Father Yod ( ), or YaHoWha, born James Edward Baker (July 4, 1922 – August 25, 1975), was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

new religious movement founder and owner of one of the country's first health food restaurants, on

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He founded a spiritual commune in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...

known as the Source Family. The Source Family was heavily influenced by the teachings of

Yogi Bhajan Yogi Bhajan (born Harbhajan Singh Puri) (August 26, 1929 – October 6, 2004), also known as Siri Singh Sahib to his followers, was an American entrepreneur, yoga guru, and putative spiritual teacher. He introduced his version of Kundalin ...

and the astrological

age of Aquarius The Age of Aquarius, in astrology, is either the current or forthcoming astrological age, depending on the method of calculation. Astrologers maintain that an astrological age is a product of the Earth's slow precessional rotation and lasts f ...

. The Family practiced communal living in Southern California and later in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. He was also the frontman of the commune's experimental psychedelic rock band,

Ya Ho Wha 13 Ya Ho Wha 13, otherwise known as Ya Ho Wa 13 or Yahowha 13, is a psychedelic rock band fronted by Father Yod ( ), spiritual leader of a religious commune called the Source Family, based in Los Angeles. (Without the vowels and spaces, Ya Ho Wha c ...

Early life

James Edward Baker was born on July 4, 1922, in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. Although he said he had been awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

while serving in the

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Corps does not carry his name in its official listing of Silver Star recipients. Baker also said he had become an expert in

jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

. On 11 February 1949 he beat "Wild Bill Zim", an Argentinian, at Judo in Cincinnati. He moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to become a Hollywood

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

and was influenced by the Nature Boys, a

-based group of beats who lived a natural lifestyle, maintained

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

diets, and lived "according to Nature's Laws".Bearman, Gary
YaHoWha 13 Interview
July 2002. Baker also studied philosophy, religion and

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

spiritual teachings, even becoming a

Vedantic ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox ( ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompasses the ideas that e ...

monk for a time. He later became a follower of

, a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

spiritual leader and teacher of Kundalini Yoga. In 1969, Baker founded the Source Restaurant on Los Angeles's

. The restaurant served

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

vegetarian food Vegetarian cuisine is based on food that meets vegetarian standards by not including meat and animal tissue products (such as gelatin or animal-derived rennet). Common vegetarian foods Vegetarian cuisine includes consumption of foods containin ...

, with such celebrity regulars as

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. Christie's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in six films ranked in the British Film Institu ...

and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

. Jim Baker had two other successful restaurants on Sunset Strip: the Aware Inn and the Old World. Despite claims that he had fourteen different wives, he had only one legal wife as James Baker, Robin Popper, to whom he was married in 1970. They had a daughter together, Tau, born August 14, 1974. Robin said that at the time he was "a dirty old man on a lust trip".

Source Family

Baker left Yogi Bhajan in the late 1960s and created his own philosophy based on

Western mystery tradition Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

. Changing his name to Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha, Baker became the patriarch of a commune of young people, who considered him their spiritual father. The group, known as the Source Family, lived together in a

mansion in

Los Feliz LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

(the former Chandler estate, built in 1914 for

Harry Chandler Harry Chandler (May 17, 1864 – September 23, 1944) was an American newspaper publisher and investor. Early life Harry Chandler was born in Landaff, New Hampshire, the eldest of four siblings born to Emma Jane ( Little) and Moses Knight Chandle ...

) and was supported by the earnings of the restaurant, which grossed $10,000 a day during its peak popularity.Harris, Kevin
Heavy Living: Father Yod and the Source Family
Dusted Features. Some of the doctrines of the Source Family were kept secret; however, they generally adopted a way of life that promoted

natural health Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...

, organic vegetarian diets, communal living and utopian ideals. Father Yod/Ya Ho Wha had a core communal group of 150 people living in Los Feliz. He as Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha had 14 wives and 3 children. His wives were named Makushla, Isis, Astral, Heaven, Prism, Aquariana, Harvest Moon, Galaxy, Lovely, Paralda, Hypatia, Tantalayo and Venus, with Robin (now Ahom) forming the group. His children were Tau, Buttercup and Yod: (NB:

The Source Family ''The Source Family'' is a 2012 feature documentary film directed by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulos which recounts the story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 and the Source Family. Much material was gleaned from the group's official documentarian an ...

)

Music

Death

On December 26, 1974, the Source Family sold their restaurant and moved to Hawaii. On August 25, 1975, despite having no previous

hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium al ...

experience, Yod decided that he would go hang gliding. Yod used a hang glider to leap off a cliff on the eastern shore of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

.Harvey, Doug (2007-08-30). "Father Yod Knew Best". ''LA Weekly'', August 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2009-06-18 from http://www.laweekly.com/2007-08-30/news/father-yod-knew-best/ . He crash-landed on the beach suffering no external injuries, but was unable to move and died nine hours later. He was 53 years old. The Source Family refers to this day as "Black Monday". After three days of vigil, Yod was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and his ashes put to rest at

Lanikai Beach Lanikai Beach or Kaōhao Beach is located in Kaōhao, a community in the town of Kailua and on the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Although there is a widespread belief that the name Lanikai means "heavenly sea", that is a misconception and a g ...

in Hawaii.

Legacy

In 2006, two Source Family members, Isis Aquarian and Electricity Aquarian, wrote the history of the religious group. A revised version of the book entitled ''The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 and The Source Family'' was released in 2007 by Process Media, and included a CD with live Ya Ho Wa 13 performances, radio interviews, and Family recordings. The Source Foundation was set up at www.yahowha.org and released lost family music through Drag City Records, Fathers Morning Meditation Tapes through Global Recording Artist, a comic book, and ''

'' in 2012, co-directed by Jodi Wille and Maria Demopoulous.

Sean Ono Lennon is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tige ...

credited the Source Family with inspiring the look and attitude portrayed in the video for his 2013 song "Animals". The experimental sound collage program '' Over the Edge'', hosted by members of

Negativland Negativland is an American experimental music band that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. The core of the band consists of Mark Hosler, David Wills (aka "The Weatherman"), Peter Conheim and Jon Leidecker (aka "Wobbly" ...

, presented a Source Family retrospective in the second half of the program on the night of June 30, 2017. The Source Restaurant is featured in

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

's 1977 film ''

Annie Hall ''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer ...

.'' In the film, Alvy Singer (played by Allen) orders "alfalfa sprouts" and "a plate of mashed yeast".

References

External links

Interview with Isis Aquarian in The Writing Disorder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yod, Father Singers from Los Angeles United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Accidental deaths from falls in the United States Accidental deaths in Hawaii American religious leaders 1922 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American singers People from Los Feliz, Los Angeles Founders of new religious movements American founders