Beyond the Illusion

As the eldest child of film director King Vidor and actress Eleanor Boardman, Antonia (“Toni”) Vidor grew up amidst the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Era. After college, she rejected the life offered by her parents’ wealth and fame. From the late 1940s to the early seventies, she was an equestrian, healer, as well as a pioneer of alternative living. During this time, a process awakened in her that triggered a steady stream of psychic phenomena, some ecstatic, others terrifying. she also became a spiritual seeker and met a dazzling array of teachers, none of whom satisfied her thirst for spiritual truth. 

In 1974, her children grown and her tumultuous search exhausted, Toni discovered the Teachings of Avatar Adi Da and knew she had finally found the truth she had long sought. 

In 1998, Adi Da Samraj Gave Toni Vidor the name “O.G.”, or “Ogee” (OH-jee). He said this stood for “Old Growth”. She was hopeful that the name pertained to spiritual growth as well as the ancient and venerable redwoods in the Northern California coastal region He so enjoyed.

Then, in 2004, Avatar Adi Da suggested to Toni that she write about her life. And now, after many years of hard work—and in the very first formally acknowledged book of testimonial stories by a devotee of Avatar Adi Da Samraj—anyone who wants to has the opportunity to read Ogee’s remarkable autobiography.

With remarkable honesty and insight, Toni tells of her life as the devotee of Adi Da Samraj. She recounts in vivid terms the miraculous phenomena in His company, as well as the ordeals of the beginning spiritual practitioner. Versed in the traditions of esotericism, she describes the inner workings of the relationship between the disciple and a true adept-realizer—the hard realities and personal trials as well as the ecstasies and profound revelations that come with a life dedicated to the genuine spiritual process.