05 Dec A Frenzy of Love
Three hours from LA, way out beyond Palm Springs and the Salton Sea, lays Salvation Mountain, one man’s spiritual gift to the world. Proclaimed by Senator Barbara Boxer as a national treasure, this “mountain” is covered in multi-colored paint and proclaims the message that God is Love.
For 25 years Leonard Knight (1931–2014) poured his heart, soul, and over 100,000 gallons of paint onto the hill he built of adobe and straw. Salvation Mountain is covered with Biblical verses and Christian sayings and contains special rooms and alcoves filled with decorative art. If you wish to climb to the top, signs will point out the Yellow Brick Road to lead you up. The other visitors when I was there were assorted hipsters and Goth kids, apparently folk art aficionados.
During a spiritual awakening at age 36, Leonard realized that the answer to life was not complicated: just accept Jesus Christ, repent, and love everybody. He spent several years attempting to spread the word to organized religion which rejected his message as too simplistic. Leonard moved to Niland, CA in 1984 and began working full-time on his masterpiece, living in his truck even when temperatures hit the 100s.
Salvation Mountain was featured in the 2007 film Into the Wild. A photo of Coldplay atop the Mountain appeared on their A Head Full Of Dreams album.
© 2020 Catherine Auman
This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman’s book Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.