Conversations about Meher Baba

Late Night Chat with Jeff Wolverton: Effort and Grace, March 12, 2023, 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: Delving into Effort and GraceDear folks of Baba, This Sunday and for the next two Sundays we will again explore Darwin Shaw’s book, Effort and Grace, which is an in-depth inquiry into the inner life with Baba. It describes one of the major approaches to Baba by one who was devoted to Him for over 70 years, which culminated in a glorious intimacy with Him. Darwin was always so encouraging and optimistic in what we can do to open up to Baba’s immediate loving presence. He asserts that many of the blocks to this intimacy can be removed by our efforts and by inviting Baba’s ongoing intervention and grace. This Sunday we continue with the chapter, Our Master’s Loving Help, beginning on page 14. Darwin explores the work of maintaining our inner connection with Baba as the means of gradually freeing ourselves from our attachment to the drama of the world and all its binding opposites. Darwin delves into how to rise to the level of the spirit in our love for Baba and become a compassionate onlooker of this world. As always, he is very encouraging and hopeful that this loving state with Baba is ever-present within us, always within our reach, and in the later chapters, he explores our many resistances to such an intimacy. I once asked Darwin, “What is the biggest mistake the Baba lovers are making?” He replied with empathy, “They think of themselves as small and they remain small. Think big! Think outside even the conventional spiritual box.” The unspeakable awaits us. Each session evokes invaluable discussion that does not require having attended the previous sessions; each section stands alone and provides a window into the inner life of the lover/Beloved relationship and is virtually independent, like facets of one diamond—Baba. Everyone is invited to ask questions and share examples from their own inner life. We left off on page 12, and we will begin with the section on “The Master’s Loving Help.” Over the next chapters, Darwin makes an intensive exploration into the many illusions we buy into, not realizing how they prevent us from enjoying the precious intimacy that Baba is waiting to share with us. For those who do not have a copy of the book, below is an attachment for following along:https://issuu.com/ompoint/docs/shaw_effort_graceTo 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 Margi Connor & Peter Goodman: AMB Heartland Center, March 9, 2023, on Baba Zoom

Late night chat centered around our Beloved. A sharing of hearts led by Margi Connor and Peter Goodman.Jai Baba!This week we have two very special guests-Alisa Genovese and Pamela Butler-Stone. They will be talking about the Heartland Center in OK. I just recently visited and had an incredibly power time. By Baba’s happenstance, just after I arrived in Asheville, Alisa and I connected and thought it would be great to have her and Pamela share about the center in Prague along with all the efforts being made to make it a place of pilgrimage for all. Alisa Genovese: Has been a Baba-Lover since age 19, over 40 years. She was fortunate to have been reunited with Him so young and grew up under His Wing. She heard His name from a friend while in college at UC Santa Barbara, who became her first true introduction into her life path with Baba. She has an MA in psychology and a private practice specializing in Graceful Life Transitions. Baba is the guiding force behind all she does. She is currently working on a project in conjunction with the Heartland Center in Prague OK to acquire and memorialize the sacred sites related to Baba’s 1952 accident and recuperation.Pamela Butler-Stone had been searching since childhood for what was real, and finally learned of Meher Baba from her art teacher in college, Enfield Richmond. As soon as she saw Baba‘s face and read His words on a small card, she knew that this was who she had been seeking her whole life.In the world, she is an artist, photographer, interior, designer, and president of the Avatar Meher Baba Heartland Center. In all of these roles, she tries to be true to Baba‘s message “To penetrate into the essence of all being and significance, and to release the fragrance of that inner attainment for the guidance and benefit of others, by expressing in the world of forms, truth, love purity, and beauty… “They will be sharing a bit about the history of Baba’s accident, as well as what the current state of the center is. Feel free to raise your hands and ask any questions.Talk to you all soon!In His Love,Margi and PeterTo 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 Wolverton: Making Others Happy, March 5 2023, 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: Making Others HappyDear folks of Baba, Baba has said, “True happiness lies in making others happy.” What does He mean by "making others happy?" How are we to relate this to others? They might think that getting their way will make them happy. But we all know that usually doesn't work. Merely giving in to others and doing what they want can put us in the position of being taken advantage of. Is being acknowledged (BEING SEEN), loved and appreciated what makes us most happy, to know that we are being supported in our relationship with Baba and experience a feeling of belonging? Baba has said that we should give happiness to others even at sacrifice to ourselves. How much of our own happiness should we sacrifice? And then there is the question of how intimately we should be involved with others. Baba once gave as a guideline, “Not too near, not too far.” This is something very difficult to determine, because our natures are so different. What is intimate for one person may seem distant for someone else. The mandali were very personal with us, taking a deep interest in our lives with Baba, not just during our visit to India but in many cases for the rest of our lives. They made sacrifices for our spiritual well-being, always supporting our lives with Baba. What does it mean to foster the spiritual well-being of others? Are there ways that we (though not having their gifts) can follow their example? The author Andre Gide has this phrase: "simply a DISPOSITION TO WELCOME." This brings up the importance of right adjustment to others. When we think of Baba's telling us that “right adjustment to others" is his preference, how does this translate into our behavior? Is it different for different people? There are so many ways to respond to others: being neutral, civil, pleasant, kind, friendly, personal. What is required to discern the appropriate response in each situation? How well do we have to know someone? Can we truly assess how needy they might be, or their capacity to be receptive? What about our own comfort level, our social adeptness? And then can we handle rejection, if we don't get it right? What level of intimacy is being called for? Is being FRIENDLY enough? This might imply a certain distance, or reserve. If we are concerned for the well-being of others, are we not called to be more involved, more caring, more PERSONAL? (But, is there a danger of being intrusive?) Mother Teresa put it so devotedly: "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one come to you without leaving happier.” (Could Baba mean that we are ALSO to be in readiness to make sacrifices for the spiritual well-being of others, which unfortunately may not satisfy what they want?) A tall order. How do YOU apply that injunction to make others happy, to put others' comfort before our own? Please feel free to share some examples.In His love with great help from dear friends, 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 Margi Connor & Peter Goodman: Unworthiness, March 2, 2023, live on Baba Zoom

Late night chat centered around our Beloved. A sharing of hearts led by Margi Connor and Peter Goodman.Jai Baba, all.I know this is a bit early in the week for an email to go out, but I have very limited internet access and wanted to get it out to you all ASAP.After we ended the last late night chat this topic came to me so strongly, most likely because it has been such a prevalent theme in my life with Baba. Most of us struggle with unworthiness on some level. At the end of the day, the feeling of unworthiness is attachment to the ego and a sense of self disguised as martyred selfness. Is this something that has played out in your life? Has your own feeling of unworthiness ever gotten in the way of you and Baba?When I was younger I was never able to connect to Meherwan Jessawalla because of a deep unconscious unworthiness. He was such a beacon of pure light and I always thought he was so far beyond lowly little me. In hindsight, I can see that my own ego denied me an opportunity to connect with someone who loved our Beloved so dearly. Have you ever had a similar experience or feeling? If you did meet the mandali was this something that came up for you?Is unworthiness the thing we hold on to when Baba has taken everything else away, just so we have something we can identify with? How do we balance being humble and knowing we know nothing with also feeling unworthy of His great Love? Are we meant to have any sense of "worth" at all or is that just a ploy of Maya to have us cling to something? Perhaps the goal is to get to a place of "I don't know my "worth" and only Baba does. This is all just some food for thought to spark all that is inside you. Can't wait to hear your shares.In His Love,Margi and PeterTo 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 Wolverton: Effort and Grace, Feb 26, 2023, live on Baba Zoom

Topic: Delving into Effort and Grace Dear folks of Baba, This Sunday we will again explore Darwin Shaw’s book, Effort and Grace, which is an in-depth inquiry into the inner life with Baba. It describes one of the major approaches to Baba by one who was devoted to Him for over 70 years, which culminated in a glorious intimacy with Him. Darwin was always so encouraging and optimistic in what we can do to open up to Baba’s immediate loving presence. Darwin asserts that many of the blocks to this intimacy can be removed by our efforts and by inviting Baba’s ongoing intervention and grace. Each session evokes invaluable discussion that does not require having attended the previous sessions; each section stands alone and provides a window into the inner life of the lover/Beloved relationship and is virtually independent, like facets of one diamond—Baba. Everyone is invited to ask questions and share examples from their own inner life. We left off on page 12, and we will begin with the section on “The Master’s Loving Help.” Over the next chapters, Darwin makes an intensive exploration into the many illusions we buy into, not realizing how they prevent us from enjoying the precious intimacy that Baba is waiting to share with us. For those who do not have a copy of the book, below is an attachment for following along:https://issuu.com/ompoint/docs/shaw_effort_graceTo 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

Post-Arti Chat, Feb 18, 2023, live on Baba Zoom

We have some informal chat after every arti, the "post-arti party"! Today Ron Greestein shares an inspiring anecdote.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. To join future live events, see www.babazoom.net. Please join our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/meherbabafamily

Late Night Chat with Margi Connor & Peter Goodman: Jasmine Patel, Feb 16, 2023, live on Baba Zoom

Late night chat centered around our Beloved. A sharing of hearts led by Margi Connor and Peter Goodman.Hey Baba Friends/Family,This Thursday evening we have a very special guest, Jasmine Patel who will share Baba stories with us and answer questions. Jasmine's mother, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather met Meher Baba and Jasmine will be telling stories of those experiences.Much Love in Baba,Peter & 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 Wolverton: Effort and Grace, Feb 12, 2023, 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: Effort and GraceDear Folks of Baba, By popular consent, over the next three Sundays we are going to delve into Darwin Shaw’s book, Effort and Grace. It is a classic that deals with one of the major approaches to Baba, the conscious inner journey to an incredible intimacy with our Beloved. It is primarily an approach of the effacement of the ego. Darwin shares with us his own insights gathered from Baba, all the while quoting from Baba’s own words. He takes us on the journey of consciousness beginning first from the head which for almost all people is their base of operations, the realm of beliefs, theories and ideas of right and wrong, good and bad, virtue and vice. From there, after much effort and grace, our consciousness drops down to the inner realm of the heart which then becomes our base of operations. At the superficial level of the heart are the emotions, desires and wants—lust, greed, anger, jealousy, revenge, etc. At the deeper level of the heart are our better angels—the divinely human qualities of patience, empathy, forgiveness, purity, enthusiasm, joy, generosity, creativity, intuition, etc. The battle between the two levels of the heart, as Darwin affirms, is hard-fought, but when our better angels gradually win out, we move toward merging with the soul, divine love, Baba Himself. Darwin goes into great depth with many of the challenges we face along each stage of this journey of consciousness, which evokes excellent discussion. We are not in a hurry going through this profound book, as there are many nuances worthy being delved into. You don’t have to worry if you miss a session. Each session is more or less independent, like facets of one diamond, Baba, and do not have to be followed sequentially. And of course, each session is being recorded if you miss one.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 Margi Connor & Peter Goodman: Grief, Feb 9, 2023, live on Baba Zoom

Late night chat centered around our Beloved. A sharing of hearts led by Margi Connor and Peter Goodman.Jai Baba from India!This topic this week is something that is an inevitable part of the human experience, grief. I was once told that grief is just simply love that has nowhere to go. Somehow this statement pierced through my heart so poignantly that it actually gave my heart permission to feel all that it had been carrying.Along our journeys we are often meyered by the stories, experiences, and emotions of the ego, but I feel grief is something more pure. Oftentimes when we are in an emotional state, our Real selves are unreachable. True grief, in my opinion, is an unadulterated state of the heart and something that brings us ever closer to our Beloved. Is this your experience? Has your avoidance of grief kept you out of your heart leaving you feeling farther away from Him? Were you able to feel your grief and ultimately come to a deeper place afterwards?Mehera was the perfect living example of how to handle grief. What She felt when She lost Her Beloved Baba is something that you or I could not even begin to fathom, but only marvel at Her example. What I find so important to point out and bring to attention is that She didn't repress the pain Her heart felt. She let Herself experience the ache of loss as She needed, then come out of it with poise. Part of me feels that She took on so much of our grief for us.How has grief played a role in your life? Are you experiencing it now? Is it a constant along the path of annihilation or does it come in waves? How do we feel our grief, but also remain cheerful as Baba asks us to?These are just a few questions to inspire the conversation tonight. I can't wait to see where this conversation goes.In His Love,Margi and PeterTo 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 Wolverton: healthy boundaries, Feb 5, 2023, 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: Healthy Boundaries with BabaDear folks of Baba,Baba says, “Real happiness lies in making others happy.” What does Baba mean by this?The topic of personal boundaries is often discussed by those who come to the Center, especially when healthy boundaries are not properly observed by others. The heart, in its effort to make others happy, needs to feel safe and respected for the sake of our own well-being.Baba asks us to love others, but do you find that when your heart is open, you sometimes become a target of those with demanding behavior, who constantly need attention, and who have no qualms about asking things of you? What do you do about it?At work do you find that your employer or fellow employees push the limits of your time and your emotional tolerance? Do you have a hard time drawing the line?Are you sometimes put in an uncomfortable position by those who make romantic and inappropriate advances?Do you find that sometimes your efforts to maintain boundaries only incite more aggressive behavior?What do you do about sarcastic remarks and condescending and demeaning attitudes?Darwin Shaw used to say that with some people it is helpful to keep “a polite distance.”Have you ever felt that your kindness is taken as weakness and taken advantage of?Is it possible to keep an external or emotional distance from others while inwardly keeping our heart open and the love connection intact?When boundaries are not being respected, what methods do you use to safeguard your heart? How does this figure in to long-term relationships?In His love with help from dear friends,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