Darvish Khan Writes

Sufism Reoriented became a cult the moment Ivy Duce appointed Jim Mackie as her “spiritual chargeman” in 1979. She was not empowered by the Sufi Charter of 1952 to take this action. In fact, in as early as 1948 in a letter dictated to Dr Ghani and addressed to Ivy Duce, Baba discusses the subject of what defines legitimate spiritual succession in the case of Rabia Martin and presciently warns Ivy Duce about confusing psychism with spirituality as well:

(Edited)

March 29th, 1948

The context for this letter concerned issues that pertained to the succession of Rabia Martin after the passing of Inayat Khan and issues relevant to Ivy Duce’s succession upon the death of Rabia Martin.  The letter’s most important points make it abundantly clear that Ivy’s authority as murshida was entirely dependent on Baba and that she had no authority to appoint an illumined successor; and that she should most definitely not indulge in psychism. Baba makes the emphatic and central point to Ivy Duce that  “…if Baba is looked up to as the only source of inspiration and guidance, then whatever obstacles, difficulties and disappointments that you will have to face for his sake, you can be sure, he will never let you down.”

Baba’s covenant with Ivy Duce was predicated on her total faith and reliance on Baba, but which she found impossible to achieve because of an unfettered dependency on astrologers, psychics and mediums, especially after Baba dropped the body in 1969. This dependency led her, in turn, to the occultist Jim Mackie.

The de facto succession of Jim Mackie in late 1979- he would not officially become murshid until Ivy Duce died in 1981, was carefully prepared for by her assertion that Baba had promised an illumined murshid, i.e. a saint, as her successor. This was in fact a lie. She willfully distorted conversations on the subject of succession with Baba to arrive at the fabrication, publicly expressed only after Baba dropped the body, that Baba had promised a continuous line of illumined murshid(a)s for the next 700 years to guide Sufism Reoriented. The leadership and mureeds of her order believed her, with the notable exception of Don Stevens who was Ivy’s liaison with Baba on such maters. He was evidently the only sufi apart from Ivy herself to have full knowledge of the facts. He has gone on record to reveal that Baba conveyed to him through Eruch that Baba disabused Ivy of her wishful thinking on this subject by saying that he would provide a genuine murshid(a) only from “time to time and in his own way and manner.” (Don Stevens left Sufism Reoriented in the early 70’s because of Ivy Duce’s dishonesty.) Ivy Duce, however, refused to repeat this as Baba’s final statement on the matter and promoted instead a grandiose fiction.

The Sufi Charter, finalized in 1952 after several years of of intermittent discussion between Ivy Duce and Don Stevens on behalf of Sufism Reoriented, and Baba and others does not provide for the possibility of Ivy Duce appointing a spiritual successor for the obvious reason that Ivy Duce herself had no spiritual status:

“Where there is neither Divine Illumination nor Realization of God, there should never be constitutional authority for the sustenance of any such privileges and prerogatives.”  (#1, Section VII, Organization)

This was the central subject of the 1948 letter. Ivy Duce certainly did not become illumined on the basis of repeated consultations with astrologers, psychics and mediums in the period after Baba dropped the body in 1969. Baba did allow for the provision that he himself could play (in the period after he dropped the body) this role:

“The Qutub (the very source of illumination) can play the part of a Murshid (the fully illumined).”  (#5, Section II, States and Stages of Experience and Knowledge)

There are myriad indications that Jim Mackie exercised an occult or hypnotic influence on the order. An astonishing “groupthink” began to pervade the membership after he became murshid: sufis started to wear white, because Jim Mackie wore white; sufis began to smoke, because Jim Mackie smoked; sufis consolidated their living arrangements in shared buildings and began to decorate their spaces similarly; sufi’s collectively got rid of their Lyn Ott paintings- the best Baba paintings in the Baba world; sufis became more and more dedicated to an order that above all showcased “spiritual camp”- the theatre of group devotion came to be the rule; the staging by Jim Mackie’s besotted mureeds of his arrival at Baba’s Samadhi in 1987 remains the unsurpassed story of spiritual pretension  in the Baba world; Jim Mackie’s occult theories of spirituality replaced Baba’s works as a new paradigm of thinking, etc.

In the primer for prospective members of Sufism Reoriented written by Jim Mackie, “Participation in Sufism Reoriented”, the following is asserted as Baba’s guideline for membership: “the ability to generate a personal surplus of time, energy, and resources for spiritual work.” What this has meant in practice is the most extraordinary dedication of time, energy and money to an organization with the overarching ambition to become a powerful institution. The new $40 million underground Sanctuary of Sufism Reoriented is nearing completion near Walnut Creek, Ca where the membership will have enhanced opportunity to dedicate yet more resources to a dark and dank enterprise.

The present murshida of Sufism Reoriented, Carol Conner, succeeded Jim Mackie upon his death in 2001. Reoriented sufis believe that she is a 6th plane saint as a result of a spiritual transmission from Jim Mackie, and that she will appoint a successor who is likewise a perfect saint. This spiritual tragedy reminds one of the compelling need of the wandering Jews to fabricate a Golden Calf so as to render the Divine Presence.

However, one problem facing the order is that 80% of the membership is over 60 years of age and the progeny of most of these sufis simply aren’t interested. The order has not had success in recruiting young people in general. But for now, the cult totters on.

Print Friendly

The second day of MBCNC’s program reviewing Eruch Jessawalla’s ringing the “Bell of Warning” in 1980 began with a review by Alisa Genovese of the previous day’s program. She also observed that members of Sufism Reoriented have always been welcome to our group’s activities.

Eruch Adams then talked about youthful memories of what is was like to grow up with other young Baba lovers, including children of sufis, in the context of the “Bell of Warning”. This was often problematic for especially the latter group.

Then began a speed review of the sufi Charter which quickly generated animated (and speculative) discussion.  Interestingly, the Charter can be interpreted to construe a number of very different readings. It was remembered that at the 1980 meeting at Meherazad, Bhau interpreted the Charter to mean that only Baba is empowered to appoint a murshid(a). Further discussion focused on the interpretation that Baba appointed himself as the perpetual Murshid and that consequently the issue of succession is nothing but his buisness. (This reviewer remarked to himself where is the legal expertise of the Talbots when we need it.) Ed Van Buskirk made what was a particularly suggestive remark that perhaps the Charter was another example of Baba’s Universal Work that would one day be dismantled like scaffolding. This view was supported by deconstructionists. Discussion about the Charter led to thoughts about the the current Murshida of SR, Carol Connor, and the image of SR as projected particularly through articles printed in the Glow magazine. Many people were unhappy with these articles as egregiously self serving, especially the article referencing Mehera and the automobile accident she, Baba and others suffered in Oklahoma in 1952. Many members of MBCNC have very fond memories of Baba’s Mehera.

The morning discussion was essentially given to a perception shared by many that MBCNC represents  a counter narrative to aspects of SR.

In the afternoon Peter Booth read an essay on Hafez entitled Sufis, Sufi Orders, Murshids, Hypocrites, Rends and Dervishes. The essay should be read in its entirety for its many interesting and suggestive points. Hafez loved to make fun of pretentious religious and spiritual behavior, including that of sufi occultists, and extolled in contrast the dervish and especially the rend (divine rogue). The rend eschews piety and pretension and loves for the sake of love alone. One of Hafez’s favorite tropes is the Magian Elder (the Zoroastrian Elder) who is a purveyor of wine. Peter suggested that on the basis of an assertion by Esphandiar Vesali (a prem ashram boy) as related by Mehernoush McPherson, that this figure is in fact a reference to a minor incarnation of the Avatar who lived in Shiraz at a Fire Temple in the time of Hafez.

There was a discussion in the round to close the event which most concurred was a highly successful effort to educate attendees on the subject of the vigilant Eruch Jessawalla ringing the “Bell of Warning.”

Print Friendly

The program went brilliantly.  It began with the film O Parvardegar which established the the day’s most important theme: the incomparable glory of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba.

Alisa Genovese  then gave a warm and polished welcome address which included the important remark that the program was not of academic concern but relevant to a proposed bylaw amendment under consideration by MBCNC on the subject of spiritual intermediaries. This unresolved thorny issue is the proximate cause for the event.  She then went on to explain that this administrative concern happily coincides with the Meher Legacy project of Clive and Eruch Adams, who along with Ursula Reinhart, Ed Van Buskirk, Vesta Clinton, Lisa Greenstein, Peter Booth, Mehera Arjani and Debra Tyler comprised the day’s presenters and moderators. Alisa quoted the following from Meher Baba which for me was one the day’s most memorable remarks: “The shortest path to me is the self-annihilative path of love.”

Mehera then proceeded with helpful remarks about what to expect from and how to best engage the event, emphasizing the need for self honesty and respect for the convictions of others.

Clive continued to present stories pertinent to the genesis of the website Meher Legacy which notably suggested the foresight of Eruch Jessawalla about the future relevance of the Bell of Warning rung by him in the fall of 1980. A key remark concerned the “wolf and sheep file”, a file created and named by Baba and placed under Eruch’s responsibility which included all correspondence between Baba and Sufism Reoriented. This file and all its updates was given to Ursula Reinhart by Eruch and forms the basis for the Sufism re-Reoriented section of material in Meher Legacy.

Eruch Adams then proceeded to give an introduction to the consequential Meher Legacy, of which he is the talented webmaster.

Lisa Greenstein then gave an excellent and much appreciated history of what is now called MBCNC (Meher Baba Center of Northern California). The history of this group is intertwined with Sufism Reoriented and its mutated identity as Sufism re-Reoriented. The events that precipitated Eruch’s writing his “Letter of Warning” largely concerned the Bay Area and Washington DC area sufis and Baba lovers.

Mehera then told a compelling story about the Jessawalla family concerning Baba’s strict insistence on undivided love and loyalty to his wish, and the consequences when this is not obeyed.  This story- like much of the day’s material, can not be properly summarized. One of my favorite remarks by Mehera was an aside on the subject of ecumenism- that the beads on the proverbial “beads on a string” are not the point; the string is the point, and the beads are in fact irrelevant. Only Baba unifies; everything else is a distraction.

We then had lunch.

After lunch we had then proceeded to personal stories of disappointment with Sufism Reoriented by Ursula, Ed and Debra, all of whom were sufis. These stories interwove with other material provided by Vesta who lived at Meherazad for some years and who has an unique perspective on how the mandali interpreted and reacted to the problem presented by Jim Mackie. Peter and Eruch also contributed.

The day’s final segment concerned the audio tapes of the Oct, 1980 meeting of the “Sufi 5” who came to Meherazad to meet with Eruch and Mani for three days to discuss Eruch’s Letter of Warning. Peter was present at this event and largely narrated this material, but which also included comments and discussion from all the presenters.

It is impossible to faithfully recount even the important highlights of this event in a summary fashion. Fortunately, the event is being videotaped and so an attempt is not necessary.

For me the single most remarkable quality of the day was the extremely heightened sense of importance of loving and obeying Baba with all one’s heart and mind. Baba’s presence was palpable.

Print Friendly