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SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

/ SUMMER 1995

Gathering Research: That’s How It Was Meeting with the Experts

FOUNDATION PUBLICATIONS:

Congress, the Smithsonian Museum Support Center, and the Holocaust Museum. Research was focused on gathering information pertaining to the care of original artifacts and materials (such as film and video, photographs and documents). Issues of collection management such as how to organize, index, inventory, monitor “It is no small thing, but finally sublime, conditions and keep records were all discussed. The to outwit time and make a moment implications and responsibilities of developing and mainthat can last forever. taining an archive were And it is no small thing to cherish those explored as well as the importance of following glimpses of our wholeness, and archival standards and preserve those moments guidelines. Although the volume and holdings of these in a place which is made institutions are vast, many to care for them.” of the issues are equally relevant for smaller collections. A. Bartlett Giametti, 1982, It was extraordinary how speaking at the 150th anniversary of the generous many of these Yale University Art Gallery highly accomplished experts were with their time and knowledge. Behind-the-scenes Foundation has committed itself to tours of museum and archive facilibecoming more knowledgeable and ties, as well as in-depth exchanges more proactive in this realm of Baba of ideas with top individuals in their work. fields went on for an entire week. Given the age and perishable One of the more interesting qualities of much of what has been underlying themes that came up accumulated by His lovers over the was the importance and the chalpast 60 years or so, the necessity lenge of recognizing that the real of dealing with how to protect and heart and meaning of preserving preserve these precious materials the record of Baba’s advent cannot has gained a greater urgency. In be separated from honoring and the context of this concern, Sheriar somehow retaining the feelings Foundation sponsored a research connected to what is being pretrip to major institutions in served. This subtlety and nuance Washington D. C. this past April. assumes greater and greater On the itinerary were informational importance as time passes and the meetings at, and tours of, the Continued on page two National Archives, The Library of IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, it has become increasingly clear that preserving the vast collection of papers, photos, video and audio tapes, and personal items that offer posterity an abundant and irreplaceable first hand record of Meher Baba’s advent is going to be an enormous challenge. And increasingly, Sheriar

SHERIAR

FOUNDATION

ERUCH JESSAWALA’S STORIES about Meher Baba have enthralled listeners in Mandali Hall for more than 25 years and this fall 406 pages of those stories will be available in That’s How It Was, to be published by Sheriar Foundation. Besides a treasure of brand new stories, the book will include all the stories from two earlier books, Is That So? and Determined To Be His, which are no longer available as single books. Eruch was a young man when he and his family went to live with Meher Baba. In the ensuing years, Eruch served his Master in many ways, talking to people, answering letters and serving as translator of Meher Baba’s gestures. From those years of intimacy now flows a seemingly endless supply of stories – some humorous, some serious, some with pointed messages – and this new book gathers the best of them into a printed version of an afternoon at Meherazad. That’s How It Was, priced at $15.00, will be available in October at Sheriar Press.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION has issued two publications since P A L our last newsletter: reprints of the hardcover and softcover editions of Discourses and a paperback edition of The Everything and The Nothing, two of Meher Baba’s most popular books. Distributed by Sheriar Press, the paperback Discourses is $15.00 and the hardcover edition is $25.00. The Everything and The Nothing is $7.95.

3005 HIGHWAY 17 N. BYPASS, MYRTLE BEACH, SC 29577 TELEPHONE: (803) 448-1106 • FAX: 803-626-2390 • E-MAIL: SHERIARFDN@AOL.COM

HOTO BY

LAN EVINSON

Preserving and Archiving a New Collection PHOTOGRAPH ON LEFT: Meher Baba greeting Fred Winterfeldt at the Meher Spiritual Center in the 1950s, when Baba made three visits to the Center. Fred, with his wife Ella, led the New York Baba Group for many years until they retired to Myrtle Beach in 1971.

Meeting with the Experts Continued from page one

SHERIAR FOUNDATION has recently begun the To give you some appreciation of what is archival preservation of the collected personal involved in properly preserving and archiving a letters, photographs, books, audiotapes and new collection, it is interesting to review the inifilms of Fred Winterfeldt. tial steps that should be followed. In the process of caring for the Winterfeldt’s unique collection, Fred and Ella led the New York Baba Group Sheriar Foundation will begin with a meticulous with John Bass for many years, from the early evaluation of all of the materials that it contains. 1950s until 1971; at which time Fred retired and This provides the detail necessary to determine “Fredella”, as Baba called them, relocated to what kinds of conservation supplies are needed Myrtle Beach by to preserve the Baba’s order. From collection and then until his death protect it from in 1977, Fred damage and staffed the Gateway, deterioration. Once providing the warm each item has been greetings and great identified and the “bear hugs” still preservation fondly remembered supplies are on by many Center hand, everything visitors; and Ella will be cataloged, was both a labeled, and put mainstay at Saroja into safe storage. Library, and Fred’s To minimize the right arm at the risks of future Gateway. Fred was handling, a record also a member of The above cable received by Fred and Ella August 23, 1957, is of information for the Center’s Board Baba’s response to the following message sent to Him by the each item will be of Directors for Monday Night Group: “Beloved Baba, the message through compiled including Mehera inviting our help in alleviating your pain has touched many years. our hearts and made us want to love you more and more. We are an inventory numFred and Ella deeply willing. Dearest love from all the Monday Night Group.” ber, description, first met Meher history, signifiBaba in New York in 1952; they saw Him again cance, condition, and so on. The Foundation has in 1956 and 1958 in this country, and at the designed a computer database which will be “East West Gathering” in India in 1962. Fred used to organize, save, and keep track of this also attended the “Three Incredible Weeks” information. darshan program for men in India in 1954. The With proper care and organization, one day Winterfeldt home in New York was a frequent the Winterfeldt Collection is sure to contribute site for Baba meetings and for informal one more first hand testimony to His most gatherings where Fredella provided tea, sympaextraordinary Advent. thy, and Baba information to many newcomers.

atmosphere of His time among us loses some of the immediacy that it has today. The Facility Manager of the Smithsonian Museum Support Center, in particular, placed a special emphasis on the significance of preserving the individual culture of any given collection. Also of underlying interest are the difficulties inherent in this area of balancing the desire to provide access to what is being preserved and recognizing the risks involved with increased handling. In many respects the possibilites that have begun to open up for electronically preserving materials holds out the potential for providing access without putting valuable originals at risk. Some of the trip’s highlights included touring the photo stacks at the National Archives where millions of photographs are stored in state of the art shelving, and observing “hands-on” treatment in the conservation lab of old and damaged photos. Paper conservators at the Library of Congress demonstrated with great clarity some of the materials and procedures used in the preservation and storage of a variety of paper-based artifacts. Of particular interest was the unique database developed by a team of photo researchers and archivists which facilitates access to the massive photographic collection at the Holocaust Museum. On a more personal level, archivists at the Holocaust Museum reviewed and discussed a diagram of the current state of Sheriar Foundation’s database as part of the process of fine-tuning our efforts in this area. It is remarkable to realize that the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of this entire archive and preservation field must now somehow be applied to the Baba treasures that have been collected by so many for so long. It is a work that must begin now and move forward as we gather the resources to preserve and share the story of His advent with generations to come.

1932 Films, Photos and Videos Come to Life It’s always nice when something we’re excited about turns out to be exciting for others as well. A case in point is the Foundation’s two video versions of recently discovered newsreel footage of Meher Baba’s 1932 visit to America: the seven-minute Meher Baba’s 1932 Message To America and the eightminute Meher Baba At Harmon-on-Hudson 1932. By the end of May, the Foundation’s distributor, Sheriar Press, reports sales of 470 copies of the Message video and 211 copies of the Harmon video. Both videos are still available from Sheriar Press at $15.00 each. In addition, 8 x 10 photographic prints from the Harmon video are offered by Sheriar Press at $12.00 each or $80 for the whole set of 8.

Dramatic Results from a Damaged Negative The above photograph of Meher Baba is reproduced from a restored negative which appeared to be unsalvagable. Negatives over thirty years old sometimes separate from their plastic base and seem to be hopelessly damaged. In this case, the emulsion was peeled from the plastic carrier and placed on to a new stable base by a photo conservator who specializes in this work. A new duplicate negative and print was then made. VHS

8 Minutes

Photograph of Meher Baba with disciples at Harmon-on-Hudson from the 1932 Paramount newreel. One of the eight prints available.

- Excerpt from comments by Mani about the 1932 Paramount film

M E ER B H ABA o H

“We can’t help watching it (the 1932 film) over and over again, and every time we find a deeper meaning emerging from each little act and movement of His, as clear and sparkling as the water we see Him drink.”

at Harmon

“As Baba has remarked many a time, even His most casual gesture had universal significance, and every simple personal action generated a universal reaction. . .

P A R A M O U N T

MEHER B 9

BA Harmon-oa t n -H u dson 1 3

N E W S

FUNDING UPDATE:

A Note about the Finances Sheriar Foundation is committed to keeping you informed as to what we are working on. This includes reviewing with you work that has been completed since our last communication as well as sharing work that is currently in motion or being contemplated for the future. Besides our desire to increase awareness of the focus, scope and direction of the Foundation’s efforts, we also have in mind the practical realities of needing your financial support to be able to sustain our work. We are asking again for that support. We want to thank all of you who have given Sheriar Foundation financial and emotional support. It is important to us to know that the work we are doing matters to you as well as to us. Many of you have given generously to Sheriar Foundation already. Through July 15, 1995 we have received more than $161,000 from over 328 donations. It is the nature of the work that we are

doing that there will be an ongoing need for financial support to properly fund projects that are already identified as well as projects that will

come up in the future. We would be most appreciative if you would consider including Sheriar Foundation as a part of whatever annual charitable donations you are able to give. As we have shared in the past, some people are most comfortable providing funding for specific purposes or survived World War II, she has left a wonderful record of life with Baba following her return to projects. We welcome the West after the war. This collection contains contributions of every kind: correspondence from the late 40s until her large or small; for our General death in February 1990, as well as her personal Fund or for the Endowment collection of photographs and books. Fund; for specific projects or HARRY KENMORE, a close disciple of Baba’s for whatever we deem to have from New York, who met with Baba on several the greatest immediacy. occasions. This collection includes audio recordings and films of Baba and the Mandali. As a practical reminder, all donations to Sheriar FoundO NGOING I NDIA P ROJECTS : ation are tax-deductible. Video and audio recording

Donations to the General Fund will help support the following projects: P UBLISHING : That’s How It Was Love Alone Prevails Future Publications

A RCHIVING : CURRENT COLLECTIONS: Brustman Video Collection Fred Winterfeldt Collection UPCOMING COLLECTIONS: MARGARET CRASKE, one of the earliest western disciples, who met Baba in London in 1931. Although little of Margaret’s records

The Making of a Database AS DESCRIBED IN OUR FALL REPORT, Sheriar Foundation has completed the transfer to preservation master copies of more than 187 hours of video of the mandali and Meherazad, Meherabad and Poona recorded by Wendell Brustman and a team of professionals in 1986. During the past two years of working on this project, the tapes were rewound; careful records were kept of their physical condition; and they were numbered and shelved in an inventory system. As the first phase of this preservation work was coming to an end, it became clear that a reliable system to keep track of all of these tapes was very much needed. In response to this need, working in close collaboration with a long-time follower of Baba, Bob Hartzell, who has extensive background in database development, a relational database has been designed. Its primary purpose is to hold a structured record of the Brustman Collection, including its history, condition, dates of recording, viewing and rewinding. It will also keep track of hundreds of numbered originals, viewing copies and preservation copies. Additional descriptive fields are being developed to help identify and log the content of each tape. Although the immediate application of this database is to the video material in the Brustman Collection, its basic design can be adapted to encompass record keeping and retrieval searches for additional kinds of collections such as film, audio tape, photographs, transparencies, negatives, and documents as well. As a part of this work, a system is being designed that will describe the content of small segments of footage by keywords for subject, name, place, shot description, and time-code.

On the immediate horizon, the Foundation will be continuing its focus on the Brustman Collection by concentrating on entering existing information into the database, as well as compiling new records of its content. As a critical preliminary step in the building of an archive, the care and attention given to this effort at this time will greatly affect the authenticity and ease of access of searches made in the future.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION was formed in 1989 as an independent, non profit, tax-exempt corporation. The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba. Sheriar Foundation has an interest in all forms of communication media through which the love and truth of Meher Baba’s ideas and ideals may be expressed. It is dedicated to exploring more dynamic ways of using these communication channels to bring the restorative power of divine love into people’s lives.

The database screen above shows a numbered record of a tape of Mehera, taken on the porch at Meherazad on October 7, 1986. This original tape, about 22 minutes long, was reviewed on January 10, 1994. Technical information is noted about the format, time-code, color bar and the physical condition of the tape.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

T / SUMMER 1996

The Role of A Database in Recording Baba’s Advent object of a special dog collar, related to an aniImagine a person just hearing about Baba record. Safety copies of original audio and video mal encountered by Baba. And on, and on. 100 years from now and wanting to know as recordings, films, photographs and papers are much as possible about the Beloved. Much can made during this phase. The database is a tool The work of preserving the record of be done today to assure that the fragrance of for managing these records and scheduling Baba’s advent divides into two phases: Baba’s life passes on to future ongoing maintenance. generations. Whether it’s the During the Access and Retrieval phase D ATA B A S E M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T special privilege of listening to the database will be used to index these Eruch telling Baba stories in materials. It will provide the underlying To make possible this long term The overall purpose of Sheriar Mandali Hall, or that sudden structure for access and retrieval by Foundation’s database is to provide goal, it is critical to preserve the appreciation for Baba’s extraordiinterrelating different kinds of materials. nary compassion and gentleness as access to an authentic record of record (i.e.: photographs, correThese include Audio, Moving Image (film revealed in a cable or personal note and video), Still Image (prints, negatives Meher Baba’s advent for future gen- spondence, diaries, films, video and from Him, there exists today a true and slides), Paper/ Documents erations. It will be used by individu- audio recordings of talks by individabundance of material that must (correspondence, diaries, clippings, be safeguarded for the future. als wishing to know more about uals about His impact on their lives, manuscripts, etc.) and Museum Objects: The preserved records of films, clothing (i.e. sadra, handkerchiefs), furniBaba, researchers, artists, and the objects worn by Him, etc.) — safevideos, audio tapes, photographs, ture (i.e. chair Baba sat in), and other general public. Making the database guarding their availability in the papers and documents, and items (i.e. alphabet boards, games, etc.). available to Baba groups will pro- future. Preservation is the critical museum objects eloquently As technology advances collection communicate the uniquely human records will be linked with still and vide continuity, and in the future will first step in this process. and glorious aspects of Baba’s life. moving images, sound recordings and facilitate communication of the Sheriar Foundation is increasscanned images. The database will be massive record of His advent. ingly absorbed in the challenge of used to maintain all aspects of access how to preserve and archive the programs, such as Internet access, and extraordinary record of Baba’s advent will administer various aspects of loan Collections Management, and Access and that currently exists. We have continued to and duplication programs. Retrieval. During the Collections Management research the disciplines and methodologies used The database, once it is fully developed, phase original materials are preserved. This by experts engaged in this kind of work should function as a critically important includes rehousing, establishing a numbering professionally throughout the world. And we element in safekeeping the record of Baba’s system, inventorying, providing treatment to have been blessed to have received a response advent. stabilize materials, and starting a catalog of great generosity of time and knowledge from many authorities in their fields. Preserving an authentic record of Baba’s advent is not a simple matter. If the necessary work is not done well at this point in time, much of the record may be lost forever. As a vital part of this process, Sheriar Foundation made the development of a database a high priority. Upon its completion it is the intention of Sheriar Foundation to make this database available to anyone for whom it would be useful in archiving Baba collections. The potential applications are almost unlimited. For example, wouldn’t it be great if there was a way a person who is interested in finding out about Baba’s relationship to animals could access these records. And see a cable from Baba consoling a lover grieving over the loss of a dear pet, see a film of Baba playing with a cat at His feet, become immersed in a video of Mani telling the story of how Pegu the cat found Baba in Guruprasad, enjoy the humor of listening to an audio tape of Margaret Craske describing the work Baba gave her of caring for the spectacular The database screen above shows a numbered record of correspondence from Fred Winterfeldt’s Collection. Treatment is and proud peacock, Moti, on Meherabad Hill. The recommended for the 8 ⁄ x 11" letter which was discolored, creased and folded. It was written in pen and signed in search could lead to photographs of a museum pencil on creme bond paper. The letter was given an identification number and a location number after it was rehoused. 1

S H E R I A R F O U N D A T I O N / 3 0 0 5 H I G H W AY 1 7 N . B Y PA S S , M Y R T L E B E A C H , S C 2 9 5 7 7 • T E L E P H O N E : ( 8 0 3 ) 4 4 8 - 1 1 0 6 • F A X : ( 8 0 3 ) 2 3 6 - 2 3 9 0 • E M A I L : S h e r i a r F d n @ a o l . c o m

Intensive Planning Session For Future Foundation Building As the scope of Sheriar Foundation’s work continues to expand, our needs for additional space are more and more pressing everyday. With an eye on what kind of space requirements our future work might necessitate, we invited Vince Wilcox (the Facility Director of the Smithsonian Museum Support Center) and Joan Bacharach (the Vince Wilcox leading a brainRegistrar for the storming session. One of the National Park charts used in the Functional Service) to come Analysis is shown on rear wall. to Myrtle Beach to help us address and analyze this issue. Over the past year, both Vince and Joan have taken a personal interest in efforts to establish an archival record of Baba’s advent. Each has responded generously to questions concerning conservation, archive record keeping and facility management, from here as well as from India. Vince has consulted with organizations all over the world using a dynamic technique called “Functional Analysis” to help archives plan new facilities. The purpose of the facility and the nature of its work are analyzed and clarified through this process. The information gathered is distilled and translated into a ‘real-world’ list of functional spaces and adjacencies (which activities need to be near each other.) In February of this year, we spent three intensely focused extended work days with both Vince and Joan going through this Functional Analysis. Recognizing that Sheriar Foundation’s mission is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba, we identified the various functions that work together to help us fulfill our purpose. Some of our activities will be connected to publishing. These include reading manuscripts, editing, proofreading, layout and design, sales and marketing, shipping and storage. Archiving collections is another Foundation activity. This function requires space for the safe storage of original material and reference copies, treatment, scanning, access and retrieval. In addition, our plan anticipates needing space for audio, film and video work; offices; shipping and receiving. This list of final work areas was looked at from various viewpoints. Each space was evaluated for square footage, occupancy, and equipment. Guidelines were generated for facility management which included insect and pest managing, cleaning, structure, utilities, security and safety. This exhaustive process resulted in a modified bubble chart for a 4200 square foot building showing final work spaces, and a clearly articulated sense of the purpose of this building. The overall structure of the building is based on the design of a thermos bottle. What keeps

A Review of our Publications How time flies when you’re having fun. We’re already at Sheriar Foundation’s seventh birthday and we’re taking a moment to review our publications to date. Sheriar Foundation’s main focus continues to be on spreading Meher Baba’s message into the world, even though most of the world, as we all know, hasn’t caught on yet to the power of that message. But when it does, we hope there will be enough books and videos in hand to satisfy the demand! And we will do our best to be a continuing force in that effort. Our latest contribution to that effort is publication of Eruch Jessawala’s That’s How It Was

February 1989. “Memoirs of the Frivolous Three” a unique evening with Margaret Craske, Delia DeLeon and Kitty Davy.

March 1990:: “Hello, Ducks” appeared a few weeks after Margaret Craske’s death, a touching tribute to one of Meher Baba’s earliest western disciples.

May 1990: The video Amartithi in India 1989 is poignantly memorable as it was the last Amartithi attended by Meher Baba’s Beloved Mehera.

June 1991: Peter, a remarkable video of Peter Saul’s journey to Meher Baba.

October 1991: Sheriar Foundation’s first book, Bal Natu’s extraordinary Conversations With The Awakener, caught the hearts of Baba lovers around the world, quickly going through its first printing.

December 1991: Baba’s Kitty paid a warm and loving video tribute to this very special disciple who spent her own life pouring out warmth and love to thousands of Baba’s followers. September 1992: Another tribute to Kitty Davy, Kitty: Love in Service offered a video portrait of the long time disciple of Meher Baba.

May 1993: Mani Irani delighted Baba lovers of all ages with her book of very special stories from her childhood, God-Brother, brilliantly illustrated with Wodin’s drawings. November 1993: Bal Natu answered pleas for “more” with publication of More Conversations With The Awakener, his second volume of intimate conversations with the Beloved. January 1994: Release of neverbefore-seen newsreel footage of Meher Baba on the video, Meher Baba’s 1932 Message to America. Particularly delightful since this footage had lain for years in the archives of the University of South Carolina.

January 1994: Baba Natu shared his thoughts about his two Conversations books in the charming video A Conversation With Bal Natu.

July 1994: Glimpses of the GodMan, Meher Baba, Volume VI came from Bal Natu’s pen, detailing Meher Baba’s activities between March 1994 and April 1995, a period that included the “Three Incredible Weeks,” Meher Baba’s Final Declaration and His decision to stop using the alphabet board.

material inside a thermos stable (either hot or cold) is the vacuum of air separating it from the outside. In the preliminary building layout, the collections storage area is in the middle of the structure surrounded by a large hallway which serves as a buffer. All work spaces surround this protected area and are on outside walls. In this way the collections are safely protected from variations in temperature, humidity and other environmental factors For now, the prospect of acquiring land and

last October, the masterful collection of Baba stories that has almost sold out its first paperback printing. It was apparent immediately upon publication how much this book meant to those who have had the pleasure of hearing these stories in Mandali Hall and even more to those who haven’t had that opportunity. It has been our pleasure to bring you a collection of books and videos, beginning with the video Memoirs of the Frivolous Three, that delightful and sometimes hilarious evening of repartee among Margaret Craske, Delia DeLeon and Kitty Davy. Our 7 years in review looks like this:

November 1994: A second video of early newsreel footage of Meher Baba, Meher Baba at Harmonon-Hudson 1932, was made available by Sheriar Foundation, and included Mani Irani’s comments on its unique scene of Baba drinking from a well. This newsreel was found in a private archives in New York.

January 1995: One of our happiest moments: the reprinting of Meher Baba’s Discourses in paperback and hardcover. Inspiring and practical, Discourses throws the light of true knowledge on many of life’s most perplexing problems. A life-time companion and one we hope to have the pleasure of keeping in print for many years to come.

May 1995: The Foundation took on the reprinting of one of Meher Baba’s most lyrical works, The Everything and the Nothing, sixty-five messages from the 1950s and 1960s.

October 1995: That’s How It Was, Eruch Jessawala’s stories about Baba that have enthralled listeners in Mandali Hall for more than 25 years published in a 416 page volume.

building a home from which Sheriar Foundation can do its work is only in the earliest planning stages. But with the in-depth professional guidance of Vince and Joan, we have a much clearer, more defined sense of how much space we will really need and how our different functions interrelate within a single facility. As Sheriar Foundation develops a plan for moving ahead with the fundraising, construction and operational plans for our new building, we will certainly keep you informed.

New Photos of Baba Made Available

Avatar Meher Baba’s Fourth and Last Visit to Navsari, 9 January 1956

Photographs provide unique glimpses into Baba’s life, adding dimension to accounts of events. Baba’s fourth visit to Navsari in 1956, documented in an article by Dr. H.P. Bharucha in The Awakener (Vol. XIV, No. 1), also was recorded in a series of photographs. It was on Baba’s visit to Navsari in 1923 when Sorabji Desai, a well-known writer of philosophy, first met Baba. Baba visited Navsari again in March 1932 and a third time in December 1937. During this third visit, Baba arranged the marriage of Sorabji’s niece, Bepai. Photographs taken during Baba’s fourth visit to

Navsari on 9 January 1956 show Baba giving Darshan at Meher Cottage, the home of Homai and Alenmai (Mansari’s elder sister). These prints were recently given to Sheriar Foundation to preserve by Meher Desai, Bepai’s daughter. Photos 1 and 2 show Baba in His room at Meher Cottage giving Darshan as a steady stream of people filed past Him. Photo 3 shows Baba seated on the stage at the Darshan program. Archival quality negatives and prints were made of these original prints by a photo conservator. These will be preserved in cold

storage. A second set of negatives made at the same time (Duplication Copies) are being used to make photographs. Prints (8 x 10") are available from Sheriar Press Book Store for $10 each. Other photographs that have been made available by Sheriar Foundation are the series of 8 prints made from the 1932 newsreel of Baba at Harmon-on-Hudson, as well as a collection of Baba photos donated by Larry and Rita Karrasch. These too are available from the Sheriar Press Book Store.

PRESERVING A PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF BABA’S ADVENT The extraordinary images of the Avatar captured in photographs and research scientists at the Smithsonian Institution. The re-housing and films are an unparalleled record, precious not only to those fortunate to repackaging technique developed by CAL (Conservation Analytical know of Baba now, but sure to be so to the multiLaboratory) scientists provides a safe microclimate tudes who will come to know of Him in the future. “Low temperature storage is for the materials to be stored in sub-zero temperatures. This new technique was first demonstrated Most films and negatives seem deceptively staessential for the long-term to us on a tour of their facility last October. ble, giving a false sense of security about their condition. In reality photographic materials are not as sturdy and robust as they appear. Conditions that endanger the integrity of prints, negatives, slides and movie films include improper levels and fluctuations of temperature and relative humidity, unfiltered sunlight and fluorescent light, mold, insects and a variety of pests. These adverse environmental conditions can cause cracking, sticking, embrittlement, shrinkage and damage to the image itself and the film base. Without the intervention of a proactive preservation program, these treasured images of the Avatar are at risk of being lost.

preservation of photographic collections because most photographic materials do not possess enough inherent chemical stability to survive in good condition for decades at ordinary room temperature.”

Sheriar Foundation has implemented a preservation program for the safe storage and safe use of photographic materials. This program was pioneered by a team of

– MARK MCCORMICK-GOODHART SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Sheriar Foundation has purchased a freezer to store a growing collection of negatives, photographs and movie films. The negatives of the rare prints of Baba in Navsari (shown above) are part of the materials being preserved in cold storage. This re-packaging technique is also being used to preserve 106 reels of 16 mm film recorded by the Society for Avatar Meher Baba, mostly recorded in the early 70s, which includes footage of many of Baba’s men and women disciples. Although preservation will need to be continued in the future on this material, all of it will be put in cold storage until the funds are available to do further work.

The time is upon us now, to begin this long process of taking care of photoographic records, making sure Baba’s image will survive intact for future generations.

Your Financial Support is a Key to Our Work The scope of Sheriar Foundation’s work new people coming to Baba as well as those who continues to grow. And our ability to move may not already have a copy. If you would like to forward with this work depends in large part make a donation earmarked specifically for this on your donations. Financial support is what publication, please be sure to indicate that at the makes it possible for us to make commitments time that you make your gift. to upcoming publications; to accept responsiEven more challenging, perhaps, is the fact bility for preserving collections of precious that Sheriar Foundation has outgrown its curfilms, videos, papers and rent workspace. In order photographs; and to give do the work necessary Donations to the General Fund will to serious consideration to a on the various collections more permanent facility help support the following projects: that we have been given designed to encompass or asked to help prethe various activities in serve, we must find suitARCHIVING which Sheriar Foundation PUBLISHING: able (and affordable) is engaged. Love Alone Prevails Brustman Collection commercial space. To Future Publications Fred Winterfeldt Collection We very much date, Sheriar Foundation Society for Avatar Meher Baba appreciate your past has had the good fortune ONGOING INDIA Collection support and once again to operate primarily out PROJECTS: Sheriar Foundation Collection thank each and every one of a converted studio in Video and audio recording Future Collections of you who has provided Sheila Krynski’s house. financial and emotional There is no longer encouragement. As of June 10, 1996 we have sufficient space in that setting to do the collecreceived $210,098 from over 450 contributors. tions management work necessary for the Fred Looking ahead to the next 6-12 months, we Winterfeldt, the Society for Avatar Meher Baba and the Brustman collections, as well as others have a special need to obtain the funding necessary to reprint Love Alone Prevails by Kitty in our care. In addition, it is likely that Sheriar Foundation will be using its growing expertise in Davy. This marvelous, comprehensive account this area to play a role in additional collections of Kitty’s life with Baba is now out of print. within the Baba world. This extraordinary record of 50 years with On a longer term basis, we have begun to Meher Baba deserves to remain available for

develop plans for a building of our own. This will obviously require significant financial resources and an operational plan to sustain and maintain the work after a building is completed. With long term planning in mind, it is important to remember that, for many people, the most practical way to make a significant contribution is by a bequest in your will. You may bequeath a specific amount of money, a particular asset, or a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation. Gifts given by bequest offer several advantages including that they can qualify for a full estate tax charitable deduction and they can reduce the size of your taxable estate. Also worth remembering is that, in most cases, giving securities or other assets that have appreciated in value can yield significant benefits by providing an income tax deduction for the full, current market value of the gift in the year you give it. Planned giving (as well as tax-advantaged giving) should be discussed with your attorney or accountant. We would also be happy to explore this whole area in more detail with anyone wishing to have a personal conversation about the possibilities. Large or small, contributions of every size are welcome and appreciated. All donations to Sheriar Foundation are tax-deductible.

Sheriar Foundation as an Archival Resource In years to come, much of the information and atmosphere connected to Meher Baba’s advent will depend on access to archival material. At this moment in time, meticulous attention to detail in the preservation and record-keeping stages is likely to have a far reaching impact on the long-term availability of an authentic, first-hand record of Baba’s life among us. Sheriar Foundation has been entrusted with preservation responsibilities for a wide range of materials within the Baba world. These include materials given as well as those being held in trust for the actual owners. For example, Sheriar Foundation has preserved on behalf of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust in India (the copyright owners) the collection of 187 hours of videos of the mandali recorded in 1986 by Wendell Brustman. A full set of Preservation Master Copies have been made and this critical phase of the preservation has been completed. More recently, the Meher Spiritual Center’s Board of Directors has asked Sheriar Foundation to survey and evaluate the Center’s extensive film, video and audio collections. In the process of inspecting approximately 500 reel-to-reel audio tapes, it is already clear that many of these tapes are in jeopardy. We will be providing the Center with recommendations for a long-term preservation program as well as suggestions as to what work needs immediate attention. The report will include surveys and recommended action for films, reel-to-reel and

cassette audio tapes, and videos. The Center Board has also asked Sheriar Foundation to survey the Kitty Davy Archival Collection and to recommend a long-term preservation program. Sheriar Foundation has also been given a collection of professionally shot films of the mandali in the 70s. Donated by Larry Karrasch on behalf of the Society for Avatar Meher Baba, this collection of 106 reels of 16 mm film includes rare footage of Padri, one of Baba’s mainstays in the development of Meherabad; Meherji Kakaria, who accompanied Baba to America and elsewhere; Baba’s beloved Mehera at the dedication of the Guruprasad Memorial in Poona; Mohammed, the mast (God-intoxicated soul) who was cared for by Baba for many years; Siddhu who took care of Mohammed; and many others. During the preservation stage, this material needs to be sorted and evaluated, inventoried and cataloged. The condition of the films have initially been stabilized by re-housing. They are presently being re-packaged in preparation for placement in cold (sub-zero) storage, which will keep them safe until funds are available to continue preservation work. The Society collection also includes 24 audio tapes of Adi and Meherji’s US tour in the 70s, 37 audio tapes of books on tape that were made for Dr. Harry Kenmore, who was blind, and 27 video tapes produced by the Society for public celebrations. These materials are being re-housed and stored in a cool, stable environment.

Sheriar Foundation has also accepted responsibility for caring for The Fred Winterfeldt Collection, which includes films, correspondence and papers, photographs, tapes and videos. Fred, with his wife Ella, led the New York Baba Group for many years until they retired to Myrtle Beach in 1971. This material is in the re-housing and cataloging stage of preservation. As Sheriar Foundation continues to acquire knowledge and to build its growing network of experts in this field, we are happy to utilize this resource to help preserve Baba materials from both our own collection as well as the collections of others. We are also available to share this knowledge with whoever might want or need to know more about how to care for their Baba treasures.

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New Book by Bal Natu Just Published “Every individual’s relationship with the Avatar is an absolutely unique and uniquely personal matter. I have come to feel this more and more deeply over the years: one has to find one’s own way of relating to Baba, the Ancient One, so that He becomes the nucleus of one’s life. When this happens, the individual naturally comes to the conviction, verified by his or her own experiences, that the Avatar is definitely watching over us, lovingly listening to our words, our pleas, our complaints, our questions, and responding in loving and personal ways. There are no words to express the relief one shall feel when such a relationship is bestowed as a gift from the God-Man.” Photo by Win Coates

– From the Preface of The Samadhi: Star of Infinity.

In a deeply heartfelt and thought-provoking meditation on the unique significance of Meher Baba’s Samadhi in India, Bal Natu shares his personal reflections and convictions on its special role in the Avatar’s advent in his new book – The Samadhi: Star of Infinity.

Focusing on the love and compassion flowing from the Samadhi to all those drawn to make a pilgrimage to this stone structure atop Meherabad Hill, Bal has drawn a powerful – even palpable – picture of the Avatar’s continuing presence not only on that hill, but out across the world and in the hearts and minds of those who follow Him. Tracing the history of the Samadhi – the chronology of how Meher Baba established the resting place for His physical form – Bal also reveals the evolution over many years of his own deepening relationship to “the Divine Satellite” (as he calls Baba’s tomb). The Samadhi: Star of Infinity carries the charge of the author’s profound reverence for his subject matter. It includes a selection of Meher Baba’s sayings and messages and is sure to enrich and inspire followers of Meher Baba in their own personal connection to and relationship with the Eternal Beloved and His “Star of Infinity.” It is available from Sheriar Press for $12.00 plus $3.50 shipping.

Discourses To Be Featured In Four Publications A SPIRITUAL CLASSIC Meher Baba’s Discourses provide ever-fresh insights into the everyday challenges confronting our finite selves on the divinely inspired journey back to conscious reunion with the Infinite. Written with inimitable clarity, Discourses offer comfort and guidance for both the heart and the mind. 452 pp. Paperback: $15 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. Call toll free 888593-6164 or write Sheriar Foundation, 3005 Hwy 17 N. Bypass, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. Free catalogue also available.

At the core of Sheriar Foundation’s mission is a commitment to “broaden awareness of Meher Baba.” While much of our current focus has been on preserving materials so that future generations will be able to know more about His life, we have recently developed an initial advertising campaign designed to spread His name, show His face and possibly even sell a few books. The promotion will involve featuring the Discourses in ads set to appear in four publications: Utne Reader, New Age Journal, Yoga Journal and India Currents (primarily a California based publication). The combined circulation of the four publications is over 650,000 people and we are planning to run our ad three times in each publication. The ads will invite readers to send for a free

catalogue and to call a toll free number. As many of you know, the reasons behind the limited availability of Meher Baba’s books in traditional bookstores have long been a puzzle. Our hope is that through direct advertising and through the changing ways in which books are now bought electronically over the Internet it will become easier for people to find their way to the story of His advent. For those of you who are interested, you can now find a broad selection of Baba books at the Amazon.com website. As always, we are interested in any suggestions you may have regarding increasing the accessibility of Baba’s books – either through electronic or more conventional channels. Let us know if you have any insights or ideas.

S H E R I A R F O U N D A T I O N / 3 0 0 5 H I G H W AY 1 7 N . B Y PA S S , M Y R T L E B E A C H , S C 2 9 5 7 7 • T E L E P H O N E : ( 8 0 3 ) 4 4 8 - 1 1 0 6 • F A X : ( 8 0 3 ) 6 2 6 - 2 3 9 0 • E M A I L : S h e r i a r F d n @ a o l . c o m

P R E S E R V A T I O N MOVING IMAGE: • Films from several collections including the Society for Avatar Meher Baba Collection and the Avatar Meher Baba Trust in India continue to be repackaged and placed in cold storage. Freezer space is being prepared to accept duplicate master sets of films from Meher Prasad’s Collection. Sheriar Foundation’s cold storage will be a safety second site location for these precious films.

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• Based on a maintenance report from our database, in recent months 221 video tapes were rewound as part of a 3-year rewind schedule – designed to refresh and prolong the life of the tapes. • Records of the Society films have been entered in the database.

forms which will be input into MasterLink, the Sheriar Foundation collections management database. • Records of the Meher Spiritual Center’s collections of reel-to-reel audio tapes are in the process of being entered into a database.

PAPER/DOCUMENTS: AUDIO: • Ongoing re-housing of materials in • To date over 200 audio tapes in the the Winterfeldt Collection has continued. Andy Muir Collection have been inventoried and entered on paper

Management of Photo Collections the value and purpose of digitally scanning phoSheriar Foundation is committed to the tographs and negatives. The overall consensus ongoing process of researching information was that digital files are an effective access tool about the best ways to preserve Baba materials but not necessarily as yet reliable as a preservain archival collections. Recently, we attended a tion technology. three day conference given by the Smithsonian entitled: Capturing Time: Preservation of Several institutions have successfully used Photograph Collections, Saving scanned images of their photoImages For The Digital World. graphic collections on the A negative stored in a From September 16-18, inforInternet. Both the Library of mation was presented by experts normal room environment Congress and the National from the Image Permanence Archives have scanned portions will remain stable for Institute, the National Archives, of their vast collections making the Smithsonian Conservation approximately 30 years. them available to the general Analytical Laboratory, the public for the first time on their That same negative in Northeast Document Conservation Web pages. What they have Center and National Geographic. cold storage will last 1000 found is that a very high percentage of the people using these The history and technology of years. Cold storage is a Web pages have requested conphotographic materials was ventional photographic prints of discussed along with their different very powerful and that image after locating a digital preservation needs. Special atteneffective preservation tool. representation of it. This makes tion was given to explaining the the use of low resolution original science behind the process of scans much more practical and reinforces the deterioration as well as how proper handling access vs. preservation value of digital media. and cold storage can dramatically prolong the life of films, slides and photographs. Proper As the conference was full of intensive techtreatment and storage can add literally hunnical data, anyone wanting to know more is dreds of years of life to these materials. encouraged to contact Sheila Krynski to discuss There was also an in-depth discussion as to this whole field in more detail.

Preserving Audio Recordings

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and programs at the Meher Center by visitors Recognizing the immeasurable value of many from around the world, as well as recordings priceless audio tape collections that have been from a wide assortment of Baba groups. The accumulated as a part of the record of Meher collection includes talks Baba’s advent, Sheriar Foundation has commitThe Meher Center’s audio collection begins as early as by Adi K. Irani and ted itself to setting up an 1956 and includes talks at the Center by an extraordi- Meherji Kakaria, two of Baba’s mandali who visitaudio studio that will nary range of Baba’s lovers from Adi K. Irani and Meherji ed the Center together in facilitate the preservaKakaria (who visited the Center together in 1970) to Kitty 1970. As well as Kitty tion of this material. Davy, Sarosh Irani, Adi & Rhoda Dubash, Charles Davy, Sarosh Irani, Adi & In this context, Purdom, Dr. Ram Ginde, Bhau Kalchuri, Filis Fredericks, Rhoda Dubash, Charles Sheriar Foundation is Don Stevens, Darwin Shaw, Edith Bradbury, Don Mahler, Purdom, Dr. Ram Ginde. currently serving in a consulting role with Tex Hightower, Rick Chapman, Alan Cohen, Charles It also includes recordings made in India of Eruch Meher Spiritual Center Haynes and many others. talking in Mandali Hall concerning its collection with Kitty, Elizabeth and of audio tapes spanning Mani present, Padri at Meherabad, and Bhau on more than four decades. To date the work his many visits to the Center. The collection involved has included doing a physical inventory contains stories of the personal experiences of of the collection as well as beginning to enter this being with Baba by Filis Fredericks, Don record into a database. Stevens, Darwin Shaw, Edith Bradbury, Don This material includes recordings of talks

Database In Use Given the extraordinary quantity and diversity of treasures documenting Meher Baba’s advent, the question of how best to keep a clear, accessible record of them has become increasingly important. For the last three years, Sheriar Foundation has been rigorously developing a database, MasterLink, to address this vast area. MasterLink has been designed to be used as an invaluable aid in managing Baba collections of all kinds. Records of collections can preserve important details about individual items, such as their history and significance, location and condition. They can also generate many useful reports, such as maintenance schedules and treatment priority lists. MasterLink is already being used as a record keeping tool for Baba collections ranging from audio (reel-to-reel, cassette, DAT recordings, etc.), still image (photos, slides, negatives and electronic files), moving image (video and film), paper/documents (letters, cables, circulars, books, etc.), to museum objects (clothing, household items, furniture, etc.). As it is part of Sheriar Foundation’s mission to be a resource for everyone within the Baba world interested in the archival and preservation field, demo disks have been given to various future users for feedback so that we can continue to fine tune MasterLink’s performance. For example, Stephen Edelman of Meher Prasad has been involved in testing the Moving Image screens which focus on film and video. Meredith Klein and Janet Judson, along with the Archives and Museum Committee in India, have provided their comments on several versions of the Museum Objects screens. Bhau was given a demonstration of MasterLink’s impressive capabilities during his visit to Meher Spiritual Center this past summer. Ensuring that the record of the God-Man’s visit among us will be available for future generations is an enormous challenge. Baba groups with archival collections who feel MasterLink might be helpful in managing their collections are invited to contact Sheriar Foundation for more information.

Mahler, Tex Hightower, Rick Chapman, Charles Haynes and many others. Of most immediate concern is the portion of the collection in which the tapes have become moldy. Recently, we completed a research trip to learn about the techniques being used to care for the extensive audio archive of the Southern Folklife Collection at UNC at Chapel Hill. This visit included a review of the cataloging, rehousing and reformatting processes that they use. It also delved into the technique that they use to clean moldy audio tapes, a difficult problem that continues to challenge other audio archives. We expect to be able to incorporate this technique in the Foundation’s program. Plans for our audio studio also include being able to make both analog (reel-to-reel) master copies, and digital (CD-ROM) duplication masters. Audio cassettes generated for reference copies will be used to log the contents of the material.

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In this dream Baba was sitting under a tree in a patch of open ground amidst a silent filigreed forest. He was dressed very simply in coat and sadra, but wore on His head the most beautiful crown one can imagine. His eyes held an indescribable beauty and His natural posture radiated divine majesty. I was standing a little distance away, gazing at Him. Suddenly I felt some ripples of presence beside me. Turning I saw three does lined up before Him. They were pure white, and wore sparkling tiaras. Standing silently they looked upon Baba with melting eyes. Then they stepped closer to Him and each one in turn knelt before Him and placed her jeweled head on the Beloved’s feet. When these celestial animals rose after their darshan, Baba gave a deep sigh and all the leaves in the forest shook and swayed as though they were applauding. I woke up, my heart dancing with happiness.

Dreaming of The Beloved A sample 2-page spread from Dreaming of The Beloved, the book of dreams written by Mani. Illustrated with 24 full color paintings by Wodin, this hard-cover treasure will be available spring/summer of 1998.

Library Gift Program Moves Into Action

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In our last newletter (Winter ‘97), we announced that Sheriar Foundation had received a substantial grant to widen the distribution of Meher Baba’s books to libraries throughout this country. As a part of this program, a brochure entitled “A Library Gift Program: A Timeless Collection of Books by and about Meher Baba,” has been produced. It communicates to libraries the framework of our offering, explaining that we are prepared to provide at no charge any or all of the following books: Discourses, God Speaks, The Everything and The Nothing, Life at

Its Best, Beams, The God-Man, That’s How It Was, Listen Humanity, Ramjoo’s Diaries, The Wayfarers, Stay With God, How A Master Works, The Nothing and The Everything and all ten volumes of Lord Meher. Initially, the brochure was sent to a small number of libraries that expressed an interest in the gift program. As a result, 185 books by and about Meher Baba have been added to library collections throughout the US. Conceived as an ongoing, long-term effort that will eventually include public, university, prison and private libraries (like ones in retirement homes), the Library Gift Program is still in an exploratory phase. As part of our research, the OCLC national database, a massive catalog listing all the titles in the 14,000 public and university libraries, was used to identify libraries that already have books by or about Meher Baba. This information has been entered into a customized database designed by Bob Hartzell for this work. We have discovered that about 700 of these libraries have one or more Baba books in their collections (totaling about 1700 books). We have added to these 700 libraries another 400 libraries that have indicated an interest in spiritual “There is a swell of wellbooks to create a highly targeted mailbeing in me now as I visit ing list for the next the 12th floor of the phase of the Library Hesburgh Library and Gift program. We admire the ‘Gift’ in place!” will keep you posted as to who we are Clare McGrath Hesburgh Library contacting and what University of Notre Dame kind of results we are obtaining.

Libraries which have received Baba books in the initial stages of the Library Gift Program: Hesburgh Library, University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN

20 books

Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC

7 books

Florida Society for Psychical Research Hollywood, FL

20 books

Lorett Wilmot Library, Nazareth College Rochester, NY

20 books

Chapin Memorial Library Myrtle Beach, SC

20 books

Charles Shane Library, Connecticut Library New London, CT

20 books

Knox County Public Library Knoxville, TN

3 books

Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami Coral Gables, FL

10 books

Hunter College New York, NY

20 books

Reinert/Alumni Library, Creighton University Omaha, NE

20 books

Center for Pranic Restoration Springfield, OH

5 books

New York Public Library 20 books New York, NY _______________________________________________________

TOTAL

185 books

Your Financial Support Makes This Work Possible In the last six months, Sheriar Foundation has been able to move ahead simultaneously on a variety of different kinds of work. From our publication work to our preservation efforts to our database development to the Library Gift Program, a great deal is moving forward. Twice a year, we strive to communicate with you in some depth about what we are doing so that you can share our excitement. But we also trust that you will recognize that it is only because of your financial support that Sheriar Foundation is able to sustain existing commitments and to take on new ones. Looking ahead, we are still hoping to receive sufficient donations to allow us to bring Kitty Davy’s wonderful book Love Alone Prevails back into print. And we are interested in expanding our efforts to make Baba’s books more readily available. We truly appreciate your past support and once again thank each and every one of you who has provided financial and emotional encouragement.

Once again we would like to remind you that we realize that, for many people, the most practical way to make a significant contribution is by a bequest in your will. You may bequeath a PUBLISHING specific amount of money, a Love Alone Prevails particular asset, Future Publications or a percentage of your estate to Marketing Baba’s Books Sheriar Foundation. VIDEO EQUIPMENT Gifts given by BetaSP video deck for mastering bequest offer several advanand maintaining video tages including collections that they can qualify for a full estate tax charitable deduction and they can reduce the size of your taxable estate. Also worth remembering is that, in most

cases, giving securities or other assets that have appreciated in value can yield significant benefits by providing an income tax deduction for the full, current market value of the gift in the year ARCHIVING you give it. Planned giving Audio Collections (as well as taxVideo Collections advantaged giving) should be Film Collections discussed with Paper/Document Collections your attorney or accountant. We Future Collections would also be happy to explore these areas in more detail with anyone wishing to have a personal conversation about the possibilities. As a practical reminder, all donations to Sheriar Foundation are tax-deductible.

Donations to the General Fund will help support the following projects:

Preserving X-rays of Meher Baba

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prepared for quick and short-term use. It is normal for x-rays, stored at room temperature, to deteriorate over time. In extreme cases the emulsion(s) begin to separate from the plastic base. These images can be saved by very careful and delicate treatment, which includes peeling the very thin emulsion apart from the carrier and repositioning it on a new stable base. Dr. Goher’s initial letter about the x-ray project was directed to those in the Baba family connected to the medical and health services professions. Now, with their loving help and that of other Baba lovers, the mission to save and preserve these unique and irreplaceable x-rays of the Avatar’s form has been accomplished.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION

was formed in 1989 as an

independent, non profit, tax-exempt corporation. The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba. Sheriar Foundation has an interest in all forms of communication media through which the love and truth of Meher Baba’s ideas and ideals may be expressed. It is dedicated to exploring more dynamic ways of using these communication channels to bring the restorative power of divine love into people’s lives.

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and was most anxious to be of help. As Dr. Goher wrote “we immediately contacted the leading expert on x-ray restoration and preservation in the States who willingly agreed to receive the hand-carried parcel of x-rays this past June and to give them top priority in his busy schedule. After evaluating their condition, he gave us his recommendations for preservation and duplication as well as an estimate of expenses. As it is natural for x-rays to deteriorate over time, we also sent Mehera’s (from ’52 accident to her final illness) and Mani’s x-rays bringing the total to 136 plates.” In collaboration with the film conservator and the cold storage specialists at the Smithsonian Conservation Analytical Laboratory, a long-term preservation plan was developed. It includes 2 sets of interpositives and negatives (Master Copies), and a set of Reference Prints. The Master Copies will be placed in cold storage and eventually will be stored at two separate sites for safety. It is interesting to note that the treatment of x-rays differs from conventional films in several ways. In conventional negatives the image is imbedded in the emulsion on top of a sheet of plastic. X-rays have two images: an emulsion on the top and the bottom of the plastic carrier. The effect of this is to enhance the details of the image. However, it also makes duplication and treatment difficult. X-rays typically are not developed with archival standards in mind, because they are

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As we have shared in the past, Sheriar Foundation is deeply committed to the work involved in safeguarding the record of Baba’s advent for future generations. Earlier this year, we were given a unique opportunity to participate in such work by Dr. Goher. Because Avatar Meher Baba Trust’s Archives and Museum Project is so foremost in the hearts of its committee, recently a number of interviews were carried out each week at Meherazad, Meherabad, and Meher Nazar as Eruch, Bhauji, Goher, Meheru, Khorshed, Aloba and Katie dived into the past to draw from their memories the history of Baba items. Dr. Goher was naturally concerned with medical history and when she brought out Baba’s x-rays she found what she later described in a letter to Baba lovers in the medical and health service professions: “We recently found that many of Beloved Baba’s x-rays dating from His first accident on May 24, 1952 in Prague, OK, to the last one taken June, 1968 in India, are in varying degrees of deterioration and may soon be unreadable.” Expert advice in such a specialized area of conservation could only be had in the west and Dr. Goher called upon Sheriar Foundation to research this problem. Fortunately, within the resource network of national experts that Sheriar Foundation has developed over the last five years, one of our relationships is with a highly regarded specialist in film preservation. Interestingly, when we contacted him about this situation, he was in the midst of preserving a large collection of x-rays for a museum

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Sheriar Foundation Facilitates Release of THE HISTORY OF BEYOND WORDS dates

to the audience the long red turban that Baba had given him in back to 1967, the year 1967. He spoke again on December in which Meher Baba 26th for a second showing. stepped out of In 1967, Baba had given Louis speseclusion to cial permission to film Him and on the Louis van Gasteren allow the morning after Louis’ departure, Baba acclaimed Dutch filmmaker, Louis van said to the mandali: “I felt happy with Gasteren, the opportunity to interview Louis van Gasteren not only because and film Him. Of truly historic import, he is an artist but because he has a the result is the only existing 35mm good heart. He was impressed very color film of Meher Baba, in which we much by my Love, as were his two hear Eruch interpreting the Avatar’s assistants. Louis is a genius in his art. exquisite hand gestures as He shares a Because of this, and because of his love series of beautiful messages. Beyond for me, I cooperated 100% and he Words also features highlights from van made the most of this Gasteren’s 1997 return opportunity.” Referring to visit to Meherabad the filming done under the and Meherazad “babul”, Baba said, “To (his first since the me it was like again 1967 filming), giving a sermon on the including a Mount. In the two days conversation that Louis spent here and at with Eruch and Meherabad, I could see that Meher Baba being recorded at footage of the Meherazad in 1967 by Louis van he came to understand a bit camerman Jan de interior and exterior Gasteren’s about me, and he expressed his Bont. (Photo used by permission, of Baba’s Samadhi. Spectrum Film, Amsterdam.) love for me by speech and Late last year, through a series of action. I know that he will try his best unexpected events, Sheriar Foundation to have the film shown all over the was able to help facilitate the release of world. He worked at it with all his a video of this film for Baba’s lovers and heart, and I cooperated with all my also invited Louis and his lovely wife heart. So this must bear good results.” Joke to attend a premiere showing of In an informational booklet that Beyond Words at Meher Spiritual Center accompanies Beyond Words, Louis on December 23rd. Louis spoke beautiremembers his time with Baba in these fully at the Premiere and passed around touching words, “During the meeting

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with Baba I felt as if I had known Baba for a long time. I experienced Baba as my brother, sharing with me a deep feeling of aloneness. In fact, I would have loved just to sit with him without talking, without saying a word, and there would have been communication and an even greater feeling of togetherness. In a way, I felt sorry that I had to ask him questions and to explain my intentions. If the camera and the crew had not been there, I would have been very pleased just to be in his presence in silence.After the meeting, Baba gave me a turban, which I wore during the interview the next day.” Since its release last December,

Beyond Words has been deeply moving to Baba’s lovers all over the world. If you have not yet seen this extraordinary footage, it is available from Sheriar Books, for $50 plus $3.50 for shipping and handling.

The photo below is from a scene at Meherazad in Beyond Words. The video also contains intimate footage at Meherabad of Baba washing the feet of and bowing down to a number of lepers. (Photo used by permission, Spectrum Film, Amsterdam.)

/ 3 0 0 5 H I G H W AY 1 7 N . B Y PA S S , M Y R T L E B E A C H , S C 2 9 5 7 7 • T E L E P H O N E : ( 8 4 3 ) 4 4 8 - 1 1 0 6 • F A X : ( 8 4 3 ) 6 2 6 - 2 3 9 0 • E M A I L : S h e r i a r F d n @ a o l . c o m

Sheriar Foundation Moves Ahead in Broad Range of Preservation Activities VIDEO STUDIO NOW IN ACTION With the help of Billy and William Files a video studio has been set up to preserve video recordings. Original tapes recorded on Hi-8, 8mm, 3/4 inch and VHS are being reformatted to BetaSP, a stable and proven video format. This will assure the stability of this material for future access. VHS viewing copies of the re-mastered materials are being made as well. These will be viewed to create logs of the content of the tapes.

HOW TO MAKE COPIES SAFELY

WINTERFELDT COLLECTION USED AS PILOT PROJECT

MAKING COPIES OF ORIGINAL mate- Foundation has done extensive research

Correspondence between FredElla Winterfeldt and Mani from 1963-73 is serving as a pilot project for re-housing and preservation of paper document collections. Procedures and guidelines are being established which can be used to rehouse other collections, such as those in India and Meher Center. All the materials in the Winterfeldt Collection were stored in archival boxes 2 years ago, as a preliminary step before the individual items were inspected and placed in safe long-term storage. Flat boxes (above left) show this preliminary storage. Document boxes (above right) contain interleaved, and carefully protected papers which have recently been rehoused.

rials is not as straight forward as it may at first seem. Audio and video recordings (magnetic media) may begin to deteriorate within 10 years. Although some may last much longer than that, there is no way of telling which ones are at risk by looking at them. It may be that there is only ‘oneplay’ left in a recording before it becomes unplayable. That’s why as a precaution it is not advisable to play original tapes. Athough it may not seem like ‘such a big deal’ just to listen to an old recording, the precious recorded material may be lost forever if that happened to be a tape that had deteriorated. It is critical that this first playing be used to transfer the material to a stable, preservation format. There are several possible duplication formats (i.e.: CD, reel-to-reel, cassette, etc. for audio, and BetaSP and other formats for video). Sheriar

AUDIO PRESERVATION Recognizing the risk of losing invaluable audio recording collections of the mandali, Sheriar Foundation has built an audio studio to help preserve this material. Original recordings on reelto-reel tape, cassettes and even wire recordings are being reformatted on both digital and analog formats. The photo on the right shows how sound looks when converted to a digital file. Storing audio information in this way will help preserve the sound for future generations.

FILM FREEZING PRESERVATION PROGRAM CONTINUES

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Photo (above top) shows a shelf of frozen films protected in the simple packaging developed by the Smithsonian Institution. This has made what was once a complex and ‘out-of-reach’ technology, a do-able program. All film, both moving pictures and still images, is best kept safe in sub-zero conditions. Photo on left shows Dot Lesnik placing an archival box containing Baba’s X-Rays on a shelf in one of Sheriar Foundation’s five freezers being used for film storage. Photo on right shows the supplies used in the packaging process: specially designed dessicant packets that help control humidity in the enclosures, and empty film canisters. An 8 KW generator was recently installed to provide emergency power for these freezers. It worked perfectly during the power outage caused by Hurricane Bonnie.

in this area and would be happy to discuss the various options available with individuals or groups who may be planning to preserve audio or video tapes. Similarly, making copies of correspondence (and other papers) is more complex than immediately apparent. There is a wide range of ways documents can be duplicated (xeroxes, photographs, scans). Each way has good and bad points. A well-planned duplication program can prevent unnecessary wear and tear on the originals and provide an effective way to access the materials. Individuals or groups wishing to discuss the various options available for duplicating paper collections may contact Sheriar Foundation for further information.

NEW FROM BAL NATU AVAIL ABLE THIS FALL

Dreaming of The Beloved: Ready for Release

DREAMING OF THE BELOVED was written in the last months of Mani’s life, during a time of great difficulty. Suffering from a severe illness when she began work on this book, Mani felt the subject matter to be important enough to push herself beyond the limits of her physical strength. Out of that determination has come a glorious collection of her

dreams of Meher Baba. Soaring on Mani’s imaginative command of language, and given further wings by the equally wonderful imagination flowing through Wodin’s twentyfour full color illustrations, Dreaming of The Beloved has been designed as a hard cover, large format book. To Mani, the importance of the dreams lies in the fact that Meher Baba once said dreams of Him are

different than other dreams because they contain His Presence. Mani wanted future generations to know that even though His physical Presence is no longer here, there are still ways – as in these dreams – to catch precious glimpses of the Beloved. Dreaming of The Beloved is available from Sheriar Books for $22.00 plus $3.50 for shipping and handling.

Discourses Promoted in National Publications

Intimate Conversations with The Awakener SHERIAR FOUNDATION IS PLEASED to announce plans to publish Bal Natu’s INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AWAKENER this October. Continuing the heart-stirring tradition of his earlier “Conversations” books, Bal writes “The Source of these conversations with the ever-renewing Awakener, the One residing in each one’s being, is unconditional Love which sustains life. This Love is all the time waiting for the slightest genuine response from the heart, and the conversation begins.” His delightful, poetic language includes such beautiful imagery as: “Every moment in time holds chalices of holy wine and every point in space contains unknown delightful heavens.” INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AWAKENER is available from Sheriar Books for $12.00 plus $3.50 for shipping and handling.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION was formed in 1989 as an independent, non profit, tax-exempt corporation.

Age Journal and Yoga Journal reaching a direct readership of approximately 650,000 people. As part of Sheriar Foundation’s ongoing efforts to fulfill its mission to “broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba,” additional advertising possibilities are under consideration.

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increase general awareness of Meher Baba, Sheriar Foundation has completed a six-month advertising campaign for the Discourses in 3 national publications. The ads, which offer a free catalog of books by and about Meher Baba as well as information about Discourses, ran in Utne Reader, New

The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba. Sheriar Foundation has an interest in all forms of communication media through which the love and truth of Meher Baba’s ideas and ideals may be expressed. It is dedicated to exploring more dynamic ways of using these communication channels to bring the restorative power of divine love into people’s lives.

Our Work is Only Possible With Your Continued Support THE

WORK OF SHERIAR FOUND-

ATION CONTINUES to develop across

a broad spectrum of activities. The scope and depth of our preservation efforts reflect a serious commitment to the monumental task of safeguarding an authentic record of Meher Baba’s advent. Our new publications include Dreaming of The Beloved and Intimate Conversations with The Awakener. Our Library Gift Program has gained significant momentum and our Discourses ad campaign has brought Baba’s name and image to close to a million people. In addition, Sheriar Foundation was fortunate to be able to play a crucial role in helping Louis van Gasteren release his priceless 1967 film of Meher Baba in a video entitled Beyond Words.

All of this work is only possible Sheriar Foundation is able to continue because your its work. financial Once again we Donations to the support to wish to remind General Fund will help support the following projects: you that, in most Sheriar Foundation cases, giving PUBLISHING has enabled securities or us to sustain other assets that existing have appreciated LIBRARY GIFT PROGRAM commitments in value can yield and to take on MARKETING BABA’S BOOKS significant benenew ones. We fits by providing truly appreciate an income tax ARCHIVING this support deduction for and sincerely the full, current thank you for market value of both your financial and emotional the gift in the year you give it. encouragement. We hope that you will Additionally, if you are considering continue to provide this support so that making a contribution to Sheriar

Internet Plays Major Role in Expanding Library Gift Project to widen the distribution of Meher Baba’s books to libraries throughout this country have moved into high gear. While libraries have learned about our gift program in a variety of ways, we have recently been able to share information about this program electronically with a significant number of libraries all over the country through a variety of online Listservs. Response has increased dramatically and, as of this writing, more than 1100 books have been requested by over a 110 different libraries. Complete information from our Library Gift Program brochure has been converted into an email document and then posted to various regional library listservs. Many of the requests have come with interesting comments as well. For example, one note stated, “My library

would love to add the following three books to our collection: Discourses God Speaks The Everything and The Nothing “I was not aware of Meher Baba so I did some searching on the Internet and after reading about him and his philosophy I feel that we will have some readers that will be interested. I appreciate your generous offer. If in fact the books do circulate well is there a chance that at a later time I could add some others?” Another said, “Got all those wonderful books yesterday. I will catalogue them very soon after the holidays. Thank you so very much for your most generous and kind donation. I am sure that many will benefit from these inspirational works for years to come. Meher Baba was one of my first inspirations on this path.”

And another wrote, “I forwarded your kind offer to the librarian who heads collection management for the religion & philosophy sections of our library. He enthusiastically returned a message that he will take any/all books you have available on or by Meher Baba.” And finally, “The volumes on Meher Baba which you sent us have safely arrived and we are delighted to have them. More importantly our patrons will benefit from having these volumes to use and consult. Although the Ames Library of South Asia is part of the University of Minnesota library system, we actually provide extensive services to the colleges and universities in Minnesota. So your kind gift to us will be used and appreciated by far more than the University of Minnesota community. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

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Books Given to Libraries as Gifts Discourses 101 God Speaks 80 The Everything and The Nothing 63 Listen, Humanity 41 Life at its Best 50 Beams 49 The God-Man 65 That’s How It Was 48 The Wayfarers 54 Stay With God 48 Ramjoo’s Diaries 45 How A Master Works 47 The Nothing and The Everything 43 Lord Meher, Vol 1 & 2 47 Lord Meher, Vol 3 46 Lord Meher, Vol 4 46 Lord Meher, Vol 5 46 Lord Meher, Vol 6 & 7 44 Lord Meher, Vol 7 & 8 46 Lord Meher, Vol 9 & 10 48 Lord Meher, Vol 11 & 12 48 TOTAL 1107

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Foundation in your will, there are a number of ways this can be done. You may bequeath a specific amount of money, a particular asset, or a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation. Gifts given by bequest offer several advantages including that they can qualify for a full estate tax charitable deduction and they can reduce the size of your taxable estate. Also worth remembering is that planned giving (as well as tax-advantaged giving) should be discussed with your attorney or accountant. We would also be happy to explore this whole area in more detail with anyone wishing to have a personal conversation about the possibilities. As a practical reminder,all donations to Sheriar Foundation are tax-deductible.

We Need Your Help More Than Ever This has been a very exciting year for Sheriar Foundation. We are thrilled to have brought to fruition the publication of Darwin Shaw’s wonderful book As Only God Can Love. And we are looking forward with great anticipation to the publishing of both Infinite Intelligence and Dr. Goher’s My Life with Meher Baba. The publication of Infinite Intelligence, in particular, marks a true watershed event in the publishing history of Meher Baba’s words. As we hope that you understand and appreciate, all of these publications can only move forward if adequate funding is on hand. The scope of the publication calendar that Sheriar Foundation has committed itself to will require significant financial

underpinnings. Any financial help that you the beauty of a web site, that it makes can give us will be much appreciated. As access free of geographical (and political always, all donations are tax deductible. and religious) boundaries. We plan to conWe have also tinue making this Donations to the dedicated ourwork a priority as General Fund will help selves to an it is deeply linked support the following projects: to our core misongoing major focus on keeping sion of “broadenour web site ing awareness of INFINITE INTELLIGENCE Sheriarbooks.org the life and spiriM Y L IFE WITH M EHER B ABA updated and tual ideals set upgraded. We forth by Meher WWW.SHERIARBOOKS.ORG have a great pasBaba.” Again, sion for this whatever financial endeavor and have watched with a sense of support you are able to give us would be wonder and joy the arrival of visitors from much appreciated and put to good use. literally all over the planet. This is part of Sheriar Foundation wishes to remind

those people who wish to make a donation in a will that you may bequeath a specific amount of money, a particular asset, or a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation. Also worth remembering is that, in most cases, giving securities or other assets that have appreciated in value can yield significant benefits by providing an income tax deduction for the full current market value of the gift in the year you give it. Planned giving (as well as tax-advantaged giving) should be discussed with your attorney or accountant. We would also be happy to explore this whole area in more detail with anyone wishing to have a personal conversation about the possibilities.

To Be Released in 2004: My Life With Meher Baba by Dr. Goher

Goher at Baba’s gaadi at Meherabad.

Sheriar Foundation is very pleased to announce that Dr. Goher has finished writing a book entitled: My Life With Meher Baba and that we are planning to publish it sometime in 2004. As you might expect from one of Baba’s close mandali, the book is enlivened by all the wonderfully individual aspects of her personality that many of us have come to know over the years. It’s warm, loving, feisty, outspoken, and honest in its discussion of her own self-doubts. She was only 6 years old the first time she saw Meher Baba when he

came to Quetta and he played with her and her sisters. As she grew, she became more enamored of Baba and he called her and her sister, Katie, “the blossoms in my garden.” The narrative proceeds through her teens, her high school, college and medical school years and her internships, all of them marked by her desire to be with Baba permanently. She expressed that desire in frequent letters to him and he wrote back, carefully watching over her and her schooling, occasionally calling her to join him for short periods. But when she asked to come and stay with him, he always said, “Wait until I call.” Finally, in 1947, he Goher in the did call, telling her to Meher Free Dispensary. come with all her belongings. She was so ecstatic, that even her first job in his ashram didn’t disturb her: taking care of the chickens and ducks. When he chose her as one of the

women to join him on the New Life wanderings, again her pleasure at just being with Baba overrode all the difficulties of that period. As the years went on, her total focus was on taking care of Baba and with his many physical problems, that literally became a 24-hour a day concern. She talks frankly of Baba’s suffering over the years, giving details few people besides his closest mandali ever knew. She expresses her frustration many times at not being able to help him, as he told her the suffering was for his work. Her descriptions of the Oklahoma accident and the day Meher Baba dropped his body are simply told and emotionally charged. This is a unique and historically important account of life with Meher Baba. There are many photographs and

Goher and Mehera walking next to Baba in Gheun Deolai, India,1948. Katie and Rano next to Goher on the left.

an appendix has scans of various medical reports and correspondence about Baba’s health over the years, material most of us have never seen before.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION was formed in 1989 as an independent, non profit, tax-exempt corporation.

communication media through which the love and truth of Meher Baba’s ideas and ideals may be expressed.

The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba.

It is dedicated to exploring more dynamic ways of using these communication channels to bring the restorative power of divine love into people’s lives.

Sheriar Foundation has an interest in all forms of

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

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Infinite Intelligence on the Horizon Sheriar Foundation is pleased to announce that it will be publishing Infinite Intelligence, a book that will present a significant body of Meher Baba’s early metaphysical teachings, first found in Meherazad soon after Baba dropped His body. Publication is currently schedMeher Baba, 1925, at uled for 2004. Meherabad, during the The material for this book period when Infinite Intelligence was being comes from two handwritten composed. notebooks that Bal Natu discovered around 1970 while doing research for Eruch Jessawala. The notebooks contain two treatises exploring the themes of consciousness, creation, evolution, the role of sanskaras, the yogas and the primacy of the Sadguru, as well as many other profound topics. Recognizing the import of these treatises, the Avatar Meher Baba Trust, under the guidance of Bhau Kalchuri, undertook in 1998 to prepare them as a single volume for publication. For many reasons – esoteric subject matter, presentation style, corroboration from other sources-it is almost certain that the treatises come from Baba, and most likely were dictated during 1925-26. Meherabad at that time was a beehive of activity; and Baba, though silent, was busy discoursing on many spiritual topics. It is possible that one of Baba’s mandali transcribed these discourses at the time and then another (unknown) person rewrote these notes in handwriting in the two notebooks that were later discovered. The Trust editors have recently completed editing these treatises for clarity and fidelity to the original material. Whatever may have been the exact line of transmission and transcription of this material, the source of Infinite Intelligence ultimately lies in the unfathomable Gnosis of the God-Man. This book provides many startling and unprecedented glimpses into the depths of the Ocean of Truth. Both treatises engage the problem of how pure, undifferentiated consciousness could, of itself

and by itself, generate the vast heterogeneity of the actualized universe. “Infinite Intelligence,” as Baba uses the term, is Reality or God or Self. In its original state, Infinite Intelligence is completely unconscious, just as an ordinary human is in sound sleep. When Infinite Intelligence desires to know Itself, however, the mostfinite imagination (or nothingness or ignorance) that was latent within Infinite Intelligence is manifested as the infinite universe; whereas the infinite consciousness (or “thinking” in this book) that was latent within Infinite Intelligence gets enformed as the most-finite stone so that it may experience the universe. Thus begins the long journey by which consciousness becomes infinite so that Infinite Intelligence may experience Itself. Infinite Intelligence develops on certain core ideas and in doing so provides extraordinary vistas and perspectives into realities that lie at the very fringes of intellectual comprehensibility. The “ideas” that this book expresses

are not ideas in the usual sense, because one constantly intuits within and behind them a reality and a presence that is beyond the realm of ideas altogether. This book offers insights not only into matters of the deepest metaphysical import but also into the manner in which the Avatar of the Age chose to expound on these topics in the early years of His advent, decades before the more systematic formulations of His explanations on the nature of the universe and Reality presented in Discourses and God Speaks. In order to make the dense material of this book more approachable, the Trust editors have written an extensive essay called “Essay on the Philosophy, Text, and Editorial Practice.” This essay is an excellent aid to understanding the sometimes difficult content of the book as well as a resource for readers interested in the fascinating story behind the discovery and preparation of the material.

Detail from a page of the handwritten manuscript from which Infinite Intelligence was composed

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH AVE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • T ELEPHONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E- MAIL : info@sheriarfoundation.org • B OOKSTORE W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

Sheriarbooks.org Continues to Draw Visitors from all Over the World

IT WAS JUST ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO that the Sheriarbooks.org web site went live. And what a year itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had an enormous amount of feedback from people who really enjoy browsing and shopping in the visually appealing online world weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve added all kinds of new content throughout the year and Ann Conlonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bi-weekly column All (Baba) Things Considered has been a major hit and consistently one of the most visited sections of the entire site. We are quite amazed and delighted to report that Sheriarbooks.org has had visitors from 78 countries and domains around the world. Actual orders have been received from countries as diverse as Viet Nam, Lebanon and Singapore.

Throughout the year, we have added a great number of beautiful photos of Baba. Many are available now in larger sizes: 16 x 20 and also 20 x 24 inches. These are stunning quality and have been very popular. We have also added a new way to view the photos. These photos of Baba can be viewed as a slide show, so you neednâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t navigate back to the smaller images in order to see the next one. This makes browsing the almost 70 images of Baba all the more enjoyable. We have also enhanced the music section of the site so that you can listen to one-minute samples of music from CDs online. The addition of new music is just one more reason to check back with the site with some regularity. In October alone, four new albums made their online debut: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love Manâ&#x20AC;? by the Rubensteins, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Dust I Singâ&#x20AC;? by David Miotki, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Graceâ&#x20AC;? by Tricia Alexander and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love and Devotionâ&#x20AC;? by Mischa Rutenberg. Aa a quick tip, did you know that you can set up your own account at sheriarbooks.org to make ordering even easier? Just create an account with a password, and your shipping and billing information will automatically pop up whenever you place an order. No need to reenter all that information again after your first order. In its first year, sheriarbooks.org has had almost 30,000 visits. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dropped by yet, please do so sometime soon. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be glad you did.

It is with great pleasure that Sheriar Foundation announces the publication of Darwin Shawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book: As Only God Can Love. One of the earliest of Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American disciples, Darwin Shaw presents a phenomenal memoir by a man who has lived in the world but has spent most of his life following and personally serving the being he instantly recognized as the Christ. In his introduction to As Only God Can Love, Darwin expresses his hope that â&#x20AC;&#x153;despite the limitations inherent in the words I have used to construct this story of my life with Meher Baba, what emerges is the exquisite luminosity of loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encounter.â&#x20AC;? It does that. Throughout these pages, liberally sprinkled with more than 100 photographs (mostly from Darwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private collection). Darwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for Meher Baba is a tangible thing, as is Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for him, a disciple who responded immediately and without question to every request from his master. Darwin was twenty-four when he first heard of Meher Baba and twenty-six when he met Baba in 1934. His tale of

Some of the almost 70 Baba photos online; Meher Baba, Poona Darshan, May 1964. (above)

Meher Baba, Ahmednagar, 1926 (right)

The Western men sitting with

Meher Baba, Washington, D.C., 1956 (far right)

Baba, who is seated on the threshold of his tomb on

All three photos are available in 8x10", 11x14",16x20" & 20x24".

Meherabad Hill, during the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three Incredible Weeksâ&#x20AC;? in 1954. Darwin Shaw on the

Keeping In Touch Through E-mail Announcements IMAGES OF OF THE THE BELOVED BELOVED IMAGES

While listening to bagpipe music at a darshan program in Machilipatnam, Baba said it reminded him of the very first song sung that produced this phenomenon called the Universe.

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On November 6, 1968, Baba signed his name for the last time on five separate photographs at Meherazad.

Buz Connor's rich and beautiful voice and honesty in his writing makes this CD a delight to listen to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; over and over. Included is Surrender, an old favorite, and and The Dessert Song, no doubt soon to join the list of Baba classics. A treasured song by Mani is also on the album.

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MEHERA-MEHER: A Divine Romance

FROM NOVEMBER IN MEHER BABAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LIFE ON SHERIARBOOKS.ORG

) 5 2 0 ) ( % 5 8 $ 5< , 1 0 ( + ( 5 % $ % $Âś 6 / , ) ( 2 1 6 + ( 5 , $ 5 % 2 2 . 6 2 5 *

Long-awaited biography of Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost woman disciple Mehera, coming in August. An epic 1700 page, 3-volume set. $75 plus shipping. Reserve a copy now.

29 classic photographs of Meher Baba now available

New CD by Buz Connor Long awaited new album, OPEN UP THE DOOR available now online

Fabulous percussion, and Billy Goodrum's soothing voice, guitar and production can be heard throughout. See a list of all the tracks and listen to one-minute samples of 3 of the songs. Music samples from all CDs can now be heard online.

BABAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MESSAGES ABOUT DRUGS IN NEW BOOK A long-needed compilation of Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s messages about the spiritual implications of using drugs including the full collection of quotes by Baba from the original â&#x20AC;&#x153;God in a Pill?â&#x20AC;? With several first person accounts by former users as well

as sources of additional information, A Mirage Will Never Quench Your Thirst, will be an invaluable source of inspiration for those who need help in understanding the spiritual truth about the effects of using drugs.

25 MORE PHOTOS OF MEHER BABA NOW ONLINE

. . .

Click on each photo for a larger view & ordering information SH SH

BABA LOVER, BABA FOLLOWER OR BOTH? READ ANN CONLONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COLUMN IN â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ALL (BABA) THINGS CONSIDEREDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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Dar win was twe nty-fou Meher Bab r when he first a and twe heard of nty-six in 1934. when he His tale met Bab of life wit in the 193 a h Meher 0s, wen Baba star ds its way when he ts through was an the 194 integra the Meh 0s, l par tici er Spiritua pant in readyin l Center in 1952, g for Bab through a's first Baba's thr visit Center ee visits in 1952, to the 1956 and Incredib 1958; the le Weeksâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three in India â&#x20AC;&#x153;East-W in 1954 est Gat and the heringâ&#x20AC;? in India It is a sup in 1962. erb acc ount: live loving, ly, honest truly a must-read and . 628 pag es, over 180 pho AVA I L A tographs BLE N OVEM B E R 13 TH

V I S I T W W W. S H E R I A R B O O K S . O R G F O R B A B A B O O K S , M U S I C , V I D E O S A N D P H O T O S .

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE A BABA LOVER IF . . .â&#x20AC;&#x2122; READ ANN CONLONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COLUMN IN â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ALL (BABA) THINGS CONSIDEREDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

C HECK OUT THE TOP SELLING MUSIC IN 2002

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S AND PHOTO

A Mirage Will Never Quench Your Thirst One of our publications this year was a new compilation of everything that Meher Baba said about the physical dangers and spiritual pitfalls of using drugs. A handy 170-page, pocket-size book, it includes chapter headings such as: Maladies of the Spirit, The Awakener, The Real and the False, Daily Attractions, Life is Worth Living, Voices of Experience and Meher Baba: The Highest of the High. The cost of this book is $4.95.

far right.

life with Meher Baba starts in the 1930s, wends its way through the 1940s, through Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three visits to the Meher Spiritual Center in 1952, 1956 and 1958, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three Incredible Weeksâ&#x20AC;? in India in 1954, and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;East West Gatheringâ&#x20AC;? in India in 1962. Fortunately for us (and posterity), Darwin kept a diary and one of the most fascinating accounts in these memoirs is his story of spending 1948 in Myrtle Beach at Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behest, working to develop the Meher Spiritual Center property. Darwin and his family lived for that time in Elizabeth Pattersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, Youpon Dunes. Elizabeth was in India during that period and Darwin shares the correspondence that went back and forth between them about

the Center and Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wishes for it. Darwin was to supervise construction of Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house and oversee a project to eliminate the mosquito problem. In the process, he Meher Baba sitting under drew up a land use map of Babajanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree at Bund the Center property and it is Gardens, Nov. 10, 1962. One of the last photos included in the book. Darwin Shaw took of Another special part of Beloved Baba. the book is Darwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s detailed diary of the 1954 Three Incredible Weeks, when Baba invited a select group of men to spend time with him at Meherabad. Although there is a book about this gathering authored by Charles Purdom and Malcolm Schloss, Darwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tales and insights add a new and valuable perspective on the event. We have many accounts of life with Meher Baba in India, but this is one of the rare stories of what it was like for a Westerner with a job and a family to make God the main focus of his life. It is a superb account: lively, humorous, honest and loving, truly a must-read. AS ONLY GOD CAN LOVE: A Lifetime of Companionship with Meher Baba

Meher Baba and group at the beach at Meher Spiritual Center, May 29, 1958.

628 pages, over 180 photographs. Hardcover: $45, Paperback $30. Available online at www.sheriarbooks.org.

Your Help Is What Keeps the Wheels Turning This has been another fruitful and productive year for Sheriar Foundation. We have recently completed the publication of Flowing Conversations, Bal Natu’s final volume of his Conversation series. Significant progress has been made in laying out Infinite Intelligence and work on that historic publication is proceeding with a painstaking attention to detail and with a meticulous focus on the diagrammatic and illustrative content that helps elucidate the text. Much of Sheriar Foundation’s publication efforts will remain concentrated on Infinite Intelligence until its expected release in the fall of 2005. As we trust that you understand and appreciate, all of our publication work can only move forward if adequate funding

is on hand. The scope of the publication gratified with the depth and breadth of calendar that Sheriar Foundation has response the web site has generated from committed itself to will require significant around the world. Sheriar Foundation resources. Any plans to continue Donations to the financial help that making this work General Fund will help you can give us a high priority as will be much it is deeply linked support the following projects: appreciated. As to our core misalways, all sion of broadening INFINITE INTELLIGENCE donations are tax awareness of the Dr. Goher’s book: deductible. life and spiritual We have also ideals set forth by MY LIFE WITH MEHER BABA dedicated our Meher Baba. selves to an Again, whatever WWW.SHERIARBOOKS.ORG ongoing major financial support focus on keeping you are able to our web site Sheriarbooks.org updated and give us will be much appreciated. upgraded. We have been deeply Sheriar Foundation wishes to

remind those people who wish to make a donation in a will that you may bequeath a specific amount of money, a particular asset, or a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation. Also worth remembering is that, in most cases, giving securities or other assets that have appreciated in value can yield significant benefits by providing an income tax deduction for the full current market value of the gift in the year you give it. Planned giving (as well as taxadvantaged giving) should be discussed with your attorney or accountant. We would also be happy to explore this whole area in more detail with anyone wishing to have a personal conversation about the possibilities.

Infinite Intelligence To Be Released in 2005 A GREAT PART OF SHERIAR FOUNDATION’S For those who have not kept current WORK in 2004 has revolved around prepar- with the history of where Infinite ing Infinite Intelligence for publication. A Intelligence came from, the story is as great deal of effort has follows: Over the last been devoted to develfew years, several new INFINITE oping a graphic style manuscripts from the INTELLIGENCE designed to increase 1925–1928 era at provides a the ease of readership. Meherabad have come perspective that The use of summaries to light at Meherazad. we have never and sidebars, notes and One of these—a 39seen before and supplements, and 28 page tract in Meher addresses topics full-color figures and Baba’s own handwritthat few people charts have been incoring—was published would have porated to make the four years ago under book accessible to the title: In God’s imagined, since casual readers while Hand. The most the language for also providing detailed significant of the these topics has information for stumanuscripts, the one not existed dents and scholars. that will be published until now. Most of the artwork is as Infinite Intelligence, based on diagrams in is a 250-page treatise in the original manuscript whose original an unknown handwriting. Almost certainconceptions must have been provided by ly a record of material that MeherBaba Baba Himself. The book is expected to be gave out in 1926, the original manuscript is around 600 pages upon completion. immensely tangled and often almost

impenetrable in its raw form. Editing it has taken five years, in a vast project carried out by a team of workers at the Avatar Meher Baba Trust under the direction of the Chairman Bhau Kalchuri. While Infinite Intelligence will not displace God Speaks from the center of Meher Baba’s literary oeuvre, it provides a perspective that we have never seen before and addresses topics that few people would have imagined, since the language for these topics has not existed until now. At the center of focus is the manifestation of Infinite Intelligence through processes that Meher Baba calls imagination and thinking, or, as parallel terms, creating and realizing. The book provides a full-scale treatment of sanskaras, their nature and the means of their elimination through the four yogas. Towering over the spiritual landscape is the figure of the Sadguru, who culminates within Himself all the states of the Infinite Intelligence. Amid the stream of publications that flood the world each year, rarely is there one that carries the

stamp of enduring and historic importance. Infinite Intelligence will surely prove to be one of these treasures and will no doubt become one of the foundations for the spiritual understanding of the New Humanity.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

WINTER 2004

Introducing the MSI Collection The History of the MSI Collection

rom the time she got her first box camera

in the early 1930s, Meher Baba’s sister Mani loved taking pictures of Him, and with Mehera, cherished the pictures of Him taken by her brother Beheram and others. Baba’s photos are very important, she often said, and the images of the God-Man that she captured in the early women’s ashram are almost the only visual record of their cloistered life of that time. Mani’s interest in Baba’s photographs continued over the years and she bagged snaps for her collection throughout her life with Baba whenever He allowed, as did many others of the close mandali. As Baba became more secluded for His work in the 1960s and visitors very restricted, Baba lovers in the West went for years without seeing Him. With Baba’s encouragement, Mani and Beheram kept them supplied with photos of Him, most touched by Baba Himself. These were deeply appreciated, as were Mani’s home movies of Baba at Meherazad and in Guruprasad, which she also sent to the West, to the great joy of His lovers. After Baba dropped His body, Mani began collecting precious negatives of Baba-photos from various mandali members, so that they could be preserved and shared with the growing Baba family around the world. Her partner in this effort was Lawrence Reiter (Hermes), a Baba lover photographer who was also keenly aware of the unique value and importance of Baba’s photos. For many years Hermes preserved these negatives (as well as others he had collected on his own); at the same time he made Baba’s photographs available to Baba lovers, most memorably through Baba’s biography, Lord Meher, by His disciple Bhau Kalchuri. When the twenty volumes of the biography were complete, Hermes returned the collection of negatives given into his care by Mani and the mandali. As per Mani’s instructions, this collection has been kept intact and today forms the MSI Collection (M.S.I. for Mani Sheriar Irani). As Mani wished, the original negatives are archivally preserved and the photographic images are shared in many ways and formats, through archival quality prints, to digital photos, to darkroom pictures, in photographs on cards, in lockets, in laminated pictures to put on your bedside table, to name a few. The goal is always to make available for the world the most realistic, true-to-life image possible of the breathtakingly beautiful Avatar of our age.

Meher Baba in Ahmednagar in 1947. Photographed by Bhaiya Panday.

Meher Baba in August 1941, during seclusion. Photographed by Padri.

Meher Baba, 1955 in Satara. Photographed by Beheram.

New Prints Available Online A series of digital prints of Baba from camera-original negatives are now available at Sheriar Books. These are extremely high quality prints made with archival inks on museum quality art paper. The unique combination of superb sharpness and detail, with the warmth and softness of the paper, results in an image that seems alive and full of light. Each uncropped image is reproduced on an 11 x 17 inch paper. Four of the many new images available at Sheriar Books are reproduced here. Over time more will be added as they become available. Each print costs $40 plus shipping and are available online and in the bookstore. If you are interested in learning more about these prints call Sheriar Books at 843-272-1339.

Meher Baba in the Old Daramshala at Meherabad, 3rd June 1937. Photographed by Padri.

People from 90 Countries Have Now Visited Our Web Site

C OU NT RY Albania Argentina

Custom-Toned Baba Photographs Enhance Detail and Add Longevity

11 N E W C OUNTRIE S H AV E V SHERIAR ISITED TH BOOKS W E EBSITE T HIS YEAR 9 0 CO U N TR IE S H A V E V IS . IT ED SI N O./M O. VI SI TE

(N E W )

Australia Austria Bahamas

C OU NT RY

Hungary Iceland

India

ONE OF THIS YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOST EXCITING RELEASES was the introduction of a collection of stunning custom-toned photographic prints of Meher Baba by Lawrence Reiter (Hermes). These traditionally processed, darkroom photographs have gained an artistic dimension through special chemical toning which enhances the detail of the images and also extends the life of the photo by several hundred years. Many of the images are available in a choice of 11 x 14, 16 x 20, and 20 x 24. Prints can be ordered online through sheriarbooks.org and more information about these custom-toned prints is also online in the Photographs section under Meher Baba /Custom-Toned Descriptions.

N CE N O V . 2 002

N O./M O. VI SI TE 12 7

C OU NT RY

N O./M O. VI SI TE

Romania Russia

6 Saint Kitts & Nevis (N E W)1 2 Saudi Arabi Belgium a 12 2 24 Se ychelles Ir el and Belize 19 12 3 Singapore Israel Botswana 21 21 1 Sl ovakia Italy Brazil 8 23 21 Slovenia Japan Bulgaria 2 22 3 South Afric Jordan Canada a 14 (N E W ) 1 24 So uth Korea Latvia Cayman Isla (N E W ) nds (N E W ) 2 1 5 Spain Lebanon Chile (N E W ) 16 1 1 Sweden Lithuania Columbia 22 6 8 Sw itzerland Lu xe Costa Rica mbourg 24 4 2 Syria Macedonia Croatia 2 1 13 Ta iwan M alaysia Cyprus 10 3 3 Tanzania Malta Czech Rep ublic 1 2 13 Th ailand Mauritius Denmark 12 4 23 Trinidad / To Mexico Dom. Repub bago lic 5 19 5 Tu rkey Moldova Egypt (N E W ) 14 1 2 U.A.E. Nepal Estonia (N E W ) 10 2 11 UK Netherland Finland s 25 24 23 Uruguay New Zealan France d 1 25 22 U S Governm N or way Germany ent 20 22 23 US Higher Pakistan Gibraltar Education (N E W ) 22 10 1 U S Military Peru Greece 24 5 13 USA Phillipines Guatemala (N E W ) 25 8 2 Ve nezuela Poland Honduras 2 20 1 Virgin Island Portugal Hong Kong s (US) 1 12 7 Yugoslavia Qatar 11 3 Zimbabwe (N E W ) 1

SINCE THE SHERIARBOOKS.ORG WEB SITE FIRST WENT LIVE, people from 90 different countries around the planet have visited our site, including 11 new countries (since our last report). They are: Albania, Chile, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Jordan, Latvia, Moldova, Nepal, Saint Kitts & Nevis, South Korea and Zimbabwe. The chart to the right shows the number of months each country has visited (25 months being the maximum since the web site went live in November 2002). We continue to get extremely positive feedback from people who have used the web site. Visitors especially enjoy the ability to listen to music online and to view (and buy) an increasingly diverse selection of photographs of the Beloved. But we confess to experiencing a special joy from the incredible range of countries that have visited, especially given the political and religious circumstances that exist in so many of them.

Indonesia Iran

(left)

Meher Baba in Mahabeleshwar, May 1954. SELENIUM-TONED

(below left)

Meher Baba in Bombay, March 1959. SELENIUM-TONED

(below center)

Meher Baba in Ahmedagar, 1945. SELENIUM-TONED

(below right)

Meher Baba in Poona giving Darshan, May 1965. SEPIA & GOLD-TONED

A Way of Staying In Touch TH E

VE O L

TH U R

SHERIAR BOOKS R

3*'2+#2$00,3 02)

F H O

Flowing Conversations: Bal Natuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Final Tribute to The Awakener

sheriarbooks.org

843-272-1339

www.sheriarbooks.org

843-272-1339

www.sheriarbooks.org

843-272-1339

Er uch in M an dali Hall

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1991 Eruch recollects many fascinating incidents from his life with Meher Baba, among which are: the story of

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Maharani Mohini and her daughter; Daulat Singh in the New Life; and a seeker who couldn't obey. His Ways Are Unfathomable

Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s M an dali an d His Beloved M eher a f r om a 1971 f ilm

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Surrendering to Him by Rhoda Adi Dubash.

As Only God Can Love by Darwin C. Shaw.

Rhoda Dubashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life with Meher Baba suffused with a magnetic sweetness that tempts the reader to finish the book in one sitting.

One of Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earliest American disciples, Darwin Shaw presents a phenomenal memoir of a Westerner with a job and family making God the main focus of his life.

more . . .

NEW

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Love Alone Prevails by Kitty Davy. Kitty Davy, one of the earliest of Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s western disciples, weaves the story of fify years with Meher Baba. more . . .

The Divine Humanity of Meher Baba by Bill Le Page. This is the first book in a series Bill Le Page plans to do on families in India whose lives were closely tied to Meher Baba.

Paul Comarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspired tribute to Meher Baba's mandali

Selenium toned

Gold and Sepia toned

and His Beloved Mehera. Accompanied by his own

C L I C K H E R E F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N

exquisite piano music. Avatar Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mandali, Beloved Mehera

... Surrendering to Him by Rhoda Adi Dubash

Spread My Love by Charmian Knowles

SHERIAR BOOKS

TH E

O R

Golden Thread by Barbara Scott.

TH T

Exuberant, rambunctious, both reverent and irreverent, witty, and downright fun account of how Meher Baba gathered up a group of young people in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1967.

F H O

Meher Baba: The Avatar and the Tortoise by Kenneth Lux. Kenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account of his journey to Meher Baba resonates with many of the younger generation who have not met the Master in physical form. more . . .

more . . .

for a lively gathering and booksigning. The Divine Humanity of Meher Baba is the first book in a series Bill plans to do on families in India whose lives were closely tied to Meher Baba. A long-time follower of Meher Baba and prolific author, Bill will share stories from his latest book

Two other books by Bill

about Meherwan Jessawala and his family's coming to Baba; Sam Kerawalaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family tales and the Talati family's story as told by Perviz Talati Kelkar â&#x20AC;&#x201D; wonderful stories of families uniquely fortunate in their relationships with the Avatar.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s How It Was by Eruch Jessawala.

Souls on Fire by William M. Stephens.

A compilation of stories told by Eruch of Meher Baba to enthralled listeners in Mandali Hall at Meherazad.

The lives of a dozen saints, mystics and masters from many traditions, all of whom had an ecstatic approach to God.

more . . .

Conversations with The Awakener by Bal Natu. The first of an extraordinarily inspiring series of internal conversations with the Beloved. A huge favorite. . . .

more . . .

Enduring Grace by Carol Lee Flinders. A marvelous, cohesive collection of stories of the lives of seven women mystics, who lived hundreds of years apart. more . . .

more . . .

Saturday afternoon, May 22nd, 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4pm Sheriar Books / 807 34th Ave. S. / N. Myr tle Beach, SC 29582 sheriarbooks.org 843-272-1339

UPCOMING

BOOKSTORE

E V E N T:

MAY 22: BILL LE PAGE BOOK-SIGNING of his latest book: The Divine Humanity of Meher Baba / 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 pm

Hafiz Calendar

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;GOHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; READ ANN CONLONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COLUMN IN â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ALL (BABA) THINGS CONSIDEREDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Visit www.sheriarbooks.org for Baba books, music, videos and photos .

Baba Calendar

Rumi Calendar

â&#x20AC;&#x153; T H E L O N E LY PAT H â&#x20AC;? R E A D A N N C O N L O N â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S C O L U M N I N â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; A L L ( BA BA ) T H I N G S C O N S I D E R E D â&#x20AC;&#x2122; V i s i t w w w. s h e r i a r b o o k s . o rg fo r B a b a b o o k s , mu s i c , v i d e o s a n d p h o t o s

(Top Left)

New Baba Photos and Books announced in August. (Top Right)

New DVDs and Calendars announced in October.

READ ANN CONLONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COLUMN IN â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ALL (BABA) THINGS CONSIDEREDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Two Bookstore Events announced in May

V i s i t w w w. s h e r i a r b o o k s . o r g f o r B a b a b o o k s , m u s i c , v i d e o s a n d p h o t o s .

(Left)

Summer Reading Recommendations sent in June.

WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE that the final volume of Bal Natuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Conversations with The Awakener will be published by Sheriar Foundation this December. Bal worked on the manuscript of this book, titled Flowing Conversations with The Awakener, into the last weeks of his life. About the creation of Flowing Conversations, Bal wrote in the Preamble:

C L I C K O N B O O K S F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N

more . . . OF VE T O L

TH U R

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE have signed up to receive broadcast emails from Sheriar Booksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; periodic updates via email announcing new books, photos, music, etc. available online and at the bookstore. It has been much appreciated by many as a timely way of learning about new releases. Six email announcements have been sent this year. If you are not already receiving these announcements and would like to, please contact laura@sheriarbooks.org.

Baba Calendar and new DVD announced in November.

Once, my smiling heart and quiet mind created within me such marvelous music, its sound flowing from somewhere to nowhere. Whatever flowed had a delightful, creative quality. It is impossible for me to describe or express the profundity, beauty, and loving warmth of this most natural event. When the flowing first bubbled forth, its glowing sparkle deeply touched my being, and later I began to vaguely put into words the glory of this happening....

What a wonderful and enduring gift Bal gave to us all by sharing his heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conversations with his Beloved, the Awakener. Bal wrote that the source of his Conversations with The Awakener was the One residing in each oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being - unconditional Love. In this way, by not mentioning Meher Babaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, Balâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writing about his relationship with God became accessible to a wide range of people of different faiths. About Flowing Conversations Bal wrote: Bal Natu peacefully passed

The goal is the Ocean, Who with open arms is ready to receive all that flows. So, flow on in the journey to the Awakener, Who is Ocean that has curled itself in each drop, and is the source of ongoing inspiration.

Home to The Awakener on October 7, 2003 at the age of 84. This volume is the final sharing of his heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conversations with God. For years Bal Natu delighted readers with his intimate and inspired prose to the Eternal Beloved. His generous sharing of Conversations encouraged many to begin their own dialogues with The Awakener. Through his writing, this gentle and gracious man will ever remain alive. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; From the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Introductionâ&#x20AC;? of Flowing Conversations

Fall07-11:66111 SFN-Fall2005b-2

11/8/07

1:19 PM

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We Appreciate Your Support Year after year, Sheriar Foundation con-

enough to receive sufficient financial

provide a source of funds to complete this.

tinues its role as the primary publisher of

support from people such as yourself to

Sheriar Foundation continues to

books by and about Meher Baba. This

allow us to continue to make publishing

track with great interest the countries

Also worth remembering is that, in

year, we are very pleased to be able to

commitments free of more traditional

around the world that have visited our

most cases, giving securities or other

bring the much loved 6th edition of the

worldly economic constraints.

web site at sheriarbooks.org. We see the

assets that have appreciated in value can

particular asset, or a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation.

Discourses back into print in a revised

The same is true for the work that we

web site as a grass roots media through

yield significant benefits by providing

edition that includes a 4th volume sup-

are doing with our web site to keep it

which Baba can make Himself available

an income tax deduction for the full

plement with a major historical essay on

fresh and appealing for people from all

in countries and societies that may not

current market value of the gift in the

the publishing history of the Discourses.

over the world who have an interest in

be open or receptive to His message of

year you give it. Planned giving (as well

Our decision to publish (and re-publish)

Meher Baba. We are currently in the

Love and Truth. The web site is deeply

as tax-advantaged giving) should be

books is always driven by what we deem

development stage of a new site design as

linked to our core mission of “broaden-

discussed with your attorney or accoun-

to be of real and lasting value. We under-

our current one is now 5 years old (a

ing awareness of the life and spiritual

tant. We would also be happy to

stand upfront that much of what we

virtual millennium in cyberspace). We

ideals set forth by Meher Baba.”

explore this whole area in more detail

publish has limited or no financial justifi-

will have significant re-programming

We also wish once again to remind

cation from a sales point of view. We are

costs to bring this site to life and once

those people who would like to make a

able to sustain this kind of publishing

again we will be depending on the

donation in their will that you may

initiative because we have been fortunate

generosity of our friends in Baba to help

bequeath a specific amount of money, a

Stabilizing Audio and Video Taking care of the archival materials entrusted to Sheriar Foundation involves several stages. Collections need to be numbered and then transferred to more stable formats. For instance audio recordings are reformatted onto CDs and videos are transferred to BetaSP video format. These two formats stabilize the original material but are only an interim solution. This process will continue in the future as better formats evolve that provide more long-term stability. Reformatting is never just ‘done,’ but is an ongoing process. Logs of the materials are created and entered in MasterLink, the collections man-

Foundation for this work. The record keeping too is done in stages. Initially a basic record includes entering the assigned ID number of the material (and preservation master), the date of recording, a description of the physical condition of the tape, and reference to other materials linked to this recording. The records are revisited and more detailed logs of the content are entered. These materials then can be searched by date, period, place, and content. Keeping archival audio and video recordings safe is an ongoing, detailed process which demands methodical and focused effort.

Keeping archival audio and video recordings safe for the future demands methodical and focused effort.

agement database designed by Sheriar

with anyone wishing to have a personal conversation about the possibilities. Donations of all sizes are tax deductible and much appreciated.

Staying in Touch—the Easy Way Subscribers to Sheriar Books Email Update program have been alerted to the release of new books, calendars. DVDs and events emails (see examples of recent emails on the right). For many these email announcements have become an important link with What’s New in the bookstore. Announcements have also been sent as soon as a new column becomes available online in All (Baba) Things Considered (sheriarbooks.org/abtc). Local subscribers are sent email announcements about special events in the bookstore. Talks by Bill Le Page and Ward Parks have been well attended. Many people learned about the release of the new revised sixth edition of the Discourses when it was announced via email. Subcribing to the Email Updates costs nothing. And is a great way to stay in touch with what’s new. If you would like to subscribe, let Laura know either via email: laura@sheriarbooks.org or phone: 843-272-1339. We look forward to hearing from you, so you can hear from us.

Announcing a long out-of-print book in May 2007

New publication announced in July 2007

SHERIAR FOUNDATION

FALL 2007

Meher Baba’s Discourses: Revised Sixth Edition Now Available Ever since their original under the auspices of the publication between 1938 Avatar Meher Baba and 1943, the sixty-nine Perpetual Public Charitable essays comprising Meher Trust that led to the Baba’s Discourses have publication of the onebeen recognized as a volume seventh edition in masterpiece in practical 1987; and about the policy spirituality. As the decisions and editorial introduction to this new practices that culminated edition—the “revised in the release of revised sixth edition”—says of sixth edition this year. them, “Discourses stands The supplement also offers This four-volume set of the revised sixth edition includes the original three volumes of the 1967 sixth edition plus a Supplement with an extensive history of the Discourses, 9 appendixes, a glossary and index. alone as a general exposition of a group of appendixes with the spiritual principles expressed in a form suit- and sealed with his personal approval. This edition is its fourth volume. Called the transcriptions of narrative accounts by Dr. ed to the conditions of modernity. . . . One present ‘revised’ sixth edition reproduces that “supplement,” this consists of material Deshmukh and Adi K. Irani, a letter from imagines that, in the age of the New 1967 text, with a few small alterations mostly specially for those interested in the history Baba’s sister Mani enumerating corrections Humanity whose coming Meher Baba in spelling and capitalization. It also incor- of the Discourses as a collection and some from Baba in the original Discourses, and foretells in these pages, the Discourses will porates (in a new fourth volume) certain new of its linguistic and philosophical back- other materials. An extended glossary gives play a decisive part in articulating the world supplemental materials meant for readers grounds. An eighty-page essay reviews in-depth information about the non-English view that most people will implicitly accept who would like to study the history and what is currently known about how Meher vocabulary not only in the Discourses but language of the Discourses in greater depth.” Baba dictated the original material and God Speaks and other books as well. The voland live by.” The first three volumes of the new four- how His disciple Dr. Deshmukh wrote it ume closes with an index that expands on As a literary collection the Discourses has a long and exceptionally complicated volume set will have a familiar look to those up in the form of articles for publication the one that appeared in the seventh edition. in the Meher Baba history, which includes the casting and who first encountered The revised sixth edition was prepared The sixty-nine essays Journal between under the auspices of the Avatar Meher recasting of the original essays into four the Discourses in the major versions. The revised sixth edition, late sixties, seventies, comprising Meher Baba’s 1938 and 1942; about Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust and their subsequent the oversight of its Chairman, Bhau released by Sheriar Foundation this and early eighties. Discourses have been publication as a Kalchuri. This new four-volume set and November, offers itself as a faithful repub- They have the same recognized as a five-volume set the one-volume seventh edition, both lication of the third of these —the bluish-green cover between 1939 and published by Sheriar Foundation, are availoriginal “sixth edition”— first published and book size as the masterpiece in 1955; about Charles able for sale concurrently. The Avatar by Sufism Reoriented as a three-volume original sixth edition practical spirituality. did; and while the text Purdom’s reworking Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable set in 1967. Again to quote from the new introduc- has naturally been reflowed, the type and of this content into the book God to Man Trust, as copyright holder for the work, tion: “The sixth edition bears the distinction overall page appearance is highly reminis- and Man to God (1955); about Don offers no opinion as to which of these two of having been the last version of the cent of the sixth edition original. And of Stevens’ and Ivy Duce’s reediting of the editions is the better or more authoritative five-volume set that produced the sixth but leaves this decision to Avatar Meher Discourses published during Meher Baba’s course, the content is the same. What is new about the revised sixth edition in 1967; about the further reedit Baba’s lovers and to posterity. lifetime, edited by his explicit directive,

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH AVE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • T ELEPHONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : info@sheriarfoundation.org • W EB

SITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

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Filmclips on SheriarBooks Web Site: View Samples of DVDs

Frames from the DVD You Alone Exist.

There are now several film clips available in the video section of sheriarbooks.org, in addition to song samples currently offered in the music section. These clips offer visitors a sneak preview of six DVDs—with more to

come. Each film clip ranges from 1 to 8 minutes and is conveniently designed to view without leaving the web page or site. Come share the thrill of seeing moving images of Beloved Baba appear instantly on your screen.

God In Human Form

You Alone Exist

65 min. DVD: $24, VHS: $30, Spanish version DVD: $24

24 min. DVD: $20

This exquisite blend of still photos, movie film, music and narration forms a wonderful introduction to Meher Baba and His life.

The prayer You Alone Exist, dictated by Meher Baba, describes the all-pervading nature of God. The soundtrack composed and recorded by Jim Meyer, accompanies rare short clips that follow the rhythm of the musical prayer.

Be As It May

Infinite Intelligence as All in All

65 min. DVD: $24

39 min. DVD: $5

Meher Baba’s master Upasni Maharaj’s powerful discourses and biographical sketch are interspersed with poetic imagery, well chosen music and fine editing.

The Theme of Creation: An Explanation of Meher Baba’s “God Speaks” 54 min. DVD: $25 Based on the ground-breaking 1955 work, God Speaks, The Theme of Creation is a comprehensive exploration of creation and evolution as revealed by Meher Baba.

“The sahavas provides a rare time and place where they can come together and talk about the struggles in their lives and, in an atmosphere of acceptance, share their common bond of love for the Avatar. There is a touching recognition amongst them that they belong to the same tribe—His tribe.” – Wendy Haynes Connor “Youth Sahavas ’07”

A documentary-style overview of the book Infinite Intelligence by Meher Baba. Consisting of background information surrounding the writing of the book and its discovery.

Meher Baba the Awakener 55 min. DVD: $25, VHS: $30 Utilizing a vast library of film footage and interviews, this film chronicles the life and work of Meher Baba, His worldwide travels, spiritual messages and unique humanitarian efforts.

Keeping Current with “All (Baba) Things Considered” “STOP, YOU’RE BOTH RIGHT!”

dramatically introduces Steve Klein’s July column about different ways of perceiving Baba’s Hand in our lives—the most recent of three articles by Steve posted this year on All (Baba) Things Considered on the Sheriar Books web site (sheriarbooks.org/abtc).

Since the beginning of the year Wendy Haynes Connor, Juniper Lesnik and Steve Klein have provided readers with strikingly diverse and personal perspectives on life with Baba. A complete archive of all articles posted this year on All (Baba) Things Considered is available online. Ann Conlon’s fun and

feisty articles, fifty-one in all, are also available online. Starting November 16th, the online articles will be posted every 6 weeks on the Sheriar Books web site. An email announcement will be sent to subscribers of Sheriar Books’ Email Update with the title and author of each new article as they are posted online.

Number of Internet Visitors to the Online Bookstore Continues to Grow Watching new countries visit the Sheriar Books web site continues to be astonishing. Since last year 17 new countries visited Sheriar Books’ online bookstore. These include: Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Christmas Island, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Fiji, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Lebanon, Lithuania, Maldives, Saint Tome & Principe, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu Islands, Ukraine. Overall, visitors from 65 countries browsed books, viewed DVDs, listened to music and looked at photos of Baba this year. Several newcomers (including visitors from foreign countries) have also visited the bookstore in North Myrtle Beach—often following an introductory tour of the Center. Overall, people from 28 countries have ordered from the web site since November 2002. It’s a thrilling drama watching visitors enter the bookstore either through our front door on 34th Avenue S., 4 miles north of Meher Center, or by clicking on www.sheriarbooks.org. Both entries lead to a world of Baba books, photos, music and DVDs. Stop on by. Either way. And browse the shelves.

“. . . maybe the work we do is not the important thing. . . . And, most of all, that life’s work with Him is not about finding the right job but about remembering that He is the doer and we need only keep Him close. That the real job is to keep His company, do our best, and leave the rest to Him.” – Juniper Lesnik “God, Please Give Me a Job”

What’s New in the Bookstore BOOKs Just to Love Him. A collection of talks and essays by Adi K. Irani continues to be a favorite in the bookstore. His 100% conviction in Meher Baba’s divinity comes through strongly: “Baba doesn’t remove the problems of life, but He gives you the inner strength to fight the battle of life. This way, you are truly free, having the strength to face life knowing that with His help you can deal with whatever problem life confronts you.” ($15).

Discourses, revised 6th edition. Many customers have been pleased to see the familiar blue-green, multi-volume Discourses back on the shelf—this time with warm photos of Baba peeking onto the cover and a fourth volume full of fascinating supplemental material such as the editorial and publication history of Discourses. ($25 for the set) Avataric Advents. Readers have had a lot of positive things to say about this new book by James McGrew. It’s as if, collectively, we have been waiting for a book on this

CALENDARs

topic to be born. And Avataric Advents hits the nail on the head. Finally, a collection on each of the Avataric advents that Baba talked about with a brief biographical overview of each one along with the things that Baba said about each lifetime. There is even a chapter on the next Avatar! (Paperback: $14.95, Hardcover: $23.95). Quarreling with God: Mystic Rebel Poems of the Dervishes of Turkey. This new book is a collection of the Turkish peers of Rumi and Hafiz. It came to us highly recommended by a doctor in Turkish history and has been well received. ($17.75)

DVDs Choose from our splendid selection of calendars this year. Our favorites include Avatar Meher Baba Calendar ($12); Hafiz Calendar and two Rumi choices: Rumi: Heart of the Beloved and The Illuminated Rumi. ($13.99).

Many new DVDs are available in the bookstore and online. These include Happy Birthday Darling Mehera— a beautiful 30-minute film produced by Kacy Cook in commemoration of Mehera’s 100th Birthday ($20); Be As It May, a new 60-minute film by Robert Fredericks about Upasni Maharaj, his life and his discourses ($20); and Meher Baba in America: 1932, a reissue of two 1932 films of Baba previously available only in VHS ($15).

Recipes for Gratitude: Poems by Dick Holmes. “Oh Compassionate King of Hearts, You see what a poor camper I am. Too much rain, too much sun, too many bugs—my complaints pour like an endless waterfall. . . .” How can one resist reading a poem that begins like this? ($19.95). More new books are coming down the pike and will be announced by email.

MUSIC New releases this season include: a single entitled “Yad Rakh” (Remember This) by Bobbi Bernstein and Mary Lloyd Dugan singing a duet with the Myrtle Beach “Choir of Angels” ($4); the long-awaited debut CD by Angi West Orange Thread in a Blue Sea ($12); and the classic Jamie Newell album The Blues is My Business now on CD ($15). Listen to samples from each of these new releases in the music section of the bookstore web site. Keep your eyes open for the Best of Bob and Jane Brown coming soon.

EVENTs In June, Cindy Lowe helped us welcome in summer with an intimate acoustic concert attended by her biggest fans. On the auspicious day of 7/7/07, Bill Le Page delighted listeners with stories of his life with Meher Baba. (see photo on left) He also signed copies of his books and read eloquent and moving passages from several of them. After the wonderful talk in the book-

store last year by Ward Parks, one of the editors of Infinite Intelligence, we were thrilled to host a Saturday afternoon gathering with him again this year. His talk entitled: “The Three Jewels: The Avatar, His followers and His message” reviewed the lives of previous Avatars and their advents. A lively discussion tied in nicely with the new book by James McGrew Avataric Advents.

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SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

WINTER 2009

Early Messages to the West “Meher Baba’s 1931 Western tour was the first of thirteen during his lifetime, ten of them between 1931 and 1937. But the fertile period in the arena of public communication, that is, in the Avatar’s work towards the conveyance of his message to the world through the various public media, took place between April 1932 and January 1935; and this present collection for the most part centers on that period. For Baba’s 1931 voyage to England and America passed largely “beneath the radar” in the sense that he avoided public meetings and contacts with the press, concentrating rather on personal interviews and the establishment of links with disciples. During his roundthe-globe tour from March to July of 1932, however, Meher Baba attracted all kinds of media attention, some of it sensationalist, and gave a series of major public addresses in which for the first (ABOVE) DVD of talk given by Ward Parks at the Bookstore about time he presented himself and his Early Messages to the West is available. (LEFT) Article from the Fitchburg Sentinel (Massachusetts), May 20, 1932.

Continued on page 2

(BELOW) Introduction to Part Four of Early Messages to the West from the book. P A R T

Davy (LEFT) Baba with Herbert

in Portoﬁno

rendered, Herbert found

himself in the

between head throes of wrenching conﬂicts severing his and heart, and wound up 1934. connection with Baba during

117

O PA RT F O U R INTRODUCTION T

time Baba June–July 1933. At this l established the Circle Editoria , Committee, headed by Herbert tion of which oversaw the publica Baba’s words.

service he had (RIGHT) Despite the signal

F O U R

of Shri Meher Baba, the months after the release ittee n December of 1933, three Circle Editorial Comm tions and Answers, the Perfect Master: Ques r Baba. Probably Sayings of Shri Mehe The t, bookle d secon published a organized 136 sayings, rt Davy, its fifty pages edited once again by Herbe raph, into seven thematically a sentence to a short parag than ranging in length from more fully annotated Sayings was somewhat an defined sections. The gh the incorporation of and it was enhanced throu ers; Answ and tions Ques the h excellent glossary. thoug , before gs had been published Actually, all of these sayin ly fact. An Indian month have been aware of this not might ittee Comm ship of h 1931 under the editor Nasik from 1929 throug five magazine issuing out of with issues twenty-eight ge began each of its first K. J. Dastur, Meher Messa to call Baba,” as the editor liked Majesty Sadguru Meher , “Sayings of His Divine t have been slightly revised bookle 1933 the sayings in four them. Though some of the (The rts. Messagecounterpa identical to their Meher The for the most part they are into way their find ge that somehow did not sayings in Meher Messa in appendix 7.) Baba have been reproduced Sayings of Shri Meher

New Books, Music and DVDs It’s been a year particularly rich in new

tours of the west between 1932–35.

materials about Baba. For a more complete

Includes an extensive collection of reproduc-

overview of new items in the bookstore

tions of newspaper and magazine articles

check out the Sheriar Books website

about Baba from this period. Also includes

(www.sheriarbooks.org) under What’s New,

a 17" x 22" foldout replica of the Film

a periodically updated list of new additions.

Master Chart conceived by Baba and drafted

Here are a few of them.

under His supervision, that was intended

BOOKS

as a guide and roadmap in the creation of a Hollywood feature film to be entitled How It All Happened (see page 2). Illustrated (see above)

A 472-page, dynamic description of Baba’s

with photographs, correspondence and charts. Twocolors. $39.95. Continued on page 3

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH AVE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • P HONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

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Page 4

Early Messages to the West main thrust of Baba’s energies from 1935

Continued from page 1

mission to the Western world. Though the

onward turned elsewhere—particularly

media hullabaloo soon subsided, during

towards his work with the masts and the

Baba’s subsequent Western visits in the next

training of his Western disciples in residence

year and a half his disciples, under his direct

in his ashrams in India.”

supervision, began to prepare literary materials with a view to presenting Baba’s message through the print medium. The culmination of this phase seems to have arrived in 1934–35 when Baba visited America for the last time in that decade, ostensibly to participate in discussions

Sunday Graphic, May 14, 1933. When Meher Baba’s Western disciples returned to their homelands after an unexpectedly brief stay in India, the press took interest, perhaps in expectation of a story of spiritual fraudulence and exploited gullibility. Photos of Delia DeLeon, Minta DeLeon, and Kitty Davy (the group’s spokeswoman).

An article from the New York Times, May 20, 1932. The “printed statement” alluded to in the final two paragraphs is Meher Baba’s “Message to Reporters and Press Representatives” (printed in full in the book).

with Hollywood filmmakers that aimed at the creation of a film depicting spiritual themes. Though the film work had an afterlife that continued on as late as his visit to Cannes in 1937, the (Right) Article from the Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica), March 29, 1932. An example of just one of an extraordinary number of newspapers carrying news about Baba’s visit to the west.

An Explanation of the 1934 Film Master Chart As described in Early Messages to the West: “In May of 1934, as a part of his work in the film medium, and in preparation for his upcoming visit to the West, Meher Baba had his disciple Adi K. Irani (and perhaps others among his mandali) prepare what we are calling the “Film Master Chart.” This chart serves specifically to illustrate the points Baba had been conveying in his dictations during that same period, as recorded in the document “Creation and Evolution” and incorporated into the text of How It All Happened in this book. “Five feet wide and seven and a half feet high, the Film Master Chart divides into two sections, a top half and a bottom half. The top half displays the entire Divine Theme in a complexly developed form. The bottom half selects out and expands upon the earlier stages of this process, that is, the original creation through subtle gases, the emergence of rocks and minerals, and the origins of life in the vegetable kingdom.” A 17" x 22" replica of this chart is The Film Master Chart, depicting the processes of creation, evolution, reincarnation, spiritual advancement, and God-realization. Conceived by Meher Baba and drafted under his supervision by his mandali at Meherabad, May–June 1934, the chart was intended as a guide and roadmap in the creation of a Hollywood feature film to be entitled How It All Happened. The original 5' x 7 1⁄2' chart is housed in the Trust Archives at Meherabad.

included in Early Messages to the West. Additional copies are available from Sheriar Books. It will cost $10.

From the Introduction in Early Messages to the West

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New Books, Music and DVDs Continued from page 1

A longawaited book by Bhau Kalchuri about Baba’s New Life; a 726-page comprehensive account of the extraordinary and often mystifying story of a period of Meher Baba’s life known as the New Life. Illustrated with photographs. Please check availability before ordering. $50 A highly popular, personal account by Sheela Fenster paints a vivid, intimate portrait of life near Meher Baba, from the perspective of a child and teenager. 805-pages, illustrated with 146 color and black and white photographs. $50 An unusually intriguing compilation of “coming to Baba” stories of people who live or lived in North Carolina. These stories are accompanied by original and never-before published maps and photographs of Meher Baba’s time in North Carolina. Compiled and edited by Randy Wasserstrom and Zuzanna Vee. 331-pages. $24.99 A valuable collection of stories with the unique perspective of Indian Baba lovers. The result of Amiya Kumar Hazra’s desire to save the Baba stories for posterity of elderly lovers he knew. Amiya Kumar Hazra and Keith Gunn. 218-pages. $12.50

A well-received collection about life after death from the world’s great spiritual masters and teachers. Lawrence Karrasch with Rita Karrasch. 184-pages. $16.95

MUSIC

DVDS by Jim Meyer. A brand new album from Jim that spans reggae to blues to rock to his beautiful ballads. 15 wonderful songs. $15

by Adrienne Shamszad. The songs on this long awaited CD have much longing and emotion and are sung with Adrienne’s whole heart and soul. In addition to her own compositions, two songs from Brian Darnell are also included. 12 tracks. $15 by Jim Meyer. Now available on CD this digitally-remastered recording of Jim’s young voice on his first solo album in 1976 is ever-fresh, soothing the soul. Includes nine songs from Journeys of the Heart. Featuring the unforgettable “I Will Never Leave You.” 21 tracks. $15

Includes the ever-beautiful “Begin the Day,” an instrumental of the American Arti on the mandolin and violin, an upbeat, Irish-sounding happy music with Grandpa on the fiddle playing with the rest of his family. 17 tracks. $15 by Mark Trichka. A refreshing compilation of exquisite mandolin pieces with great guitar and tabla accompaniment. Includes versions of “Begin the Beguine” and “Gujerati Arti.” 12 tracks. $10

An informative and stimulating talk by Ward Parks, the editor of Early Messages to the West, given at Sheriar Books, July 2009. 75 minutes. $5

by Bob Frederick. Amazing film footage of the gathering in the spring of 1954 in India that has come to be known as the "Three Incredible Weeks." Narrated by Bill Le Page and Meherwan Jessawala. 92 minutes. $20 Program 1. More footage from the Brustman Witness Series filmed at Meherazad in 1986. Mani and Eruch in Mandali Hall share some of their very special stories from this time of “helplessness and hopelessness.” 65 minutes. $34.95. The story of the 1958 sahavas program held by Meher Baba for 1,000 of His Eastern lovers at Meherabad. Includes accounts by Meheru, Katie, Bhau, Jal and Dolly Dastoor, Hoshang Dadachanji, Meherwan Jessawala, Digumber Gadakar and others. Contains over 30 minutes of footage of Meher Baba. 1 hour. $20 Wonderful personal recollections of those who were present during Baba’s visit to Avatars Abode (Australia) in 1958. Captures the intense drama, challenges and joy of being with Him during this unique visit. 95 minutes. $20 According to Meher Baba’s instructions Darshan was held between April and June 1969 in Poona, India. Photographs documenting the event collected from attendees include pictures of Guruprasad, Baba’s House, the Poona Centre and the day trip to Meherabad and Meherazad. 17 minutes. $12

Created for the 50th anniversary of Meher Baba’s second automobile accident December 2, 1956 at Udtara, Maharastra, India. The story of the events leading up to and including the accident by those who were there: Eruch Jessawala, Dr. Goher, Meheru, Meherwan Jessawala, Bhau and others. 2 hours. $20

CALENDARS Another beautiful calendar containing finely reproduced photographs of Meher Baba accompanied by thoughtfully chosen messages. $12.50 Translated by Coleman Barks. Each month features a Rumi stanza paired with exquisite Persian miniatures. $13.99 Versions by Michael Green. Stunning modern collages with a touch of the east bring these renderings of Rumi to life. $13.99 Versions by Daniel Ladinsky. Contains inspirational Hafiz quotes and original photo collage illuminations. $13.99

Browse the Internet on our Wi-Fi network, while sipping a free cup of coffee or tea. Discover items in the bookstore not available online, and you may catch wind of an in-store sale.

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Some Thoughts About Fund Raising in These Times 2009 has been a challenging year for many of us. Many in our community have struggled with unsettling economic difficulties while the tragic loss of Erico and the passing of Stephen Edelman, a long time Baba stalwart and Sheriar Foundation board member, have deepened our awareness that all happens according to His plan and that His plan is unfathomable. As it happens, much of our work this year was concentrated on publishing Early Messages To the West: The 1932–1935 Western Tours. The book brings together a number of Baba’s earliest messages to the West but it is also an in-depth study of Baba’s activities in the West during the period of His

first visits. It includes extensive facsimile reproductions of the extraordinary media coverage Baba inspired in those years. Set against the backdrop of a worldwide depression, many of Baba’s interactions with the media were connected to questions He answered concerning the root cause of economic misery and the impact He would have on transforming humanity. It is all the more fascinating to delve into this material at this particular moment of time. That may all seem counter-intuitive as a train of thought for the part of this newsletter that is set aside for a fund raising appeal. We are also cognizant of the fact that this newsletter is arriving

later than usual. Nevertheless, we would be most appreciative of any level of financial support that you are able to give to Sheriar Foundation. Our work is made possible by the generosity of people like yourself and we are grateful to Baba for that ongoing affirmation. Another central part of the work that Sheriar Foundation does is to be found at our web site sheriarbooks.org. If you haven’t been to our web site in a while, you might enjoy visiting. You will find all kinds of new offerings as well as a broad selection of video, music and photographs that you can browse at your leisure. To our ongoing delight, our web site continues to attract visitors from all over the world, with more than

A Variety of Ways of Staying in Touch There are many ways to browse and keep in touch with Sheriar Books online (www.sheriarbooks.org). BROADCAST EMAILS. As new items

become available subscribers to our free Email Update service are alerted with electronic messages Samples of a few broadcast emails sent this year are shown on the left. FACEBOOK. Enter the bookstore’s

Facebook page (Sheriar Books) for announcements of new books, music and DVDs. Read customers’ comments, see photos of “Friends of Sheriar,” and post and read reviews. Also catch announcements of bookstore events—very neat ways of interacting with the activities. Become a fan and our postings will come to you.

about Sheriar Foundation activities are published twice a year. In the spring the Spring Update includes announcements about planned future projects and a review of new items in Sheriar Books. In the fall this newsletter, the Sheriar Report, presents a more comprehensive overview of the year’s activities of Sheriar Foundation. This usually includes a more expansive overview of Sheriar Books highlighting new publications, events and internet happenings. Subscriptions to Newsletters and the Email Updates are free. You can sign up on our website (www.sheriarbooks.org), or call Laura in the bookstore, 843-272-1339, or email her at laura@sheriarbooks.org.

100 countries having visited to date. You can now also keep up with us on Facebook. Just go to the Sheriar Books page and become a Fan. As a few final words about donations, we wish once again to remind those people who would like to make a donation in their will that you may bequeath a specific amount of money, a particular asset, or a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation. Please be sure to secure appropriate professional guidance on any kind of planned giving you are considering. We thank you for your interest in Sheriar Foundation and wish to tell you once again that donations of all sizes are tax deductible and much appreciated.

Bookstore Talks Available Online The intimate atmosphere of Bill Le Page's unique story-telling style is captured in a video of a talk he gave at Sheriar Books August 8th. Bill read passages from a selection of books he wrote about Baba. On July 18th Ward Parks, the editor of Early Messages to the West, presented a comprehensive view of Baba's visits to the West from 1932–1935. Both of these talks can be viewed online on the Bookstore website. Go to Bookstore News under What's New.

WEBSITE. Since September of last

year people from 25 new countries visited Sheriar Books online. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Afghanistan, Angola, Costa Rica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Malta, Maldives, Montenegro, Morocco, Nigeria, New Caledonia, Oman, Palestinian Territory, Paraguay, Qatar, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Togo, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zambia. NEWSLETTERS. Informative newsletters

was formed in 1989 as an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and Mid-year newsletter

Fall09-5:66111 SFN-Fall2005b-2

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Page 3

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

WINTER 2009

Continued on page 2

(BELOW) Introduction to Part Four of Early Messages to the West from the book. P A R T

Davy (LEFT) Baba with Herbert

in Portoﬁno

rendered, Herbert found

himself in the

between head throes of wrenching conﬂicts severing his and heart, and wound up 1934. connection with Baba during

117

O PA RT F O U R INTRODUCTION T

time Baba June–July 1933. At this l established the Circle Editoria , Committee, headed by Herbert tion of which oversaw the publica Baba’s words.

service he had (RIGHT) Despite the signal

F O U R

New Books, Music and DVDs It’s been a year particularly rich in new

tours of the west between 1932–35.

materials about Baba. For a more complete

Includes an extensive collection of reproduc-

overview of new items in the bookstore

tions of newspaper and magazine articles

check out the Sheriar Books website

about Baba from this period. Also includes

(www.sheriarbooks.org) under What’s New,

a 17" x 22" foldout replica of the Film

a periodically updated list of new additions.

Master Chart conceived by Baba and drafted

Here are a few of them.

under His supervision, that was intended

BOOKS

as a guide and roadmap in the creation of a Hollywood feature film to be entitled How It All Happened (see page 2). Illustrated (see above)

A 472-page, dynamic description of Baba’s

with photographs, correspondence and charts. Twocolors. $39.95. Continued on page 3

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH AVE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • P HONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

Fall09-5:66111 SFN-Fall2005b-2

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9:24 AM

Page 4

Early Messages to the West main thrust of Baba’s energies from 1935

Continued from page 1

mission to the Western world. Though the

onward turned elsewhere—particularly

media hullabaloo soon subsided, during

towards his work with the masts and the

Baba’s subsequent Western visits in the next

training of his Western disciples in residence

year and a half his disciples, under his direct

in his ashrams in India.”

included in Early Messages to the West. Additional copies are available from Sheriar Books. It will cost $10.

From the Introduction in Early Messages to the West

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New Books, Music and DVDs Continued from page 1

A well-received collection about life after death from the world’s great spiritual masters and teachers. Lawrence Karrasch with Rita Karrasch. 184-pages. $16.95

MUSIC

DVDS by Jim Meyer. A brand new album from Jim that spans reggae to blues to rock to his beautiful ballads. 15 wonderful songs. $15

An informative and stimulating talk by Ward Parks, the editor of Early Messages to the West, given at Sheriar Books, July 2009. 75 minutes. $5

Browse the Internet on our Wi-Fi network, while sipping a free cup of coffee or tea. Discover items in the bookstore not available online, and you may catch wind of an in-store sale.

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A Variety of Ways of Staying in Touch There are many ways to browse and keep in touch with Sheriar Books online (www.sheriarbooks.org). BROADCAST EMAILS. As new items

WEBSITE. Since September of last

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It’s Been A Tough Year for us Too The work that Sheriar Foundation does is largely depen-

online world. The new site places much more emphasis on

awareness of the life and spiritual ideals set forth by Meher

dant on the donations that we receive every year from the

video and has many more layers of content and intuitive

Baba.”

community of His lovers.

connectivity. We think it’s a great place to hang out online

We also wish once again to remind those people who

With serious economic weakness all around us, it is

and enjoy His company. There are many ways to browse

would like to make a donation in their will that you may

not surprising that we have seen our donations fall. In fact,

the content: more music to listen to, more videos to

bequeath a specific amount of money, a particular asset, or

they are down almost 50% from what we had received by

watch, more links between areas of interest.

a percentage of your estate to Sheriar Foundation.

this time last year.

A project like this involves considerable design time;

Also worth remembering is that, in most cases, giving

This newsletter that we send out in the fall of every

time to select and brainstorm the content; and the expense

securities or other assets that have appreciated in value can

year is intended to be firstly an update on what Sheriar

of outside programmers. We have been consistently

yield significant benefits by providing an income tax

Foundation has been working on and has accomplished

amazed and heartened by the fact that people from all

deduction for the full current market value of the gift

over the past year and secondly, an appeal for financial

over the world visit our site. It really does provide a grass-

in the year you give it. Planned giving (as well as tax-

support to help us continue with the work that we are

roots tool for Baba to use on a one to one level. We trust

advantaged giving) should be discussed with your

doing. If you are able to provide any level of financial sup-

that He will continue to draw people to Him in all kinds

attorney or accountant. We would also be happy to

port, it would be much appreciated particularly this year.

of ways, including access to His message online, especially

explore this whole area in more detail with anyone

In 2008, we have concentrated our resources primarily

for people living in repressive countries where other kinds

wishing to have a personal conversation about the

on a major redesign and upgrade of our sheriarbooks.org

of access may be forbidden or dangerous. The concentra-

possibilities.

website. Our website was originally launched and

tion on upgrading our website is directly connected as

designed in 2002, almost an eternity in the fast moving

well to Sheriar Foundation’s core mission of “broadening

SHERIAR FOUNDATION

FALL 2008

SheriarBooks.org: Newly Designed for Hours and Hours of Browsing Pleasure In our first major redesign since 2002, we have created a

Donations of all sizes are tax deductible and much

new visual environment for the sheriarbooks.org website. The new site includes many new features and has been

appreciated.

designed to increase your browsing pleasure. A quick

Two Talks in the Bookstore On September 9th Bill Le Page delighted

Ward Parks, one of the editors of the

a group gathered in the Sheriar bookstore revised 6th edition of Discourses, was with with personal stories about Baba. Bill has

us once again in the bookstore on August

New Releases Brighten Holiday Season There are many new CDs,

9th. In a two-part talk

books and DVDs available this

Ward discussed the

holiday season. You can find

history of the Discourses

the complete list on the

Humanity of Meher Baba,

and how they were

Sheriarbooks.org website

Vol. III. Bill’s enthusiasm

initially written by Dr.

under What’s New.

authored many books about Baba, most recently The Divine

A second volume of The Real Treasure, Vol. II, by Rustom

Falahati, has just arrived. The first volume of The Real Treasure is still a very popular Compassionate One, an out-

typical of the way most of Baba’s books

beautiful 2009 Baba Calendar as

standing introduction to Baba,

Baba’s mother, Shireenmai, and Eruch’s

came into being. Of all Baba’s books,

well as the popular Rumi and

fills a great need for a brief life

mother, Gaimai. Bill read a beautiful

Ward pointed out, Discourses are the most

Hafiz calendars. Among the new

sketch of Baba with choice

account of Shireenmai’s passing from

accessible to a wide readership.

CDs, The Best of Bob & Jane

samplings of His writings.

for sharing ‘family-

type’ stories led to lively accounts about

his book.

Ward Parks

Deshmukh—a process

Ward talked about how Baba’s prefer-

Brown is already a big hit. It

Another new book, Bill

ence of working with His disciples, similar

features old favorites like Victory

Le Page’s The Divine Humanity

Jessawala and Bindra House in Poona

to how Discourses came into being, rather

Unto Thee, Baba’s Love and the

of Meher Baba, Vol. III, is full

were evocative of life with Baba in the

than dictating His books, has turned into

Gujerati Arti. Two CDs by

of great new stories of those

early days. In a folksy manner Bill also

an opportunity to focus more on the

Caris Arkin are stunners:

who spent time with Baba.

shared stories of his own beginnings with

essence of His Message rather than the

The Unstoppable Train, a

Introduction to Reality by Rick

language itself.

re-release of his popular songs

Portraits of Meherwan, Papa

Baba and how he first met Him in India. A recording of this talk is available

The talk can also be viewed on

from 1991 and The Diving Horse,

Chapman, an updated version of How To Find a Guru, is a treasure

on Sheriar Books newly designed website

Sheriar Books website under Bookstore

showcasing his new rhythmic

under Bookstore News in What’s New.

News in What’s New.

and passionate sound. Other

variety of mystical traditions. Of

new CDs include Jim Meyer’s

the recent DVD releases two of

was formed in 1989 as an independent, non profit, tax-exempt corporation. The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba.

chest of information from a wide

The Time Has Now Come, filled

the most popular are Beyond

with Jim’s heartfelt renditions of

Words and Meher Baba in

mystical songs of Rumi; and

America: 1932.

Mandolin Walla, a rich and

We hope you discover a

diverse sampling of musical

few personal favorites among

genres by Mark Trichka.

out for yourself. We hope that you will enjoy discovering the many features of our new site: WHAT’S NEW. An easy way to stay current with what’s new in the bookstore: New Additions, Latest Announcements, most recent All (Baba) Things Considered column, preview of what’s Coming Soon and Bookstore News. You can even sign up for new book alerts. Continued on page 2

Home page of Sheriar Books’ new website

book. Meher Baba: The

A few highlights include the

Bill Le Page

overview is presented in this newsletter but please check it

Beyond Words Released as DVD (with digitally remastered footage) Sheriar Foundation, in conjunction with Spectrum Film, Amsterdam and Meher Mownavani

will step out of seclusion one morning before November, for three hours only. He will do this in order to wash the feet of

in India, is pleased twenty-one lepers, men and women, who will be brought from

Eruch, a second section, shows highlights from van Gasteren’s 1997 return visit, including a conversation with Eruch. Beyond Time, a third section, adds additional

to announce the

Ahmednagar to Meherazad for this purpose. . . . Only those

release of Beyond

who have been directed to make arrangements for this leper-work footage of Baba that was not in the original release of

Words as a DVD.

are to be present at Meherazad on the day.

The original

“However, an exception has been made for certain individ-

Beyond Words. The DVD is accompanied by a 32-page booklet with

35 mm film has

uals who are concerned with the completing of a film being made 69 color photos of Baba from the film. The booklet is

been digitized and

by Louis van Gasteren, a filmmaker from Holland.”

expertly color

Beyond Words, professionally shot in color on

corrected, adding

35 mm film with sound, gives us the most beautiful

extraordinary

and intimate close-ups of Baba at Meherazad .

immediacy to the

Of truly historic importance, it is the only

original footage.

existing color film in which we hear

In 1967 Mani

also available in Spanish. It may be ordered from Sheriar Books or online at www.sheriarbooks.org.

Eruch interpreting Baba’s exquisite

wrote: “Baba has

hand gestures as He shares a series of

announced that He

beautiful messages.

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH A VE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • T ELEPHONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EB

SITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

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Continued from page 1

RELATED TO. Each item is conve-

EXCERPTS. Different kinds of

niently linked to other related items in the

excerpts offer online previews of

website. While viewing a book by Mani

what’s available.

for instance, you can easily access other books by her. Or link to photos of her, music she wrote, or to one of the many DVDs of her. BESTSELLERS. A list of the most popular books, DVDs, music and photos—a useful guide for newcomers not familiar with the vast array of materials by and about Baba. BACKGROUND TIDBITS.

• Read excerpts from hundreds of books online. • Listen to music samples before buying a CD . • View video clips and get a feel for different DVDs. • Browse the large collections of photographs and artprints before making your selection.

Fascinating facts about items, including

STAYING IN TOUCH.

short biographies of some of the authors,

provide context and depth for many of the materials.

announcements about new publications and bookstore events. And

BOOKSTORE NEWS.

access the most recent Foundation

Even though you may be far away, you can

newsletter online.

now view talks and concerts given at our

Many of the features that

ALL (BABA) THINGS

GIFT CERTIFICATES.

CONSIDERED. The popular online

Both electronic and paper gift certificates

columns by Wendy Haynes Connor, Steve

remain available online. Delight a friend

THIS MONTH IN BABA’S

Klein and Juniper Lesnik that many look

with this great gift.

LIFE. One of the most frequently visited

forward to reading are still online. Sign up

pages over the past five years is still part of

for email updates to be notified when a

Discover More. Take a tour and see for

the new online bookstore.

new column is posted.

yourself.

physical bookstore on our website. (Sorry,

visitors loved about the old site are still

we haven’t figured out how to serve refreshments

there, such as:

online yet.)

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

WINTER 2011

Donkin’s Diaries: Travels in India with Meher Baba, 1939–1945

Sheriar Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of Donkin’s Diaries: Travels in India with Meher Baba, 1939–1945.

The book is generously interspersed with over 100 photographs, maps of Poona and India in the 1940s, and extensive endnotes detailing the events and references Donkin makes in his diaries. As stated in the Preface: “In 1939 the newly qualified Dr. William Donkin embarked on a seemingly bizarre journey, turning his back on his family in England and on any hopes they might have held for him, and in so doing, completely changed the whole course of his life. The diaries he kept of the first five years of his travels present a detailed though irregular log of events which include conversations, personal impressions, stories, poetry and an occasional diagram. “The vast scale of the destruction and mayhem of the war, which

started in Europe soon after Donkin arrived in India and from then on spread across oceans and continents to engulf the world, provides the framework and context of these diaries. . . . “As a diarist Donkin is selective. His diary is not confessional nor is it an arena for wrestling personal torments. Each entry is one in a sequence of snapshots which piece 16/9/39 together to form a vast mosaic. And while William Donkin is always there in person, the happenings he describes at any particular moment are for him more important than any personal feelings.” Donkin’s Diaries, a 358-page paperback, is available from Sheriar Books for $35. DONKIN’S DIARIES VOLUME ONE

Baba has been getting

very strict since the war

started. Most of the furni-

ture from both bungalows has been taken away, and string beds, which are

much more comfortable have taken their place.

Baba says he is going

Elizabeth Patterson with furniture movers at work.

to be so strict now that only those who love him will stay with him.

Yesterday Eratch, Chanji and I went round to Baba, and

Eratch was ordered to get there at 3.45. We were two minutes late; Baba was very angry, and gave Eratch and Chanji a collosal59 hit over the face — though not me.

He says his mood is like a volcano these days — I suppose

it’s due to the war, and his working.

A few days back Nilu got a collosal dressing down for

suggesting another latrine for the mad who are coming from Meherabad; and Nilu was asked by Baba, if he, Baba, didn’t

know his own business; Baba had anyhow already given orders for one to be built.

Jehangir has been told to go back to Bombay to his wife,

and then to go to the jungle alone, or with her, as a sannyasin; Baba thinks he’ll stay in Bombay: he wants God Realization,50

140

WILLIAM DONKIN

male mandali will go on tour perhaps to Persia or Northern India near Afghan and Russian frontier; but we’ll see!

27/6/40 Meherabad On Monday 24th June I got a short letter from Baba ordering me to come at once with bag and baggage to Meherabad: my heart leapt right up, and I went round Bangalore saying goodbye to the hospital people and got here yesterday morning. I took a tonga from Ahmednagar station to Meherabad. It is real good to be back in this ramshackle old hole48 after being so bored in Bangalore. The place on the hill is relatively grand compared to this place for we male mandali; but I love this place — crooked as the roof is, and though this same roof harbours scorpions and snakes, wind-blown and crude as all is, it is a lovely Ramshackle charm of the mens’s accommodation at Lower Meherabad in the 1940s.

place — although it is no home really, I feel at home

here — I suppose its deep link with Baba makes it so wonderful to be here. When I saw Baba he asked me of course about the war; he says England will be broken and sore, but she will not give in

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH AVE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • P HONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

N EW

Publications Donkin’s Diaries: Travels in India with Meher Baba, 1939–1945

Rustom B. Falahati Another volume of Real Treasures! Over 70 new stories. The following is what the author has to say about the present volume: “The Real Treasure is not only the story of my life, it is the story of every drop in creation on its journey to the ocean. It is the story of every reader’s journey, only the situations may be different. . . . It is everyone’s story.”

William Donkin Donkin first joined Baba in India in 1939 as a young doctor from England—and remained with Him for 30 years, until his death in 1969. “Donkin’s Diaries give us an inkling of how Beloved Baba was working behind the scenes in the conduct of the war, often giving hints in advance of events that would occur.”— from the Epilogue by Meherwan Jessawala.

Paperback, 358 pp., illustrated with photographs. $35

Avatar Meher Baba and the Trail of Tears: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Journey

A Jewel in the Dust

Hardcover, illustrated, 429 pp. $35

CD. $20

Brian Darnell Brian’s second book of poetry following his first and very popular book, Garden of Surrender. An excellent companion for the aching heart.

Paperback 196 pp. $12

Paperback 26 pp. $7

In 2001, Bhau underwent a triple coronary bypass operation. After an initial upbeat recovery, his spirits plummeted into the deepest abyss. But one night, Meher Baba came to him in an experience Bhau later termed an “Awakening.” Eighty-five of these Awakenings . . . have been collected in a beautiful volume, with several Awakenings lovingly illustrated by the art of dear ones.

Absolutely delightful collection of songs produced and sung by Billy Nicholls, whose voice is magical, soothing and full of love. He and his friends, including Pete Townshend, join him in the sweet instrumentals throughout this incredibly clear, crisp production. Includes the song ‘Without Your Love’ which is one of the most beautiful songs ever written for Meher Baba. Gentle and soft, heartful and genuine music for God is really what this CD is all about. With a touch of the English rock beat, one could listen to it over and over. This CD was produced as a fundraiser for the London Meher Baba Centre to preserve their precious Baba artifacts. (Imported)

364 pp. Paperback $19.95, Hardcover $27.95

Originally published in 1943, this classic and important booklet is now back in print—faithfully reproduced as closely to the original printing as possible. Includes two beautiful hand-drawn color charts by Rano Gayley, 18"x12" fold-outs.

Bhau Kalchuri

Digitally remastered from the original 1973 vinyl recording In His Love is one of the first Baba albums that captured the exuberance of young, blossoming musicians discovering the joy of making music for Him. Includes an incredible collection of musicians: Jim Meyer, Bob Brown, Buz Connor, Cathy Riley, Jeff Mylett and the Original Kitchen Choir.

Billy Nicholls

The 1969 Darshan was the last gathering that Baba Himself organized down to the last detail and the first gathering without His physical presence. The Empty Chair is the first book to come out on the 1969 Darshan, including over 65 contributors who attended the darshan. Each contributor’s story is beautifully interwoven throughout.

Meher Baba

Awakenings

Various Artists

Meher Baba

Barbara Bamberger Scott

A Year with Hafiz Daily Contemplations Daniel Ladinsky Daniel Ladinsky presents 365 poignant Hafiz poems— including a section based on the translations of Hafiz by Ralph Waldo Emerson—that capture a spirit of infinite tenderness and compassion, of great exuberance, joy and laughter, of ecstatic love and fervent longing, and a wonder of delight at the divine splendor of the universe. Most of the poems in this book have not been published before.

Paperback, 417 pp. $18

2012 Meher Baba Calendar Another exquisite and informative calendar to relish month by month! Containing finely reproduced photographs of Meher Baba accompanied by thoughtfully chosen messages and indication of events from Baba’s life, it serves as a steady reminder of the Beloved all year long.

11" x 9" folded, 11" x 18" open. $12.50

Because of Love

Dreaming of The Beloved

Infinite Intelligence

Mani S. Irani

Meher Baba

Within these pages is a glorious and fanciful world: dreams of

As stated in the Foreword by Meherwan

The intriguing and enigmatic Ten

Meher Baba dreamt by His sister Mani S. Irani. Soaring on Mani’s

Jessawala: This book plumbs the depths

Circles Chart is the focal point of this

imaginative command of language, and given further wings by the

of esoteric truths never before revealed

memoir by one of Meher Baba’s early

equally expressive imagination flowing through Wodin’s twenty-

to humankind. The book’s theme is an

Western disciples. This book is fully

four full-color illustrations, these dreams tell an inner story of the

ageless one, ever old and ever new: God

illustrated with a color fold-out of the

love, yearning, struggle and joy that filled the life of the sister of

as Infinite Intelligence. --The material

Ten Circles Chart and close-up details

the Avatar of the Age.

for this book comes from previously

My Life and Art with Meher Baba Rano Gayley

of part of it, as well

unpublished manuscripts dating back to

Not We But One: A Collection of Stories and Messages from the Life of Meher Baba

as the full-length

1926 and was first discovered shortly

portrait that now

after Meher Baba dropped His physical

Bill Le Page

hangs in the museum

form in 1969. It was released in 2005

A great collection of stories and quotes from Baba, Eruch and others. Well written with practical topics. Includes some photos. From the Preface by Ross Keating, “The central part of this book . . . contains edited transcripts of some of the recorded talks given by Eruch in Mandali Hall in the seventies. . . . Interspersed with these printed talks are statements made by Meher Baba relevant to the topic under discussion. Some comments made by others of Meher Baba’s disciples, including Meher Baba’s sister Mani Irani, have also been added.”

at Meherabad, and

Paperback, 164 pp. $12

A New Year Is Coming

In His Love

CD. $15

The Empty Chair: Meher Baba’s 1969 Darshan

Julia Ross explores in depth Meher Baba’s journey along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, which culminated in His foretold car accident in America. She documents in meticulous detail what is known of Meher Baba’s route and the accident, which she began researching in the early 1970s. In the tradition of pilgrims’ guides, she also traces the history and associations of the places Meher Baba visited.

Divine Theme (with Charts) Evolution, Reincarnation, Realisation.

F O R T H E H O L I D AY S

Paperback, 323 pp. $10.00

Julia Ross

Paperback, 442 pp. $30

Choices

The Real Treasure IV

Music & Videos

many of her black and white sketches of Baba.

$10

WAS $22

The story of the 1969 Darshan told through historic film, photographs and audio recordings. Including pictures of the mandali, Guruprasad and Baba’s Tomb, as well as recordings of the Darshan itself. Stunning footage of Meher Baba from earlier darshans layers this exploration into ‘darshan’ with additional meaning and beauty. The impact of this unprecedented event — planned by Baba before He dropped His physical form — is poignantly discussed by those who attended.

Names of Love

process detailed in an academically

Jim Meyer & Robert Fredericks

$50

WAS $75

Illuminated Rumi Calendar 2012 Versions by Michael Green Stunning modern collages with a touch of the east bring these renderings of Rumi by Michael Green to life. A feast for the heart as well as the eyes from start to finish.

12" x 12" closed and 12" x 24" opened. $13.99

DVD 52-minutes. $20

after a long and meticulous editing

rigorous supplemental essay.

WAS $20

Finding Your Abode in Him Meher Baba’s 1969 Darshan

Names of Love is a 35-minute visual & musical meditation inspired by Meher Baba’s Parvardigar Prayer & Seven Names of God. Created by Robert Fredericks & Jim Meyer, Names of Love pays homage to The Divine Source from which all forms of worship emanate.

DVD 35-minutes. $19.95

Rumi: Heart of the Beloved Calendar 2012 Translated by Coleman Barks Beautiful 12 month calendar for 2012. Each month features a Rumi stanza translated by Coleman Barks paired with exquisite Persian miniatures. An inviting call to mystical reflection all year round.

12" x 12" closed and 12" x 24" opened. $13.99

A Little Help Goes a Long Way. As we come to the end of 2011, we are especially pleased to have brought to completion the publication of Donkin’s Diaries, a book that we have been working on for some time. Much credit goes to the painstaking dedication that Sarah McNeill brought to bringing this material to life with extensively researched endnotes. We are always thankful to have really substantive projects like this to work on. And fortunately for all of us, there are quite a few more coming in the next few years. Pragmatically speaking, though, Sheriar Foundation depends on annual donations to make all of this work

possible. Sales of “Baba books” are remarkably limited in number and it frequently takes many, many years (sometimes more than a decade, sometimes never) before publication costs are recouped. This is why donations are so essential to our ability to continue with our publishing activities so, we ask you to please help us in any way that you can. As always, donations of all sizes are welcome and appreciated. All donations are tax deductible. Sheriar Foundation is also committed to the operation of the Sheriar Books bookstore and to bringing

new content to the sheriarbooks.org website. We track with great interest the number of visits to our website from countries from all over the world. As that trend has continued to grow over the years, we like to imagine Baba working at the grassroots level through which He can provide access to all kinds of information to anyone anywhere in the world. We have shipped orders to thirty-four different countries including Vietnam, South Africa and Croatia. Over the last year, China and Brazil have moved into the top ten list of the countries that visit our site the most. New visits have come

from countries as varied as Ethiopia, Kazakhstan and Uruguay. We know there are many worthwhile causes connected to Meher Baba. We hope you will consider Sheriar Foundation to be one of them and that you will help provide the financial support that we need to continue our work. Meanwhile, if you have not already checked out and “liked” us on our Facebook page, please take a moment to do that as Facebook is where we are able to share more spontaneous quick hits of what is going on in our little corner of the Baba world.

A Full Calendar of Bookstore Events in 2011 An engaging range of booksignings, concerts and talks have been hosted by Sheriar Books this year. Our first event was on May 7th with Barbara Scott Bamberger who read from her new book The Empty Chair: Meher Baba’s 1969 Darshan— a poignant view of the 1969 Darshan artfully woven together from many personal accounts. When Billy Goodrum was in town in July visiting the Meher Center, he graciously gave a concert at the bookstore. It was a wonderfully lively and intimate event. Billy shared many songs from his latest album “Weightless.” One month later Bill Le Page, also visiting the Meher Center, shared a Saturday afternoon with a group gathered in the bookstore. Bill shared stories of his life with Baba and signed books he’s written about Baba. These include: The Turning of the Key, Over the Years with Meher Baba, and The Divine Humanity

of Meher Baba, a 3-volume series. In August Ward Parks gave a talk on Meher Baba’s “Divine Theme” which was just re-issued in the same style of its original 1943 publication. It was an animated talk that provoked stimulating discussion that continued even during the refreshment phase of the afternoon event. In November Brian Darnell read several poems from his new book, A Jewel in the Dust, and signed copies for the appreciative audience. He also brought along his guitar and sang songs. It was a particularly sweet time. Julia Ross was at the bookstore on November 26th, discussing (and signing) her new book, Avatar Meher Baba and The Trail of Tears: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Journey. The book explores in depth Meher Baba’s journey along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, interwoven with stories from Native American history. The schedule of this year’s bookstore

People discussing one of the Bookstore Events. (L-R)Walter Witkowski talking to Ann Ross, and Adele Wolkin with Beverly Smith.

events will conclude with a talk on December 17th by Daniel Ladinsky, widely read author of books of renderings of Hafiz poems. His latest book, A Year With Hafiz, is a unique collection of 365 poignant Hafiz poems, most of which have not been published before. Many of these events can be viewed on sheriarbooks.org under BOOKSTORE NEWS.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

Inner Travel to Sacred Places On September 1, 1965 Robert Dreyfuss flew from the US to London. He then set out on a 21⁄2 month overland journey to India to attend a gathering called by his master, Meher Baba. However, on arrival, he discovered that the meeting had been cancelled —three days after he had left on his trip! The account of how he persisted against all odds to meet his Beloved is part of Robert Dreyfuss’ inspiring life story, Inner Travel to Sacred Places. Robert, who was allowed to stay two nights at Meherazad at Baba’s behest, was sent back with a mission: to spread His message that drugs were destructive “physically, mentally and spiritually”. Along with Rick Chapman and Allan Cohen, he was at the forefront of that effort in the US in the 1960s and ‘70s. A sickly child, Robert made a pact with himself as a young teen-ager: he would never again allow physical conditions to interfere with his life. In fact he would challenge his mind and body at every turn and welcome suffering as “a necessary ingredient of the stew [which] gives just the right amount of flavoring by which the emboldened self can be made Real.” Subsequently, Robert tested his ability to withstand even the most primitive conditions in his world travels, which he describes vividly in these memoirs. Inner Travel to Sacred Places contains over 100 photos and reproductions of letters from Meher Baba. 230 pp. $25

WINTER 2012

KEEPING BABA MATERIAL AVA I L A B L E Sheriar Foundation is committed to keeping valued Baba material in print. Two classic publications have been reprinted this year. In that same spirit, The Ancient One, a popular cassette tape produced 38 years ago, has been remastered and is now available as a CD.

The Path of Love. A favorite for many readers, reprinted this year by Sheriar Foundation, offers a veritable feast of Meher Baba’s messages on a range of religious and spiritual ideas: from basic theories about God and the nature of man to advice on how to conduct our daily lives. Much of this material originally appeared in The Awakener Magazine from 1953–1976. 129 pp. $12

Sparks from Meher Baba. This power-packed 24-page pamphlet, first complied by Delia de Leon and Kitty Davy in England in 1962, has been reprinted by Sheriar Foundation this year. This assemblage of quotes from Meher Baba, in its fourth printing, continues to be a popular and inspirational collection. The material is arranged by topic: God, The Awakener, The Master, Silence, The Soul, The Purpose of Life, Work, Love, Good and Evil, Freedom, Prayer, The Seven Realities, and The Prayer of Repentance. 24 pp. $4.95.

The Ancient One. Remember these incredibly charged songs? — “Life is a Rainbow,” “Ocean Calm,” “Song of the Reed,” “Baba Wake Up in Our Hearts,” “Come Soon?”— music that captivated the Baba world in 1974, performed by Bob and Jane Brown, Buz Connor, Jim Meyer, David Miotke, Cathy Riley and others on this popular album, The Ancient One. This remarkable, remastered CD is now available to enjoy all over again. $15

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 807 34 TH AVE S., N ORTH M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29582 • P HONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

N E W P U B L I C AT I O N S 10 0 POEMS OF RUMI BY DAN LADINSKY The Purity of Desire: 100 Poems of Rumi Daniel Ladinsky with Nancy Owen Barton Renowned for his poignant renderings of Hafiz’s mystical texts, Daniel Ladinsky captures the beauty, intimacy, and musicality of another of Islam’s most beloved poets and spiritual thinkers. These poems thoughtfully capture the compelling wisdom of one of Islam’s most revered artistic and religious voices and one of the most widely read poets in the English language. Paperback, 144 pp. $16

Slave of Love: The Life of William Donkin with Meher Baba Bob Mossman A biography of William Donkin, Meher Baba’s close disciple and doctor “Don” as Meher Baba called him was the only Western man to accompany Baba on the New Life, live with Him in India, and travel with Him for 30 years. He is the author of The Wayfarers — a book chronicling Meher Baba’s work with the masts (or God-intoxicated souls). Paperback, 376 pp. with 60 photos $25

Two New Books by Robert Dreyfuss

Inner Travel to Sacred Places Robert Dreyfuss Robert’s memoirs, completed just before his death in Oct. 2011, are a fascinating and inspiring description of a remarkable life. Although he traveled by every conveyance around the world, Robert’s real journey was inward, culminating in his meeting the Eternal Beloved Meher Baba. Inner Travel is a unique story of an individual who persistently defied the odds and, ultimately, won the prize. This 230-page book includes over 100 photos and reproductions of letters from Meher Baba.

Explore Discover Holiday Treats

2013 Meher Baba Calendar

Blue Ridge Sonatas

Another beautiful and informative calendar to relish month by month! Containing finely reproduced photographs of Meher Baba accompanied by thoughtfully chosen messages and indication of events from Baba’s life. It serves as a steady reminder of the Beloved all year long.

Robert Dreyfuss

11" x 9" folded, 11" x 18" open. $12.50

Paperback, 230 pp. $25

Robert Dreyfuss left us these poems as part of a collection of jottings tucked away in notebooks and pads. They were all written, by hand, during the last two-and-a-half years of his life, after he retired and moved from the Bay Area to the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. Somehow, during this time, he summoned the images and words and phrases which fill this book with remarkable poems that reveal the struggles, love, clarity, and mystery that had become his intimate friends. Paperback, 92 pp. $10

This exquisite book is a work of art. It consists of magnificent pictures that are the culmination of Charlie Mills’s 30 years of painting the Divine Beloved. Think of it as a bound collection of 24 color reproductions of selected paintings. Of these, 23 are of Meher Baba and one is a loving portrait of Mehera, Meher Baba’s Beloved. Many of the pictures will evoke thoughts of specific places and times in Baba’s life: sitting regally on His gaadi near his Tomb-Shrine; smiling in the setting of Meher Center, with the lake, boathouse, and tall pines behind Him; saluting the God in you during a Darshan; gazing out at sea from the deck of an ocean liner—a virtual treasure-trove of images of the Divine Beloved. 83⁄4 x 101⁄4" Hardcover, 28 pp. $45

A remastered hit CD from 1974 that includes songs written to words by Mehera, to words of Bhau Kalchuri’s ghazals, and to Jelaluddin Rumi’s poems. Sung by Bob and Jane Brown, Buz Connor, Jim Meyer, David Miotke and Cathy Riley. Just a beautiful treasure! $15

Song of Huma

Dance For Joy

Many of you will remember the two fabulous cassettes of songs Meher Baba wrote, sung by the women mandali, created by Elaine Cox in the 1980s. Now available on CD, they are composed of ghazals written by Meher Baba in the early 1920s using the pen-name of “Huma,” the Persian word for the phoenix. 2-CD Set $20

Bobbi Bernstein When Bobbi’s fingers touch the keyboard, rhythm jumps out from the ivories. Bobbie and her many friends create a variety of rhythmic songs on her new CD. The lyrics to three of the songs include Leslie Walsh, Jerry Edwards and many more. $15

Beautiful 12-month calendar for 2013. Each month features a Rumi stanza translated by Coleman Barks paired with exquisite Persian miniatures. An inviting call to mystical reflection all year round. $13.99

Produced and directed by Wendy Haynes Connor and Buz Connor, this new video interweaves rare and never-before-seen film footage of Meher Baba, taken by Elizabeth Patterson in 1933 in India and Italy, with photos and excerpts from the diaries of Elizabeth, Kitty Davy, Margaret Craske, and Delia DeLeon. This video captures the intimacy of those early days with the Master when He drew His Western followers to Him with His extraordinary beauty and introduced them to what life with a spiritual master meant.

Charlie Mills

Various Artists

Translations by Coleman Barks

I Am The One Reality

Meditations on The Ancient One

MUSIC

Rumi: Heart of the Beloved Calendar 2013

SUPERB NEW FILM

T H E A RT O F T H E D I V I N E

The Ancient One

C A L E N DA R S

Special features include the original 1933 film footage, with the oldest surviving moving images of Baba in India, as well as clips of interviews with these remarkable women disciples in later years sharing about their life with Meher Baba. ELIZABETH WITH MEHER BABA

DVD 72-minutes $35

MUSIC

from Sheriar Books www.sheriarbooks.org 843-272-1339

The Original Songs of The Lovely Meher Baba Cathy Haas Riley “East-West Gathering”

Love’s Dream

Francis Brabazon, Raine EastmanGannett & Sam Saunders

Gabriella’s songs are supported powerfully by Andrew Marlin with instrumentals and vocal harmonies: A folk, jazz, country blend of songs celebrate the relationship with the Beloved, combining guitar, mandolin, piano, sax, flute and a chorus of Baba-lovers. $12

The original melodies, mostly traditional, were used by Francis Brabazon due to having to write the book, The East-West Gathering, at the request of Beloved Meher Baba. 2-CD set $20

A new children’s Baba CD for “kids of all ages!” These songs will surely appeal to the inner child in us all—adults will be humming these tunes along with their kids. The CD features a wide range of musical styles including swing, tango, $15

Gabriella Tal

Your Donations Make a Big Difference If you appreciate the publication

books for a long time now. In some

this is a big part of why we rely on

content of all kinds almost every day

work that Sheriar Foundation does

ways, it’s surprising that there still are

the generosity of our friends in Baba

on our Facebook page and we also

and enjoy visiting the Sheriar

very few people who buy the books

to help Sheriar Foundation to contin-

receive a good number of ongoing

Bookstore, we hope that you also

we publish. One day that will surely

ue to function in this way. Donations

comments from visitors to the page

appreciate the fact that we depend

change but we certainly don't know

of all sizes are appreciated and wel-

so please check us out if you’re not

on donations from people like you

when. In the meanwhile, we remain

come so please consider showing us

already familiar with the Sheriar

to be able to keep on doing what

committed to publishing books that

your support if you value the work

Books Facebook page.

we do.

we believe have intrinsic value

that we do.

because of what they add to the

We thank you for your interest in

Even in the best of economic times,

record of Meher Baba’s advent. Most

Along with our publishing efforts

Sheriar Foundation and wish each

the ebb and flow of donations is

of the time, we cannot recoup the

and the running of the Sheriar

and every one of you much love in

difficult to predict. In the last few

costs of publishing these books from

bookstore, we continue to post new

the Beloved in the year to come.

years that has been even more the

the level of sales that they generate.

content to our website as well as to

case. We’ve been publishing Baba

We publish the books anyway. And

our Facebook page. We post new

Memorable Bookstore Events special position with Baba. This was so

Sheriar Books are Bill Le Page and Ward

different from the way Baba was with the

Parks. And this year was no exception —

men in “The Three Incredible Weeks” in

both giving captivat-

1954. During this time, Baba often gave

ing talks about Baba

discourses, the focus being less on the

to very appreciative

dynamics between personalities.

audiences. On July 7th in the bookstore, Bill reminisced about his

As always with Bill, the warmth, humor and intimacy of Baba’s presence filled the room. The following week, Ward Parks

times with Baba, and how that contrast-

gave a very stimulating and provocative

ed with the way Baba was with the

talk entitled “The Passing of the Mandali

women in Portofino in the 1930s as

Era and the Three Perennial Paths

shown in Wendy and Buz’s new DVD,

to God: Knowledge, Action and

I Am the One Reality. During that period,

Devotion.” In this talk he explored a

Baba gathered many of His early women

variety of Baba literature and touched

disciples when He was so young and

on some of the implications of these

beautiful. Bill went on to describe how

themes for the community of Meher

that period was characterized by person-

Baba lovers as it begins to enter what

ality differences between the women and

will certainly become a phase of historic

the few men that were there — giving

transformation. The room was packed

examples of one causing problems by

with people thoroughly engaged with

being too proper and another causing conflict by coveting a

Ward’s clear and impassioned presentation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ECPPA PHOTO ARCHIVES

Join our Facebook Exchange With over 600 friends and lively interaction among Baba lovers from all over the world, Sheriar Books’ Facebook page is a lively place to visit. Daily posts include photos and quotes from Baba, the latest new items at the bookstore, what Baba was doing that particular day, book reviews, sales, announcements of the new “All (Baba) Things Considered” columns, photos of visitors to the bookstore, as well as interesting stories from the bookstore. The most popular post

to date was of this photo of Meher Baba with this message: “On this day, July 30th, 1956, Baba was having this photograph taken in Washington, DC. On the same day, not far away, President Eisenhower was signing into law the official motto of the United States, ‘In God We Trust.’ Photos, videos, music, quotes—everyday reminders of our Beloved Baba’s presence. Come join the fun!

All (Baba) Things Considered, an online column on Sheriar Books’ website, was started by Ann Conlon in 2003. After Ann’s passing in 2005, three columnists, Wendy Haynes Connor, Steve Klein and Juniper Lesnik were invited to write columns continuing the original spirit of personal reflection on life with Baba. This year three more columnists have been added to the roster: Jenny Keating, Bruce Felknor and Billy Goodrum. If you would like to receive an email announcing each new monthly column, write to Laura@SheriarBooks.org to request a free subscription. was formed in 1989 as an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt corporation.

The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and writings of Meher Baba.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEHER NAZAR PUBLICATIONS

Two frequent guest speakers at

**IHS-June12-5b_65591.IHS 6_05.TEMPLATE 6/30/12 4:57 PM Page 3

IN HIS S E RV I C E A

N E W S L E T T E R

F R O M

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JENNY KEATING

JULY / 2012

M E H E R A B A D

Restructuring the Trust Committee System

MEHERU The following announcement about Meheru from the Meherazad Family was sent to Baba lovers the world over. The fall issue of this newsletter will include a fuller account about Meheru and her extraordinary life with Baba.

As reported in the last issue of this newsletter, the Trust has

committee will draft a statement—a mandate describing

embarked on a major reorganization of its committee

its purpose, tasks and responsibilities, procedures, and

system—which is to say, a thorough revamping of the Trust’s

membership. Over the next few months these documents

system of administration. For it is clear that committees are

will be written up, reviewed and revised, and finally,

going to play a key role in the management and conduct of

formalized and approved by the Board. In this way

Trust affairs. As part of a greater transition, the Trust is now

committee members actively involved in the work of the

Avatar Meher Baba gathered His dearest Meheru into

trying to bring more definition and clarity to the

Trust will collaborate with the Board in defining what the

His loving embrace on April 21st, 2012 at 4:06 p.m.

charge and responsibilities that each committee bears and

charge and authority of each committee will be.

in Meherazad. Meheru went to her Beloved due to a

the part that each committee should play in the future

FINANCIAL COMMITTEE. Trust committees function

administrative scheme of things.

under the direct supervision of the Chairman, who is

stroke; she was 84 years old. The cremation was at Meherabad on April 22nd, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. Her ashes were interred on Meherabad Hill by the side of

This process began with a series of meetings among

responsible for the day-to-day management of Trust

the trustees in the last few months of 2011. Through the

affairs. The Financial Committee, however, occupies a

course of these, the Board reviewed the existing commit-

unique role. Since it is charged with oversight of

tee system, created eight new committees to cover the

the Trust’s finances, it does not operate under the

full range of Trust activities, and drafted guidelines on

Chairman’s purview, but rather, reports directly to

committee structure and procedures. Moving into

Mehera's sister. From her early childhood, Meheru

the Board. In effect, it is positioned

the next phase, on January 5th and March 10th of

longed to be a part of Baba's ashram, and as soon

between the Board and Chairman,

this year trustees met with committee members.

as she finished schooling in her mid-teens, Baba

maintaining close communications

All assembled

accepted her as one of His intimate women mandali.

with each. A system of this type is

Immediately she dedicated her life to serving her two

used by many charitable and

beloveds, Baba and His dearest Mehera. Meheru’s live-

non-profit organizations.

ly, spirited, active nature was combined with a deep

together in the old Pilgrim Centre dining

Meher Baba’s Samadhi as He directed. Meheru had the great fortune to be born to two of Meher Baba’s very close disciples from His earliest ashram days, Rustom and Freny Irani, Freny being

For the time being Trust finances are

sensitivity and grace that served her well as one of

room, with a view

still being managed by an Interim

Mehera’s closest companions, especially after Beloved

toward creating

Financial Committee, as described

Baba dropped His body. She was the last remaining of

in the last newsletter.

Baba’s New Life companions, the last of those with

committee “mandates.” That is, each

Baba in His 1952 car accident in the West, and also the last of the Meherazad resident women mandali from Baba’s time.

A M A R T I T H I 2 012

After Mehera rejoined Baba, Meheru continued to care for Baba’s Home and His personal things in the way Mehera would wish, both at Meherazad and through her guidance of the Trust’s archive team. She also continued to welcome Baba-lovers to Mehera’s porch with warmth, treats, witty remarks, games, and most of all, touching memories of a life spent with the God-Man and His beloved. Meheru’s lifelong courage, sacrifice, unswerving focus, and whole-hearted dedication is a tribute to her Beloved, and an example to all His lovers now and to come. We, your Meherazad family, salute you, dearest Meheru, for your life of complete surrender and service to the Avatar of the Age.

PHOTOS BY PAUL LIBOIRON

AVATAR MEHER BABA KI JAI !!!

**IHS-June12-5b_65591.IHS 6_05.TEMPLATE 6/30/12 4:57 PM Page 4

Jalu Kaikobad Dastur passed away on 1st March 2012, at 2:20 in the afternoon in her room on Meherabad Hill after a brief illness. She was 83 years old. Daughter of Baba’s disciple Kaikobad, Jalu was blessed with a lifelong association with the Avatar of the age. Born on 22nd March 1929, Jalu moved to Meherabad with her mother Jerbai and two sisters Meheru and Gulu (her older brother Ratan lived in Ahmednagar and worked at Sarosh Cinema) on 31st July 1944. For most of their life there, the family occupied rooms in a building that had been previously used by Baba for the maternity hospital, for the caretaking of masts and mad persons, and as an office for the Meher Baba Journal. Right next to their living quarters was and still is Baba’s Cage Room, used by Him for intense seclusion and mast work. During the New Life when Baba disbanded His ashrams and got rid of all His old properties, Kaikobad’s was the only family to continue residing on the Hill. While after the New Life Kaikobad moved about with Baba until settling in with Him at Meherazad, his wife Jerbai and daughters stayed on with Mansari in Upper Meherabad, during those long decades in the 1950s and 60s when Meherabad was a largely deserted rural outpost. All that changed when Baba dropped His body in 1969. Pilgrims began to visit, and Meherabad suddenly became a beehive of activity. After Kaikobad and Jerbai died in the mid-70s (their oldest daughter Meheru had already passed away in 1965), Jalu and her older sister Goolu remained together in the old hospital building, two of Meherabad’s more colorful characters. Innocent and guileless to a degree that one rarely finds, Goolu and Jalu often created a comic impression on those who met them, chattering and jabbering on with each other in seeming complete obliviousness to

Recent Restoration at Meherabad The on-going restoration effort over the last eighteen months has brought back into the closest possible approximation of their original prime condition several of the old sites and objects fragrant with the memories and rich with the history of Meherabad. 1. THE MEHERABAD “GHANI” — a lime mortar mill

3. ENGINE ROOM (1934). Situated immediately

built in the 1930s that supplied mortar for many of the early buildings at Meherabad. A circular stone three feet in diameter at the end of a wooden axel used to be dragged by bullocks along a stone gutter, crushing a mixture of burnt lime and sand into mortar usable in construction. Found in disrepair with the original stone broken and the wooden axel stolen, the ghani has been rebuilt, and it now stands close to the highway between that and the railway tracks perhaps fifty meters to the south (towards Arangaon) of the site of the Makan-e-Khas and the old Samadhi path.

across the footpath from Gilori Shah’s Tomb and adjacent to the original Meherabad well, this small cabin served for many years as the space where Padri carried out his mechanical and engineering work in the course of his caretaking Meherabad. One of its historic treasures is the electric generator originally procured for Baba’s use at Meherazad by Dr. Donkin but rejected by Baba as too noisy and sent to Meherabad for employment there during Sahavas programs

2. TOMB-SHRINE OF GILORI SHAH (“Maula Baba”).

In the early 1920s, before Baba established His ashram there, this revered Muslim saint from Ahmednagar asked that his tomb be built in what was then a remote location on the outskirts of Arangaon village, since, as he then predicted, the great Master would make His abode there. Located today a few steps from the Ahmednagar-Daund highway in Lower Meherabad just in front of the old Pilgrim Centre, Gilori Shah’s tomb has recently been enclosed by a protective fencing with Baba’s photo and the “Mastery in Servitude” symbol on the gate.

4. PADRI’S ROOM. For decades Padri used

this simple room in the main building at Lower Meherabad not only as a bedroom but as a dispensary for his homeopathic practice from which he provided free medical care for the villagers of Arangaon.

BA PHOTOS BY TED JUDSON

Jalu Dastur Returns to Baba

how they might appear in the eyes of the world. Baba too took enjoyment in this simple-hearted, childlike nature of theirs. One game that He used to play with them was this. The three sisters had very different voice timbres: Meheru’s was a deep chest alto, Goolu spoke in the middle range, while Jalu talked in a high nasal whine. So Baba used to have them say their names one after another — “Meheru!” “Goolu!’ “Jalu!” “Meheru!” “Goolu!” “Jalu!”—round and round, faster and faster. The total effect was exquisitely funny. The sisters for their part were thoroughly sporting about it, pleased to be able to entertain their Beloved in this way. Though their father was a Parsi priest who had brought his children up in relative affluence, the “three fatties,” as they were sometimes nicknamed in the ashram, used to stitch their own dresses, for that purpose cutting up what are known as “garas,” old classic Parsi saris made of shanghai silk with fine ornamental needlework in silver and gold thread. Jalu dies the last of her family, one of the very few families that Baba personally took “under His wing,” as it were, providing lifelong support and residence, just a few steps from His own Samadhi at Meherabad. Jalu’s ashes, like those of her sisters Meheru and Goolu before her, have been scattered across the top of the Hill, within that small tract and circumference where she was blessed to spend most of the years of her life.

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Postponements Due to Celebrating Water Shortage the Golden Due to this year's severe drought conditions at Anniversary of the Meherabad and in the Ahmednagar area, Meherabad an extreme shortage of water. East-West Gathering nowIt has has become very clear that there is insufficient The fiftieth anniversary of the East-West Gathering will be celebrated at Meherabad from 1st through 4th November, 2012. The program will specially feature the reminiscences of those fortunate enough to attend the original East-West Gathering at Guruprasad in Poona in 1962. That august event will be further commemorated through skits and plays, musical performances, films, and a special exhibition. The amphitheater of Meherabad Hill will serve as the main venue for the commemoration. The East-West Gathering stands as a unique occasion in the history of the Advent, when the Avatar of the Age, for the first time, brought His lovers from East and West together in a large-scale gathering in the living presence of the Father of creation. Baba’s lovers from all over the world are invited to join us at Meherabad this November as we celebrate His Avataric act of uniting the people of East and West as one humanity in His love.

water supply or water reserves to allow accommodation for Baba-pilgrims at Meherabad at this time. As a result, from 9th June 2012, pilgrim accommodation facilities at Meherabad that were open from 25th May (Hostel D, Hostel C, and Dharmshala) have been closed. The Meher Pilgrim Retreat did not open as scheduled on June 15th. The Meherabad Young Adult Sahavas, which was due to begin on 21st June, has been postponed. Updates will be available through Tavern Talk.

Donkin’s Diaries Released The closing of the year 2011 was punctuated with the release of a new mandali memoir, Donkin’s Diary: Travels in India with Meher Baba, 1939–45. The Diaries are housed in the Trust archival collection in Meherabad. The book is copyrighted in the name of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust and published by Sheriar Foundation.

play Ice:

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**IHS-June12-5b_65591.IHS 6_05.TEMPLATE 6/30/12 4:57 PM Page 5

Questions and Answers about the Avatar Meher Baba Trust

The Pilgrim Population, 2011–12 Pilgrim demographics for the 2011–12 pilgrim continued trends of the last few years,

(Continued from the January 2012 issue)

with a slight increase in the number of pilgrims from India, while the non-Indian

pilgrim count essentially held steady. At Hostel D in Lower Meherabad—the pilgrim accommodation facility most fre-

ANSWER. Their paramount responsibility lies in implementing Meher Baba’s expressed wishes as laid down in the Trust Deed. It rests with the trustees to arrange for the administration and management of all Trust operations, from pilgrim facilities and staffing to finances and long-term planning. In discharging their responsibilities, trustees must act honestly and in good faith with the best interests of the Trust in mind, and they are required to exercise care and diligence in carrying out all duties.

quented by Indians—the number of pilgrim visits during the 2011-12 season (exclusive of Amartithi) came to 5640, as against 5384 last year and 4865 in 2009–10. As usual, a little more than half of the Indian pilgrim population hailed from Maharashtra, about 30% from Andhra, and the rest from other states. At the Meher Pilgrim Retreat, again, the number of pilgrims from India exceeded last season’s tally by 271, while the non-Indian pilgrim count held steady, 853 this year, as compared with 855 last year. The table below shows the breakdown by country over the last six pilgrim seasons.

Pilgrim Visits at the Meher Pilgrim Retreat, 2006 –2012 2006–7

2007–8

2008–9

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

India

1,411

1,788

1,938

2,262

2,513

2,784

USA

336

462

394

340

307

417

Iran

108

181

213

305

207

169

Australia

Russia

Canada

Germany

France

Mexico

China

Other

101

108

127

Total

2,179

2,746

2,889

3,175

3,368

3,637

QUESTION. What are the basic responsibilities of the trustees?

QUESTION. Are trustees involved in the day-to-day operations of the Trust? At present, who has which responsibilities? ANSWER. All trustees residing at Meherabad, Meherazad, and Meher Nazar (the Trust Compound) are involved in the dayto-day operations of the Trust. A year ago, however, Bhau Kalchuri had a stroke and had to withdraw from active duty. Ali Ramjoo and Jehangir Sukhadwala, who reside in Pune a hundred and twenty kilometers away, take no part in the Trust’s daily administration. Meherazad is managed by Falu Mistry. The four resident trustees at Meherabad— Jal Dastoor, Shridhar Kelkar, Ramesh Jangle and Heather Nadel—play various roles in connection with the Meherabad estate, involving such domains of responsibility as the caretaking of Meher Baba’s Samadhi, pilgrim and resident accommodations and activities, infrastructure (connected with electricity, water, roads, and afforestation), the Meher English School, and the Meher Health Centre. At Meher Nazar, Mehernath Kalchuri, an attorney, supervises Trust legal affairs and maintains active involvements with the Meherabad school and dispensary. Craig Ruff along with Mehernath works with land and deals with government agencies. Craig is also responsible for the functioning of the Trust Office in Ahmednagar. All major decisions in planning, the approval of new projects, expansion of

Although the total of pilgrim visits to the Meher Pilgrim Retreat for the 2011–12 season represents a slight increase over last year, the duration of visits decreased correspondingly, with the result that the MPR bed occupancy rate for both years stands at about 32%. The five-year average, since the facility opened in June 2006, comes to about 34%.

BABA’S BIRTHDAY, 2012 The 118th anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s birth was celebrated at Meherabad, as has become customary, with a gathering at His Samadhi in the early morning and a play in the afternoon. Entitled “Fire and Ice: Draupadi’s Story,” this year’s drama took its narrative from a modern novelistic reinterpretation of the great Sanskrit epic, Mahabharata.

existing facilities and services, and other key aspects of Trust life are made directly by the Board of Trustees at its meetings. Routine operating decisions devolve upon the various Trust committees. Committee membership is comprised of trustees and local residents.

QUESTION. What financial obligations and responsibilities do the trustees perform for the Trust? ANSWER. Trust finances define one of the central areas of responsibility of trustees. The Board of Trustees has the duty of ministering to the Trust’s financial well being. This entails having finances in place for the running of the Trust’s day-to-day operations and for taking on new projects within the Trust’s financial capacity. As described in the last issue of this newsletter, the Board has formed an Interim Finance Committee to oversee Trust finances until such time as it can be replaced by a permanent Financial Committee. The interim committee members are Falu Mistry, Shridhar Kelkar, Craig Ruff—all three current trustees—and Merwan Dubash, a long-time professional chartered accountant in Canada who now spends part of each year in Meherabad. For the present this interim group is responsible for financial policies, managing finances and investment activities, financial planning and budgeting, and generally ensuring that proper financial controls and procedures are in place that will allow the Trust to operate in a fiscally responsible manner.

QUESTION. Do trustees purchase land through the Trust for the Trust or themselves? Why? ANSWER. On behalf of the Trust, the trustees purchase land for the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust. Although some trustees purchased land for themselves before becoming trustees, current trustees cannot purchase land for themselves in the area covered by the Trust Development Plan for Meherabad, Meherazad and Meher Nazar without prior approval from the Board.

Amid Tightened Finances, Trust Narrows Priorities

PHTOS BY PAUL LIBOIRON

With many of the world’s economies struggling over the last few years, the Avatar Meher Baba Trust too finds itself in tough financial circumstances and, accordingly, has had to scale back on expenditures during the upcoming budgetary year. Most new projects that entail significant capital expenditure and expansion plans for any facilities or services have been put on hold, with a view to building up the Trust's Corpus before efforts are renewed to develop the Trust Estate. Meanwhile, resources are being reserved and concentrated in five areas: (1) the procurement of critical lands around Meherabad and Meherazad; (2) the

fencing of properties; (3) the completion of the Memorial Tower (whose construction is already in progress); (4) obtaining the government bungalow that Beloved Baba used near the accident site in Udtara outside Satara as the site for a memorial to Meher Baba’s automobile accident there in 1956; and (5) other necessary capital expenditure around the Trust estate. As reported in the June 2011 issue of this newsletter, eighteen months ago the Board approved the construction of a new Dharamshala in Lower Meherabad. The ground-breaking and commencement of construction has now been indefinitely delayed until the financial situation improves.

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The Creation of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Over the next several issues we will be recounting the history of the creation and establishment of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust, from its founding in 1 959 through the publication of Deed of Declaration of the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust in 1 974. This first part of a multi-part series narrates circumstances that led to the drafting of the original Trust Deed and its signing by Meher Baba as the Trust’s “Settlor.” Much of the information for Part One was gleaned from Bhau Kalchuri and Eruch Jessawala in 1 999 –2000.

P AR T

ONE. THE ORIGINAL TRUST DEED

One of the significant legacies which Avatar Meher Baba mandali had lived a very hand-to-mouth existence, and left for posterity was the Avatar Meher Baba Trust. Created finances were managed in a household (and not an by Him in 1959, the Trust holds a unique place in the his- institutional) style. But in the wake of Baba’s great tory of His Advent. For it was to the Trust that Baba gave darshans and world travels in the 1950s new lovers were coming forward who the charge of caretaking His Tomb on wanted to share in the Meherabad Hill, which He said privilege of contributwould one day become a great center ing as they could to the of world pilgrimage. The Trust is work of the Avatar. For also distinctive in that its first generasome time it had been tion of trustees and workers were becoming evident that mostly Meher Baba’s own intimate some new approach mandali. That the Avatar Himself was needed on the should in this way have invested a matter of donations. legally constituted organization with May Lundquist’s His own personal imprimatur and request, however, given its operation into the hands of brought this issue up those who lived with Him on a dayin a new way. Since she to-day basis is surely a signal event in was a foreigner (that is, spiritual history. Of course, Avatar non-Indian), a contriMeher Baba many times made it bution from her would clear that He had not come to estabbring with it income lish a new religion, cult, or creed. tax complications. On The Trust does not conceive its role, the other hand, the call therefore, as to serve as the guiding of love was there, since light or governing body in a new reliit was plainly her gion or religious movement. What Page one of the Trust Deed signed by Baba. ardent and heartfelt the Avatar Meher Baba Trust should wish to be able to serve Baba through this love-gift. be is well indicated in the Trust Deed, There was another relevant factor. Meher Baba was which in its original form was created under His now 65 years old, and many of His mandali, who had deddirection and signed by His own hand. Like so many other significant developments in the icated their lives to His service, had been living with Him course of Meher Baba’s lifetime, the Trust emerged in for several decades. Few of them had ever known a life response to a specific practical situation. In the late apart from Him, and they had never developed inde1950s May Lundquist, a Baba lover from Australia, pendent means of supporting themselves in the material wanted to make a significant donation to Baba and His sense. Of course these great lovers of the Lord, childlike in work. Now until this time, Meher Baba had been high- their faith in their Master, never gave a thought to the matly selective on the matter of who He would accept ter of what would become of them in their later years. money from. Indeed, most of the contributions that had But Baba’s ways were always practical; and as the true supported His work in the financial sense had come Compassionate Father, He wanted to ensure for the profrom a small number of intimate disciples, such as vision of the basic necessities of food, shelter, and clothing Nariman, Meherjee, or Elizabeth. Much of the time the for these close ones after He had passed away.

Ramjoo Abdulla, one of Baba’s mandali from the early 1920s, had for a long time played the role of “Baba’s lawyer”; for though he had no formal legal training, Baba would often call upon him when legal questions arose. One day, when the matter of May Lundquist’s donation was being discussed among the mandali, Eruch suggested the creation of a trust. Baba liked the idea, and the assignment was given to Ramjoo. As usual in the summer months, Baba was residing in Guruprasad in Poona. With Baba’s go-ahead, Ramjoo undertook the composition of a draft of a trust deed, and each day in Guruprasad he would discuss it with Baba. When this preliminary work was completed, Ramjoo took the draft to a lawyer in Bombay, who finalized the text and prepared it for execution. On 6th April 1959, Meher Baba traveled by car from Guruprasad to Meherabad where, in the presence of the sub-registrar from Ahmednagar, He put His signature on the Trust Deed. Also present on the occasion were the ten original trustees—Kutumb Shastri (the first Chairman), Mani, Ramjoo, Adi (Baba’s secretary), Meherjee, Nariman, Pendu, Vishnu, Padri, and Kaka Baria. Eruch and Goher appended their signatures to the document as witnesses. This original Trust Deed, which is the first foundation and authorization for the Trust and its activities, is currently housed in the Trust Office in Ahmednagar. TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Signatures of the ten original Trustees

How to Contribute The Avatar Meher Baba Trust is supported entirely by love-gifts from Meher Baba’s lovers around the world. In truth, it is Baba Himself who gives through your hands, and it is Baba Himself who brings these objects to completion, objects that He Himself laid down in the Trust Deed, when it pleases Him to do so. For those who have not taken the opportunity to contribute, here is how. In the UK, please send your tax-deductible contribution to Avatar Meher Baba Association, c/o Sue Chapman, 2 Chapel Hill Row, Craster, Northumberland NE66 3TU, tel. 01 665 57 69 57, e-mail suchapman@hotmail.com. In the United States, persons who wish to make taxdeductible contributions or wish to name the Trust as a beneficiary in their will, 401K, IR A, or insurance policy should contact Emory and Susan Ayers P.O. Box 398 Mystic CT 06355 (tel. 860-535-0370, e-mail TrustPlan@ambppct.org). They will send you relevant information along with a list of eight Meher Baba taxexempt organizations that have grants in place to

tions to the three grants—and expenditures; it provides support the Trust. These include a Trust Development Plan grant, an Operating Expense grant, and a grant for as well a current and projected expenditures report for the Trust Development Plan. the construction of the Memorial Tower. More information can be found in the Trust’s web Baba lovers from other parts of the world should send site at www.avatarmeherbabatrust.org. contributions directly to the AMBPPC Trust, Post Bag No. 31, King’s Road, Ahmednagar 414001, Maharashtra State, India. W H AT I S T H E AVATA R M E H E R B A B A T R U S T ? A fuller public CREATED IN 1959 under Meher message through melas, lectures, publica- text of your message the words: Baba’s direction and bearing His signature tion, and the arts; and for spiritual training. “subscribe tavern-talk.” Pilgrims accounting on Trust on its Deed, the Avatar Meher Baba Trust The Trust’s current Development Plan seeking accommodation at Meherabad finances is provided had at its founding two purposes: to focuses on the creation of new can address their emails to provide means of subsistence to certain facilities for pilgrim accommodation at pimco@avatarmeherbabatrust.org annually in the Trust named disciples of Meher Baba’s, and to Meherabad and other goals. (to stay at the Meher Pilgrim Retreat) or to fulfill certain charitable objects. Today, the Inquiries and contributions can be Financial Report, sent jaibaba@ambppct.org (for Hostel D). Other first of these functions is discharged under sent to: The Chairman, Avatar Meher Baba information can be found on the Avatar out with the June letter “Avatar Meher Baba Trust, Firstly,” and Trust, King’s Road, Post Bag 31, Meher Baba Trust’s web site at the second under “Avatar Meher Baba Ahmednagar 414 001, M.S., India. http://www.avatarmeherbabatrust.org of this newsletter and Perpetual Public Charitable Trust.” Subscriptions to this newsletter can be (or http://www.ambppct.org). posted on the Trust The Trust Deed calls for maintenance sent to that address or to: Avatar Meher In His Service is the newsletter of the Avatar of Avatar Meher Baba’s Tomb and the Baba Foundation, PO Box 398, Mystic, CT Meher Baba Trust; all articles and other material web site. The Financial creation of pilgrim facilities; for education- 06355-0398, USA (tel. 860-535-0370, are compiled under the direction of the Chairman. al, medical, veterinary, and other charitaReport details and email EAyers88@comcast.net). To Issued biannually, it is designed and published by ble services; for estate development and subscribe to Tavern Talk (the Trust’s Sheriar Press, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA. breaks down informaprocurement of sources of water; for the electronic newsletter), send an email to All articles are copyrighted © 2012 Avatar Meher promulgation of Avatar Meher Baba’s love- Listserv@ambppct.org and include in the Baba P.P.C. Trust, Ahmednagar, India . tion on Trust receipts— Donations and inquiries should be sent to: The Avatar Meher Baba Trust, including current donaPost Bag No. 31, King’s Road, Ahmednagar 414 001, Maharashtra State, India.

SHERIAR FOUNDATION

WINTER 2013

Love is in the Air We can still hardly believe it ourselves. The new bookstore is such a large, inviting space, has such a great feeling in it and people are consistently telling us how much they love it. The open space, the natural light, the easy to browse layout and the improved organization make spending time here a real delight. The atmosphere is light, comfortable, clean and friendly. Virtually across the street from the

Center, the location is much more convenient to Center guests as well as to many locals in the surrounding neighborhoods. There’s always plenty of parking (including for our bookstore events) and some people even arrive by foot or bicycle. Now open through lunch and seven days a week, Sheriar Books is available daily for those seeking the restorative power of Baba’s Love. Or if you’re in need of free wi-fi and coffee, we’ve got that too.

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 603 B RIARWOOD D R ., M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29572 • P HONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX: (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

Baba’s Love at Work Inside the Prison Walls or many years, Sheriar Foundation has had a program in place for making books available to people in prison. One can only imagine how much comfort contact with Him can provide to people in such difficult circumstances. The story of our poignant and growing relationship with one particular prisoner is something we’d like to share with you here. This prisoner has been in jail since he was 14 and was recently sentenced to sixty-five years to life. The book that we send out most often is Discourses and after this prisoner first read it, he wrote, “Sometimes I’ll read something and just get stuck in wonder for a minute at how others cannot see the Truth written all over the place in His works.” In his growing love for Baba, he has spoken with many fellow prisoners about Him. His fellow inmates even started adding “Baba” to the end of his first name. Soon letters from prisoners connected to this one person started pouring in and a steady flow of Baba books were streaming out the door. This special prisoner has referred over 20 other prisoners to us who have written requesting Baba literature. Mainly from California but also from Virginia, Florida, Texas, Oregon, North Carolina and Minnesota. Reading his letters and witnessing his incredible attitude in the face of such a situation certainly puts things into perspective. This prisoner and his cell mate read a chapter from Baba’s Discourses each night after dinner. He wrote this about it, “Just when you think you’re somewhat familiar with the beauty in Baba’s Discourses, He then tends to hit you with another fullfledged burst of beauty from left field, which draws you even closer to Him.” Another prisoner who received a copy of God Speaks wrote, “God Speaks blew my wig all the way back.” As a thank you for the Baba books that we have sent to this special prisoner, he has sent in return a series of beautiful pencil drawings of Baba. One of these drawings is now framed and hangs above the Sheriar Foundation literature shelves in the new store and is shown as an inset in this article. Over the years we have received more than a dozen letters from him along with a number of his pencil drawings. In one letter he wrote, “Since He has blessed me with conviction, I can’t get enough of Him. . . . What’s funny is that, even today I can still say, ‘Baba was neither accepted nor rejected consciously’. Thus it must follow that He snuck into my house like a perfect thief in the night and – quietly and quickly stole my heart.’ “

We’re Reaching More and More People on Facebook

Activity on the Sheriar Books Facebook page has really taken off over the last year. We’re posting all kinds of great content almost every day and we’re getting more and more comments and “likes” from the Baba community all over the world. Naturally

enough, our most “popular” posts tend to be photos and quotes of the Beloved. Many of these have reached between 1000 and 2000 people and we get a real kick out of seeing that happen. We’re also seeing many of our Facebook friends sharing the posts that we publish and that’s also emotionally uplifting. So thanks for your support and interest. And please “like” our page if you haven’t already done so.

It’s Been Quite a Year This has been a momentous year for Sheriar Foundation. Usually most of what we report on in our end of the year newsletter revolves around new publications that we have produced or that are in the pipeline for the future. As it happens, there are a good number of major publications coming up in the next few years but none of them were ready for publication in 2013. And that was probably a good thing as it allowed us to really concentrate our time and

resources on relocating the Sheriar Bookstore to a wonderful new space and location. If you haven’t stopped by our new bookstore yet (or spent any time on our Facebook page), we invite you to do so at your next opportunity. As we hope you know by now, Sheriar Foundation does depend on donations from people who want to support the work that we do. After many years of planning, this year we moved ahead with the bookstore relocation and all of the

unusual expenses that came along with that change. The space itself was made available to us at a very reasonable rental cost but we did major interior renovations and improvements at our own expense. Additionally, we needed to get all kinds of new fixtures and furniture in order to make the best use of the space and to do so in a way that would create an inviting and warm atmosphere for our guests. All of this represented an unusual financial outlay for us and makes this a

year in which we would be particularly appreciative of donations that would help us offset some of those costs. We know there are many wonderful, deserving Baba causes and that we all have limited financial means. We are always appreciative and touched when anyone feels moved to be of help to Sheriar Foundation. If you feel so inclined, please remember that all donations are tax deductible.

Time’s Almost Up Choose from four beautiful 2014 calendars and please keep in mind that supplies are limited.

The special Christmas sale pricing shown below is good through the end of this year.

Our year long 2013 sale on these three items is almost over. If you’re interested, please order by December 31st. Paperback

$12.50

Paperback

$10

$25

REDUCED FROM $14.95

REDUCED FROM $35

Hardcover

$14.99

$50 DVD

REDUCED FROM $100

$15 REDUCED FROM $30

Set of Two Books

$25

$14.99

REDUCED FROM $42 Hardcover

$30 REDUCED FROM $45

$14.99

SHERIAR FOUNDATION R

FALL 2015

The Joyous Path The Life of Avatar Meher Baba’s Sister, Mani

Sheriar Foundation is delighted to announce that

Mani’s total, life-long devotion to her brother,

Heather Nadel’s long-anticipated two-volume book,

the God-Man. The story takes shape from Mani’s

The Joyous Path: The Life of Avatar Meher Baba’s

Blue Bus Tour and New Life diaries, from

Sister, Mani is now available. The manuscript, a

recordings of her talks in Mandali Hall, from

labor of love, has been crafted over a period of

her early letters, and from many other ﬁrst-hand

sixteen years. The complex challenge of integrating

source materials.

the variety of visual and textual elements into a cohesive book began in January 2013. Drawing from her many years of working closely with Mani, as one of her personal assistants, Heather has created a deep, masterful portrait of

This two-volume, 1,170-page, hardcover edition includes 400 photographs and images, many of which have not been available before. The Joyous Path is available from Sheriar Books online (sheriarbooks.org) for $95 plus shipping.

S HERIAR F OUNDATION / 603 B RIARWOOD D RIVE , M YRTLE B EACH , SC 29572 • P HONE : (843) 272-1339 • FAX : (843) 361-1747 • E MAIL : laura@sheriarbooks.org • W EBSITE : www.sheriarbooks.org

T H E J O Y O U S PAT H

Mani’s Story Unfolds with Narrative, Photographs, and Reproduction of Diaries Sample pages from The Joyous Path show how the various phases of Mani’s life 186

with Baba have been woven into a cohesive story. The beautifully written

THE JOYOUS PATH / PART II

258

Himself. They could have brought ﬁfty children and Baba would have given the same love to each one.

narrative by Heather Nadel, interwoven with photographs—some quite rare— and reproductions from Mani’s diaries, creates a vivid picture of Mani’s life. The story begins with her early days with Baba in Part One, “God’s Sister,” which describes her life before joining Baba’s ashram and living with Him. Part Two, “To Be With You Always,” begins in November 1932, one month before her

Telling this story, Mani would add, “So I tell the young ones who are coming now: Who knows? Some of you may be some of those babies that Baba handled with so much love.” Mani said that later when she was much better, Baba started coming to the hospital only once a day. But the nurses would still wait for the car both times, and when it wouldn’t come they would say, “Your Baba didn’t come today.” Naja would reply, “No, His sister is much better now so Baba only comes in the afternoon.” And their faces would fall. “Oh,” they would say, “But we like Baba! We like that Baba comes every day.” “We have seen this silent romance again and again with people who did not know Baba,” Mani said, “who are what we would call strangers to Him, recognising Him and being drawn to Him.”

fourteenth birthday when she left her family and home to join Baba. This period

THE BLUE BUS

WAR AND THE BUILD-UP TO THE SURPRISE

In September of 1938, just as everyone began to get used to the new life on Meherabad Hill, Baba began hinting at a surprise ahead. At the same time, He started speaking of war, the storm-cloud gathering over the world.

includes her life with Baba on The Blue Bus Tours, her participation in The New Life, and her travels to the West—and concludes with The Great Darshan in 1969. Part Three, “Continuing On,” poignantly describes the last twentyseven years of her life after Baba dropped His body—what Mani called “Act Two” of Baba’s Advent: the time when His mandali and those who had known

Mani at eighteen, hamming as an “old woman” on the left and as a “stern matron” on the right. (Picture taken by Beheram in Bombay when she was there for a short time after her operation.)

Him in physical form lived on, sharing their memories.

528

THE JOYOUS PATH / PART II

664

THE JOYOUS PATH / PART II

The Hall began as a roomy garage for Elizabeth’s car and then became a stable for the horse Sheba. In the later years it was, as Mani described it in the Family Letters, “a ‘sitting room,’ with a tin roof and crude ﬂooring, unfurnished except for a chair for Baba and a bench and strip of carpet for the mandali to sit on, where Baba spends most of the mornings and afternoons with them.” Almost all the small darshans and singing programs that Baba allowed at Meherazad in these years were held in the Hall. Baba would eat lunch back in the house around 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. For some years He would eat lunch in the sitting room, seated on the gaadi. Naja would bring His food there, and Mehera would serve Him on a tray. Some years He had lunch at the dining table. (In the very last years—’67 and ’68 were very heavy years, Goher said—He would eat in His room, as He was very tired when He came in from the Hall after doing His seclusion work. Goher remembered, “He always looked very

THE LAST TWELVE YEARS

665

sad and depressed and, you know, burdened. And we could do little to help Him in any way. We used to sit around and be very quiet—not disturb Him.”) Goher recalled that after lunch, Baba would go to His room and sit or rest on His bed while Mani read out loud from a book, or Rano read to them from, say, Time magazine or the newspaper. The others would sit around Him, until He told Mani to stop the reading. At that point the women would go out of the room, or else sit there very quietly while Baba rested. He would have tea about 3:30 or 4:00 p.m., in His room or sometimes at the dining table. “Teatime at Meherazad is a happy hour for us women,” Mani wrote to the Family, “when we sit together at the dining table with the Beloved; and mingling with snatches of conversation and the tinkle of teaspoons in cups, is the music from our transistor radio—occasionally accompanied by heavy snores from our old Cocker-spaniel [Peter]

Mani’s New Life diary, recounting visits to Baba’s cave near Hyderabad.

But soon after her surgery, she found herself longing to go back to Baba. So she left early: 25. Came home – She would always remember how touched she was to see Baba and Mehera standing on the front steps of the house to welcome her home, with a special get-well present of a portable radio. Mani said that Baba was very pleased that she had eschewed extra days of hospital rest to come home to Him early. On August 27 she wrote: 27. Baba has surprises – One of them is radio – helped lot during convalescent period.

The sitting room with Baba’s gaadi today, remaining as it was in His time.

Baba reclining on His gaadi in the 1950s.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE GILES

Tiffin Lectures to be Released in the Fall of 2016 Sheriar Foundation is pleased to announce that Tiffin Lectures by Meher Baba will be available in the fall of 2016. A collection of

2 23 3

M ME EH HE ER RA AB BA AD D

fifty-one lectures given by Baba from 1926–27, Tiffin Lectures has been meticulously worked on by editors, translators, and

HURSDAY , 20 TH MAY 1926 1 TTHURSDAY , 29 TH A PRIL 1926

illustrators for almost two decades. A record of dictations given out by Meher Baba mostly in English and Gujarati between April 1926 and August 1927,

At the Thursday afternoon tea Late in the afternoon on most Thursdays during 1926, party, as “The Combined Meher Baba with the mandali would walk

“Thursday Tiffin Lectures,” as the principal source manuscript is entitled, was never published during its author’s own lifetime. It survived in the form of typed and handwritten manuscripts that, while known to some of the older members of Meher Baba’s mandali and preserved at Meherazad and other places, had, with the death of that older generation, receded into obscurity and largely been forgotten. Its rediscovery and publication, almost nine decades after its original composition and transcription, will bring

Diary” relates, from Meherabad to the home of Baba’s disciple Kaka Shahane in Arangaon village. There they would be fêted “Shrī beautifully with chāy and snacks—a real treat in those days of early explained the external Meherabad austerity. Baba would hold forth on whatever signs of a Sadguru’s topic he wanted to dilate upon for the internal working. The right

to the world an extraordinary treasury of some of the early words and discourses of the Avatar, given out by Him through the medium of live “talks” with His close male disciples during the

occasion; and this is the source of the designation hand and the right leg of

period when their initial training was still in progress and the first

“Thursday Tiffin Lectures” on the cover of one of the a Master, when brought

phases of Meher Baba’s work were approaching their culmination.

principal manuscripts. Though none of the early diary

Some of the topics in the lectures emerged out of discussions between Baba and the men gathered with Him in Meherabad.

sources mention where this the first of the talks in the

They cover a wide range of subjects, such as “On Fears—Vague and Real,” “The Difference between Knowledge and Understanding,” “Truth and Religion,” and “What is LUCK?” The history of the manuscript described in the Supplement gives a vivid glimpse of Meherabad at that time. The book also includes illustrations based on diagrams in the original manuscript, photographs of early Meherabad, and an Index. An excerpt of the introduction of the third lecture given by Baba on 20th May 1926.

got taken over by the hospital, in September 1925

Meherabad ashram in the mid-1920s, Meher Baba used

a new residential hall was opened for them, the

ashram had quickly evolved into a booming colony

different sites for His sleeping and work, sometimes

Makan-e-Khas or “House of the Chosen Ones,” located,

based on the highest spiritual philosophy and hosting a

putting up for the night in the Post Office, sometimes

like the Sai Darbar, Hazrat Babajan School, and Post

constellation of activities and institutions in the humani-

retiring in the Jhopdi, sometimes retiring to the Water

Office, in the strip of land between the Ahmednagar-

tarian and charitable sphere.

Tank on Meherabad Hill. The mandali, for their part,

Daund Road and the railway tracks.

resided initially in the Mess Quarters; but as this space

By the beginning of 1926, in short, the Meherabad

From the history of Tiffin Lectures in the Appendix of Tiffin Lectures

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MSI COLLECTION

During this phase of the first great flowering of the

Looking Back. Looking Forward. As 2015 comes to a close, we are very happy to have completed the many-layered publication process of The Joyous Path. Our heartfelt congratulations go first to Heather Nadel for her extraordinary labor of love. In addition, many people worked beautifully together behind the scenes to help bring this book to life in a wonderfully collaborative way. Also, a special thanks to those of you who generously provided the funding that made it possible for us to produce this two-volume masterwork.

This year three incredibly good concerts and two wonderful talks drew appreciative crowds to Sheriar Books.

Additional funding support will be needed to help with the publication costs of Tiffin Lectures, another upcoming major publishing project for us. Donations are also needed to help with the operating costs of our bookstore. It is amazing to us that the level of sales of books connected to or by Meher Baba Himself have seen no real increase in the 45 years that we have been publishing this priceless material (Sheriar Press began its publishing work in 1971 and Sheriar Foundation has carried that forward since 1989). Among

other things, this means that our publishing activities are not financially self-sustaining and our ability to continue to publish books remains dependent on contributions from people who wish to support the work that Sheriar Foundation does. We have enjoyed another wonderful year in our new bookstore. People continue to give us feedback about how warm and inviting the atmosphere in the bookstore is. It’s a great place to browse, to listen to Baba music, to watch Baba videos, to dig into our wonderful collection

of photographs of Baba, and to enjoy free coffee and Wi-Fi. It’s ok if you want to buy something too. Of course, you can also order from us online at sheriarbooks.org, as well as follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. If you are actually reading this article, we thank you for taking the time to do so. If you would like to help us financially, we always appreciate donations of any size, all of which are tax-deductible.

NEW RELEASES TO BRIGHTEN Y O U R H O L I D AY S Avatar Meher Baba Calendar 2016

Hafiz Calendar 2016

Rumi Calendar 2016

A perennial favorite

Versions by Daniel Ladinsky

Versions by Michael Green

$13.50

$14.99

C Ds

BOOKS

The Lord of Love Jim Meyer’s new collection of songs honoring the Lord.

Darryl Smith’s new collection of songs with harmonies by Susan Smith and Margo Saunders

$15.00

Beloved Songs

Divine Drama: The Valiant Life of Charles B. Purdom A biography of Baba’s biographer, Charles Purdom, by Bob Mossman. Paperback $25.00

(above, clockwise) Bill LePage, Richie Blum, Buz Connor, Michelle Schafer (below) Ted Judson accompanied by Cathy Riley

You’re All There Is

Jai Baba Collection of five Billy Goodrum favorites that were never recorded. With Pamela Goodrum, Meherwan Irani, Rose Goodrum on vocals (Rose on organ too), and Ben Goodrum on piano.

Buz Connor’s new collection of songs accompanied by Mike Hansen, Billy Goodrum, Mark Trichka, Lisa Brande, Patrick O’Neil, Jeff Maquire, Jane Brown, Diane Tower-Jones, Annabelle Goodrum, and Ed Dennis. $15.00

$ 7.00

Love of My Life

SHERIAR FOUNDATION was formed in 1989 as an independent, non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. The purpose of the Foundation is to broaden awareness and deepen the appreciation of the spiritual values exemplified in the life and

New Collection of songs by Izzy James inspired by the Divine.

One Fine Thread: Talks about Meher Baba A collection of talks written by Kitty Davy between 1968 and 1990. Paperback $19.95

$15.00

writings of Meher Baba.