I saw no harm in Atmananda's request. We were, after all, using the club to help Guru. So I set out to find three full-time students who were willing to sign up as the club's officers. "Hi!" I said, approaching one student. "I'm starting a meditation club and was wondering if you might be interested in helping out." "What's a meditation club?" "We're going to have guest lecturers teach Zen and relaxation-- you know, stuff like that." "Sounds cool, dude, but I'm already relaxed." "Great--but maybe you could take a moment and help people who are not." And so, by soliciting signatures from those not particularly interested in meditation, I became the club's sole proprietor. Meanwhile, Dana designed, Rachel mostly payed for, and Atmananda "zapped" the new stack of posters, which I then placed around UCSD, San Diego State University (SDSU), and the neighboring communities. The talks went well, and I soon handed out many maps to the Centre. Before the potential recruits arrived, Connie spent hours cleaning the Centre. According to Atmananda, this was something her soul loved to do. My soul, he pointed out, loved to greet people. "Howdy--I'm Mark!" I said. "Hello," she replied. She was graceful and alluring. "I'm Mandy." "This one," I thought, "is gonna need some heavy protecting." During the lecture, Atmananda predicted that the world would enter a spiritual dark age in 1985. "The darkness will last for thousands of years, and it will become increasingly difficult to meditate and to think clearly. Spiritual warriors will need to band together under the protection of a guru who can fight the Negative Forces and forge a path toward freedom and Light through a world turned murky and grey." Then we had cookies. After several public meetings at the Centre, Atmananda invited those who were interested in studying with Chinmoy to stay afterwards. "What do you do for a living?" Atmananda asked each of the three. "I'm a flight attendant," said Mandy. "I know a few things about flying," Atmananda interjected. "I cane chairs," said a woman with long, brown hair. "I cane people," said a man with a crewcut. "If you sincerely want to take the next step in your spiritual evolution," Atmananda said, "we will mail your photographs to Guru. Guru will use his psychic vision to see if you are meant to study with him." By the time Chinmoy accepted the flight attendant, the crafts-person, and the marine, there were many more applicants to be processed. Despite the intensity of the recruitment drive, Atmananda found time to assist certain seekers on a one-on-one basis. Mandy, in particular, must have exhibited potential because he often spent nights at her condo.