Conversations about Meher Baba

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Your Baba then and now Part 2, April 7, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Topic: Your Baba, Then and Now, Part 2Dear folks of Baba, As I mentioned in the last email, I thought to have a second session on the topic we just had: how our life with Baba was in the early years and where we find ourselves today. Only a few of you had the opportunity to share, and I find it so interesting how Baba has worked in us over the years to bring us to where we are now. In thinking about my own life, I find that so many different themes have emerged, so many aspects to my relationship with Baba that have unfolded over the years, and just one of them could easily make for a substantial check-in. Several examples of these aspects you might consider: your inner relationship with Baba, how you remember Him during the day, your efforts in bringing Him into your work, your struggles with overcoming weaknesses, how your relationship with others has changed, the evolution of your self-esteem and self-compassion, the increasing gratefulness over the years, the development of your intuition and receptivity to grace. There so many aspects to how Baba has entered our lives. In our session two weeks ago, I found it very touching and engaging to hear how beautifully some of you shared the evolution of your relationship with Baba from the early days up to the present. I find it so helpful in my own life to hear how others experience Baba.I realize that this sharing may be very personal and intimate, and yet hearing from each other can really expand and deepen our view of who Baba is. As I’ve written before, when Eruch was asked how we could keep Baba from becoming a religion, he said, “If His lovers would get together in small groups and share their mystical experiences, it could be averted.” He said that in 1970, and I think that today he would have used the term, sharing “our inner experiences of Baba.” How can you make a religion out of so many uniquely different approaches to Baba! Kitty Davy was once asked by a reporter from the Charlotte Observer, “Is Baba a cult?” In her proper and rapid British accent, she replied, “Oh no, no, no. You could never get two Baba lovers to agree on anything!"In His love, JeffTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Your Baba then and now, March 24, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Topic: Your Baba, Then and NowDear Folks of Baba, Recently at our Spring Cleaning Sahavas at the Center, a question for one of the discussion groups was: How has your relationship changed from your early years with Baba 'til now? Here are some questions that might be helpful to consider:Did you come to Baba more or less instantly or was it a slow, evolving process that took place over years?How did you relate to Baba in those formative years, and what early notions did you have about what life with Him would be like?What assumptions did you have in following Baba that are different from what you experience now?Were the early times ones of bliss (the “honeymoon"), and how over the years has your inner experience changed? How did you remember Baba back then and what is your remembrance of Him today?How has your inner life unfolded and has it become more personal?Did you spend time with the mandali and those who met Baba, and what influence did that have on you?Were Baba’s writings instrumental in deepening your relationship with Him?How has Baba helped you with your weaknesses and shortcomings, and how has that affected your experience of yourself?How much have you been able to overcome worry, given Baba’s admonition: “Don’t worry. Be happy.”? Don’t feel you have to answer all of these questions in your sharing. There may be some aspects that stand out more in your “before" with Baba and your “after" with Him. Don’t feel in your sharing you have to be all-comprehensive.In His love, JeffTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Navroz Mubarak! Persian New Year, presented by Mehernous McPherson, March 19, 2024 live on Baba Zoom

A presentation by Mehernoush McPherson.Tech host Gayle Merrill in NCThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Present Moment, March 17, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

The Topic: The Present Moment, the Challenge of Staying in It A friend of mine jokingly refers to what she imagines is the ticker tape of thoughts passing through many people: “I would rather be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else.” This captures the unfortunate mental life of many people today, the inability to remain in the present moment. Baba says, “Live more and more in the present which is ever beautiful and stretches away beyond the limits of the past and the future.” What pulls us out of the present? Why do we so often go back to reliving the past or anxiously anticipating the future? What keeps us from being content and even accepting the present as it is? Is it our attachment to mental comfort, that we don’t like to have to face physical, emotional and mental distress? What if we were to build up our tolerance for mental discomfort? Would we then be able to remain in the present no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in? Baba has said, “Be content with your lot.” Have you experienced, when you find yourself going over the past or envisioning the future, that you lose the feeling of completeness? Is it possible to remain in the present and not go energetically into the past or future? Is there a distinction between going energetically to the past and future rather than letting the past and future come to you in the present? Eruch and Dr. Kenmore, both Baba’s intimate mandali, were once discussing the subject of completeness, and Eruch explained that with Baba, “One feels complete. The feeling of completeness overpowers us. Nothing is wanting, absolutely nothing.” The doctor understood that if a Perfect Master came by and offered Eruch God-Realization, he wouldn’t even take it. What is that state of completeness which Eruch must have been in to not even be tempted by realization? Baba has said, “From childhood to old age we always live in the present.” Without being aware of it, we are constantly leaving the timeless present every moment and habitually stepping into our imagination. And then from there, we wander out into the finite world of time and space, and leave the spontaneity and completeness of the timeless present. From completeness to incompleteness in an instant. We think that this is only natural; this is life. It is our old, old habit. Completeness is love—who we actually are—whereas striving to get something outside of the present commits us to the finite world of cause and effect. Early one morning recently, this question arose in me: why don’t I always feel whole or complete? Baba responded to me with an entire discourse in a millisecond. In trying to put His momentary flash of insight into English, I understood Him to convey, “It is because of one fundamental attachment, the one underlying all your other attachments: your attachment to 'mental comfort'. If you could bear extreme mental discomfort in the present, you would remain whole. But, when you find yourself ‘uncomfortable,' you always try to escape this moment into thoughts of the future or the past, or you seek some distraction in the present. You leave the timeless present where I am truly found and enter the passing world of time and space, what you call life. You do not fully embrace what is, and so you remain incomplete.” I am reminded of an earlier experience in the mid-1970s with Eruch. One day, with many young Baba lovers gathered in Mandali Hall, Eruch was telling stories of being with Baba in his casual and relaxed and loving way. At one point, when there was a pause in the sharing, I observed Eruch and unexpectedly saw him through a different lens within and blurted out, “Eruch, I have a feeling that if I were to inhabit your body for half an hour, all I would want to do is go unconscious and asleep!” He gave me a momentary flash of acknowledgement, so instantaneous that I may have been the only one who caught his look. He said nothing in response, but I felt sure that I had stumbled upon something profound. I had felt for some time that he was bearing tremendous inner suffering for Baba while always appearing relaxed and easy-going with us. I knew that if I were to inhabit his body, I would be absolutely crushed! There is a Zen saying, “If you want to know where eternity is, it is no further than this moment. If you fail to find it in this present moment, you will not find it even in a thousand years.” What situations in your life keep you from staying in the present moment? What methods do you turn to to remain in the present moment and not always be pulled energetically into the past or future? Do you find that thinking about the past or future robs you of your wholeness or completeness? What was your experience of time in early childhood? In His love,Jeff--This event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. See babazoom.net for more details

Late Night Chat with Margi Connor: Clearing Debris from the Heart, March 14, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

Late night chat centered around our Beloved. A sharing of hearts.Hi everyone and Jai Baba!Been thinking much of you all and am looking forward to reconnecting this week. This topic is very nuanced and perhaps something we spend our entire life attempting to do. That is clearing the debris from our hearts in order to allow them to flow freely. I have been working with the wonderful book called Heal Your Broken Heart, not because I went through a recent breakup or for any specific reason, but just because I could feel a blockage in my heart recently that isn't allowing love to pass through. Our hearts are so tender and so easily broken, but do we really ever take the time to properly heal from heartache? Sure, this may come in the form of an ex partner, but how about the heartache of losing touch with your childhood best friend or when you weren't included in something in school. I think collectively all of those experiences build debris around that heart that has to be acknowledged.In this book it asks you to take inventory of every time you have had your heart broken. Try it. It is more than you think, I promise you. By doing this exercise, I realized I was meeting my heart with so much judgment and criticism, saying "Why can't you be more open? Why can't you just get over it? What's wrong with you?" All of these heartbreaks have been filed away somewhere and directly impacted my ability to love without a filter or being guarded.I share this with you all, not just to tell you about my inner life, but to hopefully begin to share the story of our hearts and clear away more debris together. Maybe our hearts aren't in need of fixing, but in need of listening and care. Careful pruning of the old foliage that has gotten in the way. How can we meet our hearts and acknowledge that they have in fact been broken and need healing? Looking forward to seeing where this conversation goes.In His Love,MargiTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, please contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Tony Paterniti, March 10, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Topic: Tony Paterniti’s Baba StoryDear Folks of Baba, Tonight we have with us as our guest the large-hearted, ebullient and talented Tony Paterniti who will share his touching Baba story. Growing up in Queens, NY, Tony’s unexpected life-changing moment came at the age of 16 during an experience that happened at the very moment Baba dropped His body in India on the 31st of January, 1969. This was the profound beginning of his journey with Baba that led to many colorful adventures as his life unfolded and brought him to India in the early 1970s. He had many invaluable interactions with the mandali which he has shared with us over the years. He also spent weekends attending the powerful gatherings with Dr. Harry Kenmore, one of Baba’s intimate disciples, whose talks had a great influence on his inner life. Besides composing and singing many touching Baba songs and stints as an actor, Tony worked for years at the United Nations before retiring. He and his wife, Ziek, look so lovingly after their autistic daughter, Elena, who appears occasionally with him on our zoom sessions. Be prepared for Tony’s vivid and vulnerable sharing of his life with Baba. He is open to any questions from us along the way.In His love, JeffTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Obedience, March 3, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Dear folks of Baba, Many of us are reluctant to get near the subject of obedience, not even with a ten-foot pole! And I’m sure we all have many war stories that could be told. I have found here at the Center that this subject is one of the least discussed topics among Baba lovers. Why is that? Probably because it is so personal, and to talk about our struggles involved in trying to obey Baba leaves us very vulnerable. And yet obedience is central to this life with Baba. He holds out to us the highest ideals: forgiveness, honesty, freedom from worry, empathy for others, generosity, patience and cheerfulness, to name a few, and it is profoundly challenging to live such a life. For some, obedience can seem like an external and uncomfortable constraint on their behavior, and each one has his or her own personal definition of what obedience means to them and what they are capable of at any given time. Most Baba lovers say in retrospect that, even though Baba’s stress on obedience can sometimes seem like an imposition in the short term, it has led ultimately to an increasing experience of inner freedom. We are a mixture of love and selfishness, and so to “disobey” so to speak, comes with the territory of being human. In my own particular definition of obedience, I take it that living from the loving side of myself is obedience, and when I go against love and am selfish, I take that as a form of disobeying my deeper self. In my earlier years with Baba, I had to struggle like most of us with lust, greed, anger, criticalness, fear and all the other selfish inclinations, and when I went against doing the loving thing, I would have to struggle to get back on my feet. That struggle was for me an inevitable and essential part of leading the spiritual life. In those years I would sometimes beat myself up for falling short of my ideals, and luckily, Baba was always so forgiving and compassionate, like a most loving mother. In times when it took a long time to get back on track, I came to realize that my self-pity and guilt would only postpone my being loving again, and so my heavy mood would only continue my self-centered focus. Over time, it became vitally important to discern what I was actually capable of in living up to Baba’s ideals. For example, it was obvious that I wasn’t able to live an anger-free life, but I was at least capable of expressing anger a little less. It became clear for my own well-being during certain periods of my life, especially in my youth, to know what my next baby-step was in living up to Baba’s highest ideals. And Baba even sees to it that following Him is not easy. Why is that? He has described His method with us as two steps forward, one step back. When asked why one step back, He said that in going one step back, our pride of progress is being annihilated as we go along. All this that I’ve written hopefully will stimulate discussion of this sometimes uncomfortable topic. How would you define obedience? What have been your struggles? How do you recover when you fall short of what you feel Baba is asking? Do you feel Baba’s support through your struggles. Do you have compassion for yourself? Do you have a healthy balance of self-acceptance and self-improvement? Do you ever feel Baba is disapproving? Do you sense sometimes that you have projected the disapproval of your parents, teachers and others on to Baba? Baba has said, "Obedience seeks the pleasure of the Beloved.” Have you, over the years, become more sensitive to what would please Him? Has it been a process of refinement, and how would you describe that? Do you feel that Baba's emphasis on obedience is really in our own best interests? Have you found that Baba has lovingly turned your weaknesses and shortcomings into humility as well as empathy for others? In His love, JeffTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Chats with Etzion Becker, Feb 27, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

Etzion will tell stories of the mandali. Hosted by Betty Lowman in ORThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Marta Flores, Feb 18, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Dear folks of Baba, Tonight we have as our guest, Marta Flores, who has brightened the Baba world for years with her warm and lively personality. On our late night chats, she is a great participant, always there with a question that opens up the discussion, and she is deeply appreciative of those who share their inner feelings, especially their vulnerable side. She grew up in California, the oldest of a large family which she helped to look after. She attended Catholic schools through high school and was deeply devoted to God and prayed to Him through those early years. She moved to Santa Barbara in 1969 where she has spent most of the rest of her life. It was there in a health food store that she first saw Baba’s name in a copy of His discourses. It all unfolded from there. In the mid-1970s, Marta went to India, knowing very little about Baba. She will tell her touching story in more detail of course. She has been very active over the years with Baba, attending the meetings in Santa Barbara for years, going to many of the LA Sahavases where the mandali and many others who had met Baba shared their stories. Covid brought Marta to the Zoom sessions where her contribution has been so valuable. Even though I’ve known her since the mid-1970s, I am looking forward to hearing the many new details of her life with Baba. Next Sunday is Baba’s Birthday, and I thought to cancel our Zoom session as many of you may have programs to attend on that evening.In His love, JeffTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Bob Jaeger, Feb 11, 2024, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! But once a week, Jeff Wolverton joins us for some serious mining of the spiritual depths. Join us for conversation, more readings, songs, quotes - you never know what treasures will be uncovered! Topic: Bob Jaeger’s Baba StoryDear folks of Baba, As our guest tonight, Bob Jaeger will tell his story of the events leading up to his life with Baba. He heard of Baba in the late 1960s, and like Rich Sander who shared last week, he grew up in Denver, Colorado. Rick Chapman, originally from Denver, met Baba in the mid-1960s, and had an important role in his Baba story. Early on, Bob joined the Denver Baba group which was one of the most active groups in the country, holding weekly meetings, publishing a magazine on psychological research as it relates to Baba, and they organized a number of very moving Sahavas gatherings over the years. Bob himself has written many delightful poems, revealing his intimate devotion to Baba. Some of them are included in a book entitled, "Whistling Past the Tavern". Bob has been an active and much valued participant in our Late Night Chats. He says of himself, “After much wandering, I became a fourth, then a sixth grade teacher and concurrently a husband and father, and more recently a retiree, grandfather, and widower in Englewood where I have lived on and off for many years.” I add that he is a great friend, a sincere and self-effacing lover of our Beloved Baba, with a great sense of humor, a deeply attentive listener and is always ready to share the struggles and breakthroughs of his inner life in our late night gatherings.In His love, JeffTo join the email list for Late Night Chats, contact AngelaThis event was recorded live. To be first to be notified of a new video on this channel, please hit the red subscribe button, then the notifications bell. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily