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The Birth of Organic, Polygamous Spiritualism

First of a three-part series.

Ex-Marine Jim Baker founded the natural food restaurant the Source on the Sunset Strip in the late '60s. One of the first vegetarian restaurants in the United States, it helped launched an alternative way of eating.

Soon, Baker changed his name to Father Yod, started a commune and took more than a dozen "wives." He gave his followers names like Isis and Electricity and invited them to live in a Hollywood Hills mansion.

A large group of former commune members recently held a reunion.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jennifer Sharpe
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