“His infinite, personal love”

In this inspiring and humorous talk, Jane Haynes shares her life with Baba. She begins with the striking spiritual experience and pull to Myrtle Beach that led her to the Center. Then she recalls her first glimpse of Baba in 1958, her process of recognizing Him as Christ, and the many moments when she felt Him pour out His love.

Video, 1:04:58
Courtesy of the Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California
Uploaded on 10/28/2022

Meher Spiritual Center and Meher Baba’s New Life

Many remain unaware of the significant connections between the Meher Spiritual Center and Meher Baba’s New Life. During the New Life, Meher Baba sold nearly everything He owned and ceased communication with His lovers who were not joining Him on His journey of “hopelessness and helplessness.” However, the Meher Center was one of two properties that remained in His name during the New Life period, and He kept up correspondence with Elizabeth Patterson and Norina Matchabelli regarding their work on the Center throughout. In this video, Jamie and Zo Newell explore these and other deep connections between Meher Spiritual Center and Meher Baba’s New Life.

Video, 41:30
Created by Jamie and Zo Newell in 2019
From the Meher Spiritual Center, Inc. Archives
Uploaded on 10/21/2022

“His silence was so natural, so expressive, that we didn’t even feel like He kept silent”

In this video, Meheru Irani, a close female disciple of Meher Baba, shares memories from the New Life. She describes the months leading up to October 1949, when the “bombshell” of the New Life hit. She recounts the stringent conditions He gave to the small band of Mandali members who were His travel companions. Meheru shares the trials, physical fatigue, and humor of life on the road with the Avatar.

Video: 54:17
Avatar Meher Baba Center, Los Angeles, California, June 1993
Courtesy of the Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California
Uploaded on 10/14/2022

“Love is the only thing that will counteract worry”

Henry Kashouty, a dedicated lover of Baba, tells his story of coming to Baba. He recounts his own pursuit of higher values and a deep desire to acquire these values. On reading the Bhagavad Gita, he wanted to meet a personification of those values. Right away he saw Baba’s face in the book God Speaks and knew that He was God. Henry went on to meet Baba at the Delmonico Hotel in 1956. Through impeccable oration, Henry shares his reflections on the depth of our lives with Baba and the lessons he learned.

Video, 59:38
Washington, D.C., 2003
Courtesy of Murali and Manjusha Kalavapudi
Uploaded on 10/7/2022

Three Incredible Weeks with Meher Baba
In September of 1954, twenty of Meher Baba’s Western male lovers arrived in Meherabad after being personally invited by the Master to spend three weeks in His presence. In this video created in 2007, Bob Fredericks weaves together footage from those incredible weeks along with narration by participant Bill Le Page and Mandali member Meherwan Jessawala, creating a window into this brief, magical period of companionship with God.
Video, 1:32:27
Meherabad, India, September 1954
Courtesy of Bob Fredericks
Uploaded on 9/30/2022
In Conversation with Ward Parks
In this informal conversation with Ward Parks, Preeti Hay interviews him on Meher Baba’s new book, Creation and its Causes (Sheriar Books, 2022). Ward is the editor for this recently published book of thirty-four talks given by Meher Baba to the Meher Ashram boys in 1927 and 1928. The book also contains six additional talks given to the Mandali, along with an extensive introduction to the fascinating period in history. Here, Ward talks about the nature of these talks while acknowledging their inexplicable significance. He dwells on their vivid language, the process of how they were mysteriously found in the1990s, and the importance of such material for the Baba world.
Video, 42:07
Online Interview, September 28, 2022
From the Meher Spiritual Center, Inc. Archives
Uploaded on 9/30/2022
“The most familiar thing in the universe”
In this 1970s era video, a young Charles Haynes talks about his time with Baba at the Center in 1958. Charles relates the sublime experience of being with Baba through the eyes of an eight-year-old child: from his first glimpse of Him in the Lagoon Cabin, to an unforgettable car ride, to a deep and abiding recognition of His love.
Video, 21:14
Courtesy of the Irwin Luck Interview Series
Uploaded on 9/23/2022
“Being here in Baba’s orbit”
In this video from the early 1970s, Phyllis and Lyn Ott welcome us into their home and studio on Meher Spiritual Center. They show some of their transcendental artwork and talk about the process of creating it. They also speak about the timeless moments they spent in the physical presence of the Master, and His constant and continued role in their lives.
Video, 46:59
Myrtle Beach, S.C., 1970s
Courtesy of the Irwin Luck Interview Series
Uploaded on 9/16/2022
“He always loved us more than we can ever possibly love Him”
Kusum Singh had Meher Baba for a neighbor when Baba rented two houses in Dehradun in 1953. She was in her teens when she met Baba for the first time that year. In this video, Kusum and her husband Mohkam Singh weave a captivating story of their times with Meher Baba, recounting Baba not inviting them to a darshan, receiving His private audience, singing for Baba, and humorous incidents around the Master. Their steadfast love of many years for Baba is reflected in this video.
Video, 11:14
Courtesy of the Irwin Luck Interview Series
Uploaded on 9/2/2022
Entertaining Baba
This silent video highlights some of the joyful entertainment put on for Baba at the Center during the 1958 Sahavas. First, Lenny Willoughby leads the crowd in a rousing version of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” with a backup band including Henry Kashouty on the trombone. Then, after a video of Baba being carried in His lift-chair by some of Margaret Craske’s dancers, we see a skit put on by a group of men dubbed, The Alligator Club. In the skit, Dana Field portrays a baby being wheeled around in a wheelbarrow “carriage” by his “mother.” Finally, there is a video of more Alligator Club members before a playful shot of Kitty Davy. Baba said that watching the Alligator Club’s work made Him laugh so hard He almost broke His silence.
Video, 2:27
Meher Spiritual Center, May 1958
Used with permission from Sufism Reoriented
Uploaded on 8/26/2022