"Do you like tarantulas?"

Your Friday photo…

This photo of a tarantula seen at Meher Mount was taken by Caretaker Ray Johnston. Guest caretaker Wayne Myers tells the story of a young boy’s interest in tarantulas which coincided with their fall migration.

“Just as they were about to head out to see the views and Baba’s Tree, I felt prompted for some reason to ask the boy, ‘Do you like tarantulas?’

He leapt up: ‘Yes! Where? Where?’”

— Wayne Myers, Guest Caretaker

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By Wayne Myers

It was a late Sunday afternoon at Meher Mount in early October 2010, warm, dry, and quiet.

A family of three, husband, wife, and young son visiting Ojai, took a country drive and found their way up Sulphur Mountain Road to Meher Mount, somewhat inexplicably so they told me. 

While the parents and I conversed, their son, about 8 years old, seemed bored and restless as he sat in a rocking chair on the porch.

I sensed a “Why am I here?” vibe from the boy.

Just as they were about to head out to see the views and Baba’s Tree, I felt prompted for some reason to ask the boy, “Do you like tarantulas?”

He leapt up: “Yes! Where? Where?”

I had recently learned there was a tarantula migration at Meher Mount in the fall.

His mother informed me that just that week their son’s schoolteacher had brought to class a large tarantula to show the students. Their son had taken a sudden and avid interest in tarantula sightings!

I was happy to tell them I had spied a large tarantula on the move just outside Baba’s Tree that very morning. The excited boy exclaimed: “Let’s go to the tree! Let’s go to the tree!”

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Tarantulas

Tarantulas are naturally docile creatures that only bite when threatened, with venom no more potent than a bee sting for most humans. They serve as vital ecosystem components, controlling pest populations while providing food for birds, reptiles, and mammals.

Their burrowing aerates soil and creates habitats for other creatures. Their feeding activities contribute to nutrient cycling, while their silk provides nesting materials for birds, making them important indicators of environmental health.

Tarantulas in California migrate, but it's more accurately described as a mating season migration. During this time, male tarantulas leave their burrows in search of female tarantulas. This typically occurs in the fall, with peak activity often in mid-October. 

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"Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?"

Your Friday photo…

On a walk with friends on the deer trail near the old well in 2020, volunteer Margaret Magnus took this photo of a charred Coast Live Oak. “As we paused to view what remained of the tree, we began to fantasize about what the burned tree trunk represented,” she remembered.

“The right side looked like angel’s wings with the left side representing a hand reaching toward the heavens with the support and encouragement of an angel.”

In thinking about the angelic nature of this burned and dying tree, the following from the Sufi poet Rumi seemed appropriate.

“I died as a mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was Man.
Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar
With angels blest; but even from angelhood
I must pass on: all except God doth perish.
When I have sacrificed my angel-soul,
I shall become what no mind e’er conceived.
Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence
Proclaims in organ tones, ‘To Him we shall return.’”

— Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), Transalted A.J. Arberry

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Jalāl al-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, also known as Rumi, was a 13th century poet and Islamic scholar who was born in Afghanistan and wrote poetry in multiple languages, particularly Farsi. Avatar Meher Baba enjoyed listening to Rumi's poetry and praised him as one of the greatest minds of all mystical and spiritual literature.

This is a beautiful passage from Rumi's Mathnawi, one of the most celebrated pieces of mystical poetry in the Sufi tradition. The poem traces the soul's evolutionary journey through different states of being — from mineral to plant to animal to human, and ultimately beyond human form toward union with the Divine.

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Possible Source
Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, The Mathnawí of Jalálu’ddín Rúmí, ed. and trans. Reynold A. Nicholson, Book III (London: E. J. W. Gibb Memorial/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1926), vv. 3901–3906.

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"My grace is always there..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

Photographer Juan Mendez captured this image of a fox drinking from a bird bath at Meher Mount. On Sulphur Mountain, birds and animals of all sizes visit because they are thirsty and looking for water.

The following story of thirst and Meher Baba’s grace is from Befitting a Fortunate Slave: Meher Baba's Eruch by Davana Brown. Eruch Jessawala (1916-2001) was one of Meher Baba’s closest disciples and often interpreted Baba’s hand gestures and use of the alphabet board. Davana Brown is a resident volunteer at Meherazad and was Eruch’s assistant.

“My grace is always there; it is like a torrential river that is ever flowing. If you are thirsty you go to the river.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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It was not unusual for the theme of grace to be discussed during pilgrim sessions in Mandali Hall (Meherazad, India) or around Eruch's table at the Meher Baba Trust Office (Ahmednagar, India) during teatime musings, Davana Brown writes.

The topic was talked about from every imaginable perspective. Eruch Jessawala responded:

“You are asking me, how do you receive His grace. For that you need the container. The thing is, we are all longing and begging for His grace asking. 'When will Your grace descend on us that we can love You and see You as You really are?'

“But Baba says, 'My grace is always there; it is like a torrential river that is ever flowing. If you are thirsty you go to the river. What is there to stop you? But the trouble is, in order that you should have the full advantage for receiving My grace, you need to have the container to hold it. And that vessel is your thirst. Without thirst there is no way out.'

“Grace needs the container, and suffering and His remembrance increase our thirst, which helps to shape the container.”

~Eruch Jessawala, Close Disciple of Meher Baba

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Source
Davana Brown, Befitting a Fortunate Slave: Meher Baba's Eruch, Volume I: By Your Grace Anything is Possible, pg. 303. (Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Foundation) ©2024 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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"Look well therefore to this day..."

Your Friday photo…

This scenic photo by guest caretaker Juan Mendez perfectly captures a late summer day at Meher Mount looking toward Baba's Tree and Avatar's Point. Clouds cover the Heritage Valley below with the South Mountain ridge peeking above them. The Santa Monica Mountains appear much farther in the distance.

“Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!”

— Attributed to Kālidāsa

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Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendor of achievement
Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day;
Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

~Attributed to Kālidāsa

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This poem is widely attributed to Kālidāsa, a renowned 4th-5th century Indian poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest Indian writers of any epoch. His plays and poetry written in Sanskrit are primarily based on the Hindu Puranas.

However, there's an important caveat about the poem's authenticity. The specific poem "Look to This Day" is likely a modern adaptation or paraphrase inspired by Kālidāsa's themes.

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"The only Real Surrender is that in which poise is undisturbed" - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of National Relaxation Day…

This view from a bench along the Old Well Road at Meher Mount was taken by visitor Stephanie Ervin.

“The only Real Surrender is that in which poise is undisturbed by adverse circumstance, and the individual, amidst every kind of hardship, is resigned with perfect calm to the will of God. ”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Source

Meher Baba, Discourses, Sixth Edition, Volume I, pg. 2 (Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Foundation) ©2007 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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"The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers..."

Your Friday photo…

This photo of two ground squirrels enjoying the warmth of the sun at Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker Juan Mendez in August 2024.

Ground Squirrels generally live in parts of Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja California and are often seen at Meher Mount.

Some of the animals that call Meher Mount home stay out of the sun during the day, but bask in the sun in the evening to warm themselves.

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”

— Henry Ward Beecher

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Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) was a Congregational minister whose oratorical skill and social concern made him an influential Protestant spokesman in his time. He was an abolitionist and worked with the women's suffrage movement in the United States. He often used metaphors of nature to convey moral and spiritual lessons about universal love.

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"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful."

Your Friday photo…

On a spring wildflower walk at Meher Mount, visitor and photographer Stephanie Ervin was drawn to the beauty of a small butterfly nestled among the flowers. Board member Agnes Montano suggested the following quote.

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful.

Beauty is God’s hand-writing—a way-side sacrament; welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank for it Him, the fountain of all loveliness, and drink it in, simply and earnestly, with all your eyes; it is a charmed draught, a cup of blessing.”

— Charles Kingsley, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge, 1848

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Source

Quote Investigator, “Quote Origin: Never Los an Opportunity of Seeing Anything Beautiful. Beauty is God's Handwriting,” accessed February 13, 2025.

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"Sometimes that is the only solace for loss."

Your Friday photo...

Visitor Stephanie Ervin shared a memory and the perspectives gained from a photo she took at Meher Mount many years ago…

“I took this photo of a tree trunk on a misty day at Meher Mount in April 2013. A few months later I came back to find it was gone.”

“Loving something, appreciating it, enjoying it while it is present means that when it is no longer close to us, we have the comfort of knowing we did what we could with the time we had together. Sometimes that is the only solace for loss.”

— Stephanie Ervin, Visitor

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“There are times when the lessons I’ve learned at Meher Mount feel like a microcosm of the larger world. So much lives, thrives, is pared back, and then lost.

It is taken away by people, by time, by natural events, but all ultimately by God. 

This bare trunk was an ode to the tree that existed before.  

This particular photo captures a feeling that nothing is permanent. But for me, that is a reason to love it all the more: because it is impermanent. 

We never know how long we’ll have anything, how long we’ll be next to someone, how many days we will have in any one space.

Loving something, appreciating it, enjoying it while it is present means that when it is no longer close to us, we have the comfort of knowing we did what we could with the time we had together. Sometimes that is the only solace for loss.”

~Stephanie Ervin, Visitor

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"Warm wind, if you blow through the lands of my Beloved..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of World Poetry Day…

The clouds over Meher Mount — moved by a gentle breeze — inspired former caretaker and photographer Buzz Glasky. He suggested this poem as an expression of his feelings toward Meher Baba and being at Meher Mount.

“Warm wind, if you blow through the lands of my Beloved,
Bring me the Beloved’s scents.

I would give my life to the Beloved,
for but one sound brought as message by the warm wind.

If by misfortune I’ve missed the Beloved’s presence,
then bless me with the dust
from somewhere the Beloved walked.

What a sorry sight, a Sufi in distress.
I can only see the Beloved, others think me mad.

My firm heart trembles like a reed,
wishing only the kiss of the Beloved.

The Beloved has bought my heart for free,
And I will not sell the Beloved
for all the world’s fortune.

Hafez, if your heart is ever truly freed from sorrow,
it will miss such a faithful servant.”

— Hafez-e Shirazi

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Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammed Hafez-e Shirazi (1315-1390) was a Persian lyric poet who was called Hafez or Hafiz (meaning “memorizer”) because he memorized the Quran and the works of other Persian poets.

Hafez primarily wrote in the literary genre of ghazals — Meher Baba’s favorite poetic from. This form is considered by some to be ideal for expressing the ecstasy of Divine inspiration in the mystical form of love poems.

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Source

Gates of Wisdom: The Poems of Hafiz, A New English Adaptation by Swami Anand Nisarg. (c)2010 by Swami Anand Nisarg.

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"The people of this world are like the three butterflies..."

Your Friday photo is honor of National Learn About Butterflies Day…

This photo of a butterfly at Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker Juan Mendez; Margaret Magnus suggested the poem by Rumi.

“The people of this world are like the three butterflies in front of a candle’s flame.

The first one went closer and said: I know about love.

The second one touched the flame lightly with his wings and said: I know how love’s fire can burn.

The third one threw himself into the heart of the flame and was consumed.

He alone knows what true love is.”

— Rumi

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Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, also known as Rumi, was a 13th century poet and Islamic scholar who was born in Afghanistan and wrote poetry in multiple languages, particularly Farsi.

Avatar Meher Baba enjoyed listening to Rumi's poetry and praised him as one of the greatest minds of all mystical and spiritual literature. This poem in particular talks about Divine love.

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"There's something magical that occurs when light shines on ordinary objects."

Your Friday photo...

Agnes Montano captured the sunlight emanating from a glorious sunrise as it reflected on the veranda at Meher Mount’s Visitor Center.

Looking outwards from the picture window in the reception area: The shadows of two Adirondack chairs, a small side table, a vase, bird decals on the window (used to deter birds from flying into the glass), and the branches of a Toyon tree are reflected on the sunshade, bringing to life this serene scene.

It is reminiscent of the softness, grace and elegance of an Asian silk screen painting.

“There’s something magical that occurs when light shines on ordinary everyday objects.

They can be transformed into beautiful aesthetic scenes.

Avatar Meher Baba’s light has that transformative effect in those that seek Him”

— Agnes Montano, Board Member, Meher Mount

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"This afternoon, you all have a chance to laugh and feel relaxed." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo...

“Avatar Meher Baba’s presence is very much imbued in Meher Mount’s landscape providing that sense of relaxation He felt in 1956,” said photographer and board member Agnes Montano.

“On a more tangible level, that peaceful feeling is also evident in Meher Mount’s many contrasts.

“This image of the mighty oak and the wildflower at sunset celebrates the diverse and contrasting beauty found in nature,” she continued.

“It is where both large and sturdy trees and the delicate flowers contribute to the overall landscape and harmony of Meher Mount.”

“This afternoon, you all have a chance to laugh and feel relaxed. Baba also has a chance to relax here for five minutes.

You had no chance at New York; in Myrtle Beach, little chance; in Los Angeles, none.

But here today, we feel relaxed, happy. I come down to your level so that we can laugh and be free together; but do not forget at the same time that I am the Highest of the High.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount 1956

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Source

Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4066, accessed December 26, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

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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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"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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"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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"I grabbed my phone just as the last condor rose..."

Your Friday photo…

A rare California Condor in flight off Avatar’s Point at Meher Mount. Photo by Ray Johnston, Caretaker.

On May 26th, four California Condors were lifting off from the field below Baba’s Tree.

I ran and grabbed my phone and took this photo just as the last condor rose from Avatar’s Point into the fog.

Two of the condors then flew to the white-domed Doppler radar tower at the top of Sulphur Mountain and perched there.

It just so happened that a good friend of mine, who is an occasional volunteer at the Sespe Condor Sanctuary was visiting Meher Mount that day. My buddy drove up near the tower and watched the condors for awhile.

These condors were easily distinguishable from the smaller and more common vultures that frequent the area. Their size and flight behaviors are evident when seen close up.

~Ray Johnston, Caretaker

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Why Seeing a California Condor Is So Rare

Seeing a California Condor is rare because there are so few of them.

Thousands of years ago, California condors lived in many parts of North America, from California and other Pacific states to Texas, Florida and New York. By the late 1900s, the remaining condors were limited to the mountains in Southern California.

The California Condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. Its wingspan stretches nearly 10 feet from tip to tip.

The condor:

• Weighs up to 26 pounds.

• Can soar and glide on air currents at speeds up to 50 MPH.

• Can soar as high as 15,000 feet.

• Can travel up to 100 miles in a day.

• Is an opportunistic scavenger that feeds on large, dead mammals.

• Lives up to 60 years old in the wild.

• Is sexually mature at 5 to 7 years old and mates for life.

• Produces one egg every other year.

• Parents share incubation and feeding responsibilities.

California Condors are one of the most endangered species in the world. They were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1967.

In 1987, a controversial decision was made to bring all remaining condors (22 individuals) into captivity. At that time, it was uncertain if the California Condor would ever soar again in the wild. Through the efforts of many organizations and individuals, reintroduction of California Condors began in 1992. In 2022, there were 561 condors in the wild and in captivity.

The Sespe Condor Sanctuary in the Los Padres National Forest — about eight miles from Meher Mount — is a primary condor reintroduction site in California.

With the ability to fly more than 150 miles in a single day, and a penchant for curiosity, the California condor is particularly susceptible to human development.

It depends on large swaths of land for foraging and is exposed to high levels of environmental toxins due to its scavenging behavior.

In addition, its characteristics that do not allow for rapid recovery from depleted populations. Condors mate for life, have long life spans (up to 60 years by some estimates), and take up to six years to reach maturity. Moreover, a mated pair may only lay a single egg, every two years. Thus losses incurred at any stage in a condor’s life, adult or juvenile, can have a major effect on the condor population.

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"When I became a lover I thought I had gained the Pearl..." - Hafiz

Your Friday photo…

“After a day of fierce winds and pouring rains, this sunset appeared like a pearl over the mountains beyond Meher Mount,” noted photographer Kristina Somma. She was reminded of the following passage from Hafiz.

“When I became a lover I thought I had gained the Pearl of the God; foolish I did not know that his Pearl lies on the floor of an ocean which has innumerable waves to be encountered and great depths to be sounded. ”

— Hafiz

This quote from Hafiz introduces the discourse “The Pearl Diver’” from The Everything and The Nothing. These 64 discourses were dictated in silence by Avatar Meher Baba through hand signs.

Meher Baba declared:

“I am the One whom so many seek and so few find.”

Meher Baba uses the imagery of a pearl to explain the quest for God.

“In the beginning the seeker of Truth is like a man who, having heard that a priceless pearl is to be got from the depths of the ocean, goes down to the seashore and first admires the vastness of the ocean and then paddles and splashes about in the shallows and, intoxicated with this new excitement, forgets about the pearl.

“Out of the many who do this, one after a while, remembers his quest and learns to swim and starts to swim out.

“Out of many who do this, one masters swimming and reaches the open sea; the others perish in the waves.

“Out of many who practice diving, one reaches the ocean bed and grasps the pearl.

“Out of many who get hold of the pearl, one swims back up to the surface with it, the others stay stuck on the floor gazing with wonder at the pearl.

“Out of many who swim up to the surface, one returns to the shore. This one is the Perfect Master (Qutub) and He shows His pearl to the others — the divers, the swimmers, the paddlers, and so encourages them in their efforts. But He can if He wises cause another to become the possessor of the pearl without that one having to learn swimming and diving.

“But God-Man or Avatar is the Master of Masters (Qutub-al-Aktab), and can give possession of the Pearl to any number He likes.”

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Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammed Hafez-e Shirazi (1315-1390) was a Persian lyric poet who was called Hafez or Hafiz (meaning “memorizer”) because he memorized the Quran and the works of other Persian poets.

Hafez primarily wrote in the literary genre of ghazals — Meher Baba’s favorite poetic from. This form is considered by some to be ideal for expressing the ecstasy of Divine inspiration in the mystical form of love poems. Hafiz’s many allusions to wine, drunkeness, and taverns can be understood as allegorical references to the experience of Divine Love.

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Source

Meher Baba, The Everything and The Nothing, pp. 20-21. (Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Foundation 2003) ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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What if you see a skunk?

Your Friday photo is in honor of Earth Month and the wildlife at Meher Mount…

Caretaker Ray Johnston’s trail camera caught this nighttime visitor at the pond.

Skunks are normally nocturnal. They spend the day sleeping in burrows and search for food and water in early evening and through the night.

But once in a while, you might see a skunk during the day, particularly if the skunk is a nursing mother looking for food.

This photo of a skunk foraging at Meher Mount during the day was also taken by Ray Johnston.

Skunks are beneficial to farmers, gardeners, and landowners. They are omnivorous and eat a variety of garden pests, including mice, voles, beetles, various larvae, wasps and crickets.

Skunks are also scavengers. They will seek out animal carcasses, which helps keep an ecosystem free of carrion. Scavengers are important to the health of the environment.

If You See a Skunk…

If you see a skunk, remember they have poor eyesight. You can make loud noises, stamp your feet, clap your hands loudly, or just walk away.  

Skunks are generally not aggressive and will only spray if they feel cornered or attacked.

The spray, which comes from two glands near the base of the skunk’s tail, can hit a target 12 feet away. If threatened, skunks stamp their front feet, lift their tail, and growl. Some species of skunk even spring into a handstand before spraying. If the person or animal doesn’t retreat, the skunk aims the spray at the eyes, allowing the skunk to escape. The spray can remain on its target for days.

It may seem ironic, but skunks hate certain odors: citrus, ammonia, mothballs and strong household deodorizing scents.

Striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) – generally seen in the Southern California ecosystem – are solitary, typically docile animals.

They often live in the abandoned dens of other mammals during the day, or take up residence in hollowed logs, brush piles or underneath buildings. They prefer underground dens in colder winter climates. While not truly hibernating, striped skunks experience extended periods of inactivity during winter.

Male striped skunks breed with multiple females and are rejected by the females after mating occurs. Female striped skunks typically give birth once each year, with breeding occurring between February and April.

~Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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