December 21, 1969
Mrs. Ramona Carrillo
1855 Washington St.,
San Francisco 94109
My dear Ramona:
I am sorry not to have been home when you called recently; or rather one has two homes or residences and splits the week generally being in San Francisco weekends and in Novato in the middle, but that is not always so. Christmas eve will be spent here, Christmas day in Sausalito and New Year’s eve in Corte Madera.
Things have changed remarkably this past year. The will of God is most certainly not the will of man, much less the whim or wish of man. There is such a thing as divine surrender of which most people are terribly afraid. But once this stream is crossed life is very different. Not necessarily easy, but different.
One has two or three huge projects, the size of which is so great that acquaintances cannot get a vision of it. The poetry class at the university got one whiff of it and this went on fine. A certain group in Washington and my closest friend in Seattle have sized up the aim of life and its projects, but hardly anybody locally.
We simply do not believe in peace. We toy with the word but what most of us want is our wills and while verbally praying to God, “Thy will be done,” what most people pray for is that God conform to their own wills. So we have war and are going to have war despite the headline today that there is hardly any pure air anywhere in the United States. We want it that way and we are going to have it that way and we are going to die in misery as persons and at a Nation rather than change. Only a tragedy can change or a great miracle.
But people are seeking for a miracle that will be according to their own wills. So we seek avatars, and sadgurus and maharishis who give us strange shibboleths which can repeat and think we are ‘saved’ and we are no more ‘saved’ than going around with a subject ‘Jesus saves’ which has nothing to do with Jesus and much to do with our egos.
We practice here the sciences of peace, joy and love so that the capacity for peace, joy and love are increased. Much of this is through chanting and dancing and I invite you to come here either some Saturday night at 8 or Sunday at 3—you will be given a ride home but I cannot vouchsafe for a ride to this place. You will see what many of our contemporaries absolutely refuse to look at.
This is wonderful that they won’t look. It is marvelous. Lots of old peoples are filled with self-will and are very unhappy. One is quite willing to have them stick to their unhappiness. This is the cruelest form of revenge, let each stew in his own here own misery.
Our growth is nothing compared to that of Father Blighton. Evidently he is doing what God wishes him to do and is succeeding as God wishes success to manifest on earth.
I am not concerned with the social scene; that is his dharma. He has been most successful. He is sending out his disciples to many parts and they are succeeding because they are working with the Divine Law. This is bringing first transformations to individuals and then to the social milieu. It is just as real, just as successful and just as important as it is shunned and will be shunned by elders, who fortunately are passing from the scene.
I have a different job in the arts and with the world’s religions. I am not concerned with the refusals and rejections of the powerful, unimportant people. This coming year may see one go out into the public—not here, of course, and present my themes which the self-centered elders utterly reject.
The great issues of actual peace, taking into consideration the actual people who are suffering in actual places in the actual world is part of my dharma, so to speak. But one cannot emanate peace and love and joy until one manifests and demonstrates and that is what we are doing her—at least the young and they do not want the wars, the race and other hatred which older people “love.”
This is a week of transformation. We are joining Father Blighton on Christmas eve and in other matters. You should look. It would open eyes.
Love and blessings,
Sam
May 23, 1970
Ramona Carrillo
1855 Washington St., #404
San Francisco, Ca. 94109
Dear Ramona:
I want to thank you for your letter of May 17. I am about to go away again. This time to the state of New Mexico. It would seem young people are quite interested in my undertakings, and I have enough invitations on the agenda to keep me occupied indefinitely. There will be a farewell party Sunday which is also in celebration of some of the disciples’ birthdays. I have today a growing number of fine disciples, slightly complicated by the fact that the rather celebrated Baba Ram Dass may be leaving this country, permitting or inviting me to carry on where he left off. This will involve many undertakings. I shall also have a big party here on my return early in July.
But I am answering you for quite a different reason. While I shall be away during the whole month of June two of my disciples will be attending a summer school in ceramics in the neighborhood of Guerneville or Rio Nido. I shall be turning your letter over to them for you probably will be even within walking distance. They are both fine young women.
We already have a kiln at the Sufi center in Novato which they will be operating later on. In fact too many things are going on for us to seek any sort of so-called “excitement.” Indeed there is something doing every hear in all aspects of my life. Again thanking you.
Faithfully,
Sam