YAHOWHA 13
ADDENDUM
The full story of this legendary hippie acid-rock commune from L.A can
now be gathered via Gary Bearman's excellent interviews.
Below is some additional info from an informal Q & A that I conducted
with their former lead guitarist DJIN in May 2002.
Q: When you joined Father Yod's group, had it
already existed for some time or were you there as it "formed"?
Was there a moment when a formal decision was taken on the group's purpose,
who the members were etc?
A: It already existed for two years at the time I joined and our
purpose was health and community. Our greater purpose was revealed to us as
we became more loving, unified and wise in the practice of self
developement. There was a time when father decided to seal the Family at
140, a prophetic number, and to get land for us. Then before he left his
body, he gave the 140 the mission to gather the 4000 and then the 4000 to
gather 144,000 to fulfill the prophecy of an exemplary "micro-city of
light workers". Will it happen, who knows but living a noble purposful
life in service to humanity is our aim and the best way to spend a life
Whether prophecies come true or not. Q: It seems to me that Father Yod's
teachings, at least as they come across on the LPs, cover a wide spectrum of
belief systems. Were there any particular books or faiths that he would
promote as the most central? A: We studied and practiced from east to west,
and Father said the next spiritual awakening would come from the west and
the west is based on the ancient name yhwh whose name means "to
liberate the being i Am", among other things. The source of this name
is the qabalah and torah and it is the root of all Esoteric sciences. The
admonition in schools in which it is found is "man know thyself and
thou shalt know All"
Q: "Destroy to build again - die to live
again"...
A: It happens everyday, in everyway, to everything and everyone under
the sun, get used to it.
Q: Could you say something about the Yod Ship Suite
LP?
A: Yodship Suite was made by Sunlight and Osiris while in the family
right before we moved to Hawaii, the first time. That's all I remember about
that. Sunlight could tell you more.
Q: What were the circumstances around the YHWH13
recordings - were these considered special events, or did it happen on an
ongoing basis?
A: Both actually. We went in to our garage studio to commemorate
certain special events like with the Kohoutek recording but we also went in
semi regularly for several years. Whenever we went in it was a special event
because it usually had to do with something father was inspired to "lay
down" and we were all eager and excited to be drawn in to it.
Photo
courtesy of the "Source Family Recipe Book"
Q: How much, and in what way, did you prepare for the
recordings with Father in terms of songwriting, rehearsing etc?
A: We never rehearsed any of father's pieces, they took as long to
record as it does for you to listen, no over dubbing or editing, but we did
cursorily look over eachother's personal compositions for those recordings
and then vamped the rest.We never knew when he'd sweep us in to the
band room so we always had to be ready. When we were called in to
record it was always at around 4am. And it was a kind of an Aquarian
ritual ceremony done with much focus, reverence, nerve and joy. We had
to put our beings together quickly and really BE ONE BEING, very cool.
Q: Also, a friend wants me to ask if any of you were
involved with, or had relations with, the Zendik Farm project?
A: We didn't have anything directly to do with Wulf's doings but he
and father knew each other from the "Nature Boys" days with Gypsy
Boots, Jack La Laine and other Hollywood health figures. I like those people
and their energy very much and went to visit them in the 80's to see what
they were doing. Q: What do you know about Father's pre-1970s days? A: Pre
1970's... he did many things and masterfully, gaining the respect and
admiration of many. In his being prepared by YHWH, GOD, for his 70's role as
Earthly Spiritual Father YOD, and then Yahowha, Jim Baker was a top disciple
with Yogi Bajan, the leader of the Western Sikhs, where he mastered
surrender and service and Kundalini Yoga. Before that he was a spiritual
truth seeker and sat at the feet of Manly P. Hall, was a Vedanta monk, was a
famous health oriented restranteur, a World War II Marine decorated hero, a
world champion Karate expert with his hands registered as weapons.
Q: What type of recording equipment and microphone
set-up did you use?
A: We recorded on a 4 track Teac. Octavius built our studio so he
could tell you better but I think we had a 16 channel Teac or Tascam board.
Sennheiser mike for fathers voice.
Q: How many of the LPs were typically pressed? Were
the LPs available commercially, or distributed only within the Group?
A: We pressed 9 of our recordings and sold them at our restaurant
bookstore and by hand but we never had a record company deal too out of the
box for then. As I recall I remember either "YHW13" or
"Principles" was a 5000 copy run and all the others were 500 or
1000. YHW13 [aka "2"] is the one with "Warden", and the
big face of father's. The back cover is one of my favorites. [note: it
seems likely that this was the LP that was pressed in 5000 as it's easier to
find than most of the others]. Q: There are a few passages when Father
speaks where I'm unable to make the words out; on the "I'm gonna take
you home" LP as an example. It would be great to have all these
statements and lyrics collected somewhere. A: I would absolutely love to sit
down and spend a day writing out the lyrics to them all as I remember them
and hear them, but right now time is tight. I'm extremely pleased to know
people are digging and receiving benefit from father's "over the
top" metaphysical instructions and soul comfortings. All he wanted was
for everyone to "AWAKEN AWAKEN AWAKEN AWAKEN", etc. "To The
Principles" grand finale. I think his voice and words have been used in
some techno sound bites. That's what I'm talkin would be cool now with
Octavius, Sunflower and myself, at least, and others, doing some new music.
© Lama
Sivart Doz 2002