Alan Cohen’s initial remarks suggested a response to Alisa Genovese’s recent address to the Circle of Friends on the subject of the Meher Baba Center of Northern California’s reprise in 2015 of the 1980 Bell Of Warning. Such was not the case. Alan had nothing to say about the mandali’s collective objection to Ivy Duce appointing Jim Macky (rhymes with quacky) as her “divinely sanctioned” successor.
Instead, Alan in superb avuncular rambling weaved a pastiche of inaccuracies about any number of subjects. Here is a list of some of them:
He adduces Jim Macky’s and Carol Conner’s endorsement of the Byramangala Baba Center as work significant to Meher Baba; Baba in fact shut down this project and disavowed it. Eruch Jessawala, as well, admonished the Bangalore group to not revive this project, which has been falsely marketed as a “Universal Baba Center”.
Alan gets confused about the distinction Baba himself made between direct and indirect paths and relationship to Meher Baba:
http://www.meherlegacy.org/uploads/2/4/9/3/24931365/1952.july.20-baba_discourse_to_sufis.pdf
These two paths are not the same, and never will be! SR is an indirect path, that is it is mediated by an interlocutor; the direct path is based on only an unmediated and personal relationship with the Beloved.
Alan gets confused about Bhau confirming Carol Conner’s spiritual status: Bhau was never in a position to confirm Carol Conner’s spiritual status. Bhau himself became a guru in his last days to the consternation of many astute Baba lovers. (But not to his many sycophants.)
Alan gets confused about Adi K. Irani endorsing Jim Macky as a real murshid; Adi, in fact, thought Macky was as fragrant as kaka.
Alan gets confused about what Don Stevens has to say about Ivy Duce’s confused telling of what Baba promised her, etc. This is an especially glaring distortion of historical fact as Don Stevens was Ivy’s primary go-between with Baba on all matters pertaining to SR’s charter.
In fact, all the mandali alive in 1980 when the Bell of Warning was rung by Eruch J., thought Jim Macky was as fragrant as kaka.
All the gold medal philanthropy in the world can not save Sufism re-Reoriented from deviating from the path of absolute honesty and obedience to the Prophet of our time.
In fact, the path SR has taken is a path of power and self aggrandizement through philanthropy and choral productions draped in religious garb for public acceptance. The image of St. Francis has been coopted for this purpose. Alan in fact acknowledges this institutional modus operandi in referencing the difficultly SR had in obtaining the building permits to build a largely underground (out of sight) sanctuary in Walnut Creek, Ca: SR is in fact for tax purposes a church, the house Carol Conner lives in is a parsonage, Baba has become a “world teacher” and SR devotes huge amounts of time and resources to promote itself as engaged in Christian charity. All this is a power play for institutional acceptance.
There are obviously very few Baba lovers alive and willing to counter the lies and distortions perpetrated by spokespeople for Sufism re-Reoriented. That the Circle of Friends has swallowed hook, line and sinker the narrative presented by this ersatz sufi order is amazing.
No one is questioning that reoriented sufis love Meher Baba. The problem is the lack of honesty in acknowledging the tragic history of this so called sufi Baba group. This is particularly the problem of leadership in this group which has guzzled the kool aid with gusto. And this includes Alan Cohen.
Even the Circle of Friends is not honest in its declared impartiality on the hosting of these events. They have removed video content and comments on this controversy and have blocked known and supposed critics from posting to its Facebook page. Most unfortunately, COF has abused the memory of the mandali in ringing the Bell of Warning.
Hi Clive; Please go ahead and provide a more serious commentary. I have blogged at length on this subject for some years, and thus felt my review of Alan’s talk at the COF did not deserve a longer treatment. His attitude is essentially dismissive of the controversy- it’s all “a big fuss”, and his characterizations are essentially lies and distortions of historical fact. (I neglected to mention his lie about what Don Stevens had to say about all this.) I have included links to http://www.meherlegacy.org in my various posts so that readers can review historical documents for themselves.
Hi Clive (continued);
Maybe I should point out that SR and its spokespeople do not actually have a defense of the historical record, and this is why they only selectively refer to it- and then lie about it! Alan is quite incapable of actually addressing this controversy. Doing so would expose serial SR fantasies about its past and present.
Seeking out the advice and opinions from those who have more knowledge and experience than oneself is wise, when it comes to making one’s way in the world. Why not take the trouble to tap expert resources available when faced with choice of a worldly nature? However, when it comes to approaching Meher Baba, the Expert Guide is Meher Baba Himself. Thus, one can “listen to the voice of the heart” and “read the book of the heart.” “Yet I am never silent. I speak eternally. The voice that is heard deep within the soul is my voice — the… Read more »
Hi Ron;
Very nice quote about not leaning on anyone but Baba.
Hi Vesta;
I got off Facebook and can’t reply using the FB comment option.
Good story about our dear Dr Macky. That the mandali ever thought he was more than a bad joke is pure hilarity! But what a consequential joke!
Circle of Friends is deleting posts and comments critical of SR, and blocking comments by certain people critical of SR. So much for impartiality.
Hi Harold;
You got it right! I am a Hafezian rend. This is quite a boast, I know. Among other things, it means I have nothing to lose by going into the gutter. I have left you far far behind.
Hi Kendra;
Well, you are hard to please. But then you work hard at that, and have thus earned your confusion. I guess you are one of the many clueless Circle of Friends whose standard of proof demands a lawyer’s rhetoric. Sometimes, one just needs an intact spiritual sensibility.
To piggyback on to one point that Ben Hay made in his commentary: Poem from “O Beloved” by Steve Klein I have kept you as my constant companion and it has not been easy. In every situation I try only to please you. I wonder how best to express your love – should I do this or should I do that instead? I listen to every word I utter, trying to decide what it is you would have me say. I even keep watch over my thoughts in an attempt to ignore those which distract, and hold on to those… Read more »
The mandali did not accept adulation or spiritual recognition of any kind. They truly encouraged Baba lovers to lean on Baba, not themselves. Unfortunately, Ivy Duce did not do this. She turned over the sufi order that she originally rededicated to Baba- after Rabia Martin had already done so, to an occultist who was enormously deluded as to his role in SR.