Winter —Spring, 1997

JrDveStreet,Ecimflost

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, The Single-Most Important Baba WorkWe Can Do Right Now

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EditorsPage

from Dma Snow:Jai Baba to you all.

The issue has been a long timecoming! As David will tell you, circumstances conspired to make a Decemberissue impossible, and the April issue washeld up to enable us to give you theMansari story. Then just as we were goingto press, we received word that JaneHaynes too hadjoined Baba. More delay aswe scrambled to bring you what information we could. But I do believe that whenyou have read the last page you will feel ithas been well worth the wait.

No less than three of Beloved Baba’streasured mandali have written expresslyfor the LampPost. Since they wanted theirthoughts to reach the widest possibleaudience, we have printed up a few

hundred extra copies, So if you know ofanybody who would like a copy, ask them

: to contact us.: Thanks to your generosity, the Mani: memorial issue has recouped its costs. I’m

keeping my fingers crossed that we haveenough in the newly established LoveStreet LampPost bank account to carry us

. to the end of the year, when we will once: again ask for your heartfelt contributions

and donations. But please feel free, shouldthe spirit move you, or if you didn’t sendin your donation after receiving the

. October-December issue, to send a check

. any time! You may now make it out to The. Love Street LampPost, and don’t forget to

note our new address.We will be introducing a new feature in

. our July issue—Humor for Huma. Since. Baba so dearly loved ajoke and frequently

asked those around Him to tell Him a good: one, we decided to have a page especially. for His entertainment. So please send us.

your favorite jokes—a joke that you could.

see yourself standing in front of Baba and.

telling Him face to face.Remember Art Linkleter’s book, Kids

L.A. Center, 1989

1997Ashiana

Charlie Morton’s house; 1986Art Center in Meherabad, I 996

Meherazad, 1996Meherana, 1994

Say The Darndest Things? Well, we havebeen reading on the Baba listserv (on theInternet) some amazing things said by thecurrent crop of Baba children. They showan incredible awareness and love forBaba—from the age of two in some cases!Send us some Baba profundities that yourlittle treasure has surprised you with.

Looking at your LampPost you can seehow the magazine has taken on anextremely professional appearance andcontent under David’s expert hand. Alongwith more professionalism comes moreexpense. He spends a lot of time andmoney getting scans of the photographsmade. It is our dream to have a scanner ofour own, so he can do this work at home.(That way, after a hard day’s work, he cancome home and put in another six hoursin his own office!)

This magazine is the result of count-less hours of work by many people, and itrepresents their love and dedication. Inparticular, we are deeply indebted to ourSufi friend who gives us this beautifulquality by printing it on a huge XeroxDocutech. To you all, we say thank you.Your work, in the Beloved’s name, givespleasure to over a thousand people in allthe far-flung corners of America and theworld.

I have a declaration to make. Wemissed the winter issue of the Love StreetLampPost and it was entirely my fault. Iwas simply too over-committed to makeany progress on it. Worse, I was too selfishto even conceive that someone else mightalso enjoy the privilege of working on it.My experience of putting together theMani issue was so deeply rewarding, I feltso much of Baba’s Grace throughout theprocess, I simply did not want to give itup! I convinced Dma that these werespecial times: that moving to the newCenter, and my involvement in securingthe conditional use permit and occupancy,obligated me to more time-criticalpriorities. And unfortunately for you all,she bought it! Dma—who has the greatestcommitment to everything she does andwill lose sleep and earnings to serveBaba—allowed me to cause her thegreatest of stresses by missing deadlines!

I pray, Baba, that all our readers willfeel so rewarded by the contents of thisissue that they will overlook the long delayin receiving it.

‘ covcstreetJ:amiLPost>

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Photograph CreditsPage Photographer or Owner

cover Raosahebpages 4 - 7 Dma Snow j From David McNeely:

pages 8 - 10 Marc Brutus .

Location & Date. Meherabad, 1927

Meherabode; 1997Meherabode; Easter, 1997

1 2 Dma Snow Meherabad; 19961 5 from Meher Baba and His Mandali, by Naosherwan Anzar

©1979 Naosherwan Anzar1 7 Judy Ernst Meherabad, 197919 Dave Lowman Meherabad, 198720 Win Coates; ©Susan White Meherabad21 Mario Zavala Pilgrim Pines, 198725 Ted Judson Miniature model placed at Meherabad, 1996

27 - 28 Beth Ganz29 Dma Snow30 Beth Ganz31 Linda Zavala32 Beth Ganz33 Sita Schwertner-Rupe35 Arnavaz Dadachanji39 Linda Zavala40 Mike Casetta41 Panday Studio42 Panday Studio43 Nancy Wall44 Mario Zavala47 Melan Studio

back cover Charles Mills oil painting**available as a colored litograph from the Book Store; approx. 14 x 12, $26.

Meherazad, 1996

ii

The Love Street LampPost is dedicated with

love to Avatar Meher Baba. Its primary pur

pose is to contribute to a sense of community

among all His lovers by providing a place for

sharing His remembrance. All the members of

the Baba family are invited to contribute to

this feast of Love.

Your stories, photos, art work, poetry, letters, articles,and humor are all actively solicited. We seek expressions of Baba’s message of Love & Truth.

Please submit your text on computer disks if possible(in any software format) ; typewritten copy on whitepaper is also acceptable. Be sure to clearly identify allsubmissions and credit every quote or reference.

submissions, subscriptions, donations:Love Street LampPost

Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California1214 South Van Ness AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90019—3520

213 731—3737— or —

BABABOOKS @ AOL.COM

deadlines:for the January — March issue: November 15th

April — June issue: February 15thJuly — September issue: May 15th

October — December issue: August 15th

Street Bookstore:Dma Snow (at the addresses above)

310 837—6419 between 7:00 & 11:00pm310 839—BABA (2222) 24 hour fax

BABABOOKS @ AOL.COM

credits:editors: Dma Snow & David McNeely

copy editor: Clea Sucoff & Dma Snowdesign & layout: David McNeely

distribution: Clea Sucoff & Harry Thomas

Iquarterly in January April July andctober All -

contents © I 996 Avatar Meher Bab4Denter ofSouthern California All quotations dfvatar MeherBaba or books ©AMBPT India

MeherabodeL.A. Is Getting Centered!

Moving Day

Letter from Meherabode

MansariMansari Joins Her Beloved

;: Mansari

.:. Poem

: Mansari’s Special Disease:. What Could Mansari Reply?

Tea With MansariMansari

in the Earlier Years

Thursday, September 4, 1996

Mansari’s Pyre

Jane HaynesCables from India

Beloved Baba’s Jane

Thank You Jane

“Baba Wants to See You”

Archives & Museum ProjectCircular No. 2 Meheru Irani, Bhau Kalchuri

Special Guests Travel to Meherabadto Help Plan Conservation Building

The Single-Most Important Work We Can Do

A Sweet Responsibility; A Special Privelege

A Note from our Trust-Walli

Share in the Treasure

TIps for Preserving Your Precious Baba Treasures

special featuresBaba’s Filis

Knots

Meher Baba’s Warnings About the Occultan interview with Arnavaz N. Dadachanji

We Are All One

On Caring

departments:Editors’ Page

Step Inside the Love Street Bookstore

reviews:Meher Wine

Li’ht on RunninR Water

welcome

: • )A publication of the Avatar Meher Baha Center of Southe. . . . :

CoveStreetjamjPosbfeatures:

VI

IIi

Love

Jeff Maguire 4

David McNeely 6

Donna Sanders 8

Dr.Anne 12

Janaki 13

Mansari 13

Mansari 14

BalNatu 16

Sophie Ernst 17

JudyErnst 18

James Cox 19

JamesCox 20

mandali 22

Adele Wolkin 22

Kaye Panicke 22

Jane Haynes 23

& Committee 24

Dot Lesnik 27

Dma Snow 29

Nancy Wall 30

Lynne Berry 31

Adele Wolkin 34

32

Lynn Maguire 39

Filis Frederick 39

NancyWall 40

Bhau Kaichuri 44

Meheru 46

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34

Katherine Wiederhold 33

James Wilson 38

by Jeff Maguire

I was the key that somethought Baba might never turnbut, as you read this, the

Avatar Meher Baba Center of South-em California has completed thepurchase of more than an acre of landin the centrally-located mid-Wilshirearea of Los Angeles. The site, aretreat-like gated compound, featuresa large meeting space for up to 1 50, akitchen, bookstore space, kids’ playarea, separate storage buildings andon-site parking for 30-40 cars. Andthat’s not all: stroll through sometrees, past a goldfish pond and anaviary, and you come to a glass-domed, marble-floored chapel with a

pair of reading rooms on either side ofit.

Some of us, when we first heardabout the place, couldn’t help but beskeptical. Over the years we’d lookedat so many potential sites; places thatwere embraced by some, scorned byothers, and ultimately, always rejected.

Bobby Manonash had made aregular routine of New Center jokes.In one of them, the answer was “Afterthree-quarters of the world is destroyed. “ The question was “ Whenwill the L.A. Baba group be able to find

: an affordable permanent site?”.

Another answer: “ Beyond imagination

and conception;” the question: “What.

are the odds we’ll find a permanentsite in our lifetime?”

So yes, we may have been less thanenthusiastic as we drove out to look atthe site, but once there.. . Oh Baba!

“It feels like Meherabad, “ said onevisitor.

“It looks like Mandali Hall, “ saidanother.

“ It reminds me of Guruprasad. ..“

“It has an atmosphere like MyrtleBeach...““You step inside and youcan’t believe you’re in L.A.”

Perhaps Adele Wolkin summed itup best, “Now, this is a Baba Center.”

Pris Haffenden was reminded of a

.:..... 1j34mtJ:Iost)

note Baba’s beloved sister Mani hadwritten to her back in ‘92, when therejection of a potential center hadresulted in some discord. “Baba lovesto play hide and seek, “ Mani wrote.“The new center will pop up in frontof you, then all hearts will sing out,‘This is the place! ‘ Jai Baba.”

The place first popped up in frontof Donna Sanders who spotted it insome real estate listings and brought itto the attention of the Board ofDirectors. Since then, all hearts havebeen singing out in praise of the site.On December 7th, the membership ofthe L.A. group voted unanimously (butfor two noes) to proceed with thepurchase.

Donatons came in from all over theglobe to help raise the $380,000purchase price. Incredulous that anacre of L.A. would be available at thisprice, one of our members exclaimed,“Baba is giving us this place on averitable silver platter.”

Indeed. A few years back, members of our Long Range PlanningCommittee sat down to define our“ Dream Center, “ without regard foreconomic or geographic reality. Some

said a member.The fund-raising effort was suc

cessful enough that our mortgage inow less than what we were paying inrent at the old place, which is a goodthing since there’s a great deal of workto be done and much of it will becostly. Fortunately, there have beenvery hard-working zealots eager for ataste of mastery in servitude: DmaSnow and Lynn Maguire have headedthe gardening detail; Tamara Mark leda highly artistic cleaning crew; andNancy Merwan and others have beenkept busy decorating.

Meanwhile, Donna Sanders continues to work tirelessly. She and DavidMcNeely are spearheading the effort tosecure a zoning variance and occupancy permit.

In retrospect, the Beloved’s handiwork is clearly visible and we can seehow the years of hard work, and eventhe controversies and difficulties, havelaid the groundwork for us to finallyown and run a large Center. We aregrateful to Baba and to all who helpeddo the work and raise the money tomake the dream come true.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!

5

‘:• •.:::..

scoffed at this excercise as a waste of: time, yet the new property almost; exactly fulfills the “dream” they laid: out through that process. “Itjust goes

to show you; Baba really is in control,”

t

Eight in the morning to eightin the evening was the day’sprogram—a long day de

voted to moving out of the old andinto the new. More than fifty peoplecame from all over to help make a newhome for Baba. It was so wonderful towalk from one room to another, fromone building to another, and every-where clusters of people joyouslyworking together. Shirin Lorkalantaribrought a wonderful noontime feast:hot soup and fresh french bread andtrays of cheese, meats, and garnishes.So as some continued to work, otherswould sit in small groups and enjoy aquiet meal together. By the end of theday, books were on the shelves, theoffice was operational, the kitchenwas organized, used, and cleaned, andof course many photos and paintingsof Baba adorned our walls. As thingsquieted down, we even took time towatch a video taken in Meherabad inthe early ‘70s. Finally, the workconcluded with a celebratory pizzagenerously provided by Lynn Maguireand Fred Stankus.

Although some of us had thought itwould be a lot of work which mightrequire the traditional pizza reward,in fact, the whole day became acelebration, and the true “reward” wasa most beautiful arti in the chapel,with a Mehera-full moon lighting theroom through the domed skylight.With the domed ceiling, the windowson three walls, the marble floor, Baba’schair, and most of all the presence ofBaba, the feeling for all of us wasremarkably like being in the Samadhi.

Perhaps most importantly, thecenter during the course of this daybecame “ours” to all of us who werethere. One person said, “ Isn’t thiswonderful? It’s like we are all a familymoving into a home ! “ And because

%3 t (;K t 3

the home is Baba’s, that family feelingwhich already pervades has thequalities we recognize from being inMeherabad : all-embracing, inclusive,and restorative. The harmony wasjoyous!

If I may be personal, this was oneof the best days of my life. Afteralmost everyone had left, I spent sometime walking from room to roomfeeling the simplest of Jai Baba’slaughing in my heart. I sat for a whilein what will become our meeting hall,and I was sure it was Baba’s Silencewhich was lingering there.

I know with the deepest of convictions that this place is Baba’s. Every-thing is Baba’s of course, but that isnot what this is. This is personallyBaba’s, the way Meherabad and MyrtleBeach are Baba’s. That we couldacquire such a place as this so per-fectly tailored to our needs (and thatthe generosity of our larger community nearly exploded to make itpossible!) should be miracle enoughfor any skeptical mind. But moresignificantly, His presence is there forall of us to partake. It kisses you whenyou simply enter the gates. On one ofmy first visits there, I arrived feelingvery harried, very crowded inside withstresses on every level, resenting eventhe necessity of interrupting my day’splan to attend to some matter. . . andleaving a short while later witheverything internal cleaned, and spacemagically restored. I certainly had notbrought Baba with me, but He left withme ! In other words, His presence isnot there because we have collectedwith love in our hearts and called Himto us. I think this is different. I believeHis presence precedes us. It is there togive to us whenever we come.

Thank you Baba.

Beloved Avatar Meher Baba ki Jail

£ve&reetEam11?osL

. .,.•:.

:;.ii

Into the new:Clive Adams & Charlie Morton move Baba’s chair

into our new center, Meherabode

December 5 1996

: My dearest Beloved Baba’s dear ones in L.A.,I am extremely happy to hear that you are now having a new center which

appears to me to be a most beautiful site. And though in the city, it appears to besecluded from the city.

..I have seen the map of the site. And it appears to be a very suitable and ideal

site. If the site is procured I believe Beloved Avatar Meher Baba will be very very:: pleased.

The problem of payments is there. And I believe that if the residents of. .

Lunatic Asylum put their heart for this project, Beloved Baba will definitely help: them to procure this site. And I know every resident of Lunatic Asylum will do

. his or her best to put maximum efforts to have it.: May Beloved Avatar Meher Baba help His dear ones to get His Home in L. A.

. so that all these lunatics may get the throats of nightingales and sing His glory in

.

: His Home in L.A.With all love and Jai Baba to you.

.

In His Love,

. . Bhau

:[note: Lunatic Asylum is Bhau’s definition of “L.A.,” which of course then allows

: him to call all of us who live here lunatics—affectionately, we believe. In fact,. : sometimes when he is in a more formal mood, he calls us lunatics in Baba s

Love —ed]

7

Letterfrom

Meherabode

byDonna SandersThe winner of the egg-toss, Behzad Partovi

Congratulations and welcome! Your love, given withsuch focus for so many

years, has made it possible to moveinto this lovely place provided by ourBeloved. We purchased this circa 1913fixer as is, for about $40,000 underthe appraised value and $64,000under the listed price. So now begins

ir—----

the fixing. For our conditional use andoccupancy permits, we’ll need tosatisfy the city building codes byseismic retrofitting, re-roofing, rewiring, re-plumbing, creating handicapped access, and building four newbathrooms—the hard realities ofhammers hitting nails, debris flying allover, carpentry, paint, polish. We’llneed so much help from everyone:please keep those pledges and lovingdeeds flowing!

To see why so many people say thisplace has the flavor of India andMyrtle Beach, come hang out and feelit, and do some work. Our center is acultural monument because of thearchitecture of the Milbank Mansion(from which our land was divided),but the Cultural Heritage Commissioncould never have imagined thesignificance the carriage and gardenhouses would one day have. Baba’ssadra and chair seem to fit so wellhere.

People have been asking what daysthe center will be open. Let’s make it aday retreat center, as well as a meet-ing place, where people can come tolearn more and more, and still yetmore about the Beloved.

Mehernoush Lorkalantari, thevolunteer coordinator, is asking forpeople to act as docents. Can you be

here for four or five hours, once amonth, week, or everyday? Come

: garden, set up the reading room, hangout in the aviary, watch the birds

splash in the waterfall. Answer thephones, answer the mail, begin tobuild a better archives. Bring lightbulbs, paper towels, put up outdoorlights. Check the bulletin boards fornewjobs that you can take on andcomplete. Maybe baby-sit the moviecrews who will occasionally rent ourparking.

The number of hours you arewilling to be here to greet visitors as adocent will be the number of hoursthe beautiful gates will be open for all.

Some of the neighbors have startedto drop by, too. One woman said shetook her little niece for a walk and thegirl led her right to the gate. So theycame in, fed the fish, browsed in thebookstore. She was happy that such aserene place was only a street awayfrom her. After she’d been there forsome time, I noticed there was writingon her T-shirt and pants: “Don’tWorry, Be Happy. “ She promised tocome back.

The beauty of our paradox is this:while we do the gritty work, sharingour skills and learning new ones (andbumping up against each other’sworking egos) we get to keep waking

--up into newdreams. I thinkthis pleases -

Him—at least itmakes Himlaugh. Andwhen we lookup from ourtasks, asking

. what’s next, we

I. can see deeperand deeperthrough theillusion to findjoy because weare not dream-ing alone.When I see Hischair and sadra

.: in this new

::---- - —

place I mreminded: the

master Dreamer, the Awakener, is athome. He always has been.

Jai Baba!

‘ I’

hir ),OVeStTCet1Amf1?OSL) 9

The Love Street Book Store in its new location

Vesta Partovi hunting Easter eggs in our bamboo forest

From the archives ofone ofourmembers, an article published in our

center newsletter dated

January, 1979:

PermanentSite of the

Centerby Ken Havens

The Board of Directors has approved the formation of an ad-hoccommittee for the purpose of administering the search for apermanent site of thecenter.

The acquisition of apermanent site wouldmean that we would ownproperty rather than payrent. It is understood thatBaba doesn’t need this,but we do. And Babawilling, it will be. It is feltthat it would help theBaba community ofSouthern Californiastrengthen relations andaid the future work inour community. And itwill be a start to promoteservice for the community at large.

The proposal presented stipulated that thesite chosen should be aconsolidated effort of allBaba lovers in SouthernCalifornia. In order tobest serve our community, the location will be in Los Angeles County.

of course, the firstjob we have isto raise funds. The center has startedthe fund for a permanent site with$2,000. Our immediate effort is toconcentrate on ways to build anadequate fund for at least a downpayment. The pot luck on December

was our first permanent site fund-

raiser. Attended by approximatelyforty Baba lovers, we made about $80.Let us know if you have ideas forfund-raisers!

Meanwhile, we can all be on thelook-out for possible locations. A formdescribing all pertinent details will bemade available.

There are many questions con-cerning what will be done with thisnew center location. What we haveand how it will develop depends onyou, dear Baba lover. This gives us achance to work together.

Jai Baba!

What’s

in a Name?Some years back, Lynn Maguire

asked Bhau to suggest a name for ournew center. Lynn conveyed Bhau’schoice, “Meher Abode, “ to Dma Snow,who thought she heard only one word.Dma then asked Meheru and Arnavazhow they liked blending both “Meher”and “ Mehera” together as“Meherabode. “ They agreed—it has anice ring.

I

Lois Jones and Mia Campagna

Our hosts for the Eastercelebration, Gigi Driessen and

Fred Stankus

note: at the close ofescrow, we were ableto put down a total of$245,000 toward the

purchase!

Bryan West and Will David

z3?®t

Beloved Baba has taken unto HimselfHis dear Mansari, who served as abeacon ofHis light on Meherabad Hill for manyyears and is now mergedinto the Sun.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jail

—Eruch, Bhau and all Meherazad men and women mandali

£oveStreetCtim1j;?osL .1

Sunday, l2January 1997

I t fr$:• Q

Mansari Joins Her Belovedby Dr. AnneMeherabad, 24 January 1997

Beloved Baba took Mani Desaito Himself at 7:40 on themorning of January 1 2,

1 997. She was better known asMansari since Baba changed her namewhen she came to live in His ashram.

Mansari had been ill since earlyNovember, with abdominal pain and alow-grade fever that slowly increased.A sonogram revealed masses in herliver, and blood tests indicated asevere infection. She did not respondto various treatments. By late November she had lost her appetite, butwould still get up in the morning andspend the day in her chair. Graduallyshe grew weaker, and on December7th she announced she was giving herchair sutti, meaning a holiday.

Mansari had repeatedly said overthe years that she did not want to go_o hospital, so we honoured herrequest and she passed her final dayson Meherabad Hill, where she hadlived since 1949 by Baba’s order.Several Meherabad residents andpilgrims volunteered to be her attendants throughout the long days andnights. Mansari continued to enjoyvisitors, perking up to speak withNana Kher each morning, with JangleMaster at tea time each afternoon, andwith numerous pilgrims before andafter Arti. Children especially seemedto be attracted to her bedside. Butwith every day that passed, Mansariwould spend more and more timeasleep.

I am knocking at the doorofthe Perfect Onewhy should I cry?”

. ,.,

..,. - .

A Baba-lover surgeon performed anaspiration biopsy at her bedside. Thefirst report was inconclusive, but thefinal report revealed that the masses

.in her liver were metastases from acancer of the digestive tract. At thatpoint, there was no possibility of acurative treatment, so we continuedto care for her in her room.

Mansari often quoted some of the900 couplets of Kabir that she hadlearned by heart after Baba left for theNew Life. Baba used to call Mansari

Kabir ni cheii, meaning “disciple ofKabir. “ Mansari had been proud of herexcellent memory, but during her lastyears she had to see it fade. Yet evento the end, she still remembered someof Kabir’s couplets. We would often seeher hand moving to check the meterof a line she was trying to recapture.Once she had recalled the wholeverse, she would repeat it a few timesin Hindi and then translate it intoEnglish for our benefit. Through thelines she would quote, we could seeher growing acceptance of her condi

tion. “I am knocking at the door of thePerfect One, why should I cry?” shewould often say. Also, “Those tyrantshave imprisoned me. How can I find

.

Your lane?” Once her caregiver toldI her, “ Mansari, you are in Baba’s

hands. “ She replied, “No, my head isat His feet.”

Mansari always remembered thateverything happening was her Master’swill. She used to say in the beginningof her illness, “Baba is the root causeof all this mischief, be sure, be sure.”And on the afternoon of January 1 ith,her attendants noted that Mansariwoke several times from her sleepsmiling and saying, “He is so beautiful,so beautiful. “ At about 4:00 that

“Those tyrants have imprisoned me.How can I find Your lane2

afternoon she lost consciousness. Shewas surrounded by several closefriends and a stream of well-wisherswho sang and chanted Baba’s name forseveral hours. During the night shebecame conscious for a few minutes.She seemed to be repeating Baba’sname.

At 7:00 a.m. on January 12th,Baba’s prayers were recited and Artiwas sung in her room, followed by thecontinual chanting of Baba’s name.Mansari breathed her last peacefullyat 7:40 that morning. It had drizzledin the night, and the morning air hadan especially vibrant quality. InMansari’s room an immense peacecould be felt. Oceanic peace. She wasfinally freed from this small body. Shewas finally with the One to whom shehad given her heart. Despite theemaciation of the disease, Mansarilooked beautiful and strong. After shewas bathed and dressed in the sari inwhich she had wished to be cremated,

1$ £oveStreetThmtfPosb

Meherabad residents, pilgrims, andalso villagers, who held her in greatesteem, filed by her bed in her spartanroom to pay their respects.

In the afternoon, all Baba’s menand women Mandali came fromMeherazad to say a final farewell.Meheru remarked to all those present

And on the afternoon ofJanuary1 1 th, her attendants noted that

Mansari woke several times fromher sleep smiling and saying, “He is

so beautiful, so beautiful.”

that Mansari was a tiny sparrow aswell as an eagle. Mansari’s body hadbeen carried on a stretcher from herroom and placed near Baba’s gadiunder the tin shed. Baba’s gadi hadalways been very special to Mansari.Before Baba departed for the New Life,Mansari had asked that His seat bekept there so she could continue totake Baba’s darshan everyday. And

much later, when Mansari’s legs couldno longer carry her all the way toBaba’s Samadhi, this is where shewould come and bow down. So wegathered there to say our good-byes.Songs of earlier times were sung suchas Urn narno, Meher Baba and MeherRaj. It was a beautiful, magical moment on Meherabad Hill, when onefelt carried back in time, sitting underthe tin shed with the women Mandaliaround Beloved Baba. Dear Mansarihad been part of this Hill for so manyyears ! What special memories she is

. taking with her from these days of thewomen’s ashram...

Then it was time to depart, andMansari’s body was carried on thestretcher to the Samadhi for a lastdarshan and then down the hill. Shehad a beautiful cremation, with theBaba lovers from Bombay and Poonasinging all her favourite Indian songs.The atmosphere was of a softjoy. Theday on which Mansari finally joinedher Beloved was the anniversary ofthe day Baba asked that the Dhuni be

lit on the 1 2th of each month—January 12, 1941. Mansari had alwaysshown special reverence for theDhuni, perhaps because she had come

. to Baba through His Dhuni ash that

. cured her terrible skin disease. At

. sunset, as Mansari’s funeral pyrecontinued to burn, Baba’s Dhuni waslit - more flames to bid farewell toMansari, the woman who had not been

“Baba is the root cause ofall thismischiel be sure, be sure.”

afraid to come live near the fire of theAvatar.

on the morning of the third dayafter the cremation, Mansari’s asheswere collected. They will be kept onMeherabad Hill until they are interrednear Baba’s Samadhi, as He hadpreviously instructed.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!

Mansari

I loved her always-sparkling eyeswhich sometimes could also be quitefiery. She was many things to manypeople—vivacious, fiery, strong-willed,determined. Generous, humorous andas soft as butter if someone had aproblem. While her face had becomelined in her later years—to me shewas very youthful as she was alwaysready to try or learn anything new.She would tell children to say Baba’sname five times when they went tobed at night, and before their feettouched the floor in the morning toget out of bed, to say Baba’s name fivetimes again. One July I remember fiveboys about 8—10 years old would havecontests with each other to see if eachof them would remember to do this

by JanakiTucson, Arizona

while in the Meher Pilgrim Center—which of course kept them ll remembering. She was always available—seven days a week, 365 days a year,from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., no matterhow tired or ill she was. Sometimesshe would be truly exhausted, mayberight after Amartithi or when she hadnot had a nap for a few days or whenexperiencing a cold—which she gotfrequently—but she would never stoppeople from seeing her, or even closeher door. A few times when I tried toclose her door (when she would betaking a nap on one of those exhausted days) she would wake up andweakly say, “ Leave it open—they haveall come so far and for Baba.”

r

Poemby Mansari

transribed from a videoby Laurie Brook

You know, you know...you might be knowing aboutthe New Scheme of Savings

Of course not commission,Of course not partnership,Anti not even investment

But count, count, countor say, Baba, Baba, BabaAnd fill up your accountin the Universal Bankwith Baba, Baba, Baba.

3s®t

, .,iviansari sSpecial Disease

This story is from a conversationin the early 1 970s. It is reprinted fromthe newsletter ofthe Northern California Baba group, with permission,and with gratitude.

by Mansari

Sometimes I say that I sat inthe train and I came to‘Nagar, and I came to Baba!

But now, the real thing—how I cameto Baba. I was born in Bombay andlived there for 1 5 years. My auntraised me because she loved me andshe had no children. My parents usedto stay in Navsari.

Until the age of 5 years, I was veryhealthy—skinny, but still veryhealthy. Then I got an awful skindisease, on the feet and on the hands.jt spread from my feet up to myknees, and from my hands up to theelbows. The rest of the body and facewas completely intact, but where thedisease was I was scarred, I thoughtfor life. My dear aunt took utmost careto cure me, and every medicine wastried but failed. When I was 1 2 yearsold, somebody suggested a skinspecialist, so I was taken there byKaikobad Dastur, a close family friendand the one I liked and trusted most.When that doctor saw me, he said,“Really, I don’t know why the otherdoctors didn’t cure her. It’s a verysimple case. “ Well, the poor doctortried his best, for months, but hecould not cure me. He tried every-thing. He gave me 75 injections in oneday! But it did not work at all, and atlast he had to say, “ I’m very sorry tosay that this child has to suffer for therest of her life, because I have neverseen such an obstinate disease. “ Iheard that, and since by nature I’mobstinate, this just added to myobstinacy. I decided not to go to anymore doctors and concluded that all

doctors were hypocrites. From thenon, whenever my aunt would suggest adoctor, I would refuse.

In 1925 my aunt died so, naturally,I had to go to my parents. My fatherhad been following Baba for two yearsat that time, so my parents tried to

. ,÷ 7”___ .,

To this day I don t know howorwhy butlcried Ialmostsobbed I cried like a child

&X and I went to Baba with tears.Baba asked me why I was

crying I said I don t know

persuade me to go to Baba. They said,“Baba will cure you. “ I was so disgusted, I said, “When all doctors fail,what will your Baba do?” I refused togo. So they wrote to Kaikobad to takeme to Baba because he followed MeherBaba too. At that time, if I would listento anyone, I would listen to Kaikobad.He was very kind to us, very kind. Hewrote to me to come to Bombay andgo on a picnic to ‘Nagar, saying that Iwould be pleased to see Baba.

. Kaikobad wrote, “I promise that Iwon’t say anything about your disease

: to Baba. “ If it pleased Kaikobad I felt Icould do it, as long as he was not goingto say anything to Baba.

Then I came here, to Ahmednagar..

At eight o’clock I saw Baba for the firsttime. He was in the rickshaw (the onenow in the Meherabad museum) , andwas being drawn, probably by theprem ashram boys, from Meherabad

Hill to Lower Meherabad. I was: standing in a queue when I saw Him.

At that time there were no restrictions

; on visiting Meherabad, and manylovers used to come for Darshan, foran interview or for advice. I saw Baba

: coming out of the rickshaw. From thebeginning I took Baba as a greatpersonality, but not more. I did notconsider Him even a saint or a perfectmaster, so the idea of His being Godwas very far away. I saw Baba as I sawany ordinary person but, forKaikobad’s sake, I folded my hands.

Baba went in the room and startedgiving Darshan and interviews. I wasjust standing there, and then my turncame. Baba was in the old bungalow,with a small window, and He peekedthrough and beckoned me to come. Iwas undoing the lace of my shoe and,just for half a second, I stared at Baba.To this day I don’t know how or why,but I cried. I almost sobbed. I criedlike a child, and I went to Baba withtears. Baba asked me why I wascrying. I said, “I don’t know. “ I had

.Baba’s Darshan and I stood, sobbing.

. Then Kaikobad told Him everythingabout me and my disease. Baba said,“For that you are crying?” I said, “No,I don’t know. “ Then He asked meagain, “Tell Me your complaint. Tell

. Me what you suffered with your

.

disease, in your own words. “ But Icould not. Then He dictated on the

.

board, “Don’t worry, it will go permanently. “ He signed the message to

: emphasize it—”Baba. “ I read the! board, I heard Him, but I had been

i told the same by so many doctors.

14 £ovcStreetThmtfPosb

When the interview was finished, Babagave me a little dhuni ash in a bottleand told me to take a pinch in themouth before tea in the morning whilesaying “Baba. “ I said, “Yes, Baba.”

All my obstinacy was washed out. Iwent back to Navsari and I startedtaking the ashes. For one month,without any hope, Ijust took them.Then, to my amazement, I wascompletely cured. Evenmy scars vanished. I wasso happy to be out of theclutches of the diseasethat immediately my viewofBabajumped from“great personality” to“God, “ because only Godcould have done that. Ibegan to love Baba, and Ihad much, much respectfor Him. I wrote a letter toBaba thanking Him, andHe got Chanji to write tome, “Baba is glad toreceive your letter, but Hesays He hasn’t doneanything. Your faith andlove have done the work. ‘

At that time He mighthave been aware of myfaith and love, but I feltthat I had not, at thattime, had such faith.

Then, for a fewmonths, I was very happy,very, very happy.Kaikobad used to come toBaba often, and he wroteto me, telling me aboutBaba’s moods, how Hecracked ajoke andeverything. After months,he wrote a letter to meabout how happy he wasto be with Baba and howhappy Baba appeared, but the last linein the letter was, “ This time I saw onBaba the disease that you had. “ Thatline made me completely upset, soupset that I could not put my mind onanything, and the very second I readthat line I hated myself. I said tomyself, “If I had not gone to Baba, andif I had stuck to my obstinacy thiswouldn’t have happened, but now it is

too late. “ Now I began to pray in mymind, every second, “ Baba, give itback to me. “ I wanted to see Baba

.

personally so I could make the matterclear, because I was too shy to writeand I didn’t want anyone else to read

: the letter.. For months I had to wait, but after: some months my disease came back

in a small form, and I was happy. I

could not hide it. My Baba-loverrelatives saw it, understood the story,and said that they would tell Baba. Ididn’t want that, so I said that I wouldtell Baba and no one should interfere.Then, again, I was waiting and waitingto see Baba, and one day Kaikobad’sletter came, saying that Baba wascoming to Bombay on His way to Iran.I immediately dropped everything and

: went to Bombay. Kaikobad saw me.

and said, “A relapse? We will tell. Baba. “ Again, I said that I would tell

Baba and he should not.: The next day we went to Baba for

Darshan, and Kaikobad told Baba thatthe disease had relapsed. Baba ap

. peared very indifferent, and said, “Try: some sulphur. “ My whole mind was on

how to speak to Baba directly about it,but there were too manypeople, and I was too shy.After Darshan, we left.That same day, at fouro’clock, feeling inspired, Iwent the few blocks fromKaikobad’s house to whereBaba was staying. Babawas sitting with 25 or 30boys, playing caroms. Hegestured, “Why did youcome? You were alreadyhere in the morning. “ So Isaid, “Yes, Baba, I came.”He said “OK, sit down. Doyou know how to playcaroms?” Isaid, “No, -

Baba. “ Then He said,“why did you come, then?Is there anything to say?’I said, “Yes, Baba. “ “Thensay it now, “ He said. “No,Baba, “ I said, “I want totalk to You privately. “ Hebeckoned Chanji to cometo the inner room withthe alphabet board. I thensaid, forcefully, “I havenothing to hear from youBaba, I have things to say.And I don’t want Chanji,either!”

Baba took the alphabetboard and called me. Hewas sitting on a couch,spinning His board. He

asked me, “ Say what you want to say.”I said everything, and stopped. Hesaid, “Are you mad? You are mad.Who could do that? Who could takeanybody’s disease on their person?” Isaid, “Baba, any ordinary humanbeing could not, but God can and Youare God. “ He said, “ You are starkmad. “ I didn’t say anything. He said,“Let it be as it is now. “ I said, “Baba,

•.: . :. ... : . . : .•::.:.•: :::.... ... . ::•:.•:.‘... . . .. .:::.::•..:::: . ... v•cetm..

•..••..••.:.•• ••.::••.•.••.:•. ... ....:....:.. ..... :.: ...:...i.5....

.........::.,...:::....: . .: :.:. *::N .

....

You know my plight. I cannot behappy at all until You just give it backto me. “ He didn’t say anything rightaway. “Then what to do?” He asked.“That is up to You, “ I said. Then Hesaid, “I have one result. Would youlike it?” I said, “How do I know Baba?What is it?” He said, “Neither you norI would suffer. Would you like it?” Isaid, “Yes, Baba, I would like it verymuch. “ I liked it, but I felt that Babawas getting rid of me, like getting rid ..

of an obstinate child by promising it a ••piece of chocolate. So I said, “Baba Ilike it but it doesn’t appeal to me .here, “ and I pointed to my heart. Hesaid, “ Give your hand to me, “ andslapped my hand in the gesture for apromise. He looked at me and said, “ Isit all right now? “ I felt that it would beOK. I knew that He would keep thepromise, but still I said, “Now Baba,stick to that please, OK?” Baba said,“Didn’t I promise you?” Then Heclapped, called all the boys into theroom and Baba asked them, “Have you.ever seen a mad woman?” They said,.

No, “ and Baba pointed to me andsaid, “ See, she is stark mad. “ I laughedover that for months. I was completelycured, and have remained cured uptill now.

I came to live with Baba perma- :•

nently in 1936. One day He asked me,“How long did you suffer with thatdisease?” I said, “ 14 years. “ Baba said, •.:

“ 1 4 years? That is the time-honoredperiod for a penance. And suffering isvery good. It brought you to me. “ ‘Then He asked me all sorts of ques- .•

lions about the medical proceduresand asked, “Why didn’t the doctorscure you?” “I don’t know, Baba,” Isaid Then He said Science is advancing by leaps and bounds, but what •

did they accomplish? It was my key to .‘draw you to me. That’s why theydidn’t cure you. Now you are with Me,so be happy. “ He did this because thismulish person would not have come,perhaps, but here I am.

r

Ihappened that in October,

1949, before Baba set out forHis New Life, He visited Upper

Meherabad. During the few hours thatHe was there, He conveyed toMansari, “Wherever I may go (physically) I am definitely here (on the Hill)always. Remember this well. “ He alsogave her some staves and told her thatshe should use them to break the headof “anyone” who came at night.Mansari replied, “When you are here,who would dare to come? “ Baba didnot answer, but simply repeated theinstruction.

Ten months later Mansari wasstaying in the outer part of the “cageroom” on Meherabad Hill. One day inAugust, 1950, when she was going intoher room she had a strange feelingthat someone was inside. After enter-ing she checked the inner and outerrooms with her small lantern. Findingnothing she went to bed. Aboutmidnight, however, she was disturbedin her sleep by the feeling that some-thing was at the base of her neck—something cold and soft like a piece ofrubber. Half awake she brushed itaside and went back to sleep.

A little later she woke up with thesame feeling. She got out of bedthinking that there was a gecko (asmall lizard) in her blanket. When sheshook it out something dropped to thefloor. She lit the lantern and foundthat it was a small cobra!

Frightened, she went inside and gota short stick from the firewood andstarted beating the cobra, but thesnake eluded her attack and began toclimb up her cot. Mansari had totallyforgotten about the long staves Babahad given her, and with that shortstick her frantic chase continued. Atlast she killed the cobra and threw it

by Bal Natu

outside in the grass that had grownaround.

Exhausted she lay down on herbed and fell asleep. But about 2:00am. she woke to see Baba sitting atthe end of her bed. He was intentlylooking at her throat, but not at herface. She wanted to speak to Him butfound that she could not. From thenuntil 5 :00 am. , she saw Baba at thefoot of her bed each time she wokeup. She even rubbed her eyes to makesure that she wasn’t dreaming, butBaba’s expression and position did notchange. In the end she saw His figure

: slowly fade away.For the next eleven nights a

strange thing happened: each nightshe would come across another cobraof the same size, perhaps the mate ofthe one that was killed. It seemed to

: Mansari that the snake was seekingrevenge. This frightened her to suchan extent that on the twelfth day she

: stood before Baba’s picture andsincerely prayed to Him, “Baba, it istoo much for me to bear any longer.

: Either the cobra should kill me or Ishould beat it to death. “ To Mansari’s

. surprise, from that day onward themate did not appear again.

;Mansari told Baba the entire story

in detail after the completion of HisNew life when He asked her if any-thing special had happened to herduring that time. When she finished,

. Baba gestured, “ Are you convincednow of what I told you earlier aboutmy being here always?” What couldMansari reply? Her facial expressionportrayed that she was more than

. convinced.

Glimpses ofthe God-Man,

pp. 145-146 ©1982AMBPPCT

£oveStredLamtfJosb

•.:..•::. : .

‘

What Could MansariReply?

16

iii

3t c3et

by Sophie Ernst

r—-his story happened in

I When I was two,and actually I don’t

remember it, but it has been toldand retold to me, especially byMansari, so that I feel as though Iremember it. I

I would often play with Mansariin her kitchen, where we wouldmake “tea” with my plastic tea setand play imaginary games. There isa photograph from this time show-ing Mansari and me facing eachothei, over my plastic tea set.Mansari has a very interestedexpression on her face, eyebrowsraised over her round spectacles.I’m wearing a green dress and my

arms are sheathed in plastic bangles,making me look like a little Indianchild.

As the story goes, one day Mansariand I were playing house. I was themother and Mansari was the rebel-lious, recalcitrant daughter. Busy inthe kitchen, I gave Mansari her meal.Holding up the plastic bowl, probablyfilled with water, Mansari asked in achild-like voice, “What is this?” Ireplied, “Pig chutney!”

“Oh Baba! “ Mansari exclaimed andcollapsed into a fit of giggles, “No, noMother, I don’t like pig chutney! Don’tmake me eat it!”

Over the years, whenever I returned to Meherabad, Mansari would

remind me of the pig chutney,always laughing and slapping herleg as she rocked back and forth inher chair. Often she would reenact her part in the scenario,refusing again to eat the wonderfulpig chutney.

One year I bought ajar ofjamin the bazaar, soaked off the labeland made a new label, declaringthejam “PIG CHUTNEY.” I presented it to Mansari, who laughedand laughed. This time she ate thepig chutney. I continued to giveherjars of pseudo pig chutneyevery time I was at Meherabad,and it became our little joke.

17

TeaWith Mansari

IfpntJ

Mansari in the Earlier Years

by Judy Ernst

I was October, 1 972. At thattime, just about the only thingsgrowing at Meherabad were the

trees lining the path up the hill, andthe bougainvilla growing next to thetomb. It was a barren landscape, madebeautiful by the play of light off thespare lines of earth and stone and thechanging patterns of clouds in a hugeexpanse of blue sky. Surprising theeye in the midst of this naturalsimplicity was a small building with awhite-domed top, and a large structure topped with a tower. That is whatgreeted the eye of the visitor toMeherabad in the early ‘70s. Just asthe visual landscape had such apowerful impact on the eye, the tombhad a profound impact on the soul.But there was a third element at thattime which added to this mix ofimpressions—the presence of a small,elderly woman who lived on the hill.Mansari’s presence as a residentcaretaker on the hill was so much apart of the experience back then thatit is impossible to remember being apilgrim in the ‘70s without having avivid memory of her.

Now that Meherabad is “flourish-ing,” as its name promised, it is hardto remember how stark it was in theearly ‘70s. While Meherazad conveyedto us the gentle sweetness of Baba’sresidence, Meherabad reminded usthat much of Baba’s life was spentworking in harsh conditions, with themandali living under a strict regimen.Mansari, at upper Meherabad, andPadri, at lower Meherabad, embodiedfor us that discipline. Early in themorning, Mansari would arrive at the

tomb, often with a scarf around herhead against the chill of the morning,opening the tomb with a big key. Shewould supervise the cleaning of thetomb in the morning, designatingwhich of us would help with whichtask, and allowing one of us to care-

Mansari was also the kindlyJandflotheF who thought we

.... were all a bit crazy. butnevertheless took us into her

heart as Baba s Kids$‘

“d’ _,_,__

fully place the morning’s flowers afterarti. At night, as it became dark, shewould arrive at the tomb with alantern (before electricity arrived),motioning us to go in when it wastime for evening arti to begin. Afterarti she enjoyed sitting as people sangsongs to Baba, or perhaps told a story.Sometimes the mood would besomber, sometimes we would all sitand giggle for half an hour. She had astrict, but simple schedule, whichincluded fasting one day a week, butshe always would have tea for us at3:00 in the afternoon and allow timefor chatting. Her day seemed to befilled with chores, and those whohappened to wander over by herkitchen would often be brought into achore—perhaps being shown howthey used to grind grain on the stonegrinding wheel across from her house,or allowed to help make the chalkdesigns around Baba’s gadi beforeholidays. Her servant, Deo, would

.show up, having carried water up thehill, and they would chat together inMarathi, with Mansari providing apartial translation.

While Mansari was a living re

: minder of Baba’s work at Meherabad,she was more than that to us. She wasalso the kindly grandmother who

. thought we were all a bit crazy, but

: nevertheless took us into her heart as“Baba’s Kids. “ Most of us at that timewere so alienated from life and so

: desperately looking for something

i real; imagine our delight to sit withthis tiny, elderly Indian woman as she

: served us tea and treats, with birdshopping on the floor and flying aroundher kitchen, and told us stories about

: the Avatar of the Age. To sit withMansari and talk about Baba was like

: experiencing the essence of

: Meherabad—feeling a light-hearted joy

: in the presence of the Avatar, but

: always underscored by the gravity of

: His work and power. Always ready

: with a joke or funny story, she wasjust as quick to bring the conversation

: back to its serious side, conveying her

: unending awe at the miracle of the

: Avatar’s incarnation as Meher Baba.When I got back home to Oregon in

: the spring of 1973, after my first trip, I

: sent Mansari a postcard, a beautiful

: Oregon river landscape, with aninscription which read, “The Perfect

.Place. “ A while later I got the cardback with a letter from Mansari. She

: had pasted a little photo of Baba in the

: sky, and written, “Now it is the Perfect

: Place!”

... ....... ..... .........................

18 ThvcSfrcd Pam,1Pot,

LO3t

Postings from the Internetby James Cox

Thursday, September 4, 1996Yesterday morning Mansari took

the long walk to the Samadhi, firsttime in months (climbing Mt. Everest,as she puts it) . She wanted to see thepreparations for Mani’s interment, andperhaps where her own ashes willfinally also get parked. I think it mayhave been the first time she has seenMehera’s finished tomb, and those ofthe other four women mandali toMehera’s right.

Mani’s crypt is ready, it has beenbeautifully painted on the inside witha floral motif over a pink ground, andthe final preparations are being madefor the 8th. The crypt is small, about9” x 9” x 1 2, and we joked withMansari that hers would be much

smaller, because she is so small. Shelaughed and pointed to an upside-

: down gamela, and said, “ That much is. enough for me. “ Mansari’s hearing and

energy continue to improve since her: heart attack about 1 8 months ago, and

it has been reallyjoyful to see herbounce back.

.Later on in her room, she talked

about how she had come to stay withBaba in 1938, how He had told her tostay on Meherabad Hill, and not evencome to Meherazad unless He calledher. When He called, she would walkthe distance in her slippers, and comeback the same day. She told abouthow, sometimes, when Baba didn’t callher, she would cry, and when Baba

would see her, He would ask, What isthis? Only women cry. These are justglass beads. The ones you hold insidebecome the real pearls.”

And she also told a story about heruncle Sorabji, the writer in her familythat first came into contact with Baba.She said there were many, manypictures of Baba on Sorabji’s wall, andsometimes, to tease him, they wouldsay, “ Uncle, here are a couple ofempty inches, can’t you squeeze inanother one?”

And Sorabji would tell them with asmile, “Children, you laugh, but oneday, you will also know.”

Jai Baba

Mansari with a Shirin and Betty Lc

t

Mansari’s pyrewas down to afew coals this

morning when I leftMeherabad for Pune, andthere were half a dozenpeople sitting around theghat, talking in the crispmorning air. The smokehad been bluish, likeMani’s.

Yesterday her rose-covered body was carriedout of her room at about3:30p.m., when theMeherazad mandaliarrived, and was placednext to Baba’s Gadi, thereclining chair on whichHe used to sit outside her room underthe tin shed. Arti was performed, andvarious people sang, taking turnspaying their last respects. At about4:30 p.m. she was carried down thehill on a stretcher, and the serpentineline of His lovers followed behind forhalf a kilometer, dozens of old andnew friends taking turns carrying thestretcher shoulder high as the procession slowly made it’s way to thecremation ground below.

We brought over 2,000 roses, andthey were placed throughout thewood, the fire being lit about 5 p.m.,just as two carloads of Mansari’sfriends and relatives arrived fromBombay. As usual, songs were sung asthe flames leaped through the babuland roses, and the atmosphere waslight and happy. Mansari died onDhuni day, so yesterday there weretwo fires into the night.

This morning JalDastoor rode with me toPune, and he told me thatshe once mentioned tohim that all of the womenstaying with Baba lovedHim so much that therewas quite a bit of jealousyand vying for Baba’sattention. And on occasionthey would do things toeach other out of thatjealousy; Mansari con-fessed that she herself hadbeen one of them.

One of Mansari’sfavourite things was to askif we had ever tried toddy,the somewhat-fermented

juice from a type of coconut palmfound in India. Baba’s father had soldtoddy in his Pune shop, and Baba hadalso worked there in his early years.Mansari was fond of telling aboutpicnics in Navsari when she was agirl. . . where they would go bumping ina bullock cart, eat open-fire fried fish,and drink toddy for an outing. Shewould mimic the jarring motion of thebullock cart, and tell us what we weremissing. I assured her that one day Iactually would get some toddy and tryit. Well, until now, despite travellingaround India for 25 years, I had nevertasted toddy, but tonight, sitting in myfriend’s flat in Pune, someone hasgiven me a bottle, and I’m finallydrinking it, sort of a final goodbye toMansari, as I write this last account ofher friendship.

21)

‘I

1I. .,iviansari sPyre

byJames Cox

* * (s

India

Our deep loss is dear Jane’sdeep gain, for she has reachedthe Goal. What a life, what ajourney, to have walked withconfident stride ever holding tightthe hand of Avatar Meher Baba,the Lord of Love!

—Meherazad menand women mandaliBhau and Khorshed

To Board of Directors Meher

I Spiritual Center

I Friday, April 1 1 ‘ ‘:.

i Meherazad mandali salutedearest Jane and her life ofwholehearted love, dedication, t’

service and surrender to BelovedAvatar Meher Baba, her precious

..

Lord and Master. Faithful corn- :•

panion to dear Elikit and a pillarof Baba 5 Home in the West Janeshone as one of the bright stars inMeher Babas Western sky In herthirty years of love and care forMeher Spiritual Genter BabaLovers and the surroundingcammurntysbe touched count-less hearts offles with hergraciousness ;aIärm and warmthAbove all herexample of onewho gave her all for Baba shouldremain an inspiration to all thosewho serve at His Center

Our hearts go out to dearWendy Charles John Diane andall her family who have been sounited with her in Baba s Love as

I well as to her wider Baba family

Thank youJane

byKaye Panicke

I went to Myrtle Beach yesterdayas I had heard that sometimes peoplewere being allowed in to say goodbyeto Jane; however, there was a sign onthe door posted by the family sayingthat there would be no visitors onThursday. So I simply stood outsideseveral yards away for a very longtime in the brilliant sunshine andcrisp air waiting to feel connected todearest Jane. I would say that Baba’sPresence was palpable and that theentire atmosphere felt very naturaland beautiful with the birds and brightgreen shrubbery. My sadness at losingJane seemed to dissipate in thewhisperings that her leaving to go toHim for the ultimate life and healingwas not awful but wonderful. Thankyou Baba and thank you Jane for a lifelived in the utmost desire to do Hiswill and show His love. His Hand hasalways been on you.

Baba’sJane

byAdele Wolkin

Surely Avatar Meher Baba’sNazar is fixed on His JaneBarry Haynes throughout her

illness and passing, in her home in theMeher Spiritual Center.

We rejoice with her, as we recallthat it is now 1997, and forty yearsago, in 1957, Jane made her first visitto the Center as a visitor with theactress friend who first inspired herinterest in Baba. Soon after the deathof Norma Matchabelli in 1957, Elizabeth Patterson’s closest associate andvalued friend in service to Baba, Janegradually took on the role of a mostfaithful co-worker to both Elizabethand Kitty. It was after Elizabeth’sdemise, in December of 1980, thatJane began serving as the president ofMeher Center. She served for fourteenyears until her resignation in Decem

. ber of 1994. Since that time she hasbeen designated as President Emeri

. . tus.Following is a wire sent on 21

February 1996:

.. Beloved Baba s Jane,How close you are to the Beloved!

. How uniquely beautifulyour disciple-ship in Him andyour closeness toMani! He is indeed carrying us on HisBack when we seem to be at a stand-still! Our Beloved always is theremedy for all our ills, as you knowbetter than most. Our sincerest lovingprayers in our Beloved God-ManChrist.

—Adele Wolkinand the L.A. Baba Group

Cables fromBeloved

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jal

et

“Baba Wants to See iou1 “

Monday, May 19, 1958

by Jane Haynes

We had been told that no one wasto come to the Center on that firstday. Early in the morning the telephone rang in Happy House. Elizabethsaid, “ Meher Baba wants to see you. “ Iprotested, in my ignorance, “But Ihave to post bond for my theatre” (wewere to open in four weeks’ time).Elizabeth said quietly, “When Babacalls, Jane, that is the time to come.”Something in her voice penetrated tomy inner being. I went directly to theCenter. (Baba had said that thechildren were to go to school asusual.) I entered the Lagoon Cabinwith Elizabeth. There I saw MeherBaba seated, wearing a white garmentand a lovely pinkjacket. There wereimpressions of stillness, beauty, andpeace. Baba gestured for me to sitbeside Him.

Suddenly, to my surprise, I heardmyself saying, “You look so well. Theytold me that You have not been well.”Baba was silent; He looked past meand then gestured with His beautifulhands (and Adi, His disciple, spoke),“No one, no one, no one understandsMy suffering. “ There was sadness inHis eyes.

In a little while, Baba seeing melook with wonder at Him, said, “Donot look at this form, Jane. This is notBaba. “ And then, “ How long does Janestay, Elizabeth?” She replied, “Onlyhalf of your stay Baba, due to thetheatre opening. “ (Of course as itturned out, I was to stay until the lastmoment.)

Beloved Baba then said to me, “Donot think of the theatre while you arehere. Think only of Me. I will see toit. ‘, He then said that He had had so

many letters from Elizabeth aboutJane—and His beautiful eyes twinkledas He teased her. Elizabeth mentionedan ailment of mine and asked if thereshould be an operation. “Not now,”Baba said. “Not at this time.”

Then He asked, “ Have you eaten,Jane? “ With a sweet smile He turnedto me. I felt myself blushing because

. all the way up to the Center I hadbeen thinking, “I expect the food willbe very good—Elizabeth said it isbeing catered by Mrs. Houston at theDriftwood! “ Though I was veiled, Iknew even then that He knew myevery thought.

I was seated in the OriginalKitchen only a few moments whenKitty came running in to say, “Babaasks you to come and be beside Him

I when the New York group arrives.”Upon reaching the Lagoon Cabin,Baba gestured for me to sit closebeside Him. I did so, and watched asthe people approached Him. Somewere smiling, some wept, some kneltbefore Him—each one received a

: tender embrace.. A black youngish woman came

forward. I recognized her as someoneI had seen at FredElla’s [Fred and Ella

; Winterfeldt] in New York. Her name, Ilearned later, was Beryl Williams.When Baba embraced her, He put herface on one side of His own in a tendergesture. Then He placed her face onthe other side of His own, and He

; turned His head and glanced at me. Agentle glance, but also a deep andpenetrating gaze. It seemed to me thefirst time that He had held my eyes inthat direct way. That was all. Yet Iknow now that at that moment

: Beloved Baba lifted my ignorance andmy prejudice. Black people had beenclose to me in growing up in theSouth, but in the role of servants. Intime to come I was to have dear Berylas my dear and loving friend—to feel a

i oneness with her that can only be aspiritual bond placed by Baba. He wasto propel me years later into service

. work with His black children andfamilies. But on this first day, I simply

: felt the sweetness of His Glance.; At the close of the time with the

New York lovers, we were alone withHim. Baba asked His Elizabeth. “What

: is Jane thinking?” She replied,”I donot know, Baba, but she has not takenher eyes from You. “ Beloved Baba

. asked for the children—He had saidthat they were to remain in theirschool classes; I told Him that, and Henodded, and said that He would call

: them. He looked so very beautiful. It is: not possible to say in words. One

knew, even when veiled from HisGlory, that never had there been aBeing like this One. One was at ease;time simply dissolved. There was only

: this moment—this Now. His Beautywas inexpressible, and the peace inone’s heart indescribable. Yet I wasstill to discoverjust who Meher Babareally is.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!

Excerpted from the journals of JaneBarry Haynes, Letters ofLove for MeherBaba, the Ancient One, edited by JaneBarry Haynes (MyrtieBeach: EliNorPublications, forthcoming 1997), copyright1 997 by EliNor Publications

Used by Permission.

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Archives and Museum ProjectCircular No. 2

In this second circular from the

Trust’s Archives and Museum Commit-

tee we greet you all, Baba’s dear ones

of East and West:

Jai Beloved Meher Baba!

byMeheru R. IraniBhau Kaichuriand the members of the

Avatar Meher Baba TrustArchives and Museum Committee

Through a continuing seriesof circulars we plan toupdate you on the progress

of the project first described in ourciycular sent out in May 1 996 andpublished in many Baba newsletters.Since then our hearts and attentionwere turned to the care of our dearestMani. Though we rejoice in herReunion with her Beloved Lord andbrother and in her triumph of a lifeled totally for Him, we greatly miss hercompanionship, her humour and herwisdom. We feel fortunate that thisendeavour to preserve and share theprecious items connected with Be-loved Baba was initiated and developed under her personal guidance.During the time of her illness we feltour minds greatly distanced from allother work at hand. But Mani’s lastletter dictated as Chairman of theTrust, at such a delicate time in herhealth, concerned this project andshowed us more clearly than anythingelse could how strong her dedicationwas to Baba’s cause and how significant this work.

The final design for the Conservation Building at Meherabad, as perfloor plans [shown on page followingthis article] is now complete and has

been approved by the ConservationLaboratory of the Smithsonian

.Institution, Washington, D.C. , USA;

.the detailed working drawings are

: finished; and the Trust is ready to: invite tenders and select a building.

contractor.: The design of the approximately: 5,000 sq. ft. , two storey brick build-

ing is based on the principle of a: thermos bottle, or a ‘box within a box’,

which minimizes changes in tempera-: ture and humidity without using air-: conditioning. The storage and work

:rooms are all surrounded by an

: insulating corridor, and the roof isdouble-layered, which separates theseimportant areas from the building

: exterior, so as to protect the precious.

collection from the extremes of ourharsh climate. The corridor also

.contains the main utility ducts andpipes for safer operation and servicing.

The lower floor, which is moreprotected, has a large storage room forthe most fragile items, with an adjoin-ing treatment room. Maintenancerooms are also on this floor. The upperfloor has another large storage room, asmaller one for films, video and audio

tapes, treatment rooms and offices,: including a central computer room. In.

the entrance area are meeting and: maintenance rooms, a receiving area: and a visitor area. There is one main

entrance, with two additional fire

,escape exits. A staircase and serviceelevator provide access between the

.two floors. The attractive design of the

: building’s exterior has been givendetailed attention to ensure that itharmonizes and blends with thesurrounding landscape.

.To achieve the best conditions

possible for the preservation andcataloguing of Baba’s precious belong-

: ings, as well as the numerous docu.

ments, photos and films associated: with His life, special care has been.

given to incorporate archive andmuseum standards in all aspects of the

: building’s design and construction.This not only includes the buildingmaterials used, but all the necessaryspecifications for security, lighting,dust and pest control, fire and floodprevention, and stabilization of

: temperature and humidity. The: building is designed to carry a much. greater load per square foot than.

usual, since cupboards containing

24 Thv&tnd 1’amt1Pncb

papers are very heavy. This will alsoensure that the building will besufficiently flexible to meet changingneeds in the future. These standardssubstantially increase the cost of thebuilding, but they are intended toprotect the precious items housedwithin for as long a time as possible.

Since the last circular some Babalovers, concerned about the futuresafety of Baba treasures in theirkeeping, have asked if they can sendthem here or bequeath them in theirwills. This building will not only be afacility for caring for the existing Trustcollection, but provision has beenmade to accommodate Baba treasuresfrom those who feel prompted to giveor leave them to the Trust for safe-guarding and sharing with futuregenerations.

This is the time when funds areessential to start construction of theConservation Building. We send ourloving appreciation to those of youwho have responded to our first letterby sending donations. So far donationsfor this project, so close to the heartof Meherabad and the Baba world,have provided only a small part ofwhat is necessary to meet projected

construction costs of Rs. 85 lakhs(approximately US $240,000) andbecause of this we are forced to delaybreaking ground. It is imperative thatconstruction should start as soon aspossible, not only so that preciousBaba-articles be better housed, butalso because of spiraling costs of bothlabour and materials here.

The concerted help of Baba loversall over the world is urgently needednow for this tremendous undertaking.It is only with your full support andhelp that this project can be completed. As we said in our first circular,“Baba’s world-wide family has theopportunity to participate in thiseffort in a significant way throughdonations. Donations are in a real

.

sense the bricks and mortar that will: shelter this precious legacy for the

future.”

It is, however, vitally importantthat this project not diminish regular

. Trust funds as these are needed asalways for the running of the TrustEstate and its other activities. We askthat your special donations for theConservation Building be identified assuch and that these donations begiven without affecting any regular

donations that you might already begiving.

Whatever you can afford to give,whether much or little, will be mostwelcome and your deep desire to helpmuch appreciated. Cheques or bankdrafts for this special project may besent directly to the Trust, made out to“Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual PublicCharitable Trust, “ with a coveringnote specifying that it be used for “theCorpus for the Archival and MuseumBuilding and Facilities.”

This is a Baba-given opportunity inwhich one and all are encouraged toparticipate. Only with all of youjoining in and helping to whateverextent you can, according to your

: situation, will we be able to fulfill thismomentous work in the service of the

.Avatar of the Age.

Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!

Avatar Meher Baba PerpetualPublic Charitable Trust

Post Bag No. 3 1 , King’s RoadAhmednagar 4 1 4 001 , M.S., India

Photo is of a model representing the new facilities

f.oveStrcet

36 3%,

please note: the ground floor plan has not been reproduced here due to lack ofspace; please feel free to call us if you would like to see a copy. —ed.

£oveStrectL’AmtIl?osb

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Special Guests Travel to Meherabadto Help Plan Conservation Building

by Dot Lesnik

A tremendous amount ofresearch and effort by manyindividuals has gone into

the planning of the ConservationBuilding at Meherabad. One event inparticular that was a major contribution to the project is told by thewonderful story of how Vince Wilcoxand Joan Bacharach traveled to Indiato offer their help.

Vince Wilcox is the Director of theMuseum Support Center of theSmithsonian Institution, the half-million square-foot storage facility forthe many Smithsonian Museumcollections. I first met him during atrip to Washington DC with SheilaKrynski in the spring of 1995. Our tripwas sponsored by Sheriar Foundationfor the purpose of learning more aboutarchive preservation work throughmeetings with experts at variousmuseums and archives. Because of myinvolvement with archive preservationfor the past few years, I had spokenwith Vince several times on the phoneand was looking forward to finallymeeting him.

During a morning spent at theMuseum Support Center, we not onlyhad an in-depth tour of this extraordinary facility, but learned a great dealabout Vince’s approach and hisattitude towards the work of collections management. He shared with ushis background and experience with

. It twly astonished cveoneinvolved that this knowledgeable pair ofexperts

would take time away fromtheir busy professional

schedules get on a planeandgo hfway around theworld to a ,lace thefd neverbeen in order to help a small

group ofpeople

Native American collections, express-ing his belief that the spiritual aspectsof a collection can be accommodatedand enhanced when designing a placeto house them. His view that preserving the feeling of things is as important as preserving the things them-selves was our first intimation thatVince had a special connection to thepreservation of items associated withYMeher Baba. He responded veryenthusiastically when we describedthe efforts being made in India toprotect and preserve Meher Baba’sprecious belongings When hearingthat plans to construct an archivestorage building there had just begun,he said straight away that he’d bemost happy to advise and help in anyway he could.

So began the exciting long-distancedialogue between Vince Wilcox andTed Judson—the building’s architectat herabad—duriflg which designs,drawings and questions were sentback and forth via FAX and e-mail forreview and comment. At some pointin this process, it became clear thatfor Vince to understand more aboutthe storage requirements of thecollection in India it was vital that hesee the site, and acquire first-handinformation about the collection itselfand the environmental conditions inthat part of India. A visit to Indiawould also allow him to meet in

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person with the Archive and MuseumCommittee—Bhau, Meheru, Merwanand Falu— who were embarking onthe immense task of trying to preservefor posterity, as well as for contemporary humanity, the personal articlesand records associated with MeherBaba’s life and advent.

The invitation was offered andaccepted. After a whirlwind of plan-ning and orientation, Vince’s trip wasscheduled to coincide with mine inAugust of 1 995 . Within a year of ourfirst conversations, much to hisastonishment and delight, he was onhis way to India with his wife, JoanBacharach. She is the MuseumRegistrar for the National Park Service, which is responsible for millionsof cultural objects, natural historycollections, and archival collections atover 300 museum sites in this country. Because of her own extensiveexperience with the maintenance ofcollections, it was wonderful that shewas accompanying Vince to help withthe building project at Meherabad.

It’s hard to describe the collectiveexcitement and anticipation as theday of their arrival in Bombay approached. It truly astonished everyoneinvolved that this knowledgeable pairof experts would take time away fromtheir busy professional schedules, geton a plane, and go half way around theworld to a place they’d never been inorder to help a small group of people,most of whom they had never metbefore.

Their first two days in India werepleasantly spent resting, gettingacclimated, and becoming acquaintedwith the place and the people theyhad come so far to assist. Whatfollowed during the next two weekswas nothing short of remarkable.There were daily work sessions, inwhich the committee and othersinvolved were guided by Vince andJoan through the intense and detailedprocess of finalizing a design for theConservation Building. Much of thisconcerned determining the size andusage of the different rooms that wereto be included. It also involved learn-ing more about the optimum condi

tions required for the preservation ofitems to be housed within the build-ing. [Climate control and some of theother important issues that werediscussed are described in theArchive and Museum Committee’sCircular No. 2, preceding this article.]Vince and Joan focused a lot ofattention on the principles of stabili

zation, providing support, preventingdamage, and protecting objects, andexplained how these goals could beincorporated into the features of thestructure itself. They showed thecommittee how to take their ownintuitive ideas about the care of thisunique collection and translate theminto a building.

The work sessions were quiteanimated and inspired, with supportand encouragement being given byVince and Joan at every step of theway. They had a genuine and immediate ease with everyone, and a deeprespect and appreciation for how closethis project was to the hearts of allinvolved. In commenting on the careof Baba treasures they were shown,they said they felt that the preservation efforts so far had been extraordi

: narily thorough. They thought thatthe collections were in very goodcondition, and that the committee had

: been doing the right thing and shouldcontinue with the kind of care they’dbeen giving.

Although the focus of their visitwas work, Vince and Joan had time forfun as well: listening to Eruch tellBaba stories in Mandali Hall, chattingwith Mansari in her kitchen, excursions into the bazaar and neighboringvillages, and a trip to the Ajanta andEllora caves. One of the highlights wasa memorable last night in Bombaybefore their departure, amidst thelights and noisy festivities of theGanesh festival—quite a spectacularsend-off! In every detail of their visit,there was a truly pervasive feeling ofBaba personally hosting these twovery special first-time guests to Hishome. Most poignant and touchingwas their response to the people theymet—Mani and all the other Mandaliin particular—and their enjoyment ofand receptiveness towards everythingnew they encountered at Meherabadand Meherazad.

When asked about their time inIndia, Vince and Joan still find it hardto put their feelings into words. Theycan only say that it was perhaps themost profound experience they haveever had. The love they felt atMeherabad and Meherazad is stillfresh and alive, and although they do

: not consider themselves to be follow-: ers of Meher Baba, He has clearly

touched their hearts.Vince and Joan continue an active

interest and involvement with thearchive work in India. They gener

.ously contribute professional adviceon a variety of archive and preservation topics, as well as offer ongoingassistance with the building project atevery phase of its development. Theirhelp has been invaluable and is greatlyappreciated. Their gracious responseis that it has been a real pleasure forthem and an opportunity they treasure.

28 £ovci5treetJamtJJ1osb

BabasSandals

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The Single-most Important Work

This never-before-seen andnot-likely-to-be-seen-againphoto of the Mandali first

sprang from the fertile fund-raisingbrain of Wendy Ward. She suggested Iask the Mandali to pose for the photoso that we could use it as a fund-raiserfor our new center. They all verygraciously acceded to my request, sotwo days before I left India (October1 996) , I took the photo, had it developed at the one-hour photo shop (inAhmednagar! Can you believe it?),then took it back to Meherazad and

.prevailed upon them all to sign it.Back in L.A. I had it framed, and at

.our auction it went for $1,100!

Then the idea came to also use itto help raise funds for the Archivebuilding, which has become a priorityfor the Trust—Meheru tells us it is thesingle-most important Baba work wecan do right now. I ran our idea byMeheru and Bhau to see if they wouldmind our method of raising money.They said if the LampPost can man-age it, and inspire people all over theworld to give to the Archive project,

then we could go ahead with it.So before framing the photo with

all the signatures, I had a photo takenof it for sale to you all. Rememberthere is but one original and you arebuying the copy. We feel an affordabledonation is $25 . After covering thecost of the photo and mailing expense,$20 of each and every sale will go tothe Trust to help with the Archiveproject. Orders will he handledthrough the Love Street Book Store,and you’ll find our address and phone

.

number on the title page.

We Can Do Right Nowby Dma Snow

f’rnie;Sfrd rm1Pnct i

A Sweet

Responsibility;

by Nancy Wall

When Iheardof the

plan to build anarchival andconservationbuilding inMeherabad, I wasdelighted. Those of uswho have come to loveMeher Baba during the past fewdecades have had an opportunityto see many of the precious itemsthat He used or wore—in themuseum in upper Meherabad, inBab&s house in Myrtle Beach, atHis room in Poona. Some of ushave been given a hair of Baba’s ora photo He touched. And all of uswho have visited Meherabad andMeherazad have had the tremendous gift of getting to know Baba’sclose mandali. But sometimes Ithought about the throngs ofpeople who will come to love Babain the future, when the mandaliare no longer physically present,and wondered how the treasureswould be preserved so that theywould be available for these laterlovers to see.

This is the first Avataric Adventin which technology makes itpossible to preserve all the price-

lessitemsconnectedwith the Avatar.The process ofpreserving Baba’s belong-ings began long before expertsin conservation were called in tohelp, starting with the extreme careMehera and the other mandali took inthe storing of everything connectedwith Baba. I was particularly touchedto hear that Mehera had, intuitively,done everything correctly from anarchival standpoint in her carefulpacking away of Baba’s clothing. Thisnews surprised me for only a moment,though. Of course Mehera, who livedonlyto please her Beloved Baba,would have known exactly what to do.

Now all these precious items canbe more fully protected, safe in a

buildingimmune to

the effects ofextreme tern-

peratures, fluctuating humidity, and

abundant insect life.And all of us who have

enjoyed so much ofwhat Mani called “the

tangible connection to His physical Advent” now have an opportunity to help make the archival andconservation building become areality in the near future, ensuringthat tangible connection forgenerations to come. I see my rolein this effort as both a sweetresponsibility and a very specialprivilege.

30 £0ve4.Sfreef

A Special

Privilege

I

A notefrom our

Trust-walli

by Lynne Berry

Iyou’ve been thinking that sometime you’d

like to make a love-donation to the Trust,today may be the perfect time.

The Avatar Meher Baba Trust runs a first-rateschool, provides medical care for villagers andmaintains Baba’s tomb-shrine and Trust properties.There are also beneficiaries of the Trust whoseliving expenses are covered by donations fromBaba-lovers. All of these worthy projects werespecified by Baba Himself, in the Trust Deed.

Many of the Trust’s charitable projects andoutreach projects are carried out by Eastern andWestern volunteers. Some projects, however,require the assistance of paid Indian workers, andas India raises its standard of living, the cost ofmaterials and labor is on the rise also.

Now this new opportunity presents itself. Love-donations are also need for the exciting new projectthat involves the preservation of articles used andtouched by Baba—the precious treasures that meanso much to all of us. Contributions for the archivesproject will have long-lasting value indeed!

If this type of service appeals to you, pleasemake your check payable to “Friends of MeherBaba Trust, “ and send it to:

Lynne Berry267 Hanover Dr.Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

Please note what port’ion of your donation is forthe Trust, and/or for Archives. Jai Baba.

- .

:. Our dear Adele Wolkin

Share in the Treasureby Adele Wolkin

:‘ Grow old along with me!The bestisyet to be.The last of life for which the first was made

: Youth shows but half;trust God, see all, nor be afraid.

:: —Robert Browning

j\n idea was born with the repeated echoing within me ofthese lines I feel an inner need to open up an eveningeach week, or every other week, at my home, for a joyful

sharing of letters, cables and other less-known or not-known..

: writings, messages and beautiful photos of Baba, many touched bythe Avatar.

Please write and/or phone me when you have a free evening orafternoon for generally two hours—any day of the week, evenweekends. Please give your suggested time in advance of course—a

.

week or several days ahead.

. JaiBaba!

Adele Wolkin7 1 4 A South Pacific Coast HwyRedondo Beach, CA 90277

: 310 540-8404

r. r

3’®

The following has been prepared bythe Archives and Museum Committeeof the Avatar Meher Baba PP C. Trust,Ahmednagar India, in response toqueries:

Quite a number of dear onesfrom our Baba family havebeen asking us what they

can do t are for the precious itemsof Beloved Baba’s that have beenentrusted to them. An invaluablepointer is this: what is good for peopleis usually not good for these items.

For instance, while people likelight and air, things don’t—light andair damage them and shorten theirlife. Light and extremes of tempera-ture and humidity are harmful toprecious items, as are dust, pollution,mold and pests. Even ordinary han-dling will cause damage that may notbe evident for some years.

So to prolong the life of any Babatreasure that you may possess—suchas a sadra, a handkerchief, a strand ofBeloved Baba’s hair, a letter or book

. with His signature, or a photo touchedby Him—you need to find a way of

hkeeping it safe from damage and losseven as you enjoy the fragrance ofBaba’s presence that it imparts.

Here are some simple guidelines:. Make sure that each treasure has alabel that includes the words “AvatarMeher Baba” . In the case of a clothitem, Baba’s name can be embroideredor written with India ink on a well-washed pure cotton cloth ribbon. Thiscan be very gently tacked on to theitem in a place where it won’t be seenif you wish to display it. If this isimpossible, then a tag of a neutral anddurable material can be tied onto theitem. Otherwise, keep it in a safecontainer that is clearly labeled. Don’tdirectly embroider or write on theitem itself, don’t use glue directly onany item, nor permanently attachanything to it.. Be sure to record a brief history ofthe article, since if this history isforgotten, those who come after youwill have no way of knowing thetreasure’s worth. This written historyshould be carefully stored in referenceto the treasure.

Tips forPreserving

YourPrecious

BabaTreasures

. Be very conscious of security andkeep your treasure in a safe place.Make sure your close ones know inwriting what to do with it if anything

: should happen to you. If you areuncertain of the continuity of its careand safety, you can bequeath it toAvatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public

.

Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India,thus ensuring its availability forposterity.. Avoid unnecessary handling oftreasures. Handling causes micro-scopic damage and leaves chemicalsfrom your skin on them that willaccelerate the aging process.. Keep treasures away from sunlight

: and artificial light as much as possible.For example, make sure to cover any

. see-through display case or cabinetwith a dark cloth when it is not beingviewed.. Keep precious articles away fromwindows and doors where climatic

: changes in temperature and humidityare more extreme. Don’t store your

. treasures in attics or basements. Bearin mind that artificial lights are

: sources of heat, and shouldn’t befocused directly on your treasures.

I • Be sure articles are safe from dust,pests and polluted air. Particularly at

.risk from insect attack are wool and

: silk items, and Beloved Baba’s hair and. nails. The best way to protect your

treasure is to keep it in a closed

: container, such as a cupboard, trunk,acid-free box, stainless steel or glasscontainer, or specially-made display

,case. Always line the container withwell-washed cotton cloth, acid-free

!. tissue paper, or Reemay to provideadded support and protection. Becareful with plastic bags—manyplastic products contain harmfulchemicals that will damage yourtreasures.I Acid-free paper and Mylar (whichare available from stationers) are thebest protection for precious lettersand photos. Make sure your framedphotos are matted with acid-freecardboard and protected with UVglass. If you have a photo album, makesure it is archivally safe.. Garments and other cloth items

: which are folded should be supported

: inside the creases with archivally safei padding—polyester batting, well-

washed, unbleached cotton muslin,acid-free tissue paper or Reemay—sothat the creases don’t become permanent.. Be sure to periodically examineeach item carefully to make sure thatno unexpected problem has arisen.. Don’t attempt to wash, clean orrestore any treasure yourself. If youfeel your treasure needs attention,show it to a museum professional.

For further guidance on the protectionand preservation of your Baba treasures,or for help with any of the above points,you may contact:

The Archives and Museum Committee,Avatar Meher Baba Trust, Ahmednagar,India; or Dot Lesnik, 265 Patterson Drive,Briarcliffe Acies, Myrtle Beach , SC 29572,USA, tel. (803)272-6868.

32 £oveStreeLCamt11osb

Crown embroidered for Baba

I

Meher’sWine

CD Review

byKatherine Wiederhold

Mehers Wine Wins PrestigiousCalifornia “Liquid Poetry” Award for1997.

A new CD amazed the judges andswept festival awards. The CD is anespecial tribute to Mr. Meher Baba, thefounding father of this family-ownedand -operated Winery.

Mr. Baba and his little sister, ManiS. Irani worked side by side and handin hand crushing the grapes them-selves for this advent’s brew. As thestory goes...

Age after age, the olden corks arepulled from the ancient barrels of theBeloved’s heart and creation is refreshed. New life, renewed hope andspirit ignite the inner music of eachhuman heart. The Wine Stewardserves His humanity glasses of hot redlava flowing from His heart. He servessoothing whites as rivers of sweetnessfrom His grace. He serves a pinkishrosé from the fragrance of His being.He pours each one a favorite variety ofintoxicant.

One morning eons ago, threesparrows turned their faces towardGod. Their names were Darrell Rupe,David Miotke, and Ron Greenstein.They sang Mr. Baba’s Ghazal (circa1 922) . They did not rehearse andtheir final recording was freshlyimprovisational. Then the sparrowsturned into owls and sang Baba Hu, aQawali song. Their voices awoke ScottMakeig, who’s meditative mind taught

them From the Wine ofMeher, writtenby Bhau Kaichuri. A great Brown Birdnamed Bob joined the flock with news.He announced proudly that He HasCome to Live Within Our Hearts andthe Brown Bob Bird was so overjoyedhe put music to his news for the threeminstrel birds to sing. And as theysang, one bird was moved to a gospeltheme to pronounce his boyhood love

. to Mr. Baba, and Yours Alone burst: forth. A strange Hafiz bird with huge

wings like all Glory allowed the gents

: to select from his 50 Poems ofHafiz.With his fledgling friend A.J. Arberrytranslating into English, the threemixed voices presented Divine WineWorship. Then what happened? FivePerfect Master birds flew down toearth. They grabbed up Mr. Baba.Such a thing to occur! The three singstill of The Five Greatest Thieves.Devastated by the crime, the three

, tried to appeal to the Masters byperfect harmonic blend for their Mr.

I.

Baba’s Song ofthe New Life! Theirhigh soprano sincerity and deep bassobedience from two birds supportedthe solo Ronling with the vow to StayWith God. The Masters could notignore the Beloved Mr. Baba’s lovers.They returned the Grand Old AncientOne to earth. Mr. Baba’s sister rejoicedthat her God-Brother was with heragain to squeeze grapes and fly kitesand feed little boy birds on herwindow sill.

She took them hand in hand inhand up the Hill, where Mr. Babaserved everyone Fire Water Wine.This jazz-oriented private reserve israre. The three only drink it as Fire onthe Hill.

So ends this tale of a CD dedicatedto Mr. Baba’s little sister Mani for hertimeless love and dedication to Hiscause. When you purchase this CD,Mr. Baba’s Perpetual Trust is strength-ened.

Cover of Meher’s Wine

4 Cn7JPSft’d (‘atnJPnd

Step inside...

the Love Street Book Store

Jai Baba & Welcome to all of ourfirst-time visitors! I know there aremany more of you thanks to the Manimemorial issue that caught so manyeyes (and hearts).

Bookstore Tour

I think it is time we took a walkaround the store and I point out

some of our very best items that arelanguishing on our shelves due to lackof mention in these pages. When I firsttell you about a new item, the response is tremendous. . . we sell lotsand lots. But then there are all the

Aother wonderful tapes, books, videos,photos, jewelry, Baba trinkets etc.,that unless you are actually in thestore and looking at them, you forget,or don’t know about them.

Yes, we still have some of thebeautiful Baba calendars for 1997.They are a little larger than last year,and each date in the life of MeherBaba that has significance is men-tioned. The top of the page has aphoto of Baba, and the creator ofthese calendars, Christina Arazmo,has searched hard to find the moreunusual, less well-known photos. Shehas also chosen some wonderful Babasayings to go along with the photos.

The calendar has been reduced to$5.00, but call me as soon as you readthis, because my supply will be verylow and there are no more anywhere![ See title page on how to reach me.]

rf.K.Ramanujam has done us all

a great service in writing abook called Much Love. It is a hard-bound 605-page book that I call theReaders Digest of Baba books. The

table of contents alone is eight pageslong! The book is divided into eightparts: the first, logging in at 273 pages,is a calendar of events in the life ofMeher Baba from 25th February 1894right up to 31st January 1969. Part 3is all the prayers, part 5 covers all theimportant messages Baba gave us, part6 lists all His declarations ofDivinity. . . and so on. Much Love isvery readable, and an excellentreference book—a very good value atjust $20.

A book that makes a verybeautiful gift, to yourself or a

friend who loves either roses or poetry(or both) is called The Poetry ofRoses.That most accomplished of artists,Carolyn Parker, grew her own roses (Ihear her garden is a thing of wondrousbeauty) , cut them, arranged them,photographed them, chose famouspoems to go along with them, designedthe layout and dedicated the book toBaba, The Most Perfect Rose of All. Wesell this hard-bound coffee-table bookthat looks like it should cost $35-$40for only $20.

Another art book is of a tale toldby the Buddha: The Golden

Goose King, retold and illustrated byJudith Ernst. It is 1 1 x 8 ½, hard-bound, and beautiful. Judith is asuperb artist and excels in Persianminiatures. The very colorful paint-

by Dma Snow

ings herein are in the Indian style,many full-page. There is, of course, amoral to the story, and could be readto any of the up and coming Babababies with full comprehension. In theforeword, Professor of Religiousstudies at the University of South

: Carolina, Carl Ernst, tells us that,

: “When viewed as narratives told bythe Buddha, these stories also containan aura of transcendence, the ‘taste of

.

the dharma. ‘ One of the achievementsof this version of The Golden GooseKing is to transport us not merely intothe timeless world of the tale, where

;the dream of the Queen of Benares

:leads to an encounter with the lumi

:nous and spiritual bird; this version

:also takes us to second-order reflec

:tion on the tale, as the primordialanticipation in a previous life of theself-sacrificing love of Ananda for the

. Buddha.”Published by Parvardigar Press, we

:sellitfor $20.

j\n important book (and onewhich was unfortunately

.omitted from our current catalogue) isListen Humanity. This is a $14

34 .: . £OvStT4etJ3Lmt1J?osb

. . . . I

paperback narrated by Don Stevensfrom the words of Meher Baba, and forover 40 years it has been a favoriteintroductory book on the Avatar. Itincludes a lively narrative of a 4-weeksahavas in 1955, and more than 100pages of messages by Baba.

We have tiny little books for $1each that are a brief overview

of the different religions titled ThusSpake Krishna; Mohammad; Buddha;Christ; Zarathustra; and the Vedas.

ehear drugs, especially LSD,

are making a comeback incampuses across the country. Babahad some very potent words to say in

a little book entitled God in a Pill. Ifyou know someone who might benefitby this, its only $1.50.

Mitchell Rose, a Los Angelenowho makes his living in the

Hollywood film world, was in Indiawhen Mani joined Baba. With theMandali’s permission, he videotapedher interment; this video is nowavailable for $ 1 4.00. Mitch tried to beas unobtrusive as possible in defer-ence to the Mandali’s and family’sprivacy, but you can see and hear thevarious tributes given to Mani, and theorder of the ceremonies. We sent acopy to Meheru and the mandali, and

she wrote to me, “We just saw thevideo of Mani’s interment. Consideringthe occasion and the situation—

:Mitchell did a good job. Watching thevideo brought it all back. I rememberthe singing of a bird—pouring its soulout in full-throated abandon ofexceptional sweetness. Immediately Ithought of Mani as tho’ she was tellingus how happy she was—so free andunfettered to be with Baba and

: Mehera. The atmosphere of theirpresence was almost tangible. And thelove coming from all gathered therejust heightened the feeling of Baba’spresence.”

ove5freet,Cam1j?osb 3$

$fl$. 3et

S many of you have told us youwanted to frame the beautiful

color photos of Mani that appeared inour Ocotber memorial issue, but didnot want to cut up your magazine.Well we have solved that problem foryou: we had those same eight pagesprinted exactly as they appeared inthe LampPost, but they are printed onone side only, ready for framing. Soleave your magazine intact, and buythe complete set of photos for just$10.

New ItemsAs always, we have several new

items to get excited about.

Sheriar Press has released twonew videos on Mani. These are

talks given by her, recorded in September 1989. A delight to see andhear, Mani talks about Doing All ForHis Sake and Accepting His Way.Both videos are about 30 minuteseach and cost $15.00 apiece.

I bought hundreds ofblack and white photos of Baba

during my last visit to India, from bothMeelan and Panday studios. We will befeaturing them throughout each issue.I have only five of each photo, sowhen you see one you want, call meright away in case there are eightother people who also want the samephoto. The one on the previous pagehas not been seen before. I noticed itfor the first time in the Main Hall atthe Pune Center. I askedRamakrishnan about it, and he said hewasn’t sure whence it came, but yes, I

could borrow it to have copies made ashe knew it was not from Hermes,Meelan or Panday. While reading Giftof God that night, what should I see onpage 1 25 but the very same photo. Itwas taken at Ashiana, the home ofArnavaz and Nariman in Bombay. Iasked Arnavaz for permission to copyit and make it available to everyonewho wanted it. “ Yes yes ! “ she exclaimed, “These photos of our Belovedshould be there for everyone whowants one ! “ It sells for $ 1 2, as do allthe other 8x10 and 9x12 photos.

.iht on Running Water is a

collection of poems by FilisFrederick. Please see the review laterin this issue by James Wilson. $10.

:new audio tape, A Garland of

; Egos, is a tremendous perfor.

mance piece by Michael Da Costa. As I

:opened my mail one day I found a tapefrom Michael. I had heard his namebefore but that was all; I didn’t knowwhat to expect—poetry, singing orwhat. I had no time to play it then so Iput it in the car and played it as Idrove to work the next morning. I wasso surprised to hear what came frommy speakers ! So entranced was I, andlaughing so delightedly, that I missedmy freeway exit! You could not callthis poetry, even though it comes witha book, with all the words written out.

.

But the way Michael speaks the words,

:it is every bit as good, and as utterlyprofessional, as I have seen on themajor stages by famous actors doing a

:one-man show! A Garland ofEgos isbasically a man having a conversationwith his ego, with the ego triumphing

most of the time. The first part was sospot-on for me, I couldn’t believe it!I’ve had those conversations withmyself. This is an absolutely delight-ful tape, so much fun to have. Butmore than that. . .it is very profound.What you first laugh at boomerangsback at you and packs a wallop as thetruth of it hits. It is steeped in love forBaba. There is also a nicely producedbooklet accompanying the tape. “Ah,I don’t need the booklet, “ you mightthink! Think again! Eruch was behindMichael all the way, egging him on,

“You must write more”says Eruch! The words areso very good they bearreading over again, at yourown pace, as sometimes onthe tape they whiz by sofast there isn’t time forthem to sink in. Michaelhas himself a gem here,and I can’t imagine a one ofyou who would not enjoy itand, more than that, get alot out of it. Buy it! Thetape is $ 1 0 and the booklet$6.

Two books that arenot about Baba, but

definitely belong in a spiritually-centered library are Dark Night of theSoul and The Sermon on the Mount—According to Vedanta. I have beenasked by many to stock them, so afew words about them are in order.The first is by St. John of the Cross

.

and tells us, in mystical theology, ofthe ten steps to God. $8

Norma Matchabelli told us thatBaba said Christ’s Sermon on the

:Mount was very definitely an authentic part of the Bible. Many have saidthey gained a greater and deeperunderstanding of this sermon afterstudying the Eastern religions.Vedanta is an ancient Indian philosophy that teaches the oneness of life.God lies within us and, at the sametime, is everything we see. Thisrealization is the aim of all the

: teachings. Swami Prabhavananda isthe author; the cost is $9.

havejust received a newCD from the acclaimed trio

of David Miotke, Ron Greenstein and

Befittrng aforturuite s1âve carry out evenj command oft& 9vtasterwithout any question ofwlly or wIat.

About what you hearfrom the 9v(astei iiever sag it is wroiuj, because, mySeal) t&fautt ties iii your own iiicapacitij to unéerstaiut5-&u.

I ant t1e stave oft& !7I?faster wIo ñas reteasedmefrom iqnoraiice. 144at-weT my !7vlaster ifoes is oftite IiipjIest beiieflt to attcoiicem&L

—9-[afiz 1

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.

Darrell Lupe entitled Mehers Wine. Itoffers ten toasts to the SupremeVintner, Avatar Meher Baba. This allcame about, the liner notes tell us,when one July evening near the coastof Northern California, a bevy of theBeloved’s followers gathered togetherto celebrate their privilege of lovingHim. Their meeting held an excitingatmosphere as three minstrel friendsof many years recorded their musicalofferings live. For those present at thisgathering, thejoy, the humor ofanecdotes between songs, and thebuoyancy of spirit are now preciousmemories during a time when theAvatar’s beautiful sister was sufferingthrough severe physical illness. It is toManija Sheriar Irani, sister of human-ity and God, that the July meeting andthe fruition of it bottled in MehersWine is dedicated. [Kathy Wiederholdreviews the CD in this issue.] $15.

We are now carrying a perfectreproduction of the three

Hafiz quotes which hang in the Babaroom adjacent to the Samadhi (theone where the Persian quote is in red,and the English translation is in blackunderneath) . [The English translations are in the box on the previouspage.] Our reproductions are printedon heavy cardstock, measure 16 x 20and sell for $10.

Shipping & Receiving & Giving

I do hope you all got your Christmas gifts on time. It was a delight

to play Santa for many of you, ship-ping directly to your friends. . andthen there was the husband and wifewho both—unbeknownst to eachother—e-mailed me for suggestions forgifts for the other!

I’m more than happy to play thatrole for you, so any time you want agift for a Baba lover, just think of TheLove Street Bookstore ! Please doallow us about three or four weeks fordelivery (even though you may get itin one!) . But if you need it for aspecial occasion, let me know the dateby which it has to be there, and we’llmake it happen for you.

JaiBaba to you all.

Book Jacket

•:4J.:::j..i —

From the inside cover:

D: OStd

The original Ego piece was completed in I 979 and had its firstreading at Meherazad, India. It was based on Meher Bab&s Discourses on The Nature of the Ego and its Termination, so it was nowonder that many people identify with it. Eruch Jessawala wasconvinced it was about him, and he used to frequently play thetape of it in Mandali Hall to unsuspecting pilgrims.Ego 11—the Sequel demonstrates a clear lack of spiritual progress...

1,nveSfnd rmPnti

Comments and Reflectionsby James Wilson

Book Review: Light on Running WaterA Collection of Poems by Filis Frederick

Sometimes when I read a poem, a peculiar agitationwells up and I know I’ve started something not unlike anexcavation of old ideas, insights, and experiences that Icherish as self-defining. I get pensive and I block out mysurroundings as I explore the poem for the keys to my ownlocked doors. This creates thirst rather than satisfaction.The poem awakens memories, flashes a light into forgottencorners of life’s passages; it will even touch those intimacies too personal to express exceptthrough art and poetry. Such was myexperience in reading Light onRunning Water a collection of poemsby Filis Fredrick.

Dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba,these poems are a disciple’s reflectionof her Master, an onion-layeredmanifesto of His presence within her.

. But don’t expect to unravel the layerswith one reading! Stay with them fora while. The light reflects off runningwater in ways that mesmerize andfascinate—the deep pools, the shallows, the rapids, each sparkle withpeace or turmoil or beauty in onecolor at daybreak and another colorat sundown. So it is with Filis’s poems.

Her Masters Broken Silenceresonates in its unmistakable beautyand truth; we can recognize it like thesmell of roses; we can feel His Presence in that special way His close-ones manifest His touch.

Gold lace!Gold laceFalls over His face. AGold lace universe.Perhaps, in a manner of speaking,Illusion is pure grace.

This poem, like all of the poems, resides on a wholepage, an appropriate galaxy for its mystery and paradox.Gold, the alchemy symbol of that which endures and moldsto all shapes, is formed into a lace, that which both coversand reveals simultaneously. This gold lace falls over Hisface. Mystery veiled yet revealed as well. God’s face “hidden” behind a gold-lace universe? Yet is not this illusionthe chemistry for His grace and His form?

38

. Filis’s poems feel spontaneous, like shejust sat down at

. the breakfast table and jotted one down. They are worthy: of many return visits. Her style is clear, not flowery or.

ornate, rather compact and efficient. One gets the suspicion that she’s finished with all but the bare essentials so asnot to miss the important moments— “ running water”being a metaphor for life. She has a riddler’s touch with hershort poems that say volumes and cannot be pruned of

even a single word. For example:

In the vase of SilenceOne drop echoesMore, more.

There is delight in these playfulteasers, so remindful of Filis’s love__f maya, yet they also point to theheart and soul of the Master’swords that speak not to the mind,-

L to the deep thirst of thedisciple’s longing.

The final poem suspends logicand understanding as it exhorts usto shout the final answer to the

: very first question, ‘Who am I?”We are but children mouthing thewords of the father; however, Filisassures us that we have hope forvictory:

Now boldly sighGod am IGod am I—After all, a child’s cryIn the distance seems invin

cible.

Filis’s book has the glow ofMeher Baba. Even the photograph on the cover byGoodwin Harding feels beautifully mysterious and entrancing. Mary Lloyd Dugan compiled and edited these poemsand wove them into segments titled God Man, Universe,Music, Journey, Awakening, and Ocean. The final result,sweetened by tiny illustrations from Will David, is asumptuous offering of Filis’s discipleship in which she oftenpointed to the Divine Beloved in His game of knowing andloving.

T. I

iiaoas riiisby Lynn Maguire

Filis Frederick and her longtime friend, AdeleWolkin, met Meher Baba in Myrtle Beach onMother’s Day in 1952. Nine years earlier, Babahad caught hold of Filis’s heart when she firstheard His name and now it forever belonged toHim. Even her name belonged to Him, for shehad always been known as “Phyllis” before Hespelled it His way on the alphabet board.

During that first meeting Baba told Filis,“ Inscribe these words in your heart: nothing isreal but God; nothing matters but love for God.”

In 1956, while visiting the Coit Tower in SanFrancisco, Baba turned to Filis and pointedsouth. Filis soon realized He meant Los Angeles.

In the early ‘60s she found herself in Manhattan Beach (drawn by the letters “MB. “) workingas a designer for Mattel Toys. She ran an ad in acounter-cultural paper, the Hollywood FreePress. It read: “Meher Baba Has A Message ForYou! “ She began gathering Baba’s “preciousgems. “ Young people flocked to her door, eager tohear more about the Silent One. She patientlylistened to stories of surfers searching for thecosmic wave; hippies looking for gurus; andflower children wanting a place in the universe.She lovingly accepted us all and became our dearfriend.

With her guidance, we opened our first MeherBaba bookstores in Venice and Hermosa Beach,attended the 1 969 Darshan and eventuallylanded in our present Avatar Meher Baba Centerof Southern California. And through the years,Filis’ Monday night meetings in her home werealways a joy.

We loved Fills for her wit, her humor, herartistic talent and her priceless gift of TheAwakener magazine. But most of all, it was herlove for us and her beautiful love for Meher Babathat touched our hearts.

Baba inspired Fills’ poetry. Her poems sing ofHis love, humor andjoy. One of Filis’ last requests was that her poems be published. Maybeit’s no coincidence that her lovely collection ofpoems, Light On Running Water coincides withthe purchase of our new center. Certainly, Filis isvery happy.

Jai Baba, “Sweetheart. “

. . .

%3t

Arnavaz Dadachanji

N W: In Gift ofGod, Arnavaz, youwrote about the dangers of becominginvolved in any way with the occult.You’ve also told me that an increasingnumber of Baba lovers are asking youquestions about this subject.

Arnavaz: It is true that more andmore Baba lovers have been coming tome to ask what they can do to disentangle themselves from various kindsof occult practices, such as seekinghelp from the spirit world or trying todevelop psychic powers. Many havealso consulted other people who areinvolved in the occult. For instance, acommon practice today is to consult“healers, “ people who use psychicpower to eliminate disease or pain. Atfirst the help given through occultmeans may make a person feel betteror happier. But there are great dangersinvolved.

This is not to say that those whoexplore the occult do so simply out ofthe desire for power. Some peoplehave the best of intentions and theywant only to help themselves orothers. For example, I mentioned in

.

—-—

____

. As Baba has said, ‘7Vever begme to save your life or the livesafyour dear ones. Only beg meto acceptyou andpermityou to

Gift of God a woman who loved Babavery much, but used occult practicesto save the life of her husband.

.

Someone guided this woman, gave hermantras to repeat and instructions to

.

follow. Her husband’s life was spared,.

but his whole personality changed.Whereas they had once been a very

. loving couple, now he stopped talkingto her and lived like a stranger in thehouse. And she could not stop herself

: from becoming further involved with. her practices. When my mother was

gravely ill with cancer, this woman: came to our family, wanting to help

extend my mother’s life. I told heremphatically that whether my mother

. lived or died was completely in Baba’shands. As Baba has said, “Never begme to save your life or the lives of

your dear ones. Only beg me to acceptyou and permit you to lay down yourlife for me.”

Some fifteen years later thiswoman came to my home for Baba’s

. darshan. She looked so frail andbroken that I didn’t even recognizeher. She implored Baba to save her.

.

Baba very lovingly embraced her, butHe told her she had taken upon

. herself more than she could handleand therefore He couldn’t help her.She would have to suffer the conse

: quences of her actions. This womanwas suffering at least in part becauseof the heavy sanskaric load she wascarrying. So although it is natural thatwe should want to eliminate our own

.

suffering or the suffering of those welove, the elimination of pain through

. psychic healing may actually serve asa block on the spiritual path of theaspirant.

N W: This brings up another questionfor me. To what extent should we, asBaba lovers, try to eliminate our pain

.

and suffering?

40 £oveStreeti3imtll?osb

IMeher Baba’sWarnings About

the Occult

An Interview withArnavaz N. Dadachanji

byNancy Wall

j

—

Arnavaz: Well, certainly when we arein pain, it is reasonable to pursuewhatever relief may be availablethrough natural and practical means.Doctors, psychiatrists, chiropractors,massage therapists, those who practice Chinese medicine, acupuncture,homeopathy, allopathy, Ayurvedicmedicine—all these I would callnatural and practical. But healingthrough psychic powers is anothermatter altogether. In consulting thoseinvolved in occult practices for relieffrom suffering, we may actually add toour sanskaras and later bring aboutmore suffering and pain. Baba wantsto free us from suffering, but when weseek occult help, we are interferingwith His work and creating furtherbindings for ourselves. And if weourselves use occult means to helpothers, we take on the sanskaras ofthose we seek to help.

N W: Arnavaz, you mentioned that thewoman who used the occult to saveher husband continued to use it evenafter he had been saved. Once aperson starts using occult powers, is itdifficult to stop?

Arnavaz: Let me tell you two storiesabout that. Once when Baba wasgiving darshan in different parts ofIndia, a guru who had practiced occultpowers came to Him. Baba gave thisman darshan several times, and hebecame Baba’s disciple. Baba told himthat he must give up his practice as aguru and no longer use the occult orallow people to bow down to him. Heobeyed Baba for some time, but after afew years he returned to his old ways.He knew Baba was not pleased, and heceased all contact, never showing hisface to Baba again.

The second story involves an onlychild who died. Naturally, the parentswere devastated, and a Baba lover whowas present put the dead child in hislap and sat all night, repeating Baba’sname aloud. After several hours thechild was revived. When Baba heardabout this incident, He sent a telegramto the man saying that He was verydispleased. The man felt terrible and

he came to Baba and begged forforgiveness. Baba kept the man withHim for a while in the ashram, butbecause he had been able to revive thedead child, the man believed that hemust have special powers and aftersome time he had the urge to use hispowers again. One day, without even

informing Baba, he simply disappeared from the ashram. His ego hadoverpowered him, and he returned tohis home and established his ownfollowing. His connection with Baba

: was broken. So you see, once a personhas experienced this kind of power, he

: becomes entangled in it and does notwant to give it up.

. N W: Your family at one time hadfrequent contact with a man who hadcertain powers. Can you tell me about

Arnavaz: Our contact with this man,Savak, came about in the early ‘30s,when we were quite new to Baba.Later, of course, we would have hadnothing to do with this man, but at thetime we knew very little about spin-

tual matters. Although we loved Babavery much, my mother and others inthe family thought that Savak must bea highly spiritual man. He could makecoins or flowers appear in his hands,or a certain scent would suddenly fillthe room. He would give orders, andsometimes they would turn out to bethe same orders that Baba later gaveus, so it is easy to see why Savakimpressed my family. I have to say,though, that I myself was never

.attracted to him. Even though I

41

him?

Avatar Meher Baba

;:t 3.: II

thought he might be on a higher plane,I found him somehow repulsive. Iunderstand now that Baba was keep—ing me away from this man, keepingme from getting involved with him inany way. And even though throughoutmy life I have seen numerous examples of people who were possessedby spirits and many kinds of blackmagic, I have always known that Babawould protect me from all of this, thatI had nothing to fearas long as I heldtightly to His damaan.Baba’s Last Warning,given in July of 1968,contains specificorders for His loversconcerning involve—ment with suchmasters:

It is . . . importantat this critical periodof the Avataric Age tobeware at all times ofpersons who leadothers into bellevingthat they are saintly

‘andpious and professto possess supernatural powers. Howeverpious such personsappear to be, a Babalover must never mixsuch piety with theDivinity ofthe Avatar!

A true Baba-lovermust remember therepeated warninggiven to all Babalovers time and againto stay away frompersons who feel andassert that they aremasters andsaints and possesspowers to help human beings. Hislovers and workers should never getinvolved with such persons andaffairs, much less with perverted“helpers ofhumanity” who have noreverence or regard for the PerfectMasters and the Avatar ofthe Age.Beware ofthem who exploit spiritual-ity to gain their selfish ends and dupe

others in the name ofSadgurus andthe Avatar

At the end of this warning Babaadded the following note, originallygiven in February of 1966:

: do, “ He has told us. “Do what I tellyou to do. “ When God comes as man,He works thorough everything in Hiscreation, what we would call good and

: what we would call bad. Baba saidthese were two sides of the same coin.In the play of Maya, God keeps abalance between them. Why? We

. cannot know. Given our limitedunderstanding, we cannot fathom theways of God. We can only do what

Baba asks of us andnot worry abouttrying to understandHis work.

Baba has beenvery clear about whatHe asks of us. Forinstance, the rulesregarding appropriatebehavior at HisCenter in MyrtleBeach contain thisstatement: “By MeherBaba’s directive,divining cards, ouijaboard, and the IChing are not to beused at the Center.”And anyone temptedto interpret thatdirective to meanthat outside theCenter it is airight touse such devicesshould think care-fully about Baba’sstatement given inAndhra on 1 March,1954: ‘1 want mylovers and workers toknow that there is nogreater ‘Baba’sCentre’ than theheart of my lover.

Those who truly love me are mycentres in the world. Let each ‘Babalover,’ wherever he or she may be, bethe ‘Baba’s Centre’ personified,radiating the eternal message of LoveDivine, living a life of love, sacrificeand honesty.”

N W: I think it’s sometimes difficultfor us to distinguish between what isoccult and what is not. There are so

42 oveStreetJam1J?osb

Shun those masters who are likem ulti-coloured electric signs thatflash on and off brightening the darksky ofyour world and leavingyou indarkness again.

N W: Aren’t there some people whohave actually found Baba throughoccult means and come to followHim?

Arnavaz: It is true that Baba Himself. has used such means as automatic

writing, ouija boards, etc. to bring.

people to Him, but the fact that Babahas done something in no way gives uspermission to do it. “Don’t do what I

many “New Age” practices from whichsincere people seem to derive thesame kinds of experience that we havehad in our lives as Baba lovers that thewhole issue can become very confusing. How can we protect ourselvesfrom getting involved in somethingbest left alone?

Arnavaz: Irene Coneybeare, in theintroduction to her book In Quest ofTruth or How I Came toMeher Baba, gives a good andeasy guideline to follow whenshe discusses the vast differ-ence between mysticism andoccultism. The mystic, shesays, is simply searching forGod and does not seek power,whereas the person whopractices the occult isactually attempting to controlthe forces of nature. Occultpower, she stresses, is safeonly in the hands of a Masterwho will not misuse it—thateven an advanced spiritualaspirant may incur greatharm through practice of theoccult, and she quotes thefollowing from Baba’s Discourses: “The introduction ofan uncertain and uncalculable factor which the freeexercise of occult powerwould involve, is bound tocreate much confusion anddisturbance in the ordinarypursuits of man, who must beleft to his own limitations,resources and possibilities forthe equal and uninterruptedworking out of the Law ofKarma. “ She also talks aboutthe undue importance thatpeople often attribute tomiracles, which have nothing to dowith the spiritual path, and again shequotes Baba: “All miracles belong tothe phenomenal world, which is theworld of shadows. As phenomena,they are subject to change; andnothing that changes can have lastingvalue. Realization of the eternal Truthis an initiation into unchangeableBeing which alone is the supreme

Reality; and no acquaintance with theoccult world or capacity to manipulateits forces can really amount to therealization of the Truth.”

On His birthday in 1965, Baba toldthose gathered in His love the follow-ing, also taken from His Discourses:

curse rather than a blessing ifhe isnot spirituallyprepared for theadequate fulfillment ofthe newresponsibility implied in the acquisition of the new powers. Even theslightest misuse ofoccultpower has asevere reaction and crea tes a bindingfor the soul. Sometimes it may retardthe progress of the aspirant and mayeven lead to a considerable set-back.

. Apart from the spiritual ruin whichthe novice may invite uponhimselfthrough indiscreteuse ofoccult power he isbound to be a source ofincalculable harm toothers over whom he hassucceeded in wielding aformidable advantage.

So when Baba loversask me about the occult, Itell them that whoeverBaba has taken into Hisfold must do whatever Babawants. Those who have notcome to know and loveBaba will act according totheir sanskaras and des-tiny. But Baba has told His.lovers specifically not toget involved in the occult.It is extremely foolish forBaba lovers to dabble inmatters that Baba has toldus to keep away from. Hehas warned us of the harmwe may do not only toourselves, but to otherswho seek our help. And Hehas shown us how to pleaseHim. That means obeyingBaba wholeheartedly,leaving His work entirely inHis hands, and stayingaway from any attempt to

work in realms we are not spirituallyprepared to enter.

“I do not want anything else butthe gift ofyour obedience.”

©1997Meherazad Trust for Avatar Meher Baba

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There is nothing particularlyspiritual about occult power as such.Like any other m undane power or

scientific invention, it is capable ofbeing used for good ends or bad. Itgives immense scope for co-operativework on the higher planes, but this

: necessarily implies a spiritual prearedness to shoulder a specialresponsibility.

: The novice may seek some occultpowers and, within certain limits,

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even succeed in having them, but this

; new attainment will prove to be a

—Meher Baba

We Are All

One

ByBhau Kaichuri

4

Beloved Avatar Meher Baba isthe Compassionate Father.He’s not only in everyone

and everything but also He is every-one and everything. The Prayer Hehas dictated “You Alone Exist” makesit very clear that God is All-Pervadingand He embraces all. He is in good andHe is in bad too, and therefore Hehelps everyone.

We make illusory distinctions likegood and bad, right and wrong, justand unjust, and these are all illusorydistinctions. Reality is Reality and inthe domain of Reality such illusorydistinctions are not there.

For Beloved Avatar Meher Baba thesinners are His liabilities and thesaints are His assets. And His businessis to convert the liabilities into assetsbecause He is Love and He is compassion.

Therefore we who follow himshould try to rise above these distinctions of good and bad, right and

wrong, just and unjust, etc. throughHis love.

Good is binding and bad is binding.One is a gold chain and the other is aniron chain, but after all, the chain isthere. Everyone is full of weaknesses.If weaknesses are not there, one canbe one with God.

But generally it happens that noone looks after his own weaknessesbut he finds out the weaknesses ofothers. And he goes on criticizingthough he also has weaknesses. And itis therefore necessary for each one tolook after his own weaknesses andcorrect them. But it does not happen.

When one has weaknesses and hehides his own weaknesses and justifieshimself, this then becomes his greaterweakness. Because when one justifiesones actions right or wrong, one doesnot keep any room in his heart forrepentance by asking God for forgive-ness. Really speaking, when one usesreason and justifies one’s actions

Really speaking, when one usesreason andjustifles onec

actions through reason, that isa great sin because one doesnot keep any room in oneheart for Godc forgiveness.

through reason, that is a great sinbecause one does not keep any roomin one’s heart for God’s forgiveness. Hecannot ask His forgiveness because hefeels justified.

For example, there was onehomosexual and there was a heterosexual. The heterosexual wouldalways be with different girls. And oneday when he saw the homosexual hesaid to him, “ I hate you because yourdeeds are unnatural. “ And the homosexual said to him, “Your deeds are

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also unnatural because you go aftermany girls. You also commit lustfuldeeds. This is all unnatural. Theheterosexual said, “ I am permitted byGod and you are not. “ And the homosexual said, “ Will you please show methe sanction? Where is your permit?”And the heterosexual got angry and heabused the homosexual, saying, “Ihate you ! I hate you ! You have noplace in society. You cannot showyour face to anyone. You commitsins.”

They were fighting and abusingeach other. Then a wise person cameand said, “Why do you fight, abuseand blame each other? We say that welove our Beloved Avatar Meher Baba—or God—and there is no hatred in thislove. Where there is hatred there is nolove; and when love is there oneforgets the distinctions of good andbad, right and wrong, etc.

Therefore if we think that we areBaba lovers we should stop hatinganyone, and we should feel theoneness in His love. If the feeling ofoneness is there, there can never beany room for hatred.

Our Beloved Baba embraces saintsand He also embraces the worstsinners, because in Reality He is them.Therefore it is the duty of every Babalover to try to love others and not tocriticize others.

God is everyone, in fact we areone. Everyone’s false self keeps oneaway from God. The false self consistsof pride, lust, anger, selfishness, greed,jealously, backbiting, etc, and theseare all low desires. So long as theselow desires are there and we maintainthem we cannot love our Beloved God,Beloved Avatar Meher Baba. No oneinvites these weaknesses which aredesires. They are the outcome ofprevious births. But when we havebecome a little bit aware of Reality, wemust try to get rid of them throughlove for the Beloved. We should notremember the weaknesses. We shouldremember Him and love others, andwe should keep away from hatred!The desires of lust and anger are sofirm that it is impossible for anyone toget rid of them. They can only be

wiped out through real love for God. Ifwe go on finding faults in others and

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blaming others for their weaknesses,we cannot love our Beloved. Thereforeit is hypocrisy that one does not take

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care of one’s own weaknesses and

; blames others for their weaknesses.Beloved Avatar Meher Baba has

taken the responsibility for everyone.

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He has asked us to remember Him, to

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love Him and to follow His wish, andI He will take care of all the weak-

nesses. In fact, we have collectedinnumerable unnatural impressionsand these impressions are stinkinggarbage, but we have no awareness of

Beloved Avatar MeherBaba has taken the •:

responsibility for every-one. He has asked us toremember Him, to love :L.Him and to follow Hiswish, and He will take ..

care ofail the weaknesses.

this garbage. Therefore Beloved AvatarMeher Baba has taken the responsibility to clean this garbage out of every-one. After dropping His physical bodyHe is infinitely active in this cleaningwork because He has to Manifest, andunless He takes the garbage out ofeveryone He cannot Manifest. He hasbeen doing this work since He hasdropped His body, and it will last forone hundred years when He willManifest Universally.

Therefore our duty is just toremember Him and Love Him and tofollow His Wish. This will be the firststep towards Him. If we take this firststep, and let Him clean out thegarbage which we have and of whichwe are not aware, He will take usthousands of steps towards the Divinity. He will be pleased if we do notcreate obstructions in His work byindulging in our low desires.

Beloved Baba has constructed aUniversal Telephone House during hisphysical lifetime. He has connected

the telephone wires with each heart.He has made each heart as a telephone. He has fixed the telephonelines in such a way that if anyone doesnot remember Him and does not loveHim and does not follow His wish, hisvoice—or rather, noise—does notreach Him. Only the voice of the heartcan reach the Universal TelephoneHouse where Beloved Baba hears thatvoice. And He does not hear the voice

.of the mind, as mind contains the

. garbage.Therefore whatever we are, we are.

But if we remember Him and love Himand follow His Wish, we belong to Himand He belongs to us. We should havefirm faith in Him, and He will takecare of us, and He will make us clean.

Beloved Baba has given a very goodexample in this matter. He has explained nicely how one can reach

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Him. For example, in a goods trainthere are many compartments at-tached with the engine. In one compartment there is gold, in the nextthere is silver, and next there is iron,and again in the next there is stinkinggarbage, and so forth. But when all thecompartments are attached with theengine, all the compartments go along

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with the engine and reach the destination. It does not happen as we might

: think that only the compartment of: gold goes along with the engine and

the compartment of stinking garbageremains at the station. All the com

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partments go along with the engineI provided they are attached with the

engine.In a similar way, Beloved Baba is

like an engine. Therefore whether weare virtuous or we are sinners it doesnot make any difference provided weremain attached to Beloved Baba,through His remembrance, love, and

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obedience to His Wish. He will take usto the destination.

May Beloved Avatar Meher Baba. help us all so that we may follow His

Wish and remember and love Him. We. should not blame, criticize, and make

distinctions in our fellow beings. Weshould love them and remain united.

rfoveStrcetfamtfPosb 45

A mother who loves her baby

does not spend her time just

loving it. In fact in the daily routine of

caring for its needs day and night,

being there for it, feeding it, changing

its nappies, and all the things that go

t

into bringing it up—there is often little

time to dwell on how much she loves

her baby, except for a little fondling

now and then. But it is her love that

makes it ajoy for her to care for her

by MeheruMeherazad, India

January, 1997

child every hour of the day.

For us too, just loving Baba is notenough. With Him not physically hereyou can show your love for Him bydoing the things that please Him.

Baba has given us How to LoveGod to follow and the Prayer of

-.Repentance to live by. By caring to dothese things, by caring to live the wayof life Baba desires of us, we can show

-‘ our love for Him and truly love Him.For the mandali, we who lived with

Baba and served His needs, it was notreally us giving to Baba, it was Babawho was giving to us—giving us thewonderful privilege and opportunity todo His work. And it was from Mehera Ilearned, to some extent, the depth towhich caring can go. She showed howmuch Baba was with her continuously,even in the everyday work at hand.

In her personal service to Baba Iwitnessed and still have the picture inmy mind of her combing and brushingBaba’s hair everyday. Even if Baba wasin a hurry Mehera would do it care-fully and gently with a scarf drapedaround Baba’s shoulders and back sothat not a single strand of His precioushair that came out in the combing orbraiding would be lost. And then she’dtenderly tie a special coloured bow onthe braid.

It was not only how Mehera caredfor His beautiful form but how shecared for everything having to do withBaba that was so unforgettable. The

way she took care of His clothes: Hiscoat, His sadra, etc. , all were deli-cately handled and folded ust so andplacedjust so. And when washingthem I had to be so gentle with all of

.With awe I remembar the

care and love Baba pouredon each and all who came for

His darshan. When we sayBaba gave darshan lie wastrulygiving. He alonE: couldfill each cup to overflbwing.

them. When we were going throughBaba’s old clothes after He droppedHis body I felt the need of washing somany of them that had collected overthe years. While washing same of Hisshort pants which were covered by thesadra, I found a few of them haddelicate lace stitched on the hem—white on white ! I had never seen thembefore and it brought tears.to my eyesas I saw another aspect of Mehera’slove and caring for her Behwed.

In the early days the womenmandali had so few new chothes andby patching and repatchin theywould make their everyday wear last along time. Yet, when Baba was travel-ling either in India or the \West, theyfilled in their days making things forBaba—a crown, a garland, or some-

thing special for Him —which showedthat He was never absent from eithertheir hearts or their thoughts.

, From Baba’s hair and nails theywould design lovely brooches in whichthey placed tiny photos of Baba. Even

. in that act, Mehera and Mani and theothers would never cut up a photo-graph of Babajust for the sake of the

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head. That action, even on paper, wasdistasteful and hurtful to them—itwould have to be a photographjust of

. His head, if that was what they: needed.

Being with Mehera I got to learn somany different ways, not only ofworking for Baba, but of doing it in a

: special caring way. If we were sittingat the table with Baba and a knife waspointing towards Him, immediately

: Mehera would notice it and have me. turn it in another direction. It did not

matter whether I had placed it thereor not—why had I not seen it andrectified the error? It was the same

. with Baba’s photos—no pointedinstrument could be directed towardsthem. For Baba we offer flowers

. symbolizing that for the Beloved ourdesire is to offer all that is best in us.

: After Baba dropped His body Ibegan taking care of the drawing room

. as Mehera wanted to do the dusting of

: Baba’s photos in His room. Dustingeach photo Mehera would be with

. Baba, remembering Him, talking withHim—lost in her reverie, as she gentlystroked His picture with the softest of

46 £oveStreetJ3imPosb

OnCaring

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silk dusters. Every photo of Baba wasprecious to her.

One day as I was dusting Baba’sphotos in the hail, Mehera saw meblowing the dust off the frame of alovely photo. This frame of shells hadbeen made by Mehera herself. Immediately she told me not to blow onBaba’s photo. I told her I was notblowing on the photo but on the frameas it was not possible to dust it off withthe cloth. “Well, “ she said, “See thatyou cover Baba’s photo with a clothbefore you blow on the frame. Babahad told me never to blow on Hisphoto. “ The way in which she saidthis, I felt she was looking back on aepisode that had occurred years ago,yet it was as clear in her mind as ifBaba had told her but yesterday. Thatimpressed me so deeply—how presentBaba was with her at all times. Andnow for me it is such a gift to remember Mehera each time I need to blow

on any frame—which is daily!Even on letterheads with Baba’s

face or name stamped on them.Mehera would carefully cut out andkeep the image; be it of Baba, ofKrishna, or Christ, etc. All the Avatarsand the saints would be respected andtheir photos never crumpled up orthrown away in the trash basket norallowed to inadvertently get underfoot.

I love to see you all wearing Bababuttons or tee shirts with Baba’s faceon them, but when you do so youshould always be aware of the honor.They should help you to rememberBaba and act in the way that ispleasing to Him. And when you washthe tee shirt, wash it separately andnot with underwear or socks. GiveBaba’s picture the respect it deserves,(Loving Baba is important and so iscaring for Him.) Don’t throw the tee-shirt down when you change it butplace it gently and never leave it on

the floor to get underfoot. Care shouldbe taken of every form and image ofthe God man who walked the earthand served humanity. His image, Hislikeness, is always to be revered andrespected.

Let your life be one of loving and

.caring not only for Baba but for yourfellow beings and remember Baba is in

. them as He is in you. Caring for oneanother is important—it is caring forBaba. With awe I remember the care

: and love Baba poured on each and allwho came for His darshan. When we

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say Baba gave darshan He was truly. giving. He alone could fill each cup to

overflowing. It is for us to give our cup. such depth that it can hold as much as

possible of the precious gift of love

.that ever flows from the font of love,and let it ever increase with our

: sharing of it with others.

Meheru Driving With Meher Baba

£oveStrcetfimtf1?osL’ 47

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