"If I was going to make a movie of Meher Baba, I'd better learn to move fast."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the 70th anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s visit to Southern California…

In 1956, Meher Baba circled the globe in 30 days, flying 30,000 miles and visiting five continents.

Charmian Duce Corrinet (later Knowles) was asked by Meher Baba to film His visit in America. The result of Charmian’s filming and editing is Meher Baba in the USA, 1956 a film produced by ©Sufism Reoriented.

This photograph of Avatar Meher Baba at Meher Mount on August 2, 1956, is a screenshot from that film. He is with co-founder and lifetime caretaker Agnes Baron who is taking Him on a tour of the property.

“...if I was going to make a movie of Meher Baba, I’d better learn to move fast. He moved so swiftly at times, it seemed his feet didn’t even touch the ground.”

— Charmian Duce Knowles

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On Making the film Meher Baba in the USA, 1956

“Early one beautiful morning in July 1956, a group of us drove out to Idlewild Airport [New York] to begin what Baba had called a sahavas – time in the intimate company of the Master. I had been given a special charge for this visit… Baba had asked that I make a movie of it,” explained Charmian Duce Knowles in her book Spread My Love.

Charmian described her film experience and equipment: “I had only held a movie camera in my hands once before… That and two years of still photography in college were my only training for making a film about the Avatar. I decided that what I lacked in experience, I could at least make up for in equipment.

“We had heard about a new movie camera [16 mm] that had automatic light control and that used film cassettes. It wasn’t even on the market yet, but a friend went clear to the factory in Detroit and managed to deliver one to me in New York City. It was the most technologically advanced camera of its time, but there were still drawbacks.”

When Meher Baba emerged from the airport, Charmian started filming. She said she quickly realized “that if I was going to make a movie of Meher Baba, I’d better learn to move fast. He moved so swiftly at times, it seemed his feet didn’t even touch the ground.”

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Meher Baba in the USA, 1956 is one hour and 23 minutes long. Meher Baba’s visit to Meher Mount starts at 50:22 minutes into the film and continues for approximately six-and-one-half minutes.

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Sources

• Charmian Knowles, Spread My Love (Walnut Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented), pp. 113-114, ©2004 by Sufism Reoriented.

• “Film of Meher Baba at Meher Mount - 1956,” by Margaret Magnus, Meher Mount Story Blog Post, accessed May 23, 2026.

• Image: Screenshot from Meher Baba in the USA, 1956 filmed by Charmian 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.

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"...the Avatar unfailingly fulfills his incarnation by giving a spiritual push to his age.” ~Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in remembrance of Avatar Meher Baba’s automobile accident near Prague, Oklahoma, on May 24, 1952…

“…the personal disaster, for some years foretold by me, took place in the form of an automobile accident while crossing the American continent… It was necessary that it should happen in America. God willed it so,” Meher Baba said about His accident.

This photo of Meher Baba was taken in August 1952 in Switzerland when He was recovering from the accident in America. Meher Baba said the following about His universal suffering:

“In his own ways, the Avatar unfailingly fulfills his incarnation by giving a spiritual push to his age.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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“The Avatar does not take upon himself the karma of the world nor does he become bound by it.

But he takes upon himself the suffering of the world which is the result of its karma.

His suffering for the world is vicarious. It does not entail entanglement with the karma of the world.

But humanity finds its redemption from its karma through his vicarious sufferings, e.g., illness, humiliation, accidents and the like. In his own ways, the Avatar unfailingly fulfills his incarnation by giving a spiritual push to his age.”

~Avatar Meher Baba

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Karma: The law of cause and effect. Fate. The natural and necessary happenings in one’s lifetime, preconditioned by one’s past lives.

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Sources

• Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 3191, accessed May 22, 2017. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• Meher Baba, Beams from Meher Baba on the Spiritual Panorama, An Avatar Meher Baba Trust eBook, June 2011, pg. 32, accessed May 4, 2026. ©1958 by Sufism Reoriented Inc., USA.

• Photo: Avatar Meher Baba in Switzerland in August 1952, recuperating from His automobile accident in America. Courtesy of Meher Nazar Publications, Ahilyanagar, India.

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"O Beloved, You are a flower, You are also its fragrance and color."

Your Friday photo is in honor of National Poetry Month…

This photo of a white rose at Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker and photographer Juan Mendez.

The following is an excerpt from the ghazal, “At Least Sometimes,” given by Avatar Meher Baba to Bhau Kalchuri (a close disciple and ghazal* writer).

“O Beloved, You are a flower; You are also its fragrance and color.
You are the garden and its Gardener; at least sometimes manifest.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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At Least Sometimes (Excerpt)

O Meher, Your lover is restless. At least sometimes hear him,
At least sometimes ask him what he wants,
at least sometimes ask him what he is pleading for.

O Beloved, You are a flower; You are also its fragrance and color.
You are the garden and its Gardener; at least sometimes manifest.

You are not the garden where there are thorns.
I am searching for that garden of only one flower,
at least sometimes shower Your grace so I can find it.

You are not that flower whose fragrance ever diminishes.
O Beloved, open the bud of my heart; at least sometimes fill it
with the fragrance which always remains fresh.

You are not that flower which withers —
You are that flower which eternally blooms.

What a wonderful smile You have;
At least sometimes fill the flower of my heart with that smile.

You are not that flower whose color will fade.
I am searching for that flower, at least sometimes give it to me.

O Meher, I have dedicated myself at Your feet;
You are my life and everything for me.
Let your color and fragrance at least sometimes fill my heart.

~Avatar Meher Baba, given to Bhau Kalchuri

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Ghazal: A poetic form originating in 7th-century Arabic verse. Ghazals written in relation to Meher Baba express spiritual love and longing.

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Source

Bhau Kalchuri, Meher Sarod, (North Myrtle Beach, SC: Manifestation, Inc.), Ghazal One Hundred Fifty Five, ©1984 Bhau Kalchuri.

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"A lot of the magic I got from the project was from the animals."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the Darshan Courtyard…

The photo from caretaker Ray Johnston is of a deer visiting the Darshan Courtyard worksite.

The image appearing in the Darshan Courtyard sign is of Avatar Meher Baba and co-founder and lifetime caretaker Agnes Baron kneeling beside Him. They are in the Baba Room which burned in 1985. The Darshan Courtyard is the same space where Meher Baba gave darshan (the grace of seeing or being with the Divine) to His followers in 1956.

“A lot of the magic that I got from the project was from the animals. They came up to the work site, and they were part of the crew here. The deer were not scared. They would be right by us.”

— Alonzo Banuelos, Contractor & Owner, Hybrid Construction

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After the construction of the Darshan Courtyard was completed, Meher Mount sat down with the contractor, Alonzo Banuelos owner of Hybrid Construction, to talk about his impressions regarding this project.

Q: Were there any synchronicities or magic that you experienced as part of the whole building process?

A lot of the magic that I got from the project was from the animals. They came up to the work site, and they were part of the crew here. The deer were not scared. They would be right by us.

We encountered venomous snakes, and we let them go. There were squirrels and birds galore. So, this being with the animals. That’s magic in itself, you know.

And this project had an effect, too, when I came to Meher Mount. I came here to work. Yet, I had a really good feeling when I came here. I thought, “I am coming to some place that’s really peaceful.”

Q: How do you feel now that it’s completed?

Oh, I love it. With the colors and textures and the stone that we picked out. The stone is similar to the shale stone they have on the whole mountain. It’s complemented very well. It’s very spacious. It’s got a beautiful view, and it’s very dreamy.

Q: If you were telling friends about this space and bringing them to see your work on the Darshan Courtyard, what would you say to them?

I would say, “I want to bring you to see the Darshan Courtyard because I want you to see a magnificent place.” I want people who come to the courtyard to feel like they can be free here, and that they can breathe and smell the air and live.

It’s a beautiful area. And it’s a beautiful piece of work. It’s art – not just a structure.

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Related Stories

• The Baba Room Becomes the Darshan Courtyard

• Meher Baba Calls Everyone into the Baba Room — 1956

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"These dhuni ashes contain the essence of many of Your sublime messages..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the Darshan Courtyard…

The Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount was born out of fire. And ashes representing Meher Baba’s words symbolically help form the foundation of the courtyard.

The Darshan Courtyard is in the space of the Baba Room where Avatar Meher Baba gave darshan (the grace of seeing or being with the Divine) to His followers on August 2, 1956.

The guesthouse with the Baba Room burned to the ground on October 14, 1985. All that remained was the stone fireplace and chimney — now known as Baba’s Fireplace.

In 2021, plans were underway to build a courtyard celebrating this space and Meher Baba’s Presence. Meher Mount invited followers from all over the world to send their favorite Meher Baba quote.

Each quote and the person’s name were printed on a special piece of paper. These quotes were read aloud and then placed in a special dhuni (sacred fire)* at the Darshan Dhuni event on June 12, 2021.

In 2024, when it was time to break ground for the actual building of the Darshan Courtyard, the ashes from this Darshan Dhuni were put under the spot where Meher Baba sat during His time in the Baba Room. The groundbreaking ceremony was on dhuni day October 12, 2024.

This photo of a sunset over Baba’s Fireplace was taken by Ray Johnston just before construction began on the Darshan Courtyard in 2024. The following statement from board president Sam Ervin was made during the groundbreaking dedication later in 2024.

“These dhuni ashes contain the essence of many of Your sublime messages that are cherished by Your lovers around the world.

The dhuni fire in which they were burned was fueled by wood from Your tree, Baba’s Tree.

We now offer these ashes carrying that Divine essence expressed by You to mingle with the earth supporting the Darshan Courtyard.

We ask that You accept this, as an expression of the hearts of Your lovers, yearning for Your presence.”

— Sam Ervin, Darshan Courtyard Groundbreaking 2024

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Note

*Meher Baba lit the first dhuni in 1925, and later ordered that there be a monthly dhuni event on the 12th of each month in Meherabad, India (home of Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine). At this dhuni, participants throw in a sandalwood stick dipped in ghee into the fire, an act signifying the renunciation of some attachment.

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Related Stories

• The Special Darshan Dhuni Film

• The Darshan Dhuni Quotes & Contributors

• "There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Meher Baba’s name and presence..."

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"I am not just this flesh and bones. I am the Ocean." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is honor of Avatar Meher Baba’s birthday, the 25th of February…

You can join in, even silently, to sing Happy Birthday to Meher Baba, as you watch this 4:18-minute video. “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” is from Meherabad Moments.

Interestingly, the film montage is of Meher Baba visiting America in 1956, including Meher Mount.

The audio recording at the end of the video — transcribed below — is Meher Baba’s words expressed to those gathered at Meher Mount, voiced by Eruch Jessawala (a close disciple) translating Meher Baba’s silent gestures.

“Baba says know well that I am in everyone. I am not just this flesh and bones. I am the Ocean.

If you love Me, Baba says, if you love me intensely, then you will find Me everywhere.

Go out and see the view and try to love Baba through nature. This is all due to my Love. Baba says, this all came out of me, this creation, this nature, all the beautiful scenery, the wonderful view...”

— Meher Baba's Hand Gestures as Interpreted by Eruch Jessawala

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Note

The year 1956 is the 70th anniversary of Meher Baba’s 30-day, around-the-world journey visiting His followers. This trip included three days in Southern California, one of which was at Meher Mount in Ojai.

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Source

• Video: Meherabad Moments, YouTube Channel, “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” accessed February 10, 2025. Meherabad Moments is a directory of Meher Baba web pages and songs in praise of the Beloved. The footage of Meher Baba’s 1956 trip to America, including Meher Mount, is courtesy of Sufism Reoriented. The song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss published by Gladys Music, Inc. The vocals and guitar are by Kina Grannis, “The Living Room Sessions, Vol. 3.”

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"No amount of prayer or meditation can do what helping others can do." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

Avatar Meher Baba is washing a leper at Pandharpur, India, in 1954. Assisting Him are (left) Gadge Maharaj (1876-1956), a well known saint living in the area, and Meher Baba’s close disciple Aspandiar ‘Pendu’ Rustom Irani (1903-1986).

“God, who is in everything and everyone, is deaf to formal rituals, ceremonies and prayers in mosques, churches and temples; but HE HEARS THE VOICE OF THE HEART.

When you help others, God knows instantly and is pleased. No amount of prayer or meditation can do what helping others can do.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Sources

• Quote: Perin Jasumani, ed., Gift of Love, pg. 59. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public, Charitable Trust, Ahilyanagar, India.

• Photo: Meher Nazar Publications, Ahilyanagar, India. Photographed by Panday. Used with permission.

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"Whenever I visit a place or stay there..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

This night view of the newly completed Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount was taken by resident caretaker Ray Johnston.

The Darshan Courtyard is in the space of the former Baba Room where Avatar Meher Baba met with His followers and gave darshan (the grace of seeing the Divine) in 1956. The original building was destroyed in the 1985 New Life Fire. The fireplace — Baba’s Fireplace — is the only remaining artifact of that room and is a central focus of the space.

“Whenever I visit a place or stay there, for however short a time, its spiritual atmosphere becomes greatly elevated.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Note

The year 1956 is the 70th anniversary of Meher Baba’s visit to America including His time at Meher Mount. Earlier in 1930, Meher Baba commented about America’s spiritual potential:

“America has a tremendous future and will become a spiritually-minded nation. Whenever I visit a place and stay there, however short a time, its spiritual atmosphere becomes greatly elevated — and I intend to visit America.”

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Related Articles

• The Baba Room Becomes the Darshan Courtyard

• The Special Darshan Dhuni Film

• The Darshan Dhuni Quotes & Contributors

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Source

• Quote: Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 1209, accessed February 5, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahilyanagar, India.

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"...a fresh dimension of Baba's spiritual work has commenced."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Amartithi - January 31st - the day Avatar Meher Baba dropped His physical form...

Why do followers of Meher Baba celebrate this day? See what Bal Natu (1919-2003), a close disciple of Meher Baba, has to say about this important event.

The photo is from the first Amartithi on January 31, 1970 on Meherabad Hill, India, near Meher Baba's Samadhi (Tomb Shrine). Close disciples Mehera J. Irani (Meher Baba's closest woman disciple) (right) and Mani S. Irani (Meher Baba's sister) (left) are shown remembering Meher Baba.

“My personal feeling is that... a fresh dimension of Baba’s spiritual work has commenced. The veiling of Meher Baba’s body heralded the beginning of a new adventure in love.

It was as if Baba had decided that the time had come to hide His physical form from our sight so that His divine presence could blossom all the more in our hearts.

The Ancient One, in each of His Advents, veils His form at an appointed time, so that humanity may be able to experience His formlessness in a multitude of beguiling ways...”

— Avatar Meher Bal Natu, The Samadhi: Star of Infinity

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Note - Avatar

"When God manifests on earth in the form of man and reveals His Divinity to mankind, He is recognized as the Avatar - the Messiah - the Prophet. Thus, God becomes man," Meher Baba explained.

Meher Baba declares He is the same Ancient One known in the past as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed.

“Nothing is real but God. Nothing matters but love for God,” says Meher Baba, affirming the timeless message delivered by the Avatar, age after age.

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Sources

• Quote: Bal Natu, The Samadhi: Star of Infinity. (North Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Press), pg. 76. ©1997 by Sheriar Foundation.

• Photo: Meher Nazar Publications, Ahilyanagar, India. Photographed by Meelan. Used with permission. Painting of Avatar Meher Baba by Srimati Sarala Devi.

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"The one redeeming feature about human nature..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo...

As we close out 2025, we acknowledge the passing of a year in which many felt distress not only from global events and politics, but also from personal suffering and loss.

As we enter 2026, the following from Avatar Meher Baba expresses genuine hope, empathy and a clear path forward amidst this widespread travail and loss.

This photo of Meher Baba in Jabalpur, India, was taken on January 6, 1939 by Rano Gayley, a close Western follower.

“The one redeeming feature about human nature is that even in the midst of disruptive forces there invariably exists some form of love.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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“The large mass of humanity is caught up in the clutches of separative and assertive tendencies. For one who is overpowered by the spectacle of these fetters of humanity, there is bound to be nothing but unrelieved despair about its future.

One must look deeper into the realities of the day if one is to get a correct perspective on the present distress of humanity. The real possibilities of the New Humanity are hidden to those who look only at the surface of the world-situation, but they exist and only need the spark of spiritual understanding to come into full play and effect.

The forces of lust, hate and greed produce incalculable suffering and chaos, but the one redeeming feature about human nature is that even in the midst of disruptive forces there invariably exists some form of love."

~Avatar Meher Baba

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Sources

• Quote: Meher Baba, Discourses. Seventh revised edition, “The New Humanity,” pg. 8. (Myrtle Beach SC: Sheriar Press, Inc) ©1987 by Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahilyanagar, India.

• Photo: Avatar Meher Baba in Jabalpur, India, on January 6, 1939 during the Blue Bus Tours. Photographed by Rano Gayley. ©Meher Nazar Publications, Ahilyanagar, India. Used with permission.

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"I shall change the history of the whole world." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of Christmas when the birth of Jesus is celebrated…

Avatar Meher Baba declared that He is the same Ancient One known in the past as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed.

“I shall change the history of the whole world. As Jesus came to impart spirituality to a materialistic age, so I have come to impart a spiritual push to present-day mankind.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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When Avatar Meher Baba was questioned about His mission, He stated:

“I shall change the history of the whole world. As Jesus came to impart spirituality to a materialistic age, so I have come to impart a spiritual push to present-day mankind. There is always a fixed time for such divine workings, and when the hour is ripe, I shall reveal my true nature to the entire world.

“The great teachers of religion — Zoroaster, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad — do not differ in their essential doctrines. All these Prophets came from God. These Divine Ones appeared in public when their help was most needed, when spirituality was at its lowest ebb and materialism was apparently victorious everywhere. Mankind is rapidly approaching such a time.

“At present, the whole world is enmeshed in sensual desires, in racial prejudice, selfishness and money-worship. God is forsaken! True religion is abused. Man seeks life and the priests give him stones! God, therefore, must send his True Prophet among men once again to establish true worship and to awaken people out of their materialistic stupor. I but follow in the line of these earlier Prophets. This is my mission.”

~Avatar Meher Baba

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Sources

• Quote: Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 1207, accessed December 15, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahilyanagar, India.

• Photo: Avatar Meher Baba, Upper Meherabad, India, circa 1928. Photographer is probably S. S. Deen. Meher Nazar Publications, Ahilyanagar, India.

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"Your treasure is the envy of kings."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the December 22nd celebration of the birthday of Mehera J. Irani (1907-1989), Avatar Meher Baba’s divine female counterpart…

In each Avataric advent, when God manifests on earth as man, He has a female disciple who personifies absolute purity and one-pointed love for Him. She sets the example for all mankind on how to love God as He ought to be loved.

In this photo, Mehera J. Irani is garlanding a bust of Avatar Meher Baba in Meherabad, India.

Bhau Kalchuri, a close disciple of Meher Baba, wrote this ghazal to Mehera for her birthday in 1967.

“What a life you lead, O Mehera!
Your treasure is the envy of kings.”

— Bhau Kalchuri, Song for Mehera's Birthday, 1967

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Song for Mehera’s Birthday, 1967
By Bhau Kalchuri

[Chorus:]
What a life you lead, O Mehera!
Your treasure is the envy of kings.

Love, sacrifice, devotion, and prayer –
One should learn their true meaning from you.

To dance to every tune of the Beloved
Is your sole desire in life.

How fortunate you are, O Goddess
To be that which makes the Beloved yours.

[Chorus]

You are the beautiful, smiling bud of his garden;
Bhaunra buzzes nearby, serenading you.

He composes couplets & sings them for you.
Your every breath draws him near.

Your life is blessed to be bound by love;
Such a life is better than liberation.

[Chorus]

Your goal is to see that the Beloved is pleased;
You breathe for this purpose alone.

You are filled by the pain of separation,
But within it lies the smile of Union.

Though you bear the infinite agony of longing,
Springtime blossoms wherever you step.

What a life you lead, O Mehera!
Your treasure is the envy of kings.

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Notes

• Bhaunra: a large black bee, thought to be enamored with the lotus flower; symbolic of marriage.

• Springtime denotes bliss, which is present in the pain of longing for the Beloved.

• “Song for Mehera’s Birthday, 1967” written by and translated from Hindi by Bhau Kalchuri; edited by David Fenster.

• A ghazal (or gazal) is a poetic form originating in 6th-century Arabia, and later adapted by Persian, Urdu and Indian cultures. The ghazal is characterized by rhyming couplets that are thematically linked and often self-contained. The poetry explores themes of love (both divine and earthly), loss, longing, and mysticism, and are often set to music.

• Meher Irani's birthday is celebrated on December 22nd, although she was born on January 7, 1907. In 1968, Meher Baba directed that her birthday be celebrated on December 22nd, which aligned with the Zoroastrian calendar that year.

Sources

• Poem: David Fenster, Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance, E-Book Edition: April 2016, Vol. III, Appendix, pg. 601. (Ahilyanager, India: Meher Nazar Publications) ©David Fenster 2007.

• Photo: Mehera J. Irani garlanding a bust of Avatar Meher Baba. ©Meher Nazar Publications. Used with permission. Photographer: David Fenster, 1977.

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"There is no 'above' and 'below.'" - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

This photo of a full moon over Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker and photographer Juan Mendez.

“There is no ‘above’ and ‘below.’ Everything is here in the Divine Ocean itself. God alone exists everywhere.

The sun, moon, stars, planets, solar systems, innumerable universes — all are mere bubbles in this Ocean.”

— 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. 3763, accessed August 8, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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"The ideal prayer to the Lord is nothing more than spontaneous praise of His being." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your photo Friday is in gratitude of Avatar Meher Baba…

In June 2001, visitor Arnie Goldstein attended a concert in Southern California performed by Pete Townshend of The Who and a follower of Avatar Meher Baba.

“I also decided to take a journey afterward to Meher Mount in Ojai,” Goldstein remembered. “It was a sunny day. My mind and spirit were open as I walked the grounds and took in the sights.

“Eventually I entered Baba’s Tree canopy. I brought my portable CD player and had decided to listen to ‘O Parvardigar’ by Townshend while sitting and praying (for Mother Earth) under the Baba Tree.

“There was a bench, and hanging by a string on one end of the bench was indeed a paper with the words to Meher Baba’s Universal Prayer. I sat on the ground, turned on the song, put on my headphones, and prayed.”

He suggested a link to ‘O Parvardigar’ — the Universal Prayer in music form — as a way to express gratitude to Meher Baba.

“The ideal prayer to the Lord is nothing more than spontaneous praise of His being.

“You praise Him, not in the spirit of bargain but in the spirit of self-forgetful appreciation of what He really is. You praise Him because He is praiseworthy.

“Your praise is the spontaneous appreciative response to His true being, as infinite light, infinite power and infinite bliss.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Sources

• Photograph: Avatar Meher Baba in Guruprasad, India, 1965. ©Meher Nazar Publications. Used with permission.

• Arnold Goldstein’s story is from a forthcoming book of stories related to Baba’s Tree to be published in 2026.

• Pete Townshend, “Parvardigar” from the Who Came First album. ℗ 2018 Eel-Pie Recording Productions Ltd., under exclusive license to Universal Music Operations Limited. Released on: 1972-10-01. Composer Lyricist, Recording Engineer, Producer, Engineer, Associated Performer, Performer, Mixing Engineer: Pete Townshend Mastering Engineer: Jon Astley

• Beams from Meher Baba, pp. 74-75, © Sufism Reoriented, Inc., U.S.A., 1958, 4th printing May 1996.

• Margaret Magnus, “The Ideal Prayer to the Lord,” Meher Mount Story Blog, February 17, 2022. ©Meher Mount Corporation.

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"The moon was low, a silver sickle on a field of blue..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the East-West Gathering in 1962…

This untitled poem by Francis Brabazon, a close Australian disciple of Avatar Meher Baba, is one of many poems in his 50-page poetic description of Meher Baba’s East-West Gathering. This photo of the new moon over Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker and photographer Juan Mendez.

“The moon was low
a silver sickle on a field of blue
when I met you”

— Francis Brabazon

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The moon was low
a silver sickle on a field of blue
when I met you
and loved you with a love I could not know
would break my heart.
All I knew was that I would go
with you to world’s end,
for I was your shadow.

The night was clear
your eyes were the stars within two drops of dew
when I met you
and loved you with a love that had no fear
though it broke my heart.
All I knew was I had to bear
journey to world’s end
should you so choose to steer.

Meher, my love. Meher, my love.

~Francis Brabazon, Poet and Close Disciple

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“The Moon Was Low” Set to Music

Musician Adrienne Shamszad wrote the music to this poem and performs it on her album Love without Fear. Click on the last song “The Moon Was Low”: https://adrienneshamszad.com/product/love-you-without-fear-ep/

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East-West Gathering

The East-West Gathering was held from November 1-4, 1962 in Pune, India, bringing together thousands of Eastern followers and about 160 Western devotees who came at Meher Baba’s invitation. Meher Baba emphasized themes of Divine Love, oneness, and the soul's long spiritual journey. Meher Baba asked Francis Brabazon to write about the event, which resulted in Brabazon’ s poetic account of the four days.

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Source
Francis Brabazon, The East-West Gathering, pg. 28. (Beacon Hill, New South Wales, Australia: Meher House Publications). ©Copyright Avatar’s Abode Trust.

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"Love needs to flow, and it needs someplace to flow to..."

Your Friday photo…

Avatar Meher Baba said of His work contacting masts in India, "the God of love meets the God-intoxicated." This 1936 photo is of Avatar Meher Baba (right) and Mohammed the mast (left) embracing.

The following explanation of Avatar Meher Baba’s love for masts is from Befitting a Fortunate Slave: Meher Baba's Eruch by Davana Brown. Eruch Jessawala (1916-2001) was one of Meher Baba’s closest disciples who often interpreted Baba’s hand gestures and use of the alphabet board. Davana Brown is a resident volunteer at Meherazad and was Eruch’s assistant for 20 years after Meher Baba dropped His physical body.

Thank you to long-time visitor Martha Aubin for suggesting this passage.

“Love needs to flow, and it needs someplace to flow to, and the masts are the channels through which His love flows. ”

— Eruch Jessawala, Close Disciple of Avatar Meher Baba

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One of the most common questions, Davana Brown writes, that came up during pilgrim sessions in Mandali Hall (Meherazad, India) was: “Why did the Avatar go on mast hunts?”

Eruch Jessawala explained about Meher Baba and His travels all over India to make contact with these masts:

“The whole purpose is so beautiful: it is the outpouring of love from the very source of love.

“Love needs to flow, and it needs someplace to flow to, and the masts are the channels through which His love flows.

“He is like a huge reservoir of love that just wants to flow out, and they are the channels most beloved to Him, so He wants to adore them. He wants to worship them, and they want to worship Him.

“He says that He is the slave of the love of His lovers, and these masts are the ones who have become overwhelmed with love for the Lord.

“So He hunts them down and becomes the slave of that love, trying to serve that love. That is what He has told us.”

~Eruch Jessawala, Close Disciple of Meher Baba

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Masts (pronounced ‘must’)

According to Meher Baba, the word mast refers to advanced souls on the spiritual path who have an overwhelming experience of God’s presence and who are not conscious of their worldly surroundings. Totally absorbed in God, they no longer are able to function in the world. They are overcome by an agonizing love for God and are drowned in their ecstasy. Only love can reach them. Meher Baba called them God-intoxicated.

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• Sources
  Davana Brown, Befitting a Fortunate Slave: Meher Baba's Eruch, Volume I: By Your Grace Anything is Possible, pg. 418. (Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Foundation) ©2024 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

• Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4003, accessed September, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

• Photo: Avatar Meher Baba with Mohammed the mast in 1939. ©Meher Nazar Publications, Ahmednagar, India. Used with permission.

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"It whispers to the flowers all, kissing the shining dew..."

Your Friday photo…

This lovely photo of a bee among the lilies at Meher Mount was taken by guest caretaker and photographer Juan Mendez. The poem is by Mani S. Irani, Avatar Meher Baba’s sister and close disciple.

“It whispers to the flowers all
Kissing the shining dew
Says words that every flower knows,
Oh Baba Loves me too. ”

— Mani S. Irani

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Meher Baba’s Love

There dwells in a desolate countryside
On a far off lovely hill,
Its head turned up to the wide
Blue sky,
A yellow daffodil.

As it sways with joy in the gentle
Breeze.
It sings a song or two,
Which hold the sweetest words
On Earth.
Oh Baba, I, too, love you.

Around a pink rose in my garden
Hovers a bumble bee.
From rose to rose it dances wild in sheerest
Ecstasy.

It whispers to the flowers all
Kissing the shining dew
Says words that every flower knows,
Oh Baba Loves me too.

~Mani S. Irani

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Source: Poems to Avatar Meher Baba, an Avatar Meher Baba Trust eBook, pg. 89. ©1985 Manifestation Inc., North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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"...you are Infinite within.” - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s silence on July 10th of…

On one occasion, Meher Baba said to His followers:

“From today I want everyone to sit silent and alone for five minutes and try to look within. It is not a meditation, it is just a ‘looking within.’ Now, how to do this?

“Sit in a relaxed position — don’t think of anything, not even of Baba. Close the eyes and mentally look within and imagine yourself as Infinite within.

“Let the idea that you are Infinite remain for five minutes.

“How do you imagine yourself Infinite?

“You can imagine the Infinite as sky, ocean or vast emptiness. And let this one thought be in your mind — that you are Infinite within.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Why Meher Baba Observed Silence — FREE eBook

Why did Avatar Meher Baba observe silence for 44 years? Was there a spiritual benefit? What is the deeper meaning of His silence?

Why do Meher Baba’s followers observe Silence Day on July 10th every year?

This eBook provides perspectives on Meher Baba’s silence. It’s a collection of stories about Meher Baba’s silence including comments by Him and His close disciples.

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Sources

• Kitty Davy, Love Alone Prevails, pg. 166 (North Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Press, Inc.) 1981 ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

• Photo by guest caretaker Juan Mendez of a sunset seen from Meher Mount.

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"I speak more eloquently through gestures and the alphabet board." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s silence on July 10th…

This photo of Meher Baba using gestures to communicate was taken in Meherabad, India, in 1949. Courtesy of Meher Nazar Publications.

“...I would say I am not silent, and that I speak more eloquently through gestures and the alphabet board.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Meher Baba explained about His silence:

“If you were to ask me why I do not speak, I would say I am not silent, and that I speak more eloquently through gestures and the alphabet board.

“If you were to ask me why I do not talk, I would say, mostly for three reasons. Firstly, I feel that through you all I am talking eternally. 

“Secondly, to relieve the boredom of talking incessantly through your forms, I keep silence in my personal physical form.

“And thirdly, all talk in itself is idle talk. Lectures, messages, statements, discourses of any kind, spiritual or otherwise, imparted through utterances or writings, is just idle talk when not acted upon or lived up to.”

~Avatar Meher Baba

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Why Meher Baba Observed Silence — FREE eBook

Why did Avatar Meher Baba observe silence for 44 years?

Was there a spiritual benefit? What is the deeper meaning of His silence? Why do Meher Baba’s followers observe Silence Day on July 10th every year?

This eBook provides perspectives on Meher Baba’s silence. It’s a collection of stories about Meher Baba’s silence including comments by Him and His close disciples.

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Source

• Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Online Edition, pp. 3555-3556, accessed May 23, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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"The voice that is heard deep within the soul is my voice..." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s silence on July 10th of…

Sitting at Avatar’s Point at Meher Mount provides a moment to be surrounded by silence and listen to the voice within. Photo by guest caretaker and board member Ron Holsey.

“Yet I am never silent. I speak eternally.

The voice that is heard deep within the soul is my voice — the voice of inspiration, of intuition, of guidance.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Why Meher Baba Observed Silence — FREE eBook

Why did Avatar Meher Baba observe silence for 44 years? Was there a spiritual benefit? What is the deeper meaning of His silence?

Why do Meher Baba’s followers observe Silence Day on July 10th every year?

This eBook provides perspectives on Meher Baba’s silence. It’s a collection of stories about Meher Baba’s silence including comments by Him and His close disciples.

---

Source

• Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 1795, accessed May 29, 2025. ©Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India.

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