About

I (Rafael Stoneman) started A.H. Nonprofit in 2009 as I was finishing up Army service. I wanted to have something to do to provide for my kids that would be of some service to the community and would allow me to be my own boss. I wrote up the articles and mission statement at that time to be a free recycling service and called it American Helpers. It turned out that it would require a good deal of overhead to practically start recycling, so I dropped that and as I was being paid by the V.A. to attend college full time, I didn’t need an income. I ended up making a documentary with some friends and called it Authentic Heart.

In 2011, Natalia moved to Ojai, we married, and she has been a great support and inspiration and participant in all A.H. activities.

Eventually I changed the name from American Helpers to A.H. Nonprofit because I didn’t want to limit the scope of the work to just Americans. The initial filing and evolution of this non profit has all been what I would call “karma yoga,” action without any expectation of results. When one isn’t making actions based on fulfilling any ego (selfish) desires then the actions unfold in ways that only later can be reflected upon in terms of their purpose and meaning. Truly, the spontaneous nature of egoless actions are hard for the intellect to understand.

Rafael at the top of Topanga Canyon, California

Everything on this website is offered for free and is shared without any plan or goal of any kind. We don’t rely on any income to pay for the work we are doing on this website, so it is all a labor of love. Donations are helpful to pay for the cost of video production and to allow us to put some money in the hands of people in our community that have no income of their own or who are in transition. Currently, we are exploring the opportunity to apply for grants and perform more social services but until then, we are content to simply exist as a website that may offer an opening inwardly towards peace and Self recognition.

Rafael and Natalia at Meher Mount in Upper Ojai, California

Recently Jon had an idea about people doing community service in exchange for showers and meals and Natalia had an idea about starting an organic garden for people to work in. We feel that the best way to help ourselves and to help others is to provide opportunities to work for what we need. We don’t need much but it feels better when we can obtain the little we do need on our own. But in this society, we all have to work together in order for any of us to have the means to obtain anything. Some people say, just go out and get a job and work, but it is not always that simple or easy. A.H. Nonprofit wants to create jobs for people who are focused on inner peace and for people who have never had an opportunity to focus on inner peace.

Jon and Rafe

Throughout the website, it is easy to see how much influence Ramana Maharshi has had on my life– I don’t seek to promote him to anyone or push him on anyone, I am just very much in debt to his life and teachings, as without him I don’t feel I ever would have made it out of the dense forest of intense emotional and psychological pain that the mind often gets stuck in here in this human condition. Thanks for visiting and may you go beyond the sense that there is anything missing right here and right now in this beautiful mystery we call Life.

Ojai, California

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A.H. Nonprofit shares video projects, provides useful links to teachings and other references, posts spontaneous poetry and insights and offers encouragement to continue focusing on Self Realization while meeting the challenges and obstacles that may occur in life.

The actuality of Self Realization is not merely a mental understanding, but a total and complete loss of the delusion of being a separate, individuated person.

Effort is not needed to realize the Self, it is needed to remove ignorance.

Self Realization is the absence of the one who thinks of oneself as realized and others as not realized.

~ Rafael Stoneman/Founder of A.H.

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