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.

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

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.