Love Street Lamp Post 1st Qtr 2003

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Jai Baba Folks, and a Happy New Yearto you all!

Every time I go to Meherabad I meanto go check out the school I have been

hearing about—one that is run under theauspices of the Trust, the Avatar MeherBaba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust togive it its proper name. Well last January Idid—and what an eye opener it was! Readabout it in our cover article. We would liketo run more stories like this. It reminds mesomewhat ofthe roadside signs you see whenthe roads are under construction: “your taxdollars at work”. Well in these pages I wouldlike to show you your tax deductible donations at work. When you donate to the Trustthe money is spent in many different ways—completing the Archive building, (close bythe Samadhi), breaking ground on a newsmaller Archive building at Meherazad closeby the house where He lived, the Veterinaryclinics for the neighboring farmers, hospitalsand health clinics—all ofwhich are open andfree to the general public regardless of race,color, creed or religion.

Created in 1969 under Meher Baba’sdirection, the Trust had at its founding twopurposes: to provide for certain named disciples of Meher Baba’s and to ftilfil certaincharitable objects. Today the first fttnction isdischarged under”Avatar Meher BabaTrust,Firstly” and is funded by donations directedthrough your local Trustwalla. The secondis discharged under the “Avatar MeherBaba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust”,which has eight U.S. grantor organizations(including the Los Angeles Center) whichare permitted to direct donations on a tax-deductible basis to its Development Plan.As required by federal law these organizations retain discretion and control over suchdonations, but ifyou have a specific projectwish, this may be stated.

Meher Baba himself founded anddirected the Hazrat Babajan School andthe Meher Ashram at Meherabad during1927 and 1928, and in the Trust Deed Henamed schools for the benefit of the publicamong its charitable objects. Meher EnglishSchool has been in operation since 1986,has grown to encompass all 10 standards ofthe pre-college curriculum, and is recentlybenefiting from a new computer fadiit science laboratory and bus provided under theTrust’s Development Plan.

The school is situated on Trust property,a 10 minute walkwest ofthe Pilgrim Center.

3 jJ: EDo go and see it next time you are over there.I’m sure you will be moved to donate time,service or money! All are needed.

Such was the outpouring oflove and remembrances of our dearly departed Alobawe are continuing them in this issue. Ifyoumissed the last one, back issues are alwaysavailable for $3 plus postage. Those of youwho knew Aloba, know how fond he was ofprophesying “Doomsday”, Baba’s imminentManifestation, and events along those lines.We have two such stories — not from Aloba,but members ofour community The visionJim Auster feels Baba gave him was sent toAloba to read many years ago. You will readAloba’s letter to Jim in a joyful affirmationofail the visionjim was given. Some ofyoumay think it is all poppycock, others maytake it all in and agree wholeheartedly; allI know is that if the bombs start falling—Iwill immediately turn and face the Eastwith great expectations! You will read hoin 1978, while sleeping in the cabin whereTed and Janet Judson now live in LowerMeherabad, Ann Smith had a vivid dreamwhich she later told to Mehera, who said itwas an important dream and should be toldto as many Baba lovers as possible.

21t:tnuctry is the time in whichwe enclose a donation envelope

with your magazine andrequest your help.

We hear from so many of you how youlove the LampPost and how it seems to getbetter with each issue. When someone wascomplimenting me on it, I told them thatit is also Cherie, Tom and Pris who slave tomake it the magazine it is, but in Reality it isBaba who puts it all together. “Well tell BabaHe is learning to be a better Editor with eachmagazine!” was the amusing response.

So many of you have sent donations inthroughout the year bless your hearts and ahuge thank you from us all. Since the LosAngeles Baba Center does not, and can not,underwrite the magazine, it has to be selfsupporting—it is only through your donations that we can continue to publish. Theactual cost ofthe magazine works out to beabout $15 per person per year. Overseas ismuch more expensive. To Australia, wherewe have the largest overseas subscriber base,the cost ofpostage alone for the last few is-sues was $7.20 per magazine. I simply will

not ask them for more than a $20 donation,as in Australian money that is $40!

We always have so much information toput in the magazine, you may have noticedthe past few issues have been at 56 pages.It used to be 44; I try to keep it at 48 simply because of the extra postage required.Cherie gave me a paraphrase of the Fieldof Dreams (movie) whose catchphrase was“Build it and they will come” to be “Publishand the donations will come”. I hope so,because Baba seems to be giving us so muchmaterial here, as long as we have the fundswe will publish.

Many of you have been receiving themagazine for years, but have never sentin a donation. That is OK, it is free to allwho desire it and don’t have the funds tocontribute, but I would prefer not to besending it to someone who just tosses it inthe trash can along with the junk mail. Ifyou would like to be taken off the mailinglist—do please let us know. I just receivedback the October issue with angry writingall over it “Cancel!” “I do not want this!”Three years ago her sister had given her agift subscription hoping to interest her. Ifyou have had the same generous impulse afew years ago, you might check to make sureit is still welcomed.

To the rest of you—we say “Thank youfor welcoming us into your homes, for thestories you submit, and for your financialsupport.”

From, Dma Snow[Errata: In thejuly issue, pg 17 left col. 2ndpara.,Babac car was stoppedby the motorcade on the waybackfrom Poona to Satara, not on the way to Poonafivm Satara.]

_puhbaIin o/11e T*4uaIar iKeJer &z/a Cen/er o/SoulJern Gcz//ornth

12efcome...7:jte Street £ampJ2ost is dedicated with love to‘4vatctr JV1eher E13a.ba. Dts primary purpose is to contribute toa sense of community among all 21is lovers by providing a place forsharin92Iis remembrance. All the members of the 73aba family areinvited to contribute to this feast of .Cove.

)our stories, photos, art work, poetry, letters, articles, and humor are all actively solicited.

We seek expressions of aba’s message ofLove and 7rutlz.

Submissions, subscriptions, donations:Love StreJamiJ2osr

Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California

1214 South Van Ness Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90019-3520

323-731-3737

Deadlines:

website: www.meherabode.orgemail: [email protected]

November 8th

February 8th

May 8th

August 8th

Love Street bookstore:Dma Snow (at the addresses above)

310-837-6419 from 9am to 4pm310-839-BABA (2222) 24 hour fax

email: [email protected]: www.lovestreetbookstore.com

or wwwMeherBabaBooks.comCredits:

Dma SnowCherie Plumlee, Pris Haffenden and Thomas HartMichael FranklinBarbara RobertsPris Haffenden, Harry Thomas, and Dma SnowPris Haffenden3616-1/2 South Centinela AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90066-3124Phone: 310-390-2779Please call with address corrections or questions.

cover: Photo ofBaba with Ahmednagar children, May 1945.back cover: Photo ofBaba with children, 1920’s.

The .Love Street £ampPosr is published quarterly, in January, April, July, and

October. All contents © 1996 Avatar Meher Baba Center of SouthernCalifornia. AU quotations, photos, or books, ofAvatar Meher Baba,© AMBPPC India

featuresWHAT’S HAPPENING AT MEHEiBAD 4

From Bhau at the Trust Office Bhau Kaichuri 4Our Galin Meherabad Judy Stephens 5Two Thsty Nuggets From MandaliHall Ware/Parks 6Bhauc Silence Day 4wakening” Bhau Kaichuri 7

MEMORIES OF AL0BA Various contributors 8Events SurroundingAloba’s Passing Payam Ajang 10

My Last Days withAloba Uncle Rakhi Shrivastava 11Our Memories ofAloba Glen and Payam Russ 12

The Bus Has Gone John Balker 15A Story ofMan7èstation Jim Auster 15Meher Baba on His Manifestation Meher Baba 18Whatc to Come: Three Scenarios Kenneth Lux 19

NEw CARETAKERS AT MEHER MOUNT RayJohnston 20

COVER STORY:

STORIES OFTHE MEHER ENGLISH SCHOOL Dma Snow 22

Sue Biddup23, Sue Chapmanp23, Stella Manuelp30

BABA SHADOWS ON M WALL Jeanne Baruch 32

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT MEHEiBoDE Dma Snow 33

MYJ0URNEY TO GOD Anne Haug 36

To SEE HIM AGAIN Kenth-a Crossen Burroughs 39

RALPH AND STELLA MEET BABA Kenthvi Crossen Burroughs 40

To SHOW OR NOT TO SHOW Jen Buggia 44

REFLECTIONS OF A BROKEN HEART Nivedita Sharma 46

departmentsFROM THE EDITOR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE L0vESTREET BOOKSTORE

PAS SINGS

Barbara Snow writesfor Harry Dedolchowp4l

James Cox writesfor Nooruddin Qawwalp42Jean Narke writesfor Rob Narkep42

POETRY PAGE

WORLD WIDE MEETINGS

thank youWe extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the individuals and organizations that own the copyrights to the J44eher ‘Ei3aba pictures we have usedthrowjltout this issue to bring joy and love to the hearts ofall Love .Street,i:amJflost readers.

All words, images andgraphics in thispublication areproperty ofthe copyright holdersand/or the contributors. Messages andphotos ofMeher Baba © Avaz’arMeher BabaPerpetual Public Charitable Trus4 Ahmednagai India, and © Lawrence &ite Unauthorizedduplication isprohibitedby law.

for the January issue:

April issue:

July issue:

October issue:

editor:design and layout:

proofreader:research assistant:

distribution:mailing list information:

Dma SnowVarious contributorsDma Snow

2213841

Various contributors 45Various contributors 47

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Beloved Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!To all dear ones,

Your prayers to Beloved Baba areheard by Him, and He is respond-

ing very well.I am much better, and there is no doubt

I am gradually making good progress. Myhealth has been improving, day by day, eversince the time I started considering doctorsas ‘barbers’. Now I am walking without anysupport, and I have stopped using a stick.Three Mothers (Mothers S, B and M) andFreeman walk along with me, so that if Ifall, they may give some support. So far thishas not happened. Ijust walk. Therefore, noone should worry about my health. I willremain alive as long as the Beloved wantsme to remain in this gross world.

It is Beloved Baba’s wish that I remainhappy and cheerful even when I suffer. Ifell down in Myrtle Beach while I was inbathroom, and that is why I could not goto the Barn on the last two days. When Iwent to LA, though I had intense pain, I.still entered into a boxing match during theSahavas. I knocked Fred Stankus out in notime, and everyone enjoyed it! Then I wentto England, where many programs had already been arranged. I traveled to Norwich,to Brighton, and attended many programsin London, but nobody knew that I hadintense pain. I would stand and embraceeveryone. I was looking happy and cheerfhl,fiiil ofjoy. If you have any doubts, you cansee the pictures in the October issue of TheLove StreetLampPost. See how I knockeddown Fred Stankus, and how happy I wasin England! It is Beloved Baba’s compassionthat He keeps me happy and cheerftil.

It is a fact that suffering is His blessing,and those who love Him, they suffer. Oneday, they will come to know that sufferinggives more joy than bliss, because sufferingfor the Beloved is blessed by the bliss fromHim. And obedience to His wish takes oneto have His blessing to enjoy bliss.

As I have said to various Baba lovers, yourlove touched my heart, and I know how youare thinking about me every day. Physically,

I might not be so good, but internally I amstrong. So you will be happy to know thatthe doctors are relaxing their restrictionsabout making movements. Therefore, pleasedon’t worry for me. Your blessings gave mestrength, and how powerfttl you are! Thankyou very much for your precious blessings’.

I went to Meherabad on Friday, 25thOctober, to attend the worker’s programand to distribute sweets and money to eachone in celebration of Divali, the Festivalof Light (which was held on the 4th No-vember). Every year we do this in memoryof our late Chairman, Miss Mani S. Irani[Baba’ 5 sister].

And for a Baba couple in England, Idictated one prayer for the festival:

“May Beloved Avatar Meher Baba blessyou with His love so that you long and longto light a lamp ofHis love in your heart andexperience Diwali every day in your life.”

On Saturday, 9th November I went toMeherabad to see a play about the TwoKings and One Queen (which you have readabout in The Nothing and the Everything).The Bombay group worked really hard onthe play; they had been practicing four hoursevery night for four months. It was a goodplay, done very well. The group’s efforts weremuch appreciated, and theywere very happythat I had attended.

Once, after He had asked me to writea play, Beloved Baba had said that the playbased upon my writings would be staged allover the world. Yesterday, during the play, Ifelt, yes, this will happen. I never thoughtthat anyone would make a play out of thewritings, but it is now happening. Aboutthe songs also, Baba had said, “So long asI remain alive, they will not be sung everywhere. But after I die, they will be sungeverywhere.”

When I saw the play yesterday, I felt howtrue Baba is. When Beloved Baba was tellingme what would happen, I was thinking thatHe was doing it just to encourage me so thatI maywrite. But now I find thatwhat He saidwas true and not merely encouragement.

Because I cannot travel by car two daysin a ro the following day, Sunday, 10th

November I was unable to go to Meherazad,even though I wanted to visit, as usual. Any-way, it is all right. Poor Eruch also sufferedbecause of these restrictions, so why shouldI not suffer? I think it is destined.

I have been to Meherazad twice, forshort periods. Since I did not go thereon Sunday, it was possible for me to do soon 14th November to attend the GroundBreaking Program for the Archives Build-ing. I have already started talks at AvatarMeher Baba Ahmednagar Centre in theTrust compound.

I also have an itch to go to Dethi, becausethe Goldenjubilee ofBeloved Baba’s visit willbe held there. They are arranging a very bigcelebration. As you kno this year is also myown Goldenjubilee ofmeeting Beloved Baba.But I cannot go to the celebration because ofmedical restrictions. When I am allowed tovisit Meherazad and Meherabad only once aweek, how can even I dream ofgoing to Delhi?Anyway, it is Beloved Baba’s Wish.

The flow of foreign pilgrims here is stillless than usual because the economy of theUSA must have been affected very much bythe September 11th episode.This incident hasaffected the economic situation ofall countries,and our flow ofdonations is also less this year.The interest rate is going down and down andthe economy oflndlia is not improving! Theeconomic situation is going from bad to worseeverywhere. I am mostly concerned about theeconomy ofthe Trust, as I find that it is goingdown and down because the rate ofinterest isgoing down and down.

Anyway, it is God’s Divine Will, but notHis Divine Wish. If His Divine Wish isfollowed, everything will become smooth. Itappears that this will not happen until BelovedBaba’s Universal Manifestation. Because Hehas been working for the world to make itaware, so that it will follow His Divine Wish,Illusion is very angry More and more, Illusion is trying its best to show its power. Thatis why the world is facing tragedy. But therewill be a great change, no doubt, when HisUniversalManifestation takes place. BelovedBaba is the only hope for the world. But itwill take time.

Mehernath is well, but he is very busywith Trust work because he has to share halfofwhat I was doing previously. Most of the

Whnt’s42inpp 1119 at A’ieherabad3rom E13kau cit the 7rust Office .d.4hmednagcti

22nd 2’ovember, 2002

time, he goes to different offices and dealswith officials. When I was doing this work,I got so fed up with those officials that onceI decided that I must possess one ghost. Ifthe officials were to give me trouble, I wouldsend the ghost to them and the problemwould be solved. But once I decided to dothis, the ghosts, who would come to mepractically every night after Beloved Babadropped His body, stopped coming!

When I was keeping night watch nearBaba, I was an obstruction for ghosts approaching Baba. Then, after He droppedHis body, they started coming to me. Ithought it would be good if I could sendthose ghosts to the officials. The ghostswould not harass me, and they would dosome work! But after my decision, not asingle ghost came to me! I was then help-less. The ghosts also left me!

At Meherazad, after Beloved Babadropped His bod) because He had givenme writing work, I would write up untilmidnight or one o’clock in the morning.I was working 17-18 hours a day. WhenI would come out of my room, because itwas summer I would sleep in the verandabetween my room and the Blue Bus. Onemorning, at about 1:00 a.m., I stopped writ-ing and lay down in the bed.

I was still quite awake, and one ghostcame, well dressed, wearing the clothes of asoldier. I cried out, “Thief! Thieff’

He did not move and remained stand-ing before me. So I got up to beat him! Hestarted running, and I was running after himcalling out, “Thief! Thief! Thieff’ And thenhe disappeared.

Eruch was sleeping in his cabin. He wokeup and came out, saying, “What happened!?What happened!?”

I said, “One thief had come, but he ranaway!”

“How did he look?” Eruch asked me.“He was well dressed, and he was wearing

shoes, thick shoes!” I said. “But I rememberthat he was running, and still there was nonoise from his shoes.”

Eruch laughed and said, “Go to sleep.Don’t worry”

So not once, but many times, ghosts cameto me. But when I decided to make use ofthem, they stopped coming. And since then,though I am eager to have them, they don’tcome!

In His Love and Service, Bhau

. shed, and exclaimed, “You eatlike Savages!” Everyone seemed

:: to like the idea, and the name:•• stuck.

June 2002: Jai MeherBaba to all! I have begun

this diary from Meherabadin order to share the lifewe live here with any Babaloverwho maybe interested.This is going to be very in-formal, it will be like mywriting a letter to a friend.I want this to be personal,from my heart. It is a wonderfttl life here,though maya does her best to make thesimplest job difficult. I will share the joysand the tears.

This afternoon I wanted to check out theprogress ofthe new Meher Pilgrim Retreat.It should be ready in about three more years.It is two stories and will house 200 pilgrims.It is huge! There are two “U” shapes for thepilgrim rooms. One “U” is for 100 women,and the other for 100 men. On the women’sside, part of the “U” already has the roof ontop of the second floor. We all went up onthe roof. The wind has made the view soclear you can see for miles and miles all theway around! Off in the distance you cansee Seclusion Hill at Meherazad! From theroofwe could see Baba’s flag flying from thetower of the Meher Retreat (the buildingwhere the Museum and Library are housed),next to the Samadhi. It is a wonderfid feelingin that vast open space.

28 July: This evening I was headingdown to the Savages’ Kitchen for dinnerwhen I heard loud Bhajan singing comingfrom the Arangaon Village area. Then Iremembered! There was a Bhajan singingprogram from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the Me-her Colony, organized by an old-time BabaLover who lives there.

“Savages’ Kitchen”, where many ofthe Meherabad Residents eat, is a privatekitchen with staff and food paid by thosewho eat there. It first came into use as alunchroom in the period 1977-79, when it

was simply an old tin shed which lookedas though it should be used for cows! TheResidents sat on gunny sacks on the floorwhile eating. One blustery day Padri, thefierybut nonetheless good-natured Mandalimember whom Baba assigned to be care-taker at Meherabad, happened by the shed atlunchtime. He observed the residents, seatedon their gunny sacks eating while rain blewin on them through the open face of the

2ndAugust: Update on theMeher Pilgrim Retreat: Aftermorning Arti I walked to theMPR to see what had beendone this past week. Some ofthe brick wails were up to the

roof of the first floor. The ends of the “U”shape will be used as reading rooms. Thewindow frames were up, supported by posts.The windows cover most ofthe wall, providing a beautiftil view.

At tea time Bhau gave a talk at the MPC.One of the questions addressed the rumorabout “The Book” having been found. (“TheBook” refers to a book written by Baba butgiven into safekeeping by Him to a personat that time unknown. Baba said The Bookcontained further detail on some ofthe mat-ters addressed in God Speaks.)

Bhau said he was in the States when hereceived a call about The Book having beenfound. What was found, according to Bhau,was a copy ofThe Book. The copy includedthe same writings by Baba found in Mani’sroom. [These were published in In GodcHand].

31 August: Today is the one-year an-niversary of Eruch going to Baba. It was avery sweet morning. There was no “official”program; however, a couple of the menMandali visited Baba’s Samadhi at 10:30am, and many ofthe Residents and pilgrimswere there to share in the memory Garlandswere placed on Beloved Baba’s Samadhi, andthe headstone for Eruch’s grave was takeninto the Samadhi and placed at the feet ofhis Beloved. A large basket ofred roses wasmade available for anyone wishing to giveflowers to Beloved Baba.

Arti was performed. Garlands were puton Baba’s stretcher in His cabin room, andthen everyone went down to Eruch’s grave.The grave will soon have a permanent cover,but for now it remains a simple mound ofdirt. The new headstone was placed atopa few bricks above the mound, and manygarlands and flowers were placed there aswell. Aloba’s grave, next to Eruch’s, also received garlands and flowers. Arti was againperformed.

3udLI Stephens

S

A large hole has been dug next to Aloba’sgrave, which will be divided bybricks for twomore graves. The hole has taken ten days ofdigging thus far, and there remain a fewinches of digging before it is the desired sixfeet across. When all the work for the futuregraves is complete, it will be filled with dirt.

I am always amazed at how much progress is made between my weekly visits tothe new Pilgrim Center. The ends of theU-shaped building face the Samadhi. Thewalls on the right side are all the way up tothe roof on the ground floor. The verandahwalls are aiso half-finished on that side.

The verandah has large round curves likeour current Pilgrim Center. In some of therooms, the workers were putting plaster overthe bricks and giving them a whitewash. Atthe curved part of the U, the brick wails ofthe rooms are also almost half-finished! Iwent up to the rooftop to feel the vast open-ness and gentle touch ofthe wind. Lookingtoward Meherazad brings joy because I cansee Seclusion Hill.

This past week there have been twoevents at Hostel-D. On the 24th, about 78student teachers along with the professorsfrom The Bachelor of Education Collegeof Kedgaon came to hear about Baba. Mr.Madhavrao Zilepeiwar, a Staff Residenthere at Meherabad, gave a talk on Baba’slife. Later everyone went to the Samadhifor Baba’s darshan before leaving.

On the 29th, around 200 school children belonging to the Ahmednagar Scout& Guide District Organization (like theBoy and Girl Scouts ofAmerica) requestedpermission to spend a day here at Meherabad. The ages of the children were 12 to17. Again Mr. Madhavrao Zilepelwar gavea talk on Baba in Hostel-D.

14 September: Wednesday, September4th, is Teachers Day in India. Representatives from Ambika Vidyalaya School ofKedgaon, in the Ahmednagar District, hadwritten ahead asking permission to comehere on the 4th. The school’s teachers alongwith 900 young school children came for theday. They went to the Samadhi first for darshan. The children sat in rows on the groundwith their teachers near them; several at atime would get up to form the line for theirturn to take darshan. When all had takendarshan, the children and teachers went toHostel-D for programs. Mr. MadhavraoZilepelwar, a Resident worker at Hostel-D,gave a talk on Baba. After the programs thechildren had lunch and went home.

Friday the 6th was the occasion ofa special Indian holiday called Pola, a day to show

respect to bullocks. Bullocks do a lot ofworkhere: they plow fields, and pull carts loadedwith anything and everything. On the 6th,they are given the day offfrom all work. Theyare washed, and their bodies are painted indesigns of different colors. Often they arecovered with a certain blanket that can bepurchased in the bazaar, and their horns aregiven special decorations and designs. Manybells are put around their necks -- and any-where else their owners take a fancy to putthem -- and then the bullocks are paradedfrom home to home,

At Meherabad we have our own bullocksbecause we have a farm. Our bullocks getsomething extra: they are taken up the pathto the Samadhi! They are walked around theSamadhi and then lined up at the outsideof the railing adjacent to it. They then haveKumkum (a red powder used to decorate theforehead ofpeople during special occasions)put on their heads, and are given food ofsome type. (This year it was chapattis.) Thebullocks, so decorated, are quite a lovelysight to see.

21-27 September: In the afternoonthere was a guided tour of the new Manzile-MeherArchive building at 4:30 pm for theResidents. Starting October 1st, the buildingwill be undergoing a year of environmentalmonitoring and will not be easily accessible,except for people going in forwork activities.It is so impressive to see the building withthe lights and fixtures all working. There isa sophisticated security system and wiringfor an extensive computer system. Workareas for film, document scanning, etc., areall set up. I am just amazed at how muchknowledge and expertise have been acquiredhere in a few years.

I was on my way up the hill to spend timein the Samadhi when I saw activity at Eruch’sgravesite. I went over and observed that apermanent cover was being made on Entch’sgrave. I asked those making the structure ifthey were also going to do Aloba’s at the sametime. No, they said:They always wait atleast ayear before a permanent cover is made.

The main road in front ofMeherabad isbeing widened 2 1/2 feet on each side. Thework crews are busy smashing stones andmaking the area ready for the big machinesto finish the job.

11 October:The Baba Lovers from Nasikbegan a holy pilgrimage yesterday, the 10th,and will arrive here on the 16th afternoon,for the anniversary ofthe New Life. In thisPadyatra,[see cover story January 2000LSLP] provisions will be made for the food.A truckwill carry the food and have the meal

readywhen the pilgrims arrive at their stop-ping place. This is for all the meals of eachday. It feeds the heart with great joy to seeBeloved Baba ‘5 photo, in a small replica ofHis Samadhi, on a cart being pushed by Hislovers at the front oftheir procession. All arecarrying His beautiftil flag and chanting Hisname! What a sight for the heart!

16-25 October:Wednesday the 16th wasthe anniversary of the New Life. We hadwonderfiul monsoon rains in the morning.A group of Baba Lovers from Nasik, whowere on their Padyatra, were due to arrivehere in the late afternoon, having left Nasikon the 10th. I knew they must be very tiredby now: yet, how happy because they wereso near!

I rode in a jeep down the road about amile to meet them.We all got out of the jeepand cheered as they passed us, then we joinedin the procession. In the front were mostlyyoung adults, chanting Baba’s name anddancing around. Behind them came the cartwith Beloved Baba’s beautiful photo, framedwith gold streamers and flowers. The womenfollowed the cart, then more men. Some ofthe pilgrims were barefoot; some looked asif they were continuing by sheer willpower;all looked happy!

When they reached the Dhuni area, theyoung adults began dancing around in acircle and singing. It was a joy to see, andthe atmosphere was charged with a feelingof victory!

Then it was time to take the path tothe Samadhi. We followed the procession;the Nasik Baba Lovers were given all thespace in front. One old man from Nasik hadtrouble ascending the hill and was helpedby a younger Nasik Baba Lover. The olderman’s lips were trembling, holding back sobsat having arrived at his Beloved Baba’s Samadhi! When the Nasik pilgrims reached thetop of the hill, they circled Baba’s Samadhiseven times while chanting Baba’s name.Then they got in line to take His Darshan.I cannot tell you the depths ofjoyous victorywe all felt for them. Such love for Baba!

8November: As I sit here writing, I hearfireworks going offin the area. Diwali was onthe 4th November. It is the biggest celebration in India, a celebration of the victory oflight over darkness! Homes, businesses, andmost buildings put up lights; small clay potsof different shapes and sizes are lit with oiland placed on steps or windows. Paper lan-terns hang with lights in them. In the MeherPilgrim Center the tables are decorated withflowers and little lamps or candles. The flooris decorated in colorftul designs. The steps

in front of the MPC also have little lamps.Diwali is a charming time, very pretty

The men’s side ofthe new Meher PilgrimRetreat, has the main structure complete forhalf of the U shape. There is going to be alarge laundry room for washing all the linensand pilgrim laundry; that room is attachedto the corner of the men’s U shape nearestthe women’s side. The structure for that isalso partly done. On the women’s side thewails are almost finished on the ground floorand part way done on the second floor. Onthe roof the wail around the edges is goingup. Also, the holes have now been dug forthe long hail of offices. There will be twofloors of offices.

Special Note: All Meherabad phonenumbers now have a new prefix of”2”. Forexample: previously the Meher PilgrimCenter phones were 548733 and 548736;they are now 2548733 and 2548736.

22 November: In October we had pilgrims from Norway, Switzerland, Germany,France, Mexico, Israel, USA, Canada, Italy,Australia, England, Turkey, and Spain! Wealways have pilgrims, of course, from herein India. Right now we have six pilgrimsfrom the four main Hawaiian islands, Maui,Kauai, Oahu, and Hawaii.

There was a groundbreaking ceremonyat Meherazad on Thursday the 14th for thenew small Archive building near the medical clinic. The ceremony began at 9:30 amsharp. A wooden altar with Beloved Baba’sphoto in it was placed in the marked site,and garlands were placed on Baba’s photo.Incense was lit, the Arti was sung, and theprayers were said by all. The breaking of theground with picks then commenced.

The weather has turned to Autumn. Itis warm during the day and cold at night.Sitting in the Samadhi is heavenly. A softbreeze blows in and it is cool inside. WhatI find amazing is that even when so manypilgrims are here, there are times when yougo to the Samadhi and you have Baba all toyourself! You are sitting in the Samadhi, asoft breeze blowing, birds chirping, and youhave Him all to yourself heavenly!

9od may be compared to thesandalwood.

3t continually emits a sweet scent in alldirections, though only those who take

the trouble to go near it have thebenefit of its charming fragrance.

Meher Baba,from the video Avatar

Last week in Mandali Hall, Meherazad,pilgrims and residents were regaled by

Dorab Satha, cousin to Eruch and longtimeBaba lover from Mumbai. Dorab had beenblessed with many opportunities for MeherBaba’s darshan in the 1950s and 60s; andthe reminiscences he shared were surchargedwith the feeling and fragrance ofthose won-derful times with the Beloved.

Unfortunately I missed the first session;but here are two anecdotes from the Hail asrecounted by Dorab a week ago Thursday.

One of Dorab’s stories concerns Hafiz,Meher Baba’s favorite poet, whose poetryDorab too knew intimately, having beenordered by Baba to write out one of theMaster-poet’s ghazals each time he wrotea letter to Him.

On one occasion with Baba the subjectof a certain couplet of Hafiz’s arose. Thecouplet reads thus:

“Gunah agar che nabood be ikhtiyaremaa Hafiz Tu dar tarike adabkoosh wo googunahe manast.”

(“Though the fault be not of your ownchoosing, 0 Hafiz, Strive in the way ofman-ners and say, The fault is mine.”)

Now this couplet is not on the face ofit particularly easy to understand, but Babaexplained that it had a background that onlyHe knew and He proceeded to narrate thefollowing story.

It seems that Hafiz had recently spent amorning alone with His Master, Mohammed Attar, who had been telling him toperform various foolish and odd actions.Without questioning, Hafiz did as he wasordered. But that evening, a crowd of disciples and followers came for the Master’sdarshan. Attar availed himselfofthe opportunity to belittle and ridicule Hafiz, tellingthe people, “This morning, do you knowwhat this man did? What a dolt! What adonkey!” And he proceeded to relate all ofHafiz’s odd behavior without mentioningthat Hafiz had done these things in obedience to his own instructions!

At this time many ofthe Master’s follow-ers were feeling greatjealousy toward Hafiz,and the Master’s ridicule was like music totheir ears. Hafiz, for his part, was unableto defend himself for to do so, he wouldhave to have shown his own Master in anunfavorable light. What a trap! Concernedfor his Master’s dignity and not wanting

to let him down, Hafiz had to swallow hispride and take all of this humiliation uponhis own head.

The path to God is constantly besetwith trials such as this. Indeed, as the greatUrdu poetJigar has said in another line thatDorab cited:

“Yeh ishq nahin aasaan, itnaa to samajhlijiye, Ek aag kaa daryaa hai, aur doob kejaanaa hai!”

(“This love is not so easy, try to under-stand this much: It is an ocean of fire, andone passes through by drowning in it.”)

The second story was a personal one onDorab’s part, and very touching. It concernedthe meeting at Meherazad on October 13th1968 to which Baba invited a small numberof workers from Pune, Mumbai, and otherplaces. The participants were under strictorders not to ask Baba for anything, not togive Him anything, and not to convey anymessages.

Dorab’s cousin Burjor had been calledto attend, but Dorab himself had not beeninvited. Nonetheless, Dorab felt promptedto ask Burjor to carry with him a bottle ofYardley Lavender perftime, Baba’s favorite.Naturally Burjor refused, citing Baba’s order.But Dorab appealed to him: “I’m not askingyou actually to give it to Baba. I’mjust askingyou to take itwith you in your bag, and whenyou return, to bring it back again.”

Eventually Burjor yielded. The October13th meeting went well, and at its conclusion, the attendees were all dismissed fromMandali Hall. But immediately Burjor wassummoned back inside. “Have you broughtanything for Me?” Baba asked him. “No, no!”Burjor answered. “Don’t try to deceive Me!”Baba said. “Ifyou have brought something,you should give it to Me.” So Burjor handedover the bottle of perfume; and before heeven had time to return to Mumbai, Dorabreceived a telegram from Baba saying thatthe perfume which he had sentwith so muchlove had been received by Him, and that Hesent His love blessings to Dorab and his wife

Roshan and child Percis.This story has a sequel. Over that final

year of Baba’s physical lifetime, for reasonsno doubt known to Him alone, Baba hadrefused to take a bath. The women man-dali were becoming extremely anxious overBaba’s skin condition and sent an S.O.S. toEruch, asking for his help.

ML

Ward ¶1!arks, 6 2Iovember 2002

7

After at least one failure (and Eruch’saccount of this is worth retelling in itsown right), at last he prevailed through aruse. For after Baba had still another timereffised to take a bath, Eruch pleaded withHim,”At least let me wash Your feet!” Forthe delicate skin on Baba’s feet had becomeextremely dry and would peal off with theslightest rubbing.

Finally Baba agreed, and Eruch broughtinto Baba’s room the basin ofscented warmwater that he had prepared for this contingency. At first he bathed Baba’s feet, thenHis ankles, and then, with more coaxing,His legs, and so on, until he had given Hima complete bath despite protests from Babaall along! When he was finished, Baba said

ile I lay in bed, Beloved Baba appeared before me and disappeared in

a few seconds, but his Voice was ringing inmy heart.

I felt as ifHe were asking me something,and I heard in my heart, “Do you rememberhow you would forget points I would giveyou during your night watch? Some pointsI would give for the next day. Other pointsI would give for a particular time after aweek. And the third type I would give youand ask you to remind Me on a certain dateafter three months. You would remind Meof those points for the next day, but you’dforget the points I would askyou to remindMe after a week. I would come to MandaliHall, and I Myselfwould deliver that point.Immediately, you would remember that Ihad asked you to remind Me on that day ofa certain point.

“Now, knowledge knows, knowledgedoes not think. Because I kno I can neverforget. You don’t know, and therefore youforget. But this forgetfulness is not realForgetfulness. If you experience real For-getftilness, you will experience Knowledge.That Knowledge is eternal; it has no past andno future; it is always in the Present. Andtherefore, I know everything, and I cannotforget anything.

“You don’t know. Because of that, youhave the past and you have the ftiture. Youcannot remain all the time in the Present.For Knowledge, there is only the Present. Itis not associated with the past, and it is notassociated with the future. In the domainof ignorance, there is past; there is future.

to Eruch, “You learned this trick from Me.”For Baba had done the same thing Himselfduring His mast tours ofthe 1940s when Hewas trying to give baths to reluctant masts!

The perfume with which Eruch hadscented the water was from Dorab’s bottleof Yardley Lavender. As it happened, thiswas the last bath that Baba ever took. Hedropped His body a week or two later.

Thus in His own unique way Baba arranged that the perfume used in His finalbath would have been given to Him withlove by one of His own lovers.

Such was the fare that Beloved Babaprovided to us last week at Mandali Hall,Meherazad.

Whatever you think happened millions ofyears ago did not happen for Knowledge.Nothing happens in the domain of Knowledge. Everything happens in the domain ofignorance. Unless this ignorance is wipedout, and complete Forgetfulness is achieved,you cannot experience Knowledge.

“You forget, but your forgetfulness is inthe domain ofignorance. This forgetfulnesscannot help you. Do not think that you aremaking progress. That’s your forgetfulness.

“There was one person from South Indiawho had come to Me at Meherazad. Withhim, he brought a Bible, a Koran and -das. I embraced him and asked him to sitnear Me.

“Do you remember? What did he say atthe time?”

I replied, “Yes, Baba, I do remember. Hesaid, ‘With the verses from the Bible, theKoran and k’das, I can prove you are theAvatar.’

“So I told the man, ‘I’m very happy tohear this. What is this you have brought?’

“He said, ‘I always carry the Bible, theKoran, and the Vedas. If any discussiontakes place anywhere, I prove that you arethe Avatar through these books.’

“How fortunate you are that you canprove Me to be the Avatar. I am really veryvery happy with that.’

“I embraced him, and he left. Then I saidto the mandali, ‘I cannot prove Myself tobe the Avatar, but so fortunate is this man,he can prove Me to be the Avatar! I mustlearn from him.’

“I laughed, and the Mandali laughed.Then I said to them, ‘No one can prove thatI am the Avatar through words. One has toachieve complete Forgetfulness to know Me.When complete Forgetfulness is achieved,you know everything, all the time. There isno question offorgetting anything.’

“Therefore, know well, you are ignorant,”Baba said to me in His silent Voice, “andbecause you are ignorant, your forgetfulnessdoes not help Me. On the contrary it causesMe trouble because I have to remind you.Forgetfulness in the domain of illusion isalso binding. You are not free. Do not thinkthat it is a help to you because you forget.You are ignorantly ignorant.”

“In the beginning, there was one manwith Me, K.F. Dastur. He was editing themagazine, Meher Message. Whenever Iwould give discourses, he would take downthem down. Then he would publish thediscourses in the magazine.

“Then what happened? One mast wasbrought to Meherabad. Nobody knew any-thing about masts at the time. So I explainedto the Mandali, ‘This man is not mad—heis very very advanced. Though he appearsmad, in reality, you are all mad! He is theonly wise person here with Me.’

“I assigned one assistant to look after themast. Every morning, I would give the mastone blanket. What would the mast do? Hewould just unravel all the threads from theblanket. By evening, the blanket would bea bundle of threads, which the mast wouldpresent to Me. Again, the next morning, Iwould give him another blanket.

“Dastur was very, very happy to hearabout the subtle world and subtle planes,and mental world and mental planes. Thenhe got a whim that he should also become amast. So he started behaving like that mast.Because he had become a mast, he did notedit Meher Message.

“I was observing him. Then one day, Itold the Mandali, ‘Dastur was very, veryhelpful for My work. He was editing Me-her Message, but now that he has become amast, he’s advancing on the spiritual path.How can I stop him?’

“Then I gave Dastur an assistant to lookafter him. I instructed the assistant, ‘Thisnew mast will not eat and wiil not sleep. Butdon’t worry, just look after him.’

“On the first day of his intoxication,what does Dastur do? He did not eat, buthe would remember the appetite he had, sohe became restless. He was running here andthere. No mast would do such a thing, butin order to escape thoughts of hunger he

EBhau’s Si1cnce ‘Day 1/iwakeninj’73Iiaii .2<Iialcliuri , 2JiiIy 10, 2001

was running. He was also throwing stones.When he was running, the assistant had torun after him also, because I had given theassistant the duty oflooking after Dastur.

“The first day, though he felt hungry,Dastur did not eat. He was running hereand there, and he was throwing stones. I hadalso told the assistant that Dastur woald notsleep. He was already restless, and he had tostay awake. So Dastur would climb up a tree,and the assistant also had to climb up to lookafter him. Dastur was very very restless.

“Anyway, the next morning when I wentto Dastur, I asked his assistant, ‘Did he eatyesterday?’

“No, Baba,’ said the assistant.“Did he sleep last night?’“No, Baba.’“Then I said to the assistant, ‘I’ve already

told you that he would not eat, and he wouldnot sleep, so why do you worry? Just lookafter him.’

“This new mast was in trouble. Again,he was becoming very, very restless. Hewas running here and there, putting duston his body. He was a Qualified Mast, sohe was doing whatever he could think ofpretending in order for others to know thathe was a mast. -

“At night, he was praying and prayinginternally, and I heard his prayer. He waspraying, ‘Baba, save me! I can not remainwithout eating, and I cannot remain withoutsleep.’

“The next morning when I came, Iasked the assistant, ‘Did he eat, and didhe sleep?’

He answered, ‘No, Baba.’“This man, Dastur, was very very helpftil

in My work,’ I said. ‘He was editing MeherMessage. Now that work is failing. No onecan do it without him. So I have to bringhim down to normal consciousness.’

“Lifting My hand, I said, ‘From todayonwards, Dastur will be normal.’

As soon as he heard this, Dastur wentinto the kitchen and started eating the food.Afterwards, he slept.

“Now listen to Me carefully. He wantedto become a mast, but he could not forgethis false self. He would remember his falseselfcontinuously. Because ofthat, he wouldfeel hunger, and he would think that he wassleepy. He was feeling tired. Actually, onewho travels in the subtle plane does notthink about hunger and does not thinkabout sleep. That’s why it is not Forgetfid—ness that Dastur experienced. When For—getfulness comes, you forget everything. Youdon’t remember.

“Just see Mohammed Mast at Meherabad. He’s on the fifth plane. He eats, buthis eating is different. He does not care forfood. When he eats, he eats. When he doesnot eat, he does not eat for months at a time.Still, he has not achieved the state of complete Forgetfhlness. Unlike an ordinary per-son, who, when he does not eat, remembers,when Mohammed does not eat, he does notremember. He does not think about food.

“Dastur was imitating, and his imitationwould make him remember the false selfHe would not think about the Real Self Inorder to achieve complete and perfect For-getfulness, one has to forget the false selfnot because ofloss ofmemor It is achievedthrough the grace ofGod. So followMe andbecome worthy of that grace.”

The Voice stopped, and I felt so happy.With all love and Jai Baba to you.

:...:it:uuu1Erucli 3essawctlct

Someone in India asked Baba how tolove Him, and the reply Baba gave was:

“I don’t know how you should love Me. Itis for you to show Me the way you shouldlove me. I am the Ocean ofLove; how am Ito know how you should love Me?

It is for you to love Me. I say love Me.How to love Me is your lookout—beingthe very Ocean of Love, how am I to knowhow to love Me?” Do you follow what Babameans?

Here is Baba’s explanation: “If you hap-pen to meet a beautiftil girl, and you fallin love with her at first sight, as you call it,you become restless. You begin to love herso much that you cannot sleep, you haveno appetite, no interest in the world. Youwant only to possess her. Baba says that oneshould love Him to such an extent that oneforgets about food, sleep, rest. One becomesabsolutely restless to be united with Baba,to possess Baba. That does not mean thatwe really should give up food or sleep. Therestlessness should come naturally, spontaneously. How will it come? Think of Baba- think of Him frequently.”

Christ said: “Leave all and follow me.”What did He mean by that? He did notmean leave the body, food, sleep and allthat. No. He meant leave all thoughts ofpossessions, all worldly thoughts, and thinkonly of Him.

Baba says: “Think of Me to such an extent that you see Me, however far away I may

be. You see my body here now. However faraway my body may be, you will be able to seeMe physically also. In India some love me tosuch an extent that they see Me physicallypresent, although I am thousands of milesaway from them.”

LordMeher, Bhau Kaichuri, Volume 13/14©1979 Manifestation

9od is in ç.Ai1JlVIeher 13ctha

In the divine scales, vice and virtue arenecessary experiences man goes through

before attaining the supreme balance ofSelf-realization, which is beyond all opposites— good and bad.

“Good” is like a clean mirror that reflectsthe image ofGod. When true knowledge isgained you realize that the reflection is theimage ofyour own Sell, the GOD that is inall and in everything.

“Bad” is like the dusty particles that accumulate and hide the image of God, untilthe mirror presents only a distorted or blanksurface. It cannot affect the object being reflected; it merely distorts your vision.

LOVE is the cleanser that wipes the mirror bright and enables you to behold withincreasing clarity the indivisible Entity thatpermeates all life.

The negative experience of the “bad,”with its consequent suffering, ultimatelydisgusts man and leads him to the positiveforce of”good,” thus awakening divine love.Hence, the saints ofthe present are the sin-ners of the past. In the clarity ofthe under-standing and knowledge they have gained,they show true humility They do not takepride in their achievements nor condemnthe “sinner” whom they know to belongequally to God, but help him to remove theself-created veil of ignorance and perceivehis true identity

Ljfe at itc Best, by Meher Baba©1957 by Sufism Reoriented, Inc.

7:o draw you to Jl4e,and to make you realize

you are bliss itself3 come amongst you

and suffer infinite agony.Meher Baba, from the video Avatar

9

We continue from our last issue with

fr. Farhad Shafa,a long-time Ira-

nian Sufi Baba lover(who has been living inthe U.S. for most of hisadult life) shared someof his experiences inIndia. While there ismuch to narrate andmany “coincidences”surrounding Aloba’spassing, a few incidentsdescribed by Dr. Shafaare highlighted below.

It so happened thatDr. Shafa was one of200 Sufi’s who hadtraveled to Meherabadfor putting on themuch-anticipated seriesof programs that had been in the makingfor several years. Soon after his arrival, Dr.Shafa heard of Aloba’s fall that had takenplace the week before and had resulted inthe broken hipbone.

While Dr. Shafa did not have thechance to visit Alobaji in the hospital, heheard from those who had visited him thatAloba’s moods seemed to quickly fluctuate;he would belaughing heartily and then burstinto tears. Although many ofus have heardAloba talk often about his predictions ofworld calamity and a war originating fromthe middle east, Aloba spoke ofthese eventswith much more intensity On a side note,my cousin, Sarang Ajang, who was also inMeherabad on his first trip, related thatAloha would make a gesture with hishands, sliding the palms of his hands backand forth together while he would remarkin Farsi “Iran will be crushed” and then he’dbegin to sob.

Prior to the surgery Aloha was givenspinal anesthesia (not general anesthesia) sohe was able to converse readily. Apparently,towards the end of surgery the surgeon wasbecoming too distracted by Aloba’s verbosit)’; Aloha’s caretaker then kindly asked himin Farsi to remain quiet. In Farsi, there areseveral words for quiet, but the one that

was used was “khamoosh bash” which alsohas a second, more literal meaning of “turnoff the light”. When this was said, Alobasaid “all right I will be khamoosh” and thengave his last Jai Baba. His blood pressurequickly dropped. Those were Aloha’s lastwords before uniting with his BelovedMeher Baba. However, his physical bodywas attached to a heart and lung machineto keep it working.

It so happened that on that day, August13th, the Sufi group was performing a mu-sical program at Meherazad in ManadaliHall. Meheru interrupted the program toshare the news. She noted that although thesurgery was successftil there were complications and that Aloba was put on life support.She then said how fortunate they all wereto be there and celebrating, and that thismust have all been orchestrated for Alobaby Beloved Baba. So, while Aloba was on hisjourney back to Baba, a big joyous celebration was taking place.

At 1:30 p.m. on August 13t, Alobamerged with Baba.

Later that day, Aloba’s bodywas broughtto Manadali Hail in Meherazad and placedin front ofBaba’s chair. Dr. Shafa describedAloha as looking beautiftul. His right eyewas slightly open and there was a sparkle,

a light, shining from hiseye. His lips were also

: turned upward- as if hewas smiling. I can only

.imagine what a glorious union it must have

: been.Aloha’s body was

then taken to lowerMeherabad and placedin the old Mandali hail.Given the fact thatmany Baba lovers fromall over India had comefor the week long pro-grams presented by theSufis, there were hugenumbers present atMeherabad, who cameto pay their respects to

this fiery soul who had so dutifully servedBaba. Also present was Murshida CarolConner and other representatives fromBaba’s Sufism Reoriented.

The hail was filled with music and sing-ing for several hours. Dr. Shafa remarkedthat the whole atmosphere was filled withBaba’s love. It seemed to him that a feelingsimilar to Amartithi celebrations permeatedthe room. Baba was so present that ail wereintoxicated by it. The translation ofAloba’sPersian Arti and the line of poetry BelovedBaba had added in Farsi to Aloba’s forty linepoeml was read in English, then translatedto Hindi and Marati.

The line Baba added goes like this:0’ compassionate God have mercy on

Shapoorzaman So he may achieve unionwith you like Rumi and Bayzi.

Dr. Shafa added that it seemed that BabaHimselfwas praying for Aloba to one day,not just to achieve union, but to become aPerfect Master.

Also a Fal from Hafiz was read in Farsiby Zahra Ajang then translated.

Later that day, Mohammed the mastcame in as well, He apparently had commented earlier to Flint (his caretaker) ‘Alobais not here anymore”. In the afternoon Me-hens and Katie from Meherazad also joined

Jkkrnaries of J11obctEvents Surrounding AIoba’s ¶l?nssiny

Compiled by JJ2aya,n .J1jaiig (with the most gracious help of Dr. 3arlicid .SIiafa)

the gathering to say their final farewell todear Aloba and pay homage to the love oftheir life long companion for the EternalBeloved, Meher Baba.

Aloba’s bodywas then taken to the burialsite where all the men Manadali are buried.Eight people lowered Aloba’s body into thepitch next to Eruch’s grave. Dr. Shafa recalled how much Aloba loved Baba’s pictureso he quickly took off his Baba button andput it on a flower on Aloba’s body and laterretrieved it, just before the burial, so thatBaba’s beautiftil face would not be coveredby dirt.

As if all this was not enough, that veryafternoon at 4:30 the Sufi’s presented a pro-gram of devotional music at Meherabad aspart ofthe week-long programs.

The following day, on the 15th, anotherprogram was put on by the Sufi’s in Meherazad. Upon its completion, a silence ofgracedescended on the gathering. Dr. Shafa againwas reminded ofAmartithi, relating that noone seemed to want to break that silence.Meheru then ended the program remarkingthat Aloba is no longer here to ring his bellto signal us to depart.

Arnavaz later shared with Dr. Shafa thatAloba must have had a strong connectionwith the Sufi’s for Baba to have broughtthem all there at that particular time ofAloba’s passing.

Dr. Shafa related that Aloba seemed tohave known for some time that his time tojoin Baba had finally arrived. In the previous Amartithi - a time which many IranianBaba lovers come from Iran to pay homageto Baba- Aloba had said to the Iranian group“this is the last time you’ll see me.” Alobahad even asked of the Meherazad servantsto pray for him so that Baba would take himsoon. But after hearing that Meher Babahad once said to a man that every time heasked that Baba take his life, 10 years wouldactually be added to his life, Aloba quicklychanged his tune.

While not all ofAloba’s predictions havecome to pass (at least not yet and not in accordance to our sense of time in this worldofillusion), he did surely know that his timehad come. . . and what a blessed and mostfortunate soul he was to have lived with andserved God in human form- the Avatar ofthis age!

1 WhileBaba was still in the body,Aloba had writ-ten 40 couplets in Farsi andhad read it out to Baba.Baba toldAloba that thepoem was notyet completebecause it was missing the last couplet referred to as‘takhalot” - So Baba said to Aloha that He himse’fwould complete itfor him.

en Meherazad opened for Pilgrimsthis year on 2nd July, my family and I

went there as a part ofbig Sahavas group andI heard that Aloba Uncle was not well. Oneday at Meherazad I heard that he was comingout so I went and sat with him. He asked meWI said Baba’s prayers. I said, “Uncle when I’mhere I do attend both Artis, but when I am athome I onlydo eveningArti.”For the first timehe was not angry, but he said “Think about itin this manner—you eat food both times, evenwhen you are at home—so do Baba’s prayersboth times.”

On 2lstJuly he came to Mandall Hall. Hewas very weak but still he came inside andtold us that Baba’s Manifestation is very near.He had told a Baba lover from Ahmednagarto bring some laddu’s as prasad and told usto take only one laddu while going out. Thatday he was actually struggling to breathe. OnJuly28th he again came to Mandali Hall, thistime with the Irani family who had been herein February I learned that whenever he hasseen that family he was very happy. He hadtold somebody to make a garland for BelovedBaba’s chair, so Rayon was there with the garland. Around noon Aloba said “Nowlet’s offerthis garland to Beloved Baba.” He touched thegarland and in spite ofhis pain he stood up andstayed standing ll the Irani couple offered thegarland. Then he said, “There are some moreladdu’s here. Remember Beloved Baba, Alobais nothing, don’t waste this precious time.”

On 4th August when we went to Meherazad we heard that the night before he hadfallen and fractured his hip; they are going totake him to Pune and an operation has to bedone to fix his hip. On 10th August Meheraand Dr. Tom Decker announced that theyneededblood type B Positive forAlobaUnde’soperation, which was scheduled to be on thefollowing Tuesday. I was the only person whoraised her hand, because all others were abovethe age limit that they had given. So on 11thAugust Jessica, Charles and I went to Pune.Charles was going to meet Bhauji and both ofus were going to donate blood. So we reachedthe hospital around 10:30 in the morning.

Both ofus decided to go and meet AlobaUncle. We went to his room, but that time hewas taking rest so we just sat for some timein his room and were talking with Rayon andMeherdokht. Then we came down and wentto meet Bhauji, who was in another hospital.

On our way back to Meherabad we againwent to see Aloba Uncle. This time he was

awake and he recognized Charles and askedhim how he was. He said “Jai Baba” to Jessicaand then he looked at me and said “meoi” ilkea cat! I remember he used to do that before.Then he held myhand. Meherdokht told himthat we came to donate blood for him and hesaid that we were good people. We asked himhow is the hospital. He said “Oh! Hospital ishospital but they are taking good care ofme”.He was holding my hand for about 5 minutesand I was happy to see him. I found him inmuch better condition than when I last methim in Meherazad. After some time he said“OK now you all go to Meherabad.”We saidJai Baba andweleft. So this was mylast meet-mg with him.

On 12th August I met Sally in dining hail.She came there as she was going to Pune tobe there for Aloba Uncle’s operation. I wasvery happy to see her. On 13th we went toMeherazad. I met Goher Auntie and KatieAuntie and we all talked about my blooddonation and Aloba Uncle’s operation andwe were thinking that the operation must beoverbythen.At around 11:45 everybody cameinto Mandall Hall to attend the Sufi program.Mischa Rutenberg, one ofthe lead singers, wasgoing to present some songs.

About 12.15 while we were enjoying theSi.ifi songs and I was standing at the back ofMandali HailI saw Fallu(RodhaAuntie’s son)coming in and saying something to GoherAuntie. We tried to find outwhat he said, butwe only knew that it was something relatedto Aloba Uncle. After the song finished, Me-hem Auntie said that they have to make anannouncement. She said that as we all knowtodaywas Aloba’s surgery and the surgerywassuccessflul. Everybody started sayingJai Baba,but she stopped them and said, ‘As soon theybrought him out of the operating theatre hisheart stopped and his breathing stopped butthe doctors are trying to revive him. Nowwe still have 15 minutes, continue with yourprogram.” As I heard that I don’t know whathappened but I was sure that he was no more. Icame out and saw a Sufi friend ofmine—Brigitta, andl started crying.Then suddenlyl sawDr. Tom Decker and I told him thatjust nowthey had made this announcement and whatdo he think? Helooked at me and said that hehad not seen anybody return from such a con-dition. We thought of calling Sally but as wewere going to call her Failu saw us and he toldDr.Tom that the doctors arewaitingfor GoherAuntie’s orders as Aloba Unde is on heartlung

II

!Rnklii .SIwivctstciva, Dnditi

machine. Now it was clear that Aloha Undewas no more with us. He was now with hisBeloved. At this time the Sufi program in thehail came to an end and they started doingAmerican Arti and we all sang the Arti. Afterthat, I went inside and I found Goher Auntietalking to Sally and saying that they shouldbring Aloba Uncle’s body to Meherazad ftrst.So I was one of the few pilgrims who knewthat he was no more. Others didn’t know tillthey reached Meherabad. I was surprised tosee the strength ofthe Mandali. I was cryinglike anything and they were very cool

When we reached Meherabad they hadalready started digging the grave for AlobaUncle to rest. The grave was next to EruchUnde. At around 5:30pm Aloba Uncle’s bodycame to Meherazad. A few went there to payhomage to him. On 14th August at 8amAloba Uncle’s body was brought in the vanfrom Meherazad to upperMeherabad.The carwas the same in which Eruch Unde’s body alsocame to Meherabad and was the same car inwhich we went to Pune. The Irani couple andDr. Farhad Shafa, along with Jal Uncle, Me-herwan Uncle, Meherdokht and Rayon camefrom Meherazad with Aloba Unde.They kepthis bodyinside the tomb andwe did Parvardigar prayer, Beloved God prayer and GujeratiArti then a Persian did the Prayer that AlobaUnde used to do. After that they bought thebody to Old Mandali Hall in lower Meherabad. When I went there, there were mixedfeelings in the atmosphere. Aloba Uncle waslooking very beautiftil. An Irani couple sang aPersian song, and then we had the translationof the Persian arti into English (by Dr. Far-had Shafa) in Hindi (By Shaligram Sharma)and in Telagu too. The atmosphere was fullof Beloved Baba’s songs. Then the Irani boynamed Baba played his Irani drum. Aroundnoon Murshida and a few other Sufis came forAloba Uncle’s darshan. They offered flowersand garlands to him. DollyAuntie told me tosing our Sahavas song, OM Meher Baba, so Ialong with few others sang that song. Around1 pm Mehens Auntie and Katie Auntie alongwith Kacy and Amrit Auntie came and theyoffered garlands toAlobaUnde and to belovedBaba. They sat there until about 2 pm whilesongs were going on. Kalyan from Londonplayed violin and the Bombay-Pune groupsang many songs. I got a chance to sing PilePile Meher naam ka pyala.

Just after 2 pm Aloba Unde was carriedto the graveside in an open coffin. Around 2:l5pm the lidwas placed on the coffin and withmany “Beloved Avatar Meher Baba ki Jais”his bodywas lowered and after thatwe all gotthe chance to throw in a handfiil of sand. We

did that on behalf of all our family memberswho were not present there. I was there till 3pm so I got the chance to pour more sand asthey were filling in the grave. Thus we all gaveAloba Uncle a warm farewell.

I remember an incident from some timeago: one dayjal Uncle came to Meherazad inthe evening. I was working there, so we wentinside to meet Aloba Uncle and he came outlaughing. He said “Previously Aloba used tosay, ‘please pray that Beloved Baba shouldcall me soon’ but now today,” he said, “pleasepray for me that I should get well soon.” Me-herdokht told us the reason behind this. Shesaid that somebody told him the story abouta woman who used to curse her mother-in-law by saying, “Why don’t you die.” One dayshe said this in front ofBaba and Baba said,“Every time when you pray for her death Iadd 10 years to her life.” So after listening tothis story, Aloba Uncle started saying that weshould pray that he should get well soon. Sothis is the end ofa person who led his life he-roically for Beloved Baba! He always used tosay we should do Baba’s prayers at least twiceevery day, so let’s try to follow his wish.

Our A’kmorws of}1kbn

9lenn !Russ and Enyam .J1rjang9uss, Los LAnØC1e-s

Payam has the first story: When I got aphone call from Dma Snow asking if I

would write an artide about Aloba, I quicklyagreedwithouthesitation, forAloba had givenso much love to me personally as well as myfamily that there was no question in my mindthat this was simply my honor and duty Butas soon as I hung up the phone I thought,“what did I get myselfinto!” For how could Idojustice to the life ofa soul that loved Babaso completely?

I can only bow down in reverence to thisprecious soul who has touched my life inways I cannot easily put into words. Throughknowing Aloba, I have witnessed the intensity oflove that only a true lover of God canpersonif5

Suffice it to say, without going into detailabout how my family came to Baba, that wefirst heard ofMeher Baba in the mid 1980’sthrough my paternal unde who had come tothe United States for a visit from Iran aftermany, many years. Over the course of about2 years, we had all become most intrigued byMeher Baba and had already felt Baba love

our hearts through the visit to our home of

two Prem Ashram boys. We had not, however,fully accepted Meher Baba as God.

I believe it was in 1987 when Aloba firstcame to the United States. During his stay inLos Angeles, we were fortunate to have Alobavisit our home. Upon entering our living roomarea, he quickly asked “where’s Baba’s picture?”You see, at that time, we were not “Mly” Babalovers and did not have any pictures of Babahanging up. So Aloba immediately got onthe couch, asked for a pencil, and markedthe spot on the wall behind the couch, wayon top, where Baba’s picture was to be hung.He fiercely said, (in the way many ofus haveheard Aloba speak), “when I come back, youmust put up Baba’s picture here”. We did sodutifully, without question.

When Aloba returned a few days laterhe was most pleased that a picture of MeherBaba was framed and hung on the wall (Alobaused to saythat Baba’s picture should always beframed). My family and I believe that in thatmoment ofhanging Baba’s picture, a key wasturned andwe could then fill heartedily acceptBeloved Meher Baba as God. All questionsseemed to simply dissipate. So Aloba’s rolein our life became significant from then onand continued through many years to come. Ishould add that during his visitin Los Angeles,Aloba significantlyimpacted the lives ofmanypeople, particularlythe Iranians. All seemed tobecome charged by his unwavering convictionin Baba andlivelyspiritwhithwas overflowingwith love for Baba.

During our first visit to Meherabad and-Meherazad in 1991, my family and I weresimply showered with Baba’s love. We felt itin every direction, from the love emanatingfrom Baba’s Samadhi to the love so beautifullyand humbly expressed in his women and menMandali. It was then that our connection withAlobawas rekindled. He solovinglygreeted usand made us feel like his long lost family.

I feelthatAloba not onlyhad a special linkto Iranians but he also had a strong affiliationfor this small community of people, for itwas only then that he could speak his nativelanguage and reconnect with his homeland.I should add that I have also heard of manyincidents in which Aloba was veryloving andcaring towards so many people from so manydifferent cultures and countries.

I vividly recall our firstvisit to Meherazad.Aloba was excitingly awaiting our arrival (healways kept a clipboard with all the pilgrims’dates ofarrival, particularlymarking the namesof the Iranians). He explained to us that weshould greet all the Mandali, visitBaba’s room,and then meet together in his room. There, inhis room, we were treated with such hospital-

ity and sweetness as if we were visiting ourgrandparent’s home back in Iran. Aloba hada thermos filled with coffee and miik readyto go and lovingly fified everyone’s cup. Hethen offered us cookies and a platter of freshfruit cut up into small pieces. In his old Farsivernacular he’d say, “bezan ghadesh!”. Whileit is difficult to translate this phrase literally, inessence it meant something like “come on now,eat it up!” After tasting our first sip of coffee,we all looked at each other with a big smile,for the coffee was so sweet we could hardlydrink it. But that’s how sweet Aloba liked hisdrinks and we all of course drank it for it wasso lovingly preparedjust for us.

Backthen, Aloba could still go up SeclusionHill and he led our family up there on one occasion. At the top ofthe hill, we all said Baba’sArti together. In later years, when Aloba couldno longer climb the hill, he’d walkwith us justto the incline where he had created a shrineto Baba, speffing out “MEHER BABA’ withpebbles and rocks which was encirded in yetanother row ofrocks and adorned with flow-ers. He later sent us a picture ofhimselfsittingbeside this shrine. He wrote on the back ofthepicture the followingwords in Farsi, translatedas follows:

The dust at Baba’s feetI, All Akbar Yazdi, Have spelled out His

name with rocks and stones, on Seclusion Hillin Meherazad. Every morning I pay homageby offering flowers at His name and thusrenew the memory of that light of the worldin my heart.

Aloba often took special interest in ourmundane problems but always brought thefocus back to Baba. He was most practical inhis guidance, often using simple life analogiesto bring home the point he was making. Attimes, with more serious matters, he wouldmake the person asking the question or theone with the particular problem stand besidehim in front ofthe Baba shrine he had set upin his room and pray to Baba with us.

During our first trip (at the time, I was23 years old), I was at a crossroads about mycareer path in that I did not know whether toobtain a master’s degree or a doctoral degreein psychology So, I asked Aloha for guidance.Aloba asked that I write on two pieces ofpapermy two choices and put it down on the shrinetable. After praying to Babawith Aloha, I wasinstructed to pick out one ofthe two pieces ofpaper. And that’s how it began- mylong roadofbecoming a psychologist and then continuing in a subspecialty and so on. When peopleask me how I ended up practicing my profession, I doiñ have the typical answer that I hada passion for it or that I always knew this, I

simplysa”I asked Baba andwithAloba’s helpI went for it!” How can I explain my actions?To some, it may seem crazy to have done that.But you see, its about our conviction and faith,the inner knowing thatleads us to take certainactions that may seem insane in hindsight oreven in the moment. To this day, I have noidea how it has all happened. I have only cx-perienced that when I let go and trust Baba italways, always, works in my best interest andin the most naturalway. Unfortunately, I seemto forget this much too often!

Shifting now to the recent years withAloba, I’d like to share an experience thatrelated to my maternal uncle. In November2001, my family and I again went to India,this time, my uncle Rezajoined us from Iran.On one ofourvisits to Meherazad, Aloba wasmaking an important point and myunde hap-pened to ask a question that Aloba did notlike as he thought it was not directly relatedto the topic at hand. He was a bit curt withmy uncle, and not knowing Aloba’s ways, myuncle’s feelings were hurt. So subtly, after a fewminutes, my uncle left Aloba’s room. Alobalater realizedwhathad happened. On our nextvisit to Meherazad, Aloba rushed to my uncleand requested that he come to his room. Heoffered him fruits and sweets and there, hewholeheartedly asked for my uncle’s forgive-ness,weeping all the while for having hurt himso. I share this incident for it speaks to Aloba’slove and how important every detail was tohim in his desire to please Meher Baba.

I believe for many though, it was difficultto understand Aloha’s ways. With his fierypersonallty he’d often make comments or dothings that seemed to others absurd or foolish.For many, the ways oflove cannotbe reconciledwith the mind. And how fitting it was that afew hours before dropping His body, BelovedMeher Baba asked Aloha to read aloud Hisfavorite three couplets from the Persian poetand Perfect Master Hafiz:

13cfltting cifortunateslave camj out evejcommand oftheA4aste, without any pies-tion ofwhy and what.

..J1bout what ou hearfrom the .A4is-tei’, naer say it is wrong because my dear,the fault lies in your own incapacity tounderstand 2lim.

3 am slave of the ..7I4,aster, Who hasreleased me from ignorancç, Whatcver my7I/Iaster does is ofthe highest benefit to allconcerned.

In January 2000, my family and I wentto India on our fourth trip. Though we hadplanned to stay only for two weeks, Alohainsisted that we stay longer so that we wouldnot miss Amartithi. He said, “How can youcome to the river thirsty and not take a drinkfrom thatriver.You must stay!”Although deepwithin my heart I wanted to stay, it seemedquite difficult for my father and sister tochange around all their work responsibilities.They reasoned and reasoned with Aloha untilhe said”We’ll askBaba!”Then theyknew theywere done for because whenever Aloba wouldask Baba anything, it seemed to us that whatwas in Aloba’s heart would happen. We wit-nessed this many times over as Aloba wouldask Baba by writing down on two pieces ofpaper the two options or by ffipping a coin.

So what happened? You guessed it. . . westayed! And what a blessing it was. We all leftMeherabad feeling so Ml ofBaha’s love. Howoftenwe get attached to this illusoryworld andforget what matters most. We were so gratefulfor Aloha’s persistence, for it was yet anotherexperience that strengthened our convictionin Him even more so.

And lastly, I’ll share a hit about Aloha’srole in my coming together with my husband,Glenn Russ. In the same trip (January 2000),Aloha had come to Meherabad to stay forseveral days so that he could be with the Ira-nian contingent (at that time many had comefrom Iran for Amartithi). I vividly recall sit-ting near the Table Room (where Meher Babahad handwritten’The Book’,)withAloba, myfamily, and several other Iranians while Alobashared stories with us. Then, suddenly, Alohadecided to do a Fal from Hafiz to see what thefuture held in store for me. He asked that I gointo Baba’s Table Room and pray to Baba. Icame out and opened the book ofHafiz. Alobaread it aloud. He was so excited about the news.Unfortunately, I could notunderstand most ofitfor although myconversational Farsi is prettygood, I have a difficult time understandingthe poetry ofHafizwith all its symbolism. SoAloba and others around translated the poeminto simple Farsi. Aloba then related that Iwould be getting married very soon, I’d be veryhappy, and many good things were in store forme.Aloba said this so convincinglythat one ofour dear Iranian friends remarked, “So I guessI’ll be expecting a wedding invitation!”

After Amartithi we returned to Los An-geles and in about two months, all thoughtsabout Aloha’s prediction faded. It was aroundOctober2000when I decided to start a projectrelated to Baba workin Los Angeles. I began-calling several Baba lovers in the area askingfortheirhelp, suggestions,etc. Glenn happened

‘3

to be one of them. While I had seen Glennat many Baba-related events spanning acrossat least 10 years, these were on rare occasions,maybe once or twice a year, because for manyyears I lived in San Francisco while attendinggraduate schooL I was consequently not in LosAngeles that often. At the time of my phonecall, I had relocated to Los Angeles for a littleover a year.

So that phone call was the first one in aseries ofseveral more to follow as we decidedto support each otherinbeing more disciplinedin our path to Baba. For example, we’d try tokeep silence for a short period each day, spendtime in nature, things like that.

In December, I was at the Los AngelesCenter for a special event. I had heard one ofthe Baba lovers who had just returned fromMeherabad saying how fortunate we all wereto have the opportunity to visit Baba’s homeand that no one should hesitate to go in theseprecious times. So in that moment I got theimpulse, the inner push (or whatever peoplemay call it), to go to India again forAmartithi.Now, the only thing was that I was supposedto test1ff in court regarding a patient’s case onJanuary 3lst!The other seemingly not so dif—ficuk problem was that I didn’t want to travelalone as my family could notjoin me.

So I began asking around whom in theBaba community would be able to join me.Andwho was one ofthose people? Glenn! Buthaving just been in India only three monthsbefore, he was not sure he could make it. And Istill had the other problem ofhaving to testifyIt was ofcourse all in Baba’s hands...

Needless to say, within about a five-weekperiod, Glenn got the time offfrom work, mycourt date got miraculously postponed, and wegot our tickets. Two days before our departure,we received our passports via Federal Express!So, on January 23rd 2001, Glenn and I leftfor India. This was the first time I was goingwithout the company ofmy family.

Glenn now writes his side of the story:While in recent years I had thoughts aboutmamage, I had dismissed them as impractical.Remembering Baba’s words that marriage isa spiritual undertaking and that it could beof great benefit for one’s spiritual path, I didnot take the idea ofmarriage lightly. But evenso, where was I to find such a wife! Nonetheless, there was what you could say an intuitivecalling that someday Baba would want me toget married.

Havingjust returned from a trip to Kashmir, an act of intuition and faith, I felt inter-nally quiet and full oflove. On September 12,2000, my &st Meherazad day, I sat down inMandali Hall to listen to Aloha tell stories of

his life with Meher Baba. After many beautifLil stories of Baba’s Love and Compassion,Aloba paused a long while, seeming to lookright through me. After a moment of silenceAloba said, “What is your name?” My mindsaid, ‘maybe he’s not talking to you’ but, beforeI could look around, my heart answered and Ispoke my name. He paused then asked, “Whatis your profession?” Immediately I answered,“Paramedic.” “This is a good job,” he said.Then he paused, looked deep into my eyesand said, ‘Are you married?” “No,” I replied.Without hesitation Aloba soberly said, “Youmust get married immediately!” Aloba explained, “There are three women who secretlylove you.” And furthermore, that one of thesewomen is “not good to marry” Aloba went onto tell everyone in Mandali Hall how I must“. . . come to Amartithi this year.” He explainedthat I had to be in India specifically on the“30th and the 31st ofJanuary” in order to betruly happy, because there “. . .is a special treasure that has been waiting for you your wholeJife.”Well I thought, doesn’t such a treasureally apply to anyone who takes Baba’s darshanat the Samadhi during Amartithi?

Then Aloba discoursed for about ten mm-utes on the beauty and importance ofmarriage.All the while Aloba was pantomiming how aloving wife cooks good food, dresses you forwork, deans your house, massages your feet,and on and on. Aloba beckoned me to sit nextto him. He had hardly started the next storywhen it was “time to board the bus!”

On the bus back to Meherabad, Aloba’scommand for me to immediately marry wasthe subject ofgreat amusement. Women whowere present came over smiling, saying thingslike “I don’t know which wives he’s takingabout, I love my husband and I doiñ do any ofthose things.” It was easy for my mind to dismiss what had happened—because of coursethis was Aloba tailcing the man who regularlypredicts the end ofthe world.Though, regard-less ofwhatl thought, therewas a truth hiddenin Aloba’s words that was swimming in mygut. A deep quiet recognition was welling upin me. As a compromise, my mind agreed thatwhatAloba had to sayto mewas importantbutcould notbe understoodliteraily. Even thoughI struggled and resisted, I knewthis was Baba’sinstruction, trulyl knewitbefore Aloba spokeit. Butwhat to do, marriage,let alone marriageimmediately, seemed at best impractical andat worst impossible.

On my next trip to Meherazad, after hug-ging Aloba, I explained, “I respect the truthin your direction and I truly want to honoryour intuition but it doesn’t seem practical.” Icontinued to explain that I was “not currently

dating anyone and people in the West do notget married overuight getting married to theright person is not something that happensso quickly. “Aloba replied, “Don’t worry if sheis tall or short, thin or fat, like this, like that;these things are not important.” I interrupted“But how will I?” “Don’t worry you have sixmonths, now go!”

Ileftlndiawith the conviction that follow-ing this instruction through my heart wouldplease Baba. I knew I could not make such athing happen. But, with faith and courage, Ibelieved Baba would create the opportunityfor me to please him. Now, I was not only toget married but also to return in India in threemonths. What am I crazy?

Without going into great detail, there really was no great struggle and it all happenedquite naturally; Ijust kept the possibility openin my heart.

Just a few weeks before Amartithi, themoney to return to India came from anunexpected $2500 bonus (I’ve never gottenone before or since). I had already used all myvacation time yet somehow I got the time offfrom work. I made it to my first Amartithi,January 2001.

“I am very happy. . . Both love each other,and both of you love Meher Baba from thebottom ofyour hearts. I am grateful to MeherBaba for myright advisingyou and expeditingthe matter, if you both (had) not jumped tocatch the opportunity and delayed the matterfor 3 more months you would miss the point,(it)wouldgo out ofyourhand. . . Carryon yourmarriage life but never forget Meher Baba theCreator ofyou both, perform His Arti at yourhouse twice a day morn and evening. MyjaiBaba to Payam, a fine bride Baba gave you,right from Shiraz the land ofRoses and beau-ties. Love, Aloba.”

One year and three weeks after Aloba’sprompting, Payam and I had our first of fourweddings, and ifyou count our most naturalcommitment to each other under the stars infront ofAdele Wolldn’s house, to support eachother on the path to union with the Beloved,to become spiritual partners, well then, that’sfive sets ofvows we have exchanged.

On October 12th, under Baba’s Tree inOjai, California, a dear Baba friend performedan intimate civil ceremony focused on ourBeloved Meher Baba. In November 2001, wereturned to India to ftulfill our mutual dreamof marrying in Meherabad--the simple yetinwardly significant act of silently offeringour life together to Meher Baba. We had awonderful evening of celebration at Jal andDollyls home. The evening included a veryfunny and spontaneous group participatory

wedding ceremony led by Jal. We are sothankftil for all the love we experienced withthe whole Meherabad and Meherazad family,andwe are so veryinspiredby all thejoy, gaietyand spontaneous generosity people brought toour wedding celebration. Thank you.

Now while we were in India, we had nodefinite plans where we would live when wereturned to the States. During one ofour lastvisits with Aloba, he told us not to worry thatBaba would provide us with a home. Thatis another miraculous story . . today we aresimply grateftil to be hosting weekly Babameetings in our home.

Aloba inspired us to live in faithbeyond thereach of our minds. . . “without any questionofwhy or what.”To us Aloba tenderly said oflove, “now you are tied together so you mustalways yield to the other one. This way, thestnng will not break.”

We had many more wonderfid momentswith Aloba on that trip—not knowing thatit would be our last hugs with our dearestAloba ...

TiLe EBus 2las9one3ohn 13arker, London

Bus is going, going, gone to Baba, thistime with Au Akbar Shapurzaman,

Baba’s Aloba on board, wonder who it willbe tomorro you or me?

What one saw was what one got withAloba, a refteshinglyunsophisticated straight

.

forward up front honestydemonstrating, as Baba,

.Himself once remarked,a frighteningly intensedevotion and love of his

: Beloved God, tempered

I by a great sense ofhumourcoupled with a relaxedaffectionate warmth.

Renowned for hismany dreams ofBaba andpredictions ofthe breakingof”The Silence”, althoughnow unable as Alobato be around to witnessthe coming “Greatest ofAll iVianifestations”, itseemed somehow appro

: priate that Aloba’s passing: was marked by the most

extraordinary sight ofbreached floodgates andbursting riverbanks everwitnessed throughout

central Europe.The coincidence ofmajor world catastro

phes occurring frequentlywith each passingof many of the Mandali, could lead one tospeculate that along with the great sanskaricbenefit released by each demise as stated byBhau, amongst others, there does appear tobe simultaneously a darkening ofthe Light,a sudden increased expression oflatent darkimpressions, almost as if some protectiongoes along with each Mandali member.Strange Prasad. One recalls reading abouta vivid image ofMehera pleading with Babaas Kalki not to draw his sword, the euphoricatmosphere surrounding Mehera’s releaseand union on one level, compared to thecollapse of the Berlin wall and the follow-ing disintegration ofthe USSR Soviet block,resulting in some ofthe worst atrocities andconfficts seen in Europe since world war two.With Eruch it was 9/11.

On a happier note, in remembrance ofAloba, whilst perusing some footage takenof Aloba’s lively talks at Meherabad andMeherazad, one dream seemed to standout. Baba gave three matches to Alobaand pointing to three people asked Alobato take a match to the first one and lightit, the match went out as Aloba handed itover, same scenario again with the secondperson, the third person turned out to benone other than Baba’s own Mohammedthe Mast. This time the match stayed alight,Mohammed received it from Aloba therebyinstantaneously creating a great explosion oflight. (Third light.)

Considering the immense long rang-ing unique role played by Mohammed,reputably one of such a deeply influentialnature on both spiritual and material levels,a declared most vital active participant inBaba’s “Universal Work”, it surely thereforemust be plausible that this position may stillcontinue to be operating in all spheres ofillusion today. Given the present politicalbogus international situation, and that onequarter of the world population is Muslim,with nearly all the recent major globalconflicts involving Muslim states, Aloba’sdream may yet prove to be of some relativesignificance.

Perhaps Mohammed’s bus ride will beenlightening.

Quiz : Who said the following;

“Lj/è and death do not affect an ardentworker and lover ofGod,for he who loves Goalives to die in His cause and abide in the Onewho is Existence Infinite andEternal .“

Was it:(A) Mohammed The Prophet(B) Avatar Meher Baba(C) Osama Bin Laden

Answer:

(B) Avatar Meher Baba - a reply “Thetrue meaning of death” to Calcutta lover

June 1961.

L.A Story theJ44anifestcttion

F...,

3im ç,’4uster, Colorado

Ionce asked Baba (internally) what wouldhappen in the Manifestation. What I was

shown exceeds the normal scope of dreams,imagination, and conscious or subconsciousthought. Meher Baba’s life workis gloriouslyflilfilled “beyond imagination and conception.

We interpret personal and collectiveexperiences each in our own way. At leastas it applies to myself, I have every reasonto believe the future is revealed in fact or inoverall effect.This story is shared in the hopeit may be helpftil and relevant to others inunderstanding their own experience.

The gap between the capacity of wordsand the super-conscious reality of theexperience I had was too frustrating anddiscouraged writing a credible account. Butnot accurately recording and communicating the most wonderfiul promise and mostserious warning of this message has been

Is

a burden of unfttliuled responsibility. I canonly try my best and leave the rest...

In 1979, trying to understand Baba’sManifestation, I became sick and tiredof my thinking. In a moment of sincererenunciation and surrender born of whole-hearted disgust with my mind, I thought,“I give up! Show me!” Instantly, my mindwas stopped and I was given egoless bliss.After awhile, I passed into a dream morereal than ‘reality’.

Still in the same blissftil state, but, now,in the midst ofworldwide upheaval, I see anoverall view ofgeneral chaos and the accelerated deterioration ofconditions. All normalaspects oflife fail, leaving only hopelessness,helplessness, and desperation.

Natural disasters overwhelm nature andthe environment. Widespread conflicts prevail and political systems cannot keep orderor serve man’s needs. The world economybursts like a bubble, with financial, industrial, transportation, and communicationssystems ceasing to function. There is nofood. Science, technology, and medicinehave no solutions. Social structure collapses on all levels. Religion offers nothingagainst universal anxiety and desperation,and normal human values are dominated byfear driven panic and seffishness.

Our everyday world is exposed as transient illusion, worthless, and useless. God’ssupport that normally sustains the world nolonger holds back the storm-tide. A globalwave of ego and ignorance rises up, reachesits peak, and breaks into the ultimate expression of man’s selfish indulgence - nuclearcataclysm with many thousands of bombsexploding everywhere. Utter hopelessnessand helplessness and universal despairleave absolutely nothing left to cling to,except God.

When facing death the last choice is toseek God’s help, and onlywith the imminentend oflife on earth is humanity atlarge readyto receive and accept it. The climax ofglobalcatastrophe has set the stage. Baba revealsHimselfuniversally, directly, and personallyto each individual as the Avatar, the One inevery heart.

In the greatest miracle ever, Baba takesthe immense destructive energy of the exploding bombs and transforms it into Divinelight that wipes out ego-mind and purifiesthe world. All-pervading light penetrateseveryone and everything to annihilate egolimitations and mental impressions. Every-one, regardless of past life, personality orspiritual development, is given freely andunconditionally this most glorious and un

imaginable gift. It is the beginning ofa newworld and new life, for those who survive.

Nuclear bombs are going off everywhere,but, incredibly, the world is saved from destruction and there is no physical damageor suffering. The ego and ignorance of theworld, not the world itself, are being destroyed. Liberated from mental bindings,humanity experiences bliss, direct personalcontact with the source of truth, and thepower ofunlimited love.

The gift from God brings everyone 99%of the way, but we must give the remaining1% with 100% effort. To hold on to the blissand be able to live in this blissftil new world,there is one condition. We must follow liter-ally Baba’s simple instructions: “Don’t worry.Be happy. Enjoy the Bliss. Rely on God foreverything.”

Each individual is given a huge pushalong the spiritual path.The gift ofadvancedconsciousness gives tremendous motivationand inspiration, but the ability to hold on toit is dependent on one’s degree of preparation. Iflove, remembrance, and longing forGod are not already established, the gift isnot appreciated, understood, and accepted.Remaining impressions cause a reversioninto normal thought patterns, desires, andbehavior. Ifthe command is disobeyed in anyway by concerns with material needs or byyielding to the demands ofthe mind, insteadof with God, we lose the bliss and do notsurvive. Consciousness that still identifieswith the limited ego is wiped out along withthe universal cleansing of the ego-mind.

God’s hands are outstretched offering alife of perfect bliss, the conscious experience of an inconceivably beautiful state ofpure love, on one hand, and the tranquilunconscious oblivion of the Beyond, onthe other. We are given a clear, absolute,black and white choice that no one is fullyprepared for. There is no middle ground orpossibility ofcompromise. Reverting back tonormal consciousness is to lose the bliss, loseconsciousness and lose existence itself

It is necessary to walk a fiery sword edgeby obeying the command, “Don’t worry andenjoy the bliss,” while surrounded by totalupheaval and the imminent threat offalling.The desperate situation tempts the mind torenew its hold on consciousness with con-cern over external conditions. Yielding tothe mind, like a short circuit, breaks theconnection to God and, simultaneously,one’s connection with this New Life. Tosurvive requires holding on to Baba, andnothing else.

The path is perfectly clear, balancing onthe slippery tightrope of divine conscious-ness while the limited mind, a loaded gun tothe head, can instantly destroy everything.The ultimate drama is played out to theend between bliss and fear, everything andnothing, light and darkness, God and ego,real life and real death, consciousness andunconsciousness. The choice is completelyours.

Those already trying to live a life oflonging for God, surrendering to His willand enjoying His love, have the advantageofessential values and self—discipline to holdon. But it is the miraculous gift ofbliss thatimparts to everyone the overwhelminginspiration and heroic strength needed tosurvive. Consciousness that still identifieswith ego attachments, in spite of the gift,is annihilated along with the ego. It cannotexist in an egoless world.

In a normal experience ofdeath the soulretains its impressions and consciousness,and moves on to identify with a new body.This situation seems dramatically different.Those who do not survive leave their bodies,but there is no physical pain or sufferingbecause impressions and consciousness havebeen extinguished as well.

Ego and bliss are mutually exclusive inthis new reality. The absence ofany possiblecompromise or choice of a middle groundseems shockingly harsh, yet is perfectly bying and natural. Everyone, consciously orunconsciously, is united with God.

There is a sense of apocalyptic consequences of a failure to hold on. I am notcertain about this, but it felt possible that ifconsciousness is lost, the soul may return tothe beginning to repeat the evolution ofcon-sciousness. As on the fourth plane, choosingego over God is a misuse and waste of ourtremendous new power and rejection of thevery purpose of this cycle of creation.

As the bombs are exploding I can feeland see the light going right through meand through everything, miraculously eras-mg ego-mind and releasing consciousness toexperience God. We are not to look at thebombs exploding. Like the biblical story ofSodom and Gomorra, anyone who disobeysand turns to look is instantly gone.

Many are angry, resentful, and blameGod for allowing the material world to cob—lapse. But it is man’s overreaching ignorancethat has brought the world to the brink andit is God’s grace that saves it. By choosing at-tachment for worldly values and ideas, thosewho question or reject God’s dispensationof truth can not survive.

There is no way to describe the incomparable state ofuniversal peace and oneness.I recall the screaming intensity of my feel-ings more than all the details. In the midstof external crisis, the world is in the birthpangs of a new life of love and joy, heavenon earth. This life is eternal and there is thepromise we will live for a very long time toenjoy it. I have greatly enhanced insight andpowers. I remember flying over the ocean toIndia. I can see everyone’s soul shining likethe sun. Their body, mind, and personalityappear as a thin layer ofdust or veil over thesun. Intensely beautiful light of the soul illuminates through the veil from within.

With growing intuition oftruth I becomemore comfortably established in this newlife, but there is still the immediate andpressing need to obey and hold on withoutthought or worry about anything. It all endswhen I see one ofmy daughters as an infantasleep on a bed and think, “I hope she will beall right, I hope she makes it through this.”Instantly, my consciousness crashes and Ilose the bliss. I die and fall into the abyss ofunconsciousness, an inexpressible loss.

I had failed to obey 100%. My concernfor my child’s well being, the most natural,loving, and unseffish act of a parent, is stillan act of the ego, identifying with what ismine instead ofwith God.Worrying and nottrusting He would take care ofmy daughterI have disobeyed His command. Like Dr.Singh in the New Life, I cannot stay becauseof a few tears of concern for my family.

Explosively, I awoke from the vision incomplete shock and terror from the sudden loss ofbliss and fall into oblivion. Theapparent innocence of the circumstancesthat caused my failure stunned me with arealization of my lack of preparation andunderstanding necessary to obey and hold onto the gift. The inconceivable subtlety andclarity of this lesson is convincing proof ofits source and validity The very real fear oflosing that blissful state shook me from complacency with a most profound, yet gentle,warning ofthe need to keep focused on Godor “curse the chance that is wasted.”

God’s ever-present love makes it easyto feel one is safely in His pocket in spite ofour weaknesses. But how sincerely do we follow Baba’s call for literal obedience and howseriously do we heed His constant warningto “hold fast until the very end”? We arelike children being guided to maturit unionwith God, but the Path is not child’s play.

I do not know whether this is a propheticrevelation or a metaphorical personal insight.Eitherway, it is compelling inspiration ofthe

desperately urgent need for remembranceand love in the present life. It is a powerftilwake-up call to prepare for the unprecedented awakening that is planned, individuallyand collectively, for all ofcreation. There areawesome consequences ifwe do not.

The truth and reality of this experiencehas not faded over the years. It has be-come more immediate to me by a growingawareness that we are offered this gift everymoment, but are constantly rejecting it bychoosing worry over happiness and bliss, ourego life over God. It may foretell an actualuniversal event at some point in time, orreveal a process that is happening all thetime, or both, the essential and inescapablerelationship between our present conductand spiritual destiny.

The errors and missed opportunities arealways forgiven and God’s offer is alwaysrenewed, but not, perhaps, forever. Baba’sManifestation is the ultimate decisive con-clusion that is renewed only in the cosmiccycles of eternity.

The dilemma of telling this story, myreason for procrastinating so many years, isthe obvious impossibility ofcommunicatingwith mere words, the gift ofbliss. Withoutdirect experience of that, the story is easilyand superficially misinterpreted as anotherdoomsday prediction of world destructionthat conveys negativity instead ofoptimismand portrays an uncompassionate ratherthan a loving God. The totally unexpectedand miraculous phenomenon of divineintervention challenges comprehension. Itis the limited ego-mind and its attachmentto the world that will be destroyed, not theworld itself

Experiencing that bliss is so overwhelm-ing, it makes the suffering and difficultiesof illusion vanish like a mist in the sun.Everyone is given the chance to overcomeweaknesses and mental limitations to findGod. In the end, this is the only answer tothe problems of individual existence and ofhumanity in general. With the potentialnow for even one madman to use moderntechnology to unleash worldwide devastation, the world will not be able to survive ifthere is ego. Seffishness and ignorance createdesperate circumstances and extreme consequences, which, in turn, are the motivationto be ready to accept and benefit from thecure. Baba teaches that the infinite experience ofdivine consciousness is the oppositeof limited ego consciousness and they aremutually exclusive without possibility ofcompromise. What I saw is the application

of that fact in a real life context, a tangiblewarning of the need to prepare for this newlife by living it now, a plea to surrender ignorance for knowledge.

I am not in a position either to justify orquestion this, it just happened, and I feelBaba wants the experience to be sharedaccurately and honestly. It is a warning toprepare, and a promise that the extraordinary help of the gift oflove will give us thestrength to hold on, ifwe really want a newlife oflove and bliss. Please forgive my in-ability to convey that, if this story communicates fear or hopelessness instead ofhope.It is a reminder to love and remember Himmore and more and still yet more, to holdfast until the very end, to rely only on God,to be happy and not to worry. So easy to say,so difficult to practice, but which can leadus to the Goal ifwe do.

Please contact me with your commentsor questions. It helps me very much to understand this better. Jim Auster, Box 716,Carbondale, CO 81623, phone 970-929-5505 or [email protected]

[The LampPost invites your discussionin these pages ifyou feel so moved.]

Meherazad, 1 Oct. 98Dear Jim Auster,LovingJai Baba to you.A thousand thanks

to you for your wonderful dream. I salute yourlove and faith for Baba and in Baba’s Avatar-hood. All what you have seen and wrote inyour letter of22 September ‘98 are true and100% fact, because in 1941 when I was atBombay, Meherbaba on my request, showedme in dream those scenes closely connectedwith His silence break and His manifestation.I appreciate 100%, I believe 100%, I agreewith you 100%. Thank you Meherbaba forselecting Jim Auster to show the most important dream ofyour silence-break and yourmanifestation all over the world. Please readAnn Smith’s dream sent to you with this let-ter. This, your very important dream, shouldreach Baba lover’s hands as much as you can,as much as possible, as many Baba centers aspossible. Also I am enclosing Baba’s Circularof March 15th 1941 from Bangalore withrevised dates — Baba appeared in my dreamand directed me to do so. I send to 70 BabaCenters in India, 10 forUSA, also to Canada,Iran, England and Australia each place, oneto be xeroxed and make many copies. Dear

Jim Auster I eagerly looking forward to seeyou, to meet you and to embrace you herewhen you come. May Meherbaba expediteyour coming — my dear Jim Auster. You area great Baba lover, a firm Baba Believer,

‘7

therefore Meherbaba selected you. To you,GOD means Meherbaba, and Meherbaba isGodwith a human form — called Meherbaba.Once again, I salute your love and faith inMeherbaba. Avatar Meherbaba kiJai. withlove, Aloba

And now, the letterfrom Ann Smith thatAloba sent on toJim:

During 1978, while sleeping in the cabinwhere Ted and Janet Judson now live inLower Meherabad, Ann Smith had a vividdream which she later told to Mehera, whosaid itwas an important dream and should betold to as many Baba lovers as possible.

She was walking in the streets of Mel—bourne, Australia (her home city) with herdaughter Chanthan. Suddenly there was aloud noise like the roar of a thousand largeaeroplanes. Itwas deafening and frightening.People in the street began to panic and screamand run in every direction — there was utterchaos! Into her mind came “Baba must havesaid the Word, broken His Silence — whatdo we do now?” She told her daughter not tobe afraid then turned around and noticed abeautiful woman with a peaceftil face stand—ing beside them, smiling at them. “Who areyou?” she asked. “Don’t be afraid, I’m fromBaba” Ann realized she was an angel. Theangel told her she would take care of them.“What about my husband Paul?” She asked.“Don’t worry, there are many ofus, he is be-ing looked after too, like all the others.” Annwas reassured. The rest ofthe people still ranabout in utter confitsion.

“What do we do?” Ann asked the angeL“Just turn your face to the East” said the

Angel.They did this and were instantly trans

ported to the foot of the hill at Meherabad,joining thousands of other Baba lovers whowere all gazing in rapture toward the Tombfrom which light emanated. All hearts rose asone injoyftul expectation as Babawas about tomanifest. The feeling was indescribable.

She woke up.

:&5

A Pimpalgaon, on the evening of February 24th, 1948, after returning rom

Ahmednagar, Baba was discussing matterswith the men mandali. In the course ofconversation, the subject of Baba’s manifestation came up and Baba asked thosepresent, “What do you think constitutes onehundred percent proof of my manifestationas the Avatar?” No one said a word.

“You men say that the time ofmyAvataricmanifestation, mankind will receive a shocklike an earthquake and I will appear at different places in my physical form. But suchideas do not prove the Avatar’s manifestation100%. In the Avatar is contained the wholecreation. All the lives contained in the worldare like his limbs. If a scorpion stings a manon one part ofhis body, the brain immediatelyknows it and pain is felt throughout the body.Similarly, when the Avatar will sting (manifest), every life sustained in creation will feelit. Thus, the Avatar’s presence on this (gross)plane and the scorpion’s sting (manifestation)will be experienced by all.

“If the sun were to shine twenty-fourhours a day and there was no darkness, thepresence of the sun would not be recognized, unless there was complete darknessonce. The rising of the sun consequent todarkness would make humanity appreciatethe presence of the sun. The dark night issignified by the scorpion’s sting.

Thinking ofpralaya, Ghani interjected:“Darkness may also mean mass annihilationand dissolution of the world!”

Baba laughed, “You all remember thissubject of dissolution!”

Continuing Baba spelled out, “After theAvatar’s manifestation, humanitywill receive

the Light in different degrees proportionateto each ones’ receptivity. Those out in theopen will experience the fuilhight ofthe sun,those holding umbrellas over their heads willreceive less, and those who remain closetedin their houses will get even less. This meansthat those who keep themselves shut up inthe houses of their desires, will receive theleast Light; those who, though out in theopen, hold an umbrella over their head—refuse to open their heart to God—willreceive less; and those ofpure desires and anopen heart, will experience the full brillianceof the Avatar’s coming!”

“Will we experience the Light or not?”Ghani asked.

In cryptic fashion, Baba jokingly replied,“Look at the ways ofyour Avatar! AlthoughI stay in Ahmednagar during the day, I go allthe way back to Pimpalgaon for the night. Ifyou can grasp this, you will get the Light!”

LordMeher, vol 7 and 8, preface.

3:

JJI4eher 13abaen I say I am the Avatar, there are

a few who feel happy, some who feelshocked, and many who hearing me claimthis, would take me for a hypocrite, a fraud,a supreme egoist, or just mad.

If I were to say every one of you is anAvatar a few would be tickled, and manywould consider it blasphemy or ajoke. Thefact that God being One, Indivisible, andequally in us all—that we can be naughtelse but one—is too much for the duality-conscious mind to accept.

Yet in each of us is what the other is. Iknow I am the Avatar in every sense of theword, and that each of you is an Avatar inone sense or the other. It is an unalterableand universally recognized fact since timeimmemorial that God knows everything,God does everything, and that nothing hap-pens but by the Will of God. Therefore, itis God who makes Me say I am the Avatar,and that each one ofyou is an Avatar. Again,it is He Who is tickled through some, andthrough others is shocked. It is God Whoacts, and God Who reacts. It is He Whoscoffs and He Who responds. He is theCreator, the Producer, the Actor and theAudience in His own Divine Play.

LordMeher, vol 13 and 14 p 4423, Bhau Kalchuri. Copyright Manifestation 1998.

r•• ••

4jr

PhGto credits in Memories ofAloba

page 1O—Alob3in Meherazad taken

A:a4page l5—Alobper unknown

Howwill it all end? That’s a question thatanyone may be driven to ask today, and

that includes Baba lovers as well. As we shallsoon see, Baba himself asked that question.But being God, He had the answer (and wasthe answer). However, also being Baba, weas yet don’t know for sure what that answeris. Only time will unfurl it for us. But Baba’sanswer, which really seems to be answers,gives us several possible outcomes of thistime of his advent.

Why do I say several possible outcomes?Why not an infinity ofoutcomes, or no out-comes at all? Because Baba, as well as some ofhis Mandali and closest followers, have givenus some specific descriptions and implicationsas to the course this advent may follow. AsBaba has told us, advents come at particular times in history and aim to accomplishparticular purposes. It is certainly in order tolook to Baba’s words to give us a perspectiveon the nature of these times that we live inand where, under Baba’s direction, it may begoing. Even if the paths divide into at leastthree. It was not for nothing that Baba referedto the coming course ofhistory

The first of these paths or scenarios wecan call the naturalistic one. Humanity growsincreasingly desperate. It is here Baba himselfasks the question. He says, “What will thepresent chaos lead to?” And then specifically,“How will it all end?” He gives the answer, “Itcan only end in one way: Mankind will be-come sickofit all. Man will be sick ofwantingand sick offighting out ofhatred. Greed andhatred will reach such intensity that everyonewill become weary of them. The way out ofthe deadlock is sefflessness.”l In another placeBaba describes this historical process in thefollowing way, “The wave ofdestruction mustrise still higher, must spread still further. Butwhen, from the depths ofhis heart, man desires something more lasting than wealth, andsomething more real than material power, thewave will recede, Then peace will come, joywill come, light will come.”2

I call this the naturalistic scenario becauseall ofthe above can happen in a natural waywithout any obvious divine intervention.Baba’s words that I have just quoted wouldseem to point to this.

It is this naturalistic scenario that I use inmywriting about economics and social change.I talk about the need for society to “wake up”from its present plight and change its ways.I talk about the problem of self interest and

2<cuncth Lw; lI1aine

suggest ways in which we can go from selfinterest to the common good. I posit thathis may happen after a sufficient degree ofdesperateness about our present course isreached.

The second scenario is “the hole in the &stdoor,” and it is not naturalistic. It comes di-rectly from the “points” Bhau said Baba gavehim in 1967, which Bhau has reproduced inAvatar of the Age Meher Baba Manifest-ing,3 and which Bhau has elaborated on.Thepoints are as follows:

“My abode is infinite. . . it is formless...But there are seven doors in my abode. . . eachdoor remains closed to all those bound in fflusion. . . The aim ofinvolution is to open theseseven doors to experience my Infinity

“The first door is extremelydifficult to open. . .All the kingdoms ofevolution stand at thisdoor . . . Humanity has its back to this door. . . all faces are turned toward illusion. . .Humanity is the nearest kingdom to this door.

“I come to open these seven doors. . . Iwork to cut a hole in the first door. . . Thatdoor leads to the first plane. . . This cuttingis my work during my lifetime.”

In Bhau’s elaboration of these points hesays the following: “Ifthe Avatar did not cutthis hole, it would not be possible for mdi-viduals to find the entrance into involution.Though it has aireadybeen cut, the hole doesnot open until after the Avatar has droppedhis body. When the preparations for theopening ofthe hole are complete, the Avatarsets the time for the hole to open, and thendrops his body. When the hole is opened,light from the domain of pure energy emanates into the gross world. As soon as the holeis opened and the light is emanating throughit, humanity becomes overpowered with joyfrom seeing the light. it irresistibly faces thelight and turns away from illusion.”

I propose that the transition from reasonto intuition that Baba has referred to is a newmode ofconsciousness that will operate withthe hole open in the first door that is thebarrier to the subtle world. I would say thatintuition is involved here, rather than directexperience of the subtle world, because eventhough there will be an open hole to the ftrstplane of the subtle world, the door itself isstill not open. This would seem to mean thathumanity is still left in the gross world; tobe on the planes the individual would haveto open the whole door and go through it.

But even withjust a hole opened in the firstdoor humanitywould have a great and worldsaving advantage that it didiñ have before.While still in the gross world, it would havethe direct radiation from the first plane cast-ing its light into the gross. This would givehumanity a clear and easily accessible beam(literally) into the source ofall light.

This account also gives us a possible an-swer to the “mystery” ofBaba having dealt somuch with the planes. It’s a mystery because,while Baba described and referred to theplanes extensively in bothThe Discourses andin God Speaks, He completely discountedthem and gave them no significance in thelives ofhis lovers. Under Baba’s mastership hislovers had no experiences ofthe planes (withthe rarest of exceptions) and were dissuadedby him of having any concern or interest inthem, despite his extensive discussion ofthemin his messages and books.

The answer to the mystery is that whenthe hole to the first door is opened, we willthen understand why Baba told us so muchabout the planes. It is then that we will havea direct experience related to the planes, butin the unique way of not actually being onthe planes (the first plane, in this case), butexperiencing the light or energy of the firstplane in the gross world. This also will besomething that has never happened beforein human history. I am thus proposing thatBaba told us so much about the planes be-cause He was preparing us for understandingthe experience we would have, in terms ofitsmeaning and significance, when the hole inthe first door was opened.

This scenario gives us a way ofseeing howBaba’s work will usher humanity into a newera where our overwhelming problems can andwill be overcome. With the availability of thisnew energy in the gross world (“geared to anew rate of energy”) that is accessed throughthe faculty of intuition, humanity will havethe tool it needs to make “the further spiritualadvance ofhumanity safe and steady”

The third scenario I would describe as bothnatural and also supernatural. I will call it the“Mahapralya” scenario.The naturalpart is thathumanity does not “wake up,” as they do inthe first scenario. That is, humanity continueson its profligate and destructive ways, and theearth becomes uninhabitable (perhaps eitherthrough environmental destruction, nuclearwar, or some combination ofthe two).

What is to Come continued on pg37

:nt to ..omc: 7Jee 5cctuirws

‘9

,)4:f ii.:::: tJ I al: 7frjj: ,)/jO4flj

Ray 3ohnston,J71/kher J44ount California

O April 20th the new caretakers at Me-her Mount in Ojai, California officially

opened the doors for the first time to welcome visitors. Ray Johnston and ElizabethArnold accepted the position several weeksearlier while in the Yucatan, Mexico, whereRay was conductingworkshops.

In addition toproviding energetichealing sessions toclients and conduct-ing personal growthworkshops aroundthe world, Ray isalso owner of a tourcompany special-izing in world toursof self-discovery Hisexpertise is in EastAfrican natural andcultural history (wherehe lived and worked in1979) and in Mexicoand the SouthwesternU.S. For 20 years hewas a park ranger andSuperintendent in theNorth Carolina statepark system and retired in 1996. In these“out ofthe way” areas he learned many oftheskills that he feels will benefit Meher Mount.“Mybackground is in resource management,but living in remote areas one has to learna variety of management and maintenanceskills.” His love for and connection to natureand Meher Baba, plus the suggestion of agood friend in North Carolina, was whatfirst brought him to Meher Mount.

“Elizabeth and I moved to Ojai last year.I had been traveling almost constantly for6 years conducting tours and giving heal-ing seminars around the world. I had alwayswanted to live in Ojai after first visiting it in1972, and I needed a home. The energy andbeauty drew me. Once in Ojai, my friend

John Freeze in North Carolina suggestedthat I visit Sulphur Mountain and MeherMount after we had spent time together atthe center in Myrtle Beach. I then maderegular trips to Meher Mount to meditateand visit the previous caretakers Billy andPamela Goodrum.”My connection to Bababegan in 1972 with reading the Discourses

and Listen Humanity In 1975 I attendeda talk at UCSB given by a young man justreturned from Meherabad. He had with hima few articles by Baba. As the small groupleft the room, I was turned around at thedoor by an inner force, and I found myselfat

the table lifting Baba’s sadra to my chest andheart. I experienced an energetic openingthat was very powerftul for a couple of days.Baba has since that time been a consistentlypowerftil part of my own personal healing,transformation, and guidance. My initialhesitancy to apply for the caretaker position was cleared by Baba’s reassurance onemorning under His tree on the property

Elizabeth was immediately struck by thebeauty and energy ofMeher Mount.

She was born in Arlington, Virginia, andstudied abroad in Oxford, England and tray-eled throughout Europe. With a BachelorofArts in Psychology from George MasonUniversity in Fairfax, Virginia, Elizabeth’sprofessional background includes manage-ment, marketing and public relations. Shegrew up on Ocracoke Island, where her family resides. Located on the Outer Banks ofNorth Carolina, Ocracoke is only accessibleby plane or boat and most of the Island ispreserved as National Seashore.

“We are always surprised and heartenedby the support ofthose who understand the

particular challenge of living as caretakersat Meher Mount” explains Ray. “The firstcouple ofmonths were very difficult gettingacclimated and doing water system repairs. Ihad asked and prayed for a message concern-ing the challenges ofbeing at Meher Mount.

Shortly thereaftera friend fromPhoenix cameto visit. It was in1972 that he hadintroduced me toListen Humanityas we drove acrossthe US, eventuallycoming to Ojai.Unknown to me,he had copiedon an index cardsome words fromthe book thatstruck him andput it inside thepages. Thesewords remainedon the index card,hidden within thepages of ListenHumanity for ex

actly 30 years to the month when my friendcame to visit us at Meher Mount for the firsttimelastJune. Havingbrought the same bookto read once again after 30 years, out falls thecard with the message that turned out to bemy answer:

“Know that this house can be usefulonly to those who recognize their nothing-ness and who believe in the possibility ofchanging”.

According to Elizabeth, “One of thebenefits ofbeing at Meher Mount is seeingindividuals change as they visit. The stressoftheir dailylife drops away as they glimpsethe magnitude ofwhat Meher Mount offers.The panoramic mountain views, the BabaTree, the shrine at the site of the guesthouse where Baba visited, all contribute tocreating a very special place. Agnes Baron’svision and Baba’s essence affects all visitorson some level, including us. Being here foreven a short visit is transformational. Comevisit us. We would love to see you.”

0

EI3abies, i3ctbies, J3abies!

Here are the stories of two new Babasouls that have entered into this life, to

share theirlove andjoywith two very happysets of parents.

The first story we get from Meherwanand Molly Irani. Meherwan is Dara andAmrit’s son, (Dara being one of Baba’snephews) and Molly, the daughter of RozTaubman (the superb chef at Meherana).Meherwan tells us the story:

Aria Meher Irani

She was born on April 29th (which wasour wedding day — it was the Baba sign

we were looking for). We met her, along with4 other babies, at SOFOSH (the orphanageat Sasoon Hospital where Baba was born),on Monday Sept. 2nd (the day we arrivedfrom the US). It was love at first sight and

: although we wereconcerned about her2 extremely low birth weight and bad chest

. ‘

infection, we felt that a few days in an Irani

:-household would fix the weight problem!

•E We took her into foster care on the 3ft,

and her first new home was Baba’s child-

hood home - Pumpkin House. We also went. - to Baba’s Room and there Penn Aunty and

:. my grandmother Subdhra officially chris-tenedher as Aria Meher Irani.

From there we drove straight to Me-herabad and laid her back down at Baba’sfeet. Then the next day, when she met theMandali at Meherazad, it was definitely areunion of old friends. She laughed, smiledand generally speakingwas delighted to meeteveryone. We are absolutely in love with herand thank Baba everyday that she is a partof our family. People keep commenting onhow lucky she is to come into our family, butwe both feel that we are the lucky ones andhave been blessed with her.

Benjamin Kiser Goodrum

He was born on July 9th, justone hour and 6 minutes before

Silence Day. Pamela and Billy Goodrum had wanted a homebirth, andafter some research, we decided thata water birth would be a most gentleand peaceftil way for our baby to reenter the world. Frederik Leboyer,author of Birth Without Violence,developed the practice of deliveringbabies under water as a way of gently easing the painful transition fromthe mother’s womb. The practice ofwater birth was pioneered by Frenchdoctor Michel Odent as a means ofproviding relaxation during labor. Hebelieved birthing mothers should be allowedfreedom of movement with nothing to disturb the natural process of labor.

Baby Benjamin’s labor was easy. It wasmade more enjoyable by being in our bed-room, listening to PaulHorn’s flute musicrecorded in the Taj Ma-hal, with fresh flowersand candles burning,and a beautiflul photo ofBeloved Baba beamingdown on us. In the pool,it was comfortably easyto stretch, move, squatand push. An hourafter stepping into thebirthing tub, Ben camepeacefiffly out from thewateryplace within, intothe warm tub, and wasthen gently lifted ontomomma’s chest. He

remained there for a few moments, floatingand gently stretching out his chubby limbs,

meeting his new family.There was a palpable serenity

about his birth, he didn’t cry at all,and immediately opened his eyesand began to calmly look around.We like to think his focus was onBaba. Our hearts were certainlyfilled with His presence. In hismessage to us the following day,Bhau said Benjamin was blessedto have been born on the anniversary of the last day that BelovedBaba ever spoke.

Two midwives, Pamela’s

Arnavaz with Aria

mother, and big sister Annabelleattended what was a most joyfulexperience.

Aria Meher Irani

Announcements continued on pg 43 Billy, Benjamin, Pamela andAnnabella Goothum

21

Dina Snow

I twas their eyesthat got me.

Sparkling, joyous,open, friendly,and above all,welcoming.

What a changefrom a few yearsago! Stella toldme that whenshe first tookover, the childrenwere very shy andwouldn’t lookyou in the eye.When a West-erner showed upat the school, nota frequentcurrence 5 yearsago, they werenot only shy, butalso intimidated!They felt they had done something wrongand The Big White Man was coming topunish them.

What a difference one lady can make—with Baba’s help of course! The changesStella has wrought in this school are nothing short of miraculous. She told me thatwhen the subject ofher taking over the jobof running this school was broached, shethought to herself “First I will go see it. Ifit is clean and well run, they don’t need me.I shall continue on to Canada.” So Bhautook her out to see the school. Stella wasboth horrified and overjoyed: This schoolneeded her—and needed her badly! Thechildren were dressed in raggedy clothes,barefoot and dirtyc One ofthe school inspectors whose job it was to travel MaharashtraState, visiting all the schools and then ratingthem — filing a report to the Government— rated it as one ofthe dirtiest in the State.

Just five years later it was noted as the clean-est in the Ahmednagar District and one ofthe cleanest in the State.

The children present beautifhlly — theyare all dressed in very attractive uniformsthat look brand new. The junior schoolwears red shorts and skirts and the seniorswear purple trousers and skirts with laven

der shirts. Noting Stella’s beautiftul lavendersari I asked with a grin “Did you choose thecolours?” “Yes,” she laughed.

Everywhere I looked — immaculate! Nota wisp ofpaperblowing about the huge quad,no scraps on the walkways around it; class-rooms spotless.

As Stella, Suzie and I visited each class-room, the children stood as one, “GoodMorning Miss” they all chanted with happysmiles. When we would see them outsidethe classroom, we were always greeted witha very happy “Jai Baba!” They are now wellused to seeing Westerners there. As moreand more pilgrims find out about thisschool, they visit it, fall in love with it, andfeel compelled to volunteer whatever theycan. Suzie Biddu, with her classic Englishaccent, spends a few days a week helpingthe children with conversational English.Who better?! Some come to help with theart and crafts, read stories to the little ones,help in the Library or simply be a Teacher’sAid. Stella tells me she is providing classesto teach the older children various crafts,basket weaving, embroidery, pottery — any-thing she can find teachers to teach that willbenefit the children in theirlives, either nowor when they leave school. Soon they will

!.. have items for sale

I that the childrenhave made. Rest

j assured the Love: Street Bookstore

will be stockingthem!

One roomwe were shownwas completelyempty “That willbe the ComputerScience room forthe older students, when weget the donationsto stock it withcomputers.”

Filled with anevangelistic feryour, I thoughtthen and there,

I have to get theword out! I have to tell ;ople how fabubus this school is, how much work Stellais doing! How much help is needed bothfinancially and physically.

There is a growing number ofWesternersI have noticed who, dissatisfied with livingin the midst ofMaya, have chosen to spenda few months of every year in India, (if notthe whole year) — working in the midst ofBaba’s love.

How incredibly rewarding this is. Whatjoy these people feel in contributing theirtalents to something so worthwhile. Babahas told us that “Real Happiness Lies inMaking Others Happy”. In my experiencethis is oh so true! Share thejoy! Make plansto visit the school next time you are in Me-herabad. Visit it just once and I guaranteeyou will want to help. There is an extremelylow fee charged to the parents for the schoolyear the books and the uniforms. But nochild is turned away. If the parents haveno mone that is where the Trust steps in.That is where you can step in too. Send atax deductible donation to one of the fiveCenters in the US that can accept them,the LA Center being one of them, and ifyou are so moved, specify it for the MeherEnglish School.

&orics of the Ji4eiter English &lwo!,cA4ehembad

22

Sue Biddu, London

E route to Ahmednagar last Octoberto visit the Pilgrim Centre forjust one

night I suddenly panicked. I was with mybrother Richard and daughter Zaza, Richardwas visiting India for only six days and it hadtaken a lot of persuasion on my part to gethim to spend that one night at the PC. Inthe end, I think it was the desire to see wherehis sister disappeared to every winter thatgot the better of him. Nevertheless, I wasworried about his reaction to the pilgrimsand the PC. (At this point, “Don’t worry behappy” was very far from my mind.) Richardis a businessman with very little tolerancefor New Age airy-fairy stuff that was, inhis opinion, something nice but misguidedpeople got into. He had also shown very littleinterest in Meher Baba, hence my anxiety;but being a generous and big-hearted per-son, he could understand charity and service.So it occurred to me, I should take him tothe Meher English School.

After registering at the Trust Office inAhmednagar, we sped (exaggeration) pastthe Pilgrim Centre and up the dust track tothe school. Having only visited there twicebefore, I didn’t realize, due to the intenseheat, that the children left the premises at2 o’clock, so on our arrival it was very quiet.We walked up the steps and under the stonearch with the lettering, Avatar Meher BabaEnglish School. Suddenly Baba was every-where. His presence was tangible. We stoodon the wide veranda surrounding the squarecourtyard that was edged by dozens ofpotsfilled with plants and flowers. As we weretaking the peace and beauty in, a womancame towards us with a bright pink sari, awonderftil welcoming smile on her face andintroduced herselfas Stella, the headmistressof the school. I was to understand in time,that Baba always finds the perfect person todo His work. Stella offered to take us aroundand show us the facilities and classrooms.Just like everything the Trust finances andTedjudson builds, it had that unmistakablefeeling ofMeher Baba.

We started at Stella’s office and as wewalked around, Baba was smiling at usfrom every wall. Each blackboard in theclassrooms had His words and discourseswritten on them. The science laboratory wasa revelation, as was the computer room. Thelibrary was a little haven. Everywhere wasspotlessly clean, and Stella’s enthusiasm forthe school and love for the pupils, shonethrough. I made up my mind, there-and-then, that this hidden treasure of-the Trust’s

work in Baba’s name would be a place that Iwould visit on a regular basis, taking otherpilgrims with me. I realised so few knewabout this school. I just loved the wholeatmosphere. Needless to say Richard andZaza felt the same way, so much so thatRichard gave a donation towards their newsports facilities. Over supper that night heturned to me and said, “Now that, I canunderstand.”

When I returned to Meherabad a weeklater I started to organize groups ofnew andold pilgrims to visit the school. (One suchvisitor was Sue Chapman, who has alsowritten her story here.) Stella and I becamefriends—my admiration for the care she ad-ministered to her staff and pupils, and herpassion to really make the Meher School aplace oflove and excellence, really impressedme. I kept thinking how lucky the childrenwere to have such a person in their lives, whotruly cares. I learned about the difficultiesentailed in keeping the school going in suchan inhospitable climate, where an Englishschool would not be the first choice formany families. I learned about the deprivedbackground these children came from andthe terrible adversities that make up theirlives. Stella likes to take the very poorestof children, who are so eager to do betteragainst all the odds.

Every time I entered that arch, my heartwould swell with pride that such a schoolexisted in His name. Having spent time inschools and institutions throughout India,I realized that this school was very special.Established in 1986 there were just 194pupils in 1997. Now there are 452 agedbetween three and sixteen years of age anda fhrther 100 on the waiting list for entrancethis year. Stella says that she will fit themall in. There are three buses supplied by theTrust, which bring the children from as faras 14 miles away each day. The fees are 320rupees (approximately 8 dollars) a year. Forthose who cannot afford to pay, the Trustcovers for them. All children get computerlessons (almost unheard of in a villagecharitable school). There are 26 dedicatedteachers, a physical fitness instructor, andan arts and crafts room. All children get freedentistry and medical care. The exam resultsare improving each year. In India, educationis everything. The only way one can improveones life, and that ofthe family, is education.This year a home economics class will startto help those girls that are unable to go ontofttrther education. They will learn to makecraft items that could be sold to the pilgrimsand make it a self-financing project. More

sports facilities will be built as ftsnds comein. As the home lives ofmost ofthe childrenare very difficult, Stella likes to keep them atschool for as long as possible. Starting thisyear for three afternoons a week, it will bepossible for anyone who has a skill to share itwith the children. In the past, some pilgrimshave done this and of course, every one ofyou who donates to the Trust helps.Our regular visits, on Mondays and some-

times on Fridays, were such a pleasure. Everybody who visited for the first time wasmoved and surprised that such an excellentestablishment existed on the doorsteps ofthePilgrim Centre. Stella said that the childrenwere so happy when we visited the class-rooms; it made them feel special. Last year,The Avatar Meher Baba School won theaward for the cleanest school in the area, andhas been entered as the cleanest school inthe state. Under the guidance ofthe teachersand the generosity of the Trust, this schoolcould be a model for ftsture schools in India.However, for me the school is much, muchmore. These bright, beautiful, eager, livelychildren are having the unique experience ofHis presence, His divinity, and His guidance,from the tender age of three. I believe thathere are His ftsture lovers and workers. Whoknows, they may grow up into adults whowill be the doctors, nurses, electricians, waterworkers, tax inspectors, teachers, caretakersof his Samadhi, and ftiture Trust workers.All is possible. Of course, there are manyproblems to overcome. The critical short-age ofwater is an immediate problem, andfinances are needed to carry on all the present and future Trust work. The Avatar canwith his love, help, and guidance overcomeall obstacles and difficulties. Sometimes Hemayjust want to give us the opportunity tohelp Him...

Sue Chapman, London

I was approximately four years ago thatStella Manuel took over as Principal of

the Meher English School and she hasachieved amazing results in that brief time.On a recent visit to India I had the opportunity ofjoining a visiting party to theschool, and then later sitting and chattingwith her at some length about her visionfor its future.

Meher English School is blossoming-literally. For as you enter you notice thegardens to the front and within the innercourtyard fulled with flowers, drip-wateredcareftully by a system devised from used plastic water bottles from the Pilgrim Centre.

Continued onpg 30

23

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—

2lazrat Duagat 2<han“On the education ofchildren

depends thefttu.re ofnations. Toconsider the education ofchildrenis to prepare for future genera-tions.The heart ofthe child is likea photographic plate without anyimpressions on it, ready to reflectall that j is .exposcd to..

Education: is .a qualificationfor a fuller life, a•.:lifè of thoughtfor oneself nd of considerationfor others. Education is thatwhich gradually expands. . . theknowledge ofonese]fand ofones’surroundings; the knowledge ofothers, those known to us andthose unknown. . .the knowledgeof the conditions of human nature and . of:life¼ demands; andthe knowledge of cause andeffect, which lea4s in the endto the knowledgeø of the worldwithm and without

The Sufi Message ofHazratlnayatKhan Education, Vol 3 p87 Barne

andjenkms, London 1971

IVieher School Girls’Cboruspeifbrming at

fl. Amarfithi Celebration,

r!:::. January 2tN2.

.4 . . :: : . •

29

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Baba pictures and quotes cover the wallsof entranceways and classrooms and thechildren present cheerfully in their seniorpurple, andjunior red uniforms. The schoolachieved the notable award ofthe cleanest inMaharashtra state last year. But it is not onlypresentation that Stella aspires to.

Stella is passionate about the children.She takes those from the very poorestfamilies in and around Arangaon, making personal visits to families to persuadeparents who would not prioritise education, especially for their female children,that they will benefit from attending herschool. Some are bussed in from outlyingareas and they come willingly. They are as-sisted with uniforms and school meals andthe cost oftheir education is fttnded throughthe Trust. In the last academic year most ofthe children graduated on to the Collegein Ahmednagar unimaginable just a fewyears ago. Within the school Stella is raising standards at every level, encouraging notonly the academic attainment of children,but promoting a number of practical tradeskills to determine the fttture employmentofher students. These practical tasks includelearning repair and construction skills, sew-rng and cookery and some goods are alreadybeing produced for sale.

Stella’s deepest concern is for the girls.She explained to me that traditionally theybegin having children around age fourteen,often experiencing a number ofmiscarriages,and typically by theirlate teens may have upto three children to raise. Sometimes thereis no supportive father and some are forcedto turn to prostitution. With education ora craft skill she envisages them becomingself-determining and hopes for a betterfuture for them.

Recent years have seen the reftirbishmentofclassrooms and the construction ofa newscience laboratory and computer suite. Asyet resources have not been sufficient tomake these areas fully operational. Thereis also a large space, as yet unallocated,that Stella would like to see become an artsand crafts production area. She has fifteentrained teachers and some ancillary supportstaffwho are all enthusiastically behind herin her vision. This is one of the many Trustprojects that I felt people might be interestedto know more about. It was deeply touch-ing to see Stella bring a large group of overfifty students to sing at Baba’s Amartithicelebration this year and to witness the joyit brought to the Mandali to see this aspectofBaba’s work ‘flourishing’ in Meherabad.

:1kw :ie Drcw inc into

2/is2ara4ise of ‘Divinc

i:Stellct J’VIaiiucI, J4lcherctbad

east did I know that you wanted to sowour Divine Love in me to glo to radiate

your show. Humbly I bo sincerely I vow Towork only for thee and your servant to be!”

Dear Friends,He has His own ways, He has designed

a wonderftil pattern for each one ofus. Hehas carved each one’s name on the palm, andcalls each one ofus by our name.

I was a student of a renowned ConventSchoolin Ahmednagar. I finished mygraduation, Post Graduation and my ProfessionalTeaching Courses through the Pune University I then started my Research work inthe rural areas ofAhmednagarworking withthe village school children. Since it is veryhot from mid April to midjune, the schoolsclose down

During this period a few of us gatheredtogether to run a Summer Camp for thepoor and the street children, who havenothing to do when the schools are closed.We engaged the children from morning toevening with games, trips, English classes,party games etc. But for doing so we hadto collect at least some amount of moneyfrom the people.

1995 was the first year I went to theAvatar Meher Baba Trust for a donationfor my summer club children. Since I knewonly Mrs. Raj Kalchuri, I approached herfor a donation (as her children were in myschool.) She took me to meet the Chairman,Bhauji Kalchuri and he gave me a donationofone thousand rupees for the cause. I wasextremely happy to meet him for the firsttime. So from then on I kept going for everysummer camp programme I organised.

But in 1997 I had completed all myeducation and I applied to do my PhDin Canada. Luckily I got my admission toMacgill University in Canada and was sup-posed to go to Canada in September. I stillremember what happened: as I was in theTrust office; Alobaji crossed by and gesturedto meet me in the prayer hall, and so I did.As we conversed for the first time, he toldme point blank that I would not be goingtoMacgill but would join them to work intheir organisation.

Really speaking, I didn’t take him seriously, because I was already a permanentteacher in a well reputed Government

aided Convent school. So as usual I met theChairman for my donation and walked away.But after that meeting I was very restless, andI didn’t know why.

Right enough, in September 1997 Mrs. RajKalchuri asked me if I would take over theMeher English School since the SSC resultswere zero percent! I was not seriously con-sidering it, but thought I wouldjust visit theSamadhi, since I heard so much about MeherBaba from the Chairman. So that same day Iwent to the Samadhi. I felt very comfortablethere, like being in awonderftil chapelwith theface and picture ofChristyou see upon enter-ing. This ftrst visit was enough to change mymind — to resign from myjob where I was apermanent teacher drawing a handsome salaryThere was no fear, no regret. I experienced aninner strength to carry on the work that wasassigned to me by Him. When I took over asHeadMistress (Principal) I had to go througha lot oftension, distress, hard work and therewere many hardships along the way.

But, through storm and hailstones, Hewalked with me gently by my side — guidingand protecting me in all my trials and tests. Iexperienced the warmth ofHis breath, whichhelped me to carry on the work I do.

My special thanks to the Chairman ofthis wonderful Trust, Bhau Kalchuri, andthe members of the Mandali, the most precious gems that Baba has left behind for us,and the Vice President.

With all my experience over the last 25years in the Educational field - I can trulywithall sincerity say that this school has provideda wonderful shelter for the poor and the deprived. At present we have 450 students com

Ste/la A’Iaiziie/

.ork

D whatever needs to be done, but do itas a spiritual being, as one who knows

he is divine by nature and unlimitedwith the whole oflife in essence.

Do it as if you are doing it for Me or forGod.

Do it with equal consideration for theinterests of all concerned, for God isequally in each.

Do it with utmost concentration, yet withutter detachment for the results of action. Leave the fruit of action to Meor to God.

Do it as ifit were the most important thingin the universe, yetlet it be destroyed, orignored, or ridiculed without concern,or let it be praised without elation.Leave the response to Me or to God.

Do it, in short, as if you were not doing itat all, but as if I or God were doing itthrough you.

Practical SpiritualityJohn A. Grant, p. 208.Copyright 1985 John Grant and AMBPPCT

3I4::Ji.tj: .:19II.S:II

LV

3udj 2?obertson, J4/IelierctbadNovember 15, 2002

The children at Meher English School will soon be able to learn and hone their computerskills on twenty new computers that are currently being installed in the Computer

Laboratory which was constnicted as part of the Trust Development Plan. The installation oftwenty new computer desks, forty stools, and five printer tables was part ofa majorrenovation just completed on the facility New plastering and paint have been added to thewills, and a smooth linoleum flooring and a new air filter system have been installed inorder to help reduce dust, which can damage the valuable and delicate equipment.

Nine computers have now been fhlly installed, and the other eleven should be functionalwithin a month. The twenty new computers, which have been funded through a specificdonation by one person, will allow each student in a class of forty to have thirty minutesof hands on experience during a one hour class. All children from the third standard uphave a computer class each week. Those in the highest grades have additional time in thecomputer lab on their own.

Students have the opportunity to learn word processing, spreadsheet, and database skills.Internet access and email skills, which are becoming essential in the business world, willalso be made available to the students. A certified computer teacher and two assistants workwith the children. This computer lab greatly enhances the education of the 450 studentsat Meher English School.

ing from many differentwalks oflife.The richand the poor, the happy and the unfortunate,the fast and the slow, ailgathered under Baba’sumbrella, as one big family.

We have them from age three years— i .e. from the Mother’s lap to Baba’s lap— till the age of 15 years. After the 10thgrade they move to a Junior College, sincewe do not have one. Their schooling withus finishes at the 10th grade. Our S.S.C.(10th grade) State Examination results forthe year March 2002 — 66.66%! The schoolhas a wonderful establishment with well- ventilated airy classrooms and a spaciousplayground for the children.

My gratitude to Sue Biddu and Dma whohave given me the opportunity to write andfind a place in this beautiful magazine. I express my profound thanks to all those wholend me their supportive and sacred hands tohelp me carry on my work here at school.

Dear Baba may we all remain close tothee!

In His Love and Service,Mrs. Stella Manuel

Photographs by BifSoper, Meherabad

3’

Acouple of weeks before my first trip tothe Baba Center in Los Angeles, a friend

called me and told me to be sure to tune intoa particular TV channel at a particular time.She knew I would be interested in the show.She had written herselfa note to tell me thisbut couldn’t remember specifics. The air ofmystery caught my attention and I tuned inat the appointed time. It was a decoratingshow. My friend is a decorator so this madesense, and I do a lot of artwork, sooo.. .Thecheckerboard wall trim however and ribbonbaskets were a bit of a stretch. Then a segment came up about using things you alreadyown to create a new look - this I could relateto. I paid attention. The next day I repositioned my couch from the place against thewall where it had been for the past ten yearsto a diagonal position coming out from thewall. I liked it. This new position changed thewhole atmosphere ofthe room. Before I had achance to thank my friend the next time I sawher she quickly apologized for giving me thewrong date to watch the show. I told her thatI had gotten something really good out oftheone I watched. That was the end of it—or soI thought. A week or so later I was in LosAngeles, trying to get my legs steady underme in the Love Street Bookstore. As soonas I walked onto the Meherabode property Ibecame light headed. Mentally, it tooka goodhour to be able to focus. As I knelt in frontofBaba’s chair I was unable to resist puttingmy head in His lap and my arms over His,becoming completely absorbed. While at theCenter, it seemed as though every breath Itook was filled with a love that I had neverexperienced. What an emotional high! I leftwith books, photos, music and videos to takehome with me.

Our workweek began the day after wereturned from LA so I postponed watchingthe videos. But I had begun reading Gift ofGod by Arnavaz while in California and Iwas reading it every chance I could get. Thelove in that book combined with the wholeexperience of the trip had me securely livingin a Baba bubble.In the morning ofour ftrstday off I was curled up in my favorite chairreading the book. Many times I would pauseand let the words and events come alive inmy mind’s eye. At one point I felt a strangesensation in my chest, an internal squeezingaccompanied by an intense sense of longing.I began wishing I could see Baba. I wanted

to see Him move, in this life, with me, here,in real time, now, as others had then. I beganpleading with Him forjust a glimpse. I honestly felt, in that split second, that this was areasonable request. It was as in a dream whereanything is possible and often the impossibledoesn’t exist at all. This longing had takenover my rational mind. Lasting only a ffickerofa moment I felt a slight twinge of embarrassment as I got up to go about my day.

Later that day, when my husband Michaelhad finished up some work and had sometime, we settled in to watch our new videos.The first one I put in was Virginia Rudd’sMemories of Meher Baba. So much of thisvideo is centered on the story of her pregnancy with Raphael, how it was that Babatold her she was pregnant. .(she hadn’t a clue)and that the picture ofHim with His hand onher head was His bringing the soul into thebaby in the seventh month. The story withRaphael’s music in the background made for amost wonderfid experience. During the videothe sun was in its last phase of daylight, andas the couch was in a new position, so wasI sitting in a new position. As the shadowswere shifting in the room and I was watchingthe video, I began to notice on the wail rightnext to the TV a shadow that was beginningto take on a familiar shape. After some moments I mentioned to Michael that I thoughtI was seeing Baba coming from a shadow ofa rock from the fireplace and that He waswearing His pink coat. Michaels’ responsewas, “Hhmmm.” He later told me he hadonly half heard something about a pictureof Baba next to a pink rose quartz rock on

a shelf near the fireplace. In the meantime Ikept watching this shadow become crisperand clearer. Finally, I could contain my excite-ment no longer. I got up, walked over to it,created a shadow on the wall with my ownfinger pointing to Baba and said, “Do yousee this??” Michael suddenlyleapt up yelling,“Oh my God!!!”

We watched the shadow. It changed inways that looked like Baba from when Hewas in His forties until His seventies. Tray-eling along with and through the shadow ofBaba were shadows ofa star, a crescent moonand a sun from three candlesticks sitting onthe windowsill. And then it struck me, andmy eyes filled with tears, as they are doingagain right now...This was my wish! He hadgiven me my wish! To see Him now in realtime. The movement of time through thesetting of the sun, including the movementofplanets, and to see Him at all those ages!This was beyond my imagination, more thanI could have dreamed. To see Him at all thoseages, changing through the movement of thesetting sun, and even the planets!

As I watched the shadow recede I noticedthat there remained a faint shadow of Baba.This shadow is there all the time. It is onlytowards sunset that it begins to transform.So He is there as long as there is light inthe sky

For days we were ready at 5:15pm andwatched the transformation take place forabout an hour and a half We showed otherswho knew instantly what they were seeing.My son in law even recognized His jacketand shoulder. Weeks went by and plans weremade to visit with two Baba Lovers. Theysaw Baba’s shadow over Easter weekend. Theday after our visit with them the shadow nolonger appeared. The faint one remained, butnot the other. I was happy He waited untilour visit with our Baba Lover friends. Such isHis precise timing.The lines from the song:“To every thing there is a season” came tomind. And now He’s back. He came in thefall too. I am happy to always have that hintof Baba all year round, but these seasonalvisits really pack a punch.

[Wepublish thephotojeanne sees here, butyoucan get a better look bygoing to

www.awakeningsinc.comBabaSunsetjpg]

I.•aI••a IJ:fljQflj:5On J’411 .‘i13eatiiic Ei3arucIi, ../lrizouc,

32

7Jina 5now

WJtnt’s !2iappening at cA’Iekrn*bode?

The renovations are almost all completed,our new roofdidn’t let in a drop during

the last storm, the mortgage was paid by theend of200l (but we are now paying off thecost ofthe County mandated renovations of$330,000,) and more landscaping is beingdone. We have one acre ofbeautiftd groundssurrounding the main meeting hall andBookstore. We have yet to pave the park-ing lot, but all the handicap access rampsand bathrooms are in place. The wonderfulsinger Gabriella Tal, gave our ramps twothumbs up; said they accommodated herwheel chair marvelously.

When we bought the propert which wasactually the chauffeur’s cottage of the hugemansion situated on a five-acre estate, (theeight car garage is our meeting hall) the gardens around the chapel had been neglectedfor decades. The soil was rock hard and oneof the waterfalls with pond was completelycovered over withjungle like growth.

1_

The larger ofthe two ponds,now completewith koi, has beenoperational almostfrom the start (seethe April 1998issue for the fullstory).The smallerone, which I haddespaired of everseeing operational,was attacked theother day, not bymachetes, whichwould have beenvery helpful, butwith small clip-pers, a chain saw,and the completededicated tenacityofDonna Lee and

I Ed Flanagan. Having justcompleted creating a Zengarden in his own home(Ed is very much into FengShui) he is setting about creating one for Meherabode.Hopefully in the July issueyou will be able to see theresults.

Wood has been donatedto cover the very rough hewnbeams in the meeting hall(it was, after all, a garage!)When that is completed wecan then hang all the beautiflil paintings and photos ofthe Beloved. Almost 200people can comfortably sitin the main hall, and theseats can be re arranged toaccommodate much smallergatherings.

Two glass doors open:. into the Bookstore, which

still needs more frctures tohold the myriad of items

: we sell. But we are gettingthere...

Following this is an ar: tide written by a lady who

was on the property back when it was ownedby Elizabeth Claire Prophet in the ‘70s.Anne talks about the landscaping that wasdone around what we now call The Dome(because inside it has a domed ceiling thatreminds us of Baba’s Samadhi. Photos onfollowing pages.) How fascinating to get thereal history ofthis beautiful building, and tofind out it was built with such love to honorthe Christ Avatar.

Just a little about who this group was:Mark L. Prophet began the movement—

originally called The Summit Lighthouse.He was much older than Elizabeth, but theymarried and had four children. ElizabethClair Prophet was a very charismatic leader,very sharp and highly skilled as a speakerand writer.

The aim ofthe teachings was the ascension, which involved balancing your karmaso you could get off the wheel of rebirth.

It was started in the late ‘50s or early‘60s on the East Coast and moved severaltimes, including Colorado Springs—whereMark Prophet died—then California. Theyhad centers in Pasadena, Santa Barbara andfinally Malibu and Los Angeles, [in what isnow Meherabode.] Ann joined the groupin 1976. The entire group, in the hundreds,moved to Montana in 1987.

I i _

I’

33

H

Vi

Iam sharing my journey to God with youbecause of an interesting “coincidence.” I

was attending one of Bhau’s gatherings thissummer at a home in Los Angeles, and ina conversation with another Baba lover, itcame out that the Los Angeles Baba Center,Meherabode, is located on the propertywhichhad previously been owned by Church Universal and Triumphant (the teachings of theascended masters) ofwhich I had been a staffmember for many years. When Dma Snowlater heard about this connection, she wantedto know about the building of the dome. SoI did some research and will share with youwhat I discovered.

I did not live on that property which wascalled the Ashram ofthe World Mother. Theentire estate was purchased in a very rundowncondition, for much, muchless than it’s presentvalue. This is because the staff renovated themansion and grounds beautiftilly. I was toldthat the mansion was even haunted by ghostsbefore they worked on it.

I lived at the main headquarters of thechurch, which was on a beautiflil 200-acreproperty inland from Malibu. We had movedthere from a smaller campus in Pasadena inl977because the organizationwas growing sofast. There was probably atleast 500 ftill-timestaffat this time. The ‘Ashram” was purchasedforliving quarters for Elizabeth Clare Prophet,the leader ofthe movement, and to create morespace for all the outreach programs in play atthe time. My (future) husband lived there forsome time, in between going out on lecturetours.

I telephoned one of the builders of thedome, known then as the Will of God Focus,to find out the details ofits construction. Wehad a wonderful conversation and it remindedme of the reason so many of us were there.The main thing I would like to convey is thatduring this period, mid-70s thnt the 80s andinto the 90s, the vast majority of staff members were young idealistic people looking fora spiritual life, and the community providedthat for us. Many ofus had gone through thehippy culture, and we flourished under thestrict guidelines and work schedule laid downfor those ofus on staff

The dome was built with this ferventlove and devotion to God, and of course itmakes me very happy that Baba is utilizingall ofthat love in a very direct manner for Hispurposes.

I telephoned the master builder,James, andhe told me that the dome was built in 1980and was designed in a “cosmic egg” shape,along with the two smaller dome rooms oneither side. This was to reflect the shape ofthe aura. The great height of the dome wasdesigned to enhance clearer resonance fordecrees (rhythmic chanting of poetic verses).Beneath the blue glass octagon skylight wasa beautiftil rotating life-sized, white marblestatue of Jesus which had been sculpted acentury before. Surrounding this statue at itsbase was lush green foliage with spotlightswhich enhanced the beautiftil image ofJesus.The outer rim was edged in pink rose quartzcrystals (ofwhich I still have one that a workerhad given me). I remember on the occasionswhen I came to decree being swept up in theetherealbeautyofthe place. Itwillbe poignantto revisit there one ofthese days. Although Ican truly say the heart is the perfect place tocommune with the Beloved.

James told me that he was one of onlythree men who did the majority of work in

building the dome. Two additional carpenters would come from the Malibu property towork occasionally, and towards the very end ofthe project there were many helpers. An oldchurch member who lived in the desert cameand taught the three young men how to plasterthebuilding, including the hand-made curvedtrusses and arches designed from their ownpatterns. They also landscaped the groundswith gardens andwaterfalls. I can honestly sayit was a labor oflove, and I’m sure that’s whyBaba lovers purchased it.

I laughed whenjames told me about howtheywould put their sleepingbags on the parapet roof at night, stressing what a great timetheyhad, even though they occasionally heardthe sound ofgun shots and riots. It remindedme of how adventurous (and young!) we allwere. I slept for many years in a sleeping bagon the floor ofmy office.We were really havingfun working for God!

Now I will briefly tell you how I got fromthere to here. I was an ardent seeker of Godfrom age 20, unfortunately coinciding withdrug use. Nevertheless, God is greater thanall ofthat and myjoumey took me from twentyyears as a full-time, unpaid staffmember (do-mg every conceivable job from cooking andteaching in the Montessori school to lecturingand writing materials for publication) to theblissfiil opportunity to just be a homemaker.The church moved its headquarters fromCalifornia to Montana in 1987 and soonafter the move I got married. Ten years later,with two children ages six and nine, I was ableto gracefully retire because the church was ina decline and the staffwas shrinking. Also theleader, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, had (and stillhas) Alzheimers.

So the last five years have been for me arenewed and vigorous spiritual quest for moretruth and more answers, my longing for Godbeing very intense. Meditation became important to me, and I understood much more aboutlife byhaving the opportunity to be still and gowithin. Mylove ofnature was renewed, whichI hadn’t had time to really appreciate duringthose busyyears ofnon-stop work, and I real-ized the value ofa simple life. I didn’t have tosave the world. I had to save myself!

A dear friend and neighbor, also namedAnne, with whom I had worked on staffyears before, had a Vedic astrology reading byphone and shared the tape with me. I was veryimpressed with the spirituality conveyed and

4y3Qj:fl9j tood.._/41I11C 2tniiq,J71/loiitaiin

36

my husband, Kenneth, and I decided to havea reading. Myftrst acquaintancewith ChandraShankar, akajadeWebber (entera Baba lover!)was in March of 2001. I remember the ear-lier part ofthe daybefore the reading. I couldhardly coalesce my atoms to ftinction in thegross plane. Light and energy were swirlingand I remember teffing Jade how I felt, andwhat did it mean? Little did I know whatawaited me!Jade helped me incrediblywith hispractical spiritual awareness and even hintedabout the Avatar. But it tooka few months forme to go for the bait. By August I was reallypressing him for more and more informationand when I was ready to hear, he told me thatI would find the answers to all my questionsin Discourses by Meher Baba.

So I told Kenneth that I needed Discoursesand he immediately went to the internet andordered not only that but God Speaks andThe Path of Love. I devoured all of themravenously. By this time my friend Annie wasplanning to go to India with Jade in the fall.Then for some reason Jade called me whileAnnie was at my house and intimated that itwas important for ihe to get to India as soonas possible, and I knew I had to go too. Myhusband came in the room and said, “Youhave to go to India, doi* you?” I looked athim and said “yes.”

I felt Baba’s presence verytangiblybefore Iwent to India, and I sensed the importance ofmaking the pilgrimage, aithoughl didn’t reallysee howl could do it. I had no desire to worldtravel and I had young children whom I hadnever left for more than a few days. But herewas my dear husband, who is not into Baba,making it all happen reallyfastfor me. In fact,Annie and I booked our tickets the daybefore9/11. People thought we were crazy to go, butI think itjust made us more determined. In theSamadhi these words came to me:

rthc TombWmy head at 2tis feet

rthe grace was profound5looded with love

Whik prostrate on the groundSo now I am back home with my precious

family in Montana, growing in Baba’s love andgrace. Words can never express my gratitude.And even though the road is still long andsometimes rough, it’s okay now. I alwaysbelieved in love. I knew that love was theonly reality and the Beloved finally revealedHimseifto me.

What is to Come continuedfrompg 19

Baba has indicated that such an eventualityis possible. A subtle hint of this is one of thequestions that Baba answered in the in the Qand A interchanges that went on in the 30’s.In this particular one, the questioner had askedBaba if science by its constant progressioncould eventually touch on or even cross overthe banierbetween the physical and the subtleworld? Baba gave a rather detailed answerwhose conclusion was that it was impossiblefor science to reach or probe the subtle world.Then He made the following, and from ourstandpoint, interesting comment, “ It [science]may, at the most, touch the extreme limits ofmatter but that will take ages. And who can,till then,vouchsafe for the integrity ofthis—thepresent civiiization?”4

Baba’s questioning about “the integrity ofthis present civilization,”I thinkcanbe taken tomean that this civilization might not last overthis possible period oftime, which Baba refersto as “ages”. Ifwe define ages in the technicalsense that Baba used it in God Speaks, thenan age lasts anywhere from 65 to 125 years.An Avataric “cycle” is made up of 11 ages. Soages actually, is not a very long time. In thisseemingly casual statement Baba appears to besaying that in a period ofless than one Avatariccyde, say several hundred years, this whole dvi-lization, so dosely connected with science, maybe gone—disintegrated, so to speak.

The apparent casualness or incidental set-ting of this statement should not lead us todismiss it. It actuallyaccords with other thingsthat Baba has said in more detail. For example,in Lord Meher it is recorded that Baba saidthe following, which is an excerpt from a largerstatement: “Many a world has gone, and thistoo will go. To take its place, another world[Earth] is being made ready. Three-fourthsof it is already ready, one-fourth remains tobe formed. If this world is destroyed today,evolution will start in another.”5

I would call particular attention to twothings in these words. The first is Baba’s state-ment”Ifthis world is destroyed today. . . “ (Myitalics). This “if” would seem to show that it isnot predetermined from Baba’s point ofviewwhatwill happen,whetherwe will destroy thisworld or not. That still seems to be an openquestion, and that’s the naturalistic part.

The second particularly interesting state-ment is beyond the natural. This is Babareferring to “three-fourths” of another earththat has already been formed, with anotherfourth remaining to go. That particular pro-portion should strike an obvious chord withus. Baba has famously spoken in The FinalDeclaration and its subsequent amendments

that three-fourths ofthis presentworld wouldbe destroyed (said in his “own language,” butthat shouldn’t take away the correspondence).So here we have two different “three-fourths”.One is the new world that is already ready tothat extent, and the other is the three-fourthsof this world to be destroyed. This may reasonably lead us to infer that the remainingone-fourth ofthe new earth doesn’t even haveto be formed. Instead there would be the one-fourth ofthis present earth that isn’t destroyedthat then would bejoined up with the newlyformed three-fourths ofthe “new earth”.

Apart from the relevance or accuracy ofthe above speculations about “three-fourths,”the more significant and general meaning ofthis statement and others that Baba has madeabout earth perennially being destroyed (By“natural and unnatural catastrophes,” as Babahas also said in this Lord Meher section) anda new earth taking its place, is that this issomething that has always happened in thecreation. A present earth being destroyed doesnot mean the end of souls, as souls never endbut continue on till Realization, even if thatis continued on a new earth. The ancientmyths in our world of an Atlantis civilizationthat once existed, as well as that of floodsand Noah’s Ark, may be cultural echoes oflife on a previous earth. This general themeor possible scenario of the future was delvedinto by the Baba disciple, Irene Coneybeare,daughter ofthe Oxford scholar ofreligion, EC. Coneybeare. In her account, this scenariowas connected to the concept ofMahapralyathat Baba has described. Coneybeare writes:

“No such complete destruction will occurbecause man’sjourney through creation is notfinished and the Powers that Be will alwaysstop such an eventuality by some catastrophedesigned to leave enough people to start an-other age.

According to Sufi and Vedantic wisdomthe End of the Hierarchy of Avatars flinctioning on the earth plane will synchronizewith the End of the World. This will be thefinal dissolution of the material universe,Mahapralya. Then follows another ‘night ofBrahma’.”6

If this last point about the “night ofBrahma” is mysterious, it is interesting thatit is darified byMargaret Craske, who beginswith the following in the frontispiece of herbook, The Dance ofLove: My Ljft withMeher Baba. Margaret has quoted this fromAnanda 7

In the night ofBrahma, Nature lies inertand cannot dance until Shiva wills it. Herises from his rapture and, dancing, sends

What is to Come continued on pg 44

37

time. For those of younew to the LampPost,these videos are ifimsthat Baba, Maui andMehera directed Donto take in the 60’s.They have only nowbeen made availableto the public in videoformat. You can buythem by the set ofthree for $90, or the

December wasa very busy

season! I’m so happywe were able to takecare of you all foryour gift giving. Andhow about those DonSteven’s videos?! Wereceived them laterthan I would haveliked, but hopefullyyou all got them in

two Baba 1960 and Baba 1962 for $30 eachand The Great Darshan (Baba’s internment)video for $45.

We have two new CDs in, one from an exLos Angeleno Maraiya Potter who used to

• •::.. attend the meetings at

:...::. Fiis Frederick’s homei in the 70’s. Her CD,

titled Eternity is NowI: displays some very

wonderful singing ina marvelous contralto

. voice. Soft, soothing

.: and entirely captivat

[ ing. $14Ward Parks’ Word

? of God plays up hisuse of choral backing

to great effect. $13. Reviews of both CDsare in the Review section.

The best selling book last monthwas The Golden Threaa’ Barbara Scott’smarvelous accounting ofthe Darshan Babagave (in absentia) to the Chapel Hill groupin 1967. I would recommend this book as agift to someone who has displayed even alittle interest in Baba or the spiritual path—especially if they were hippies or druggiesin the 60’s! $12

A little book that Phyllis Ott puttogether years ago and has not been givenenough publicity is Beautjful Souls in UglyCages. It tells of Baba’s work with thelepers. $6. Following is a story of one ofHis contacts with these people.

Nothing to FearBhau Kalchuri

Once a man of a strong physique asa policeman, he had fallen ill and

developed leprosy. Afterward he fell intogreat financial trouble. Seeking help in hisdire situation, he had pleaded to the ShankarAcharya, the head priest ofthe Hindus (a highranking religious office similar to the Pope ofthe Catholics), and to Mahatma Gandhi, butfound no help from either of them.

Out of final desperation, he came tosee Meher Baba. He explained that hisdaughter was of marriageable age, butthat it was extremely difficult to find aman willing to marry a daughter of a leper.Baba’s compassion was shown as He helpedto arrange her wedding and gave money forher dowry.

The next day, the men mandali remindedBaba about the wedding, and with six menBaba went to Ahmednagar to attend theceremony. The policeman was deeplymoved by seeing Baba, and the marriagewas joyously performed before Him. Thepoor man cried out, “Oh Lord! Only yourgrace has brought about this happy event;otherwise, who would have married thedaughter of a leper?”

Baba replied, “In your ugly cage resides abeautiful soul. Only I can see its beauty andwithout worrying over your condition youtoo should try to see it. You have nothingto fear.” After the ceremony He and themandali departed.

LordMeher Vol. 3, pp. 920-921©1988 Manifestation

Michael Da Costa, long time EnglishBaba lover and collaborator on some ofPete Townshend’s early Meher Baba albumshas sent us two new CDs ofhis. Ifyou boughtGarland ofEgos—his brilliant and sometimesscathing poems—you’ll know Michael surelyhas a way with words! He has generously putthe price at only $10 soA-Z, Words and Thingsas well as LostandFoundare super deals.

Another huge seller was the 2003 BabaCalendars; we sold hundreds ofthem! As I’msure you noticed, the Love Street Bookstoreprices are $2 below the suggested retail price.(We sell them for $11 each, or $10 ifyou arebuying 5 or more.) This is because I do liketo give you all a bargain, a special deal. Yourloyalty needs rewarding! What you need toknow is that every penny of profit from theLove Street Bookstore goes to helping theLos Angeles Baba Center run Meherabode,the beautiful Center Baba gave us five yearsago. There are no wages paid to anyone, nooverhead (I work out ofmy home which has3 bedrooms given over to the Bookstore storage and work areas—the volunteer laborers,(Pris, Harry and Margit) come here to helpwith the work.) The great news is—thanksto your loyalty—at year’s end, the Bookstorewas able to turn over to the Center’s treasurer$20,000!! 2002 saw the highest sales everand $20,000 was the total profit generated by all the items you all have purchasedthroughout the year. It is our blessed joy toserve you and our Lord in this way. Thankyou so much, each and every one of you

who buy fromthe Love StreetBookstore!

1. In His Love andService, Dma

: MeheraL:.MirrolworkS: wall hangings, see

45for story.

5tep Dnside... 7h..,

Jai Baba Folks,

? erBb1 —crrue1960 1

II

Meher Bat Home

1962

38

Meher Center has been celebratingthe fiftieth anniversary of Avatar

Meher Baba’s first visit to Meher Center inMyrtle Beach, which was founded for himin the 1940s by Elizabeth Patterson andNorma Matchabelli. Arriving at the Centeron 20 April 1952, He remained until2l May,when He and His companions left with theintention ofvisiting Meher Mount in Ojai,California; the journey was interrupted bythe momentous event ofHis car accident inOklahoma on 24 May.

As part of the celebration, some of thosewho saw Baba during that 1952 visit havebeen coming to the Center to share theirmemories. On the evening of 17 May, EllaMarks—one of the dancers who came toBaba through Margaret Craske—recalledher meeting and life with Baba.

Ella’s lovely face appeared lit from withinas she beamed at the large audience. “Whereto begin?” Today was the exact fiftieth an-niversary of her first meeting with MeherBaba. Ella said she had formulated a wishfor herseiftoday. Usuallywhen she wishes, itis for someone else—her children or peopleat work—but what would she wish just forherself? “To see Baba again. To have Himpresent in form.”

Born into an old Episcopalian family, Ellagrewup on a farm in Virginiawith four rowdybrothers. Her parents directed her towardstudying dance, and it was her dream as well;after high school she went to Jacob’s PillowUniversity ofDance in New York State. Shehad heard about “a wonderftil teacher fromEngland” there, and placed herself believingrather prideftilly that she belonged there, inone of her advanced classes. Ella was quitepleased when Miss Craske came up to herat the barre. Miss Craske looked at her andordered her out of the class: “You are notready.” The next day, Ella swallowed herpride and with some trepidation went to amuch less advanced class. Miss Craske againapproached her at the barre and corrected herplacement. Ella turned and looked into hereyes and was flooded with a sense of bottomless love and compassion. Although withher loving parents she had experienced love,that one glance opened up a new dimensionofReality Being taught by Miss Craske andbeing in her presence made it the happiestsummer of Ella’s life. Her parents afterward

2<endrn Crossen i3urroughs, JMyrtIe EBeach

allowed her to continue her studies in NewYork City where Miss Craske taught.

There was an intriguing air of mysteryabout Margaret Craske. It was said that she’dbeen to India and had a guru there, and oncea year she disappeared and didn’t speak for aday. The first time Ella heard her talk aboutBaba was in the fall of 1947. Miss Craske’sgenerosityin sharing stories ofBaba with herstudents was extraordinary—after teachingtwenty to thirty students two to three timesa day, she would give an hour or two to thosewho wanted to hear about Baba.

Ella, who fancied herself an intellectual,decided to prepare for these discussions byreadingThomas Aquinas. She laughed as sherecalled the quizzical look on Miss Craske’sface in response to this. Ella later understoodthat what is important with Baba is not whatis in the mind—it is the experience of love.

Miss Craske did not lecture or makepronouncements about spiritual truths; shesimply shared stories ofBaba. She also spokeabout how ego stands in the way ofperceivingHis Reality—and Ella admitted that she hadmore than her share of ego. Another valuethat Miss Craske impressed upon Ella wasthat “small things are important”—don’t belate, don’t be careless, be clear.

“Miss Craske was so beautiflil to me,” Ellasaid, teaching her that people come to Babain different ways—some immediately, othersmore slowly—and that it’s OK to come moreslowly or be more questioning. There was acenteredness about her, an inner space ofquietness and integrity thatyou could hold on to,even ifyou didn’t yet know what love was.

Ella received from Miss Craske a bookabout Baba—by Charles Purdom, perhaps—and was filled with a dread of entering alienterritory that her family would not approveof: However Ella says she never read much inthe begirming, since Miss Craske taught themthat Baba’s way is experiential, not cognitiveor intellectual. But there is nothing wrongwith using the mind, and “my understand-ing is that Baba expects us to use our mind.”Today she can read Baba’s books, and it comestogether more meaningfully for her now.

When the students were informed thatBaba was coming to Myrtle Beach, Ellawanted to go. (Miss Craske never tried toconvince anyone to come to Baba, but simply

said, in effect, “Here it is—it’s up to you.”)She was living on very little in New Yorkand didn’t want to ask her father for moneyto see someone who was said to be the Christ,so she scrimped and saved and bought theticket herself

Ella flew in to Wilmington the nightof May 16, 1952, with two other youngwomen. The next day was her first meetingwith Baba, in the Barn. “I only rememberseeing His form and His eyes—that’s all.”Wistfully Ella said, “I did not see who Babawas”—something that has always been a greatloss to her. She stumbled out ofthe Barn andhad to be alone. Being a country girl, and notrealizing that one was not supposed to strayoffthe paths, she walked for a while throughthe woods.

After she returned, she learned that sheand her friend Myrna were invited to teawith the women mandali. Being the onlygirl in a family of boys, Ella was used to acertain toughness, and so what struck hervery strongly about Mehera and the otherwomen was their incredible gentleness andtheir genuine interest in each individual.

After Ella met Baba, several significantthings happened. The love of her life hadbeen dance, but she now realized that shedid not have the qualities necessary to becomethe dancer she wanted to be. At that time shealso underwent “a rough surgery.” Soon thershe met her husband-to-be, Peter, who wasstudying to be an Episcopal priest. After mar-riage, they lived in the inner city where Peterserved an impoverished community ofrecentPuerto Rican immigrants. Miss Craske wasvery patient with Peter, never speaking aboutBaba to him unless he asked. (Eventually hedid become desirous of speaking with MissCraske alone.)

In 1956, when Ella was expecting her firstchild (Wyatt, later known as Viola), Babacame to New York, where she saw Him atthe Hotel Delmonico. He touched her once,very quickly—an event she connects withthe great transcendent joy she experiencedin giving birth. Peter, a very reserved man,came to the hotel in his clerical collar to meetBaba. Ella joked that when Peter saw Babasitting flankedby Eruch andAdi in their darksuits and with arms crossed over their chests,he had the impression that he was meetingmaflosi.

7: /49aifl2tigliliglits of a 7ctlk by EllaJ7I4arks,J714eIi.er Centcr, J14aj 17, 2002

39

In 1958, when Baba returned to the U.S.,Ella was pregnant again. Tex Hightower andher other dancer friends would be going toMyrtle Beach, but since Ella was eight ornine months along, she decided she had bet-ter not go. There was a sadness upon hearinghow beautiftilly the dancers had performedfor Baba, but it was special knowing thather second daughter, Alex, had been bornwhile Baba was at Myrtle Beach. (Ella hadfour children in all--Viola, Alex, Susan, andPeter--and each was special, but the first twochildren had the distinction ofbeing associated with Baba’s visits.)

The life of a clergy wife was difficult, andElla went through times ofdepression. Part ofbeingwith Baba, she reflected, is relinquishingthings, letting go of illusion. When she firstheard about “illusion,” she had no idea whatit meant—but “youleam what illusion is.” Ellahad to let go of the persona of a dancer (shelater became a psychotherapist). There wasmuch grinding down of the ego and facingof harsh realities. Miss Craske’s stories hadhelped prepare her for some of the roughtimes when “you think you’re over somethingand then—bang!—you get another blow.”

After Baba dropped the body, Ella hadplanned to go to the 1969 Darshan, but thatdid not come to pass. And so her first pilgrim-age to India was in the fall of 1980. It wasa greatjoy to be at the Tomb with Mansari.Ella’s mother had died that spring, but shehad not truly mourned her. On thelast day ofher trip, Ella was at the Tomb and visualizedher mother’s funeral cortege; she was livingit again, and for the first time in her life sheexperienced her mother’s true goodness andlove—something she had not been able to seebecause of the powerfhl personality that hermother was. She was able to grieve, weep-ing copiously on Mansari’s shoulder whileMansari looked on with compassion and aquizzical expression.

On a subsequent trip to India, Peter agreedto go along. While walking up MeherabadHill to the Tomb, he was suddenly floodedwith a beautiflil Easter hymn (“Christ is risen,Christ is risen indeed”). At Arti, he was surprised and said to Ella, “You didn’t tell methey have a liturgy here!” The mandali wereso beautiflil to him—Eruch even asked Peterfor his blessing, and then Mani came running:“Me too, me too!” Peter just melted. Beingwith the mandali reminded him ofthe earlydays ofthe Christian era.

A young man Peter met in India toldhim in the course ofconversation, “Ifyou’reever in trouble, call on Baba’s Name.” Peter

Continuedonpage 41

Stella and Ralph Hernandez sharedtheir story of meeting Baba during the

recent volunteer/community sahavas heldat Meher Center in Myrtle Beach. Forthose of you who don’t know this much-loved couple, Stella is one of the CenterBoard members and is frequently a hostessat Baba’s House. Ralph worked for manyyears in the Gateway and as a caretaker.Both have regularly conducted tours of theCenter for visitors.

Ralph started out telling us how theyfirst learned of Baba through Dana Field,who had attended the 1954 men’s meet-mg known as the Three Incredible Weekswith Baba in India. Baba had mentionedthat He would be coming to the UnitedStates in 1956-to Meher Center and otherplaces-and Dana came to St. Petersburgto tell people who might be interested inmeeting Baba.

Ralph and Stella and their children wereliving there at that time and had recentlybecome interested in spiritual philosophies. They were meeting in a group withother couples who were mostly readingabout Catholic saints; they knew nothingof Indian religions. They had read about“cosmic consciousness” and the teachings ofmystics likejoel Goldsmith, and they had alittle inkling ofwhat a master was-”but notmuch,” Ralph admitted. They didn’t knowanything about practices like vegetarianismor celibacy, and here came Dana with hisseemingly fanatical ideas about food (hisown diet consisted mainly offruits and nuts)and his reluctance to sit close to a woman.Ralph said they didn’t take him seriouslyand considered him a bit nutty In later yearstheywouldjoke that they had come to Babain spite ofDana, because “when Baba wantsyou, He gets you!”

Dana came to the group meetings withpamphlets and pictures of Baba, and thefirst image that Ralph and Stella saw wasthe Mahabaleshwar photo of May 1954,in which Baba is leaning against a railingagainst a mountainous backdrop.

Stella picked up the story at the pointwhere they were to meet Baba at the Center.She said that although she had attended thespiritual discussion group, she was so busyraising her children that she didn’t reallytake it seriously-it was just a pastime. She

welcomed the chance to go to the Centerbecause she hadn’t had a vacation in years.With the children being cared for by theirgrandparents, she figured she’d have a lotoffttn in Myrtle Beach. Well, she did—butnot the way she expected. “The first timeI saw Baba, that was it,” Stella said. Babacame out of the Lagoon Cabin and stoodin front of it just as Stella and Ralph camealong, and for a few seconds He looked rightat her. With that one glance, He stole herheart completely.

Baba proceeded down the steps andover the bridge that crosses the lagoon.Ralph watched in awe at Baba’s physicalbeing—His presence, His aliveness, Hiseyes, His beauty All ideas he had formedabout masters seemed like mere foolish-ness, and “we stood there, dumbfounded.”When Baba’s eyes met Ralph’s, “somethinghappened deep inside ofme. I got all shookup and couldn’t think.” Not wanting othersto see him sobbing, Ralph walked behindthe kitchen.

When the people from Florida werecalled in to meet Baba in the LagoonCabin, Ralph saw no one but Baba in theroom, although he knows the others musthave been there. Baba conveyed in a naturalmanner such questions as, “Are you happy tosee Me?” “Do you want to say something?”

Ralph said, “Baba, when I saw You nearthe boathouse, You took my breath away.”Baba replied, “I take away very little, and Igive the infinite Ocean of Love.”

Stella hardly recalls the details of themeeting; she could only look at Baba. Shewas confused—”Who is this man? Whydo I feel this way?” She hadn’t heard muchabout Baba or read anything about Him yet,but she felt like a little child who had beentaken to the fair.

The Hernandezes met Baba in 1958 aswell but concluded their brief reminiscencehere. Interestingly, when they returned homeand wanted to tell the group about Baba,it had disbanded and they never saw thosepeople again.

Ralph added humorously that they lastsaw Dana Field not long before he died,when they visited him in a nursing home inCalifornia. Ralph chuckled, “And they werefeeding him meat!”

...R.:aIph wu..... S.. t.eIt.a A’1ect ¶B.... nh....2<endra Crossen 73urroughs,

JI4yrtle EBeach

40

was to remember this advice at a crucialmoment. He and Ella—along with theirdaughter Susan, an Indian girl, and a Canadian woman—had gone up Seclusion Hill.It was very windy and the climb was a bitofa struggle (especially for Ella, who fearedheights). The little girl’s hat blew off andover the side, and though Peter wanted totry to retrieve it, Susan insisted it should notbe attempted. When the others were readyto go back down, Peter wanted to stay onthe hill alone near the area of Baba’s seclusion. He spent some time in quiet and thenagain wanted to recover the hat. Wearing apair ofloose sandals, he went over the sideand lost his footing. As he began to slide, hewas filled with terror at the sheer drop (thegoatherds below were the size of specks).He remembered what the young man hadsaid and cried out Baba’s Name—and all ofa sudden he felt perfectly calm and relaxed,and slowly climbed back to safety—with thechild’s hat in his hand!

In conclusion, Ella remarked again on thegrinding-down process she had undergoneover the years. She’d had to learn to comedown to earth and face life (in her youth shehad done things like walk out of a theaterbarefoot, having forgotten her shoes inside).She feels tremendous gratitude for havingmet Baba and for coming closer to Him inmany small ways. “All day, truly, I thought:‘Oh, if I could meet You now—because somuch has been cleansed away.”

Following the talk we saw a brief film ofBaba in Switzerland in 1952 (after His accident), which ended with a shot ofHim spell-ing out this message on the alphabet board:

“I love all those who love Me, with puredivine love, because I am Pure Love.”

:2-larry DanielDedolchow

Ei3arbarci Snow, California

J4arry Daniel Dedolchow 1927-2002(alias Lance Marlowe) entered the

arms ofhis beloved Avatar Meher Baba onColumbus Day, Monday, October 14, 2002at 7:30am in Truckee, California.

Longlost to the Baba community Harrywas rediscovered by Tom Basora, a dentistfrom Graeagle, who learned from one ofhispatients that there was a devoted followerof Meher Baba nearing death in the littlelumber town ofLoyalton, California. In hislast days Harry who was then called Lance,became a dear friend to Tom, and entrustedTom with his special Baba archive, includingmany books, photos and art works of theBeloved, and a 2’ by 2’ silk scarf that hadbeen given to Baba by Mehera and worn byMeher Baba for two hours during Harry’svisit to Meherazad in 1959.

The account of Harry’s 1959 visit hasbeen ably described by Bhau Kalchuri inVolume Sixteen ofLord Meher (pp. 5638-5641), and an interview with him was con-ducted for the Glow. One of Baba’s sailorboys (Herman Alvarado is another), Harryworked for the merchant marines, and in1959 when his ship docked in Calcutta,Baba allowed him to visit, even thoughBaba had stopped giving darshan and hadclosed correspondence. Although Meherawas still in strict seclusion from men, Babaallowed Harry to meet her.

When Tom asked what was the mostmemorable event with Baba, he repliedslowly, “Baba took me to the garden area.Baba asked Mani to get Mehera and thendischarged Mani. Mehera folded her handsand I folded mine. Nothing was said. WhenI looked at Mehera’s eyes, I saw tremendousbeauty, huge black eyes . . .very large. Babaput his right hand on my left shoulder. Ithink he was trying to prevent me frompassing out. I believe he put me under a veil,too. Everything was out offocus. He wantedme to look at Mehera’s eyes: first male, veryspecial. She was fourteen or something likethat when she went into seclusion. LaterBaba said that ofall the souls in the world,she is the purest, and that includes perfectmasters. She is illuminated but under a veil.

When we went back to mandali hail, Babagestured for me to come over. He handedme a scarf He had it underneath His sadra.Baba said, “This is from Mehera.” Meherahad given that scarf to Baba and he woreit for two hours. I just repeated, “Thankyou Baba.” A.C.S. Chari, an attorney fromCalcutta who had traveled with Harry toMeherazad said, “You are very fortunate.No male has ever seen Mehera physically.”

Born of Czechoslovakian parents inArgentina, Harry’s family subsequentlyimmigrated to New York. He left homeat an early age and joined the MerchantMarines, retiring after 30 years. Harry nevermarried and never had children. He learnedof Meher Baba in 1955 in San Franciscoand became a student of Murshida Duce.There he befriendedjoseph Harb, HermanAlvarado, and other members ofa small Sufigroup that had been reoriented by MeherBaba.

After leaving the merchant marines,Harry developed aspirations of a Holly-wood career and so changed his name toLance Marlowe. Like many such dreams,these did not play out as hoped. So heeventually moved to Reno where he spentmany years working at the casinos. Hisfriend Herman tried to track him downthrough the Maritime Workers Union, butcould not receive authorization to bypass theprivacy restrictions. Twenty-five years fromtheir last contact, and just days from death,Harry, through Tom and his contacts withBay Area Baba groups, was able to contactHerman. Harry, in a barely audible voice,called Herman who immediately madearrangements to visit him, braving thediscomforts of a round trip airplane rideon a single day despite sciatic nerve pain.Herman finally found his friend Harry atlong last in a little town 40 miles north ofReno.

It was a tearfully joyous reunion afterso many years. Harry was in extraordinarypain, yet resisted being taken to thehospital in Truckee where his physicianhad authorized the administration of painmedication. Harry viewed videotape thatHerman brought of the 1963 East-WestGathering at Guruprasad, India, whichshowed Harry carrying Meher Baba in Hischair. Harry also received from Herman aphotograph of that scene, which he latertook with him to the hospital in Truckee.

4’

f.: .

‘F

j_ . — - -

_____________

A note accompanied thephotograph:

October 10, 2002

My Dear Harry

In the great ocean ofMaya, we were those luckyseafarers collecting sanskaraswith the minds ofthe world.But deep in our hearts was abeaming lighthouse, enticingus to enter a harbor locatedin the realm ofthe soul. Tellme Sailor boy, what are wewaiting for? Let’s go fullspeed ahead. Beloved isexpecting you, and by hay-ing His compass and tides inyour favor, drop then the anchor and finishwith engines, in His ever-lasting bosom, andOcean of Love.

Jai Baba, Sailor Boy.Put in a good word for me.

Your shipmate Herman”

Meher Baba’s sailor boys exchanged remembrances ofthe Beloved and oftheir livestogether with Him. Herman held Harry’shands, looked into his eyes, and said theLord’s Prayer and the Prayer of Repentance. As soon as Tom returned from Renoafter taking Herman to the airport, the painbecame too great for Harry who asked to betaken to the hospital in Truckee where hespent his final hours. Neighbors and friendssaw Harry off and expressed their love andaffection for him.

On Columbus Day, in which we celebratethe life of another saioi Harry joined hisbeloved Avatar Meher Baba. Herman Al-varado addressed a special last message toHarry in a letter to Bhau Kalchuri. “BonVoyage, Sailor Boy. Hope we will sail againin the Ocean of Love.”

Rooruddin fawwctlames Cox, Jllehercthctd

11’The 2’IigIit the JI4usic Died.11This morning, in the midst of a hectic

work schedule, I received a phone call fromKhuldabad, in Hindi, telling me that it wasthe son of Nooruddin Qwwal caffing. Atfirst I was so happy to hear from him be-cause over the last couple ofyears his fatherand I had become quite close despite neitherofus being able to speak to the other with-out some degree of interpretation. Peoplecoming to Meherabad frequently ask me ifthere is a chance to hear Qwwali and since

it is now the month of Ramzaan and theydon’t sing at this time, I was wondering whenI would get another chance to go. As I don’tspeak Hindi very well, I handed the phoneto my wife and was shocked by the newsthat his father had died on November 11, inAurangabad. Apparently he had contractedHepatitis B without knowing it and by thetime they put him in the hospital, it wastoo late. His son was calling to tell me therewould be no more Qwwali concerts as therewas no one to take his place. It reminded ofthe song about Buddy Holly, “The night themusic died.”

The last time I heard him perform wason our marriage anniversary, and it is impossible to convey in writing what I felt whenhe would sing. Bhauji used to ask me whatI got out ofQwwali since I couldiñ under-stand most of the words and suggested myattraction must have been because I liked theclapping, but I would have to describe theexperience as perhaps something similar tositting in Baba’s presence if he was giving adiscourse in a language you couldn’t under-stand intellectually. When Nooruddin was ayoung boy, he used to sit andlisten to the qawwals at that time when theyfrequently sangto Baba, and perhaps Baba gave him some-thing. I will never kno but the last time wesat in the dargah compound of Raju QttalHusseini, at almost the same spot whereBaba bowed down 6000 times, Nooruddinrained ecstatic praise on Baba, Mohammedand the whole Chisti silsila, while the fogpoured in, sometimes obscuring the lightsand I was transported somewhere else, backto another time and another essence. For afew hours, it was the feeling ofAhmednagarand Meherabad of3O years ago, when I usedto sit in Adikaka’s (Adi K. Irani) office andlisten to him quote Hafiz in Persian for 20

minutes at a time without understand-ing a line, and without it mattering, orwhen I used to sit with Padrikaka on thefront porch of Mandali Hall in LowerMeherabad as the sun set and listen tohim curse the world and swat mosquitoesin a language I did understand.

Nooruddin was a traditional Sufi,and the last time we were with him hehinted that this would be his last Qwwali program. We joked with him andtold him we would go and bring him backfrom wherever he was, but he assured usthat he wouldn’t be far away. There is anancient graveyard around the dargah ofRaju Qttal, and that is where he was laidto rest. But there is no one left to sing.

5Rob 21arke‘am 2Icirke 9eorgict

Rob Narke, the author ofBaba BabaEverywhere Completes His Thur ofDuty

January 26 1939 —August 202002

Rob and I met at the Univ. of Dayton in1958, dated sixweeks in the spring, and thenwent our separate ways. We had no contactfor twentyyears. We were both divorced forfour years, andliving in different parts ofthecountry, Rob in L.A. and me in Atlanta.

Neem Karoli Baba was my guru andwhile meditating one day I told Baba thatI wanted him to send me a good husband,and a father for my children. Soon afterthat my friend and I visited a psychic, PaulNeary, and his guide told me that the manI was going to marry was coming back intomy life. This was discouraging because Icouldn’t think of anyone that I knew that Iwould want to marry.

In July we had a family reunion inMyrtle Beach, (I didn’t know Meher Babaat this time,) and all twenty-two ofus weretogether. My brother gave me a note fromRob with his name and phone number onit. I knew then that he was the one comingback into mylife. Rob and I trace our spin-tual connection to that Sunday in May. Hehad been sitting at his table in L.A. havingcoffee and started thinking about me. Wehadn’t had any contact for twenty years. Heplayed the records we use to listen to andknew he had to contact me. He looked mybrother up in the actor’s guide and sent himthat note.

Things then moved quickly. Rob cameto Atlanta in August, I went to LA inOctober, and we were married December29th 1979 in Atlanta, all seven children were

42

in our wedding, and we began our blendedfamily.

Rob had searched his whole life for a per—sonal God, and had studied many paths andall religions. When Tom Flickey suggestedhe give Meher Baba a try his search wasover. During a meditation one day Rob wasgiven the words “Baba Baba Everywhere”.He quickly wrote them all down and spentthe next two years working towards pub-lishing it.

Announc€men/c €offtrnuedframp

Upcoming SouthEast Gathering

Set aside April 10-13 for the SouthEastGathering for Meher Baba! It will be heldThursday thru Sunday, April 10 - 13, 2003.Our long-time location is outside ofAthens,Georgia, and by mid-April, chances are itwill be nice and warm. By the time you readthis our guests will be on board and we’ll begetting ready for registration. Look for moreinformation on the BabaList, and if you’dlike a flyer, please contact Judi Schoeck:[email protected].

Baba Art and PhotosTony Howell in England has made avail-

able some beautiftil photos of Meherabadand some Baba artwork for you to use aswallpaper on your computer desktop. Thephotos come with full instructions as to howto install: i’wwtonyhoweI1.co.ukwailpapei,meherazad.htm

New Baba Book in ProgressVolume II of The Heart Chronicles is

in progress. Again, it is to be a compilation of stories from lovers of our BelovedMeher Baba.

The Heart Chronicles, Centering is tobe published by Love Street Press, as wasthe first volume. It will be a collection ofstories of lovers of Meher Baba who havetraveled to one of the major Baba centersaround the world and want to share the

Jim Hastings translated thewords into Hindi (they alsoappear on the pages) and thenRob asked children the worldover to submit drawings tomatch the verses.

Last July Rob entered theemergency room with severepain below his clavicle. Hewas in the hospital for twoweeks during which he under-went numerous tests. He wasreleased at the end ofJune, but

unbeknownst to them he had contracted astaf infection. While in the hospital fourdoctors thought he had cancer. They per-formed surgery and removed a cist pressingon a nerve in his back. This alleviated theexcruciating pain, but five days after he camehome he was getting progressively worse.On our return trip to the emergency roomhe was placed in ICU. He was in there forten days and passed on to Baba August 20th.

)_ experience of their visit. (Meher Spiritual>. .::: :: Center, Myrtle Beach; Avatar’s Abode Aus

tralia; Meherabad, India. Ifyou have been toHyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai or others ofthe Indian Centers, these count too.)

As with Vol. I, all profit from the sale ofVol. II will go to the Avatar Meher BabaPerpetual Public Charitable Trust. DmaSnow will present a check for $ 1,000 to TheMeher English School this Amartithi as agift from the sales of The Heart Chronicles,Discovering Divine Love.

Please click on http://heartclironicles.comHeartChronicles/index.asp for detailson how to submit your story and for furtherinformation about this project.

In writing about your experiences to oneof the Meher Baba Centers, you will findyourself drawn back to your personal timeoflove and closeness with Baba and it willgive you an opportunity to share that joywith others.

You may contact Tern Zee for furtherinformation at: [email protected]

If you would like to order VoL I of TheHeart Chronicles, you may do so by contact-ing: Dma Snow at [email protected]

Movie Premier

From Irwin Lucic The Movie MeherBaba,Avatar Of TheAge is scheduled to premierin August 2003 at The Palace of Fine Artstheater in San Francisco. It was not possibleto do it this year as the theater informed usthat they were unable to sign a new lease

It was the staf infection that got him. Henever had cancer.

Rob had definitely been ready to go toBaba. One morning I came in and he toldme that Baba had walked around his bedthe previous night, and held his face. Babatold him “ It would be a little while longer”.I asked Rob if Baba was smiling, he said,“No, but he had a very compassionate lookon His face.”

Upon being told of his passing, Bhausaid, “In Rob’s next lifetime he will be borninto a very close Baba family because of hiswork on Baba Baba Everywhere.”The family that Rob left behind in this lifetime aremyself and his seven loving children. Heraised my five children, along with his own,and we have six grand children.

with the city and could not guarantee usthe theater. But now they say it should besigned soon so we have reserved the theaterfor August 2003 which is the earliest wecould get it. If again it does not get signedat least 6 months in advance ofour openingwe will get another theater. We have to makesure the theater is guaranteed to us beforewe spend a lot of money on the advertisingof the movie which starts about 4 monthsor more prior to the Premier.

In addition, at the end of this year ornext, the video tape of the movie will havea limited early release in order to raise additional funds to carry out the promotion anddistribution of the movie to theaters.

All those who can donate $100 will receive a gift of a first edition collectors itemof the video tape of the movie. Also a firstedition certificate of authenticity will beincluded with each video tape.

The video tape is the complete movie as it

will be seen in theaters. lhr 20mm runningtime. In addition a poster of the movie willbe sent with each donation.

Ifyou have not already ordered the Movieon Video Tape and would like to do so thenmail your check or money order for $ 100.00payable to:

Oceanpower Film Distributor, Inc.,1130 Waterway Lane, Myrtle Beach,SC 29572 USA. Phone: 843-272-8524email: [email protected]; website:AvatarOfTheAge.com

43

passing down an order,and touching on some-thing very important fromBaba to me.

I quickly discovered that wearing twoprominent earrings with Baba’s face on themgave me the wonderful opportunity to sayHis name to people, as many ofthem wouldinevitably ask “Who’s that on your earrings?”I would say “Meher Baba”, and sometimesthey wouldjust gaze, often smile, or say “Oh,the don’t worry be happy guy!”

Once in 1985, while sitting in a UnitedStates Immigration medical office an elderly, foreign and rather scared lookingman started staring intently at one of myearrings. Slowly he got up from his chair andcame toward me, still crouched over and stillstaring blatantly. He got tojust inches awayfrom my face, all the while staring intentlyat Baba on my ear. Suddenly his face gaveway to a huge grin and he said very loudly“Meher Baba!” He couldn’t speak English,but I could see that he, who had looked asour old man not five minutes ago, was nowtransformed into one happy fella. He andhis family started chattering away happily intheir own language and smiling at me. Theonly words I could understand them sayingwere Baba and Ahmednagar.

At first I was quite shy about saying Baba’sname, but nowadays I wear a very prominentBaba necklace and work in an Irish pub. Iam constantly asked “Who’s that aroundyour neck?” My standard answer is usuallysomething like “He is my spiritual Master,

Meher Baba” and iftheylooklike they wishthey hadn’t asked, I usually break the em-barrassment by saying with a laugh.. . “He’s agood bloke to have hanging around!!”

A couple ofweeks ago, some really scruffyyoung people came in to the pub and asked

‘The Question’. When I said Hisname, one smiled and said “Jai

Baba” and with his handsin the ‘namaste’ position,

took darshan from mynecklace by placing

his forehead on it.A second boy alsosaid “Right on, JaiBaba!” and gaveme the thumbs upsign. I have no idea

who they were andin the moment there

was no reason to ask.During a recent pro-

fessional photo session, thephotographers’ wife came into

the room unexpectedly and ran overto me exclaiming. . . . “Is that Meher Baba?”.When I said yes, this woman, whom Ihadn’t even been introduced to, grabs mynecklace and kisses it with fervour, much toher husband’s and my surprise. She smiledand said “I was one of the first disciples ofMeher Baba!” Again, we don’t speak of theincident...it was just totally understood....

One of my regular pub customers whodrinks way too much, constantly asks me“Wot’s the name o’ that fella ‘round yaneck?”; and again the next night says to me,“what’s that guy’s name again?” She repeatsBaba’s name over and over, to get it right!Maybe she’s looking for the Real wine?

It may be silly of me, but I feel that per-haps wearing that beautiftul necklace withBaba’s darling face so prominently displayedis my real job in working at a ‘wine shop’.In any case it’s the part of the job that Ilike best!

However you choose to share Baba withthe world, or not, is between you and theBeloved. “Jai Meher Baba”!! (said loudly andconfidently!)

What is to Come Continuedfrornpg37

through inert matter pulsing waves of awakening sound. And lo! Matter also dances, appeanng as a gloryround about Him. Dancing,He sustains its manifold phenomena. In thefluliness oftime, still dancing, He destroys allforms by fire and gives new rest.

In the above three scenarios I have triedto show that Baba has given us indicationsofeach ofthese three possibilities ofwhat isto come. And there may be others. I invitereaders to send them in to this magazine, butbacking them up by statements from Baba.I also invite readers to select which one ofthese three seems most likely to them, andto explain why.

So Baba has given us answers to the question of”How will it all end?” In His Avataricway, the answers given are widely divergent,so that we can not comfortably settle into anyone known outcome (although comfortwouldhardly be the appropriate word to describethe Mahapralya outcome). In these scenarios,given or at least suggested to us by Baba, wehave a great benefit in Him sharing with usHis Avataric omniscience in regard to the deepnature ofthe cosmos. We are most fortunatein this, as is the case with our knowledge ofBaba Himself But, as we have come to find,that does notlet us fall into complacency Wecontinue to share with the rest of”the suffer-ing humanity” a continuing deep uncertaintyabout what is to come. But Baba gives us Hisassurance that any such uncertainty should notprevent us from being happy.1Discourses,p299.2Discourses,p270.3pp 189-

191.4MeherBabaJournal: V.1, No. 3,Jan. 1939,

pp 84-85. 5V. XII, pp 4202-4203. Civilizationor €haos, pp 88-89. 7The Dance ofShiva, p. 78.

JJQfl JJ tO :j;::?:

en Ei3uggia —Australia/Ctilifornia

Ihave noticed that Baba lovers are dividedon the issue of ‘to show or not to show’

when it comes to wearing His photo. Somewear it on a pendant under their shirt, closeto their heart, hidden from the outside world,but me—I like to have Baba right out thereon display!

It all started over 20 yearsago when Delia De Leonmade a point of tellingme, most seriously,that Baba told herHe wanted asmany people aspossible to hearHis name. I always rememberedher saying this,and I immediatelytook it that she was

44

oefr• rJ?UØC

Caress

5ightings (I)

I saw you in the north countryWhen you came there

With your companions.Yes, you walked past the place where I sat

And, though I asked for nothingYou offered your gift of prasad

But my hands were fttllAnd you passed on by.

You were there at the gathering bythe holy rivers

With your helpers,Discoursing and pouring sweet sherbet

To slake the thirst ofyour loversBut my vesselwas already ftillWith what I ctrried with me.

And it must have been youOn the train, travelling with friends;

I must have been so near to you!But I had baggage for the journey.

I watched all the time to seenothing was taken,

And thenjust glimpsed the lightofyour brow

After I’d descendedAnd counted all my pieces

And looked upAs the train moved off.

At last I came to your abodeAnd you appeared there with

your close ones,Pouring out love.

And I saw how open heartswere filled to overflowing.

So now I retrace my steps,Discarding all I held on to;

Emptying containers,Making space,

Breathing in your name,Hoping and longing for you

To pass this way.

Sarah McNeili, England

Each leafcascades to the earthin a bold Dervish Dance,

spinning with reckless abandon.

To the observer it appearseach dances alone,

yet in my heartI see Your breath

caressing every one.

Shar Wiseman, Virginia

who am Ithat You should be so sweet

stand by mewatch me sleep

but who am Ithat You should call me here

touch my handhold me near

but who am Ithat You should fill my heart

promise me that wewill never part

just who am Ithat I should know Your name

I don’t knowbut please, please stay

MargaretJames, Oregon

5ightings (2)

First in the city crowdAmong the shouts and movement

of a hundred peopleI saw you approaching from the distance;

I recognised the swift strideThat set you visibly ahead

Of those companions;Your outline was clear

Yourjacket faded pink likethe morning sky.

I know it was you.

A long time passed.Then I saw you again, at the station;

I touched your sleeve, yes,Crushed in among the surge oftravellers that swept past you

As you boarded the train,I stretched out and touched your sleeve.

And I know you knew it was me.

But years went byTill one night,In the garden,

0 Beloved - the light ofyour facein the darkness,

The lucent white clothing,Your presence making my senses reel.

Do not despair at whatever circumstanceKeeps you apart from the Beloved

And from those who play in his courtyard.Take hold of his garment.

Clasp the hem with both hands as hestrides on so swiftly

We are swept off our feet andfly behind him!

The jolts and sudden turnings of thisbreathless passage

Never will dislodge our holdEven though it seems our feet do barely

touch the ground.

Sarah McNeil, England

13ut Who Am 3

45

Sunita, Gurjari, Sundari and Geeta arewomen from unknown tribes who had

been living in backward areas of Gujarat.They make a meager subsistence by sellinghandmade articles. Mirrorwork has alwaysbeen their specialty. It is this skill which ishelping them to survive the scars that lifehas thrust upon them. Uprooted from theirhomeland, these illiterate women have cometo Mumbai to survive. They would not havecome out oftheir homes, had it not been forthe earthquake last January. (2001).

Life can always be rough for some people.But when it brings unforeseen natural trag—edies like a devastating earthquake it shakesone’s very existence. At 8.15 a.m on 26th

January 2001 a massive earthquake struckthe region of Gujarat, Western India withits epicenter in the Bhuj district. On theRichter scale it measured 7.5, which madethe Pompeii tragedylookvery small. Peoplewere on their way to celebrate the RepublicDay. While numerous tragic stories unfold—ed, some sad stories seem never ending. Hereis one that tells a tale oflost relationships,being uprooted, and finding bearings inother States to make both ends meet.

And this is why Mehera Mirror workswas created. As Mehera would have wantedto help distressed souls and fellow women,here in lies the story behind the beautifulcloths, some ofwhich are pictured here, thatyou may want to buy to adorn your house.

Santacruz west, MumbaiThe famed Juhu Garden opposite the

police station has a wrought-iron wall.Displayed against this wall are colored,hand embroidered bed sheets. There arealso very bright wall hangings, table cloths,

runners, and bags with mirror work done onthem. Near a banyan tree a makeshift templehas been made. Traffic whizzes past and alady motorist risks the traffic light to ask awoman the price ofa Ganesha wall hanging.The price is not suitable so the lady ridesaway. But a couple walking in the oppositedirection try to haggle for a better price withthe woman. This woman is Geeta.

Geeta is a 44 year-old woman who has setup her shop here by the wall. She says “Takethis piece sir, it is very cheap.”The couple buythe piece and the woman is happy. She says“You have no idea how I manage. I have tostay close to the police station. My husbandhas been missing for a long time. I came to

Mumbai in searchof him after theearthquake. I havelost my family. I goto the police stationin the hope that theywill be able to locatemy husband. He toomay have come to thecity to sell clothes. Ihave been here formany months now.”But Geeta has not yetfound her husband.

Geeta pours out her tale to me, but at thesame time she smiles at prospective buyersfor her wares. She succeeds in selling somepieces ofwall hangings—long mirror workstrips and a few bags—during the courseof the day. For many years their namelesstribe has been in this business. Some of herrelatives are still living in Bhuj and Anjar.They make the embroidered pieces andGeeta comes all the way to sell the piecesin Mumbai. Why this city only? She says,“In Mumbai many people buy such stuff.Lots offoreigners buy our wares. They giveus good prices. Also Mumbai is closer thanDelhi. I can afford the bus ticket to this city”Not all these people have come to Mumbai.Some have gone to Jaipur Delhi, and Agra.The ones with relatives have traveled as faras Kolkatta also.

Geeta laments “We became homelessafter the earthquake. No one came to helpus. We make sales like this to make endsmeet.” Other women like her share Geeta’sgypsylife. Her sister-in-law Sunita is sittingnear a tree with her mother. With anothercustomer she succeeds in making her sale.Geeta sits with her seven year old daughterunder a tree waiting for the next sale. Shemakes a trip to the police station nearby tofind the whereabouts of her husband.

The wall hangings, strips, bags and bedsheets cost anything from 200 to 850 rupees. The prices are negotiable. Mostly thewomen do the selling. The men keep watchover the bundles of cloth in which severalpieces are packed. They do not talk to thestrangers or haggle over the prices. At theend of the day they pack their belongingsand disappear until the next day. The samehappens with Geeta. Heart broken, she isstilllooking for herlost husband. Only Godknows if she will ever find him.

Life goes on. Maybe the will to survivehas been stronger than anything else for thiswoman. Thousands ofGeetas live their liveslike this in India.

[TheLove StreetBookstore thanks Niveditafor heiping these women as she has. We boughta large quantity oftheirMirror Works, most ofwhich weresnappedup atthe Oklahoma Gathering andalso the LA Sahavas but we do havea dozen or sopieces left. Check our website to seethem inflill color:

www.lovestreethookstore.com]

...R4h..L.1..IOfl. S Of ‘.1 B.. rOk:fl . ..

21iveditn Sharma, Dndia

The following is information about the variousBaba groups around the country and a few

from overseas. Having received many requests forjust such information,I thoughtitwouMbe helpfiulto include it in every issue. Ifyour local data is notincluded please send it to me and should thingschange from the published details, please let meknow that before the next issue’s deadline.

—Dma

DomesticL.Azon

Irma Sheppard, phone: 520-321-15663562 East Third Street, Tucson, AZ 85716email: [email protected]

orLaurent Weichberger, cell: 928-600-18207 East Aspen Avenue, #11,Flagstaff, AZ 86001email: [email protected]

2IorthemCaliforniaEi3erkeley

Call for information re rieeting times and places:510-845-4339 or Ben Leet at 510-351-8259.email: [email protected]

SacramentoMeetings occasional Sunday mornings atvarious homes. Discourse meeting first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm. Marilyn Buehier 916-925-445 1; email: [email protected];www.premsay.com/MeherBaba

&uthem California,i:o ..J1ngeles

Meetings every Sunday at 4pm held in our Center“Meherabode,” phone: 323-731-37371214 South Van Ness Aye,Los Angeles, CA 90019(Just East ofthe intersection ofArlington and 12thStreet.)The Avatar Meher Baba Center of Los Angelesnow has its own web site atwwwMeherabode.org to bring the local news,programs, activities and announcements to theBaba community and the public.

ColoradoMeetings Sunday evenings at 7pm at varioushomes in the Denver-Metro area. (Also thecontact person for C’olorado, Utah, New Mexico,Wyoming, andArizona.)Barbara A. Roberts, phone: 303-238-46493475 Moore Court,Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-5543(suburb of Denver)

email: [email protected]

Meredith MoonPhone: 808-573-1188 or 808-572-6556Fax: 808-573-1189email: [email protected] [email protected] Olinda Road or P0 Box 1269 for mailMakawao, Maui, HA 96768 USA

PtnineGroup meets once a month on the third Sunday.We take turns hosting the gathering. It’s always at1pm with potluck first and then meeting.Connie and Doug Leavitt, home: 207-594-0909,work: 207-594-1968 evenings and weekendsP0 Box 125, Spruce Head, ME 04859email: [email protected] O’Brien, phone: 207-594-2280P0 Box 42, Rockland, ME [email protected] or [email protected] Lax, phone: 207-786-4300P0 Box 1096 , Auburn, ME 04211email: [email protected]

AtasshussMeher Baba Information Center (Cambridge).Michael SiegelPhone: 617-864-3997or Linda Porelleemail: [email protected]

A’iontanaAndy Shott, phone: 406-549-5949336 Connell, Missoula, MT 59801

Iew )3orkMeher Baba HouseAngela and George Chen124 Pondfield Road West,Bronxville, NY 10708email: [email protected]://www.MeherBabaHouse.org

2’JortIi CarolinaWinnie Barrett22 Chunns View Drive, Asheville, NC 28805email: [email protected]

Sheldon Herman, phone: 336-288-80902405 Kery Drive, Greensboro, NC 27408email: [email protected]

Peter and Debbie Nordeen5 Fern Street, Asheville, NC 28803email: [email protected]

7exasChris &Anne Barker, phone: 936-560-26313101 Skyline Drive, Nacogdoches, TX 75965email: [email protected]

7ri-.State .}lreaPhiladelphia PA and surrounding tn-state area.Bi-weekly meetings on Saturdays at 4pm.Frank Bloise, phone: 856-696-4374431 West Garden Road, Vineland, NJ 08360email: [email protected]

Washington, D. C.Pamela Butler-Stone, phone 310-946-0236Friday and Saturday Meetings;www.lifeimages.com/MeherBaba

DntemcttionalDsrael

Michal Sivan, phone/fax: 02671-583546 Hebron RoadJerusalem, Israel 93513email: [email protected]

A4exicoRafael VillafaneHome, dialed from US:01152555295-0512Cell, dialed from US:01152555502-7225Email is best as I travel alot:[email protected] have meetings about every month, in MexicoCity at 7pm. No particular day, people on thelist are contacted prior to the meeting, email ad-dresses are preferred. I am also found in Cancunor Acapulco at times, so email me ifyou will bein those areas.

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3loridn7ampa EBaywww.MeherBabaTampaBay.org

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47

Meher Baba with a group ofchildren during the 192Oc.

AVATAR MEHER BABA CENTEROF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

1214 SOUTH VAN NESS AVENUE

LOS ANGELES, CA 90019-3520

Address Service Requested

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PAIDLOS ANGELES, CAPERMIT #3 1394

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