What to do with Meher Mount? - Keeping Meher Mount for Meher Baba
Margaret Magnus
Agnes Baron (1907-1994) was a co-founder and lifetime caretaker of Meher Mount. At one point soon after Meher Mount’s founding in 1946, Agnes wrote to Avatar Meher Baba saying she would keep Meher Mount for Him through “hell, fire and damnation.” Dealing with lawyers and bureauacry was a particular kind of hell for her.
By Margaret Magnus & Sam L. Ervin
Agnes Baron’s only trip to India was in September 1982 to talk to Meher Baba’s mandali (close disciples) about the future of Meher Mount.
This trip was funded by Bill Le Page because he was eager to help her. “I was intrigued with her early history… I liked Agnes. I admired her strength of character that had kept her going despite all the issues she faced. What a wonderful Baba Lover she was,” he said.
In their discussions, the subject always came around to what should she do with Meher Mount.
“I wanted to help,” Bill remembered. “We talked about the administrative structure for Meher Mount. She wanted to leave Meher Mount to humanity in general. Agnes wanted Meher Mount in a trust, but she did not want some of the Baba Lovers she had known to run the trust,” he explained.
“That concerned me,” Bill continued, “so I said, ‘let’s go to India, I will pay for your fare.’ She went for it. She was very happy I offered.”
AGNES BARON and Mani S. Irani (Meher Baba’s sister) in Meherazad, India, in 1982. (Photo: Amy Nadel Romanczuk)
Bill felt that if Agnes talked with the mandali, “things would get sorted out.” Agnes was particularly looking forward to speaking with Mani S. Irani, Meher Baba’s sister and head of the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust in Ahmednagar, India, and with Eruch Jessawala, Meher Baba’s close disciple who for many years translated all Meher Baba’s gestures for the public and worked with Mani managing the Trust.
“What I didn’t realize at the time,” Bill said, “there was no resolution in her mind regarding the future ownership of Meher Mount.”
Five months later when Margaret Magnus and I were going to India for Meher Baba’s Birthday in 1983, she asked us to talk to the mandali again about the future of Meher Mount.
“I remember when we approached Eruch,” Margaret said. “We were at the Trust office in Ahmednagar standing outside the door of Eruch’s office. When we brought up Agnes and Meher Mount, he sighed wearily, and said ‘we have the whole world.’
“You could just feel the weight of Meher Baba’s Trust on his and the mandali’s shoulders. We started to back off not wanting to add to his burden.”
Nevertheless, he called us into his office to dictate a letter to Agnes. After the initial greeting in the letter, Eruch said:
“It is of the utmost importance that Baba’s land, Meher Mount, be kept in His name and for His work perpetually.
“Baba has appointed you His ‘watchdog’ and caretaker of Meher Mount. Through your great love for Him, you have kept it for Him all these years through many hardships and obstacles.
“The fruition of your work is to assure that Meher Mount remains active in His service, in His name, for the many generations to come. Thus, it is important that whatever you do about Meher Mount, see that it remains dedicated to the cause of Avatar Meher Baba. It is important that in any documents drawn out, this is specifically mentioned.”
Eruch repeatedly emphasized how important it was for Agnes to take action:
“As we discussed when you were here, Agnes, the importance of forming a trust for the property to insure that it remains His is so great, that if it is necessary to sell a parcel of the land to pay for the best legal help and for setting up the trust, you should not hesitate to sell in the greater interest of Meher Mount.”
What Agnes absolutely detested — a version of her own “hell” — was jumping through the necessary legal hoops and rules and regulations to get something accomplished. She felt her heart was true, and the bureaucrats and lawyers should just know that and stay out of her way.
Eruch continued:
“We know, dear Agnes, that the legal requirements will be complicated and time consuming, even exasperating, perhaps. But do not get discouraged.
“It may seem to you that when you do selfless service in Baba’s name, you should not need to face so many legalities, so much paperwork. But the mandali have learned through experience with the Trust that in His work it is very important to pay close attention to such things. As you know, after Baba dropped His body, there were rumors and quarrels and eventually lawsuits and court appearances. These things happened because at the time we didn’t see the importance of keeping an eye on the necessities, legalistic and otherwise, of managing the Trust. Through these happenings we learned that we must get Beloved Baba’s work done through such legal channels.”
He continued to encourage her:
“We know that you will preserve and succeed in this matter, with Beloved Baba’s help, as you have preserved through so many problems in the past. Our loving thoughts are with you as you chart the future course of Meher Mount, under His guiding hand in accordance with His Divine Plan.”
And Eruch reminded her that there were people ready to help:
“Sam and Margaret are already there by your side to help you legally formulate anything about Meher Mount according to your wish and desire. Beside them, you already have a list of Baba people that we gave you from the Trust office here who can be now and again consulted and requested to help you.
“Dear Agnes, having by your side such stalwart Baba lovers, who have His cause dear to their hearts, there is no need for you to refer to us any further about the procedures and establishment of the Trust. Go ahead taking Baba’s name and their advice and do what you think best.”
Margaret and I never accomplished setting up the non-profit foundation for Meher Mount with her. Soon after we returned, we worked with Bing Heckman and others to set up a non-profit organization, but we were met with resistance from Agnes.
MEHER MOUNT as it looked in the early days before the 1985 New Life Fire. This is the ‘Baba House’ where Avatar Meher Baba gave darshan (His blessing) on August 2, 1956. (Photo: Archives)
Seven years later in 1989 Bing Heckman and Ken Ceder were able to set up the non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, Meher Mount Corporation.
“I think she knew that time was short, and things needed to be put in place,” remembered Ken. “There was no resistance from her – which was not the norm. Everything went along very smoothly, very easily. She allowed things to occur.”
One of her guiding principles for the future of Meher Mount was embodied in her statement, “Baba, You say You are universal. So, everyone is going to be welcome at Meher Mount!”
Meher Baba had earlier responded, “Anything you say about Meher Mount is all right with Me.”
Agnes selected Meher Mount’s first board of directors, which included both followers and non-followers of Meher Baba. The purpose of the organization as identified in the Articles of the Corporation:
“The specific and primary purpose of this corporation is to provide for the betterment of mankind by implementing the teachings of Meher Baba.”
Regarding transferring ownership of the property, Agnes established a life trust that donated the 173-acre Meher Mount property to Meher Mount Corporation on her death but allowed her to live there for the rest of her life.
The non-profit corporation continues today to manage and support Meher Mount as a universal place of pilgrimage dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba.