Places of the Heart

Here are some photographs I took while on a hike in Temescal Canyon, which is in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is only minutes from a heavily populated urban area, yet here the rangers warn you to keep an eye out for cougars, coyotes, and rattlesnakes. It is truly wild. Since it is spring the brush is still green and at parts so dense that it felt like twilight. I only hiked about an hour and a half since I have not hiked like this for a very long time and I am out of shape. My goal was to reach a waterfall a short distance up the canyon; however, the trail became so steep and rocky and it was already hot at 9 am in the morning, I felt that I couldn’t risk it. Although there were plenty of people on the trail, I didn’t want to have to bother to ask for assistance if I got heat stroke. So I turned around without making it to the waterfall. That’s okay… it will motivate me to come again when it is not so hot and I’m in better shape.

This is where I was heading. I didn’t make it to the top this time.

The name of the canyon, Temescal, is the Chumash word for “sweat lodge” and I presume at one time before the Europeans came there was a sweat lodge in the canyon. Sweat lodges were used by the native Americans in the area for spiritual purposes. Supposedly, sitting in a sweat lodge helped them connect with the spirit realm. I have to to admit that the canyon does have an otherworldly feel to it. I am not surprised they chose this place to connect with the spirits. After a few minutes of walking, the sound of traffic on Sunset Boulevard faded away and I was surrounded by the sound of chirping birds and running water. Serene. Peaceful. It was like being in the sanctuary of a proper church. In some places, the vines (wild cucumber, I think) had grown up the trees and arched over the trail– again it felt like I was surrounded by the soaring vaults and arches of a cathedral. It was truly humbling to stand in the presence of 300 year old oak trees. Extraordinary!

Sycamore trees are the other lords of the forest.

The canopy was extremely dense in some areas.

A grove of coastal oak trees.

I didn’t meet any coyote or cougar today, but I did come across this little fellow along with rabbit, lizards, monarch butterflies (their breeding area) and singing birds of all kinds.

And looking back towards the Pacific Ocean.

Images and text: L. Gloyd (c) 2008

Here’s a little sample of where I grew up….

L.Gloyd (c) 2008

Los Angeles artist, J. Michael Walker, has spent the last several years of his life researching the names of the 103 L.A. streets named after saints. From his research he has made a collection of ink and seriograph images along with poetry depicting the saints in unique and contemporary contexts. The culmination of this project will be an exhibition at the Autry Museum early next year and the publication of a book entitled All the Saints of the City of the Angels: Seeking the Soul of L.A. on Its Streets.

What I find intriguing about this project is the artist’s attempt to find the spiritual essence of a place, or, rather, to find his spiritual essence within a place. Perhaps this search is one in the same.

Whatever direction the search, I think it is critical that we, in order to be fully human and whole, need to find that place of “sacredness” where we can encounter and experience the realm of the spirit. This special place can be a physical locale, an established place such as a temple, church or sacred grove, or a mundane place that we have made “holy” for ourselves—a park bench where we rest and feed the birds or a cozy chair in front of a fireplace.

How do you find this place? May I suggest taking a few moments to consider a few questions. Ask youself:

What would my sacred space be like? Is it a real place? If so, where? Is it an imaginary place? Pretend you are describing this imaginary place to someone. Does the space ever change? If so how? What or who populates the space? What can I bring to this space to make it special? What do I take away from it?

Once you have established your space—either a physical place where you can visit or an imaginary one that you visit in your mind’s eye, make it your practice to get to that place as often as you can.

Wherever you go, find yourself there.

Blessings.

——————–

Some sources for inspiring you in your search for a sacred space:

The All the Saints of the City of the Angeles Project

Sacred Cartography (at the Soul Food Café)

Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power

Lori Gloyd © 2007

The images above were taken by me at the San Fernando Mission, established in 1797. The mission resides on a street named after this saint.

September Sunset

Palos Verdes Peninsula

Southern California

Lori Gloyd (c) 2007

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