I attended my first MSIA home seminar in North Miami, Florida in January of 1973. My mom must have been curious as to what I was into, as later that year I took her to a home seminar at Laren Bright’s in Coconut Grove, FL. Being that she was an accomplished artist whose paintings were exhibited at art shows and galleries, I wanted her to see Meredith Miller’s spectacular paintings that were on the walls of Laren’s studio apartment and in the front (main) house, where Meredith lived with her husband, John David. Afterwards mom said she liked the audio seminar, but “why did he (J-R) have to talk about Jesus?”. I may have told her of the Christ consciousness that was in Jesus and is in us all. Within a year or two of my ordination in November of 1973, J-R told me, between his Light Studies at Meredith and John’s house, something like: “no need to tell your parents you’re a Minister. Why rock the boat.” Another J-R gem on one of those occasions was when he told me to “be careful about putting me on a pedestal.” That brief admonition has stayed with me, and has been a valuable awareness and impetus for forgiveness, when I have seen myself do that with J-R or anyone, and when I observe others who seem to do so as well.
My folks flew to LA for Kathleen and my Prana wedding in August of 1980, and a handful of local distant relatives and Jewish friends who they knew from years ago in Chicago also attended. So I imagine they all got touched by the Spirit and beautiful energy at the Purple Rose Ashram of the New Age, an acronym J-R shared with us for Prana! A month or so prior to the wedding I asked J-R if I could temporarily remove Jesus’ picture from the South Wing wall outside my bedroom. He said “no, as it’s community property.” My folks didn’t say anything. However, without my asking, Prana resident Jim Matson took down the lit purple cross, beautifully crafted by Toby Raetze, from the large seminar room. A fun evening shortly before the wedding was when Jim and about 8-10 guys blindfolded me and drove to a West LA restaurant for a surprise bachelor party! Living at Prana for 2 ½ years in the late 70’s, and for another year after we got married in the early 80’s were wonderful experiences.
The next year, in the Spring of 1981, my parents joined Kathleen and I at a live seminar in Hollywood, Florida. We had planned a visit at that time, for Kathleen to meet my three brothers and the rest of my mom’s family (Dads family mainly lived in Chicago and vicinity) and to coincide with J-R’s staff trip to South Florida. Interestingly, at the live seminar J-R asked who was an MSIA Minister. I was sitting to the right of my dad, with my mom to his left and Kathleen next to her. I sheepishly raised my right arm part way in the air. I don’t recall ever hearing J-R do that at another seminar, and thought I may have needed to get over the fear of my parents finding out….which I don’t know if they ever did! They also went to an Insight guest event during our visit. J-R was there as were Roberta Babinet’s Jewish parents, who my folks did a process with, even though they never took a training. I think they felt comfortable with J-R’s ordinariness vs. preachiness, and in later years they’d watch That Which Is, J-R seminars on cable TV. They apparently were touched by the Spirit as communicated by the Traveler, and perhaps they realized that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi who didn’t start Christianity. Though I had attended lectures by various spiritual and new aged teachers for a couple of years prior to January of 1973, as well as read books on such topics and gone to hatha yoga classes , they never showed interest until I got involved with MSIA.
In reflecting back on my parents hearing and seeing John-Roger, and then taking the initiative to watch his seminars on TV, I’m reminded of what J-R shared with me on a Light Study in 1973 about the value in the experience. I had told him that I went to hear a young East Indian guru in Boulder, Colorado in August of 1971, who was imparting “knowledge” to those of us in the audience who were interested in receiving it in an initiation ceremony. J-R said that “your own high self placed you in the form to be part of that as knowledge, but not the type of knowledge you went to get, but as knowledge as to that path, as to what that is.” He went on to say that “your high self has placed you in many forms and paths for knowledge, so that you can know what that is. And then when you came into the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness under the focus of the Mystical Traveler, your knowledge was then transcended to experience, because it brings experience; and the experience validated then the spiritual beingness within you, which then validated all your knowledge of all the other things, then became validated into their place.” It now occurs to me that my parents were drawn to J-R for a spiritual experience, which transcends the word level, including any that may create separation due to a religious connotation.
Growing up, I did attend four years of Hebrew School, after regular school hours, per my parents’ request (though they weren’t very observant) and got Bar Mitzvahed at age 13, even though I would have rather been out playing ball! I’ve probably been to a synagogue a handful of times since, for weddings and Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, though I have fond memories of the singing, and enjoyed zooming into a song-filled service at Central Synagogue in NYC earlier this year. My youngest brother (11 years my junior) sometimes does an impression of our dad (as he likes to do of various, mostly dead, relatives!) which cracks me up laughing. He says “are you still giving all your money to that Roy Rogers?!”. I don’t recall hearing dad say that to me, though I do remember mentioning to them that we tithe 10% of our earnings; I think in the early 90’s. Oh well, I’m sure there was a blessing in my sharing that with them, and of course in their experiencing John-Roger. God bless their souls on their journeys, as dad passed in 1996 at age 85 and mom in 2014 at age 96. I’m grateful for them having brought me into this lifetime when I had the good fortune of being initiated and ordained by the man with the keys to the Mystical Traveler and Preceptor Consciousness!
LL, Daniel (aka Danny) Safron
Great article, Danny. I can relate!
Edward Cohen
Apparently not only those of us who grew up Jewish can relate, as at least four non-Jews said they loved it it or it was great, after I sent it to my email list a few weeks ago. We probably have all been everything in our lifetimes, and in our oneness!
Who knew?!
Danny, I’m so glad you wrote this! Per my Facebook post, my experience growing up was that no one ever mentioned Jesus, there was verboten energy around this. Fortunately, I was able to transcend my early enculturation around the Christ (thanks, Maimonides) just in time for the MSIA workshop that contained both Passover Seder and Easter Resurrection rituals. Watching the series “The Chosen” recently further enlightened me about the Christ and filled in needed Hebrew school gaps.
Danny, I’m so glad you wrote this! Per my Facebook post, my experience growing up was that no one ever mentioned Jesus, there was verboten energy around this. Fortunately, I was able to transcend my early enculturation around the Christ (thanks, Maimonides) just in time for the MSIA workshop that contained both Passover Seder and Easter Resurrection rituals. Watching the series “The Chosen” recently further enlightened me about the Christ and filled in needed Hebrew school gaps.
Thanks Miriam, glad you were able to embrace Jesus, and your FB post inspired me to write the NDH article. I went to junior and senior high in a suburb of Chicago, Skokie, where my friends were Jewish, as were many residents of that town. In my freshman year of college I was one of two Jews in a dorm of 120, and I decided to accompany some of them to their church service, out of curiosity. I went to various ones: Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, etc., and didn’t feel drawn to return to any of them, nor did I relate to the idea of heaven or hell after we die. Not long after graduating college in 1970, I attended some classes on esoteric Christianity and the Essences, which opened me to the Christ as a consciousness. Perhaps I’ll watch The Chosen on Prime. Also, after responding to Edward, I asked Deborah to edit my comment by changing goyim to non-Jews, as some may consider it to be a derogatory remark, even though I meant it in a lighthearted fun way!
Miriam, I forgot to type in my name below the above response to you, hence “anonymous”. I was also encouraged to embrace “the gift of my Jewish heritage”, in a session years ago with Ed Wagner DC. He was muscle testing and intuiting related to my abundance and success in growing our natural products brokerage. LL, Danny
Miriam (and anyone, regardless of race, creed, color, etc!), check out these very funny (some would say hysterical!) email responses to my article, from my friend and long-time MSIA’er, Adam Anka:
Oy! I’m fahclempt! Such a nice story from such a nice haymish boy!
You have a warm, casual writing style that gifted me the sensation to go with the information. Hence, I actually read the whole thing!
I wondered if your parents ever came to their own understanding of Jesus, maybe the Christ, beyond him simply having been a Jewish guy himself – so not as big a provocation as when some Jews equate Jesus with the official Church.
When I was young, there were two things you – Gadt forbid! – never brought up at our “conservative” Jewish dinner table… Jesus and penis. Consequently, you can imagine some of my mischief. Well, inwardly at least, as I once did try to behave myself.
Your family photo reminded me of my whole extended family – the personalities, the energies, the intelligence, the heart, the philosophical sense of humor and the striving – sometimes the struggle – to fulfill our beautiful, ancient promise.
I felt like I knew everyone in that picture so well I coulda just plopped right down at the table and passed the potato pancakes – which I thought was undeniable proof there really was a God and He loved us!
As they say, “Boychick, thanks for sharing!”
=================================
when I asked if I can share what he wrote……
My dear, do whatever you like. Mir zoln ale lebn aun zayn gezunt! (“We should all live and be well!” Google translation used.) Thanks for asking. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
My Yiddish is pretty fuh-blún-djet, but I get a kick out of it – such a richly textured philosophical attitude embracing our never ending mishegahs. It’s a whole life lesson in a single word, no? Makes me laugh, roll my eyes and nod my head!
I’m sorry I didn’t get more exposure to it as a kid – just a brief, singular expression here or there. I’m surprised I remember any of it. Maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m channeling it!? From where? Some galaxy where the planets are really big matzo balls? Yeah, that would make sense to me!
Krép-lach mit a bissel salt fahever!
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With Yiddish only, I get this warm and tickling feeling that somehow God is in on the joke. Go figure!
You go be a good boy now!
Ankietoons
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Hi Daniel,
enjoyed reading about you and your family, and them watching That Which Is. I honor you for your faithfulness to the movement
Love, Sandy Kennedy
So nice hearing from you Sandy, and Kathleen and I send you our love!
So nice hearing from you Sandy, and Kathleen and I send you our love! I thought I posted this already, but as it hasn’t appeared I’m reposting it, this time with my name and email below (and the response to Miriam was obviously from me, and not anonymous as it says!).
I am blessed that both my parents had the opportunity to meet JR and interact personally with him on several occasions. My father especially loved JR’s “way of thinking”.
Yes, J-R had a way of thinking that precipitated to loving words of wisdom; besides the wonderfully uplifting energy of the Traveler consciousness. I’m glad I’m subscribed to That Which Is, as I often listen to it on my phone when taking our dogs to an off-leash schoolyard each morning, besides sleeping with SAT’s playing thru the night, with earbuds under my pillow.
Dear Danny, many thanks for your sharing which touched me on several levels quite personally starting from the „don‘t rock the boat“, not putting JR on a pedestal, seeking a „spiritual experience that transcends the word level“ to Jesus being a Jewish rabbi, who did not start Christianity.“ Really a great, heart-warming inspiration! Sending you much love and light.
I’m glad you got value from it, Kinka, and it’s interesting how karma works. I have a sense that I was German in my last, or, a recent lifetime, while my mom had aunts and uncles who died in concentration camps during WW2. Kathleen and I were in Germany once, in 2006, when our natural food brokerage was honored to be the first one that Weleda flew to Stuttgart, followed by a train ride to their headquarters in Schwäbisch Gmünd. As you may know, the company was founded by Rudolph Steiner in 1921. I loved being there. Probably a combination of the energy, the cool town, and as the folks at Weleda were very warm and welcoming. See you at the next Harmonic Self class!
Kinka, others reading our exchange may not know that you live in Germany, albeit, I know not where!
From Jewish to Huish. What a blessed path we are on!
You bottom lined it, Alvin! Though as not to throw out the baby with the bathwater, or the HU pendant with the yarmulke, I’m loving and embracing it all, even though I haven’t worn the latter (that I have on a closet shelf) in years!
You betcha, Alvin! Yet analogous to the old saying “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater”, I’ve kept my yarmulke (though rarely worn), along with my HU pendant (also rarely worn, but taped on the bathroom mirror so I can see it!).
Yes, Danny, I still have the purple yarmulke with the HU symbol on it, from the Passover to Ressurection Seder many years ago. I have a woolen talis tucked away somewhere, which I haven’t worn since Yeshiva. One of the best lessons I’ve learned from J-R is to embrace it all. Much love to you and Kathleen!
Much loved to you and Nina, Alvin, and to your daughter Eve! I have that purple HU one too, along with a white one from my moms funeral in 2014. Yeah, J-R personified embracing it all, with loving, Light focused, lighthearted, joy and freedom!