My Pilgrimage to Asilomar
Muslims go to Mecca, Christians go to Jerusalem, Jews go to the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, Sikhs go to Amritsar, India, and Religious Scientists go to Asilomar.
If there were ever a place of pilgrimage for those practicing the Science of Mind, this would be it. It exists in Pacific Grove, California, a small town with a population of 15,000 people on the Monterey Penisula between Point Pinos and Monterey. Drive south and you can find your way onto the 17-mile drive, a winding road flanked by the most extraordinary homes, which hugs the coastline and lands you in the precious town of Carmel by the Sea. (Clint Eastwood was once the mayor of Carmel, for just a fun fact.)
The waters here are cold for the likes of people from the east coast, but you will see hardy swimmers and surfers diving in the water. The coastline of Monterey and Pacific Grove features iconic rocky shores characteristic of the area. Jagged rock formations, tide pools, and rugged cliffs create a mesmerizing and ever-changing seascape.
But back to Asilomar proper, a property designed by Julia Morgan, a pioneering female architect who played a significant role in shaping the architectural landscape of California, best known for her work on the Hearst Castle. The grounds are sacred to thousands of individuals practicing Religious Science; to others, it is simply a beautiful place to vacation. It is situated across the street from the rugged shoreline with endless beauty. Inside the boundaries, you will see visiting raccoons, squirrels, and deer eating the local foliage.
For decades at this yearly conference Ernest Holmes, the founder of Science of Mind, would address all in attendance and leave them lifted and inspired. In 1959, Ernest addressed those in attendance for the last time. That address is known as Sermon by the Sea, a work published and sold tens of thousands of copies. In that work, Holmes tells us: “Find me one person who can get his own littleness out of the way, and he shall reveal to me the immeasurable magnitude of the Universe in which I live.” a small excerpt from the work.
On the Asilomar grounds, I took my first steps as a minister. I stood on the rocks, released a primal scream, sat inspired by our great speakers, laughed, and cried, sat in deep meditation, walked my first labyrinth, and answered the call to serve humanity from my overflow. When I arrive on the grounds, there is a sense of coming home. Those of us with decades of memories feel the surge of connecting just upon pondering Asilomar.
Do you have a sacred place, a sacred location, a place that reaches up and grabs your heart? I hope you do and I hope you return there regularly.
