MEHER MOUNT

9902 Sulphur Mountain Road
Ojai, CA 93023-9375

Phone: 805-640-0000
Email: info@mehermount.org

HOURS

Wednesday-Sunday: Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Monday & Tuesday: Closed

MANAGER/CARETAKERS

Buzz & Ginger Glasky

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sam Ervin, Preident
Ron Holsey, Vice President
Ursula Reinhart, Treasurer
Jim Whitson, Director
Richard Mannis, Director

OFFICERS

Margaret Magnus, Secretary

9902 Sulphur Mountain Rd
Ojai, CA, 93023
United States

(805) 640-0000

Photo Friday Blog

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

Meher Mount

Your Friday photo…

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


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

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.”


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.


"I stayed until the fog slowly crept up the hill..."

Chris Barker

Your Friday photo…

Visitor Chris Barker captured the serenity of a late spring afternoon at Avatar’s Point when the clouds were rolling in and the sun was setting.

Most sweet was the thought of Meher Baba striding across this airy hilltop...
— Chris Barker

I was stunned with the beauty of Meher Mount — the majestic view all the way to the distant Pacific Ocean; the lovely green field leading down to Baba’s Tree; the clean lines of the adobe-inspired reception building.

But most sweet was the thought of Meher Baba striding across this airy hilltop with co-founder Agnes Baron and His other Baba lovers in tow.

It was easy to feel the sanctity of this unique place. I stayed and enjoyed it until the fog slowly crept up and swirled over the top of the hill at Avatar’s Point.

~Chris Barker, Visitor


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

Ray Johnston

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


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.


"Art is one of the sources through which the soul expresses itself and inspires others." - Meher Baba

Barbara Brown

Your Friday photo…

Artist Barbara Brown used a road at Meher Mount as the focus of her en plein air painting.

She visited with a group of other art students working with instructor Jennifer McChristian who brings a class each spring to paint at Meher Mount.

Art is one of the sources through which the soul expresses itself and inspires others.
— Avatar Meher Baba

I am traditionally a studio painter. But with COVID, I moved outside. I find I enjoy watching the light move, feeling the elements and being in the open air.

Painting outside is harder because the light changes as the sun moves across the sky or the wind moves the trees. The view is changing constantly. The shadows at noon are very different from the shadows hours later when you finish a painting.

In this view of a path surrounded by trees, there’s an aura of mystery. The viewer is encouraged to create her own story about where the path leads.

~Barbara Brown, Artist


"I want you to remain undisturbed and unshaken by the force of life's currents..." - Meher Baba

Meher Mount

Your Friday photo is in remembrance of Avatar Meher Baba’s automobile accident in Prague, Oklahoma, on May 24, 1952…

Avatar Meher Baba and His mandali (close disciples) were traveling from the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Meher Mount in Ojai, California, for a planned nine-day stay.

On the morning of May 24, 1952, near the town of Prague, OK, Avatar Meher Baba suffered a severe automobile accident.

“…the personal disaster, for some years foretold by me, took place in the form of an automobile accident while crossing the American continent… It was necessary that it should happen in America,” Meher Baba said.

He explained that this accident would “result in benefit to the whole world."

The date of this event was foretold by Meher Baba many years earlier. During His first trip to America in 1932, He gave Elizabeth Patterson a small pink wildflower telling her to always keep the flower and write down the date—that someday she would know the meaning.

It wasn't until years after the accident that Elizabeth rediscovered the flower He had given her that day. She had placed it in a family bible and wrote next to it the date, "May 24, 1932," exactly 20 years before the fateful day she would be driving Baba when the accident occurred. 


Credits

  • Quote: Meher Baba Calling, pg. 44, 1992 ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

  • Photograph: Avatar Meher Baba, Poona, India, 1952. ©Meher Nazar Publications, Ahmednagar, India.

Sources


"You gotta go out and look toward the Topas..."

Meher Mount

Your Friday photo…

A little after midnight on May 11, 2024, Meher Mount Caretaker Ray Johnston received a phone call…

“You gotta go out and look toward the Topas,” said the friend over the phone.

Immediately Ray ran outside and saw the aurora borealis behind the Topa Topa Bluffs.

The rest of the Ojai Valley was covered in clouds, but higher up, the sky presented this incredible light show.

The aurora borealis appeared due to a geomagnetic storm caused by solar flares. This meant that parts of the world that are never able to see the aurora borealis (also referred to as the Northern Lights) were able to witness it for two nights in a row.


"Do not let any material thoughts or worries disturb your mind..."

Meher Mount

Your Friday photo…

Board member Agnes Montano captured the natural poetry of an oak leaf falling on the flagstones of Baba’s Walkway at Meher Mount.

These words of Avatar Meher Baba seemed to fit the image.


Do not let any material thoughts or worries disturb your mind and eat it away. Let people say what they please.

Be like a rock that is unaffected by the continuous blasts of wind and remains firm in its place without moving an inch.

Do not be like a leaf of a tree moved here and there by the slightest breeze, and eventually falling off.
— Avatar Meher Baba

Meher Baba walked this flagstone pathway when He visited Meher Mount in 1956. This walkway is a reminder that the Avatar of the Age walked among us and shared His love.

It contains the echoes of Meher Baba’s footsteps — a memento of His presence. It walkway symbolizes our connection to the Divine, Meher Baba.


Source

  • Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 740, accessed May 21, 2023. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.


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

Meher Mount

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.”


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.


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.


"And the squirrel looks down and says, 'Hey.'" - Rumi

Juan Mendez

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

One of the first things visitors to Meher Mount encounter in the area around the Visitor Center is a tiny pond. It’s small, shallow and can be overlooked amid the grand vistas and pathways Meher Mount offers. But it plays an essential role as part of Meher Mount’s ecosystem.

This photo of a California or Beecheys ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) at the pond was taken by temporary caretaker Juan Mendez who also suggested the following Rumi poem rendered by Daniel Ladinsky.

Hey!

The grass beneath a tree is content and silent.

A squirrel holds an acorn in its praying hands, offering thanks, it looks like.

The nut tastes sweet; I bet the prayer spiced it up somehow

The broken shells fall on the grass, and the grass looks up and says, ‘Hey.’

And the squirrel looks down and says, ‘Hey.’

I have been saying ‘Hey’ lately too, to God.

Formalities just weren’t working.
— Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, Love Poems to God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, Rendered by Daniel Ladinsky

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.


What if you see a skunk?

Meher Mount

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


"His vibrations were like a hummingbird."

Juan Mendez

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

You might even see some of these residents during your visit. This photo and the following story are from Juan Mendez, temporary caretaker.

The love just poured out of Him. His vibrations were like a hummingbird. You couldn’t see the vibrations, but you knew the vibrating. You felt that in Baba.
— Agnes Baron on meeting Avatar Meher Baba

Meher Mount’s hummingbirds are a constant reminder of Meher Baba’s eternal presence within us.

When Meher Mount co-founder Agnes Baron met Avatar Meher Baba in 1952 at Myrtle Beach, she recounted her first moments with Meher Baba:

“The love just poured out of him. His vibrations were like a hummingbird. You couldn't see the vibrations, but you knew the vibrating. You felt that in Baba.”

It is not uncommon for visitors at Meher Mount to see and enjoy the beauty of the multitude of hummingbirds that hover and feed from the feeders and plants around the Visitor Center.

A spectacle that is not commonly seen is when the hummingbirds fly through the water spout at the pond to wet their plumage, especially during the hot summer days.

During one of my stays at Meher Mount as temporary caretaker, I was fortunate to capture this moment when a male Anna’s Hummingbird did its fly-over to cool off.

~Juan Mendez, Temporary Caretaker


"It's a sanctuary for all life, large and small."

Ray Johnston

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

Watering holes are vital to various ecosystems. At Meher Mount, that watering hole is the pond near the Visitor Center. It attracts and sustains a wide variety of wildlife — both day and night — that call the mountain home.

You might even see some of these residents during your visit. Sam Ervin photographed this deer stopping by the pond for a drink of water.

The pond is an essential part of Meher Mount’s role as a sanctuary for all life, large and small. A hub for life in a challenging environment.
— Ray Johnston, Caretaker

Open water is scarce atop Sulphur Mountain in the dry months. So the pond is a lifeline for the many species that depend on having access to an open water source.

This tiny pond is usually alive with birds, insects, and sometimes larger animals.

Nights at the pond are busy and often loud with a chorus of frogs and the sound of nocturnal wings, hooves, and tiny feet running through the leaves.

All are part of the ecosystem at Meher Mount.

~ Ray Johnston


Ecosystem: A community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) and nonliving elements interacting with each other and their surroundings (environment) and weather to form a bubble of life.

Natural ecosystems are broadly classified into two types: Terrestrial (land) such as desert, grassland, mountain, rain forest; and aquatic (water) such as ocean, rivers, lakes.


"I will often find the opportunity to do a 'quick draw' in my sketchbook."

Kristina Somma

Your Friday photo…

Bees buzzing around a rosemary bush at Meher Mount prompted this playful drawing by temporary caretaker Kristina Somma.

Meher Mount inspires me to be aware of Meher Baba’s presence in nature.
— Kristina Somma, Temporary Caretaker

With vast skies and beautiful grounds, wandering around Meher Mount is a tranquil meditation.

I will often find the opportunity to do a ‘quick draw exercise’ in my sketchbook. This exercise is not meant to be serious or perfect, only playful and lighthearted. It’s a way for me to be present, to listen and to look for what captures my attention.

One morning when the birds were singing and splashing in the fountain, I heard an amazing amount of buzzing coming from the rosemary bush by the Visitor Center.

Watching the bees swarm over the blossoms, I was inspired to pick up my sketchbook to do a quick draw. Later, I added some watercolor and played with my new paint pens.

This is just one example of how Meher Mount inspires me to be aware of Meher Baba’s presence in Nature.

And each time I visit, I make sure to bring my sketchbook, my journal and my camera — finding this inspiration, I bring that energy home with me and share what I find with family and friends.

~Kristina Somma


"It's not a battle... it's a balancing."

Meher Mount

Your Friday photo…

A charcoal drawing of Avatar Meher Baba by Diana Le Page greets guests as they arrive in the Visitor Center at Meher Mount. Temporary caretaker Robert Turnage captured this image of shadows created by the winter morning light.

It’s not a battle… it’s a balancing.
— Adi K. Irani, Meher Baba’s close disciple

"In the 24 years I have lived at Meher Mount, I’ve come to think there is a battle going on here between the light and the dark,” lifetime caretaker Agnes Baron told Adi K. Irani, Meher Baba’s close disciple, in 1970.

“Agni, It’s not a battle between the light and the dark ,” Adi responded. “It’s a balancing.”


Source

Sam L. Ervin, “A Balancing of the Light and the Dark,” Meher Mount Story Blog, published August 20, 2017, accessed online March 22, 2024.


"An authentic love and extraordinary commitment..."

Stephanie Ervin

Your Friday photo is in honor of International Women’s Day…

On this day Meher Mount is reminded of the indelible and enduring impressions of Agnes Baron (1907-1994), co-founder of Meher Mount whom Meher Baba affectionately called His watchdog.

This photo of Agnes was taken in the late 1970s by Sam Ervin. She is sitting outside on a summer day in front of the main house where she lived.

~ Stephanie Ervin recalls the respect from those who knew her…

My life overlapped with Agnes for 11 years. My father Sam Ervin had a close relationship with her starting in 1968. While I only have a few clear memories of her, I’ve realized that she has influenced me for life.

Only recently, I have seen how important it has been for me to hear men speak about Agnes with tremendous respect and care. Hearing this has been powerful.  

Agnes looked after and tended Meher Mount in her own way. Her ferocity, passion, and devotion was matched only by her environment. When I look at Agnes Baron I see a woman who lived life on her own terms. She valued her independence. She never married, never had children, and did whatever she could to help others.

She didn't compromise her morals or her values and persisted until she found a spiritual teacher — Avatar Meher Baba — whom she felt embodied her beliefs and values.

In honor of International Women’s Day, these are some reflections about Agnes by some of the men who knew her, cared for her, and were inspired by her.

~Ken Ceder: “Agnes could tune in to what the person needed.”

In my experience Agnes was tough, even fighting the local oil companies that were abusing land rights, but she had a softer side. When certain people visited, under circumstances that I didn’t realize, she would be gentle and treat them with kid gloves. Agnes could tune in to what that person needed.

I met Agnes in the late 1980s and was not into caregiving. I find it curious that I ended up caring for her with my brother Len until her passing in 1994.

One of my tasks was doing her laundry. One day she said, I have something important to tell you. I thought, “Oh, she’s going to tell me how special I am for taking care of her,” and I awaited her praise.

She said, “Now, don’t let this go to your head, but you do good laundry.”

My ego went to my knees. She not only had a great sense of humor, but she also knew exactly how to chip away at my big ego or as she used to say, “Chop me down!”

You see I didn’t iron clothes. But when I took them out of the laundry and while the clothes were still warm, I hand pressed them and very carefully folded them. That’s why she liked the way I did the laundry.

~Larry Pesta: “One of my most important spiritual teachers… “

The ‘New Life’ Fire in Ojai happened on Monday, October 14, 1985. I attempted to call Agnes Baron that day, but to no avail. Then, I heard the news from friends that Meher Mount had indeed been destroyed.

The following weekend, I flew down to Los Angeles and drove to Ojai to visit Agnes personally and make sure that she was well. Agnes appeared quite composed and peaceful.

She was interested in showing me the burned out remains of Meher Mount, and we drove up the mountain together. We walked around the property for quite awhile which was still smoldering from the fire. Mostly everything was destroyed.  

Walking out near the tree under which Meher Baba once sat on His famous visit, I felt really sorry for Agnes and her situation. I said, “This must be horrible for you.”

She looked at me and said, “The important question for you to ask is this. Tell me. Could you handle this? I've been burned out. The important question is will you allow Meher Baba to burn you out as well if necessary?” 

I immediately realized that I was not just visiting someone who had lost everything in a fire. I was standing face-to-face with one of my most important spiritual teachers in this lifetime. She was not talking about physical fire but spiritual fire.

~Ray Johnston: “An authentic love and extraordinary commitment…”

In the photo above I am struck most by Agnes' legs. Battered and torn from the tough living and working environment at Meher Mount all those years.

I still have the scars on my legs from years of cuts, bites, scrapes and stickers received as a caretaker at Meher Mount. I was always in awe of how she did it for so many years!

I know how the privilege of a deep relationship with Meher Mount often comes with the demand for blood, sweat and tears.

Agnes Baron possessed an authentic love and extraordinary commitment to the essence and place that is Meher Mount.


Sources


"Ribbit."

Robert Turnage

Your Friday photo…

On a walk along Baba’s Path, temporary caretakers Robert Turnage and Kristina Somma noticed a slight movement on the ground. There at the mouth of a gopher hole was a beautiful little frog, almost perfectly camouflaged by its brown color. What a lovely gift.

Ribbit.
— Baja California Treefrog

The Baja California Treefrog is native to the region which includes Meher Mount. The color of a specific frog ranges from tan to brown or green and will most often match the microhabitat it lives in.

Even though Pseudacris hypochondriaca is a treefrog, it doesn’t climb trees and much prefers hanging out near the ground or in low vegetation. Treefrogs are also called chorus frogs.

The call of the Baja California Treefrog is known throughout the world through its wide use as a nighttime background sound in many Hollywood movies, even those which are set in areas well outside the range of this frog.

Here’s the melody from a frog calling at night. It’s the same sound heard at Meher Mount last night.


"Be melting snow. Wash yourself of yourself." - Rumi

Meher Mount

Your Friday photo...

At this time of year in 2023, a winter storm brought a rare dusting of snow to Meher Mount. It melted by the time most of the guests arrived for Meher Baba's Birthday celebration on February 25, 2023.  

The video and photos were captured by Kristina Somma who was a temporary caretaker at that time. The excerpted poem "Be Melting Snow" was suggested by Juan Mendez. Video production by Stephanie Ervin.

Lo, I am with you always means when you look for God,
God is in the look of your eyes,
in the thought of looking, nearer to you than your self,
or things that have happened to you
There’s no need to go outside.

Be melting snow.
Wash yourself or yourself.

A white flower grows in quietness.
Let your tongue become that flower.
— Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

Excerpted from "Be Melting Snow" 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.


"...there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Rumi

Ray Johnston

This week’s Friday photo…

The viewpoint is from Avatar's Point overlooking what is known as the Prasad Orchard. The Pacific Ocean is in the background. The photo was taken by Caretaker Ray Johnston who created the heart in the field and selected the following Rumi poem.

AVATAR’S POINT at Meher Mount. (Photo: (c) Ray Johnston)

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.
— Rumi

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.


"This is all due to my love." - Avatar Meher Baba

Ray Johnston

This week’s Friday Photo is a 23-second video of beauty and rainbows for a quick virtual visit to Meher Mount.

"Oh, My GodMan!! Thank you so much Ray. This is how I always feel whenever I go to Meher Mount! You captured it!" - A Reaction on Social Media

Click on the image or click here to see the video.

This is all due to my love. This whole creation, this nature, all the beauty you see, all came out of me.
— Avatar Meher Baba at Meher Mount

Caretaker Ray Johnston captured the beauty this past week when the rain stopped and the double rainbow appeared over Meher Mount. Stephanie Ervin put his photos together for you.


"They formed a natural harmony..."

Denali Jepson

Your Friday photo…

A bouquet of natural wildflowers was created for the Visitor Center by Denali Jepson and photographed by Ron Holsey, board member.

They formed a natural harmony...
— Denali Jepson, Temporary Caretaker

Ron Holsey and I were taking a hike around the grounds. I kept noticing how many fragrant, picturesque plants and flowers we were surrounded by.

All the colors were perfectly autumn and beautifully varied.

On the way back to the Visitor Center, I picked any that made me go, “Wow look at this one.’” I didn’t even have to arrange them. They formed a natural harmony like they did in the fields. 

I appreciate how beautiful it is to be at Meher Mount.

~Denali Jepson