19 May Spiritual Day Trip South
Start early to visit the Glass Church before any weddings are scheduled, as later it can be impossible to get in. Enjoy a leisurely drive down the Coast to SRF Encinitas and eat lunch at Swami’s. Stop and experience Puvunga on your way back. If you’re concluding the day at Glen Ivy, be sure to book ahead.
Wayfarers Chapel aka “The Glass Church”
Designed by Lloyd Wright (not Frank Lloyd Wright, but his son) and built in 1951, the Wayfarers Chapel is not to be missed. It is a beautiful place for expansive heart-opening meditations. Even the drive in is breathtaking, as the Chapel is built high on a bluff overlooking the Pacific.
The Chapel Interior is built mostly of glass, and also stone, wood, and foliage. Outside are gardens and panoramic views of the ocean. For $1 you can buy a guide to a self-guided tour of the property: the Front lawn, Reflection Pool, the Tower, the Rose Garden, Meditation Garden, Visitors Center and Gift Shop. Be sure and stop for all the vistas along the way.
The Wayfarers Chapel was built as a memorial for Emanuel Swedenborg, the 18th century theologian and mystic. The religion and church he founded, the Swedenborg Church, has about 3,000 adherents worldwide. Some of the major tenets of the faith are the interconnection of all of life, the further awareness of the new age in which we live, respect for all viewpoints, and the view that God is infinitely loving.
5755 Palos Verdes Dr S, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Self-Realization Fellowship – Encinitas Temple
Paramahansa Yogananda’s reach spread down the Southland (see page xxx) as far as Encinitas. You’re welcome to leisurely stroll the meditation gardens with panoramic views of the Pacific, attend service in the temple, and visit the gift shop. Definitely worth the drive, this place never fails to put one in the state in which all is right with the world.
939 2nd St, Encinitas, CA 92024
Swami’s Café
When you visit the SRF Temple, it is almost a requirement that you eat at Swami’s, located just across PCH. Although it appears to be a hippie hangout, they serve a full menu.
1163 S. Coast Hwy, Encinitas, CA, United States
Puvunga
Where the Tungva believe the world began (see page xxx). On the grounds of Cal State Long Beach. Follow the signs to the Earl Miller Japanese Garden. Park and walk behind the Garden to a clearing with totem poles. (see page xxx)
1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840
Although today Glen Ivy is a mainstream day spa hosting up to 1200 guests on weekends, until it was sold to developers in 2014 it was the undercover home of the spiritual group Emissaries of Divine Light who used it as a healing center. Guests were welcome to use the red-clay mud baths, but it was much more a spiritual retreat than today. You may or may not want to pay the rather steep admission price to attend today, but it is fun to know about tiny slice of Spiritual LA history.
25000 Glen Ivy Rd, Corona, CA 92883
This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman’s book Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True
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