Sacred places, spiritual retreats

California has an abundance of sacred sites, power places with natural beauty for the spiritually inclined seeking refuge from the pressures of the ordinary life. Retreats provide peaceful environment to rest your body, mind and soul, inspire your thoughts and feelings. By practicing silence, you nurture your listening skills. You find your true self.

Spiritual retreats can be found in almost any region of California and the surrounding states.

• Mount Shasta Sacred Mountain region has been a destination for relaxation and rejuvenation since the late 1800's with its pristine glacial waters, natural mineral springs, pure mountain air and unsurpassed alpine scenery. The 14,179 foot (4,322 m) stratovolcano is considered to be one of the Sacred Mountains on Mother Earth and internationally recognized as a sacred energy vortex.

• Big Sur - along California's Highway 1 - is one of the most scenic places of the coast. Relax and enjoy this jewel! In addition to the scenery, enjoy local art galleries, spiritual retreats, a Zen Center and meet Benedictine monks for a prayer.

• Esalen Retreat is fabulously situated atop the sea cliffs of Big Sur. Enjoy a massage beside the ocean-view swimming pool and soak in the clothing-optional baths.

• New Camaldoli Hermitage is a remote hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains near Big Sur, home of 20 Benedictine monks who live in seclusion. You may join the monks for a prayer and reflection.

• Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is America's oldest Zen Buddhist monastery, located in the Santa Lucia Mountains and also a luxurious hot springs resort. Hiking trails wind into the rugged wilderness.

• Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort rests atop hot mineral springs and spans more than 100 acres of forest and has a legendary history reaching back to Spanish-and Mexican era, early American California and the wild days of the Old West.

• Ojai Retreat is a haven of natural beauty and tranquility nestled on a five-acre hilltop. People of all backgrounds can find relaxation, inner peace, spiritual and cultural enrichment since 1993. Ojai has long been known as home of artists, musicians and health enthusiasts.

• Malibu’s Serra Retreat sits atop a 23-acre knoll, with views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains. Under the patronage of Blessed Junipero Serra, the Apostle of California, Franciscan Friars continue the tradition since 1943, providing beautiful setting for peace, serenity and reflection.

• Glen Ivy Center is a place for spiritual renewal that calls to the inner greatness and personal mastery and at Glen Ivy Hot Springs is a natural sanctuary with mineral hot springs for people seeking pleasures of nature, water and exercise, relaxation, renewal and deep sense of well-being.

• Sedona AZ enjoys a world-wide reputation as a "Spiritual Mecca" and global power spot with uplifting power of Vortex energy and meditation sites. Mother Nature's red-rock temples provide perfect setting for spiritual and personal enrichment of the body and the soul. The red-orange color of the rocks is one of the most neuro-stimulating colors, enhancing creative thinking and problem solving. Vortex sites have energy flows in deeper dimension that the Soul can soar on, facilitate prayer, meditation, mind-body healing and exploring your relationship with your Soul and the Divine. In a backdrop of some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, Sedona is extraordinary from any perspective, but the closer you get, the deeper your experience will be.

Contact nature and silence!   Listen to your inner feelings!   Discover your true self!