Phil White

Phil White — name and form all the way
Phil’s fullness — as full as the day

White’s brilliant and bright
And purely delight

He’s nature’s own play and display

Phil shows, as he turns forty-five
You have to progress to survive

He’s more than progressed —
He’s the brightest and best:

He’ll be the first to arrive

He’s warm and he’s wise and he’s witty
Nice looking, for sure (if not pretty)

If Phil has his way
We’ll soon see the day

Fairfield becomes a fair city

His humor is quick, sharp — and gentle
He’s calm — not the least temperamental

All of us glory in
This storied historian

Whose principal work’s transcendental

This man’s a transcending machine
Pure consciousness — sweet and serene

Phil may protest
But nature knows best:

In the unified field, he’s the dean

For a moment now, let’s all return:
March ’76 in Lucerne

That Spring Celebration*
Was Phil White’s creation —

And what did Maharishi discern?

He discerned a great man, with the skill
To produce throughout nature a thrill

There’s reasonable claim
For changing the name

To the Ministry of Celebrations and Full-Phil**

By celebrating seasonal successes
He’s dissolved such collective great stresses

We won’t forget
The world owes a debt

To the leadership Phil White possesses

Phil’n’Fauna — that’s right, it’s one word
One of the sweetest we’ve heard

A full house, this pair —
We’re happy they’re there

In their unity, Unity’s stirred

Creating the day out of night
He’s ushering in the full light

A radiant sun
All colors in one

He’s brilliant, he’s shining. . . he’s White

Age 45

* In March 1976, in a grand hall in Lucerne, Switzerland, Maharishi held the first Spring Celebration of the Age of Enlightenment — the first of what he envisioned as quarterly celebrations that would be held in cities all over the world. The purpose of these events, he explained, was to celebrate the achievements of the previous quarter, thereby starting the new quarter on a wave of inspiration, and to honor leading citizens for their service to the community (this was the inception of the Maharishi Award). The deeper purpose of the seasonal celebrations, he said, was to dissolve social stress.

** In 1976 Maharishi established the World Government of the Age of Enlightenment, a precursor to the Global Country of World Peace. This entity had ten ministries, including the Ministry of Celebrations and Fulfillment, of which Phil was named the head. One of its chief responsibilities: overseeing the worldwide quarterly Seasonal Celebrations that Maharishi set in motion in the spring of that year. Phil was a primary organizer of that first celebration.