It's the fish that is important, not the hook.

There was a time when there were many individuals who arrived at Meherabad through a man called David Cousins. He would send his followers to Meherabad to be with Meher Baba. They were lovely people, but they were followers of David Cousins. They were at Meherabad to get a spiritual push, so we were told.

A while after they started coming David Cousins visited Meherabad. He went to Meherazad as part of his visit, but though Eruch was speaking in Mandali Hall, he and his group walked around the periphery of Meherazad and went up Seclusion Hill, then came down, went to Baba's room and left.

Eruch was asked about this, also people coming to Baba through Nan Umrigar (author of Sounds of Silence and an automatic writer, whose son Carl died in a riding accident, and who introduced her to Baba through the medium of automatic writing), and asked if their spiritual progress was in any impeded by the 'occult' introduction to Him.

Eruch laughed and asked, is anyone here a fisherman? Several of the westerners said that they fished as a hobby. Eruch said, "Do you use the same hook and bait for all types of fish?" They replied that they would use different hooks and lures for different fish. Eruch then explained that Baba was the Divine Fisherman, fishing for our souls. Because we are all different, one hook does not catch all. Baba uses whichever hook he needs to catch a particular fish. Once the fish is caught, the hook has served it's purpose and is no longer relevant. With Baba, Eruch explained, it's the fish that is important, not the hook. All He wants to do is catch us, His fish. Do any of you remember Janet Luck singing 'Divine Fisherman'? Writing this reminded me of Janet, whom I loved dearly - she was one of my many sisters in Baba. If I close my eyes and open my inner ears, I can hear her lovely voice singing, 'There once was a grand Fisherman, a-sailing on the sea. He caught a million fish in His net and then He set them free.' Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai.