Volume 19 Number 1 Page 79

In the summer of 1933, after our return from India, Baba was with us in Portofino staying in a beautiful house upon a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean.

The house was supposed to be haunted by a spirit who needed to be freed from this world and who apparently hoped that Baba would do this. No one ever saw this ghost, but one disciple said that she awoke to find her hair being violently pulled. Another heard a loud, sharp bang on the wall beside her.

Some of the bedrooms had French windows that opened onto a terrace overlooking the sea. One night, being unable to sleep, I stepped outside, sat down on a low wall overlooking the "wine-dark sea" and watched some fishing boats with large lanterns moving across the horizon and a few other nocturnal craft flitting about under a star studded bowl.

I remained for some time immersed in this wonderful place, thinking idly of Baba. Not a deep meditation, but just enjoying this place with Him. On my way back to my room I stopped and peered into the window of a room shared by a few disciples. Unfortunately Delia was awake, took me for the ghost, and started to scream, rousing the others who also started to make an outcry.

Not realizing that I was the cause of the trouble, I leaned farther forward, putting my face right on the window and my arms above my head for balance. The bedroom door opened and some others came in to inquire into the cause of the noise. Baba sent Kaka over from the other side of the house and I was shooed away from the window. No one seemed pleased with me.

The next morning we were sitting happily around the breakfast table, with sunlight flitting along the floor and all the night's woes forgotten, when Baba, full of light and energy, strode in and sat down on the edge of an unused table. He looked round us and appeared to be smiling at His own thoughts. He then called someone to read and spelled out on the board: "There is one thing that I admire about my Western disciples."

At this point I think that everyone preened themselves a little. Admiration! Well...! Baba looked around and then went on: It is their courage."

The preening stopped hurriedly. Baba took pity on us and got us all laughing with Him at ourselves.

Two "New Age" children's books have recently come to hand; both are beautifully illustrated stories that are allegories of the spiritual Path, written in classic but slightly sugary anthropomorphic style. Children do enjoy them.

Sami is a small fish in the depth of the ocean of Maya who visits the Ancient One(!) at the bottom of the sea, pictured as a genial smiling White Oyster. He asks Him for the gift of beauty for his dark undersea realm and receives a Pearl, which he must take as a gift to the Moon (Murshida?). Lovingly Moon grants his wish and through her, light and beauty at last grace the undersea world, but Sami must forfeit his life. Jenny Lee is a Sufi and the wife* of Zuheir Al-Faqih who has played "Baba" so often in the Sufi plays.