Father Yod
Encyclopedia
Father Yod or YaHoWha was the American
owner of a Los Angeles
health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip who founded a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills
known as the Source Family. He was also lead singer of the commune's experimental psychedelic rock band, Ya Ho Wa 13.
. Baker earned the Silver Star
as United States Marine in World War II
and became an expert in Jujitsu. He moved to California
to become a Hollywood stuntman
and became influenced by the Nature Boys, a Los Angeles
-based group of beatniks who lived a natural lifestyle, maintained vegetarian diets, and lived "according to Nature's Laws." 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 Sikh
spiritual leader and teacher of Kundalini Yoga
.
In 1969, Baker founded the Source Restaurant in the Laurel Canyon
section of Los Angeles, on the Sunset Strip
. The restaurant served organic
vegetarian food, with such celebrity regulars as John Lennon
, Julie Christie
, and Marlon Brando
.
. Changing his name to Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha, Baker became the patriarch to a commune of young people who considered him their spiritual father. The group, known as the Source Family, lived together in a Hollywood Hills
mansion and was supported by the earnings of the Source Restaurant which grossed $10,000 a day during its peak popularity.
Some of the doctrines of the Source Family were kept secret by its members; however, they generally adopted a way of life that promoted natural health, organic vegetarian diets, communal living, and utopian ideals. Father Yod, the head of the Source Family, outlined "Ten Commandments for the Age of Aquarius" in his book entitled, "Liberation."
rock band called YaHoWha 13, with himself as a lead singer. In 1973 the band began making limited pressings of their jam sessions, eventually releasing nine albums that were sold at the Source Restaurant for ten dollars each. The original recordings have become valuable to collectors of underground music. Celebrities such as Earth, Wind, and Fire would buy Source records out of the back of the restaurant.
. On August 25, 1975, despite having no previous hang-gliding experience, YaHoWha used a hang glider to leap off a 1300-foot cliff on the eastern shore of Oahu
. He crash-landed on the beach and died nine hours later. After three days of vigil, YaHoWha was cremated.
A 2-hour documentary titled Re-visiting 'Father' and the Source Family with interviews of family members was released in 2007 as a Carleton College
film student thesis. In 2006, Source Family members "Isis Aquarian" and "Electricity Aquarian" wrote about the history of the religious group. A revised version of the book titled The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 and The Source Family was released in 2007 and included a CD with Ya Ho Wa 13 live performances, radio interviews, and Family recordings. "Isis Aquarian" was one of Yahowha's 12+ "wives." "Isis" recently found unreleased music from the family days, they are now being remastered and released through Drag city Records, out of Chicago. "Isis" and "Electricity" have set up a Source Foundation, which includes some of the old Source Family members. A comic book was released by Bluewaterprod.com "Father Yod and the Source" November 2010 by "Isis Aquarian."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
owner of a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip who founded a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
known as the Source Family. He was also lead singer of the commune's experimental psychedelic rock band, Ya Ho Wa 13.
Early life
James Edward Baker was born on July 4, 1922, in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Baker earned the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
as United States Marine in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and became an expert in Jujitsu. He moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to become a Hollywood stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
and became influenced by the Nature Boys, a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based group of beatniks who lived a natural lifestyle, maintained vegetarian diets, and lived "according to Nature's Laws." Baker also studied philosophy, religion, and esoteric spiritual teachings, even becoming a Vedantic
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
monk for a time. He later became a devoted follower of Yogi Bhajan, a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
spiritual leader and teacher of Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline for developing strength, awareness, character, and consciousness. Practitioners call Kundalini yoga the yoga of awareness because it focuses primarily on practices that expand sensory awareness and intuition in order to raise individual...
.
In 1969, Baker founded the Source Restaurant in the Laurel Canyon
Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California
Laurel Canyon is a canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was first developed in the 1910s, and became a part of the city of Los Angeles in 1923 ....
section of Los Angeles, on the Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
. The restaurant served organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
vegetarian food, with such celebrity regulars as John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Julie Christie
Julie Christie
Julie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
, and Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
.
Source Family
Baker left Yogi Bhajan in the late 1960s and created his own philosophy based on Western mystery traditionWestern mystery tradition
Western esotericism or Hermeticism is a broad spectrum of spiritual traditions found in Western society, or refers to the collection of the mystical, esoteric knowledge of the Western world...
. Changing his name to Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha, Baker became the patriarch to a commune of young people who considered him their spiritual father. The group, known as the Source Family, lived together in a Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
mansion and was supported by the earnings of the Source Restaurant which grossed $10,000 a day during its peak popularity.
Some of the doctrines of the Source Family were kept secret by its members; however, they generally adopted a way of life that promoted natural health, organic vegetarian diets, communal living, and utopian ideals. Father Yod, the head of the Source Family, outlined "Ten Commandments for the Age of Aquarius" in his book entitled, "Liberation."
Music
Music was an integral part of the Source Family and many members were musicians. Father Yod formed them into an improvisational psychedelicPsychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
rock band called YaHoWha 13, with himself as a lead singer. In 1973 the band began making limited pressings of their jam sessions, eventually releasing nine albums that were sold at the Source Restaurant for ten dollars each. The original recordings have become valuable to collectors of underground music. Celebrities such as Earth, Wind, and Fire would buy Source records out of the back of the restaurant.
Death
At the end of 1974, the Source Family sold their restaurant and moved to HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. On August 25, 1975, despite having no previous hang-gliding experience, YaHoWha used a hang glider to leap off a 1300-foot cliff on the eastern shore of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. He crash-landed on the beach and died nine hours later. After three days of vigil, YaHoWha was cremated.
A 2-hour documentary titled Re-visiting 'Father' and the Source Family with interviews of family members was released in 2007 as a Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
film student thesis. In 2006, Source Family members "Isis Aquarian" and "Electricity Aquarian" wrote about the history of the religious group. A revised version of the book titled The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 and The Source Family was released in 2007 and included a CD with Ya Ho Wa 13 live performances, radio interviews, and Family recordings. "Isis Aquarian" was one of Yahowha's 12+ "wives." "Isis" recently found unreleased music from the family days, they are now being remastered and released through Drag city Records, out of Chicago. "Isis" and "Electricity" have set up a Source Foundation, which includes some of the old Source Family members. A comic book was released by Bluewaterprod.com "Father Yod and the Source" November 2010 by "Isis Aquarian."