Asheville, NC [November 15, 2022]: Today local Asheville author Laurent Weichberger has released his new book, An Almost Perfect Balance, the Authorized Biography of Don E. Stevens (Asheville: OmPoint Press, 2022), 886 pp. This publication was funded by a grant from Beads on One String Foundation, an organization created by Don Stevens before his passing in 2011. Don was a preeminent Western disciple of the Persian spiritual master Avatar Meher Baba (b. 1894 in Pune, India, d. 1969 in Meherazad, India).
Avatar Meher Baba said: “Don has an almost perfect balance of head and heart.” Don lived his life from 1945 until 2011 under the guidance of Avatar Meher Baba, first in a Sufi order directed by Murshida Rabia Martin, and then later in Sufism Reoriented, under Meher Baba's direct guidance, and then finally he was released from his role in Sufism, and worked directly with and for Meher Baba.
One of the many remarkable qualities of Don Stevens is that he was a Vice President at Chevron Oil (formerly Standard Oil of California) for the entire period of his discipleship with Meher Baba.
This put him in a unique position to serve both an Eastern spiritual master, and a Western Big Oil firm. Furthermore, as a Sufi, his simultaneous knowledge of both business and mysticism was unparalleled in the 20th century. This is part of the story of balancing the head and heart. Another aspect of his journey is that he was bisexual, at a time when he was not permitted by society to come out.
Don Stevens embraced his life mission fully and with exuberance. It fueled not only his actions but it propelled many connected to Don to take up the mission of love and truth which Don found with Meher Baba. Don explored the nature of consciousness according to Meher Baba, through connection to others on the spiritual path, including fellow aspirants and devotees of Meher Baba. His life was about finding that light and truth which lives in all our hearts, and distilling practical ways of pursuing, implementing, and imparting that truth to those who came into his fold.
This book covers Don's entire life, including 90 chapters by Laurent and his many contributing authors, with dozens of images, and seminal correspondence with Avatar Meher Baba. Twenty years in the making:
Introduction, by Cynthia and Richard Griffin
Part I: 1919 – 1929
Part II: 1930 – 1939
Part III: 1940 – 1949
Part IV: 1950 – 1959
Part V: 1960 – 1969 Don Stevens, by Rick Chapman
Chapter: Image Archive (29 photos)
Part VI: 1970 – 1979 Don's Work with Groups, by David Lee Don and France, by Francoise and Daniel Lemetais Don and Intuition, by Kathryn Harris
Part VII: 1980 – 1989 Memories of Don, by Debbie Sanchez
Part VIII: 1990 – 1999 Don and Groups, by Cynthia and Richard Griffin Jill Davis Talks with Don Stevens Wise Counsel, Intuition and The Sweetness, The Don in Central Australia, by Craig San Roque A Posthumous Truing Conversation with Don E. Stevens, by Neale Lundgren
Part IX: 2000 – 2009 Don's Last Book, by Wayne Smith
Part X: 2010 – 2014 Don Stevens, by Charles Haynes Don's Story for Laurent, by Jan Baker In His Service, by Irma Sheppard and Karl Moeller
Appendix A: Francis Brabazon writes to Don
Appendix B: Exploring Don's Natal Chart, by Marlena Applebaum
The Last Word, by Vanessa Weichberger
There was as book launch in Weaverville NC on December 17, 2022 and a short talk (with Q&A session) by Laurent Weichberger and Sevn McAuley.
The video recording of this talk can be viewed here.
Wholesale orders: Email us at OmPoint Press: ompoint (at) gmail (dot) com.
~ And other booksellers worldwide. ~
New Videos (as of 2023):
Play the new YouTube video: Laurent Weichberger on An Almost Perfect Balance
Play the new Interview with Todd Armstrong at GodCast (July 2021):
Play "Shireen Mai, Mother of God" by Joe DiSabatino. Readers from USA, Canada, England, and India portray the young Merwan, Shireen and family, as well as other key characters. The play is a dramatization of the historic events that shook their household in 1913-1915. This was a unique international Meher Baba virtual theater event!
Article ~ "Surrender with Meher Baba," by Laurent Weichberger was published in The Glow Magazine (Spring 2018): Subscribe to The Glow Here
Three Snapshots of Reality, by Don E. Stevens with Wayne Smith (London: Companion Books, 2014), Laurent contributed a chapter on Don's life. BUY FROM AMAZON HERE
Article ~ Don E. Stevens, My Beautiful Big Bear and an Elder Brother in Avatar Meher Baba’s Love, by Laurent Weichberger (Los Angeles: Love Street Breezes, May 2012) pp. 54 - 57.
Apache Spark Software Development:
Here are my recent blog posts about applications I wrote, or helped to write, with Spark and Spark Streaming:
Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God (London: Companion Books, 2008) New book from Companion Books: 392 pages with dozens of sacred images. By Laurent Weichberger, Yaakov Weintraub, Lopon Tsultim Wangmo, Thomas M. Knoles, Kelly W. McCabe, Haring Singh Khalsa, Ameeta Vora, Mary Esther Stewart, and Karl Moeller. With an Introduction by Jane Chin, Ph.D. and a Foreword by Don E. Stevens.
Recently completed porting of two J2EE courses for a client, one for Eclipse with Sysdeo and Tomcat, and the other for Eclipse with MyEclipse and WebLogic 8.
Translation
De Jungste Tag | The Youngest Day, I helped to cretae a partial English translation of this spiritually important book translated by Ursula and Dieter Lange in Darmstadt, Germany.
Software - Groovy presentation, for J-SPRING 2004 event, on behalf of Trivera Technologies. Laurent started to learn the Groovy programming language (Groovy JSR-241) and created an original Groovy slide show, wrote and tested original Groovy code for work with XML, Groovlets, SQL, and more.
Recent Seminars and Presentations The New Humanity, and How do we Experience to God (Baba) in our Daily Life (Practical Spirituality)?
facilitated by Laurent Weichberger at Meherabode
in Los Angeles, CA, June 8, 2008.
Meher Baba’s Word and His Three Bridges by Don Stevens with Laurent Weichberger:
May 29 & 30, 2004 in New York City
June 5 & 6, 2004 in Salem, MA
Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God (London: Companion Books, 2008) interview with Laurent Weichberger in Myrtle Beach (Oct. 2011).
One day in the 1960s Meher Baba shared with those close ones gathered around him in Mandali Hall that his Avataric Gift to humanity is that of "intuition." Don Stevens was present on that occasion and has not forgotten the power of Baba's statements about intuition which followed up on Baba's rather casual delivery of this news. We read in Discourses, The Avatar (Volume III, p.p.13-14) where Baba has stated, "Avataric periods are like the spring-tide of creation. They bring a new release of power, a new awakening of consciousness, a new experience of life-not merely for a few, but for all. Qualities of energy and awareness, which had been used and enjoyed by only a few advanced souls, are made available for all humanity. Life, as a whole, is stepped up to a higher level of consciousness, is geared to a new rate of energy. The transition from sensation to reason was one such step; the transition from reason to intuition will be another." Aside from this quote in Discourses, it is not easy to find a reference between the great transition Baba speaks of and this Avataric Gift.
Now, for the first time in book form Don Stevens, with a group of companions, has taken the time to thoroughly contemplate the meaning of this Avataric Gift of Intuition, and they eloquently share the fruits of that contemplation. Don writes in the introduction to the book about his experiences with Baba in Mandali Hall when Baba shared directly about intuition. Then in the chapter The Role of Sanskaras, Don clarifies the relationship between intuition and sanskaras. He also shares two of his most recent personal intuitions in the chapter Sacred Mountains. Having read them, I can only say that they will go down in history as phenomenal, to say the least. The companions who have created essays on this vast subject are all Meher Baba followers, coming from all walks of life and all areas of the globe. They have all dug deeply into their years-long (and in some cases decades-long) relationship with Beloved Baba to attempt to articulate a most difficult process of receiving intuition, intuitive perception and guidance.
In part one of the book, Facets of the Avatar's Gift, we are treated to eight complete essays (including one by Don already mentioned) as follows:
The Nature of Intuition by Kendra Crossen Burroughs
The Scope and Levels of Intuition by Stuart Baker
Making Intuition Practical by Thomas J. Hickey
Major Sources for Intuition by Laurent Weichberger & Jack C. Small
Obstacles, Blocks, and Dangers by Julia Brennan, Gary Miller, Debbie Sanchez, and Marjorie Sucoff
Intuition and Truing by Neale Lundgren
Intuition and the Master by Cynthia and Richard Griffin
In part two of the book, which is dedicated to individual experiences, we have another perspective based on what a different collection of authors have perceived directly, as follows:
Norma Finds Her Approach to God Speaks by Norma Miles
Muscular Intuition by Don E. Stevens
Intuition and Childhood Experience by Joanie Agin
Intuition in Daily Life by Wayne Smith
An Experience of Intuition by Kenneth Lux
Ping-Pong and Mental Flatulence by Steve Sakellarios
An Adventure in Intuition by Ann Speirs
To top it all off, the last section of the book is Quotations from Meher Baba on Intuition. This comprehensive compilation contains ten pages of all the Meher Baba quotes available on the subject. This book is a virtual power-plant of insights into the many forces that come into play around intuition, including some concepts and techniques that are experimental and new. There is not enough space in the Love Street Lamp Post for me to properly review all of the deep and soulful writing that takes place in the pages of Meher Baba's Gift of Intuition except to announce that it is a must have for all those who wanted to know intuitively where to start on this bold new adventure with our Beloved Master, Avatar Meher Baba.
Mandali Email by Bhau Kalchuri and Don Stevens (Companion Books, 2005)
Paperback (8" x 11")
79 pp.
This large book is filled with the most poignant email correspondence between two of Avatar Meher Baba’s Mandali, Bhau Kalchuri and Don Stevens. They touch upon some of the most spiritually important topics of the 20th century that are bound to be discussed by followers of Meher Baba for hundreds of years to come. This is a must-read for anyone seriously questioning what Meher Baba has put forth for the New Humanity.
Paperback (pocket-size)
170 pp.
This pocket-size format
of a compilation of
all Meher Baba's quotes
on the spiritual implications
of using drugs of
any kind includes
the full collection
of quotes by Baba
from the original
God in a Pill?. With
several first person
accounts by former
users as well as sources
of additional information,
this new booklet will
be an invaluable source
of inspiration for
those who seek help
in understanding the
spiritual truth about
the effects of using
drugs.
This
latest volume from
Don Stevens, "Meher
Baba¹s Word
and His Three Bridges",
is jam packed with
deep sharing, emotionally
charged issues,
priceless stories,
fantastic ideas,
contemplative questions,
and much more. The
entire book is based
on the transcript
of a two day seminar
that he presented
to more than thirty
Baba-followers in
London during May
2003.
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