Conversations about Meher Baba

Late Night Chat with Jeff: Anatomy of the heart, Feb 2, 2025, 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, Darwin Shaw, one of Baba’s early Western mandali, used to encourage us to scan our interior heart space to discern our reactions and responses to life. To use an analogy, this is like lifting up the hood of a car to study the internal workings of the engine. What was so invaluable that I gathered from Darwin is we can be pro-active about our inner life. We don’t have to be passive observers. Examining the deeper aspects of the heart can contribute greatly to creating inner harmony within ourselves. This focus on being conscious of our interior is one of the major approaches to Baba, but it is not the only one; there are other equally valid approaches. The heart is one of our most prized possessions, but have you noticed that it has distinct and subtle layers? One layer of the heart is more superficial, it reacts to life from the standpoint of our conditioning, and the other responds lovingly to life from the deeper realm of the heart. Our reactions come from two sources: our beliefs based on such standards as good and bad, right and wrong, spiritual and unspiritual, loving and unloving, and reactions also come directly from our cravings and from our negative emotions such as greed, anger, fear, vengeance, jealously, hatred, etc. Our loving responses, on the other hand, have their origin in the Soul that is beyond the heart, but which uses the heart as its vehicle. Examples of loving responses are generosity, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, empathy, humor, purity, understanding, enthusiasm and courage. Have you been able to discern the qualitative differences between reactions as opposed to loving responses to life? Can you tune into the differences in vibration and the atmosphere that is created around you when responding to life? Have you noticed that emotion, desires and feelings tend to be excitement-based, and love is more tranquil-based even though it often generates enthusiasm? Have you noticed that reactions often bring you up into your head, sometimes accompanied by unpleasant sensations and an influx of thoughts, whereas in loving responses we tend to remain at the heart level? Baba has said, “Feelings and emotions are the creation of mind and energy. Love is the creation of the Soul.” Their origins are completely different! As Darwin would say, feelings, desires and emotions come from our conditioning, our sanskaras, whereas love is “impression-less”; it comes into us from the Soul, which is beyond time and space. Our good and bad reactions come from the heart, whereas our loving responses come through the heart from our Soul itself, which is Baba. What makes it so difficult to discern good from love is that they both first make their appearance in the heart, and for this reason, we tend to think that love comes from the heart. However, the heart is like the moon that only reflects the light of the sun. It is not the source of light. That is why Baba says that love comes always as His gift to us. Victor Hugo, the French novelist, once wrote, “Virtue as in the case of vice [good as in the case of bad], is a calculated action, but love is not calculated. It wells up in the heart and expresses itself spontaneously.” Have you found that good always has some strings attached (a subtle ulterior motive); it is connected with time and usually strives to make an impression, but love expresses itself in the moment and tends to leave the giver and the receiver free from obligation and ideally leaves no residue. You might say, it evaporates as soon as it is expressed. Given all of this, it is important to keep the heart clear of “strangers” as Baba has said so that it can be a pure vehicle for His love. The trajectory of our life, in Baba’s words, goes “from bad to good to God” (Love). “Love has to spring spontaneously from within and is in no way amenable to any inner or outer force.” 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

”Sharing Baba’s Kindness” - Nick Principe, Feb 3, 2025, live on Baba Zoom

Every other Monday.Nick will tell stories he heard from the Mandali, in the context of trying to live a life of the spirit. Questions and comments welcome!Tech host Diana Goodheart 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: the place of evil and suffering, Jan 27, 2025, live on Baba Zoom

Dear folks of Baba, Some of you have expressed the wish to discuss the phenomenon of evil and suffering in this life. It is one of the essential challenging questions facing most caring and empathetic people living in this world: why do people have to suffer pain and be the victims of cruelty? If God is love, why do these things have to happen? Many people during World War II lost their faith in God after witnessing atrocities perpetrated before their very eyes. Such cruelty is not just of the past, but is going on in the world even now. There are explanations that Baba has given and can be inferred from things He has said that will satisfy the mind to some extent, but it is in the deepest heart which has endured much pain and suffering that love, not the mind, answers this question. It is a deeply-felt knowing. All the Masters have said: through great suffering we come to "accept what is", however painful and disagreeable it might be. What are some of the explanations that Baba has given? He has said, “Evil is a lingering relic of an earlier good." We can infer from Baba’s description of the evolution of consciousness that souls are always coming in from the animal kingdom to become human beings. They arrive, of course, with love, but also with many untamed impulses. What was needed for a tiger to sustain itself is through attacking and devouring other creatures. That same trait when manifested in the human kingdom is considered evil, unacceptable. New souls entering human form, as they act out their dormant animal impressions, are naturally destructive and sometimes even cruel. We, as Baba lovers, were once just in from the animal kingdom ourselves, creating tremendous havoc no doubt! But in the overall context of our evolution and involution, everyone, through the experience of good and evil and our ever-growing love, will one day become Divine. The negative and evil things in this world often serve the purpose of waking us up. Bhau Kalchuri, one of Baba’s intimate mandali, used to say, “Sometimes it takes a nightmare to wake us up from a pleasant dream.” Through the ups and downs of life, some in the extreme, we are pushed to go deeper, beyond where we are right now. Sometimes very negative things happen to people, but often as a result of what they have done in a past life. For example, Beryl Williams, a long-time Baba lover who grew up in Jamaica and New York City in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, suffered intensely from the prejudice that she frequently faced in being black. In Myrtle Beach where she first met Baba, she asked Him why she was born black in this life. He replied, “Because in the past you were very cruel to black people.” This was not a punishment, but an opportunity to experience the other side of prejudice so that she would be less likely to express it toward others in the future. Much to the shock of others, Bhau would say, “No one is really innocent.” The deeper theme of creation is designed to awaken compassion in us. Many of the sufferings we have endured over the course of countless lifetimes really make us more loving and compassionate. I have jokingly said that if I had the triune attributes of God—Creator, Preserver and Destroyer—this world would be a veritable junkyard, because I would emphasize creation and preservation and go light on destruction. And what a mess this world would be; vast warehouses would have to be constructed to hold all the things I would preserve! Destruction unfortunately has its place. Winter, with all its damage, cannot be eliminated from the cycle of seasons without upsetting the balance of nature. Murshida Ivy Duce, the head of Sufism Re-oriented, once asked Baba the most crucial question, “Why should misery perpetually exist on earth in spite of God’s infinite love and mercy?” He replied, “The source of eternal bliss is the Self in all. The cause of perpetual misery is the selfishness of all. As long as satisfaction is derived through selfish pursuits, misery will always exist. Only because of the infinite love and mercy of God can man realize, through the lessons of misery on earth, that inherent in him is the source of infinite bliss, and all suffering is his labor of love to unveil his own infinite Self.” It all depends on how we view what happens to us on this earth. It can be viewed as a place of horrific injustice (there is ample proof for that), or it can be seen as a place where love is breaking through its limitations to become divine. There is a well-known saying, “Suffering is inevitable. Misery is optional.” It all has to do with how we interpret evil and inflicting suffering on others, but this does not mean we condone these in ourselves. How do you react when what happens violates your most cherished values and ideals? How does your heart experience the suffering and evil that you witness? In His Love,JeffTo join future live events, see www.babazoom.net.

Nick Principe chats about suffering, Jan 28, 2025, live on Baba Zoom

Nick Principe will share wisdom gained through a lifetime with Baba, and share relevant mandali stories. He will then be open to questions and comments.Hosted by Diana Goodheart 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: Living the Provisional Ego, Jan 19, 2025, live on Baba Zoom

Living the Provisional Ego: a colossal challenge!Dear folks of Baba, I thought we would re-visit this topic of what Baba referred to as “the provisional ego”, the formation of which is one of the major challenges for us in this advent. Putting the provisional ego into practice is profoundly elusive, but it’s where we’re ultimately heading. How do we get there? What are the intermediate steps? Your perspectives are wholeheartedly invited. First, an invaluable quote by Baba on the "provisional ego” (provisional meaning temporary, a substitute arranged for the time being only): Think of me in everything you do. Eat, dance, but forget yourself in the action and think of me instead. This is union through action. The less you think of yourself and the more you think of Baba, the sooner the ego goes and Baba remains. When you — ego — go entirely, I am one with you. So, bit by bit, you have to go. Today your nose, tomorrow your ears, then your eyes, your hands, everything. Think of me when you eat, sleep, see and hear. Enjoy everything, but think it is all Baba. Baba enjoys it. Baba is eating. Sleep soundly in Baba, and when you wake up remember it is Baba getting up. Keep this one thought constantly with you. If you do wrong, then think it is Baba doing wrong. If you get a pain, think it is Baba getting a pain. Then it will be all the time Baba ... Try to forget yourself and do all for Baba. Let it be Baba all the time! It might be said that the provisional ego is the last train stop in Creation. It usually begins as an exercise, but ultimately the truth behind the provisional ego needs to be revealed in us through experience. That is, the provisional ego is useful as a concept, but it has to eventually become a reality. One day we will realize that all along it has been Baba living what we have always claimed as our life! It really is Baba who gets up in the morning, not us. In watching a movie, for example, we may find ourselves identifying with one of the characters so that when that character is in danger, we feel we are in danger, when they succeed, we succeed, when they fall in love we fall in love. In the end, when the credits come up, we know that it was all a projection on our part. We get so identified with the character in the movie that we become that character for the time being. But Baba has said that it has never been us. He is the One who plays all the roles. That is, it is Baba who is living the life we see on the screen before us, and we are projecting our consciousness on to Him, and claiming that we are the one who is living this life! This is our colossal mistake. Eruch once disclosed, “There has been no Eruch for years. Through Baba’s grace, I have become the perfect witness!” In lifetime after lifetime, we identify with the character before us and are pulled into the whole illusion of Creation. What we are being asked to do is to remain fully aware of Creation, but not identify with anything in it. Or put in another way, to be aware that everything and everyone is Baba. Such a detachment, Baba says, is not sterile or passive, but is a state of flowing and dynamic responsiveness to life characterized by a loving spontaneity that always leaves our consciousness free! In this way, love is finally liberated from being bound by Creation and can express itself in each moment as it wishes, unrestrained by what our personality wants. Baba has said that we are really infinite, but we identify with the mind, and instantly we become a person. If we didn’t do this, we would remain the Infinite that we really are. All this is a very tall, tall order from Baba. Bit by bit “we” have to go. I know we all sometimes feel in certain moments Baba working through us or eclipsing us in a particular situation. We may feel Him watching us. And now it all has to be reversed, little by little, so that it is us watching Him live what we formerly called “our" life. The mandali have said that people are just playing their roles. We are not really our roles; we are really Baba in disguise. This is a huge and revolutionary shift in perception! What a seemingly incomprehensible and unfathomable challenge before us, and fortunately Baba is always there to make the impossible possible. Kitty Davy would often quote this line from the Bible: “… I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” In His love, JeffThis 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

Tony Paterniti, ”30 Years w/ Meher Baba at the UN,” Jan 18, 2025 live on Baba Zoom

Tony Paterniti on his 30 Years with Meher Baba at the United Nations, a talk given on MeherSepas on Saturday, October 5, 2024. Tony’s talk includes Mani’s last spoken words (we think), which were about Baba’s work at the UN—as delivered to Tony by Dr. Goher on the day before Mani's passing.Tech host Betty Lowman in CAThis 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

Sahavas for Everyone: Longing, Jan 16, 2025 live on Baba Zoom

Our new twelve part series: Meher Baba and His 12 Ways of Realizing Me, Today we discuss part 1. Longing. Sahavas for Everyone. First and third Wed of the month.Avatar Meher Baba is in each one of us. And His Love is the focus of this gathering. Open discussion with each session having a topic or theme. Hosted by Laurent Weichberger in SC. Jai Baba!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 Jeff: Maintaining Poise, Jan 12, 2025, 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! Maintaining Poise Dear folks of Baba, Baba has written in many places about the importance of poise. It is so difficult to maintain poise in the midst of what is happening in the world today and in our personal life. Yet, as Baba has said, poise is so necessary for expressing love for others and in the world around us. There are many things common to all of us that disturb our poise: each of us has particular issues in ourselves and with others and in outer situations that invariably get a “rise" out of us. Baba seemed to have cleared out most of the triggers that would disturb His mandali, and I was amazed at how accepting and tolerant they could be. The continual self-reference that most of us are addicted to seemed to be relatively absent in the mandali. I always say, as long as Baba can still get a rise out of me through others and circumstances, His work in me is not complete! Some of the most common experiences that disturb the poise of Baba lovers are: witnessing injustice, unkindness, self-serving behavior, double standards, dishonesty, betrayal, feeling unworthy, criticalness of oneself and others, domineering personalities, loud voices, imperviousness to constructive criticism—there are many more examples, for sure! With all of our impossible expectations, most of us struggle to accept life as it is and so we miss opportunities where we can actually change things for the better. Baba has said, "All these lives you have made a habit of looking [out for] yourself. If the slightest thing goes against your habit, you are upset...What you have been doing always is thinking of yourself; so now you must not think of yourself, but think of others. This is what is called love. But it needs character, poise, perseverance. Poise — what is it? That state of mind where nothing excites you, nothing upsets you. Only [if you have poise] can you help others, then only can you make others happy. That means love. Thinking not of yourself but of others.” What kind of behavior in yourself or in others do you find most disturbing? What things trigger you the most? How have you worked to rise above reacting and maintain your poise? How has Baba helped in this effort and struggle? Do you find that there are unhealthy situations where the loving response is to avoid them when possible? Do you often resolve some disturbances by steering clear of certain persons or situations? Does that usually work? Do you sometimes write situations off with the thought that it is "all an illusion,” a truth you may know intuitively, but probably not yet experientially? Through Baba’s grace and through our continuing efforts, we gradually rise above our reactions and attain to a state of poise, which makes our lives more and more balanced and harmonious. The world--do we dare say generously?--offers myriad opportunities now to maintain the poise that Baba speaks of. And most of all, through poise, as Baba says, the love in us can flow out to others and the world more freely and with less impediment.In His Love, Jeff To 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: Major Crises and Baba, Jan 5, 2025, 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: Major Crises and BabaDear folks of Baba, This topic was suggested by several of you recently: dealing with major crises. In the life of everyone, there are the inevitable ups and downs, and we usually manage to muddle our way through them with Baba and soon are back on an even keel. However, every few years we encounter in our path a major crisis which persists for months or years in spite of all our sincere efforts to give it over to Baba. This might be the death of a near and dear one, a major disaster like the recent hurricane that totally upends our living situation, a romantic break-up that plunges us into profound hurt and self-doubt, the humiliation of being fired from our job, dealing with a persistent addiction in ourselves or our children—crises which cast a shadow over our life that persist despite our continuous focus on Baba. How have you handled these extreme situations and what helped you move through them most effectively? What methods have worked for you? Has it been of help to go to India or other Baba places for relief and clarity? What painful stages has your heart had to go through in regaining your composure? Why are such situations built in to the fabric of life? Why has Baba designed life for everyone with these serious obstacles, painful situations and setbacks? Have these crises contributed to your inner growth and awakening? Has your faith in Baba sometimes been shaken and have you come through shocking circumstances with a deeper maturity and compassion for yourself and others? Have you learned new and invaluable things about Baba’s presence in your life that could not have been learned in any other way? Would we have the empathy we have today without these painful crises? Has it resulted in a more intimate companionship with Baba? In the case of a natural disaster, people of different political stripes, social standing and opposing religious beliefs sometimes forget their differences in an effort to help one another--a sense of real community emerges for the time being. Have you noticed that such major crises have had a lasting positive effect in you, drawing you closer to Baba? He has said, “Great suffering and intense sorrow indicate that happiness is about to dawn. Anything beyond your capacity will necessarily change your capacity, because so long as everything is within your limits, you don’t know what is beyond them.”In His love, Jeff To 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

Irwin Luck Christmas Message, Dec 24, 2024, recorded live on Baba Zoom

Irwin will allow Baba to inspire his talk to us today! He will share experiences of his life with Meher Baba, through stories, poetry and his personal correspondence with Meher Baba. Irwin's talks are always wonderfully infused with Meher Baba's Love and Humor. Hosted by Diana Goodheart 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