nearby, and Baba, Meredith, Margaret, Kaka, and myself at the Stoke's house. I was awfully attracted by the Stokes and their great kindness and hospitality. Mrs. Stokes (Lettice) is a dear, very kindly and jolly, loving Baba but not understanding him. They had two adorable negro servants, Anna and Elma. Anna, the cook, was enormous; and Elma was young and pretty. Both of them were devoted to Baba.

The next few days were absolutely hectic. All day long Baba saw people, and then would go out for short drives or to a cinema. Norina had prepared a tremendous list of people all anxious to meet Baba, and everything was perfectly organized and arranged by Norina who has worked so wonderfully for Baba ever since she met him on his first visit to America. The only person that Baba visited was Anita's mother. She was very ill with cancer at the time.

"On Sunday, May 22nd, a reception was given for Baba at the Stokes at which 300 people were present. They passed by Baba, who was sitting in a little room, and he shook hands with them all, and for a few he had some special message. Before they all dispersed Meredith read out to them a message from Baba.

"I am so very pleased to see you again. Among you are many of the first Americans I met last time I was here, so I regard you as old friends.

No doubt, some of you have seen various newspaper reports about myself and my work. Many of these are misleading. But it is not to be wondered at if journalists do not understand my work or pander to the desire for sensation.

"I do not intend to found any religion, cult, creed, or society. There are already far too many of these organizations. I have come to help people realize their ideals in daily life. The wide-spread dissatisfaction in modern life is due to the gulf between theory and practice, and between the ideal and its realization on earth. The spiritual and material aspects of life are widely separated instead of being closely united. There is no fundamental opposition between spirit and matter, or if you like, between life and form. The apparent opposition is due to wrong thinking, to ignorance. Hence the remedy lies in the continuous practice of right thinking, to permanent illumination resulting from the balance between the head and heart. This is the illumination which I intend to give.

The greatest mystics have realized through personal experience that God alone is real and everything is God. This means that (though you may not be aware of it) the Highest is latent in each of you. But in order for it to be lived and experienced in consciousness, it must be manifested.

"Intellectual conviction of this Truth is not enough. True Knowledge consists in Illumination which finally culminates in union with the Ultimate Reality. This last is the state of Christ Consciousness which is my permanent condition.