After the two buses reached Meher Mount, Meher Baba called everyone into the ‘Baba Room’ of the guesthouse.
“…we all went inside and sat wherever we could, all sort of crowded around Baba, but in a comfortable way,” remembered Darwin Shaw. “Baba sat where everyone could see him. He seemed very relaxed and happy to be among his lovers.”
With everyone seated around Him, Meher Baba said, “I want you all to close your eyes for five minutes. Do not think of anything, just think of Baba.”
At another time, He smiled and said, “This afternoon, you all have a chance to laugh and feel relaxed. …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.”
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One of the ways in which Agnes supported herself and Meher Mount was by being a substitute teacher. Some of her former students and a co-teacher posted their memories on Facebook in September 2020.
“She was a substitute teacher for me and other teachers at Isbell [Middle School]. I remember talking with her many times and receiving some of her home canned goods, herbs, or produce. The kids called her Bacon Lady but mostly in a loving way since she told such great stories. Never needed to leave sub plans for her!" – Linda Pittman Spink
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In this time of sheltering, when so many places are understandably closed to visitors, Meher Mount being open feels like a huge blessing, affording an intimacy in this time of seclusion. It continues to radiate His Love and His Call from the top of Sulphur Mountain.
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Dear Meher Mount Friends,
In response to your recent email, Charles and I have a special treasure that we'd like to give to Meher Mount: a photograph of Meher Baba that He touched and blessed. Elizabeth [Patterson] and Norina [Matchabelli] kept it in in their belongings, and now it hangs in our house. The photo shows Baba in Portofino, and it was taken by Elizabeth. May this artifact, blessed with His touch, bring Baba ever closer to everyone there.
Love in Baba,
Christopher and Charles
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After the first ascent, there was a small clearing and a downed tree trunk that made a perfect place to pause and take in the beauty of the Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) woodland.
As we sat there having a thoughtful discussion about life, life decisions and whatever else was on our minds, a beautiful burned tree trunk stood in front of us. We began to fantasize about what the burned tree trunk represented. It felt as if the right side looked like angel’s wings with the left side representing a hand reaching toward the heavens with the support and encouragement of an angel.
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“’In 1968, while doing his strenuous seclusion work in Guruprasad [in Pune, India], Baba said that listening to the music of Jim Reeves was his relaxation,” noted Mani S. Irani, Meher Baba’s sister and close disciple. “While Baba was having breakfast, we always began with ‘There’s a Heartache Following Me.’’”
“’It [‘Heartache’] was always the first record played, then others [such as ‘Take My Hand Precious Lord’] were played, then ending again with ‘Heartache’,” Mani explained.
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Meher Baba later spent time in the Nalavala home playing with their four-year-old son, Naosherwan, and nine-year-old daughter, Mahroakh. Freiny complained to Meher Baba that her husband Keki was always worried about something.
Meher Baba advised:
“If you worry about yourself, God does not worry about you. And why should He? If you stop worrying, God has to begin to worry for you! Remember Him wholeheartedly; leave your troubles to Him. Then you will be free to remain cheerful.”
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On the morning of March 10, 2020, the temporary seclusion fence that had been around Baba’s Tree for two years was taken down. Ironically, the next day, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus or COVID-19 a pandemic. That evening, the Meher Mount Board met in a previously scheduled conference call to determine whether to close Meher Mount (and have another kind of seclusion for Baba’s Tree).
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The Ojai Valley has long been regarded as a place of spiritual pilgrimage even before Avatar Meher Baba visited on August 2, 1956, and blessed Meher Mount with His presence.
"The magnetic center of the earth is here," the Los Angeles Times declared in 1878. Ojai is the place where "Spirit-minded people come to reach the God-centers within themselves." [1]
The Ojai Valley “has always been special to its inhabitants,” says Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, tribal chair of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians, writing in the Winter 2011-2012 issue of the Ojai Valley Visitors Guide. [2]
“Today’s residents and visitors are amazed at the powerful energy here. Many say it is because of the way the valley is situated, running east and west, in the same manner traveled by the sun and moon, making their journey through our sky.”
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In the days immediately following the devastation of Baba’s Tree from the December 2017 Thomas Fire, volunteers looked for rays of hope. One of those rays of hope was the growth of new sprouts on Baba’s Tree.
Another ray of hope was the realization that there was a small Coast Life Oak (Quercus agrifolia) that had been ‘hiding’ in plain sight very close to Baba’s Tree. And this tree, most probably Baba’s Tree progeny, had only been slightly burned by the Thomas Fire.
Meanwhile, in another spot near Baba’s Tree and previously hidden under the canopy of Baba’s Tree was a growth-suppressed tree stump of a Coast Live Oak that had been cut down sometime in the history of Meher Mount.
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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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Meher Baba repeatedly stressed how fortunate His followers were to be with Him that day at Meher Mount - August 2, 1956. It was a time of relaxation and laughter in the presence of the Avatar of the Age. The following is from first-hand accounts of the day by Filis Frederick, Darwin Shaw and Jeanne Shaw with photographs from Darwin Shaw.
“Thursday, August 2 [1956], was a day we had all been looking forward to, a day when Baba would be free of interviews, when we could all be more closely with him in the beautiful setting of Meher Mount,” wrote Darwin Shaw in his book, As Only God Can Love.
“Everyone was in a happy mood for the day’s outing,” Darwin continued.
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Meher Baba in the USA, 1956 is filmed by Charmian Duce Knowles and produced by Sufism Reoriented ©1972. In the late 1960s, assisted by Henry Mindlin and Charmian’s future husband, Duncan Knowles, she added a soundtrack. Charmian and Duncan provide the narration.
The entire film is one hour and 23 minutes long. Meher Baba’s visit to Meher Mount starts at 50:21 minutes into the film and continues for approximately six-and-one-half minutes.
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Baba’s Tree continues to grow healthy new branches — aided by the winter rains, the extra measures of care given over the past 18 months, and the love and prayers from around the world.
Consulting with ISA® Certified Arborist Michael Inaba, Meher Mount put in place a care plan starting in early 2018 for Baba’s Tree recovery and regeneration. One of the steps in the plan is sheltering the limbs with a fabric to help protect them from sunburn and pests while new growth creates a protective canopy. More than a year later, it was time for a new ‘sadra’ for Baba’s Tree.
A sadra (also sadhra) refers to a thin muslin shirt traditionally worn by Zoroastrians. Avatar Meher Baba adapted the sadra into an ankle-length garment which He regularly wore. Meher Baba said, “You have no idea what just one scrap of My sadra will mean to the world in the future.”
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The Spring 2019 “super bloom” that is sweeping California following the generous winter rains is also gracing Meher Mount. Its appearance isn’t the massive and concentrated flowering of the desert blooms. Rather, it is the variety of wildflowers at Meher Mount that often appear only after abundant rains and sometimes specifically after a fire, such as the December 2017 Thomas Fire.
You might also say Meher Mount and the surrounding area are experiencing a “super green.” The emerald-hued rolling hills, steep mountainsides and valleys are a deep green, particularly in stark contrast to the ash-covered hillsides of 15 months earlier.
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During their annual migration, more than 300 species of birds are estimated to use the Pacific Flyway as their connection between the Arctic and South America, according to NASA Science. The flyway stretches from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and includes all of California.
Every year, millions of migratory birds head south, then north, using the 4,000-mile-long and, in places, the 1,000-mile-wide route known in search of places to breed, feed, and spend the winter.
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The forecast was for rain. Still, the volunteers came. It was the day of The Great Dhuni Stick Harvest. Saturday, January 12, 2019, turned out to be a glorious day with a very special dhuni at Meher Mount.
The rain stopped, and the sun came out around 10:30 a.m. The cloud-filled skies were deep blue, and the views were picture-perfect. It was time to harvest dhuni-sized sticks from the fallen branches of Baba’s Tree.
It was only fitting that after the dhuni sticks were harvested, there should be a dhuni at Meher Mount.
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When Meher Mount’s fiscal year started on July 1, 2017, the year-long goal was to update the Master Plan. There was a community meeting in July along with an online survey to solicit comments for the next version of the plan.
Then, on December 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire struck Meher Mount. It seemed initially that master planning would be set aside to focus on fire recovery. On the contrary.
The discussions from the previous months, which supplemented the existing Master Plan, served as guiding principles for fire recovery and renewal.
It was as if the recent planning process had been particularly designed to guide recovery projects. Specific actions outlined in the plan became part of the recovery and renewal effort.
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Just days before the December 4, 2017 Thomas Fire struck Meher Mount, well-known Meher Baba artist Charles Mills approached Meher Mount about doing a painting that would represent Meher Baba’s 1956 visit to Meher Mount.
“I didn’t know if a painting was needed,” Mills said later, “I just made myself available.”
In discussions with Board President Sam Ervin, they talked about a painting that would represent the energy of Meher Baba’s visit as captured in the 55-minute film Meher Baba, The Awakener made in 1994 by Tim Thelan. The footage of Meher Baba at Meher Mount starts at 43:22 minutes.
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One day while working at Meher Mount, I heard Sam Ervin call to me, “Margaret, come look at this.”
Feeling it wasn’t something I wanted to see, I said, “No.”
Sam replied, “Yes, you have to come look at this.”
Again, I said, “No.”
He insisted, “Come look at this it.”
After six months of repairs, clean-up, and small fix-it jobs turning into big fix-it jobs following the 2017 Thomas Fire, I just didn’t want to discover one item that needed attention. But, I knew I couldn’t escape. I went to take a look.
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