"No one requires an introduction to me..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor the construction of the Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount…

Thank you to Jon Meyer and Scott Lesniewski of the In His Love group for the quote from Avatar Meher Baba. It seemed fitting for caretaker Ray Johnston’s photo of the “daily inspectors” at the Darshan Courtyard worksite.

“No one requires an introduction to me, for no one is a stranger to me. However, I am a stranger to most, and those coming and remaining in my presence do not do so without introduction.

As a matter of fact, they have come with many introductions - for many times in previous lives have they been introduced to me and have gone away and forgotten me and met me again.

All these introductions are their introduction to me this time.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Darshan is a Vedanta concept meaning “to receive the grace of seeing the Divine.”

Those who met Avatar Meher Baba had His darshan — seeing Him, paying homage to Him, and receiving His blessings. Even after dropping His physical form, followers of Meher Baba still take His darshan.

The Darshan Courtyard is in the space of the Baba Room where Meher Baba gave darshan to His followers in 1956. That building burned to the ground in the 1985 New Life Fire.

All of Meher Mount’s guests — now and in the future — have the opportunity to take Meher Baba’s darshan in this space. They need no formal introduction to the Avatar.

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Source

• Meher Baba, The Everything and the Nothing, Avatar Meher Baba Trust eBook, June 2011, pg. 38. (c)1989 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India. (c) Meher House Publications, Beacon Hill, Australia.

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"True sportsmanship is concentrated ability, enlivened with appreciation of the performance of others." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of Meher Baba’s affinity for the game of cricket…

Today, the India National Cricket Team plays South Africa.

Meher Baba enjoyed playing and watching cricket. Cricket and other games were often played in the ashram with His close followers.

In this photo, Meher Baba is playing cricket in Lower Meherabad, India, in 1936.

In 1959, He gave the following message to the players of the Poona Cricket Association before they left India to go to England for a test match.

“True sportsmanship is concentrated ability, enlivened with appreciation of the performance of others. And when this is manifested, everyone present, both players and spectators, receives spiritual upliftment as well as good entertainment.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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“In going to England [1959] to represent India in the field of sport, you also have the unique opportunity of practicing and of conveying to the people there the great spiritual lessons of concentration and love.

When you take the field, and if you play as eleven men with one heart, each enjoying the excellence of performance in another player as he would in himself, whether that player is on your side or on the side of the opposing team, and so eliminating feelings of jealousy, anger and pride, which so often mar the sport — you will not only be entertaining the spectators, but demonstrating the real spirit of sportsmanship.

True sportsmanship is concentrated ability, enlivened with appreciation of the performance of others. And when this is manifested, everyone present, both players and spectators, receives spiritual upliftment as well as good entertainment.

Some of you are ‘all-rounders.’ I am the greatest spiritual ‘all-rounder’ of all times, because I feel equally at home with saints, yogis, philosophers and cricketers, as well as with so-called sinners and scoundrels.

I give you my blessing that in all your actions you show forth the spirit of love.”

~Avatar Meher Baba

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Sources

• Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4510, accessed September 14, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India. Used with permission.

• Photograph: Faredoon (Padri) Driver, Meherabad, India, 1936. Meher Nazar Publications. Used with permission.

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"I really need that right now..."

Your Friday photo…

Nearly 300 stickers carrying Meher Baba’s well-known message, “don’t worry, be happy,” were given to visitors at Meher Mount's booth during Ojai Day 2024.

When offered the free "don't worry, be happy" sticker, a common response was, "Yes. I really need that right now." And then the person smiled.

At the booth are Sam Ervin, Juan Mendez, and Ron Holsey talking to one of the many people who stopped by to chat.

See below to see why there’s always a happy ending — and to get your own free sticker.

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“I really need that right now..”

— A Visitor Reaching for a "Don't Worry, Be Happy" Sticker

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A Happy Ending

Mani S. Irani, Meher Baba’s sister and close disciple, reinforced the “don’t worry, be happy” message when she shared this story:

“When Baba said a thing it was with the authority of supreme knowledge, knowing everything. So when He says be happy, don't worry, He knows there is no reason to worry.

“…Baba would always like a happy ending. That is because His story, the story of His creation, has a happy ending. We are simply going through chapters.

“But somebody who has read the book and who knows the end, can very authoritatively say, ‘Don't worry, don't worry’ while you are in the midst of a chapter which is terrible.

“So whenever we go through something that seems so difficult, so disagreeable, don't worry, remember it is only a chapter... the next chapter might be different.

“When the end of the story comes, the story is finished. So, we might as well enjoy the story while we are in it too.”

Source: Bill Le Page, ed., The Divine Humanity of Meher Baba, Volume II, pp. 183-184.  (Woombye, Australia: Meher Baba Foundation).  ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Trust, Ahmednagar India.

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"...one can no more deal with people without love than one can handle bees without care."

Your Friday photo…

Photographer Juan Mendez focused his camera on the flowers at Meher Mount and captured this close-up of a bee.

“The whole trouble lies in that people think that there are conditions excluding the necessity of love in their intercourse with man, but such conditions do not exist. Things may be treated without love; one may chop wood, make bricks, forge iron without love, but one can no more deal with people without love than one can handle bees without care.”

— Leo Tolstoy, Resurrection

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This quote is from Resurrection, a novel by the Russian writer Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), also the author of War and Peace.

Nadia Tolstoy (1884-1946), a close follower of Avatar Meher Baba, was the daughter-in-law of Leo Tolstoy. Nicknamed Nadine by Meher Baba, she was married to Leo’s son Ilya Tolstoy, also an author.

Upon meeting Meher Baba, Ilya asked, “How can one love when there is so much evil in the world?”

“You have to take love into your heart,” Meher Baba responded.

Ilya died a year and half later, and Nadine joined Meher Baba in India to live in the ashram.

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"There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Meher Baba’s name and presence..."

Your Friday photo…

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (also called CometA3) as seen from Meher Mount and photographed by Caretaker Ray Johnston. Baba’s Fireplace is in the foreground.

This is the first time in 80,000 years that CometA3 is visible and expected to come within 44 million miles of Earth.

According to NASA, the comet initially appears low on the western horizon in the glow of twilight about 45 minutes after sunset each day starting on October 12, 2024.

Coincidently, the 12th of the month is when the dhuni (sacred fire) is lit near Avatar Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine in Meherabad, India.

An additional coincidence, October 12, 2024, was also the groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount.

The courtyard, next to Baba’s Fireplace, is to be an intimate space evoking the atmosphere of the Baba Room where Avatar Meher Baba gave darshan (the grace of seeing the Divine) to His followers in 1956.

Board Member Agnes Montano shares her impressions of the groundbreaking ceremony on October 12th.

“There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Avatar Meher Baba’s name and presence, so prevalent at Meher Mount.

Saturday’s groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard felt extra special to me. It was intimate, solemn, joyful and even nostalgic.

The fact that the ceremony was held on dhuni day, symbol of the fire of Meher Baba’s divine love, made it even more auspicious. ”

— Agnes Montano, Board Member

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Events at Meher Mount are always special. There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Avatar Meher Baba’s name and presence, so prevalent at Meher Mount.

Saturday’s groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard felt extra special to me. It was intimate, solemn, joyful and even nostalgic. The fact that the ceremony was held on dhuni day, symbol of the fire of Meher Baba's divine love, made it even more auspicious. 

After discussing the Darshan Courtyard project for almost four years at board meetings, seeing construction started on the site was very powerful.

The simple ceremony was so heartfelt. It was intimate, somber and so distinct. Even though there were only a handful of us on site, there were another 185 followers of Meher Baba lovers from around the world participating through the ashes from the 2021 Darshan Dhuni.

The love and utter devotion to Meher Baba in the dedication was so profound. My husband Juan Mendez and I were deeply touched. Meher Baba was definitely there giving His darshan to us like He did when He sat in the space in 1956.

~Agnes Montano, Board Member

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Darshan Dhuni Ashes

In 2021 there was a special Darshan Dhuni on June 12th (dhuni day). For this dhuni, more than 185 personally meaningful Meher Baba quotes were sent from all over the world. Each quote was placed in a special dhuni (sacred fire).

The fire was started with the dhuni sticks — twigs that were harvested from Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount on another dhuni day, January 12, 2019.

Baba’s Tree had been severely damaged in the 2017 Thomas Fire. The fallen wood from that damaged tree was reclaimed and transformed into new expressions of Meher Baba’s presence and love.

The ashes from the 2021 dhuni — from burned paper with quotes from Meher Baba and the dhuni sticks of Baba’s Tree — are symbolically helping form the foundation for the Darshan Courtyard.

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Related Stories

• The Darshan Dhuni Quotes & Contributors

• The Special Darshan Dhuni Film

• Meher Baba Calls Everyone into the Baba Room - 1956

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“What hurts me most is the loss of Meher Baba’s pictures and writings.”

Your Friday photo is in remembrance of Meher Baba’s New Life and the 1985 New Life Fire at Meher Mount…

On October 14, 1985, the Ferndale Fire, whipped by Santa Ana winds, came up the southwest ridge of Sulphur Mountain. By 9 p.m. on that Monday night Meher Mount was ablaze. 

The fire burned everything – buildings, equipment, fences, Baba’s Tree, and a 1950 Ford Woody station wagon. This was the station wagon Agnes Baron drove to take Avatar Meher Baba to and from Meher Mount in 1956.

“What hurts me most is the loss of my documents, library and Meher Baba’s pictures and writings.”

— Agnes Baron, Ojai Valley News, 1985

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Meher Mount calls the Ferndale Fire the ‘New Life Fire’ because Meher Baba’s New Life phase started on October 16 (1946).  The fire at Meher Mount was still burning right through the start of the anniversary of the New Life.

Meher Baba’s New Life was a phase of His work. It was a life of helplessness and hopelessness, relying only upon God.

“When the New Life Fire happened at Meher Mount, it literally required Agni to give up everything and start all over,” remembered Bing Heckman.  

She was left shoeless, homeless and with just the clothes on her back.

“What hurts me most,” Agnes told the Ojai Valley News, “is the loss of my documents, library and Meher Baba’s pictures and writings.”

The Baba Room — where Meher Baba spent most of the day with His followers in 1956 — was completely burned by the fire.

The stone fireplace from the Baba Room remains as a touchstone of His visit and His Presence at Meher Mount.

Almost 40 years later, there are plans underway to build the Darshan Courtyard in the footprint of the Baba Room. It will celebrate Meher Baba’s physical presence at Meher Mount.  

The courtyard is planned to create a space to sit, reflect, meditate, enjoy the outdoors, and remember the Divine.

 ~Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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Sources

• Margaret Magnus & Sam L. Ervin, “The New Life Fire — Keeping Meher Mount through Hellfire and Damnation,” Meher Mount Story Blog, accessed September 1, 2024.

• “Meher Baba’s New Life,” Meher Mount Story Blog, accessed September 1, 2024.

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"Why were the saints, the saints?" - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi…

The feast is on October 4th every year to commemorate the life of Saint Francis (1181- 1226).

This story and photo from Agnes Montano is particularly apropos because Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment.

One day Avatar Meher Baba dictated the following about saints, especially in regard to Saint Francis.

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“Why were the saints, the saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful and patient when it was difficult to be patient.

And because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Not all Meher Baba’s guests at Meher Mount come in human form.

When my husband Juan Mendez and I were caretaking at Meher Mount, a yearling buck visited on a daily basis. He would spend most of the day leisurely resting in a spot by the statue of St. Francis.

Francis — as we started calling the deer — was not frightened by our presence.

One day Francis ventured onto the veranda. He nuzzled against one of the glass doors in the reception area. Then he seemed to look straight at Meher Baba’s photos hanging on the wall.

He pressed his nose hard against the door, as if wanting to come inside.

The gentle nature of this deer was an endearing reminder of the connections we – animals, plants and trees – share with the Divine and how God expresses Himself in all living beings.

~Agnes Montano, Temporary Caretaker & Board Member

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Sources

• Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, page 2098, accessed September 11, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• Carolyn M. Ball, Meher Baba in Assisi . (Myrtle Beach, SC: Arti Books). (c)2019 by Carolyn M. Ball.

• Agnes Montano, “Francis (the Deer) Visits St. Francis (the Statue),” Meher Mount Story Blog, accessed September 11, 2024.

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"This photo brings back fond memories..."

Your Friday photo...

This photo from 1978 brings back fond memories of Agnes Baron, Meher Mount's co-founder and lifetime caretaker.

“This photo captures the Agnes Baron I remember. She really enjoyed having visitors and hanging out.”

— Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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Agnes Baron was fierce. She was fearless. Determined. Uncompromising. And yet she had a softer side. That's the Agnes I often remember.

And that's why I like this photo. It captures the Agnes Baron who enjoyed having visitors and hanging out.

The time is winter 1978. We’re in the Baba Room at Meher Mount before the 1985 New Life Fire destroyed all the buildings.

In this picture (left to right) are Agnes Baron, Elizabeth Hartzell (my sister) and me, Margaret Magnus. Sam Ervin (my future husband) is taking the photo.

We’ve probably had a day of chopping and hauling wood so Agnes could heat her own house (separate from the Baba House).  

We are bundled up in the Baba House because it’s cold. I don't know why there's no heat. Maybe it didn't work. Maybe Agnes didn’t want to turn it on because of the cost. Maybe the original source of heat was the fireplace that wasn't in use.

But we’re here regardless.

A friend of mine, Howard Babus from Santa Barbara, is also visiting and volunteering. He has offered to do an impromptu flute performance which we are enjoying.

Now the Baba Room has been gone for almost 40 years. There are plans underway to create the Darshan Courtyard in the Baba Room space.

It is planned to provide a sense of intimacy with the Divine. A place of personal reflection and contemplation. A moment to feel Meher Baba’s eternal embrace.

“Darshan” is in the name because Meher Baba spent most of the day in August 1956 giving darshan (the grace of being in His presence) in this space.

~Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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"Birdsong brings relief to my longing..." - Rumi

Your Friday photo…

Photographer Juan Mendez captured an Anna’s Hummingbird in flight just outside the Visitor Center at Meher Mount.

“Birdsong brings relief
to my longing
I’m just as ecstatic as they are,
but with nothing to say!
Please, universal soul, practice
some song or something through me!”

— Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

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This poem is from Birdsong: Fifty-Three Short Poems of Rumi translated by Coleman Barks.

In 13th-century Persia, where Rumi lived, music and poetry were central to religious expression. Birdsong, in particular, held symbolic significance, representing the yearnings of the soul.

Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, also known as Rumi, was a poet and Islamic scholar. Avatar Meher Baba enjoyed listening to Rumi's poetry and praised him as one of the greatest minds of all mystical and spiritual literature.

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"Say to yourself, 'I am meant to be happy...'" - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo celebrates National Positive Thinking Day…

Avatar Meher Baba making His general gesture for happiness in this photo taken by Faredoon (Padri) Driver

It's as if Meher Baba is saying, “It’s good, isn’t it?” or “You’re happy, aren’t you?”

“Say to yourself, ‘I am meant to be happy, to make others happy,’ and gradually you do become happy yourself and make others happy, too. ”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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There’s a story shared in Lord Meher in which a nurse named Mrs. Schreiber told Meher Baba, “I am so tried of life and very unhappy. I don’t see how I can improve.”

Meher Baba responded:

“Everyone is unconsciously tired of this life, because everyone seeks happiness, but knows not how to get it.

But life is so beautiful! It is meant to be happy.

I will help you. Then things will appear changed. You will see it.

It is always the outlook that counts, and not the object.

Today, you feel tired, upset, seeing nothing beautiful in things around you in life. If tomorrow, you do not feel bored but cheerful in the same things that appeared so black to you yesterday — it is all due to changed mentality and outlook.

The easy way is not to make so much of things. Take them lightly.

Say to yourself, 'I am meant to be happy, to make others happy,' and gradually you do become happy yourself and make others happy, too.

Don't suggest to your mind, 'I am tired, haggard, depressed,' et cetera. That will make it worse.

Always say, 'All is well and beautiful. I will be happy.’”

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Sources

• Quote: Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 1631, accessed August 29, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• Photograph: Faredoon (Padri) Driver, Bangalore, India, late 1939/early 1940. Meher Nazar Publications. Used with permission.

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National Positive Thinking Day

Positive Thinking Day is celebrated on September 13th every year to highlight the rewards of positive thinking. Too much negativity can have an adverse impact on our emotional well-being. So, on Positive Thinking Day and other days too, it’s an opportunity to remind ourselves of Meher Baba’s words, “don’t’ worry, be happy.”

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"To the living Christ whose beauty the very heavens cannot contain..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of National Read a Book Day…

Jean Adriel, Meher Mount co-founder, wrote one of the first biographies of Avatar Meher Baba — Avatar: The Life Story of the Perfect Master Avatar Meher Baba, published in 1947.

She’s pictured at Meher Mount during the month of silence, July 1949. Escrow closed on the property in Ojai which became known as Meher Mount on July 31, 1946.

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“To the living Christ whose beauty the very heavens cannot contain, but whose presence may be found in every humble, living heart.”

— Jean Adriel, Book Dedication of Avatar

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Jean Adriel writes in the preface of Avatar: The Life Story of the Perfect Master Meher Baba:

When Meher Baba told me, in India, to spend most of my time meditating upon him and writing down the fruits of my meditation, I little thought that they would find their way into print.

I finally came to the conclusion that the most fruitful course for me would be to write the life-story of my Master, Meher Baba, as I knew it, with particular emphasis upon my own experience with him.

Now, as the book is finished, word has come from him that he places his blessing upon and wishes it given to the world.

In anticipation of his coming again to America a Center has been established for him at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, and on the West coast, in the Upper Ojai Valley, a beautiful place, Meher Mount, awaits him.

~ Jean Adriel, Meher Mount
Upper Ojai, California.
September 1, 1946

“Avatar is one of the earliest descriptions of the atmosphere of love and grace that surrounds Avatar Meher Baba. Jean Adriel performed an enormous service to the world by writing this book,” wrote Laurent Weichberger in his Amazon review.

“As one of the first major works on Meher Baba it is a classic,” said Amazon reviewer Bing Heckman. “The story was still in progress when written. This book captures the times and travels of Meher Baba's life and works in a dynamic time for the world, up to and through WW II. It covers a range of topics that touch the heart and inform. His work is for the awakening of humanity; it is universal.”

Avatar: The Life Story of the Perfect Master Meher Baba, A Narrative of Spiritual Experience was first published as a special author’s edition in 1947 by the J.F Rowny Press, Santa Barbara, CA.

A paperback edition, Avatar: The Life Story of Avatar Meher Baba, was published in August 1971 by The Beguine Library, Meher Baba Information, in Berkeley, CA.

The book is out of print. Avatar is available online at the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust website.

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National Read a Book Day

National Read a Book Day on September 6th encourages all book lovers to spend some time of the day reading. Bringing new worlds to life, books enlighten us and transport us. They can challenge our perspectives on the human experience in ways unmatched by other media. National Read a Book Day encourages us to silence the noise and turn the pages for a while.

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More Information

• ”Jean Adriel Writes Avatar — A Biography of Meher Baba,” by Margaret Magnus, Meher Mount Story Blog, September 11, 2017.

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"I'm more of a sunset admirer..."

Your Friday photo…

Bing Heckman, volunteer and Meher Mount founding board member, spent a week as a temporary caretaker this summer. Here are his musings and Friday photo…

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“Sunrise. I look out the window, but I’m not getting up yet. I’m more of a sunset admirer. That said, the sunrise exudes serenity and awakening.”

— Bing Heckman, Founding Board Member

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When I arrived, it struck me that Meher Mount is very well cared for and maintained. I also saw that it’s teeming with life. 

There are many bird species, no doubt attracted by the birdfeeders and birdbaths. All are busy scurrying about landing, feeding, gathering, and dispersing. Some of the hummingbirds chase others off, defending a given feeder.

The lizards, butterflies, bees, and squirrels are also flying or running about. 

One is drawn to take time to listen to the sounds of the birds and a wind chime and to feel the gentle breeze. Maybe just sit and watch a hummingbird leisurely feed at the feeder.  

Breaking away from my routines at home, a quiet, leisurely pace emerges. At first, not sure what to do, but the day unfolds.

Time to think and reflect without distraction.

A new rhythm of the day comes about.

After a few days, one sees that the colorful California Orioles, crows, and other animals have their daily rhythms and routines, too.

Birds begin stirring at sunrise. After being active and a bit ruckus all day, they settle in about a half hour before sunset. There is quiet, but for an occasional chirp. 

Sunrise, I look out the window, but I’m not getting up yet. I’m more of a sunset admirer. That said, the sunrise exudes serenity and awakening.

There is no neglecting practical matters, just allowing a bit more space in between, managing to sit, listen, and see what is around. 

Is this a spiritual place? Everywhere is. This place just helps one see that. 

~Bing Heckman, Founding Board Member & Temporary Caretaker

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"Each place its own psyche." - David Abrams

Your Friday photo…

Temporary caretaker Juan Mendez photographed this bobcat at Meher Mount practically posing for its closeup.

“I thought about what the presence of the bobcat represents at Meher Mount,” Juan said, “and I feel the following quote from American ecologist and philosopher, David Abram, sums it up.”

“Each place its own mind, its own psyche!

Oak, Madrone, Douglas fir, red-tailed hawk, serpentine in the sandstone, a certain scale to the topography, drenching rains in the winters, fog off-shore in the summers, salmon surging up the streams - all these together make up a particular state of mind, a place-specific intelligence shared by all the humans that dwell therein, but also by the coyotes yapping in those valleys, by the bobcats and the ferns and the spiders, by all beings who live and make their way in that zone.

Each place its own psyche. Each sky its own blue.”

— David Abram, American Ecologist and Philosopher

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It was early afternoon on a warm summer day when my wife Agnes Montano detected a bobcat crossing swiftly across the field towards the Topa Topa Patio at Meher Mount.

Bobcats are solitary and elusive. In the past we had only been able to get a quick glimpse of them at Meher Mount.

We were delighted when we saw this one take refuge under the shade outside the patio.

The bobcat sat there long enough for me to go and grab my camera and photograph it from the veranda of the Visitor Center.

The bobcat was alert, perhaps looking for its next meal, but simply untroubled.

She raised her lovely face, and I snapped this shot that captures her beauty in all its magnificence.

~Juan Mendez, Temporary Caretaker

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"It was my honor to capture the natural beauty."

Your Friday photo…

Danny Mobed visited Meher Mount for the first time for the Anniversary Sahavas this August. His wife Goher (Kharas) Mobed was the special guest speaker.

During his visit, he walked around the property and took this photo. Here are some of his impressions.

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“The colors and depth of view changed with the time of day as the sun rose above our heads. Truly spectacular.

It was my honor to capture the natural beauty.”

— Danny Mobed, First-time Visitor

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Our trip to Meher Mount was very fulfilling and special, with spiritual beckoning and quiet times, a true place for reflection and soul searching.

This place is graced with spectacular views.

The visual effects captivated my attention in many ways. Thus, this picture.

The dark shade of the island mountains are in the background with a close-up of white flowers adorned by trees on either side to encase the view.

The colors and depth of view changed with the time of day as the sun rose above our heads. Truly spectacular.

It was my honor to capture the natural beauty. Truly, a trip to remember.

~Danny Mobed, Visitor

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"All day I think about it, then at night I say it." - Rumi

Your Friday photo…

As night fell, volunteer Stephanie Ervin took this photograph of the Visitor Center at Meher Mount and selected this poetic excerpt from Rumi.

“All day I think about it, then at night I say it.
Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?
I have no idea.
My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that,
and I intend to end up there.”

— Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

I've been visiting Meher Mount since I was very young. I’ve mainly spent time there during the day.

But on a sunny day in May when I visited with my mother Margaret Magnus, we stayed for a lively dinner. It was one of those evenings where the food was good, everyone was talkative and happy, and we all enjoyed each other's company. 

After dinner I stepped outside with Caretaker Ray Johnston. As we looked at the stars, I turned around. The sky was just turning a dark blue, and the outdoor lights on the Visitor Center glowed in a warm orange tint. 

The Visitor Center — which includes the living quarters for the Caretakers — is one of two buildings on Meher Mount’s 172 acres. The other is the Workshop with the adjoining Topa Topa Patio.

In this moment the Visitor Center, and Meher Mount itself, looked like a warm, safe haven against the darkness of night.

I've thought about this photo off and on since the night I took it because in a way, Meher Mount has been like an anchor in my life.

Even though I don't visit as often as I did in my childhood, Meher Mount is forever present for me.

It’s like a longtime friend I can always come back and see, like a port that can weather any storm. 

~Stephanie Ervin, Volunteer

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The quote is excerpted from “Who Says Words with My Mouth?” by Rumi and translated by Coleman Barks.

Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, also known as Rumi, was a 13th century poet and Islamic scholar. Avatar Meher Baba enjoyed listening to Rumi's poetry and praised him as one of the greatest minds of all mystical and spiritual literature.

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"I want Agni to know that I love Meher Mount very, very much." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo celebrates the 68th anniversary of Meher Baba’s visit to Meher Mount on August 2, 1956…

“I want Agni to know that I love Meher Mount very, very much.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount, 1956

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Agnes Baron, Meher Mount co-founder, describes one of her interactions with Avatar Meher Baba at Meher Mount in 1956:

So on one of the occasions when Meher Baba called me over, He was looking very solemn and very impressive as only Baba can look.

And He stood. And one of the mandali [close disciple who interpreted His gestures] was there.

And Baba said, “I want Agni to know that I love Meher Mount very, very much.” And then, of course, that typical gesture of “very, very much. I am very happy.”

And He really beamed, I mean, He just glowed.

He just gestured, “very, very happy.’’ And He looked it.

And then He said, “And I want her to know that Meher Mount has a very spiritual atmosphere.”

And of course, I made my usual wisecrack, I knew it wasn’t. He stared at me and repeated, “A very spiritual atmosphere.” 

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Sources

• “Agnes Baron Remembers Meher Baba’s 1956 Visit,” Meher Mount Story Blog, October 11, 2021.

• Photograph of Meher Baba at Meher Mount with co-founder Agnes Baron by Darwin Shaw, August 2, 1956. (c)Meher Nazar Publications, Ahmednagar, India. Used with permission.

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"But let's not make it a tree. Meher Mount is more than just a tree."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Avatar Meher Baba’s presence at Meher Mount…

This video — an outtake from the documentary film on Baba’s Tree — shares the delightful story of how Meher Baba’s visit inspired the design of Meher Mount’s logo.

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“But, let’s not make it a tree. Meher Mount is more than just a tree.”

— Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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In about 2010, I approached a volunteer and friend of ours, Nancy Pinckert, who is a very talented graphic designer. I asked her if she would help create a logo for Meher Mount.

We we both looked at each other and said, but let's not make it a tree. Meher Mount is more than just a tree.

So she goes away for three or four weeks. Then she calls me and says, “I have the first draft and I must warn you…”

And I say, “There's a tree.” And she says, “Yep.”

I think of the tree as not only symbolizing Meher Baba’s presence and the spiritual energy He left, but also the coming together of heaven and earth.

And to me, that’s the whole symbol of Meher Mount.

~Margaret Magnus, Volunteer Communications Director

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Video Credits

Storyteller — Margaret Magnus, Communications Director, Meher Mount
Logo Design — Nancy Pinckert, np studio
Photography & Production — Ben Hoffman, Square Productions
Meher Baba Photographs — Darwin Shaw ©Meher Nazar Publications, Meherabad, India
Meher Baba Quotes – Lord Meher, ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India

Copyright ©2024 Meher Mount Corporation, 9902 Sulphur Mountain Road, Ojai, CA 93023

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"This land is very old, I have been here before." - Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is honor of Meher Baba’s 1956 visit to Meher Mount…

This photo of Meher Baba at Meher Mount is used with kind permission by Sufism Reoriented. And Charmian Duce Knowles shared some of her memories from that day with Meher Baba.

“This land is very old, I have been here before.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount, August 2, 1956*

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"When we visited Ojai in 1956," remembered Chairman Duce Knowles,** "the population was small, the roads were unpaved, and the valley's peace untouched by development.

"As we drove up the mountain to Meher Mount, fog shrouded the mountaintop and concealed the valley below. Still, the center itself looked marvelous.

"Agnes [Baron, co-founder and lifetime caretaker] led us to a guesthouse and swimming pool, through rose and herb gardens, fruit trees, and numerous California oaks, some quite ancient.

"Baba told us the land was very old and that he had been there before. He seemed happy to be back."

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Sources

• *Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4065, accessed June 30, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• **Charmian Knowles, Spread My Love (Walnut Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented) , pg. 138. (c)2004 by Sufism Reoriented.

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"I want Agnes to have a special memento of this day." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is honor of Meher Baba’s 1956 visit to Meher Mount…

“I want Agnes to have a special memento of this day.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount, August 2, 1956

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When Meher Baba was at Meher Mount, He spent much of the day in the Baba Room with His followers.

On one occasion, remembered co-founder and caretaker Agnes Baron, “He was sitting in that chair and He called, ‘Charmian! Charmian!’” [silently through gestures]

Charmian Duce (later, Knowles) was filming Meher Baba’s 1956 trip in the US, and she was in the room.

Meher Baba said to Charmian, “You have a camera with you?”

She replied, “Yes.”  

“I want Agnes to have a special memento of this day. You take a picture,” He said.

“So, I came and knelt down by His side,” Agnes explained. “And Charmian took two good colored pictures which I cherish very much now.

“He was doing these fantastic, these really wonderful…these personal little gestures, that, you know, that He always does to make one person particularly happy,” said Agnes.

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Source

“Agnes Baron Remembers Meher Baba’s 1956 Visit,” Meher Mount Story Blog, October 11, 2021.

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"The inaudible sound is from heart to heart..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Silence Day, July 10th.

Silence Day is when followers of Avatar Meher Baba keep silence for 24 hours.

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“Those who have been in his presence know that Baba communicates through his silence. What proceeds from him is beyond words, does not need words, could not be contained in them. The inaudible sound is from heart to heart; silence that penetrates mind and heart.”

— C.B. Purdom, Author of The God-Man

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Avatar Meher Baba began His silence on July 10, 1925. He said that His silence was not undertaken as a spiritual exercise, but solely in connection with His universal work.

After Meher Baba started His silence, He communicated by writing on a slate board.  After that, He pointed to letters on an alphabet board to spell out words. Later, He used a series of hand gestures that were interpreted by His close disciples.

He kept silence for 44 years until He dropped His body on January 31, 1969.

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Photo

Avatar Meher Baba, Bangalore, India, sometime between October 1939 to April 1940. Photographed by Bhaiya Panday. MSI Collection. Used with permission.

Quote

C.B. Purdom, The God-Man: The Life, Journey and Work of Meher Baba with an Interpretation of his Silence and Spiritual Teaching, Second Edition, second printing with corrections (2010), Avatar Meher Baba Trust eBook, June 2011, pg. 410. ©1964 C.B. Purdom, ©Meher Spiritual Center, Inc.

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