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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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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

• Wayne Myers, “…the personal disaster, for some some years foretold by Me took place…”, Meher Mount Story Blog, published May 23, 2017.

• “Meher Baba’s Accident in America,” Avatar Meher Baba Heartland Center.

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

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.

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

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.

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“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

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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.

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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.

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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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