He owned the North Node bookshop in New York City, which specialized in spiritual literature.1 The bookshop would often host lectures and sponsor courses of instruction by recognized authorities on spiritual subjects. His wife Jean, 38, was likewise a sincere spiritual seeker. A journalist, she was working as assistant editor of a magazine in Manhattan.2
Richard Isaak Mayer of Boston was the first person to mention Meher Baba to Malcolm at the bookshop in the winter of 1930. Mayer, 59, was a German immigrant cotton merchant and a lifelong bachelor.
He told Malcolm about Meredith Starr and the Devonshire Retreat, and left him a copy of a letter describing life at the meditation ashram. (He also sent Meredith a book of Malcolm's poems and Meredith sent Malcolm his own poems.)
In May of 1931, Malcolm saw Richard Mayer again in Boston. He also met Thomas Watson who, along with Mayer, was planning on sailing for England, where he was to tour as a Shakespearean actor. Watson, too, desired to spend some time at Meredith's retreat. In June, Malcolm and Jean sold their bookshop and moved to Hancock, New Hampshire, to live communally with a group of like-minded Theosophical spiritual aspirants from Boston. In July, their friend, the well-known author Mary Antin, called, saying Milo Shattuck had come back from England. Watson had instructed Shattuck to contact Mary Antin, who was a close personal friend. Shattuck had not yet met Baba, but had heard about him from Meredith. Malcolm and Jean were deeply impressed.
Shattuck returned to Hancock a second time to talk to them and the others, including Dane Rudhyar, Catharine Gardner, and Max and Lillian Wardall (all Theosophists), about Baba. It was then that Jean and Malcolm decided to visit the Devonshire Retreat. But plans changed when they received a cable of Baba's imminent arrival. With the funds they had collected for their trip and with additional help from Watson, they instead made arrangements for Baba's stay at Harmon, writing to as many as 350 people about Meher Baba's visit and inviting them to meet the Master.
On 7 November 1931, Malcolm and Jean were waiting on the pier to welcome Thomas Watson and his wife from England. They went with them to their hotel, where Watson read to them and Mary Antin from his diary and spoke about their time at East Challacombe.
Footnotes
- 1.The term north node carries astrological significance and refers to a position of the moon: "In general, the north node is viewed as a point of opportunity for growth, development and self-help [Wikipedia]."
- 2.Jean's given surname was Robinson, but she was known as Jean Weir at the time (from a previous marriage). She later changed her surname to Adriel, based on numerology perhaps.