"It felt like we were being held."

Your Friday photo is a video…

“It was the closet thing to a church,” said Billy and Pamela Goodrum, talking about choosing to be married under Baba’s Tree.

“Getting Married Under Baba’s Tree” is an outtake (a scene filmed for a movie but not included in the final version) from the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“I think once we were all under the tree having this ceremony, it felt like we were being held.”

— Pamela Goodrum, Resident Caretaker 1999-2002

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“Getting Married Under Baba’s Tree”

Billy: When it came time to get married, it just seemed like the place to get married.

Pamela: I mean, having a ceremony outside under a tree in nature, it is fundamentally different than being in a building or sitting in a pew or someplace.

You have all of this sensory input. So everybody felt, I think, part of it; held by the tree and really part of this ceremony.

Billy: The tree provides a boundary, provides a little shelter, provides a perimeter of the branches there. And we went in one way and did the ceremony and went out another way. And went on the other side of the tree so we could, everybody could see the point.

You know, my family, her family, people that had never been there and got to experience something. I mean, because it's a spectacular place.

Pamela: But I think once when we were all under the tree having this ceremony, it felt like we were being held.

Like we were being held and surrounded by something. Ideally, that's what you experience when you marry another person is you feel as you're being held and surrounded and carried by your community and by something bigger when you're joining your lives together. And I think that tree really provided that.

~Pamela & Billy Goodrum, Resident Caretakers 1999-2002 

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

This award-winning documentary about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is a story of heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace.

Against all odds, volunteers worked together to nurture the tree back to health.

The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites you to rediscover your own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire.

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"Why a tree?"

Your Friday photo is honor of Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience which is currently showing at film festivals...

This photograph of Baba’s Tree taken in February 2026 by Margaret Magnus, shows the regrowth eight years after high winds and the Thomas Fire destroyed the tree and felled the canopy. The heart rock, adorned with flowers, marks the spot where Avatar Meher Baba spent time alone under the tree in 1956.

The following is an interview for the 2026 LA Femme International Film Festival where Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience will be shown. Margaret Magnus is the producer, writer and award-winning co-director for the documentary on Baba’s Tree. She was interviewed for the LA Femme Festival by Aaron M. Sanchez, KMET 1490 AM host and producer. The comments have been edited for clarity and brevity.

“Q: Why a tree?

A: Because it’s a powerful story in and of itself, but it also becomes a metaphor. The tree was destroyed, and through its own resilience and the love and care of the community, it survived.

And with the support of those who love us, and our own resilience, we find a way to survive, even if parts of us are burned, or hurt, or wounded. And that becomes the tree’s story, but also the human story.”

— Interview with Margaret Magnus, Producer, Writer & Co-Director, Tree of Fire

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Aaron M. Sanchez: Margaret, I'm a fan, and I'm not going to lie, I don't know that tree, but I think I want to. A lot of people have said something about that tree. Where was this at, by the way? Where did the fire occur?

Magnus: The tree is at Meher Mount, which is a 172-acre spiritual center on Sulphur Mountain in the upper Ojai Valley in California. And the fire, known as the Thomas Fire, was in December 2017. High winds and the fire pretty much destroyed the tree, except for a little bit.

Sanchez: Fast forward, do you have an update on the tree?

Magnus: Part of the film is about the efforts that were made to help the tree recover, and also how the tree had life beyond the tree. The wood was salvaged, ashes were collected and distributed, and miraculously, the tree is doing very, very well. In 2017, we had no idea whether it would even survive or not, but it is surviving.

It was a very massive tree. It was often called a cathedral tree, because the branches spread out and then came down and created a little enclosure. Some people call it a church. Most of the canopy was destroyed in the fire, but the is recreating its canopy.

Sanchez: Why a tree?

Magnus: Because it's a powerful story in and of itself, but it also becomes a metaphor. The tree was destroyed, and through its own resilience, and the love and care of the community around it helped it survive.

And when the viewer sees it, very often people are touched, because we all go through difficulties, we all go through tough times. And with the support of those who love us, and our own resilience, we find a way to survive, even if parts of us are burned, or hurt, or wounded. And that becomes the tree’s story, but also the human story.

Why this tree was important is obviously because Avatar Meher Baba was there in 1956. Also since then, many people have gone to the tree. Sometimes they go to celebrate, to propose, to get inspiration, or for a moment of solace. There are so many reasons why people go to Baba's Tree at Meher Mount. It became a major touchstone for the community, the area, and people who follow Meher Baba.

Sanchez: I will say this about a tree, sometimes you feel like there's wisdom. I don't know how to explain that.

Magnus: Well, part of it is that when people go there, they're open and they're in this beautiful setting at 2,600 feet with views in all directions. There's this sense of silence. I think what happens is, you sort of turn down the noise in your mind and open your heart. Yes, it's a tree, but it's also an experience.

Sanchez: Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience. I mean, that right there says something, right?

Magnus: It does, because the tree has been through two major fires that we know of in our lifetime. And it's the love that the tree has given, and the love that the tree has received. It's about the resilience of the tree, and the resilience that we all have within us.

Some people say it's a place of great spiritual meaning for them because the Indian spiritual maser, Avatar Meher Baba, was there. He sat under that tree in 1956, and it became a touchstone, not only for followers of him, but for all the visitors who come to Meher Mount.

Sanchez: Is there any good information about Ojai since the fire? Because fires are devastating.

Magnus: Fires destroy homes and upset lives. There's no doubt about that.

What is so interesting is to have watched all the burned acreage, and how quickly nature recovers. Nature, particularly in Southern California, is built for fire. So, following the fire there were healthy rainstorms in the spring. It was amazing to see all the plants, and trees, and the shrubs, and the grass, and the flowers come back within six months.

It's people and their homes that take much, much longer to regenerate.

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Source

• “Tree of Fire — Filmmaker Interview.” 2026 LA Femme International Film Festival, October 16-19, 2026, Sherman Oaks, CA.

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"Love is dynamic in action and contagious in effect." - Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is a video related to the film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience…

“I Have to Tell You” is the story about one visitor who found solace for her grief at Baba’s Tree. It is told by Ellen Kwiatkowski, a storyteller in the film and resident caretaker 2019-2022.

This 3:50-minute video is an outtake (a scene filmed for a movie but not included in the final version) from the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“Love is dynamic in action and contagious in effect. Pure love is matchless in majesty; it has no parallel in power and there is no darkness it cannot dispel. It is the undying flame that has set life aglow.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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“I Have to Tell You What Happened to Me”

There are different types of experiences that people have here at Meher Mount.

Most of the people that come up here are not people that come for Meher Baba. They come because they heard there is a nice view or they heard that it’s a great place to meditate. They come for that. Or they come because they know there are wildflowers and nature.

“I often notice a difference in people from when they arrive versus when they leave. Some people will want to tell you about what happened while they were here. Some people won't.

A recent thing that happened was really moving for me and for the person who experienced it.  

A woman about my age came up. She had never been to Meher Mount before, but she had heard that it is a special place.

She had been having a very, very challenging couple of years, not just because of the pandemic, but because she’s caring for her older mother. Her sister, who was the primary caretaker of her mother, had died, and she was really close to her sister.

So now she was caring for her mom.  She was feeling the weight and the burden, her grief, and the tiredness of carrying all that. She spent a long time out at the tree.

When she came back, she started to tell me what happened and to tell me her story.

But first she said, “Thank you! Thank you so much for having this place open and free, taking care of it, and making it available. I have to tell you what happened to me.”  

When she was at the tree, she closed her eyes and was sitting there. She felt her sister take her hand, and she smelled her sister.

It brought her a lot of peace. It helped her process her grief. I think it also helped her know that everything was going to be okay no matter how hard life is. You can endure it and everything's going to be okay. She said she couldn’t wait to come back.

There are people who have those types of experiences. Then there are people who come and they’re just sightseeing and touring.  

When they leave, they’re brighter, lighter, and so happy. They don’t talk about the energy. They don’t talk about any of that, but they’re affected by it, and you can’t help but notice it.

~Ellen Kwiatkowski, Resident Caretaker 2019-2022

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

This award-winning documentary about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is a story of heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace.

Against all odds, volunteers worked together to nurture the tree back to health.

The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites you to rediscover your own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire.

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Quote Source: Filis Frederick, editor. The Path of Love (North Myrtle Beach, SC: Sheriar Press) p. 67. ©2000 by Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahilyanagar, India.

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"I felt a strong sense of transformation, rather than loss."

Your Friday photo...

This photo of a mirror, framed in the fallen wood from Baba’s Tree, was taken by Agnes Montano, board secretary and guest caretaker at Meher Mount.

The mirror is reflecting the tree leaves overhead as it is perched on a bench, made from Baba’s Tree wood, next to the Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount.

“As I reflected on the framed mirror sitting on this bench — both made from Baba’s Tree Wood reclaimed after the 2017 Thomas Fire — I felt the strong sense of transformation, rather than loss. ”

— Agnes Montano, Board Secretary & Guest Caretaker

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Photographer Agnes Montano Shares Her Impressions:

As I reflected on the framed mirror sitting on this bench — both made from Baba’s Tree Wood reclaimed after the 2017 Thomas Fire — I felt the strong sense of transformation, rather than loss.

The wood tells a story — it has been through fire and can still bring forth beauty, life, and a reminder of the Divine.

The frame, made by Ryan Lang, an Ojai-Based woodworker, is visibly connected to the suffering Baba’s Tree endured when it was engulfed in flames. Yet, the wood has been given another life. Just like the individual soul that evolves through individual acts, Baba’s Tree has evolved to new capacities and contexts.

The little metal leaf in the upper-left corner of the frame serves as a small reminder of the living tree from which the wood came. In the mirror, the incredibly vibrant reflection of green leaves of another Coastal live oak are reflected against an intensely blue sky.

There is something deeply moving about this image, a sense of resilience, renewal, and the continuing cycle of life.   

The cracks and burnt areas in the bench also show that this is not ordinary reclaimed wood. The scars are part of its beauty. They tell us that this wood has experienced something profound and carries a story with it.

Behind the mirror and bench, the flagstones of the Darshan Courtyard add a quiet sense of solemnity and reverence.

Together, the natural elements, stone, wood, tree, and sky, reflect the profound love, peace and deep connection to nature that Avatar Meher Baba shared when He sanctified Meher Mount with His visit on August 2, 1956.

 ~Agnes Montano, Board Secretary & Guest Caretaker

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“The voice that is heard deep within the soul is my voice – the voice of inspiration, of intuition, of guidance.” -Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo is a video…

“I would like to share a story that speaks to the enormous purpose and connectivity, not only of Meher Mount, but also of Baba’s Tree,” said caretaker Ray Johnston in telling this story of “The Bees.”

This 4:07-minute video “Tree of Fire Stories: The Bees” is an outtake (a scene filmed for a movie but not included in the final version) from the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“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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“The Bees”

During my tenure here, I had to travel quite a bit. I was called to travel a lot to Santa Fe, New Mexico, as part of my work. One thing that I liked to do was go to the Santa Fe flea market each year.

I noticed there a gentleman that was selling honey and bee pollen. And the bee pollen was extraordinary. His bee pollen was almost psychedelic in color. I was really drawn to this guy, his honey, and his bee pollen each year.

Each time I travelled through Santa Fe, I purchased some of the honey and pollen and brought it back to Meher Mount. After a few years, the gentleman, whose name was Gary, explained to me that this was going to be his last year in Santa Fe.  He was moving to Australia to be a beekeeper.

It shocked me. Where am I going to get such quality honey and bee pollen?

“Well, maybe I can help you find it somewhere else,” he said. “Where do you live in California?”

“It’s a small town you probably don’t know it. It’s called Ojai in Southern California.”

He said, “I know Ojai. Where in Ojai?”

“You may or may not know, but there’s a mountain range and a mountain called Sulphur Mountain,” I explained. “It’s up on Sulphur Mountain where I live.”

“Well, I'm kind of familiar with Sulphur Mountain. Where on Sulphur Mountain?”

I replied, “I'm sure you wouldn’t know, but it was part of the property there of Agnes Baron and Meher Mount.”

He exclaimed, “Oh! I know the Agnes Baron property!”

“Amazing! How?” I asked.

And so he told me the story. It was in the early 1970s, when he was at a crossroads in his life, trying to decide what he was going to do for his profession. He made a pilgrimage to Meher Mount, much the same as a lot of people do. He felt drawn and guided to sit under Baba’s Tree and to reflect on what decisions he needed to make for his future.

While he was sitting under the tree, he looked up and noticed that there was a bee’s nest inside one of the branches of the tree. And he felt the inspiration, or heard the voice, that he was supposed to be a master beekeeper.

It was so amazing to learn that this man had this inspiration years ago under the tree at Meher Mount, where I was now at the time, the caretaker.

He had moved to Santa Fe and had created this extraordinary product from his inspiration that all these years later ended up coming back and being a touchstone for me at Meher Mount, all the way from Santa Fe.

Gary never did make it to Australia. He actually passed away. I hadn’t seen a beehive in the tree for the entire period that I am talking about, but after his passing, there was the beginnings of a new beehive in a hole in the limb of the tree. I guess the hole had traditionally held bees.

This is one of the more fascinating stories of how Meher Mount and Baba’s Tree are like a magnet for many people.

~Ray Johnston, Resident Caretaker 2002-2010, Current 

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

This award-winning documentary about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is a story of heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace.

Against all odds, volunteers worked together to nurture the tree back to health.

The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites you to rediscover your own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire.

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"You want to make something that speaks to hope..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Baba’s Tree…

After high winds and the 2017 Thomas Fire toppled and destroyed Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount, the limbs and branches were salvaged for future use.

Soon after, woodworker Darrel Wilson was approached by Agnes Montano, board secretary and guest caretaker at Meher Mount, to see if he wanted to make items from the fallen wood of Baba’s Tree. The following is his answer.

This photo by Juan Mendez is of a vase made by Darrel Wilson.

“You want to make something that speaks to resilience and recovery and hope in moving forward.”

— Darrel Wilson, Woodworking Artisan

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Darrel Wilson from Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

I think Agnes [Montano] sent me an email, if I recall. And it was an invitation to come to Meher Mount. And it just struck me as something unique and unusual, which always attracts me.

And you need to know something else. The Thomas Fire had such a profound impact on the Ojai Valley. You had people who were going to stay, stand, defend and burn up with the fire, if that's what it took.

And then you had people like myself. I walked out of my shop at 1:30 a.m. in the morning and looked at my tools, which I dearly love and said, “It's all stuff. I vote for my family. We're leaving.”

And it was all of this tension — stand and defend versus flee and come back — that was the history in front of Agnes calling me and saying, “Are you interested in making something that relates to this fire?”

Coming out of that history, you want to make something beautiful out of it. You want to make something that speaks to resilience and recovery and hope in moving forward.

~ Darrel Wilson, Woodworking Artisan & Tree of Fire Storyteller

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

The story of Baba’s Tree is the journey of a seemingly ordinary oak tree blessed by the presence of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba.

For decades, Baba’s Tree fulfilled its role of inspiring others — drawing seekers from around the world in search of inspiration, silence, joy, and solace.

Then one night Baba’s Tree is felled by fire and high winds. Its very existence is threatened. Through love and the tree’s own resilience, it is transformed by fire to emerge even more powerful in radiating Meher Baba’s love.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire.

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"You felt very held and very embraced by Meher Baba..."

Your Friday photo is a video…

Visitors to Meher Mount are often drawn to Baba’s Tree at Avatar’s Point. They are embraced by the silence, by the beauty, and by a special feeling. Over the years, Baba’s Tree has been called a cathedral tree.

This 1:56-minute video “Tree of Fire Stories: Cathedral Tree” is an outtake (a scene filmed for a movie but not included in the final version) from the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“You felt very held and very embraced by Meher Baba, by God, by all that is in nature.”

— Elizabeth Arnold, Resident Caretaker 2002-2009

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Cathedral Tree

The storytellers in this short video are: Agnes Baron, Meher Mount Co-Founder and Lifetime Caretaker; Sam L. Ervin, Meher Mount Board President; and Elizabeth Arnold, Resident Caretaker 2002-2009.

Agnes: So, Baba and I are here, and He’s still holding onto my arm, and I said, “This is Your tree, Baba.”

I think He commented about the cables. I explained that the farmer who was here was planning to hold up limbs, and I was very concerned because the weight was so heavy. I decided to let the limbs come down to the ground and rest, which they have, and over the years, you see, it makes a complete little enclosure.

Sam: The canopy was very big, even the limbs, some of them were four-feet thick. And it was very high. It was a very tall tree. Some people referred to it as a “cathedral tree.”

Elizabeth: And there were typically two areas that one could enter the tree, and the rest of it was a full canopy. So, you felt very held and very embraced by Meher Baba, by God, by all that is in nature.

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

This award-winning documentary about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is a story of heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace.

Against all odds, volunteers worked together to nurture the tree back to health.

The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites you to rediscover your own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire.

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"With far seeing eyes the hawk glides up the wind."

Your Friday photo is a video in honor of the 70th Anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s day at Meher Mount…

“In 2002, preparations were being made at Meher Mount to celebrate the anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s visit here on August 2, 1956,” explained Sam Ervin, poet and Meher Mount board president. 

“As I reflected on the events and significance of Meher Baba’s day at Meher Mount, this poem began to take shape as a small thing I could offer.”

“Meher Baba, the Tree and the Hawk” is from the award-winning documentary film about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount, Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“With far seeing eyes the hawk slides up the wind
To improve her view of the God-Man
Once again treading this earth, this mountain.”

— Sam Ervin, Poet and Meher Mount Board President

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“Meher Baba, the Tree, and the Hawk”

With far seeing eyes the hawk slides up the wind
To improve her view of the God-Man
Once again treading this earth, this mountain.

Treading? No. Floating, fluid, with matchless grace,
Yet strong and gliding strides
Toward the green canopy of the great live oak Agnes called “Baba’s Tree.”

On strong wings, the hawk beats closer, glides, rises above the tree
Like an eyebrow of God in surprise,
As the Beloved One of the universe enters alone the emerald tent.

Silence! Except the sweet sighing of the wind playing among the leaves
To turn their green and silver facets to reflect the sunbeam jewels.

Hanging impossibly still, on high, the hawk,
Outside the tree the breathless expectant lovers,
And for an eternal moment the universe
Await His gesture, marking the completion of …what work?

What seeds by Him were planted in this ancient land, under this long waiting oak?
We know not.

Yet as surely as generations of hawks feather the air
Above Meher Mount and Baba’s Tree,
He has poured out His all-knowing love and compassion here,
And makes eternally accessible that sacred moment.

~ Sam L. Ervin, July 28, 2002

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

This award-winning documentary about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is a story of heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace.

Against all odds, volunteers worked together to nurture the tree back to health.

The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites you to rediscover your own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire.

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"This story reminds us that this spirit of possibility is always there..."

Your Friday photo is about a magazine article featuring the film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience…

One of the storytellers in the film is Perry Van Houten who is also a reporter for the Ojai Valley News. Perry recently sat down with Margaret Magnus, producer and co-director of the film, and with Sam Ervin, Meher Mount board president and one of the film’s storytellers, to talk about the movie.

His article, “Baba’s Tree of Fire,” was published in Ojai Magazine Spring 2026 issue.

“This story reminds us that this spirit of possibility, of hope, of restoration, of beauty, is always there, and we can participate and contribute to it.”

— Sam Ervin, Meher Mount Board President

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“We live in a time of great change all over the world,” said Margaret Magnus.

“And it feels like the movie has come out at a time when we need something to feel good about, to feel hopeful, to look beyond our day-to-day ups and downs.”

Continuing on that theme, Sam Ervin noted, “Sometimes it’s easy to despair over the state of the world, or issues that seem intractable and impossible overcome.

“Yet this story reminds us that this spirit of possibility, of hope, of restoration, of beauty, is always there, and we can participate and contribute to it.”

Click here to download the article “Baba’s Tree of Fire.”

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

This award-winning documentary about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is a story of heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace.

Against all odds, volunteers worked together to nurture the tree back to health.

The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites you to rediscover your own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see the trailer for Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

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"I've never seen this before. They always just fly away."

Your Friday photo is a video…

Visitors to Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount are often surprised at what they find. "I've never seen this before," said Jackie DeSantis from the Ojai Raptor Center. She made this comment watching what happened after she released a rehabilitated American Kestrel at Avatar's Point next to Baba's Tree.

See the complete story and raptor release in this 3:15-minute video as told by guest caretakers Kristina Somma and Robert Turnage.

“Raptors” is an outtake (a scene filmed for a movie but not included in the final version) from the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“It reinforced the feeling that something powerful is at Baba’s Tree and at Avatar’s Point.”

— Robert Turnage, Guest Caretaker & Board Treasurer

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As Robert Turnage and Kristina Somma tell the story:

We were there on the first raptor release that took place, and this was a connection that Meher Mount made with the Ojai Raptor Center, which rehabilitates wounded birds of prey.

And an arrangement had been made to release two birds from Avatar's Point, which is right next to Baba's Tree. And the person from the raptor center, Jackie DeSantis, first released the kestrel.

And off it went, and it immediately flew into a tree right next to Baba's Tree. And Jackie, who has done this dozens and dozens of times, so she's an expert with raptors, is going, “I've never seen this before. They always just fly away.”

This one has decided to hang out. That kestrel hung out on the tree next to Baba's tree for 15 minutes, and Jackie DeSantis was saying, “I don't understand it.”

And some of us were sort of knowingly saying, “Well, I think they feel a connection, or the kestrel feels a connection to this magical Baba's Tree. It doesn't want to leave.”

But the issue was actually that the red-tailed hawk was getting a little bit anxious in its enclosure. And Jackie was feeling like, “We need to get this red-tailed hawk out of here.” So she pulls out the red-tailed hawk, and gently releases it.

The kestrel sees the hawk and finally says, okay, it's time for me to make my exit. But then the hawk does this amazing swoop, flies in a circle, goes right by the branches of Baba's Tree, and then lands in the tree next to Baba's Tree.

It reinforced the feeling that there is something very powerful at Baba's Tree and at Avatar's Point.

And then finally, it made its very graceful exit, sort of out in the direction of Santa Paula Peak in the distance.

~Robert Turnage & Kristina Somma, Guest Caretakers

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"What did you learn about life, yourself, or the craft?"

Your Friday photo…

Margaret Magnus, producer and co-director of the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience, shares two lessons she learned during the three-year process of making the film.

These lessons turned out to be life lessons in following Avatar Meher Baba.

She is speaking with her co-director and cinematographer Ben Hoffman. They won an award for Best Directors of a Feature Documentary at the We Regret to Inform You film festival in December 2025.

In this behind-the-scenes photograph by Margaret Magnus, storyteller Perry van Houten, Senior Reporter for the Ojai Valley News, is being interviewed for the film. Filming are camera people Barbara Doux (left) and Ben Hoffman (right). The location is the Topa Topa Patio at Meher Mount.

“What did you learn about life, yourself, or the craft in the making the film, Tree of Fire?”

— Ben Hoffman to Margaret Magnus, Co-Directors

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Ben Hoffman, Co-Director, Editor & Director of Photography:

What did you learn about life, yourself, or the craft in making the film, Tree of Fire?

Margaret Magnus, Producer, Co-Director & Writer:

What I learned, and this is proven to be true over and over at Meher Mount — everything happens in Meher Baba’s timing. So you may think a project takes too long. There are too many complications. There are obstacles. But they're really all part of His Divine plan, God's Divine plan. Because when it was time for the movie to be finished, that's when it was finished. Not a moment earlier and not a moment later. And that was the biggest thing I learned.

The other thing I learned in doing the film is — try your hardest and leave the results to God. It was my first time making a film. Things happened serendipitously that I didn't see at the time. But they turned out to be perfect and have perfect moments in the film. There were perfect coincidences that all contributed to make the film as good as it is.

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience is a heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving massive oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace. The tree’s survival becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies and breathtaking imagery, the film invites viewers to rediscover their own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Click here to see a trailer of the film.

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"It was as if I had called central casting..."

Your Friday photo is a video…

Former resident caretaker Billy Goodrum tells the story of a biker arriving one afternoon at Meher Mount on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. “It was as if I had called central casting and requested that they send over a Hells Angel,” Billy recalled. Hear the complete story in this 1:56-minute video.

“The Biker” is an outtake (a scene filmed for a movie but not included in the final version) from the award-winning documentary film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“People just get drawn to Baba’s Tree and have an experience there.”

— Billy Goodrum, Resident Caretaker (2000-2002)

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“The Biker”

One afternoon when we were caretakers there [at Meher Mount], someone drove up on their Harley and they were a full-on biker from Ventura. Beautiful Harley, lots of tattoos, big beard. They didn't have colors or anything. It wasn't like a biker gang, but a serious biker.

And he said, “What is this place?” He asked what the place was. And I said, “Well, it's, you know, a universal spiritual center.” And I just pointed him in the direction of the tree. And I walked halfway down with him and then pointed out Baba’s Tree to him.

 And he walked down, and he was under there. And then about 30 minutes or so later, I heard the Harley drive off and that was that.

And then a week later, he showed back up with his girlfriend on the back of his bike and another guy on a Harley sent over from central casting. They looked like the Hells Angels. And he gets off his bike and he kind of walks over to me and goes, “Hey, is it okay if I show him the cathedral tree?”

And I was like, “Yeah, no go right ahead.” And then he walked down with his girlfriend and his friend and they were down there. And then I later heard the motorcycles drive off and never heard from him again.

But people just get drawn to that tree and have an experience there.

~Billy Goodrum, Resident Caretaker (2000-2002)

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"So much love is present in the film..."

Your Friday photo is a video honoring the showing of Tree of Fire at the recent We Regret to Inform You Film Festival…

Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience tells the incredible story of the loss, recovery and the spiritual connection of Baba’s Tree – a once-thriving oak, devastated by fire, that rises from the ashes to offer love and comfort.

The documentary received two awards at the We Regret to Inform You Film Festival (December 5-7, 2025) in Round Rock, Texas. Congratulations to Margaret Magnus and Ben Hoffman for Best Director of a Feature Documentary and to Ben Hoffman for Best Cinematography for a Feature Documentary.

This short video is of board member and storyteller Robert Turnage who attended the festival and is being interviewed on the red carpet.

“Tree of Fire is beautifully done. Watching it is a very moving and touching experience.

So much love is present in the film. That was the part that impacted me the most.

I think all who saw it felt something special. As one person said, you don’t have to a Meher Baba lover to appreciate it. Great job, great gift to the world.

I’ve come away feeling the love in the deep inner silence.”

— Carol Anne Graham, Viewer, We Regret to Inform You Film Festival

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About Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

In December 2017, the Thomas Fire struck Meher Mount. The fire and high winds toppled and badly damaged Baba’s Tree. Volunteers worked together to give the tree the love and care it had given them for years.

Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience is the story told by the people who nursed the tree back to health and found new and meaningful ways to carry the legacy of Baba’s Tree forward.

Through personal testimonies, archival footage and breathtaking imagery, the film invites viewers to rediscover their own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Baba’s Tree was blessed by the presence of Avatar Meher Baba during His visit in 1956. From that moment forward, Baba’s Tree became a sacred space. Seekers from around the world are drawn to it for meditation, stillness, inspiration, and a connection with the Divine.

One of the We Regret to Inform You festival organizers, Grayson Berry of Grayson Berry Productions noted, “I had a few people approach me after the screening with glowing things to say about your film.”

Click here to see a trailer of the film.

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"I enjoyed the feeling of just getting muddy..."

Your Friday photo is honor of the anniversary of the planting of Baba’s Tree Grove after the 2017 Thomas Fire burned Baba’s Tree to the core…

Former caretaker Ellen Kwiatkowski and former board member Jim Whedon are planting a seedling germinated from an acorn of Baba’s Tree. Imagine from photographer and volunteer Juan Mendez.

Volunteers gathered six years ago in December 2019 to plant the seedlings from Baba’s Tree to help create Baba’s Tree Grove at Meher Mount.

“I enjoyed the feeling of just getting muddy and wet, knowing that here’s how the new life starts.”

— Robert Turnage, Guest Caretaker & Board Treasurer

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The following conversation is from Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience, a heartwarming documentary film about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount.

After the fire, guest caretakers Kristina Somma and Robert Turnage collected and nurtured acorns from Baba’s Tree to become the seedlings that were planted as part of Baba’s Tree Grove.

Kristina Somma: The day that we planted that the seedlings, I had a very profound feeling about the process. I had been reading a lot of information about the network of the mycorrhizae of the trees — how all of the oak trees on that property had been sending energy and nutrients to Baba's Tree since the 2017 Thomas Fire in order to sustain it and keep it alive.

And so it really struck me that underneath my feet there was this huge network of communication and nurturing going on amongst all of those trees.

And so, we were actually kind of participating in that beautiful network and supporting Baba's Tree by planting the seedlings and adding to that whole communication and nurturing network. And when we were planting the trees, I kept thinking that we were really participating in that beautiful, deep, mysterious, somewhat unseen network of life.

Robert Turnage: And my recollection was that above ground there was fog and a light rain going on. So when all the volunteers started planting the seedlings, your hands, every part of you was starting to get muddy.

But it was fun. I enjoyed the feeling of just getting muddy and wet, knowing that here's how the new life starts.

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“My heart’s a tiny begging bowl; Just one thing I pray..."

Your Friday photo…

This beautiful bowl was crafted by artisan Darrel Wilson from salvaged wood from Baba’s Tree. The poem is by Heather Nadel, a resident volunteer in Meherabad and Meherazad, India, places of pilgrimage for followers of Avatar Meher Baba.

“My heart’s a tiny begging bowl;
Just one thing I pray —
Make it a little bit bigger every day
Make it a little bit bigger every day — ”

— Heather Nadel

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Begging Bowl Song

I am a poor man, I beg for my board
With a begging bowl that holds as much
As I ever care to hoard
And I wander through the countryside
Begging door-to-door
For a bowlful of love, and no more!

Well, one day feeling spritely, confident and wry,
I went up to the palace gate
Of which I’d ‘ore been shy
And I begged me a kingdom,
Of the porter asking, "Why
Does the King get it all, and not I?"

Just then in the distance, we heard a sudden sound,
Someone swift approaching
And the folk knelt all around
For the King in His splendour
From the tower room came down
And one quivering beggar He found.

He looked at me, my bowl of scraps;
He'd seen my like before
A smile flashed across His face,
And I trembled even more
Then He said, “I’d have given you the kingly store
But that bowl can't hold any more!"

Meher, darling Meher, you can see my dismay!
I didn’t know when I came to you
How much You’d give away —
My heart’s a tiny begging bowl;
Just one thing I pray —
Make it a little bit bigger every day
Make it a little bit bigger every day —

~Heather Nadel

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Source
Poems to Avatar Meher Baba, an Avatar Meher Baba Trust eBook, pg. 11. ©1985 Manifestation Inc., North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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"If you let yourself go, you will see God in that bird."

Your Friday photo…

Guest caretaker Juan Mendez photographed this turkey vulture in flight over Meher Mount. His comments about seeing God in nature are from his interview for the documentary film, Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

“If you let yourself go, you will see God in that bird.”

— Juan Mendez, Photographer and Guest Caretaker

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The following is an excerpt from Juan Mendez’s interview for Tree of Fire, the documentary film about Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount:

“Maybe one day Baba’s Tree will not be here, and we will be sad if we are alive at that time. But we have to remember God is above everything.

“You will find a way to connect to Him. You see a fox or you feel the breeze against in your face. That's a manifestation of God. So you just have to open your heart to to see that, to feel it.

“That’s why Avatar Meher Baba said you can appreciate God in nature. Trees, the wind, the birds, the fox, the turkey vultures are nature. If you take your time at Meher Mount, you're going to see species walking around or flying.

“You'll see the birds are majestic as they fly over you and fly over Baba’s Tree. So you're seeing God. If if you let yourself go, you will see God in that bird.”

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

Tree of Fire is a heartfelt story of loss, survival, and spiritual connection. After a devastating fire, a once-thriving oak – blessed by Avatar Meher Baba – rises from the ashes to offer love and solace. The survival of Baba’s Tree becomes a living symbol of resilience and Divine love. Through personal testimonies, archival footage, and breathtaking imagery, the film invites viewers to rediscover their own capacity for healing, transformation, and spiritual awakening.

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"Love has to spring spontaneously from within..." ~Avatar Meher Baba

Your Friday photo…

Guest caretaker Agnes Montano recently found this heart-shaped piece of bark which had fallen from Baba’s Tree. Coincidentally, she had just heard former caretaker Elizabeth Arnold’s story about a piece of heart-shaped bark that fell from Baba’s Tree more than 15 years earlier.

Elizabeth Arnold’s story is below.

“Love has to spring spontaneously from within; it is in no way amenable to any form of inner or outer force. Love and coercion can never go together; but while love cannot be forced upon anyone, it can be awakened through love itself.”

— Avatar Meher Baba

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Elizabeth Arnold’s story of the heart-shaped piece of bark from Baba’s Tree is told in the film Tree of Fire: A Story of Love Resilience, a documentary about Baba’s Tree.

I was giving tours under the tree. For several days I kept noticing these pieces of bark that had fallen off the tree. They were heart shaped and sometimes they would fall while people were under the tree.

I would see the heart shape and I would say, “Oh, here is a heart shaped bark. Take it with you.” People loved it.  It was fun.

Then one day, a very dear friend of mine came to Meher Mount. She wanted to go under the tree. She explained that she wanted to pray for a friend of hers. She went under the tree.

She was sitting on a bench, and I thought, “Well, she’ll really enjoy just hearing about this, the heart shaped bark that’s falling off the tree.”  I’m telling her how sometimes they just fall right off the tree, and it’s a heart shape.  

Yes, you’re probably guessing – that’s exactly what happened. A piece of bark fell right in between the two of us. I picked it up and I looked at it. On examination, it was a perfect heart shape.

I handed it to her and said, “Take this bark to your friend and tell her it is from Baba’s Tree.”  So, she did.

She had explained to me that the reason her friend was very troubled was that her friend’s daughter was in the hospital with cancer. She was only 30 years old. The disease was pretty far along, and there was a big concern. And at 30 years old, she had young children. It was very troubling to her mother.

So, my friend gave the mother the heart-shaped piece of bark. And what neither of us knew at the time, as we found out later, was that the mother, her friend, took the bark to her daughter in the hospital.

This was incredibly significant because unbeknownst to us, the daughter was a Meher Baba lover.  The mother did not understand and wanted nothing to do with it. She couldn’t conceive of it.

Now here she is going to the hospital to visit her daughter, taking her the piece of bark, and showing it to her. “This came from Baba’s Tree. It fell in front of my friend. It’s a heart shape. This is for you.”

There had been a very severe rift in their relationship at the time. They weren’t even talking. So that rift was mended.

And then in a short time, we also heard that the daughter’s cancer went into remission. That again is the power of the tree.

The daughter didn’t even come to visit the tree. She was just in love with Meher Baba. And that connection at a distance made it to her in the hospital. Baba’s Tree. A piece of bark went to her in her hospital bed where she really needed it.

~Elizabeth Arnold, Resident Caretaker 2002-2010

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Meher Baba Quote
Charles Haynes, Meher Baba, The Awakener, (Second Edition, 1993, eBook), pg. 3. (North Myrtle Beach, SC: The Avatar Foundation, Inc.) ©1989 by Charles Haynes.

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"It's just leaves and branches. It shouldn't be that quiet."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Tree of Fire, a documentary of Baba's Tree…

A consistent theme for visitors to Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is the silence they experience at the tree.

“When I would go under Baba’s Tree, I would feel like it was much quieter than it had any right to be,” remembered former caretaker Billy Goodrum.

“There are no walls. It’s just leaves and branches. It shouldn't be that quiet.”

This photo of Baba’s Tree taken in 2014 by visitor Stephanie Ervin shows some of the leaves and branches of the tree’s giant canopy.

“There are no walls. It’s just leaves and branches. It shouldn’t be that quiet.”

— Billy Goodrum, Resident Caretaker, 2019-2002

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“One thing that Meher Baba says is things that are real are given and received in silence,” said former caretaker Pamela Goodrum.

“For us, Baba’s Tree was a place of extraordinary silence.

“A place where you could go and you could really listen and hear something — a voice or something that you might not be able to hear otherwise anywhere else. And for some that might be Meher Baba, and for others that might be something else.”

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

Billy and Pamela Goodrum were resident caretakers at Meher Mount from 1999 to 2002. These comments are from their interview for the upcoming documentary about Baba’s Tree.

Tree of Fire is the journey of a seemingly ordinary oak tree blessed by the presence of Avatar Meher Baba. For decades, Baba’s Tree fulfills its role of inspiring others. Then one night it is felled by fire and high winds. Its very existence is threatened.

Through the tree’s own resilience and love, it is transformed by fire to emerge even more powerful in radiating Meher Baba’s love.

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"It makes that instant of Meher Baba at Baba's Tree particularly intimate and private."

Your Friday photo celebrates Avatar Meher Baba’s visit to Meher Mount on August 2, 1956…

“What I find particularly interesting about Meher Baba’s interaction with Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount is that there are no photos of Him under the tree," noted guest caretaker and board member Agnes Montano.

“To me, it makes that instant of Meher Baba at Baba’s Tree so particularly intimate and private.”

Over the years, guests have placed photos of Meher Baba under the tree in remembrance of Him.

In 2017, Wayne Myers and a friend visited. “We brought flowers and arranged them around the heart rock [marking the spot where Meher Baba sat] with one of my ‘travel Baba photos.’ It was just a spontaneous touch,” he remembered.

“To me, that makes that instant of Meher Baba at Baba’s Tree so particularly intimate and private.”

— Agnes Montano, Guest Caretaker & Board Member

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Agnes Montano’s comments are from her film interview for the documentary, Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience:

I’ve always been intrigued by the fact that on August 2, 1956, when Meher Baba was at Meher Mount, there were people taking photos. They were filming Him. But no photos of Him under Baba’s Tree.

Throughout His presence on earth, Meher Baba had many interactions with trees. I have a whole collection of photos of Meher Baba with trees where He’s climbed on the tree, leaned on it, touched the leaves… but then here at Meher Mount, there’s no image of that moment.

Meher Baba went under Baba’s Tree and had such a private moment.  He asked everyone else to stay away, and He was there alone. He left such a gift there.

I see people visiting who have never heard about Meher Baba and all of a sudden, they just show up at Meher Mount because they feel that they need to be there.

So, the presence of Meher Baba is calling people. It’s like a beacon calling people, almost like a lighthouse.

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"It was like seeing a champion boxer just beaten and bloody on the ground..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of Baba’s Tree…

The comments from Ron Holsey, board vice president and guest caretaker, are from his interview for the feature documentary on Baba’s Tree — Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience.

This photo was taken by Margaret Magnus, producer of Tree of Fire, after the 2017 Thomas Fire and high winds felled Baba’s Tree. This picture shows a major section of the trunk lying on the ground after it broke off.

“The first time that I saw the tree after the fire, it was this grand majestic, strong living being that had been just decimated and was suffering.

“It was like seeing a champion boxer just beaten and bloody on the ground. It was this towering giant that had been felled. It was heartbreaking.

“I had a lot of empathy for tree. I just felt bad that Baba’s Tree tree had to go through that.

“It had been through so much. It had survived one fire already.”

— Ron Holsey, Board Member and Guest Caretaker

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Tree of Fire: A Story of Love and Resilience

Tree of Fire is the journey of a seemingly ordinary oak tree blessed by the presence of Avatar Meher Baba. For decades, Baba’s Tree fulfills its role of inspiring others. Then one night it is felled by fire and high winds. Its very existence is threatened.

Through the tree’s own resilience and love, it is transformed by fire to emerge even more powerful in radiating Meher Baba’s love.

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