The Psychedelic Journey Of The Source Family
By Jamo Lorswal
Like his protege Bhagwan Rajneesh, Jim Baker ended up in an armed barricade with what was left of his cult, The Source Family. The long road to his incredible death proved to be a story emblematic of the times; the 1960’s and 1970’s when hippiedom flourished and more than a few cults erupted in the counter culture. Baker was able to sell himself in a way that fit the era, beginning with a diet that attracted the attention of would-be followers.
The Source Restaurant is recalled as the first vegetarian eatery in Los Angeles and it opened at a time when ideas about meditation and a meat-free lifestyle were rounding into shape. It attracted young people in the vegan scene and a few celebrities were regulars. Hollywood stars and other notable Los Angelenos enjoying vegetarian food served by young hippies in white robes was about as ecstatic as the culture of the 60’s in California can get. Viewers can see a scene in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall where a character is ordering green beans and mashed yeast from the restaurant. What was going on beyond what the camera captured was quite a story.
Previously, James E. Baker had been a World War Two hero, a bank robber, and a hopeful actor who was once acquitted of murder. Jim’s early life relationship with a guru named Paul Bragg taught him the need of bodily health and exercise. After becoming a popular restaurateur, a large group would begin to revolve around him. The “family” Baker created in his image was built on meditation, group tantric sex, marijuana, and a heavy dose of psychedelic music.
PSYCHEDELIC CULT
Jim Baker eventually became known as Father Yod, and the story is that followers found Yod to be a super charismatic father-figure of sorts, and something of a God among men. The gateway to the Source Family began for many with working at the restaurant or from an experience in a Sunday morning meditation group Baker ran. Once a member, many moved into the Chandler Mansion in LA, but in time the Family was kicked out of ‘The Mother House.” Neighbors were wary of the great number of hippies in the old mansion, and the Manson murders were fresh in the minds of those who accused Father Yod of being a dangerous cult leader. There had also been building inspection issues, police investigations on the property, and allegations of rape.
The next compound was dubbed the “Father House”- around 140 people were living in a space with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Members built small wooden cubbies to sleep in.
During this period a few higher-ups founded a rock and roll band, Ya Ho Wha 13. Without the vowels it translates as YHWH, the secret name of God in the bible. Source Family members ditched their birth names, so the list of those involved in the band is interesting, to say the least. The line-up included people like Djin, Pythias, Aquariana Aquarian, Lovely, Zoroaster and, of course, Father Yod. Their sound was an alchemy of atonal chanting, psychedelic rhythms, and ranting from the leader.
Some of the music had a life outside the compound after they started playing shows at local college campuses. Then it became time for a record.
Studio recordings were funded with communal money drawn from The Source restaurant, which was worth $300,000 a year at its peak. The band’s recording fund was boosted by the fact that members had to hand over their assets upon entry and worked at the restaurant without pay. After the music was funded and recorded, it was obvious the stuff would be a challenge to release commercially. Record companies rejected the music out of hand, so a label called Higher Key was created by the cult to press albums that were sold to the public at the restaurant.
Although only nine original records survive today, it is rumored that at least 65 were pressed. Collector’s have brought attention to these rare recordings. These days the label Drag City distributes reissues at their website www.yahowha13.com
The Source Family traveled from time to time, though the band never “toured” outside California. A notable story from their globetrotting starts with a trip to India when their plane was grounded due to a storm in Cairo, Egypt. Father Yod and three other band members found a taxi from the airport and the driver suggested they stay at his brother’s house. This chance encounter between the taxi driver’s brother and the cult rockers led to a tour of the great pyramids in the middle of the night wherein the mysterious guide initiated Father Yod in a “resurrection” through an ancient ritual at Cheops. One spiritual mystic found another, and The Source Family had new material to draw from.
Eventually pressure from concerned citizens chased Father Yod and company out of California. They regrouped in the Hawaiian Islands, home to more than a few burgeoning cults including Krishna International. The Family was getting worn out from moving around and they faced absolute rejection from the Kauai community. It got harder for members to stay afloat without income. No local businesses would hire a known cult member. Attacks between The Source Family and its opposition began, and Father Yod ordered that his members be armed on the compound in case things turned violent.
The end of this psychedelic cult story fits the bizarre narrative of Jim Baker’s life. The leader had a son who was an athlete and a hang-gliding champion. One morning Yod decided he was going to hang-glide off the mountain Osha in honor of his child, although he had no actual experience himself. Source Family members gathered and followed their leader to the mountain.
After launching into the sky, a strong wind came, and the man once known as Jim Baker fell to earth close to the sea. He was able to maneuver himself for a moment, but crash landed his vessel. When members reached him, the leader complained of pain and indicated that he couldn’t move. Yod was barely able to get his words out after the crash and he succumbed to injuries within nine hours of being returned to the compound after refusing medical attention. Rock and roll may never die, but that was the end of music for this cult leader.
