From Parsons to Maharishi

After leaving Springfield, IL, we stopped in Mt. Pleasant, IA, for a couple of nights.

During our free day, we took a short drive to Fairfield. The "For Sale" sign on this Americanized Queen Anne residential style mansion caught our eye as we entered town. We later learned that the plans for the James A. Beck House (1896) had been purchased from a catalog produced by George F. Barber.

For an additional fee, his firm would customize the plans, which may explain the more eclectic and elaborate features, such as the polygonal turret rising from the second floor. But it was the outstanding front porch that led us to check the realtor's listing--$339K.

As we passed Howard Park, we saw that the Saturday morning Farmers' Market was just about to wrap up. From an array of flower, vegetable, and herb plants, we selected 10 basil plants and now have a small traveling herb garden.

The work of the face painter put a bit of brightness into an otherwise dreary, drizzly day.

A guitarist found a dry spot under a roofed structure and added her singing and playing to the painter's efforts.

The flowers in Fairfield's Central Park brought a bit of color to the park's green carpet. The park was originally round, but in 1902 the streets were paved with brick into a square.

On the north side of the square, this three-story building with the turret has changed very little and is unusual because few commercial buildings were built in the Queen Anne style.

Restoration work was in progress on this building housing the Cafe Paradiso, just a few doors down from the building above.













This colorful building was a short distance from the block.

This block near the park shows the architec-tural style of much of downtown Fairfield. The Health and Wholeness business specializes in Organic Essential Oils, Herbal, Foods, Body Care, and Maharishi Ayurveda Products.

And nearby was Mohan Delights, which featured Ayurveda Cuisine.

The original science of health is as old as the human race. It's called ayurveda, which is Sanskrit for “science of life.” The written records of this complete system of natural health care are about 5,000 years old. From age to age, sages and physicians have rediscovered this timeless health wisdom.

In 1980, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation program, began working with three of India's top ayurvedic experts, and they revived the ancient knowledge of health and called it Maharishi Ayurveda. They formed a medical council that created the authentic herbal formulas according to the ayurvedic texts.

The Maharishi's influence is felt throughout the Fairfield community. He founded Maharishi Interna-tional University (now Maharishi University of Manage-ment) in 1973 on the grounds of the former Parsons College.

The original Parsons College campus included 80 buildings, several of which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of those structures have been demolished in favor of new buildings using Maharishi Sthapatya Veda principles of architecture and environmentally conscious design.

The Maharishi Patanjali Golden Dome of Pure Knowledge (for men) and the Bagambhrini Golden Dome (for women) are used for daily group practice of the TM-Sidhi program.

During our short drive around the campus, we noticed signs relating to Invincible America and the Tower of Invincibility (below). As I understand it, each of 50 countries was to build such a tower. It would have a school in the ground floor, and the leader of the country's government would have an office at the top of the tower

Once again, as I understand it, once all is in place, this will be the great day when Maharishi will celebrate with the whole world the Dawn of Global Invincibility. According to Maharishi, this will mark the beginning of a new era of human life.

It will be called Year One of Global Invincibility for the human race, and along with that will be the unity of the world under the administration of Maharaja Nader Raam, the first ruler of the Global Country of World Peace.

I may have to do more reading to be sure if I understand the meaning of the Tower of Invincibility.