Tribute from Grant Maher, June’s Son
Although June was my mother, reaching maturity I began to perceive her objectively as a human being. Negotiating life in the turbulent 20th Century, June underwent a public education and then attended and graduated from Stanford University. She fell in love, married, and had four children. Her life could be described as conventional.
All of this changed in 1972 when she met Joan Tomb, who had connections with a far-away city called Auroville, which in turn related to the mysterious figures of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. June rapidly learned the basic teachings of these sages and fell deeply in love with the concept of Auroville. She did a great job of explaining to the family what this new orientation was all about, and the family was supportive and off she went on this great journey of assisting Auroville any way she could, which turned out to be founding AVI.
June had abundant enthusiasm, energy, and optimism. Being around June created a sensation of being irradiated by warm golden light. I enjoyed her company and conversation greatly. I intuit her to now abide with Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and sense she is still active with projects in the inter-natal space or has perhaps taken a new body.
Tribute from Chetana Deorah
Friend of Auroville and previous board member of AVI USA
Rosemary (Posey) Carpendale introduced me to the work of AVIUSA. I met most of the AVI folks and stayed connected with Auroville via the Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham in Lodi, Northern California. The monthly retreat there was an anchor for many of us diving into a theme for the month filled with activities, karma yoga, potluck meals, mingling and meditating!
I got to know June through a few of these monthly retreats as well. She would visit from all the way South Bay where she lived in Santacruz, CA! Her warm presence, and shiny, joyful eyes were always welcoming and allowed me to sit with her in the SASP library and hear stories from her about starting AVI and The Mother’s adesh for her to do so.
Left in awe I would be grateful for such beautiful souls in my life, being far away from India as a student at that time.Compassion, connection, strength, dedication, humor, a love for flowers, and an unyielding determination to accomplish tasks were all integral aspects of June’s character. I consider myself fortunate and honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate with June on various design and strategic projects for Auroville through AVIUSA. This collaboration spanned from 2009 until her passing in 2014. Initially, I volunteered as a resident in the United States, and later, I served as a board member with AVIUSA.
Together, we worked on fundraising initiatives, including projects such as the “Planned Giving” program, acknowledgment campaigns for donors, themed workshops for the monthly retreat at Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham in Lodi, and the design for the inaugural AVIUSA Connect newsletter.
June possessed an innate sense of what was necessary to raise funds for Auroville, coupled with a clear yet compassionate approach to achieving our goals. Given her keen eye for detail, we collaborated on selecting photographs for the designs I worked on and received feedback in an empowering and encouraging manner.
During our monthly AVIUSA board meetings, June consistently served as the voice of reason and action. She remained a true inspiration for me, both as an aspiring spiritual seeker and as a dedicated supporter of Auroville, embodying the spirit of The Mother’s work.
Tribute Poem by Gordon Korstange
Prayer Tree, Yosemite
for June Maher who said
You have to be one of them or they will never say . . . .”
why the strings of white feathers sway
from the straight white pine
on the edge of Great Meadow.
Perhaps they liked the way
the bottom branches curve down
like brittle arms bending toward earth,
or how the light at day’s end
splits open the feathers, picks out
the buttons, beads, oval stones and gray cocoons
that dangle in the mountain wind.
We do not move for a long time here.
We sit before the feather tree tying thoughts on strings.
Among the branches one of them unties our words,
tossing them to the wind.
Shadows stretch toward the tree.
From across Great Meadow
a faint whiteness of feather-shimmer.
We finally look away.
Even if we were one of them
they would never say.
Inspired by the Mother, June built her legacy by incrementally embracing every opportunity to build a global of network of hearts that could channel their support through AVI USA. Every bit counts, join us in building a lasting legacy. Please consider creating a bequest to AVI USA that will reverberate exponentially across time and space.