Meher Baba at Meher Mount
"I love Meher Mount very much and feel happy here."
- Avatar Meher Baba at Meher Mount, 1956
AVATAR MEHER BABA with His followers and caretaker Agnes Baron at Meher Mount in 1956. (Photo: Darwin Shaw, (c) Meher Nazar Publications)
“I Love Meher Mount Very Much”
At 4:00 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, August 2, Agnes Baron, co-founder and caretaker of Meher Mount, drove Meher Baba and His mandali (close disciples) from the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, CA, about 85 miles to Meher Mount.
When Agnes and Meher Baba arrived on Sulphur Mountain, a fog had settled in over the Ojai Valley. Meher Baba said, “I love Meher Mount very much and feel happy here.”
When all had arrived, Meher Baba called everyone into the guesthouse (since burned down in the 1985 fire). He asked the group how they liked Meher Mount.
One said, “It has a spiritual atmosphere.” Another said, “It compares to Meherabad Hill [in India where Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine is located].”
"This Land is very old, i have been here before”
AVATAR MEHER BABA (blue coat) on a tour of Meher Mount with caretaker Agnes Baron on August 2, 1956. (Photo: Darwin Shaw, (c) Meher Nazar Publications)
A third commented on the lovely fragrance. Filis Frederick, who wrote the account of Meher Baba’s trip in her publication The Awakener, said, “It reminds me of the hills of Assisi [in Italy where St. Francis lived].”
Jeanne Shaw, a follower of Meher Baba, agreed, “It has instant appeal.” Meher Baba nodded and added, “This land is very old, I have been here before.”
He never explained what he meant by that statement. Later Meher Baba remarked, “I will come here again.”
“I Am the highest of the High”
Meher Baba spent a relaxed day. He was described as being in a playful and jolly mood. He said to the group,
“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.”
"Try to Love Baba through Nature”
During his stay, Meher Baba gestured to the group in the guesthouse, “Now, go out and see the view and try to love Baba through nature. This is all due to my love. This whole creation, this nature, all the beauty you see, all came out of me.”
AVATAR MEHER BABA taking a tour of Meher Mount on August 2, 1956, with caretaker Agnes Baron. Close disciple Eruch Jessawalla is holding the umbrella.
Agnes took Meher Baba and the group on a tour of the property. At the point on the property overlooking the Pacific Ocean - now called Avatar's Point - there is a Coast Live Oak which Agnes called “Baba’s Tree.” Meher Baba sat under it on a bed of dry leaves.
According to Filis’ account, “He signaled that no one else should sit down. His eyes shown, and he said he was happy. Then he rose swiftly and led the group back down the dusty trail.”
“I Wanted to Have a Free Day Here”
At one point, Meher Baba told the group not to expect any discourse from him that day. “In Los Angeles,” said Meher Baba, “there was no time for you all to sit near me as you are doing today, for so many people came there and I was so busy. Therefore, I wanted to have a free day here.”
Just as the sun was setting, Meher Baba got ready to leave. He asked Agnes to drive him back the longer coast route. On the way, Meher Baba mentioned that he thoroughly enjoyed the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean.
When Meher Baba arrived back at the Roosevelt Hotel, he waved to his lovers before stepping into the elevator and retiring for the night. The next morning, he flew to San Francisco.
The 1952 Planned Visit
Meher Baba first planned to visit Meher Mount in June 1952 for a 10-day stay. But during the cross-country drive from Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Meher Mount in Ojai, California, Meher Baba was in an automobile accident near Prague, Oklahoma.
When news of Meher Baba's accident reached Meher Mount, five of His men mandali (close disciples) already had arrived. The five - Adi K. Irani (Meher Baba's secretary), Meherjee Karkaria, Dr. Nilu, Dr. William Donkin and Gustadji Hansotia - spent the night and then drove to Prague to be with Meher Baba.
After the accident, Meher Baba recuperated in Prague and then returned to Myrtle Beach, not visiting Meher Mount until 1956.
In 1956, Avatar Meher Baba visited Southern California for three days from July 31 through August 2. The first two days were spent in Hollywood, and on the third day Meher Baba spent the full day at Meher Mount in Ojai.