Remembering Meher Baba in Simple, Ordinary Moments
By Wayne Myers
“…take God seriously, and life lightly.” — Avatar Meher Baba, 1940s
The eloquent whimsy of the poem “Song of Nothing” from Bal Natu’s book, More Conversations with the Awakener, resonates with me — it reminds me to remember the Divine in simple ordinary moments, just because.
Its lightness in spirit is uplifting, cheerful, and joyful given that I spend more moments than not navigating the habitual complications of thought, reaction, and feeling.
Bal Natu (1919-2003), author of More Conversations with the Awakener.
That’s why I chose to read it during a virtual celebration of Avatar Meher Baba’s birthday this February 25th and am sharing it again.
The ‘conversation’ below is an internal conversation between Bal Natu, a close disciple of Avatar Meher Baba, and Meher Baba after Meher Baba dropped His physical form in 1969.
The ‘You’ and ‘The Awakener’ refer to Meher Baba or the Divine.
“Song of Nothing” from Conversations by Bal Natu [1]
(Bal): …I prayed to You:
O Ancient One! Let Your name rise
from the breath within
And may your grace ever guide me
To accept voluntarily and cheerfully
That every moment of my life
Is a blessed gift from You.
You looked pleased, smiled, and said:
(The Awakener): Just remember this simple “Song of Nothing.”
The moment you get up,
remember Me for nothing.
When you go to bed,
remember Me just for nothing.
When you leave your house, for a moment,
remember Me for nothing.
When you come home, just for a moment,
remember Me for nothing.
Before you have breakfast,
remember Me for nothing.
When you finish your supper,
remember Me just for nothing.
Remembering Me for nothing
will relieve your stress and tension.
Remembering Me for nothing
will renew your heart with courage and cheer.
Remembering Me for nothing will enliven
your thoughts and deeds with heavenly music,
and I will be the conductor of
the symphony of your life.
Remember Me in the beginning,
remember Me in the end,
I will take care of the in between.
When you remember Me for nothing,
you expect nothing from Me.
This will prepare you
for My real response to each moment,
and you will catch the spirit
of the game I play with you.
In this nothing you may find the
seeds of everything you need
Isn't it simple?
Meher Baba told His followers throughout His advent: “Remember, this is all a dream, but a significant dream. Its purpose is to make you aware of the nothingness of the dream itself.” [2]
He also said, “You have no idea of my love and compassion that sustains your very being.” [3]
For me, “Song of Nothing” is a beguilingly profound invitation to that very love and sustainment of my being through the practice of divine remembrance, and thus gratitude, with a dash of fun.
“You have no idea of my love and compassion that sustains your very being.” — Avatar Meher Baba
Footnotes
[1] Bal Natu, More Conversations with the Awakener, (Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Foundation, 1993), pp. 72-74.
[1] Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, p. 4659, accessed March 25, 2021. (c) Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.
[2] Meher Baba, The Everything and the Nothing, (Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Foundation, 2nd Edition, 2015), p.49. (c) Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.
[4] Kalchuri, op.cit., p. 3301, accessed March 25, 2021.
About
Bal Natu (1919-2003) was a close disciple of Meher Baba. He dedicated the last 30 years of his life to writing and compiling books about Meher Baba’s life: the superb series, Glimpses of the God-Man, Meher Baba; collecting and publishing “Baba stories” from Meher Baba’s followers; and on the inner life of following Meher Baba as is the Conversations with the Awakener series.