CW: Spiritual and psychological manipulation, sexual relationships involving power imbalance and underage individuals, cult dynamics, and coercive control.

In the early 1970s, The Source Restaurant began as a popular health food restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, founded by Jim Baker, later known as Father Yod, whose vision helped introduce organic and vegetarian eating to the mainstream. Regulars included John Lennon, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, and Joni Mitchell, who were drawn to its raw food menu and holistic philosophy. From that success emerged The Source Family, a communal group that combined elements of Christianity, Eastern spirituality, and Western esotericism in pursuit of higher consciousness and intentional living. Over time, as Father Yod’s interest in Egyptian mysticism and personal divinity grew, the group’s structure and practices became more hierarchical and centered around his leadership. The story of The Source Family reflects both the optimism of the 1970s counterculture and the complex ways spiritual idealism can evolve within communal movements.

Sources: 

• The Source Family (2012). Directed by Jodi Wille & Maria Demopoulos. Available on Prime Video.

• Aquarian, Isis & Electricity Aquarian (with Erik Davis, Introduction). The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 and The Source Family. Process / Feral House, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9760822-9-3.

• How L.A. cult the Source Family became hot content in 2023, Los Angeles Times (Erin Osmon), April 12, 2023 Los Angeles Times
  
• The Source Family Rises Again, Vice (Liz Armstrong), March 16, 2012 VICE

• Inside 1970s Hollywood cult The Source Family: ‘We were daring. We were beautiful’, The Independent, June 6, 2022