"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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"What is Zen?"

Your Friday photo…

The following story of the Zen master, who visited Meher Mount in the 1960s, was told by co-founder and lifetime caretaker Agnes Baron (1907-1994) and is shared by long-time volunteer Sam Ervin.

The 1940s photo is of the guesthouse where Avatar Meher Baba met with with His followers in the Baba Room in 1956. This is the building referred to in the story.*

“What is Zen?

In my hands is a hoe. I neither assert nor do I negate. I use it!”

— Zen Buddhist Master Visiting Meher Mount, 1960s

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In about 1960, Agnes Baron went to see a visiting Japanese Zen Master who was giving a talk somewhere in Southern California. She liked his presentation very much, and related one of the comments that struck her.

In response to the question, “What is Zen?” he said, “In my hands is a hoe. I neither assert nor do I negate. I use it!” while making a hoeing motion with his hands.

After the talk, Agnes approached him and said to him, “Neither assert nor negate, but come. Come to Meher Mount.” He immediately agreed, and spent a few nights at Meher Mount.

Agnes said that when he came into her house at Meher Mount and saw a large photo of Meher Baba, the Zen Master asked, “Is that the Landlord?” Agnes responded, “Yes.” He then put his hands together and bowed to Meher Baba’s picture.

He asked if he could help prepare dinner, and Agnes was very impressed by how quickly and efficiently he chopped all the vegetables.

The next day, a few volunteers arrived to help Agnes nail new tar paper shingles on the guesthouse roof. This was the house Meher Baba had stayed in for much of the day on August 2, 1956.

Again, the Zen Master wanted to help shingle the roof. Agnes was reluctant, because she said he had a “pot belly” and kneeling to hammer in the nails could be hard for him. Also, she doubted he had experience with this kind of work.

She described how he very carefully placed the first shingle and slowly began to nail it on, and she thought, “O my God, we’ll never get this done as slowly as he’s going.”

Then he gradually picked up the pace, and soon he was keeping up with the others and even surpassing their speed while precisely placing the shingles. She felt this was a demonstration of his Zen Buddhism in action.

~Sam Ervin, Board President & Long-Time Volunteer

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Note

*The guesthouse and Baba Room burned in the 1985 New Life (Ferndale) Fire. The only remaining artifacts of the room after the fire were the chimney and fireplace, now called Baba’s Fireplace. The recently completed Darshan Courtyard next to Baba’s Fireplace evokes that space and is open to welcome visitors.

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

Your Friday photo…

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (also called CometA3) as seen from Meher Mount and photographed by Caretaker Ray Johnston. Baba’s Fireplace is in the foreground.

This is the first time in 80,000 years that CometA3 is visible and expected to come within 44 million miles of Earth.

According to NASA, the comet initially appears low on the western horizon in the glow of twilight about 45 minutes after sunset each day starting on October 12, 2024.

Coincidently, the 12th of the month is when the dhuni (sacred fire) is lit near Avatar Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine in Meherabad, India.

An additional coincidence, October 12, 2024, was also the groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount.

The courtyard, next to Baba’s Fireplace, is to be an intimate space evoking the atmosphere of the Baba Room where Avatar Meher Baba gave darshan (the grace of seeing the Divine) to His followers in 1956.

Board Member Agnes Montano shares her impressions of the groundbreaking ceremony on October 12th.

“There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Avatar Meher Baba’s name and presence, so prevalent at Meher Mount.

Saturday’s groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard felt extra special to me. It was intimate, solemn, joyful and even nostalgic.

The fact that the ceremony was held on dhuni day, symbol of the fire of Meher Baba’s divine love, made it even more auspicious. ”

— Agnes Montano, Board Member

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Events at Meher Mount are always special. There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Avatar Meher Baba’s name and presence, so prevalent at Meher Mount.

Saturday’s groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard felt extra special to me. It was intimate, solemn, joyful and even nostalgic. The fact that the ceremony was held on dhuni day, symbol of the fire of Meher Baba's divine love, made it even more auspicious. 

After discussing the Darshan Courtyard project for almost four years at board meetings, seeing construction started on the site was very powerful.

The simple ceremony was so heartfelt. It was intimate, somber and so distinct. Even though there were only a handful of us on site, there were another 185 followers of Meher Baba lovers from around the world participating through the ashes from the 2021 Darshan Dhuni.

The love and utter devotion to Meher Baba in the dedication was so profound. My husband Juan Mendez and I were deeply touched. Meher Baba was definitely there giving His darshan to us like He did when He sat in the space in 1956.

~Agnes Montano, Board Member

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Darshan Dhuni Ashes

In 2021 there was a special Darshan Dhuni on June 12th (dhuni day). For this dhuni, more than 185 personally meaningful Meher Baba quotes were sent from all over the world. Each quote was placed in a special dhuni (sacred fire).

The fire was started with the dhuni sticks — twigs that were harvested from Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount on another dhuni day, January 12, 2019.

Baba’s Tree had been severely damaged in the 2017 Thomas Fire. The fallen wood from that damaged tree was reclaimed and transformed into new expressions of Meher Baba’s presence and love.

The ashes from the 2021 dhuni — from burned paper with quotes from Meher Baba and the dhuni sticks of Baba’s Tree — are symbolically helping form the foundation for the Darshan Courtyard.

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Related Stories

• The Darshan Dhuni Quotes & Contributors

• The Special Darshan Dhuni Film

• Meher Baba Calls Everyone into the Baba Room - 1956

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“What hurts me most is the loss of Meher Baba’s pictures and writings.”

Your Friday photo is in remembrance of Meher Baba’s New Life and the 1985 New Life Fire at Meher Mount…

On October 14, 1985, the Ferndale Fire, whipped by Santa Ana winds, came up the southwest ridge of Sulphur Mountain. By 9 p.m. on that Monday night Meher Mount was ablaze. 

The fire burned everything – buildings, equipment, fences, Baba’s Tree, and a 1950 Ford Woody station wagon. This was the station wagon Agnes Baron drove to take Avatar Meher Baba to and from Meher Mount in 1956.

“What hurts me most is the loss of my documents, library and Meher Baba’s pictures and writings.”

— Agnes Baron, Ojai Valley News, 1985

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Meher Mount calls the Ferndale Fire the ‘New Life Fire’ because Meher Baba’s New Life phase started on October 16, 1949.  The fire at Meher Mount was still burning right through the start of the anniversary of the New Life.

Meher Baba’s New Life was a phase of His work. It was a life of helplessness and hopelessness, relying only upon God.

“When the New Life Fire happened at Meher Mount, it literally required Agni to give up everything and start all over,” remembered Bing Heckman.  

She was left shoeless, homeless and with just the clothes on her back.

“What hurts me most,” Agnes told the Ojai Valley News, “is the loss of my documents, library and Meher Baba’s pictures and writings.”

The Baba Room — where Meher Baba spent most of the day with His followers in 1956 — was completely burned by the fire.

The stone fireplace from the Baba Room remains as a touchstone of His visit and His Presence at Meher Mount.

Almost 40 years later, there are plans underway to build the Darshan Courtyard in the footprint of the Baba Room. It will celebrate Meher Baba’s physical presence at Meher Mount.  

The courtyard is planned to create a space to sit, reflect, meditate, enjoy the outdoors, and remember the Divine.

 ~Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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Sources

• Margaret Magnus & Sam L. Ervin, “The New Life Fire — Keeping Meher Mount through Hellfire and Damnation,” Meher Mount Story Blog, accessed September 1, 2024.

• “Meher Baba’s New Life,” Meher Mount Story Blog, accessed September 1, 2024.

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"This photo brings back fond memories..."

Your Friday photo...

This photo from 1978 brings back fond memories of Agnes Baron, Meher Mount's co-founder and lifetime caretaker.

“This photo captures the Agnes Baron I remember. She really enjoyed having visitors and hanging out.”

— Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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Agnes Baron was fierce. She was fearless. Determined. Uncompromising. And yet she had a softer side. That's the Agnes I often remember.

And that's why I like this photo. It captures the Agnes Baron who enjoyed having visitors and hanging out.

The time is winter 1978. We’re in the Baba Room at Meher Mount before the 1985 New Life Fire destroyed all the buildings.

In this picture (left to right) are Agnes Baron, Elizabeth Hartzell (my sister) and me, Margaret Magnus. Sam Ervin (my future husband) is taking the photo.

We’ve probably had a day of chopping and hauling wood so Agnes could heat her own house (separate from the Baba House).  

We are bundled up in the Baba House because it’s cold. I don't know why there's no heat. Maybe it didn't work. Maybe Agnes didn’t want to turn it on because of the cost. Maybe the original source of heat was the fireplace that wasn't in use.

But we’re here regardless.

A friend of mine, Howard Babus from Santa Barbara, is also visiting and volunteering. He has offered to do an impromptu flute performance which we are enjoying.

Now the Baba Room has been gone for almost 40 years. There are plans underway to create the Darshan Courtyard in the Baba Room space.

It is planned to provide a sense of intimacy with the Divine. A place of personal reflection and contemplation. A moment to feel Meher Baba’s eternal embrace.

“Darshan” is in the name because Meher Baba spent most of the day in August 1956 giving darshan (the grace of being in His presence) in this space.

~Margaret Magnus, Communications Director

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"This land is very old, I have been here before." - Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is honor of Meher Baba’s 1956 visit to Meher Mount…

This photo of Meher Baba at Meher Mount is used with kind permission by Sufism Reoriented. And Charmian Duce Knowles shared some of her memories from that day with Meher Baba.

“This land is very old, I have been here before.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount, August 2, 1956*

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"When we visited Ojai in 1956," remembered Chairman Duce Knowles,** "the population was small, the roads were unpaved, and the valley's peace untouched by development.

"As we drove up the mountain to Meher Mount, fog shrouded the mountaintop and concealed the valley below. Still, the center itself looked marvelous.

"Agnes [Baron, co-founder and lifetime caretaker] led us to a guesthouse and swimming pool, through rose and herb gardens, fruit trees, and numerous California oaks, some quite ancient.

"Baba told us the land was very old and that he had been there before. He seemed happy to be back."

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Sources

• *Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher: The Biography of the Avatar of the Age Meher Baba, Online Edition, pg. 4065, accessed June 30, 2024. (c)Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.

• **Charmian Knowles, Spread My Love (Walnut Creek, CA: Sufism Reoriented) , pg. 138. (c)2004 by Sufism Reoriented.

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"I want Agnes to have a special memento of this day." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is honor of Meher Baba’s 1956 visit to Meher Mount…

“I want Agnes to have a special memento of this day.”

— Avatar Meher Baba, Meher Mount, August 2, 1956

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When Meher Baba was at Meher Mount, He spent much of the day in the Baba Room with His followers.

On one occasion, remembered co-founder and caretaker Agnes Baron, “He was sitting in that chair and He called, ‘Charmian! Charmian!’” [silently through gestures]

Charmian Duce (later, Knowles) was filming Meher Baba’s 1956 trip in the US, and she was in the room.

Meher Baba said to Charmian, “You have a camera with you?”

She replied, “Yes.”  

“I want Agnes to have a special memento of this day. You take a picture,” He said.

“So, I came and knelt down by His side,” Agnes explained. “And Charmian took two good colored pictures which I cherish very much now.

“He was doing these fantastic, these really wonderful…these personal little gestures, that, you know, that He always does to make one person particularly happy,” said Agnes.

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Source

“Agnes Baron Remembers Meher Baba’s 1956 Visit,” Meher Mount Story Blog, October 11, 2021.

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