One afternoon, Jean Adriel approached Agnes Baron, who was renting a cottage at the New Life Center at the time, and said, “We are going out for a drive this afternoon, looking for a place, would you like to come?”
In 1944, Jean Adriel and Alexander Markey had established the 500-acre New Life Center in La Crescenta, CA, which was dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba.
Then sometime in 1946, Jean received word from Meher Baba that He wished for them to relocate to a place farther from the Los Angeles area, somewhere one or two hours outside a big city.
Read More
After Avatar Meher Baba’s visit to Meher Mount on August 2, 1956, He was scheduled to to continue His around-the-world trip and go to San Francisco next with a group of His followers.
The following is the interchange during His visit – as told by Agnes – between her and Meher Baba about her intention to drive to San Francisco the following day.
“Baba,” I said, “I am going to drive up in the station wagon. A lot of people have given me books to take.”
“No!” Baba said, “You have to come with Me in the plane.”
Read More
In 1956, when Avatar Meher Baba visited Meher Mount, caretaker Agnes Baron took Him on a tour of the property.
As they crested the hill overlooking a corner of the property, now known as Avatar’s Point, a large oak came into view. Agnes turned to Meher Baba and said, “Baba, I’ve always thought of this as Your Tree.”
Read More
Agnes Baron, Meher Mount co-founder and lifetime caretaker, describes Avatar Meher Baba's 1956 visit.
She takes filmmakers Irwin and Edwin Luck on a tour of the property, including Baba's Tree and the 'Baba Room' where Meher Baba gave darshan (His blessing) on August 2, 1956.
The 14:56-minute film was made in 1970 and has been restored. However, the sound is still difficult in some places. It’s easiest to watch the video and get the flavor of Agnes Baron’s personality while reading read along from the transcript.
Read More
For $42,500 – or about $608,250 in today’s prices – the New Life Foundation acquired the Sulphur Mountain property, now known as Meher Mount, on July 31, 1946.
At least two of the area newspapers carried news of the purchase:
“Shri Meher Baba to Establish Center in Upper Ojai Valley” (The Ojai, August 9, 1946) and
“Baba Will Start New Foundation” (Santa Paula Chronicle, August 13, 1946).
The Ojai article began, “Of interest to the numerous valley residents who follow the history and development of the numerous religious groups that are prominent in the world today… is the news that Shri Meher Baba will come to Ojai from Europe within a few weeks to establish a center of his New Life Foundation up on Sulphur Mountain.”
Read More
Agnes Baron, who later became a co-founder and lifetime caretaker of Meher Mount, was staying at the New Life Center in La Crescenta, CA, in 1946.
When she arrived at this Center dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba, Agnes knew nothing about Him.
One day during her stay, one of the founders of the New Life Center, Jean Adriel, said to Agnes, “We are going out for a drive this afternoon looking for a place, would you like to come?”
“Well, it was a hot day so I thought I would go with them. I just went for the ride,” Agnes remembered.
“It seems they were planning to sell the New Life Center and buy another place. I didn’t know what the details were, and I didn’t particularly care. I just went for the ride.
“Every time they’d see a lovely place they’d say, ‘Oh there’s Baba’s place.’”
Read More
Meher Baba touches the heart in the most unexpected ways.
It was late on Saturday, and I was walking down the driveway to the parking area with two first-time guests.
Unexpectedly on our left, a small group of deer came bounding out of the trees and ran in front of us, headed toward the open gate.
Suddenly, to our dismay, a fawn tried to go through a small space between two steel bars in the fence. The young deer got stuck halfway. The deer was simply too big to fit through the opening.
Read More
“Jai Baba, everyone. I’ve given multiple warnings that this is not going to be your average Meher Baba talk, because Baba put me through some real events beforehand. And the only way I can put it in context is that I want to real quickly cover my childhood. And I think you will understand as we go on. The one thing to remember is that all’s well that ends well.”
Read More
"The feeling when we all came in the room and sat down in front of Baba, the feeling that I had was that Baba knew everything about me, every single little thing about me, and He accepted me exactly as I was and there was no reason to be anybody else. And if I were to summarize this in three words, the feeling was, 'home at last.'" - Joan Dimpfl Harland
Read More
The founding of Meher Mount starts about 70 miles southeast of Ojai, CA, with the creation of the New Life Center in La Crescenta, an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, CA.
In the mid-1940s, Alexander Markey and Jean Adriel formed The New Life Foundation, Inc. to spread Avatar Meher Baba’s messages and establish a center in California in Meher Baba’s name.
Read More
“I always feel Meher Baba’s Presence at Meher Mount, but last Saturday was something special,” said Jim Whitson remembering the Darshan Dhuni.
On Saturday, June 12, 2021, more than 40 people gathered at Meher Mount to hear and read the 185 personally meaningful Meher Baba quotes sent from all over the world. These quotes are to be part of the Darshan Courtyard foundation in the form of dhuni (sacred fire) ashes.
“From the moment we all got together and said the prayers, I felt tremendous power emanating from where we were all standing. And I wasn’t the only one,” Jim continued.
“It was magical,” agreed Robert Turnage, another reader.
To capture some of this magic and share this special event with all, Meher Mount engaged Square Productions of Ojai, CA, to produce a film of the Darshan Dhuni. This 56-minute film is a meditation on Meher Baba’s words and His messages of Love.
Read More
The special Darshan Dhuni at Meher Mount on Saturday, June 12, 2021, honored Avatar Meher Baba, His message of Love and Truth, and His Presence at Meher Mount.
At the Darshan Dhuni, each quote and the name of the person who sent it was read aloud and then placed in the dhuni. More than 185 individuals from nine countries (Israel, Croatia, Canada, France, Australia, India, England, Mexico, and the United States) sent a quote.
See all the quotes from Meher Baba and the names of the individuals who sent them.
Read More
The video recordings from the three virtual sessions sharing Meher Baba’s quotes are filled with heartwarming stories of Avatar Meher Baba’s Love and Presence in our daily lives.
“What beautiful meetings these are, somehow especially intense” with Meher Baba’s Love “pouring from each person sharing their quote and what it meant to them,” wrote one of the participants. “It is quite amazing, really.”
These three video recordings are inspiring and a lovely demonstration of how Avatar Meher Baba constantly touches each of us individually in a way that is meaningful to each person.
Read More
After the two buses reached Meher Mount, Meher Baba called everyone into the ‘Baba Room’ of the guesthouse.
“…we all went inside and sat wherever we could, all sort of crowded around Baba, but in a comfortable way,” remembered Darwin Shaw. “Baba sat where everyone could see him. He seemed very relaxed and happy to be among his lovers.”
With everyone seated around Him, Meher Baba said, “I want you all to close your eyes for five minutes. Do not think of anything, just think of Baba.”
At another time, He smiled and said, “This afternoon, you all have a chance to laugh and feel relaxed. …here today, we feel relaxed, happy. I come down to your level so that we can laugh and be free together; but do not forget at the same time that I am the Highest of the High.”
Read More
The eloquent whimsy of the poem “Song of Nothing” from Bal Natu’s book, More Conversations with the Awakener, resonates with me — it reminds me to remember the Divine in simple ordinary moments, just because.
Its lightness in spirit is uplifting, cheerful, and joyful given that I spend more moments than not navigating the habitual complications of thought, reaction, and feeling.
Read More
When Avatar Meher Baba was at Meher Mount in 1956, He specifically did not give discourses because it was a day of relaxation. He explained to the group with Him, “Do not expect any discourse from me today. Yesterday, I told you all that you would play and feel relaxed” here.
However, at one point, He noted the following…
Read More
According to the account in Lord Meher, Agnes was about to leave her guests and go to Meher Baba, when Ivy asked for something. Agnes was in such a hurry to leave she did not fulfill Ivy's request, causing Ivy to make some disparaging comment about Agnes.
Fuming, Agnes came to Meher Baba and said, “Baba, you say you have to love everybody, well I don't love everybody — what am I going to do about it?"
Read More
Meher Baba’s birthday — February 25th — has always been a joyous occasion and very close to my heart.
Not only does it mark Meher Baba’s manifestation as the Avatar of this Age, but it is also a commemoration of the gift He bestowed on us by allowing us to open our hearts to His love…and to each other.
Meher Baba’s 1967 birthday message resonated with me so much because it is such a strong reminder ('“in this age of mess”) that as much as we would love to get together to celebrate His birthday, what matters the most is that we know that on February 25th and every day of our lives, He is our constant companion.
Read More
“On the 25th of December we were all assembled at Nasik with Baba for one of the most blessed of all Christmases. We were thrilled to be with Baba again and on Christmas Day re-created the true festive spirit.
“Baba sat toward the middle of one side of the long narrow table, His plate encircled with many gifts brought for Him from the West. With child-like curiosity He carefully and methodically untied the parcels; then with a smile and often a twinkle, selected and presented to each a treasured gift. A few had been earmarked for special persons. We noted Baba preferred to make His own choices.
“After Baba distributed the Christmas surprises amongst us, He said…
Read More
At Meher Mount, it pays to look up at the skies from time to time for you never know what you might see there.
The latest delight has been the first appearance of California Condors — four of them on one occasion — soaring over Meher Mount’s open fields and swooping down toward the area around the Visitor Center.
The condors first appeared on a windy day, November 7, 2020, “hiding” among a wake of smaller Turkey Vultures (as a flock is called) catching the coveted air currents that rise from the west.
Of course, it would be difficult for condors to hide anywhere since they are such giants of the skies. With wing spans as large as 10 feet, the shadow of a condor flying overhead will take anyone’s breath away.
Read More