed throughthe Darshan line and the nexthigher number has also passed,you will miss your turn andwill require a new token.

A) REGARDING ARPJV

AL AND DEPARTURE: Please note:1) Pilgrims should not arrive at Mehe

rabad before 8:00 a.m., on 30th January,2009, and should leave Meherabad by 12noon, on 1st February, 2009.

2) There will be stalls seffing light refreshment and meals at Lower Meherabad, New Site and Upper Meherabad tillearly afternoon on 1st February, 2009.

3) There will be separate lodging arrangements for men and for women atMeherabad as usual. Pilgrims are remind-ed that they should continue to abideby Beloved Baba’s wishes, as expressedby Him in the 1958 Sahavas, that menand women pilgrims should stay in theirown quarters and not visit, enter, or restin each others quarters. Pilgrims shouldlovingly cooperate with the Man- agree-ment in this matter and the Managementreserves the right to caution any pilgrimwho fails to abide by Beloved Baba’swishes as mentioned above.

Pilgrims are requested to bring warmclothes, and flashlights (torch). The quarters for men and women are separate; soto avoid conftision it is advised that menand women of the same family pack separate bags.

Meherabad Management requests pilgrims to use water very sparingly. Hotwater for bathing will be provided from11:00 p.m., 30th January to 7:00 a.m.,3 1st January.

Pilgrims in the close vicinity ofthe Samadhi are requested to do their utmostto maintain the sanctity of the Tomb-Shrine.

During Amartithi, in spite of policeand security arrangements, some theftsdo occur. Therefore, pilgrims are cautioned to be very careful with their valuables, especially of their purses, pouches,cameras and other items carried by hand.For their safety, pilgrims are asked towear their Entry Tokens at all times andvolunteers are deputed to inquire of any-one seen without a token.

6) Pilgrims arriving from outstationsby special buses, or by private cars, or byhired taxis are requested not to take theirvehicles up Meherabad Hill. Vehiclesshould be parked only in the parking zoneat the New Site or Lower Meherabad.

MEHERAZAD WILL BE CLOSEDJANUARY 26TH THROUGH FEBRUARY 4TH THIS INCLUDES ALLA1VIARTITHI DAYS (30th Januarythrough 1st February). Hence pilgrimsshould NOT visit Meherazad duringthese days for any purpose whatsoever,whether by public bus, private bus, car orrickshaw. Meherazad will reopen for pilgrims on Thursday 5th February, 2009.Facilities at Dharamshala and Hostelswill be closed from 25th January to 4thFebruary, 2009.

continued onpg. 85

LA 7ouch ofiove 3joundcttionJJinci9bson

Last year Wayne and Vicki cameagain to Meherabode to share with

us their wonderful adventures aroundthe world, spreading not just Baba’smessage of love and truth, but also giv—

they could feed, clothe and provide fulltuition for a needy child for that wholemonth! Who among us could resistopening their wallets, writing a checkor pulling out a 2O bill or two?! Noone.

In our last issue we published thephotos of three children in need of‘adoption’ [or more realistically — sponsorship). When I saw Wayne again atthe Center in October I asked him if hehad got a response from the article.

“Yes!” he said joyously. “The children

were adopted and a very generous do-nation of $1000 was sent!”

‘Thank you dear readers — thank you somuch!

On this visit Wayne and Vicki hadbrought with them 10photos of ‘adoptable’children along with asheet teffing us theirname, age, address andfamily (if any) situation.After his slide presentation and talk werefinished, many of usrushed to the table topick a child. Charlesand I adopted Manisha,a nine year old girl fromAhmednagar.

When I showed herphoto to two of mygrandchildren (ages

eight and 10) they were very excited andasked if they too could ‘adopt’ a boy anda girl. It would be a wonderful project forthem,writing to the children, sending him

and her their own photosand teffing them aboutlife in California. Obviously they don’t have the$32 a month themselves,but were willing to givea portion of their hardearned allowance, withtheir parents contributing the rest.

Then I got to think-ing what a great projectthis would be for schoolclassrooms. Qijite alearning experience for

the children in the States, and they couldpick from the many countries that Touchof Love works with. Each child wouldprobably not need to bring more than $1a month to school to cover the sponsor-ship. ‘Think about it folks, if you wouldlike some brochures to take to your child’sschool, just call or email Wayne and hewill be happy to send them to you. Thenof course, there is always the website:

www.atouchoflove.org

An Update fromWayne and Vicki Gafler, California

I has been a year since I last wrote toyou to tell you of the blessing Baba

gives to us every day. Vicki and I get tovisit poor villages and find children whoneed food, clothes, medical care and education. Only Baba could have plannedsuch a meaningful and rewarding life forus. I thought this time I would also expand to include some on the programs inSouth India where we help. Baba leads usto where He wishes!

Until March of this year, the worstpoverty we had ever seen was in Africa,with distended beffies and no medicalcare. That changed with our trip to Indiathis spring. One hour from Ahmednagarcity in a rural sheep herding village in In-dia called Dhablepuri, we saw the equalof such poverty The danger of poverty isthat its face changes each time you see it.

In Dhablepuri, the children’s skin is malformed and speckled from malnutrition.There are two wells in the whole spreadout village and one goes mostly dry in thehot season, just when you need water themost. The families pick up diseases likemalaria, typhoid and meningitis muchmore than other areas because of theircontact with their sheep. We have oneboy recovering from tuberculosis men-

Eager to choose a child we crowd around the table

Wayne narrates the slide show ofpictures takenin Ghana, Costa Rica andIndia

ing help, hope, health, food and cloth-ing to the poorest of the poor. They toldus that for the cost of one café latte aweek (a mere $4) four times a month

4\

“Itc a boy!” a girl!” Theproud newparents display their children

59

ingitis, which put him in a hospital atour cost for months. As his father has nouse of his legs and his mother is partiallycrippled, this would have been a crushingblow to lose their son. He is now recover-ing at home and our doctor does homevisits each week with new medicine andfood for the family. In all we have startedinjune with 55 children and two disabledfamilies providing food and medicinesand nutritional and vitamin supplementsfor the children. We are buying the cook-ing supplies, uniforms, plates, cups, schoolsupplies and hiring our cook and villagesupervisor. Starting with the school year,all 55 of the children in Dhablepuri receive a tasty hot meal before each schoolday. They can now learn their lessons withgood nutrition and a healthy body. Also,the attendance rate at the village schoolhas gone way up since the children wantthe meal and now associate school withsomething positive. With new uniforms,shoes, slates and school supplies, thesechildren can really benefit from school.One of the parents came over to our di-rector and said, “You are the only oneswho have ever cared about our children”.

It is a difficult situation to care for theabandoned elderly in India. We couldnot leave them lying on the ground inthe monsoon rain. When we tried to renta house or building to care for them insouthern Tamil Nadu, no one would rentto us in case someone died in the home.We tried in three areas and were told it

was very inauspicious to have a person die

our children’s home and created a family.We started with six elderly people, threewomen and three men. We decided tohire one widow as the cook for the children. Instead ofwaiting to die, the elderlyare surrounded by children, laughter andcompany. One man who has very pooreyesight is lead by a child to his chair atmealtime. It is really beautiftil to see themelding of generations, who have eachhad loss, into a family of children andgrandparents. In June at the start of thenew school year we had six elderly livingwith our 26 children who have lost one orboth parents.

All of our programs provide povertyrelief but the situation in Argentina hasbeen so dire in the past few years, wehave felt compelled to help ensure peoplethere, particularly children, do not starve.For nine years, we have partnered with theCommission to Help Argentine Schoolsto bring food, medicine, school supplies,and clothing to over 3,000 children in 65rural and frontier schools in the poorestpart ofnorthern Argentina. Some are delivered by horseback.

Two Projects in Ghana

A Touch of Love now gives opportunity to children and families outside ofAccra, Ghana. We provide food, medical

Ghana. These children attend the finestprivate school in the district at 12 timesthe public school tuition. All school costs,books, uniforms and test fees are paid forthem including extra clothes. The families also receive National Health Insurance to prevent illness from ending theireducation. We now have a sponsorshipprogram in Cape Coast, Ghana whichwas the center of the British slave tradefor over 100 years. We take children fromcrippled and abandoned families andgive them hope, education, nutrition andmedical care. Here also we have childrenwho lost one or both parents to AIDS.They attend the finest private school withbooks, tuition and athletic gear included.Both ofour schools have a 100% pass rateon national exams. All families get Na-tional Health Insurance provided free.

If you would like to help one of ourchildren by sponsoring them for $16 amonth, or wish to make a tax-deductabledonation, please call us at 1-877-273-2549. All ofyour money, whether donation or sponsorship, goes to the programs.We have never taken any money ourselvesand we raise any overhead costs separatelyat fundraisers in Southern California.

You can contact Wayne and Vicki at604 Hupa Street Ventura, CA 93001-4445 USA

1-877-273-2549 or 805-641-2800 andgo check out their website at:

www.atouchoflove.org

in your place, as no one would rent it after us. Instead, we moved the elderly into

care, clothes, job training and educationto hundreds of poor villagers in severalcommunities including Jasikan and CapeCoast in west and central Ghana. Wehave 81 AIDS orphans and abandonedchildren in Jasikan District in rural

These three beautiful children are lookingfor a sponsor

60

2008 &thavas

Somephotos ofour beautiful newSahavas venue La Casa de Maria

Bhau arrives!Morephotos by Stan here.stanbarouh. com/meherbaba/lasahavasand by Dma here.gallery. me.com/dinagibson#100016

,.

-I f2E1

6i

Cookie Riendeau holds the basket as Bhau draws the winningticketfor the ‘Tly To India”sweepstakes!Raine wins!

Bhau andfeffMaguireprovide endlessinspiration and entertainment

62

,

Enjoying the new [temporary] location ofthe Love Street Bookstore

,:

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At the Love Street Bookstore businesswas bustling and so was Kathy!

63

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Oppositepage: top right—Fred and Cookie in theThddy Shop, middle ltfl—Jarnie Newell and BuckBufteld take a moment toatch up,’bottom left—JackMormon andfriendsmiddle right—JurgisSapkus, Ray Lee andfriends, bottom right—Jim Wilson andElliot Karpeles have animpromptujam session

This page:top left—Jarnie Newell,top middle—MarkTrichka, top right—1-lughieperforms magic,middle left—Charles Gibson, middle middle—ourfabulous sound man Chris

Pearson, middle right—Jamie iViark and the Supreme Conductoi; lower middle—

extraordinaiy blues singer/guitarist Michael Campagna, bottom left—Thny Gris

cuts loose to the music!, bottom right—Bhau—with entourage—waves goodnight

to the crowd

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May Beloved Baba welcome us allin His own way and fill our hearts

and Avatars Abode with His Presence.Welcome everyone to this historic an-mversary.

In Myrtle Beach in 1952, Meher Babastated, in a meeting with Murshida IvyDuce and Francis Brabazon, that “Thereare three things that hinder Truth. First istemptation, veryvery few people can over-come temptations; temptations of money,fame, power, lust, leadership are disastrous,very binding and very few escape [them].Second, vagueness about things, and third,dishonesty”. When I first read this state-ment I thought that “temptations” and“dishonesty” were self-evident obstructions to Truth but “vagueness” seemed likethe odd one out. But is it?

During His lifetime Meher Babawas anything but vague. He stated inno uncertain terms who He is: God inhuman form, the Ancient One returned,the Avatar, the Saviour, the Messiah, theChrist, the Rasool, the Buddha. He spentHis time on earth with such extraordinaryclear-cut purpose and direction that for anoutsider the sheer facts of His life couldonly indicate that here is a person with adivinely ordained existence. Equally, theextent to which He was able to endurecontinual physical suffering with greatequanimity could only rest on the factthat His pronouncements ofwho He wasand His experience ofwho He was wereone and the same thing—the uniquereality of being God and Man in Onesimultaneously.

Ifvagueness is one ofthe hindrances toTruth, then obviously our vagueness has togo ifwe are to fully experience the Truth.This I think is relevant as we begin tocelebrate the Anniversary ofMeher Baba’svisit here fifty years ago. For it was fiftyyears ago to the day that Baba addressed asmall number ofpeople gathered togetherin the Meeting Hall and asked them todecide to either obey Him 100% or leavethe property There was no middle ground,no vagueness permitted, a sharp line hadbeen drawn in the sand. This momenthad obviously been planned by Baba and

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one that He brought crashing in, straightup. From the accounts of those who werethere the atmosphere was highly charged:some people were visibly shocked, othersoutraged, all were deeply stirred.

One person who was present comparedit to Yahweh the God of the Old Testament asking Abraham to sacrifice his sonIsaac. But I’m not so sure that Baba wasattempting to test the faith of anyone, somuch as to make the faith ofeach personexplicit, to bring it out from being some-thing shadowy and vague into the sharplight ofconsciousness and then to form it

into a clear intentional decision of obedience. Following this episode, when theatmosphere had calmed a little, Baba gavea discourse on obedience thus helping theminds ofthose present to regain some newstability. Baba elaborated that there werefour types of obedience:

1. The obedience of the soldier,who obeys out of a sense ofduty.

2. The obedience of the servant,paid obedience, the higher thepay the louder the “Yes Sir!”

3. The obedience of the slave,obedience through fear ofpunishment.

4. The obedience of the lover,obedience through love.

And it was the obedience of the loverthat Baba said is what He wanted. Notobedience out ofduty, out of the thoughtof some kind of recompense, nor out offear. Obedience through love may seemlike the most appealing option, but whatdid it actually entail? At this point Babaintroduced one of the great, ancientthemes of His Advent “There can be nocompromise; one cannot love the worldand love God. The man of the world hasto compromise; but to have obedience toBaba one cannot compromise with theways ofthe world. Baba is God. He is in usall. He is pure; it is the impurities in us thatstop Him entering our hearts. He can onlyenter our hearts when we have driven outeverything else; we keep Him away, yet Heis in us too”. Finally, Baba said to everyonepresent, that if they all tried to obey Him100% then He would help them.

I mention all this because I was askedto make some welcoming remarks, and Ithought I could do no better than to recallMeher Baba’s opening words and whatI have gathered were the circumstancessurrounding them, when He arrived herefiftyyears ago.

I’d like to conclude by reading someof Francis Brabazon’s fine words regard-ing the significance ofcoming to AvatarsAbode. Francis as many of us know wasMeher Baba’s poet, an Australian disciplewho lived with Baba for ten years in India,and who was instrumental in the creationofAvatars Abode:

“Avatars Abode is a stopping place onthe road to the Beloved, for He stoppedhere on the road to our hearts and tookover the lives ofthose who gave themselvesto Him. The place was acquired at Hisrequest and He gave the name it bears.”

“No stopping place can be a destination except that place where mind stopsforever and one knows that one is God.Your destination is your own heart inwhich the Eternal Ancient One eternallylives, but because Avatar Meher Baba theAll-loving One stayed here, the perfumeof His Love may refresh and strengthenyou on your way to His Feet.”

LAnd WIictt ci Celebration it Was!Sue 3ctmison, (expatriate living in] California

‘r am coming to America and Australiasolely to give My Sahavas to My lovers, andI want each ofyou to come with the longingto receive just that. I want this Sahavas tobe above all a close companionship betweenyour Beloved andHis lovers; and fyou wishto maintain this unique relationship, then donot come with the question or the desire to seekdiscourses and explanations. Come with the

preparedness to receivefully whatever I maygiveyou, with the thought ofbeing completelyresigned to My Will.”—Mahabaleshwar, 12th April 1958

Excerpt from Baba’s message to all thoseattending the Sahavas at Myrtle Beach,U.S.A. and at Brisbane, Australia. FromJohn Grant’s Practical Spirituality.

Fifty years later that “unique relation-ship” with the Beloved was very ap

parent as over 200 people from all over theworidjoined together with the intention toreceive fullywhat the Beloved had to offer,and boy, did He deliver!

The 50th Anniversary of BelovedBaba’s visit to Avatars Abode was a weeklong event from Tuesdayjune 3rd throughMondayjune 9th, choc-a-block frill (as weAussies would say) oftaiks, entertainment,companionship, and sharing in and of ourBeloved’s Love and, oh yes, great food!Each day had its own theme, a brilliantidea which allowed for focus and purpose:Tuesday, the day the Awakener Arrives,Wednesday was Love and Devotion,Thursday the Most East ofthe West, Friday the Most West of the East, SaturdayThe Most Fortunate Companions, SundayHis Divine Sense ofHumour and MondayTake My Name with You.

Anniversary guests included Jal andDolly Dastoor, Mehernath and Raj Kalchuri, Dara and Amrit Irani, the AvatarMeher Baba Centre Drama Group fromBombay, Tedjudson and Ward Parks. Butso many more ‘guests’ heeded the invitation within from near and far. We were awonderftil mix from so many different partsof the world—Australia, New Zealand,England, USA, India, Mexico, France, andeven a surprise guest from Peru.

The weekend before the Anniversary, it

rained and rained with still yet more rain!As this has become rather a tradition just

before the Anniversary no one seemed tooworried and the general feeling was “She’llbe right. Baba will make it stop just atthe right time”, although there was someanxious looking up at the sky and checkingthe weather reports just to second-guessthe Avatar! But of course, come Tuesdaymorning, tradition prevailed, or shouldwe say Baba smiled, and the sky seemedto be mainly clear with reluctant sunshine,but with the promise of good weatherfor the rest of the week. The volunteershad been working furiously through theweekend storm to set up the food tentand the makeshift kitchen making sure allthe stoves, sinks, etc were working. Peoplescurried here and there taking care of themyriad of details before Tuesday, the firstday ofthe weekiong event.

The rain had only managed to heightenthe beauty ofthe property that Baba Him-self named Avatars Abode. Everythingwas glistening and brilliant in the weakwinter sun. Now all was ready to welcomeHis lovers. Old friends greeted each other,new friends were made, and Baba’s flagwas raised by Bernard Bruford to signalthe official start of the Anniversary. BillLe Page told a lovely story as he planteda commemorative mango tree. The firstSilence time of the week between 12 and12:15 p.m. began, and Baba’s square wasbeautiful in the meditative silence.

Then the Anniversary really began aswe all moved to the dining tent for the firstmeal of the week together as Sahavasees.Wow! One word for the food — FABULOUS — all week every meal was lovinglyprepared and served by a steady stream ofvolunteers spearheaded by Amir and Ken-dra. Somehow food always tastes so muchbetter sharing with friends, and this weekwe all became the truest offriends in Babaand every mealjust tasted better and betterthan the previous one. Who can forget thebreakfast prepared by our Indian friends,spicy omelets, idli dumplings, rava and realchai; or that huge, fabulous cake to servea 100 and more made by Annette Harloffand decorated amazinglyby Diana Le Pageusing all Australian wildflowers gatheredfrom the property; or the cappuccino ma-chine that had long lines ofcoffee-deprivedBaba lovers. Tea, toast and vegemite nevertasted this good. Simple thanks are not

enough for this selfless service kitchenduty rendered with cheerftilness and goodhumour. Jai Meher Baba!

Tuesday, after the noon repast, Jeanette Isaacs-Young hosted the discussion“How did you get your ‘wake up’ call thislife from Baba”. Intimate sharing of themost significant and meaningful thing tohave happened to us in this life. Alwaysinteresting to hear how many different‘adventures’ Baba schemes up for each oneof us before our hearts are cracked opento let Him in. This meeting led right intothe first evening Arti of the week. Baba’sroom at Avatars Abode is very beautifuland simple—Baba’s bed, sandals, table andchair with the little pink satin cushionsupon which He rested his feet, all handmade so lovingly for Himjust prior to Hisarrival.The fragrance ofHim mingled withthe fragrance ofthe roses, it all makes thisroom so very special. Every Arti this weekwas so divine as all gathered to sing Hispraise. Those who couldn’t fit inside theroom were content to stand just outsidethe door and join in the praising. Afterthe prayers, each person had the chanceto enter the room and bow down at Hisbed. And how wonderful it was for all usexpatriates to sing the Australian Arti inAustralia in His room!

So many incredible musicians werethere to share their songs: Ted Judson,Ward Parks, Raine Eastman-Gannett,Elaine Cox, Cindy Lowe, Scott Makeigand his daughter Mehera Kleiner, GraceHunter, Meherveena and other Indiansingers and musicians, Ross Keating, SamSaunders, Richard Lockwood, Kris Hinesand please forgive me for not mentioningall the other poets and singers that sharedtheir talents with us. It was so hard totear one self away from that spot outsideBaba’s room feeling the sweetness of Hispresence. Every Arti was the same experience for me, full to the brim with heart’slonging.

Evening programs were held in TheShed. With the donation ofa state-of-the-art sound system byJohn and Helen MeyerofMeyer Sound Systems in California, Avatar’s Abodejoined the likes ofMeherabad,Meher Center in Myrtle Beach, Meheranain California and other centers around theworld in having (almost) perfect sound for

67

the perfect One. With much thanks andgratitude to Raine Eastman-Gannett forher part in initiating this gift. On the firstevening, Ross Keating gave a welcome talkand Elischa Isaacs-Young did alovelyjob ofreading Bhau Kaichuri’s welcome messageto all attendees. The Avatar Meher BabaBombay Centre Singing Group performeda concert with ghazals Baba liked. Translations were read in English so we couldappreciate more filly the hearifelt singingand quality ofthe performance. Having ourIndian brothers and sisters with us addedto the Sahavas-like feeling this week. Thefilm TheEternalBelovedwas shown and thetheme ofthe day: “The Awakener Arrives”came to pass.

Wednesday: Love and Devotion. Wegathered in the meeting hail to listen to BillLe Page tell stories ofMeher Baba, alwaysa treat. Followed by silence (sublime), andlunch (fantastic). Then in the afternoonover to Baba’s House, listening to sing-ing by Ted and Ward, followed by Daraand Amrit telling Mast stories and otherhumourous tales from their life in Baba’sintimate family. Meanwhile, through-out the property there was much actionas rehearsals progressed for the variousperformances yet to come; children werevery busy creating one of a kind treasures,food preparations continued, small groupsgathered under the trees for sharing of asmoke and/or talk, and Avatar’s Abodewas humming with activity and energy.This humming of energy and excitementcontinued through the week and could bepalpably felt. The highlight of this eve-ning’s program was the songs and poetryof Indian Saints by Dr Krishna Shuldafollowed by another wonderful film withdear Eruch lb be Natural. Things wereheating up!

ByThursday more people had started toarrive and there followed another wonder-ful day. Morning in Baba’s House: Rainesinging songs by Francis as well as herown compositions, followed by a spiritedtalk about Baba with focus on Eruch, byGary Kleiner joined by Jal and Dolly. Inthe meeting hall after lunch, Raine led“Singing to the Eternal Beloved” by FrancisBrabazon. A beautiful tribute to our Be-loved. AU there joined in enthusiasticallyin frill voice. Meanwhile in Baba’s Housea discussion on The Discourses was under-way hosted by Gary Kleiner and WardParks. The Most East of the West wasthe appropriate theme for the day and theevening’s entertainment was the drama

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group from the Bombay Centre who per-formed the most amazing play: The OnlyGracious One, a story ofthe 1958 Sahavasin Meherabad. What was so amazing wasthe actor playing Baba was notjust playingBaba but becoming Baba. Not only did helooklike Babawith some excellent makeuphelp, but he also had Baba’s every gesturedown perfectly. As “Eruch”, who was alsoexcellent in his role, led ‘Baba’ onto thestage, the sharp intake ofbreath from theentire audience was heard as one loudgasp!Those in the audience who had met Babasaid later that they were very moved asthey watched him perform, rememberingvividly how it was meeting Baba in person.The narration and music of the play wasprerecorded, which allowed us to focus onthis actor and his gestures “interpreted” byEruch. There was not a sound to be heardas the playprogressed, but at the end of theperformance the house erupted with wildclapping and cheering. This was one ofthehighlights ofthe week’s entertainment andwill be remembered for a long time.

Friday, 6thJune and with Arti and break-fast over, we were off to Baba’s House tolisten to Cyrus Khambatta talk on “Howthe Formless Ahura Mazda led me to theAvatar of the Age.” Cyrus is a wonder-ful speaker and all enjoyed his talk verymuch. Rehearsals continue in the Shedand elsewhere. After lunch Laura Darnellled some Universal Peace Dances, ftin forall to join in. A discussion on God Speakswith Ward Sparks and Gary Kleiner inBaba’s House was followed by tea, dinner,talking, laughing and then the eveningprogram began.

Michael Le Page welcomed us. Elischaread Bhau’s welcome message again, andthe evening started in a very dramatic wayas Jedda took the stage with her flamencodancing accompanied by Murray. Ole!The beautiftil Angie limura melted heartswith her fabulous voice singing “Meher’sNecklace”, accompanied by the song’s composer Chris Gray.TedJudson and RichardLockwood also played for the Beloved.Mehernath Kalchuri [Bhau’s son] thenshared with us stories ofhis life with Babaas a child and as the son of one of Baba’sMandali. Wonderful glimpses into howit was for a child to be around Baba andget away with a lot of naughty things! Tofinish the evening in a perfect way, the filmAvatar was shown. What a great day!

Saturday, theme ofthe day—The MostFortunate Companions—A j am-packedfeast of a day! During a very noisy break-

fast in the food tent, the “Poet’s breakfast”tried to hold their own in a corner of thefood tent. After breakfast, The WineshopSingers, directed by Sam Saunders, presented ghazals ofFrancis, with most musiccomposed by Sam, in Baba’s House. Asalways, moving and beautiftil. One of thememorable meetings for me was hostedby Michael Le Page in Baba’s House. Itwas titled “When Baba was with us onAvatar’s Abode”. Those on the panel weresiblings Bernard andJoanna Bruford alongwith Peter Baulch, who were teenagersand younger in 1958. It was very movingto hear their reminiscences of Baba’s visit.They talked about the preparations, theirarrival, and what it meant to them andtheir families at the time Meher Baba wascoming to Australia. It was very poignantto hear how each one met Baba and whatthey gleaned from the meeting and alsohow it has impacted their lives as adults.Meanwhile, Stuart Rigg gathered with theyoung adults to chat (about Baba ofcourse)withJal and Dolly and other guests.

After another fabulous lunch, we allassembled in The Shed for the afternoon’sconcert. First, a little skit with Kris andfriends, then music from Ward, Meherveena, Ross and Jenny, Sage Repeti, JennyThompson and others, followed by thatspecialguestYma Sumac! Meanwhile, theVolleyball tournament continued outsidewith some very enthusiastic players. Me-hernath Kalchuri related more stories ofhis childhood and remembering Francis inIndia. Then followed Arti and dinner.

The evening program brought theBombay Centre Drama Group back tothe stage for their second play, once againa beautifully moving portrayal of MeherBaba as they told a story from Baba’s lifewith music and prose. Dara and Amrittold us the story of their betrothal andmarriage, with Baba overseeing everysingle detail, down to the colour of herwedding dress. It was the last public eventthat Baba attended before He droppedHis body in 1969. We saw the film oftheirengagement party with Baba and Meheraat Meherazad.

Ifyou wanted to stay up late, Chris Grayand many friends played wonderful musicand ghazals into the night. An extremelypopular performance was Australian actorPeter Sumner reading Francis’ ghazalsaccompanied by Chris on guitar. Not fore-seeing such an enthusiastic response fromthe audience, Peter had only brought 10ghazals from In Dust I Sing to read, each

only titled by the number. After finishingal-l his pages, the audience wouldn’tlet himstop, calling out to repeat number eight,then number four and so on. Peter saidthat someday in the future the world wouldbe so familiar with the various ghazals ofFrancis Brabazon that one would onlyhave to say “Number Six” and everyonewould immediately know which one hewas referring to. The crowd joined in theLan by greeting each number as called outwith great applause and cheers. With Peter’s mellifluous voice and Chris’ sensitiveguitar playingwe wanted it to go on and on.When will the CD be made, we asked?!

By Sunday, Avatars Abode was over-flowing with more visitors happy to bethere to join the week’s celebration, andthere was so much to be a part of—Cyrusrelating stories from an unpublished diaryofone ofBaba’s earlyMandali, Baily—whowas Cyrus’ childhood friend; or Rani Didiwith the younger people teaching themnew songs from her wonderftii repertoire,or Dara and Amrit telling more stories.After lunch, another afternoon concertwith Chris Gray on guitar and Peter Sum-ner reading more ghazals from In Dust ISing, singing from Richard Lockwood,Robert Welsh and so many more. Lots oflaughter and tears. Traditional Dhuni afterdark with Jal officiating and all throwingin their unwanted desires hoping to burnthem up in the flame ofthe Beloved’s fire.More heartfelt singing until, guess what:dinner!

Sunday’s evening program was an absolute feast for the heart. Kris Hines’ play“Hide and Seek” was a comic musical abouttwo souls’ search for God during manylifetimes. Everyone played their parts excellently, and how can an ending with Babaactually appearing be beat?! MonsieurYvan with his hilarious stand up comedyroutine—what it would be like if Babawas alive now in the computerage—Eruch would be out of ajob, and Baba would be texting!Yvan should be making therounds of all the Baba gather-ings around the world with hisunique brand ofhumour. Thinkabout it Yvan!

Next came the Anniversary choir, comprised of TheWineshop Singers and forty orso other assorted singers fromeverywhere else performed SamSaunders’ composition MissaMeher. Sam had spent months

composing this piece and had sent CDsof the different parts all over the worldto singers who would be attending, in thehope that they would learn it before thisweek. It was thrilling to be a part of thisensemble at the world premiere of thisbrilliant work and to hear how the parts allfitted together. Catch it on Youtube here:www.youtube . com/results? searchquery=mi s a+meher&se arch_typeIt’s fantastic!

As each day unfolded it seemed ourhearts could not hold any more love butthe waves kept coming and by the last Artion the Monday morning no one couldtear themselves away from Baba’s room. Itseemed to me that we became one voicesinging to His Glory and beauty and thecircle of love enfolded us and kept us inthe here and now of His Love. After thelast meeting in Baba’s House on “Baba’swishes for His Lovers “ interpreted in different ways by Cyrus, Mehernath, Jal andDolly, it was time for the last Silence timeand the last lunch together. Dara loweredthe flag and it was the end of this year’sAnniversary, until next time.

It is impossible to choose “the best ofshow” from the wonderful workshops,presentations, talks and sharing, but for me,a couple ofthe more poignant and memo-rable moments that will stay in my heartare Richard Thompson singing “Oh Sunin Splendour” after Arti, hearing RichardLockwood’s beautiftil singing voice again,renewing and cementing old friendshipsplus the thrill of making lifelong newones, and always the ever present beautyofAvatars Abode itself holding the secretof the Avatar’s visit for all eternity

Thanks and praise must be given to theSahavas Committee who had worked tire-lessly behind the scenes before, during andno doubt after the Anniversary to ensurethat every detail was taken care of for the

attendees—from the welcome packagesgiven to all, down to the toilet rolls neverrunning out and the hand towels beingchanged regularly—thoughtftil details thatdo mean a lot and are noticed. Thanks alsoto the “locals” on Meher Road and nearby,who unselfishly opened their homes andprovided true Aussie hospitality to fellowpilgrims.

And on a personal note: this was thefirst Anniversary that I have been able toattend since 1980, life circumstances hay-ing precluded it prior to this. Up until 1980I had been very involved with each of thecelebrations ever since 1971, when I firstcame to Baba. So many of my formativeBaba years were centered around the An-mversaries and the preparations leading upto the big weekend event. Dear Francis wasofcourse so much a part ofthese preparations and the Anniversaries themselves. Hewould no doubt be amused and astoundedto see how the Anniversaries have evolvedand grown since those simple gatheringsin Baba’s house. But his influence is alwayshere, permeating every performance, everysong and every reading. A fitting tribute toone who devoted his life to his Beloved.

Each year I was very aware the Anniversarywas happening and sent good thoughtsalong, although I was very sad that I couldnot be present. But I was determined tocome to this one—the SOth!! Seeing friendsthat I had not seen in manyyears was thrill-ing, although how did they get so old?!Surely I haven’t changed a bit?! I had thesensation more than once during this weekthat I was “home”, in the true sense of theword. My soul was content, a feeling ofbeing in the here and now, being held byBabatenderly as a mother would hold her child.‘[fyou really desire the Beloved to bepresent,Let the world go, and neverfor a momentbe absent.”

Excerpt from Ghazal 139 - FrancisBrabazon In Dust I Sing

Truly a Sahavas as Baba hadintended it to be.Jai Meher!!The Victory is always His.

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72

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Cnce upon a time there lived a mousenamed Squeaker. He was a very

lonely little mouse. Although he wanteda companion very badly, Squeaker hadnever come out of his hole in the wall,even though he was very curious. Oneday however, all ofthat changed.

The Allen family was at the pet shopbuying Veronica a pet. “Mommy I wantthat one, it’s so cute!” seven-year old Veronica exclaimed to her mother.

Unfortunately for Veronica’s motherEmily, she had chosen a mouse.

“Sweetheart, can’t you pick a differentpet . . . like that adorable little puppyover there?” Emily pleaded.

“No! It’s my present and you said Icould have any pet I wanted!” Veronicascreamed, stamping her feet loudly causing everybody in the store to look at thelittle girl pouting in the corner. “I wantthat mouse!” Beaten, Mrs. Allen noddedand she walked over to the cash registerto pay for the mouse.

Like Squeaker this mouse was lonelytoo. Her name was Match, and she wasa very pretty little mouse. As soon asMatch’s cage was brought through thedoor, Match could sense there was an-other mouse in the house. This mousewas like her but Match was scared.Squeaker could feel it too but instead ofbeing scared like Match was, Squeakerwas very happy. He could not wait tomeet the new mouse, but there was oneproblem, where would she be?

The Allen’s house was very large;Squeaker had no idea were to start look-ing! But there was another thing he didnot know, the Allens had a cat and ahunter at that. Now Thomas, (for thatwas the cat’s name) had strict orders notto eat anything in a cage. Squeaker wasnot in a cage so if Thomas saw him, hewould never make it to Match’s cage andmeet that mysterious mouse.

So that night Squeaker planned togo out on a mission. He was going tomeet the mouse and hopefully becomefriends. At one point he had lived withhis family, but his mother had told himto go out into the world and live his lifeto the fullest. So far he was not doingsuch a good job of that.

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When Squeaker was sure everyonewas sleeping, he crept out of his hole tofind the new mouse. Squeaker wantedto check Veronica’s room but he had noidea where it would be.

Suddenly Squeaker heard a noise frombehind him. He panicked. He wasn’t inhis hole any more so it couldn’t protecthim. Squeaker ran as fast as he could tothe nearest room. Just in time! Thomascrept around the corner but he couldn’tsee Squeaker hiding. He listened andwatched for a while but could not detectanything. Puzzled, Thomas went backinto the closet he used as his room.

Where had Squeaker been? Well luck-ily he had run into Veronica’s room andthat’s when he first laid eyes on Match.

“Who are you? What do you want?”called out Match.

“I wanted simply to make your acquaintance,” replied Squeaker, a littleshy in the presence of such a prettymouse.

“Oh,” Match responded softly. Shehad always imagined that the kind ofmice that lived in holes in the wall werevicious and not kind and gentlemanlylike this mouse so obviously was. “Wellmy name is Match.”

“How do you do Match, my name isSqueaker.”

“Eeek!” cried Match suddenly.

Squeaker turned around and foundhimself staring into the hungry eyes ofThomas the cat. “Run Squeaker, run!”Match squeaked shrilly.

Squeaker ran as fast as he couldaway from Thomas, who, in the chase,knocked over Veronica’s bedside table.It fell to the floor with a loud thunk thatwoke Veronica.

The girl sat up with a start andturned on a light. She immediately sawSqueaker but instead of screaming shecried, “Isn’t he cute!” and reached downand gently picked him up. Veronicathen placed Squeaker in the cage withMatch. “You could have mouse babies!”exclaimed Veronica happily. Then shewent back to sleep.

Upon being put in the cage Squeakerpanicked. Yes he was happy to have metMatch and be with her but how washe going to get back to his hole in thewall?

Match noticed Squeaker’s fear andthought hard. Besides being prettyMatch was very smart, so she soonthought up a plan. “Squeaker” Matchsaid softly. Squeaker turned and lookedat her and all of his fear was washedaway. “I have a plan Squeaker.” AsMatch whispered the plan to himSqueaker smiled, this was going to befun.

The next morning Veronica went tofeed the mice before going offto school.As she opened the cage to put the foodin, Squeaker bared his teeth and jumpedat Veronica. She screamed and immediately ran from the room, leaving thecage door open. “Part 1, piece of cake.”Squeaker said confidently as he climbedout of the cage.

“Yes but it will be Part 2 that willneed time, patience and luck,” Matchreplied as she too jumped out of thecage.

After everyone had left for school orwork, the mice put their plan into action. The two scurried down the hailand into the kitchen where they foundThomas’s cat food. The mice thenworked together to spill the cat’s foodand water, which then caused Thomasto come running. The two mice ran in

Children’s Corner: 7a1eof 7wo l4ice2’Iicole Jllendozci, nine years old, Los ..Jlngeles

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opposite directions and for a split sec—

ond Thomas paused and then ran after

Match, which put a damper in their

plan.The plan had been that the mice

would tip over the bowl and then ‘Thom-

as would come and chase after Squeaker.

Then Squeaker would run into his hole

and with Thomas distracted, Matchcould climb back into her cage.

As ‘Thomas raced after Match,Squeaker was yelling to Match how

she could get away from the crazed cat.“Run around the table and get him dizzy,

then run as fast as you can to my hole.”Thankfully all Thomas could hear wassqueaks. Match did what Squeaker saidand they both made it safe and soundback to Squeaker’s hole.

Match stayed there for the day, andSqueaker asked if she would want tostay. After two more days with thesame question, Match finally agreed. Itturned out that Veronica Allen had beenquite right: they did have mouse babies.So they all lived happily ever after inSqueaker’s hole.

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Top: ‘aIch and Squeaker in their hole, with babies. Illustration by Pearl Hart, also 9.

Nicole Meiidoza, budding author Middle: Not to be outdone by big six Peaii Arne Hart (5,) contributed her rendition ofThoinas the cat

75

So &rcrngelj .}Uive[for Fiona]

We were told todayThat my wife FionaHas terminal cancer.

When I came to tell You,Before I could say anything,An audible ‘thank you’Flew out of my mouthAnd landed like a rose-petalOn the toes ofYour Feet.

But I didn’t say it!0 Baba, so strangeAre the Ways ofYour Love!

So strange, they invariablyLeave me dumb and numbWith bewilderment...Yet feeling so strangely alive!

7:What Cannot l3e CxpressedAll week long, since my wife FionaWas diagnosed with terminal cancer,Your Living Presence has been such -

My Dearest Friend and Darling Beloved -

That it has ftlled our selves and lives completely!

Everywhere I look, I can see-feel you -

So tangibly, so really!Through feeling, I can seeThe formless Substance ofYour Living Truth -

And through seeing, I can feelThe all-unifying Texture ofYour Living Love!

Editor’s note: Wearedoingsomethingdffèrentthis issue. Wehavepublished

poetry before by Mirek—a brilliant poetin England—andLove Streetsells a bookofhispoems, but this, his latest collection,was written when his wift Fiona wasdiagnosed with cancer When I read theletter she wrote to me about how she wasmisdiagnosed by various doctors untilthe cancer had eaten ha’fherface away,I started crying. It really hit home sinceI too was undergoing surgery—albeitvery minor compared to Fionac—for acarcinoma under my eye.

The day she underwent the surgeryher father passed away—cancer—andMirek has told me ofthe oincidences’ofa number oftheirfriends also gettingcancer around the same time. He ihougEftthepublishing ofthesepoems might hpothers facing similar situations. I senther thefoiowing quote:

‘When the Master takes somethingfrom your grasp, He’s not punishingyou, but merely opening your handsto receive something better. The willof Meher Baba will never take youwhere His Grace will not protectyou.’

Fiona responded: “My heart filledthanks for your words of support &the Baba quote you sent us. . .it’s sotrue that we often think of sufferingas a punishment & yet as the quotevery aptly puts, as do many of &ba’swords &discourses, quite the oppositeis true. It must be a deeply engrainednotion for so many to ‘overlook’ this!

These past few days I’ve beenremembering Upasani Maharaj’swords: ‘Experience pain with pleasure.This is I he Way.’ I’m beginningto experientially understand whatthat means. It’s otherwise a difficultone to understand, in that the wayone imagines it to be, is not how itactually is. And it is very true onecan experience pain & sufleringwhilst at the same time experiencinga spacious happiness. It seems to beall about perception: how one seessuffering. As always, it can’t be forcedor manufactured, it has to arise as anatural experience by the Grace ofBeloved Baba. But then I guess onecan evoke that Grace by acceptingsuffering as inevitable & wanting tounderstand what it’s all about...thepart it plays in returning us to God!

I stand in awe of their faith in ourBeloved, their lovefor Him, and throughHim their courage to face what woulddevastate most people — losing haf oftheirface!

Jai Baba to Mirek and Fiona!

Suffering Dii 71’tis vVor1d

Yesterday, sitting with my wifeIn a room full of doctors,

Who were explaining to usIn matter-of-fact detail,

How there was no other wayTo halt my wife’s cancerFrom spreading further,

Other than cutting out half her noseAnd part ofher face...

When at that precise momentI felt the ground beneath us

Suddenly and instantly open,And we began falling

Down and down and downThrough unending darkness...

Baba, it was then, while falling,That it became so tenderly clear to meWhy you had been so tangibly present

Right from the moment I awoke andThroughout the longjourney to the hospital.

So tangibly clear, I could touch you.

Because now, as we were falling,I could feel Your Living Presence

Tangibly breaking our fall...By catching us in the Arms ofYour Love.

Later, as we made our way back home,With Your Living Presence beside us,

I could see so perfectly clearly, Baba,That Your Love was more real than

The whole world - which had now becomeA slow-moving dream ofdancing shadows.

And I realised what You were showing me:That suffering in this world is

Your Living Love and Compassion -

For without it, we’d remain asleep and dead forever.

And even though suffering is in itselflimited and illusory,

Ifwe accept and endure it out oflove for you,Through Your Unlimited and Limitless Love,

We are awoken and moved beyond ourlimited to the real.

The greater our suffering, the more real youbecome within us.

0 Beloved Baba,The Reality ofYour Truth and Love are

Indivisibly One!

3orever 3lying[for Fionaj

Through Your All-Forgiving Love,Impressionless yoga-yoga sanskaras flow...

Creating wide open spacesWithin our skyless Beings.

Spaces that open into tireless wingsForever flying around Your Heart,

In ever decreasing circles.

1oetry Page

., t:ri:’\ I,

t ‘ \/ ;

I

My Beloved God and Closest Companion,Before the Longing ofYour Love for us

Turns itselfinto a perfect hurricaneWhich tears out and rips up everything

That stands between us and you, Baba -

I want to express what cannot be expressed,By saying: ‘I love you. Thank you!’

76

::-tumor for21uma

&ftball in ;&aven0 90-year-old women, Rose and

Barb, had been friends all of their

lives. When it was clear that Rose was dy

ing, Barb visited her every day.One day Barb said, ‘Rose, we both loved

playing women’s softball all our lives, and

we played all through high school. Please

do me one favor: when you get to Heaven,

somehow you must let me know if ther&s

women’s soft-ball there.’Rose looked up at Barb from her death

bed and said, ‘Barb, you’ve been my best

friend for many years. If it’s at all possible,

I’ll do this favor for you.’Shortly after that, Rose passed on. At

midnight the following Friday, Barb was

awakened from a sound sleep by a blinding

flash of white light and a voice calling out

to he; ‘Barb, Barb .‘

‘Who is it?’ asked Barb, sitting up sud

denly. ‘Who is it?’

‘Barb -- it’s me, Rose.’‘You’re not Rose. Rose just died.’‘I’m teffing you, it’s me, Rose,’ insisted the

voice.‘Rose! Where are you?’‘In Heaven,’ replied Rose. ‘I have some

really good news and a little bad news.’‘Tell me the good news first,’ said Barb.

‘The good news,’ Rose said, ‘is that there

is softball in Heaven! Better yet, all of our

old buddies who died before us are here,

too. Better than that, we’re all young again.

Better still, it’s always springtime, and it

never rains or snows. And best of all, we

can play softball all we want, and we never

get tired.’‘That’s fantastic,’ said Barb. ‘It’s beyond

my wildest dreams! So whats the bad

news?’‘You’re pitching Tuesday!’

L1nderstctnding vVomen

Aman was riding his Harley along aCalifornia beach when suddenly

the sky clouded above his head and, in a

booming voice, the Lord said, “Because

you have tried to be faithful to me in all

ways, I will grant you one wish.The biker pulled over and said, “Build a

bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over any-

time I want.”The Lord said, “Your request is too ma-

terialistic. Think of the enormous chal

lenges for that kind of undertaking—the

supports required reaching the bottom of

the Pacific and the concrete and steel it

would take! It will nearly exhaust several

natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard

for me to justif,r your desire for worldly

things. Take a little more time and think

of something that could possibly help

mankind.”The biker thought about it for a long

time. Finally, he said, “Lord, I wish that I

and all men could understand women. I

want to know how she feels inside, what

she’s thinkingwhen she gives me the silent

treatment, why she cries, what she means

when she says nothing’s wrong, and how

I can make a woman truly happy.”The Lord replied, “You want two lanes

or four on that bridge?

2’Iuns & 2lot Dogs

Two nuns took their first trip outsidethe convent. They had never seen a

baseball game, so they got tickets.Once inside, they sat in the bleachers,

and hearing a vender selling hot dogs, one

said, “We’ve never had hot dogs before,”

and they decided to order a couple.The first nun unwrapped her hot dog,

and proceeded to quickly wrap it up

again, saying, “Oh, my!”“What’s wrong Sister?” asked her corn-

panion.“Well,” came the reply, “which part of

the dog did you get?”

A mouse thatprayedforAlla& aid

Blasphemed when no such aid befili

A cat, whofeasted on that mouse,

ThoughtAllah managedvery well.

yogi went to see a dentist. The den-

tist asked the yogi if he wanted No-

vocaine or laughing gas before he began

to drill.The yogi answered, “Neither. I’m trying

to transcend dental medication.”

.J1nd from }/Iichcte! DaCosta:

7here once was a sixthplane mast

Who transcended his anger and last

When brought to the masterHe moved on evenfaster

And now hec in bliss in the dast

.‘(•We%1

,‘ô? Definition of Atheism: c non-prophet organization.

,;., Photons hove I didn t even know they were Catholic

p& Blessed are the Fundamentalists, for they shall inhibit the earth. o

Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.

p Religion is for those who fear hell, Spirituality is for those who have been there... ‘j’

On an atheist’s tombstone: Here lies an atheist - all dressed up and no place to go.

t3* A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What is this, some kind of joke?”

Christ died for our sins. bare we make his martyrdom meaningless by not committing them? - Jules Feiffer

A good sermon should have a good beginning and a good ending, and they should be as close together as possible.

I’m convinced God put me here to accomplish a certain number of things; right now, I’m so far behind I’ll never die!

77

LAnnouncemensLA;WB&SC

the WWW

The Avatar Meher Baba Center ofSouthern California has six wondethi

websites which offer a fascinating array ofinformation: from ftiture scheduled eventsto streaming audio recordings of Baba’sMandali, to accessing the treasure of pastSahavas guest videos, to the biggest Bababookstore in the world and much more.

Below please find the six Center web-sites, with a briefdescription of each.

www.meherabode.orgThis is the principal website of the LA

Baba Center, Meherabode, and it offerswonderful information on a variety of top-ics including: the Baba meeting schedule, anevents calendar, upcoming Special Events atthe Center, links to the Love Street Book-store, Archive videos, and much more.

wwwiovestreetbookstore.comBhau Kalchuri called Love Street “the

biggest Baba bookstore in the world.” Itcontains a vast treasure of almost 300 tidesby and about Beloved Baba, including poetry and art books, works ofscholarship, biographies, discourses, and works from otherspiritual traditions. It stocks hundreds ofmusic CDs, dozens of films, plus framedand unframed photos, posters, note cards,clothing from India, T-shirts, castings andsculpture, pocket cards and giveaways, plusgold and silver items, costume jewelry andBaba buttons. You can drop by Sundaysfrom 11 to 2 or shop at the website createdby Pris Haffenden anytime.

Mandali HallAudiosCare to hear about Beloved Baba from

those who were the closest to Him? Me-hera, Maid, Eruch, Adi K, Goher, Meheru,Katie, Padri, Aloba, Bal Natu and more—you can listen to them all while you’reat home, or driving, or even while you’rejogging. Available on podcasts, MP3 andQuickTime at:wwwmandalihafl.org

Meher Chat RoomIt’s purpose is to provide a community

forum for Meher Baba’s lovers in South-em California—however, Baba’s loversfrom anywhere in the world are invited to

participate. meherabode.yuku.com

ArchivalVideos ofSahavas Guest Speakers

The Sahavas and LA Baba Center havehad many wonderfiui guests who gave in-spirational talks about Beloved Baba. Thisis another opportunity to see Bhauji, Filis, Meheru, Darwin, Henry K, CharlesHaynes, Wendy, Ann Cordon, Havovi Dadachangi, and many more, altogether morethan 30 videos available for you to chosefrom to purchase.meherbabaarchives.blogspot.com

Landscape Committeeambcscgardencollective.blogspot.com

__/11n Dranian Website:J4lelierbctbairctni.com

A you may know, in Iran peopledo not have access to Meher Baba

books and messages because of the censorship, and Baba lovers prefer to worshipHim quietly in their hearts. Also manypeople don’t know English well and can-not read Baba books that are published inEnglish. That is why many people are notfamiliar with Baba. This Persian web siteannounces Baba messages and books tothese people.

Thewebsite has different parts and pages that are updated monthly or bimonthly. The pages and parts are as follows:The home page contains a Hafiz poemand a short message from Baba in English and Persian, and it contains links tomain parts of the website:

‘Who is Meher Baba’ explains MeherBaba’s life in 12 pages. It is a briefbiography; it starts from introducing his fatherand mother, continues with introducingthe five Perfect Masters and continues tothe end of His life. This page containsphotos ofdifferent periods ofBaba’s life.

‘Who is the Avatar’ introduces the Avatar (God-Man) and His appearance.

The references of this part are GodSpeaks, Discourses and some other books.‘Baba books and Messages’contains Me-her Baba Calling and Lfè at its Best inPersian. Other books will be added to thesite in the near future.

‘Meher Baba Photos’ contains photos

chronologically sorted, based on Baba’sage from birth to end. Each photo is cap-tioned with a poem by Hafiz or other Ira-nian spiritual poets. We are still workingon this part.

‘Meher Baba’s Disciples’ introducesclose disciples ofBaba. We are still gathering the information and working onthis part.

Art’ contains four parts: Poem, Music,Painting, and Video Clip.

For the Poem part we are gatheringMeher Baba poems in Persian. Ifthe Per-sian version is not available we look forother languages and translate those. Wewould really appreciate your help in find-mg Baba poems. Hafiz poems in Persianand English are also added to this part.

The Music part contains Music andArties for Baba.

The Painting and Video Clip parts areunder construction. We look forward toreceiving any artistic work of Baba loversfor this part.

“The News Page’ contains the eventsmentioned in the Meher Baba calendar and about people who were close toBaba and the messages ofthese people toBaba.

The Links page contains links and abriefexplanation ofMeher Baba websitesall around the world.

The Contact Us page facilitates ourcontact with the website visitors.

In the near future the biography of thePerfect Masters who lived in Baba’s timeas well as the biography of Iranian spin-tual masters and poets will be added tothe site.

We try to create English pages so thatBaba lovers who speak English can visitour website.

We are eager to introduce beloved Me-her Baba to Persian speaking people wholive all around the world via this websiteMeherbabairani.com

,5hore to 5horelessLA7}oyaje ..J1cross the Ocean of

6xistence with J4lelter Ei3aha

hore to Shoreless, the acclaimed book byProfessor J.S. Rathore, which has been

out ofprint for some time, is now availableas a free downloadable e-book here:meherspirituaiuniversityorg/resources.htm1

78

74! rtts )3ourComing to Bctba Stories

Bokaran and L1rmillct 5hrivastava,

Librarians, JVtelierabad 71il! ,Cibranj

J/JeherabadHill Library on the Me-

herabad Hill [behind the wall op

posite the Samadhi on the ground floor

of what was once the water tower] is an

official organ of the A.M.B.P.P.C. Trust.

The library is taking up the continua-

tion of the “Bal Natu Project,” which was

very dear to Bal Natu’s heart. Bal Natu

was a resident mandali ofMeherazad formany years, and he ran a project of col

lecting Baba stories from the Baba pugrims visiting there.

The stories are very touching and

reflect upon Beloved Baba’s innerworbng as to how He would drawdifferent souls in different ways toHim, exclusive to each individual.

Bal Natu published these beautiful sto

ries in a series ofbooks that were not onlyvery affordable but also very popular. Twobooks in the series are entitled Showers ofGrace, Our Constant Companion and TheCompassionate Father.

After Bal Natu’s passing away, his cherished project came to an apparent end,but now the Meherabad Hill Library isreviving that project and requesting Babalovers all over the world to send their stories to the library, with a limit of four tofive typed pages (1200-1500 words).

The most welcome aspect ofthese sto

ries would be how Baba initially drew oneto Him or any such episode which would

be worth sharing with other Baba lovers.

These stories can be sent via e-mail asan attachment, and a separate typed copycan be sent directly to the library by postor pilgrim courier. The library’s mail ad-dress is Meherabad Hill Library, PostMeherabad, Ahmednagar (MS) India414006. The library’s e-mail address ishill.library@ambppct.org

These stories will be made available inthe library to readers, and when enough

material is collected, then the publicationof these stories can be taken up.

7he SilentBuestcit the Wedding

J’7lliclzaeI Da Costa, London

en my daughter Poppy was 14 wewent to India together. One day,

when we were walking across Mehera’s

garden at Meherazad, Aloba suddenly

appeared and said to me, “You should

thank Baba everyday of your life for this

girl; she is the light ofyour house;” then

walked on.If by ‘house’ he meant ‘heart’ then it is

obvious that Poppy is the light of many

many houses, for she is indeed full ofBaba’s light and love and laughter, even

though she never goes to the Baba Cen

tre or groups, and she does not read much

ofBaba’s words. However she has been to

India several times and she is undoubt

edly HIS.Last week I was witness to the incred

ible love and esteem in which she is held

by literally dozens of her intimate friendswho had travelled to France to be with

her at her wedding to her long term part-ner, Zim Browski; a down to earth Aus

tralian, who is not a Baba follower, butwho is a very remarkable young man—avery special soul. When Poppy developedbreast cancer three years ago, his love and

support and devotion through that timewas as amazing as it was natural; withoutfuss he earned everybody’s deepest re

spect and gratitude. He may not be a Me-

her Baba follower, but he lives the word,

notjust talks it, and so many ofhis family

and friends who love him had also made

the journey to be with him and Poppy on

their special day.For the wedding they took over a Cha

teau near the Dordogne river in Francefor a week, and the ceremony was plannedfor the Thursday, to be performed under

the trees in the cool of the evening. It

was clear to me from the start that thiswas going to be a Baba occasion; the daybefore I had a strong prompting from

within to ask Poppy if she would like to

do the prayers and Arti on the morning

of the ceremony, which we did; then, aswe were nervously walking up (or is it

down?) the aisle to join her groom we

were taking Baba’s name. In the ceremo

ny itself Poppy had arranged for the celebrant to say that Meher Baba said, “True

love is no game for the faint-hearted. It is

born of strength and understanding;” and

she also had me play “Begin the Beguine”on the clarinet after they had taken the

traditional vows and were invited to kiss.But even more important than this was

the fact that Meher Baba’s Presence was

everywhere and in everything, and also be-yond everywhere and beyond everything:His Presence was in the golden glow of

the stone of the Chateau; in the glori

ous views over the valley; in the warmth

of the sun and also in the cool shade of

the trees; in the laughing and splashing

coming from the swimming pool; in thewonderful food which seemed to magically appear, but also in the hard work ofthose who created that magic. It was also

in the depths of the old souls who werethere in the guise of small children; in all

the constant chatter and smiles and warm

hugs as people came and went; in the pro-fundity of the wedding vows; and in the

whoops and the cheers and the applause

as the couple walked down (or is it up?)

the aisle to start their new life together.

But most ofailMeher Baba was present

in the astounding, overwhelming joy and

love which emanated from every soul,there for their dear dear friends, Poppy

and Zim.

continuedonpg. 58

79

LAvcttar J4cher Baba 21eartland Center - Prague Oklahoma

Thanks so muchto the Love Street

LampPost for gettingthe word out aboutthe Heartland Center’s opportunity topurchase the Morrison House nextdoor to the BurlesonHouse. In three shortmonths Baba by-ers from around theplanet donated fundsto make this a realityIt was so touching to witness the enthusiasm and support given from the heartsand hands ofHis lovers. Donations largeand small came pouring in, including yardsale proceeds for this purpose. This cob-lective activity of love really touches ourhearts and we are very grateful to you all.We are now making very basic improve-ments to the Morrison House and knowthat Baba has great plans in store.

In the meanwhile the new Heart-land Center caretakers, Ron Lansingand Miriam Rose, are settling into thecommunity. Recently the Prague Timesran a small article about the HeartlandCenter with a photo of them. Ron and

CDebbie .2’,[ordeen, for the .JkA’t13.2iC board

Miriam have started Discourse meetings,too. They have had wonderful interactions with drop-in visitors and expectedpilgrims, as well. You can catch some ofthese reflections on our bbog by going toour website: www.ambhc.org and go toour ‘about’ page, and click on ‘journal’.

Other news: We hope to have a oneday gathering and Morrison Houseopening next May 23. 2009. Stay tuned.Also, if you are interested in finding outabout becoming an interim caretaker forthe Heartland Center (sorry no pets),email us at ambhcl952@gmail.com OurHeartBeat Newsletter goes to print inOctober and will feature much more

about the Morrison House. Ifyou are notalready signed up for the HeartBeat andwish to be, please contact us at the sameemail above and give your street address.

For information on visiting the Heart-land Center please go to our website:www.ambhc.org or email us at:ambhc@allegiance.tv

We always look forward to your visitat the Heartland Center and the accidentsite where Beloved Baba did unfathomable work for all humanity.

•::. i ,

‘.

;: L

‘ ,‘

. -

8o

on 7aking 2T1is RameLMax Reif Walnut Creek

ecently I responded to the request ofBaba-lover for personal anecdotes

that involve saying His Name in some

kind of emergency situation, like the fa

mous story related in a Baba book about a

woman accosted by a bad man out in the

wilderness in India who, when she took

His Name, was saved by cows that chased

the man away!Though there is no external proof, a

kind of rescue seemed to occur for me

in the three situations described below. I

would enjoy hearing others’ stories!The first story I thought of was a

dramatic experience for me at the time!

The year was 1984. I was on my way fromAlbuquerque when a blizzard had begun,

and as I got to the entrance ofthe highway

I saw there was a roadblock and a couple

of highway patrol cars, one with its lightsflashing. A trooper had his hand up, and

I pulled up to him and rolled down my

window. “The highway’s officially closed,”he said. “However, motorists who wish

to proceed at their own risk may do so.”I thought about it. There was commonsense and “conventional wisdom:” turnaround, these guys must have a reason forclosing the road, and I don’t really knowthis part of the country. But they had left

this loophole, and I liked the thought ofspending the rest of the day in the kindof landscape I saw looking ahead: a vast,white wilderness with high, snow-coveredpeaks in the far distance. It was almostlike being in Antarctica. All sign of human presence, even of thought, had been

completely whited out. The thrill of that

potential experience caused me to thankthe state trooper and drive forward, slowlyand carefully. I had beautiftil music tapesto listen to; an excellent heater in my car;

a thermos ofcoffee and a few snacks. And

there were a couple of towns on the mapbetween where I was and where I was go-ing, where I could stop for meals.

But the road—it was like a sheet of ice.

I realized that I would have to abide bytwo principles in order to make it safely

through—drive slowly and steadily—andtake Meher Baba’s Name the whole way,no exceptions even for a minute! After

the roadblock, there were no more stops.It seemed as if I had eased beyond timeitself. The afternoon became its own

world—Beauty’s world! I am not equal to

communicating the pristine, eye-cleansing

landscapes I saw, only to saying that I’mhappy I have that memory.

There were some other drivers, cars

and a few small trucks, who had also

braved the weather. A couple of hoursinto the drive, I noticed a van tailgating

me. I couldn’t shake him off I just kept

looking at Baba’s picture on my steering

wheel, saying or sometimes singing Baba’s

name. This irritation went on for fifty

miles or so. Then I passed a roadhouseand stopped for a break. About five miles

after I resumed driving, I saw a scene up

-.‘

0

#- ‘. #

i;vYou called? I’m here!

ahead by the side of the road with several

cars pulled over. As I passed by, I noticed

the car that had been tailgating me, lying

upside down on the shoulder of the road.

It appeared the driver was all right. But at

that moment I felt certain that it was my

steady repetition of Meher Baba’s name

that enabled me to traverse that long sec

tion of highway safely.A quite dramatic incident, also in traf

fic, occurred one time when I was in Los

Angeles. Someone ran through a red light

as I was crossing the intersection and it

looked like a certain collision. Because

I try to think of Baba’s name a lot—

moment to moment, silently—when this

happened, His Namejust escaped my lips

very loudly, because in the intensity of the

moment one could not think. The instant

Baba’s Name came out of my mouth, the

situation changed! I have no idea what

happened. It was as though time skippeda beat, and the car that had gone throughthe light was somehow back in the rhythmof regular traffic, and missed my car, and

did not cause an accident, although that

had seemed impossible a moment before.This time, there was a kind ofproof. The

lady I was with looked at me and said whatI was thinking: “The whole scene changed

when you shouted Baba’s name!”Not too many months after I first came

to Baba back in 1971, my girl friend, her

little boy and I, went on an adventure,

driving our van across Canada. As we

were beginning our trek we took a ferry to

a place called Pelee Island, in Lake Erie.

We spent a couple of enjoyable hours atthe beach, and just before sunset, out in adeserted place by the Lake at the far end

of the island—I got the big van stuck in

the sand! I tried and tried to rock it out,

but only succeeded in getting it in deeper.

The van was much too heavy for even the

two ofus to push out. And there were no

phones anywhere nearby. And the sun

was just about to sink below the horizon.

I had started saying Baba’s name to myself

already, because He had recommended

that, and I was eager to do whatever ‘some-

thing’ I could do to bring Him closer! So

I sent out silent repetitions ofHis Name,

with a certain urgency, because it looked

as if we were about to have to spend a

whole night in a pretty forsaken place.

And with a small child, that wasn’t really

too safe. A little while before the sun did

go down—this is like a corny movie but

I swear it really happened!—a whole Boy

Scout troop hiked out ofthe woods nearby,

and when they saw our predicament, they

immediately got to work pushing the

van—the Scoutmaster and ten or twelve

ofthe boys. They had it out in less than a

minute! Then they accepted our grateful

thanks—and marched right back into the

woods! Did Baba “create” them, temporar

ily, just for us? Who knows?

v’

8i

Shared Earth Network sponsored a“Blessing ofThe Animals” on Saturday,

October 4th in Flagstaff Arizona. Theyasked “Faith Leaders” from the communityto literally bless animals (pets) that thecommunity brought to them. I was askedto be one ofthe faith leaders, representingthe Meher Baba community To me this isan expression (and manifestation), even ina small way, ofMeher Baba’s statement, “Iintend bringing together all religions andcults like beads on one string and revitalizethem for individual and collective needs.”(LordMeher p. 1554)

The Faith Leaders represented: Muslim,Christian Protestant, Christian Catholic,Jewish, and Meher Baba. When it camemy turn to speak, I read out my preparedstatement which I had written specificallyfor this special occasion:

Avatar Meher Baba, in his seminal book,GodSpeaks, has clearly explained that God,in addition to being the Creator of thisglorious Creation, has also entered the Creation as the soul of all that lives. Throughseven kingdoms of creation: stones andmetals, vegetation, worms (including in-sects, reptiles and amphibians), fish, birds,animals and human beings, we are told thatGod evolves greater and greater conscious-ness. Thus Creation and evolution worktogether in harmony, paw in hand.

Every soul is on a spiritual journey,consciously or unconsciously, toward per-fect awareness of the Selfwithin, which isidentical to God.

Thus we have God, originally infinitelyunconscious, and that God enters the Creation, living and experiencing through amyriad of forms, all to gain greater andgreater consciousness. It is the same Godthat eventually arrives at fill and completeconsciousness through the medium of thehuman form. As humans, all that remainsofthe spiritualjourney is to achieve infiniteSelf-consciousness, with full awareness ofour essential Divinity

As Jesus Christ stated, “Therefore youare to be perfect, as your heavenly Fatheris perfect.” — Gospel according to Matthew(5:48).

Meher Baba recognized the Divine message ofail faiths, and honored Zoroastrian,Jewish, Vedantic-Hindu, Jam, Buddhist,Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and other faiths

82

as all leading towards One God.With this as a basis, Meher Baba has

made it abundantlyclear that all that lives inthe universe are a manifestation ofBelovedGod, and therefore most worthy of ourlove, deep respect, and compassion. In HisUniversalMessage there is a section entitled“HowTo Love God,” which concludes withthese words:

“If we understand and feel that thegreatest act ofdevotion and worship to Godis not to hurt or harm any of His Beings,we are loving God.

“To love God as He ought to be loved,we must live for God and die for God,knowing that the goal oflife is to Love God,and find Him as our own Self”

- Meher BabaAfter this brief introduction to Meher

Baba I was asked to read out my blessing,which follows, for all the assembled animals. Then as each beloved pet was broughtforth I gave it a shorter, and more personalblessing, by name.

73lessing for the Animalsby Laurent Weichberger

Oh beloved being,Brought here today by your loving owner

I bless you in the name ofAvatar Meher Baba.May all that you are given to experience,

In this beautiful animal form you have chosen,Bringyou ever closer to

The knowledge ofwho-you-really-are:

A divine being,A soul ofGod’s Soul,

One with God in essence,And part ofthe great web ofexistence

Manifesting to achieve Divine Knowledge.

Mayyou receive todayGod’s pure blessing,

And experienceGod’s Divine Love,

Divine Grace,Divine Peace, and

God’s most preciousDivine Presence.

And may this help you ever-onwardInyour spiritualjourney home

With the love ofyour compassionate masterAs your guide.

Amen.

Prior to the day ofthe event, I had sentall ofwhat I planned to share at the blessingto Sherry Golden, one ofthe Shared EarthNetwork organizers. I received this heartwarming response from her: “I love yourmessage, and that it states so eloquentlythat all animals are on spiritualjourneys. Ifeel this point is often lacking in Christianmessages because of the Christian state-ment ofman being created in God’s image.Thank you again for being a faith leader atthe Blessing!”

On the Saturday ofthe event, itwas cold,raining and extremely windy. Therefore,we had a lot of dogs, but only one cat, andamazingly two little prairie dogs in a cage.Alison Govi was with me, and after I sharedabout Meher Baba with the gathering, Iasked her to read out the blessing which Ihad written. She in turn asked the entiregathering to sayit outloud with her.Then, Iwas personally asked, by their young femaleowner, to bless the prairie dogs. Each ownerchose their own blessors, so I also had aboutsix or seven dog owners bring their belovedpets to me for a Baba-blessing. One of thedogs, Hope, was a three-legged dog fromthe Native American reservation. Then,I was wonderstruck when one little boy(about eight years old) brought his snake,tiger, and dinosaur to me! All three werestuffed animals he wanted me to bless, andthey were so loved that the fabric was wornaway and you could see the stuffing inside.I said a silent prayer to Baba for this boy tocome closer to Him.

Lastly, I saw one couple come and theywere sort of waiting around with theirdog. Finally, Larry, the Catholic blessorapproached them asking, “So, do you wantme to bless your dog?” The male ownerresponded, “Well, my dog is an atheist!”

A11 in all, I feel honored that MeherBaba was included in this event, and thankyou Baba for giving me this opportunity tospread Your message ofLove and Truth.

77w CEBlessing of 71w Animctls.i:aurent 0vVeic!berger, ...ulrizona

Laurent, andAlison Govi, witha three legged dog named Hope

I

‘,jA

I

Iirig ofth AnimI

IJoin us for this joyous celebration of God’s creatures.

animals are welcome, and must be either on a leash or in a cage. i

Laurent with Murphy, who liveswith his companion Kathy

Photos by: Nathaniel Rennand Tish Bogan-Ozmun

JThis doggie was brought to inefor a blessingand he was told to “drink in” and ‘soak up”

this blessing, as he was a rescue dog

Susie Brooks and her dog Camiewho has been to every Blessing ofthe Animals at Federated Church

so this was their 14thBlessing oftheAnimals

83

LA/Iemories and RevelcttionsRat W,7<ansas

Irecently attended a conference that tookplace at the Crown Center in Kansas

City My hotel room was nice and offeredan outstanding view of downtown, but Iwas fighting intense sadness. Being there, Icouldn’t help butbe reminded ofmypreviousvisit to thatcitywhen myboyffiend and I hadcome for a getaway weekend. We’d stayed atthe Crown Center and had a wonderful time.I remember holding his hand and believinghe was “the one.”

Michael had known about my devotion toBaba from the beginning. Backwhen he firstexpressed romantic interest in me, I told himabout my devotion to Baba and ofmy intentto remain celibate as a single person, becauseofwhat I’d read in Baba’s Discourses. Datinga celibate woman wasnt what Michael hadplanned, but he liked me enough to give itatr

It was two years into the relationshipwhen Michaelphoned to tell me that he hadbeen having intimate relations with anotherwoman, and that he no longer wished to seeme. I was devastated. I didn’t foresee this at all,in fact I had felt sure that a marriage proposalwas immanent. I knew that my insistence oncelibacy (while unmarried) played a pivotalrole in the breakup. Although I did not regretmy decision, I still felt an intense, almostparalyzing, feeling of sadness that persistedfor months.

This experience made me remember BillEaton, who wrote about her breakup in thebookALove SoAmazing. Although the manshe was dating seemed to accept Baba, he wasnot willing to cooperate with an order Babaissued for His devotees to refrain from lustfiilactions during a set period of time—aboutrnne months from late 1957 through 1958.Biliwrote,”I realized that WI persisted in disobeying Baba’s orders, His damaan would slipfrom myfingers.Ithad become an inescapablematter ofchoice: Baba or David. Mylove forBaba was stronger and even though I knew I’dhave to go through agreat deal ofunmitigatedsuffering, I gave up David. Often with Baba,when He takes something away He gives youno sop to ease the pain. . ..“(p. 48)

Anso it was for me. Six months after mybreakup,I was feeling noless sad than ifit hadhappened the day before. I tried keeping mymind on Baba as much as possible as a wayoftrying to controlmythoughts and feelings,but it was definitely a struggle.

On the final day of my conference, I re

member returning to my hotel room after themorning session,looking out mywindow andthinking again ofMichael. In a split second,I experienced a clear intuitive feeling. It wasquiet and sure. It said that Michael wouldn’tever be coming back into my life—ever. Iprobed and felt the sureness ofthe intuition,yet at the same time found it hard to acceptfrom an intellectual point ofview.

While I was pondering the contrast be-tween my logical mind and this intuition, Ifinally gazed toward the dominant buildingin myhotel room’s view. I hadn’t really noticedit because I’d been so self-absorbed. I didn’trecognize the building at first, but suddenlyI realized it was Union Station. Then it occurred to me that Baba had been there. Hehad been on a train that took a 40-minutestop at Kansas City’s Union Station back in1932. I decided to go there when my confer-ence meetings were over. It would be like amini-pilgrimage, I thought, and maybe itwould help my attitude to walk where Hehad been.

Union Station had fallen into disusewhenpassenger railroad traffic diminished in themid-twentieth century It has recently beenrestored to its former historic appearance. Ientered the station though a side door andwalked through an old-fashioned cafeteriathat they had tried to recreate just as it wasyears ago. On the walls were super-sizehistoric photographs from previous decades.I stopped at each one and studied travelers’faces, hoping that perhaps Baba had beeninadvertently captured. Nothing. I wanderedon into the main lobby, past the dark wood

ticket counters and wondered if He sawthem in exactly the same way. I turned acorner and found myself looking down thelong secondary hallway where rows of doorson opposite sides ofthe hail led to dozens oftrain platforms. There was no teffing whichdoor had led to Baba’s train.

When I passed through the arch into thesecondaryhall,I could feela dip in the smoothstone floor under my feet, worn down frommillions oftravelers’ feet. I enjoyed the feelingofthis dip, and I thought there was a chanceBaba walked over that exact spot, given itscentral location. I then went outside into thecold. There was nothing but train tracks. Ihad to be honest with myself—I didn’t feelanything here. I did not feel His “presence.”Maybe the physical person of Meher Babawas here too long ago, and too briefly forme to ever feel Him this way. Still, this wasthe closest I could get. I wondered ifback in1932, it had flickered across His awarenessthat I would be there 76 years later, thinkingofHim so intensely.

Feeling a little disappointed, I retracedmysteps through the building, past the ticketcounters and through the cafeteria to the exit.Then something in the crowd caught myattention. I thought I saw someone’s handsmoving in a very animated way. My viewwasn’t clear through the crowd, but the image gave my imagination a boost—suddenlyI could easilyirnagine Baba in 1932,using Hisalphabet board and making gestures, partlyobscured by the crowd and His companions.At the same time, I could imagine how travel-ers must have felt when they caught a glimpseofthis irresistiblyattractive strangerwith suchanimated hands.

When I got closer I could see that itwas indeed sign language. I worked my waythrough the crowd to find a group of deafpeople, all engaged in expressive conversationswith each other. Itwas such a delight to comeupon this group ofpeoplejustat that moment.I felt acknowledged.

In God Speaks, Baba says that this worldis a veil that prevents us from seeing God.But higher on the planes, God is the veil thatprevents us from seeing any physical things.For me, I could only see the veil of KansasCity’s Union Station, but behind this veil,He was there.

Union Station

I

84

.SpirituaIitj & 2sychotropics:/1ya1iuascdThis Way Comes

i:aurent WeicIiberger, ..Arizona

I 2003 I wrote my first book for Baba,AMirage WillNever Quench Your Thirst.

A Source of Wisdom about Drugs (Sheriar

Foundation, 2003). My goal with that

book was to share what Meher Baba had

to say about using drugs for any sort of

spiritual growth. He was naturally vehemently against that strategy and He wascrystal clear about why it is a dead end,

and that you could go mad or die trying

to find God through such a medium.Then in 2007 I made an on-line

acquaintance with a woman who wasthe leader of a specific spiritual socialnetworking site. As we got to knoweach other a little on-line, sharing aboutMeher Baba, as well as her spiritual pathand practice, I began to see that she self-identified as a “shaman.” By December2007 she had sent me an email invite

to a private weekend retreat in Sedona(where she lived at that time) and whereshe would lead a group (along with her“ascended masters”) in a sort of visionquest to gain enlightenment. Her me-dium for this journey was a substanceknown as Ayahuasca, which I had neverheard about.

Announcements continuedfrompg. 58

PROGRAMME PLACE: The holyTomb-Shrine of Avatar Meher Baba onMeherabad Hill, Ahmednagar (M.S.)India.

Friday 30th January, 2009 8:00 a.m.onwards Arrival of Meher Pilgrims atLower Meherabad; Darshan and Prasad at Tomb. 2:00 p.m. onwards PremMeelan on Hill. 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.Bhajans, dance and drama. 7:00 p.m. to8:00 p.m. Film ofAvatar Meher Baba orspecial programme on the Hill. 8:00 p.m.RECESS for meals down the Hill. 10:00p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sahavas on the Hill.

Saturday 31st January, 2009 7:00 a.m.Lighting of the Dhuni. 8:00 am. to11:00 a.m. All pilgrims assemble on theHill. Prem-Meelan of pilgrims and sing-ing by bhajan mandali of different Me-her Centers. 11:00 am. to 11:30 a.m.Welcome address and talk about theTrust activities. 11:30 am. to 11:45 a.m.Announcements 11:45 a.m. to 12 noon

First we met here in Flagstaff, anddiscussed her qualifications, and then I

did some research. While she called it a“spirit plant medicine” and declared that

it is not a drug, DMT the active ingredient in the tea made from this Amazonianvine, is classified as illegal by the DrugEnforcement Agency. Clearly this wasnot for me. Once thing led to another,

and before I knew it Ayahuasca was beingmentioned every where I turned. Then Imet a young graduate student at a partyhere in Flagstaff, and she had writtenher Master’s thesis on Ayahuasca andit’s healing properties. I asked her lots ofquestions at the party, and then was intro-

duced to ever more people who sincerely

believed that this substance is the key toenlightenment and deep healing.

It all became so intense that I decidedI had to write an article on this subjectand tie it back in to what Meher Babahas shared with us about why this is amisguided way to approach the Divine.

As Meher Baba said, “One who knowsthe way, who is the way, cannot approveofthe continued pursuance ofa methodthat not only must prove fruitless, but

Meher Dhoon 11:55 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Darshan at the Tomb stopped. 12 noonto 12:15 p.m. All present to observe complete silence. 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The

Master’s and Repentance Prayers in dif

ferent languages followed by Arti. Darshan resumes from 12:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m.to 1:30 p.m. Songs and bhajans on theHill. 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. RECESS for

meals down the Hill. 4:00 p.m. to 7:00

p.m. Baba programme on the Hill. 7:00

p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Film of Avatar Meher

Baba. 8:00 p.m. RECESS for meals down

the Hill. 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sahavas on the Hill. Additional programmes

on the Hill.Sunday 1st February, 2009. 7:00 am.

to 10:00 am. Bhajans on the Hill. Darshan continues. 10:00 a.m. Programme

ends with Arti. Prepare for departure.NOTE: Bhajan mandali of different

Meher Centres and Western pilgrims

having singing and other programmes

leads away from the path that leadsto reality. No drug, whatever its greatpromise, can help one to attain thespiritual goal. There is no short-cut tothe goal except through the grace ofthePerfect Master, and drugs, LSD morethan others, give only a semblance of‘spiritual experience,’ a glimpse of afalse reality.”

“. . . The experiences which drugsinduce are as far removed from Realityas is a mirage from water. No matterhow much you pursue the mirage youwill never quench your thirst, and thesearch for Truth through drugs mustend in disillusionment.”1

To read thefull article in HTML format,

go to: meherbabason.gaia.com/blog/2008/5/

ayahuasca_this_way_comes

Th readthe article in PDFformatseepg.l2go

to: www. thenoise. us/pdfi/noisejuneO8.pdf

1. Quotes from Meher Baba are fromMirage, p. 31.

to present for the fortieth Amartithi occasion should write only to Shri. Mehernath B. Kalchuri,Trustee, do AvatarMeher Baba P.P.C. Trust, King’s Road,

Post Bag 31, Ahmednagar (M.S.) 414

001 India by 31st December, 2008. The

requests will be accommodated time

permitting, within the hours allotted for

programmes. It will not be possible to

accede to late requests on arrival. Please

confirm your programme with Shri. Me-

hernath B. Kaichuri upon your arrival at

Meherabad.ALL ARE HEARTILY WELCOME

TO ATTEND AVATAR MEHER

BABA’S FORTIETH AMARTITHI

FUNCTION ON MEHERABAD

HILL. Please pass on the above informa

tion ofthe Amartithi programme to all the

lovers ofAvatar Meher Baba in your area.

8

8,400,000: ARumerological Coincidence?Ward JPctrks, JlVlekercthad

Over the years, as I’ve read and re-readGodSpeaks and other ofMeher Baba’s

books and messages, I’ve been struck bywhat seems to be an irreducible numerological component in His metaphysics.There are, for example, seven planes ofconsciousness and seven “leaps” in evolution; the circles of the Avatar and PerfectMasters have 12 members each; the universe is perennially governed by a spiritualhierarchy with five Sadgurus, 56 incarnateGod-realized souls, and 7000 offices; anAvataric cycle spans 700—1400 years anddivides into 11 ages.

In each of these spiritual “facts,” theconstancy ofthe number is a main definingelement. Numerolog ofcourse, has a longpedigree that traces (within the Westerntradition) back to Pythagoras and hisdisciples, who found in numbers and theirconcordance a fundamental mystic principle. Whatever might be ultimately saidabout the specific claims ofPythagoras, thefollowers ofPlato and others ofthat ilk, tojudge by what Meher Baba has revealed tous, in general there seems to be some truthto the numerological perspective. Evidentlynumbers have a measure of reality

My subject here is one particular number, 8,400,000—”84 lakhs” as it is designated in the Indian numeric system. Manystudents of God Speaks will be aware thatthis is the number ofbirths that the drop-soul orjivatma typically passes through inthe cycle of reincarnation in human form.For many years nothing struck me as especially noteworthy about this apart fromthe fact that the number is very large. ButInfinite Intelligence has added a new twist.For in that book Baba tells us that thejivatma passes through 8,400,000 species—not individual forms, but species—in theevolutionaryjourney from stone to humanform. In other words, the number ofspeciesin evolution matches the number ofhumanincarnations! Though Baba Himself nevermakes the connection, it is hard to resist theinference that evolution and reincarnationmust mirror each other in some way. Per-haps the number 8,400,000 relates to somefiandamental structure within the natureand unfolding of consciousness that thesoul encounters first while trying to gatherconsciousness in the cycle ofevolution andthen again through the “shaking down” of

86

its sanskaras as it reincarnates as man andwoman.

It seems that 84 lakhs is a traditionalnumber in Indian culture. In Hinduismone finds it applied both to the number ofspecies ofanimal life and to the number ofhuman incarnations. I happened to bumpinto it myself in the thirteenth-centuryPerfect Master Dnyaneshwar’s famouscommentary on the Bhagavad Gita. Iunderstand that the number originates inthe Upanishads, though I don’t know thesource for this.

Now we come to the coincidence that isthe central idea for this article: and here Iwant to credit my friend Gary Kleiner, who

was the one who noticed it and pointed itout one day in connection with our GodSpeaks meetings at Meherabad. Gary’sobservation takes us back to the humangene. The gene contains twenty-threepairs of chromosomes, arranged in theform ofa double helix. (The pairing of thechromosomes, ofcourse, comes about as aresult of the union of the sperm and ovumin the process ofsexual reproduction). Nowlet us perform the arithmetic operation oftaking the number two to the twenty-thirdpower. For those among us whose math isrusty this means multiplying two times twotimes two—and so forth—in an operationwhere the number “two” occurs twenty-three times. What is the result?

223 8,388,608In other words, two to the twenty-third

power equals 83 lakhs: eight miUion, threehundred, eighty eight thousand, six hun-dred and eight: within twelve thousand of

84 lakhs! One could hardly ask for a primaryarithmetical operation that hits Baba’snumber on the head more exactly.

Now while it may not be possible tofrilly pin down the significance of this coincidence, surely it is suggestive. We knowfrom GodSpeaks that the human form is theterminus and goal ofevolution; moreover itseems in some sense to be a microcosm andimage of the Divine, as one would gatherfrom part seven of God Speaks, as well asfrom such traditional sources as the Bible.In GodSpeaks and other books, Baba tells usthat the human form is latent within everyform in evolution; all subhuman forms areactually the human form in varying stagesand degrees of development. From thestandpoint ofcontemporary biological science, the model or plan for the ffill-grownhuman is contained within the genetic code.Putting all ofthis together, one is temptedto speculate that the number of speciesin evolution and the number of rebirthsin the process of reincarnation derives insome sense from the human form itselfas reflected in the structure of the humangene.

Why exactly is it that this particularmathematical operation—that is—multiplying two by itself twenty-three times,produces the number that relates the human gene to the processes ofevolution andreincarnation? Here the inquiry goes be-yond my competence: I have no idea. Oneimagines that the copulation (coupling)of the two strings of chromosomes thatresults from the sexual act in some sensecorresponds to the arithmetic operation ofmultiplying two by itsell that is, each pair-ing ofchromosomes squares the number ofspecies and lifetimes. Perhaps in the daysto come a new tribe of mystically mindedbiologists will discover and unpack theconnections that are involved here as theybegin to pioneer a science that recognizesthe spiritual dimensions of evolution andgenetics. But for now, as I see it, this coincidence concerning the number 84 lakhsgives us another hint, another intimation ofthe profound interconnectedness betweenGod, the human form, and the cosmos, asrevealed to us through the metaphysics ofour Lord Avatar Meher Baba.

.-‘

A R I ZO N A

Tucson: Irma Sheppard520-321-1566, ihs222@theriver.comflagstaff: Laurent Weichberger928-774-8305, laurent@ompoint.com

CALl FORN IA

LosAngeles: Sundays, 11 AM to 1 PM atMeherabode 323-731-37371214 5. Van Ness AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90019 (just east of the

intersection ofArlington and 12th Street)

Avatar Meher Baba Center of SouthernCalifornia news and announcementswww.Meherabode.orgOjai: Meher Mount: RayJohnston &Elizabeth Arnold 805-640-0000mehermount@sbcglobal.netwww.mehermount.comSacramento: Marilyn Buehler9 16-812-9496, info@premsay.comwww.premsay.com/MeherBabaSan Francisco Bay Area: Information510-845-4339 or Ben Leet5 10-351-8259, Benleet@earthlink.netNorthern CaliforniaAvatar Meher Baba Center,6923 Stockton St.,El Cerrito 94530-293 1www.MeherBabaMeherBaba.org

COLORADO & SOUTHWEST

Denver: Sundays at 7 pm at homes in theMetro area. For Colorado, Utah, NewMexico, Wyoming, and Arizona info,contact Barbara A. Roberts303-238-4649, babara@fone.net

FLORIDA

Tampa!CleanraterJane Paladino,813-962-8629 Tom Decker, 727-536-9282Defray Beach: Mickey and WendyKarger, 561-638-3114

GE0RGI A

Atlanta/Athens: Contact Ed Legum770-552-8980, ed@hownet.com

HAWAII

Maui: Meredith Moon1940 Olinda RoadMakawao, HI 96768, 808-573-1188meredithmoonl@mac.comMolokai: Shirley Alapa, 808-567-6074 or808-567-6383 (msg.), fax: 808-567-6363salapa@aloha.net

ILLINOIS

Chicago: Meher Baba Information Ctr.Carol Kovalevych, 312-633-0696amk@alishya.com

LOU ISIANA

New Orleans: Avatar Meher Baba Center monthly meeting and film program.Joe Burke 601-278-6245, barkeno@aoicom

M A I NE

Midcoast: Our meetings happen and areplanned spontaneously and irregularly bythe Maine Baba regulars.Contact Ken Lax 207-594-6391kenlux@midcoast.comDaniel/Carolyn Montague 207-594-4115Newcastle: Noreen O’Brien207-975-6687, ompoint@roadrunner.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Cambridge: Meher Baba InformationCenter, Michael Siegell 617-864-3997

MISSISSIPPI

Jackson: Peter Rippa, 601-355-8959

MONTANA

Missoula: Andy Shott, 406-549-5949Emigrant: Anne Haug, 406-333-4582

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Liz Miller 603-749-3668mceliz2001@yahoo.com

NEW MEXICO

Santa Fe: Last Thursday of the month at7 PM in home of Robert Reser and EdleAndersen, 505-983-6621robertreser@yahoo.com

NEVADA

Las Vegas: Dick and Carol Mannis host,702-326-1701, rkmannis@aol.com

NEW YORK

N.Y. City: www.MeherBabaHouse.org212-971-1050, irababa@hotmail.comUpstate NewYorkAlbany/SaratogaJSchenectady: RegineBrate 518-383-0598

NORTH CAROLINA

Asheville: Winnie Barrett,828-274-7154, winkiebai@charter.net

Peter and Debbie Nordeennordeeni@bellsouth.netGreensboro: Sheldon Herman,336-288-8090 or 336-235-2730bikewalla@gmail.comChapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh:Carol Verner, 919-933-3550carolverner@nc.rr.com

OKLAHOMA

Prague: Avatar Meher Baba HeartlandCenter, retreat and Baba’s accident site405-567-4774 ambchc@charter.netwww.heartland.meherbaba.org

TEXAS

Nacogdoches: Chris and Anne Barker936-560-263 1, rockbl@yahoo.com

WASHINGTON, D.C.Pamela Butler-Stone, 202-946-0236Friday and Saturday meetingswww.lifeimages.com/MeherB aba

WASHINGTON STATE

Seattle: Fridays at 8 PM and for specialevents. Cynthia Barrientos206-713-9905, cybar7@comcast.net

ENGLAND

London: Meher Baba Centre228 Hammersmith GroveLondonW6 7HG,(0044) 020 87 43 44 08www.meherbaba.co.uk

FRANCE

Marseille: C. Dallemagne, 4 91 39 02Cannes: Debby Sanchez, 4 94 41 39 02St. Nazaire: Christine & Phillipe Joucla

297461319Connerre: Andre Grimard243890194Paris: Claude Longuet, 1 44 59 30 06

ISRAEL

Jerusalem: Michal Sivanbabalove@netvision.net.il

MEXICO

Mexico City/Cancun/Acapulco:Meetings about every month at 7 PM

Rafael Villafane, email preferredraal@royerlabs.comFrom USA: 011 52 555 295-0512Cell from USA: 011 52 555 502-7225

For changes, additions or deletions,

please email Dinagibson @mac.com

‘ wortawia.c .

.

LOCATIONS

. MEETINGS ‘.

; , - . CoNTACTs ‘

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