Meher Baba has been a touchstone for me since 1974 – an authoritative guide on my soul’s map during my almost constant travels. For the past almost 50 years, as my travels increased and my spiritual aspirations deepened, Meher Baba continued to be a constant marker for my life’s GPS.
At each important turn, He has played a part, created direct routes, sometimes detours – all usually without my knowing it had been done until I had reached my “destination.”
My destination this year in 2023 has been an unexpected return to Meher Mount as a temporary caretaker.
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It was foolish of me to believe that the intense yellow, orange, and red hues of Friday’s glorious sunrise anticipated a serene day at Meher Mount.
It was a perfect day to enjoy the fresh air on this sunny, crisp 47-degree morning.
The day stayed beautiful, but it was not serene.
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“Hell, fire and damnation” is how co-founder and lifetime caretaker Agnes Baron (1907-1994) described her life keeping Meher Mount for Avatar Meher Baba.
Agnes, a fearless and fiery woman, dedicated 48 years of her life to making sure that Meher Mount would be here for Meher Baba, today and in the future.
Sam L. Ervin, board president and long-time friend of Agnes Baron, shares some specific incidents in Agnes’ life where she fought to keep Meher Mount. Sam spoke at the 2022 Anniversary Sahavas commemorating Meher Baba’s visit on August 2, 1956.
Take a moment now to watch this video that portrays Agnes Baron’s fierce determination, her unvarnished view of events, and her dedication.
Sam L. Ervin at Meher Mount, 2022 Anniversary Sahavas
Introduction to Sam L. Ervin
By Margaret Magnus
One of Sam’s first visits to Meher Mount was on May 19, 1968, to pull weeds on a special day of silence called for by Meher Baba. He continued to visit to pull more weeds, re-roof Baba’s House, cleanup after two fires, chop wood, carry water, clean the pool, and serve Meher Mount. His teen years of hard physical labor on a cattle ranch in Porterville have come in handy.
Then, inspired and encouraged by Agnes to go into social services, he got a Master’s in Social Work in administration and planning in 1975. Sam went on to be the founder and CEO of the non-profit SCAN Health Plan.
There he pioneered an innovative senior program, which required securing six acts of Congress. A key achievement was keeping more than 20,000 frail seniors living safely at home instead of nursing homes. By the time he retired in 2002, the company had grown from 1 employee to 640 employees and served 55,000 seniors in four counties.
After his retirement, Sam returned to Meher Mount to once again pull weeds. By then there was a non-profit board, and he has served as president for the past 20 years, relying on his planning, managing, and CEO skills working in non-profit organizations.
Sam’s focus is continuing Agnes’ promise to hold Meher Mount for Meher Baba, even if it’s through “hell, fire and damnation.”
Former caretaker Elizabeth Arnold shares her stories of keeping Meher Mount for Avatar Meher Baba through “hell, fire and damnation.” She spoke at the 2022 Anniversary Sahavas commemorating Meher Baba’s visit on August 2, 1956.
"It takes dedication, hard work, luck and Meher Baba being at your side." - Elizabeth Arnold
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“Meher Mount is an incredibly difficult, as well as rewarding, place to be involved with. The experience one has here is not just fleeting. It leaves something behind, footprints deep in our soul.” - Ray Johnston
Former caretaker Ray Johnston shares his stories of keeping Meher Mount for Avatar Meher Baba through “hell, fire and damnation.” He spoke at the 2022 Anniversary Sahavas commemorating Meher Baba’s visit on August 2, 1956.
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I want to thank all involved in Meher Mount’s rehabilitation efforts, particularly in the care of the coastal oak known as Baba’s Tree.
The gift of the ashes that was given to me has had a profound effect on me with many layers and I want to share with you, as a reminder, that our efforts of love touch each other in ways we often can’t predict.
My father and mother, Earl and Madeline Butler became caretakers to Meher Mount and Agnes Baron in 1988, after the fire in 1985.
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The following is from an email sent on July 14, 2019 by former Manager/Caretakers Buzz and Ginger Glasky to the new Manager/Caretakers for Meher Mount, Ellen Kwiatkowski and Eric Carlson.
Dear Ellen & Eric,
You asked for the 10 important things on Meher Mount for caretakers. There are only five or six.
You will come to realize that Meher Baba really does everything on Meher Mount. As one gets caught and immersed in the daily activities and living at Meher Mount, Meher Baba will remind you that He does everything.
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The two-year, world-wide search for on-site, residential Manager/Caretakers at Meher Mount is – in hindsight – a clear example of who, when and what happening in Meher Baba’s time.
Recruitment for volunteer caretakers started in August 2017, and it wasn’t until the last days of June 2019 that new caretakers Ellen Kwiatkowski and Eric Carlson were settled in at Meher Mount.
In hindsight, it seems obvious why no new caretakers were at Meher Mount at the time Buzz and Ginger Glasky were leaving. They would have been homeless. There was some smoke damage, no heating/cooling, no power and no water in the Caretaker Quarters, thus, making it temporarily uninhabitable.
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Avatar Meher Baba's birthday on February 25, 2018, was the first public event and visitor open day at Meher Mount since the Thomas Fire on December 4, 2017. It was a fitting occasion to honor Meher Baba's Advent and to say farewell to Manager/Caretakers Buzz and Ginger Glasky. They have lovingly cared for Meher Mount for the past four-and-one-half years.
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What is it like to be a Manager/Caretaker at Meher Mount? Past and current Manager/Caretakers describe their impressions, their joys, and their inspiration.
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If you spend anytime at Meher Mount, you discover there is an unseen pull of destiny that seems to draw visitors to Meher Mount by sheer happenstance. That pull of destiny also draws those who choose to be Manager/Caretakers at Meher Mount.
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Each has his own personal tale to tell of how he came to Avatar Meher Baba or in truth how Meher Baba came to him. Mine is simple. In 2002, on browsing through the small ads in Caduceus, a British metaphysical journal, I came across a somewhat familiar face.
The ad was placed by the U.K. Meher Baba Association and the face was Meher Baba’s. The quote beneath said more to me than all the literature that I had read to date on a 10-year spiritual quest.
This was an answer to my inner searching that spoke directly to the heart. What it said is long forgotten but what it contained embedded in me a spark that changed my life beyond recognition.
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From the beginning of their tenure in 2002, Ray Johnston and Elizabeth Arnold felt that being volunteer Manager/ Caretakers at Meher Mount was a calling.
To be a Manager/Caretaker at Meher Mount, according to Ray, is to be willing to serve, to put oneself in the flow of Meher Mount's unfolding destiny, and to be part of the ongoing challenges and benefits of living on this land sanctified by Avatar Meher Baba's presence.
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Laurent and Lilly Weichberger along with their 10-year-old daughter, Aspen, served as Manager/Caretakers at Meher Mount from May 2005 to May 2006. The following describes their connection to Avatar Meher Baba and why they chose to serve Him at Meher Mount.
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On April 20, 2002, the new caretakers at Meher Mount in Ojai, California, officially opened the doors for the first time to welcome visitors. Ray Johnston and Elizabeth Arnold accepted the position several weeks earlier while in the Yucatan, Mexico, where Ray was conducting workshops.
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