In this story I share my experience with a transsexual friend and how I feel she was helped in knowing of Meher Baba.

“Yvonne: Your lines, your lines, your coloring book lines. What happens if I scribble, if I scribble, if I scribble, if the girl’s face is green and her eyes purple?”  (From Sculpture Lessons, my experimental play, 1974).

    
     In 1973, at the Venice, California Women’s Center, I saw a notice inviting people to a meeting of the Los Angeles Feminist Theatre.  I arranged to get a ride from my Santa Monica apartment to the home of Sarah and Michael Sappington-Kuhn.

      Sara had written a play, with the hope that she could present a performance at the November, 1973 opening of the Los Angeles Women’s Building, the innovative downtown cultural center for the arts.  The meeting was to gather a group of people to participate in the play.

     I had recently moved back to Santa Monica, California from Staten Island, New York, where I had attended Richmond College; my 1974 Bachelor of Arts degree a focus on women’s studies.

     Now, in my small Santa Monica apartment, I was writing my first experimental play, Sculpture Lessons.

     At the Los Angeles Feminist Theatre meeting that evening, I was drawn to a very unusual-looking person who was sitting on the living room floor.

     He introduced himself to the group as being Albert Michael Weber, and then explained his appearance.  He spoke in his own words, quoted from books, and also gave us printed flyers; a collage of glitter, hand-painted footnotes, drawings and typed messages.

     He shared with us that he was, in anthropological terms, “the third sex, the shaman.”   He said he preferred to be called Ms. Lily Sabina Fairweather, the name of the maid in Thornton Wilder’s play, The Skin of our Teeth.

    That evening, “Sabina” was dressed in costume – including a beautiful black lace top, velvet blue slacks, women’s shoes and stockings.  “She” wore make-up, colorful nail polish, and a large-brimmed straw Mexican hat.

     “Her” appearance was intriguing to me, since I was also, for very different psychological reasons, “different.”  Even in this culturally open theatre atmosphere, Sabina’s appearance was noticed.

     As I became friends with Sabina, I learned more about her background.  Sabina had grown up in Detroit, Michigan.  Her mother was a dancer and dance teacher.  From an early age, Sabina, born a physical boy, had yearned to dress as a girl.  He wanted to be a she.

     She had attended Wayne State University where she had studied anthropology.  In her studies, she had found evidence of third sex gender roles and shamans.  Somewhere along the way, Sabina had traveled to Eugene, Oregon to meet and study with biologist Dr. Raymond Peat.

     Sabina’s journey was to express herself, her essence, carrying placards along the Venice, California boardwalk, making collage art and flyers, attending transsexual support groups, shopping in thrift stores and finding friends. 
  
      On her bicycle, Sabina often road into West Los Angeles, exploring the university area.

     She often quoted Dr. Ray Peat, William Blake, Mircea Eliade, Carl Jung, Wilhelm Reich, Elizabeth Gould Davis, Alexandro Jodorowsky, Robert Graves and others.

       In 1976, Filis Frederick from the Los Angeles Meher Baba Center  showed an introductory film of Meher Baba, and answered questions in Santa Monica, at The Church in Ocean Park.  The church was an open-minded place where diverse community groups could give presentations on Sunday evenings.

       I recall being attracted to the picturesque scenery of India.  Sabina was fascinated with counter culture films, holograms, and the vision of each person’s uniqueness.

     After that initial encounter, Sabina found her way to the Meher Baba Center, which was then located in West Los Angeles.  There, she was given her copy of the Discourses, written by Meher Baba. 
 
     In the Discourses and other writings from Meher Baba, she underlined and starred certain passages she liked that gave her courage, support and validation.  She would read some of those passages aloud to me and other friends.

      I recall that Sabina seemed to connect the mystical writings of William Blake with the teachings of Meher Baba.

    The noteworthy sentence by William Blake,  “Man in the Resurrection changes his Sexual Garments at will,”  also gave my friend Sabina much needed courage and comfort.
   
     However, her unconventional dress, outsider personality, and lack of a solid support system soon thereafter led to her leaving the Los Angeles area.

     Eventually, I learned that Sabina had died of a brain tumor at her home in the southeast United States, surrounded by her paper collage and assemblages, wine bottles, glitter, and the lovely large size thrift store costumes and dresses.
    
     Today, we have well-known transsexuals, such as Chaz Bono (formerly Chastity Bono), and more openness to gender diversity in many ways.  In 1976, there was only Ms. Lily Sabina Fairweather, fledgling support groups and a distant rainbow flag.

 
     I  am grateful that when she lived, Ms. Lily Sabina Fairweather was able to know of Meher Baba, that His words gave her comfort and inspiration, and that Meher Baba was able to convey His message to her. 

(Written on February 2, 2014)

(In his 2015 encyclical, Laudate Si, On Care For Our Common Home, Pope Francis writes about awareness and concern for protection of planet earth in connection to theology, spiritual practice and science. At the end of his encyclical, he offers prayers.
I am inspired by Pope Francis and by my own experiences to write the following impressions).

Honoring our Mother Earth and the Cosmic Christ.

Pray for forgiveness for all who have hurt or harmed you.

Pray to be forgiven.

Pray for planetary healing for our Mother Earth.

for communion of the vision
of the Cosmic Christ
for the healing of all humanity

in this holy wisdom
lives the ancient secret
of salvation
of resurrection
of planetary stewardship
care and concern

for all of life
is the body and blood
of the Cosmic Christ and Mother Earth

the suffering of Mother Earth
is the loss of her caring children
who are no longer her stewards

God please send your angels
of mercy to heal Mother Earth
impart your holy vision once again

Amen

angels of stardust
are coming to heal the planet

in various forms
in various manners
they are transmitting
rays of illumination

all who feel this
new vibration
partake of the resurrection
the holy communion of saints

the darkness will no longer be darkness
the heavens are descending
to recover the light

and redemption
in the spirit
of social justice
integrity and love
for our Creator
in the living
breathing cosmos

Please shape Mother Earth back into the holy image you created for her, O Lord.

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you

My prayers for myself are also for the planet and the healing of Mother Earth.

Lord, help me to be anchored in your love, to find to know to live the wisdom in connection to the Love and the healing of our Mother Earth.

Lord, help me to be anchored in your love.
I pray for wisdom and sacred guidance for the healing of our Mother Earth. Amen

Ask Mother Earth’s forgiveness for the damage done to her.

Dear Mother Earth,

Please forgive all who have in the past or present continue to harm you and your Beloved creation, including all beings and creatures. Inspire us with the flame of heartfelt passion to work ceaselessly for your healing, renewal.

Thank you, Angels of Wisdom and Grace.
Amen.

October 15, 2016
www.sharonrobinson.org

Helma’s Madonna, photo by Sue Cook

thank you Lord Meher Baba
for the gift of your presence

     I find Lectio Divina is a contemplative refuge for me, yet also a way for reaching back into the world.  A way to find answers.
     The practice originated with the Benedictine Order of the Roman Catholic Church.  I had briefly read a pamphlet about Lectio several years ago.  The practice was initially formed as a solo form of contemplative prayer.
      Then last year, I began to attend Lectio Divina in a small Lenten group setting at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington. 
      I did some research and discovered that Lectio (Divine Reading) is now also sometime practiced for spiritual discernment in combination with creative dance, poems, photographs and making art; even with films.
     The ongoing development of Lectio with the potential of encompassing all faiths and many forms of spiritual expression, is a special way to “practice the presence” either solo or in a group setting.

  
   May 1, 2013, a few additional notes

     Lectio Divina is a reading of a sacred text for meditation, prayer and discernment.  This process can be done alone or within a group context.  This evening, for the very first time, one of my poems was chosen to be the focus of the Lectio Divina experience.

     An aspect of my commentary during our discussion was the phrase by Meher Baba, “God alone is real.”   Another comment I included was, “I am casting all of my burdens on the Christ within and I am free.” (a saying by Unity Minister Catherine Ponder). 

    I am honored that my poem was accepted for the gathering this evening, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Port Townsend, Washington.

     I am gratitude that my writings exist in places where they may be shared to inspire people, so that people are better able to understand life and the society in which we live. 

    I am grateful that I am able, as a poet and an artist, to give to others on their spiritual journey.
    This is the poem that was included in the Lectio Divina.

In The Night Of My Heart
by Sharon Lia Robinson

“I am never alone
I speak with you always
You speak with me always…”
(from Vrindaban by Octavio Paz)

In the night of my heart
I hold a place of healing

A sacred place of sojourn
A peaceful setting for pilgrimage

In the midnight moon of my heart
I sense a deeper truth
Yearning growing fruitful
Beyond misunderstanding

I hold this special place
Hallowed receptive knowing.