"Nobody tries to save a tree this badly burned..."

Your Friday photo...

This week (December 4th) is the seven-year anniversary of the 2017 Thomas Fire that struck Meher Mount — and in particular Baba’s Tree. At the time, it was the largest wildfire in California history.

This photo of Baba’s Tree was taken former caretaker Buzz Glasky just days after the Thomas Fire swept through Meher Mount.

“Nobody tries to save a tree this badly burned...”

— Michael Inaba, ISA® Certified Arborist, 2018

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On the night of December 4, 2017, high winds toppled the giant canopy of Baba’s Tree and fire burned the trunk and limbs.

Baba’s Tree was shattered. The trunk was a hollowed-out shell. There were only a couple of inches of actual live wood. There was a hole in the tree’s trunk that was three or four feet wide. You could walk right into the middle of the trunk — or what had been the trunk.

We saw people come to the tree and weep. We knew we had to do everything humanly possible to help the tree recover. That's when we reached out to ISA® Certified Arborist Michael Inaba just a few weeks after the fire.

He came up with plan — watering, mulch, covering the limbs to protect them from sunburn, putting the tree in isolation (as you would a very ill patient), and spraying non-pesticide clay, and steel props to hold up the burned limbs.

“But…,” Inaba said, “Nobody tries to save a tree this badly burned.”

And then he asked, “If we don’t save the tree, what will the community think?”

All along, all we could do was our best — and leave the results to Meher Baba.

~ Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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The Documentary on Baba’s Tree — COMING LATE SPRING

The story of Baba’s Tree begs to be told on film. It’s the journey of a seemingly ordinary oak tree blessed by the presence of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba.

For decades, Baba’s Tree fulfills its role of inspiring others — drawing seekers from around the world in search of inspiration, silence, joy and solace.

Then one night Baba’s Tree is felled by fire and high winds. Its very existence is threatened. Through the tree’s own resilience and love, it is transformed by fire to emerge even more powerful in radiating Meher Baba’s love.

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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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"What occurs to me around Baba's Tree as far as sound or silence..."

Your Friday photo…

Thank you to volunteer Stephanie Ervin for this delightful photograph of Baba’s Tree.

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“What occurs to me around Baba’s Tree as far as sound or silence is how profoundly calm and quiet it can be.”

— Robert Turnage, Board Member

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Robert Turnage and Kristina Somma shared their thoughts about silence at Baba's Tree while being interviewed for the upcoming documentary about Baba’s Tree.

Robert Turnage

“What occurs to me around Baba’s Tree as far as sound or silence is how profoundly calm and quiet it can be.

“And there is a connection for me between that and the silence that Meher Baba observed for the last 44 years of His incarnation. You can definitely sense the silence at Baba’s Tree.”

Kristina Somma

“So if there’s any sound that emanates out from the sky or the tree, you’re listening. It's the silence, the calmness that allows you to be a deeper listener. I find myself listening very deeply at Baba’s Tree.

“My nature self is listening for any sound of an animal or a bird or any movement in the bushes.

“But also metaphorically, you could say that there's an opportunity to listen more deeply to your own inner self and more deeply to whatever Meher Baba might be asking you to hear. So they kind of come together for me.

“I tend to like to go to Baba's Tree on my own the first time I get back to Meher Mount. Because I am trying to allow myself that deeper listening place in that relationship.”

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Meher Baba’s Silence

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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