Source Family

James Edward Baker, best known as Father Yod or Ya Ho Wha, was in the late 1960s / early 1970s the owner of the Sunset Strip’s famous Source Restaurant. He was also the founder and leader of a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills known as the Source Family, and the lead singer of the experimental psychedelic rock band, Ya Ho Wha 13. His Family created The Source Foundation in 2002 and they are working to share his wisdom. Yahowha.org offers a great deal of information and is a "source" for his music and various books.

Early life

Born in Cincinnati, James E. Baker was a highly-decorated WWII Marine veteran and martial arts expert in his 20s. After he moved to California to try and become a Hollywood actor, he adopted the lifestyle of the Nature Boys, a Los Angeles-based group of beatniks who lived a natural lifestyle, maintaining vegetarian diets and “living according to Nature’s Laws.” Bearman, Gary. [http://www.furious.com/PERFECT/yahowa13.html/ Ya Ho Wha 13 Interview] July 2002.] Baker also studied philosophy, religion, and esoteric spiritual teachings, even becoming a Vedantic monk for a time. He later became a devoted follower of Yogi Bhajan, a teacher of Kundalini Yoga and Sikh spiritual leader . [http://www.nndb.com/people/816/000086558// NNDB] 2007.]

In 1969, Jim founded the wildly popular Source Restaurant in Hollywood on the Sunset Strip. The restaurant served organic vegetarian food, with such celebrity regulars as John Lennon, Julie Christie, and Marlon Brando. [ [http://processmediainc.com/process_blog/archives/process/2007/01/may_the_source_be_with_you.php Process: May the Source Be with You] 2007.]

Father Yod / Ya Ho Wha and The Source

Jim Baker parted ways with Yogi Bhajan in the late 1960s. Fusing his own experiences with Eastern religions with the Western mystery tradition, Baker evolved into Father Yod, and eventually Ya Ho Wha, the patriarch to a group of young people devoted to his teachings and philosophies. The group, supported by the earnings of the Source Restaurant (which often grossed $10,000 a day during its peak popularity), became the Source Family, a collection of over a hundred men and women who lived together in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.Harris, Kevin. [http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/413 Heavy Living: Father Yod and the Source Family] Dusted Features.]

The philosophies of the Source Family have been kept rather secret by its members; however, they generally adopted a way of life that promoted, among other things, natural birth, living and dying and organic vegetarian diets. Most of Ya Ho Wha's "Children" are still working to try to spread his wisdom and the most important of his teachings . . . which admonished them to use and share the ancient and Sacred Name of God: Yod Heh Vau Heh and Y A H O W H A.

The Source Family would wake up at around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m., each family member would take a cold shower, making sure to wet their pineal gland on top of their heads, then put on white clothing and go to a room full of other family members for morning classes in tarot, health and anatomy, ancient wisdom, and to play improvisational music, etc. Raw foods played a large part of the Source diet, and they pioneered serving health food in a restaurant setting. Often, as the first part of their spiritual journey, members were asked to purify their diets before coming to live with the Family. The Source lived on properties in Los Angeles and also Hawaii, and most members still live in those areas. Source members were given family names such as "Aquarianna," "Galaxy," "Electricity," "Superman," etc. and all took the last name of Aquarian. Ya Ho Wha's California driver's license listed his name as "Yod the Aquarian."

Source members used several rituals, such as the "ring of fire," the "star exercise," the "I AM" exercise, and the "Mystic Road" and their teachings, though still held esoteric in some realms, have also made it out to the public on some levels. With the internet, more will emerge about this cult/family in time.

The Ten Commandments for the Age of Aquarius

1. Obey and live by the teachings of your earthly Spiritual Father.
2. Love your earthly Spiritual Father more than yourself.
3. Harm not one of your body parts either by neglect, food, drink or knife.
4. Allow each vibration to complete its own cycle without interference.
5. Possess nothing you do not need and share all that you have.
6. The man and his woman are one - let nothing separate them.
7. Squander not your creative force in lust, but come together only when the three vibrations of the physical, emotional and mental are in harmony with spiritual love.
8. Each morning join your vibrations with the ascending currents of universal life energy using the method your earthly spiritual father has taught you.
9. Do every act energetically, intelligently, truthfully and lovingly.
10. When these commandments have been mastered, leave the house of your earthly Spiritual Father and do the work of your Heavenly Father.

Father did not envision that these would replace the Biblical Commandments . . . but rather complement them as preparation for the imminent new age - the Age of Aquarius. [ [http://yahowha.org/modules.php?name=Fathers_Teachings&page=ten_commandments/ Yahowha.org] ]

Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha 13

Music was an integral part of Family life, as many of Father’s followers were musicians, and they came together to form a loose, floating group that began to make limited-edition LPs in 1973. Father Yod eventually became the lead singer for the band Ya Ho Wa 13, which recorded at least nine albums and sold them out of the Source Restaurant for $100 each. These recordings, such as "Penetration: An Aquarian Symphony", have been highly sought after by collectors for years, and Ya Ho Wha 13 is now regarded as one of the best improvisational, psychedelic rock bands of all time.
The Source Foundation has re-issued these classic albums and published books about Father and the Family. Plenty more information available at YaHoWha.org [ [http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/25/ Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage] ]

The Source records often featured Ya Ho Wha screaming and wailing while playing the kettle drum as Source Family musicians throbbed improvisational beats and random melodies. The record "To the Principles For the Children" is one of the more melodic of the albums they recorded, while many of their albums feature lengthy jam sessions. At least one Source member used to run to the other side of the property to get away from Father Yod's atonal vocalizing. The Source sold their albums in the annex to their restaurant on Sunset Blvd. and the group Earth, Wind and Fire, among others, came in to buy them regularly. The Source records have gained a cult following in recent years via the Web--especially in Japan and the UK.

Father's Death and The Source Today

At the end of 1974, the Source Family had sold their restaurant and moved to Hawaii. Father Yod / Ya Ho Wha had established a Counsel of 13 women and later sealed them as his wives. On August 25 1975, Ya Ho Wha “left his body” nine hours after a hang-gliding accident. Several doctors said that there were no injuries and the autopsy could determine no cause of his death. After holding vigil over his body for three days, Family members had Ya Ho Wha's body cremated. His disciples scattered within two years, but have stayed in touch and are working together to share his teachings. [ [http://www.answers.com/topic/father-yod?cat=entertainment/ Father Yod: Information on Answers.com] 2006.]

Many members of the Source Family are still alive and spiritually active today. A documentary entitled "Re-Visiting Father and the Source Family" was recently released and contains interviews with various family members. Harris, Kevin. [http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/413/ Heavy Living: Father Yod and the Source Family] Dusted Features.] Isis Aquarian, one of Father’s wives and the Keeper of the Records, has worked together with Electricity Aquarian to pen the Family’s story, "The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wha 13 and The Source Family". That book has now been expanded and re-issued by Process Media, including many revelations from the Family members themselves and illustrated with over 200 photographs. Also included in the book is a CD featuring previously unreleased Ya Ho Wha 13 live performances and other Family recordings.

References

Further reading

*cite book
last = Aquarian
first = Isis & Electricity
authorlink = Isis Aquarian
title = The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wha 13 and The Source Family
publisher = Process Media
year = 2007
isbn = 9780976082293

*cite book
last = Yod
first = Father
authorlink = Father Yod
title = Liberation
publisher = The Source Foundation
year = 1973 / 2004
isbn = 930847572

*cite book
last = Aquarian
first = Isis & Electricity
authorlink = Isis Aquarian
title = No More Secrets - Wisdom Teachings - The Basics
publisher = Isis & Electricity Aquarian
year = 2008
isbn = applied

*cite book
last = Allen
first = Steve
authorlink = Steve Allen
title = Beloved Son: A Story of the Jesus Cults
publisher = Bobbs-Merrill
year = 1982
isbn = 0672526786

*cite book
last = Miller
first = Timothy
authorlink = Timothy Miller
title = The 60s Communes: Hippies and Beyond
publisher = Syracuse University Press
year = 2000
isbn = 081560601X

External links

* [http://www.yahowha.org/ Yahowha.org]
* [http://resist.ca/~kirstena/pagesourcefamily.html A Source Member's Family Page]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89422387 3 Part Source Family Series on NPR]