"I have been waiting all these years for you to come."

Your Friday photo is in remembrance of Avatar Meher Baba’s automobile accident in Prague, Oklahoma…

Meher Baba said of the injuries He had incurred on May 24, 1952, “It was necessary that it should happen in America. God willed it so.

“America forms the best foundation for the spiritual upheaval I will bring about in the near future. America has tremendous energy, but most of its energy is misdirected. I intend to divert it into spiritual and creative channels,” He said.

Meher Baba and His mandali (close disciples) were traveling by car from the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Meher Mount in Ojai, California, for a planned nine-day stay.

There are no photos related to the accident. This photo taken by Lud Dimpfl in 1956 is of the guesthouse at Meher Mount (right) where Meher Baba would have stayed.

“I have been waiting all these years for you come.”

— Agnes Baron to Avatar Meher Baba

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Prior to the trip, Agnes Baron met with Meher Baba in Myrtle Beach to discuss the planned nine-day stay in detail.

“Now do not go to any trouble,” Meher Baba told her. “I can sleep under the trees or on the floor.”

“Trouble!” Agnes replied, “I’ve just been waiting all these years for you to come. Everything has been painted and scrubbed.”

“Do not go to any trouble," Meher Baba repeated.

Meher Baba instructed five of the men mandali — Adi K. Irani, Dr. William Donkin, Gustadji Hansotia, Meherjee Kakaria, and Vinayak Nilkantha 'Nilu" Godse — to leave a day early for Meher Mount.

They were to make sure the proper arrangements were made at Meher Mount for for Meher Baba and the women mandali.

They arrived at Meher Mount on May 23, exhausted, as they had been told to drive as fast as possible. They were having tea the following morning when they learned about Meher Baba’s automobile accident.

Dr. Donkin flew back immediately, and the others drove back across the county.

“There was nothing but tears in our eyes and bleeding in our heart,” said Adi K. Irani.

“This was God’s will, and it will result in benefit to the whole world,” Meher Baba said. He said on other occasions that it would be necessary in His incarnation as Avatar to undergo this Self-sacrifice.

All the passengers in both automobiles survived, despite some severe injuries.

Four years later in 1956, Meher Baba returned to America. Upon this visit, Meher Baba at last fulfilled His intention of coming to Meher Mount. 

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Sources

• Wayne Myers, “…the personal disaster, for some some years foretold by Me took place…”, Meher Mount Story Blog, published May 23, 2017, accessed online April 21, 2024.

• Wayne Myers, Agnes Baron Meets Meher Baba for the First Time, Meher Mount Story Blog, published May 4, 2020, accessed online April 21, 2024.

• “Meher Baba’s Accident in America,” Avatar Meher Baba Heartland Center, accessed online, May 21, 2025.

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"It feels kind of enchanted."

Your Friday photo is in honor of National Love a Tree Day…

Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is beloved by many. It was graced by the presence of Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba in 1956. Today, many visitors spend time at the tree in quiet contemplation to find inspiration, solace and joy.

This photo of the deer grazing by Baba’s Tree, which is to the right out of the picture, was taken by guest caretaker Juan Mendez.

Eric Carlson, former resident caretaker, describes how the deer interact with the tree and area around it. His comments are part of his interview for the upcoming documentary about Baba’s Tree, Tree of Fire.

“It feels kind of enchanted.”

— Eric Carlson, Resident Caretaker, 2019-2022

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I would say that all of nature recognizes on some level, something going on that goes beyond the tree itself.

I have sat at Baba’s Tree for hours and noticed that animals, like deer and coyotes, seem to be attracted to the area. Now you could say, well, that's just the geographic location. It could be a strategic crossing.

But it does seem like they like to hang around the area.

Sometimes I'll go down to Baba’s Tree, and there will be deer bedded down inside the low roped-off enclosure. And I feel kind of bad for spooking them out of there. I want to say, “Wait, wait, you don't have to go. You can stay.”

And sometimes when I'm there, the deer won't even go that far. They literally see you and they don't feel that threatened.

So that's what I observed at Baba’s Tree. It feels kind of enchanted.

~Eric Carlson, Resident Caretaker, 2019-2022

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Tree of Fire — Coming Late Summer

The documentary, Tree of Fire, is the journey of a seemingly ordinary oak tree blessed by the presence of Avatar Meher Baba. For decades, Baba’s Tree fulfills its role of inspiring others. Then one night the tree is felled by fire and high winds. Its very existence is threatened.

Through the tree’s own resilience and love, it is transformed by fire to emerge even more powerful in radiating Meher Baba’s love.

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National Love a Tree Day

On May 16th each year, National Love a Tree Day celebrates the joys of life provided by trees.

Trees provide more than just beautiful landscapes and a shady canopy on a sunny day. They provide habitat and structure for strong ecosystems. They play a significant role in reducing erosion, moderating the climate, and providing oxygen. Large quantities of carbon are stored in their tissues as trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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"Let me tell you this fact: There is nothing to worry about..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

The following from Avatar Meher Baba, suggested by visitor Erin Sommerville, reminds us of Meher Baba’s central message which is to love God. The photo from Juan Mendez at Meher Mount captures the everyday beauty in our lives that brings us joy.

“Let Me tell you this fact: There is nothing to worry about, nothing to be disheartened about.

“We are all, each of us, meant to be happy.

“God, Who is within us all, is to be experienced as infinite happiness, and it can be done only through love for Him.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Source

You and I: A Personal Selection of the Words of Avatar Meher Baba, complied by Rick M. Chapman, pg. 149. (Berkeley, CA: The White Horse Publishing Company, © 2019) Quotes of Meher Baba are copyrighted by the ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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"It is a manifestation of the path we all walk in life..."

Your Friday photo…

Gordon Meier visited on a foggy, cool day this spring and was inspired to create this painting representing his visit. Gordon shared his observations gleaned from that day at Meher Mount.

“It is a manifestation of the path we all walk in life, and the truth in our inability or lack of awareness to see, with our eyes, what lies much further in front of us. ”

— Gordon Meier, Visitor

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Our visit was wonderfully peaceful.  

I had only heard the name “Meher Baba” referenced by other spiritual vessels prior to our visit. Which I now feel was a blessing in order to be open to all the energy there.  

A cloud covered Meher Mount and the surrounding area on the morning we arrived. We were the only visitors.   

I love these days of blurred anonymity and horizonless landscapes.    

It is a manifestation of the path we all walk in life, and the truth in our inability or lack of awareness to see, with our eyes, what lies much further in front of us.   

We sat by Baba’s Tree and meditated.   

The cloud surrounded us, a fine mist gathered on our clothes and faces. The birds moved ever closer.

We were absorbed into all, in stillness, in muted colors — washed out in the oneness enveloping us.    

And that, what I later learned, was the message.

Always present.   

With gratitude and many more returns, 

~Gordon Meier, Visitor

Postscript: I had not realized until after creating this painting and reading more about Meher Mount and Sulphur Mountain, there is a feeling that this place is the meeting of heaven and earth, which is almost a literal depiction in my painting. Amazing.

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"Let my love open the door..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the 45th anniversary of the release on April 21, 1980, of the hit song, “Let My Love Open the Door,” by Pete Townshend.

This photo of the heart gate at Meher Mount was taken by Caretaker Ray Johnston just after he finished building it in 2003.

Volunteer Stephanie Ervin shares her Meher Baba coincidence involving the heart gate and Pete Townshend’s song.

“Let my love open the door...”

— Pete Townshend, Songwriter & Musician

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Stephanie Ervin recalls her preparations for being a guest caretaker at Meher Mount in September 2018:

“I made a playlist for the two-and-a-half hour drive to Meher Mount with some of my favorite songs — one of which was ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ by Pete Townshend. It seemed fitting, since Townshend is a follower of Meher Baba, and the song always felt like it was surreptitiously about Meher Baba.

“The playlist was on shuffle, so I didn’t know when the song would play during my drive. Just as I reached the heart gate at the entrance to Meher Mount, this song started playing.

“I put my car in park to unlock the gate, leaving the music playing so I could hear it and chuckle as I opened the gates to drive through.”

“Let My Love Open the Door” on the album Empty Glass, was a Top Ten hit in 1980 for musician Pete Townshend of The Who. It was his only solo Top Ten hit.

Townshend, a follower of Meher Baba, originally brushed the song off as "just a ditty" after its release. Later in 1996, he revealed it was about Divine Love.

“It’s supposed to be about the power of God’s love,” Townshend said in a Rolling Stone interview. “That when you’re in difficulty, whether it’s major or minor, God’s love is always there for you.”

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Lyrics — “Let My Love Open the Door”

When people keep repeating
That you'll never fall in love
When everybody keeps retreating
But you can't seem to get enough

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
To your heart

When everything feels all over
Everybody seems unkind
I'll give you a four-leaf clover
Take all worry out of your mind

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
To your heart, to your heart

I have the only key to your heart
I can stop you falling apart
Try today you'll find this way
Come on and give me a chance to say

Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
There's only one thing gonna set you free
That's my love
That's my love

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door

When tragedy befalls you
Don't let it drag you down
Love can cure your problems
You're so lucky I'm around

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
To your heart

Songwriter: Pete Townshend

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Sources

• “Lyrics and Meaning of ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ by Pete Townshend,” Song Meanings Blog, accessed April 16, 2025.

• Alli Patton, “The Spiritual Meaning Behind Pete Townshend’s ‘Let My Love Open the Door,’” March 28, 2023, American Songwriter: The Craft of Music, accessed on April 16, 2025.

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"Baba, here is the spirit of Meher Mount."

Your Friday photo in honor of National Pet Day today…

Agnes Baron, Meher Mount’s co-founder and lifetime caretaker, always had pets to keep her company as she was alone on top of the mountain.

In this photo taken by Lud Dimpfl in 1956 — just months after Avatar Meher Baba’s visit — she is with her dog Kali. (Photo courtesy of Joan Dimpfl Harland.)

“Baba, here is the spirit of Meher Mount.”

— Agnes Baron

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When Agnes drove Meher Baba to Meher Mount on August 2, 1956, they were greeted by her dog Kali.

“Baba, here is the spirit of Meher Mount,” Agnes said, indicating her beautiful and intelligent, short-haired, golden, part-collie, part-greyhound dog named Kali, who eased up next to Meher Baba.

During the day, as they walked around Meher Mount, Kali followed them everywhere, always close to Meher Baba. 

At the end of the day just as the sun was setting over the scenic hills of Ojai, Meher Baba got into Agnes’ station wagon to leave. He patted Kali’s head saying the dog would incarnate as a human being for having met Him.

Agnes often shared this story with those who visited Meher Mount. She said that Kali was a very special and intelligent dog.

Before learning about Meher Baba and becoming one of His followers, Agnes Baron lived the life of a Vedanta nun for several years. During that time, she probably learned about Kali, or Kalika, the Hindu goddess.

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"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful."

Your Friday photo…

On a spring wildflower walk at Meher Mount, visitor and photographer Stephanie Ervin was drawn to the beauty of a small butterfly nestled among the flowers. Board member Agnes Montano suggested the following quote.

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful.

Beauty is God’s hand-writing—a way-side sacrament; welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank for it Him, the fountain of all loveliness, and drink it in, simply and earnestly, with all your eyes; it is a charmed draught, a cup of blessing.”

— Charles Kingsley, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge, 1848

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Source

Quote Investigator, “Quote Origin: Never Los an Opportunity of Seeing Anything Beautiful. Beauty is God's Handwriting,” accessed February 13, 2025.

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"Sometimes that is the only solace for loss."

Your Friday photo...

Visitor Stephanie Ervin shared a memory and the perspectives gained from a photo she took at Meher Mount many years ago…

“I took this photo of a tree trunk on a misty day at Meher Mount in April 2013. A few months later I came back to find it was gone.”

“Loving something, appreciating it, enjoying it while it is present means that when it is no longer close to us, we have the comfort of knowing we did what we could with the time we had together. Sometimes that is the only solace for loss.”

— Stephanie Ervin, Visitor

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“There are times when the lessons I’ve learned at Meher Mount feel like a microcosm of the larger world. So much lives, thrives, is pared back, and then lost.

It is taken away by people, by time, by natural events, but all ultimately by God. 

This bare trunk was an ode to the tree that existed before.  

This particular photo captures a feeling that nothing is permanent. But for me, that is a reason to love it all the more: because it is impermanent. 

We never know how long we’ll have anything, how long we’ll be next to someone, how many days we will have in any one space.

Loving something, appreciating it, enjoying it while it is present means that when it is no longer close to us, we have the comfort of knowing we did what we could with the time we had together. Sometimes that is the only solace for loss.”

~Stephanie Ervin, Visitor

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"Warm wind, if you blow through the lands of my Beloved..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of World Poetry Day…

The clouds over Meher Mount — moved by a gentle breeze — inspired former caretaker and photographer Buzz Glasky. He suggested this poem as an expression of his feelings toward Meher Baba and being at Meher Mount.

“Warm wind, if you blow through the lands of my Beloved,
Bring me the Beloved’s scents.

I would give my life to the Beloved,
for but one sound brought as message by the warm wind.

If by misfortune I’ve missed the Beloved’s presence,
then bless me with the dust
from somewhere the Beloved walked.

What a sorry sight, a Sufi in distress.
I can only see the Beloved, others think me mad.

My firm heart trembles like a reed,
wishing only the kiss of the Beloved.

The Beloved has bought my heart for free,
And I will not sell the Beloved
for all the world’s fortune.

Hafez, if your heart is ever truly freed from sorrow,
it will miss such a faithful servant.”

— Hafez-e Shirazi

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Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammed Hafez-e Shirazi (1315-1390) was a Persian lyric poet who was called Hafez or Hafiz (meaning “memorizer”) because he memorized the Quran and the works of other Persian poets.

Hafez primarily wrote in the literary genre of ghazals — Meher Baba’s favorite poetic from. This form is considered by some to be ideal for expressing the ecstasy of Divine inspiration in the mystical form of love poems.

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Source

Gates of Wisdom: The Poems of Hafiz, A New English Adaptation by Swami Anand Nisarg. (c)2010 by Swami Anand Nisarg.

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"The people of this world are like the three butterflies..."

Your Friday photo is honor of National Learn About Butterflies Day…

This photo of a butterfly at Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker Juan Mendez; Margaret Magnus suggested the poem by Rumi.

“The people of this world are like the three butterflies in front of a candle’s flame.

The first one went closer and said: I know about love.

The second one touched the flame lightly with his wings and said: I know how love’s fire can burn.

The third one threw himself into the heart of the flame and was consumed.

He alone knows what true love is.”

— Rumi

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Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, also known as Rumi, was a 13th century poet and Islamic scholar who was born in Afghanistan and wrote poetry in multiple languages, particularly Farsi.

Avatar Meher Baba enjoyed listening to Rumi's poetry and praised him as one of the greatest minds of all mystical and spiritual literature. This poem in particular talks about Divine love.

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"There's something magical that occurs when light shines on ordinary objects."

Your Friday photo...

Agnes Montano captured the sunlight emanating from a glorious sunrise as it reflected on the veranda at Meher Mount’s Visitor Center.

Looking outwards from the picture window in the reception area: The shadows of two Adirondack chairs, a small side table, a vase, bird decals on the window (used to deter birds from flying into the glass), and the branches of a Toyon tree are reflected on the sunshade, bringing to life this serene scene.

It is reminiscent of the softness, grace and elegance of an Asian silk screen painting.

“There’s something magical that occurs when light shines on ordinary everyday objects.

They can be transformed into beautiful aesthetic scenes.

Avatar Meher Baba’s light has that transformative effect in those that seek Him”

— Agnes Montano, Board Member, Meher Mount

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"The rain falls on both rocks and soil." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

When it finally rained this winter in February, Meher Mount caretaker Ray Johnston captured the moment in this photo. Volunteer and board member Agnes Montano suggested the following quote from Avatar Meher Baba.

“The rain falls on both rocks and the soil.

But the water flows away down the rock, while the earth soaks it up. The rock does not derive any benefit from the rain, while the soil does.

Although the rain falls equally on both, only the soil takes advantage of it.

Similarly, my mercy and grace are equally on all.

But only those on the plain deserve it, while those who go about as if they are on top of a high mountain do not benefit by it!”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Source

Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 1939, accessed February 19, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

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"If God came not as man..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Avatar Meher Baba’s upcoming birthday on Tuesday, February 25…

Meher Baba declared that God incarnates in human form every 700 to 1,400 years.

Each incarnation is referred to as the Avatar. Incarnations of the Avatar include Meher Baba, Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Rama, and Zoroaster.

“The Avatar is always One and the Same, because God is always One and the Same, the Eternal, Indivisible, Infinite One…the Highest of the High,” Meher Baba explained.

He said, “I am equally approachable to one and all, big and small, to saints who rise and sinners who fall, through all the various paths that give the Divine Call… and also directly through no medium or ‘ism’ at all.”

“If God came not as man, 
How could we really know  
That we could love Him so?”

— Malcolm Schloss

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The poem “First and Foremost” is the opening poem in Ways to Attain the Supreme Reality, a collection of poetry published in 1952 at Avatar Meher Baba’s directive.

FIRST  AND  FOREMOST 

IF THE SUN did not shine, 
To whom would the flower turn,  
How would the mango grow? 

If the sea were not spread,
To what would the rain descend,
Whither the river flow? 

If the earth did not spin, 
How would the light return,  
Where would the darkness go? 

If the air were not rare,
How would the breathing flow,
Where would the spirit go? 

If God came not as man, 
How could we really know  
That we could love Him so?

 ~Malcolm Schloss

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You can also listen to an excerpt of this poem sung by Jim Meyer by clicking here and then on “First and Foremost.” The poetry from Ways to Attain the Supreme Reality was set to music by Jim Meyer and Bob Brown in the CD of the same name published in 1999. The entire book of poems is recorded in order.

Malcolm B. Schloss (1895-1954) was a follower of Avatar Meher Baba. He was married to Jean Adriel, a co-founder of Meher Mount.

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Source

Ways to Attain the Supreme Reality (eBook) by Shri Meher Baba with Interpretations in Verse by Malcolm Schloss, pg. 15. (c)2020 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India. Used with permission.

Photograph: Avatar Meher Baba at the Namada River, Madha Pradesh, India, in December 1938. Photo by Rano Gayley. Courtesy of Meher Nazar Publications, Inc., Ahmednagar, India.

The CD Ways to Attain the Supreme Reality is available from Sheriar Books (Myrtle Beach, SC).

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"True love gathers power and spreads itself..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo in honor of Valentine’s Day...

This heart stone under Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount marks the spot where Avatar Meher Baba sat alone in 1956. It is a touchpoint for many visitors.

For Amartithi 2025, Martha Aubin decorated it with flowers. Later that day, Margaret Magnus took this photograph and was reminded of the following from Meher Baba on love.

“Essentially, love is self-communicative: Those who do not have it catch it from those who have it, for one cannot absorb love without making a response.

The secret of true love is that it is unconquerable and irresistible. True love gathers power and spreads itself until it transforms everyone it touches.

Humanity will attain a new mode of life through the unhampered interplay of pure love, as it spreads from heart to heart.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Source

D. E. Stevens, editor, Listen, Humanity, (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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"the feeling of oneness, through love, is brought about amongst all..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of Amartithi, today January 31st…

“Unity in the midst of diversity can be made to be felt only by touching the very core of the heart. This is the work for which I have come.

I have come to sow the seed of love in your hearts so that, in spite of all superficial diversity which your life in illusion must experience and endure, the feeling of oneness, through love, is brought about amongst all the nations, creeds, sects and castes of the world.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Amartithi

Amartithi is the anniversary of the date in 1969 — January 31st — when Avatar Meher Baba, the deathless One, dropped His body and left the physical form. Amartithi is a Hindi and Marathi word. Literally, amar is deathless; tithi is day. Also, Amartithi is the eternal date or a date with the Eternal One.

Followers around the world gather on this day to honor and remember Meher Baba. See: “What Amartithi Means to Me.”

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Sources

• Quote: Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 3640, accessed January 29, 2025. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• Photograph: Avatar Meher Baba at Wadia Park, Ahmednagar, India, on September 12, 1954, during the Three Incredible Weeks. Photographer: Bhaiya Panday. Used with permission.

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"You will at once turn it into laughter." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of Global Belly Laugh Day…

Avatar Meher Baba always encouraged jokes and laughter.

“Very seriously, whenever you get excited, or feel others are unjust, or you feel they pass remarks, or you feel you are in the right and they in the wrong — the very moment you feel all this, remember me and get control. Pinch yourself, go aside. You must take practical steps.

The moment you feel excited, make a fuss, remember me and begin singing or dancing — very practical solution. You will at once turn it into laughter.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Global Belly Laugh Day

Global Belly Laugh Day is a day for having a good, deep chuckle. It is about finding what is funny for each person and trying to share in the joy. Having a good laugh each day is an excellent practice. It is said to be good for your health — producing endorphins, reducing stress, improving the immune system, and increasing blood flow.

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Sources

• Quote: Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 2021, accessed January 6, 2025. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• Photograph: Faredoon (Padri) Driver, in Poona (now Pune), India, in 1951, courtesy of Meher Nazar Publications.

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"Baba never went wrong in choosing His Watchdog!"

Your photo Friday is honor of Meher Mount co-founder Agnes Baron’s birthday today…

“In looking for a photo of Agnes (1907-1994) to share on her birthday, I was particularly drawn this one of Agnes (left) with Mansari (Mani Behram Desai) in India in 1982,” noted Sam Ervin, board president.

“It’s such a loving and sweet photo of them together.”

Agnes only visited Meherabad and Meherazad – places of pilgrimage in India for followers of Meher Baba – once for three weeks, but she and Mansari immediately became life-long friends.

“Many years after Agnes Baron went to India, I was visiting with Meherabad resident Jal Dastur and others,” remembered Sam. “The subject of Agnes and her friendship with Mansari came up.

“Jal said, ‘I feel that Meher Baba took the fiery part of Himself from His early days and split it into two parts: Mansari Desai in the East, and Agnes Baron in the West.’”

“Baba never went wrong in choosing His Watch dog! Yes, Sweety, He has chosen you for that! Bravo!

Ideal fit to do His duty for good. With the best in ‘One’, your Eastern partner dog.”

— Mansari Desai, Letter to Agnes Baron*

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Both women had strong personalities and tender hearts and were profoundly devoted to Meher Baba.

Each lived alone on a hilltop watching over a place of pilgrimage dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba. Agnes was the caretaker for Meher Mount in Ojai, California. Mansari lived in Upper Meherabad, India, caring for Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine.

They were both known as “watchdogs” — one in the East (Mansari) and one in the West (Agnes).

Agnes and Mansari corresponded until Agnes’ passing in 1994. They wrote one another teasing, loving letters, bonding over their love of dogs.

To Agnes, Mansari wrote:

“My ever dear, respected Agniji, Jai Baba.

Hope you are fine and happily doing the duty given by our One! Your photo is on my table along with Baba’s. You dear are unforgettable one.

Thank Baba that I had a chance - unexpected - to see you for 3 weeks, 11 years ago!

I think of you and talk of you to the people [here] – His lovers. Jai Baba!**

Wish you the best in Baba to burn bright as Agni! Thank you Baba, to meet your Spark at least once.”***

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Sources

*Letter from Mansari Desai to Agnes Baron, February 12, 1993. Meher Mount Archives.
**Letter from Mansari Desai to Agnes Baron, December 10, 1993, Meher Mount Archives.
***Letter from Mansari Desai to Agnes Baron, January 12, 1993.

Photograph: Thank you Linda and Mario Zavala for this special photograph. They also visited Meherabad in September 1982.

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"This afternoon, you all have a chance to laugh and feel relaxed." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo...

“Avatar Meher Baba’s presence is very much imbued in Meher Mount’s landscape providing that sense of relaxation He felt in 1956,” said photographer and board member Agnes Montano.

“On a more tangible level, that peaceful feeling is also evident in Meher Mount’s many contrasts.

“This image of the mighty oak and the wildflower at sunset celebrates the diverse and contrasting beauty found in nature,” she continued.

“It is where both large and sturdy trees and the delicate flowers contribute to the overall landscape and harmony of Meher Mount.”

“This afternoon, you all have a chance to laugh and feel relaxed. Baba also has a chance to relax here for five minutes.

You had no chance at New York; in Myrtle Beach, little chance; in Los Angeles, none.

But here today, we feel relaxed, happy. I come down to your level so that we can laugh and be free together; but do not forget at the same time that I am the Highest of the High.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount 1956

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Source

Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4066, accessed December 26, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

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"It was a beautiful and serene moment."

Your Friday photo…

Board vice president Ron Holsey had the opportunity to be a temporary caretaker last summer. Here’s how he spent one evening.

“It was a beautiful and serene moment.”

— Ron Holsey, Temporary Caretaker

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One of my favorite things about being a guest caretaker at Meher Mount is the stillness and the quietude that comes at nightfall.

The sun had just gone down, and I decided to walk out to Baba's Tree and Avatar's Point to experience the stillness.

When I looked back toward the Visitor Center, I saw the moon as a thin sliver in the night sky. It was a beautiful and serene moment.

~Ron Holsey, Board Vice President & Temporary Caretaker

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"Meher Baba could be strict with his own people, but the animals could have what they wanted."

Your Friday photo is in honor of National Visit the Zoo Day…

“Wherever we landed, Baba invariably took us to the zoo,” said Mani S. Irani, Meher Baba’s sister. [1]

 “We used to think it was for sightseeing, but it wasn’t only that.” Baba was doing his work with animals and, as usual, he did it deftly and quickly. “Baba once or twice walked so fast that we hardly had time to see the animals.” [2]

Meher Baba and His disciples also collected various animals that stayed and traveled with them. His followers referred to them as the Meherabad zoo, wherever they were staying. (Meherabad is where His Tomb Shrine is located and where He and His disciples lived in the early years.)

The following 1951 photo is of Meher Baba with Begum*, one of the pets in the Meherabad zoo.

“Baba could be strict with his own people [about the bazaar list], but the animals could have what they wanted.”

— Mani S. Irani, Meher Baba's Sister & Close Disciple

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Animals came and went in the Meherabad zoo. Various descriptions include: a gazelle, a peacock, a lamb, a white rabbit, some geese, five dogs, three monkeys, and an assortment of pet birds. The zoo was augmented with mixed-breed puppies, Bingo and Jingo. [3]

Another time, besides the goat, monkey, cats, dogs, birds, the Meherabad zoo included two pigs, Nutty and Gutty; a rabbit, Snowy; a lamb, Mary; and a gazelle. [4]

“Baba was so concerned with animals,” Mani continued, “the last thing he did before going down the [Meherabad] hill in the evening was to visit the animals, to go to each one’s cage, to each animal and pet, before sleeping.” [5]

Meher Baba showered much love and attention on the pets in the Meherabad zoo.

“Baba could be strict with his own people [about the bazaar list],” Mani observed, “but the animals could have what they wanted. One could order what was needed for the pets. Later, we found people were ordering things not just for the animals but for themselves.

“For instance, we were permitted to order nuts for the monkeys, but Kitty [Davy] kept ordering more, as people kept eating them up. So much was being ordered for animals. This one was ordering that for the lamb; this one things for the dogs. Our mouths watered with what the animals were being fed!

 “One day [at Bangalore], there were raisins on the bazaar list. Baba said, ‘What’s this? Raisins for which animal?’

“It turned out that Nadine [Tolstoy] thought that since everyone was ordering different things for the animals in their charge, why not something for hers? She ordered raisins – ostensibly for the cat!” [6]

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Footnotes

[1] David Fenster, Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance, Volume II, pg. pg. 71. (Ahmednagar, India: Meher Nazar Publications), E-Book Edition: April 2016. (c) 2003 by David Fenster.
[2] Ibid., pg. 71.
[3] Ibid., pp. 53, pg. 486.
[4] Daivd Fenster, Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance, Volume I, pg. 494. (Ahmednagar, India: Meher Nazar Publications), E-Book Edition: April 2016. (c) 2003 by David Fenster.
[5] Ibid., pg. 494.
[6] Ibid., pg. 493.

Photo

Avatar Meher Baba and Begum, the pet horse., by Faredoon (Padri) Driver, February 15, 1951, in Mahabaleshwar, India. (c) Meher Nazar Publications, Ahmednagar, India.

Story

"Begum, The Little Lady," by Mehera J. Irani, from Baba Loved Us Too, pp. 95-100.

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