Father Yod or YaHoWha (July 4, 1922 – August 25, 1975) 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.
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James Edward Baker was born on July 4, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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." [1] 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.[2]
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.[3]
Baker left Yogi Bhajan in the late 1960s and created his own philosophy based on Western mystery tradition. 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.[4]
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.[5][6] Father Yod, the head of the Source Family, outlined "Ten Commandments for the Age of Aquarius" in his book entitled, "Liberation."
Music was an integral part of the Source Family and many members were musicians. Father Yod formed them into an improvisational psychedelic 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.[7] Celebrities such as Earth, Wind & Fire would buy Source records out of the back of the restaurant.[8]
At the end of 1974, the Source Family sold their restaurant and moved to Hawaii. 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.[9] He crash-landed on the beach and died nine hours later.[9] 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.[4] In 2006, Source Family members "Isis Aquarian" and "Electricity Aquarian" wrote about the history of the religious group.[9] 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."