Meditation Mount

by KAREN LINDELL

Earth and Venus are always dancing, and Ojai’s Meditation Mount is a portal into their cosmic whirl

When Meditation Mount celebrated its 50th birthday on April 11, 2021, board President Michael Lindfield, for an online celebration, showed viewers a new skylight in the site’s auditorium. Made by Ojai artist Lynn Hegney, the 6-by-6-foot piece of slumped glass features at its center a five-petal rose — the pattern created by the orbits of Earth and Venus as they move around the sun. The rose, Lindfield said, symbolizes the soul. Then, to emphasize the deep relationship between Earth and Venus, he explained that the astronomical sign for Earth is a circle with a cross in the middle, and the sign for Venus is a cross with a circle on top: “Venus is our older sister, who is saying, ‘Look, this is possible, you can flower, you don’t have to have your spirit imprisoned in matter forever.’”

Lindfield said the rose pattern in the skylight is “a way of lifting us towards that planetary goal of the Earth becoming sacred … The Earth is still becoming illumined. At the moment, we do not emit light. We reflect light.” Meditation Mount’s goal has always been to help not just Ojai, but also the world, to absorb and send out inspiration, hope and light. After what seemed like setbacks over the past few years when the Mount had to close to visitors due to the Thomas fi re in 2017, then again during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21, it’s now open to the public again, with a new sense of purpose, renewal and hope. As always, those who run Meditation Mount are guided by its mission to build “an enlightened and compassionate world” focused on six universal principles: spiritual approach, goodwill, essential divinity, right human relations, group endeavor and unanimity.

SPIRITUAL APPROACH

The inevitable movement of life to an ever-expanding state of wholeness and joy, through a living relationship with the Divine Presence.

Meditation Mount started with a woman named Florence Garrigue who was 4 feet 11 inches in height but stood infinitely tall. She opened Meditation Mount in 1971 when she was in her 80s.

Garrigue, born to American parents in Canada, eventually moved to the US, where she attended UC Berkeley. In the 1930s, she was inspired by the writings of theosophist Alice Bailey and the Arcane School of esoteric studies.

In 1950, Arcane School adherents gathered in Europe to establish what their literature described as “a united world group given to unanimous and simultaneous meditation on the work of preparing the world for a new order.” Group member Roberto Assagioli, an Italian psychologist, asked Garrigue to create the U.S. branch, so in New York City, she co-founded the School for Esoteric Studies and started the nonprofit Meditation Groups Inc. Garrigue moved to the West Coast in 1968 to find a site for the organization’s headquarters, and ended up in Ojai — it’s not clear how or why, but perhaps she knew about another spiritual center in Ojai, the Krotona Institute of Theosophy. She enlisted the aid of donors to purchase 32 acres of land in the east end of the Ojai Valley, and hired architect Zelma Wilson to design the Tibetan-style buildings, including a residence where Garrigue lived until she died in 1985.

Brian Ziegler, Meditation Mount’s executive director and treasurer, first came to Ojai in 1972 as a Chicago college student. Interested in learning more about theosophy, he took six months o to study at the Krotona Institute of Theosophy. Someone suggested he visit Meditation Mount, where he became a volunteer, and later a board member.

Ziegler, who met Garrigue in the 1970s, said she was “diminutive in stature, but a force to be reckoned with.” That might imply “an image of a warrior,” he said, “but it was really her soul connection, her mental acuity and prowess, and strong will.” Garrigue wrote in July 1974 of her vision for Meditation Mount: “The world … is passing from an era of ‘mind’ and ‘mind activity’ to an era of ‘love.’ This change has great potential for humanity, but humanity must become receptive to this love and develop widespread group focal points through which this new energy can be received and swept into the lives and activities of people all over the world.” In its earliest years, Meditation Mount was essentially a publishing house that mailed pamphlets on spiritual principles to those who requested them, although people also came there to meditate.

Above: Founder of Meditation Mount, Florence Garrigue

The pamphlets included two courses: a three-year introductory program on creative meditation and the six principles, and a 10-year more esoteric course. The three-year program is now available in PDF form, in English, French and Spanish, on Meditation Mount’s website.

Meditation Mount expanded to o er group meditations, yoga, special events and other spiritual activities, as well as a garden where visitors could come for quiet contemplation. Michael Lindfield, president of Meditation Mount’s Board of Directors, has been a board member for 21 years. He said people who come to the Mount sometimes warily ask if they have to “believe in anything,” such as a religion, philosophy or spiritual movement. He responds, “Yes, you have to believe in the power of yourself. But to do it you’ve got to get in touch with yourself. Mediation Mount is a wonderful place where you can deepen your relationship with self.”

Above: The Mount’s Tibetan style buildings, designed by Zelma Wilson Above: The iconic Peace Portal at the entrance to the Garden of PeaceAbove: The Mount’s Tibetan style buildings, designed by Zelma Wilson Above: The iconic Peace Portal at the entrance to the Garden of Peace

GOODWILL

A powerful and abundant energy that nourishes the greatest good for all life. That profound relationship with oneself, however, needs to lead to greater harmony with the rest of the world.

Meditation Mount describes itself as a “meditation center of planetary service.” Ziegler said people generally think of meditation as a solitary practice done for individual growth, but Meditation Mount is not focused on personal forms of meditation, although people are welcome to practice it there.

Instead, the creative group meditation espoused at the Mount draws on multiple disciplines, and uses all the skills people employ in personal meditation: concentration, visualization, stillness, focus, breathing. But the end goal is “the betterment of humanity, and improving the whole living ecosystem of this planet,” Ziegler said.

Lindfield said one type of group meditation is “to simply radiate, and intentionally send out focus group energy into the world. Everything is based on resonance. If I send a loving thought to you, you receive it. You may not consciously register it, but it will touch you.”

Meditation teacher Diana Lang first started visiting the Mount in the ‘70s and began teaching there in the late ‘90s. She now helps lead the site’s monthly full moon meditations via Zoom, and is a board member.

“There’s a great power in people meditating together; that’s the whole reason for full moon meditation,” she said. “It’s the calendar in the sky, and people synchronize to it all around the planet. It becomes this pulse when people gather for goodwill, care of the planet, and the planet’s expanding consciousness.”

As the sun sets over the Ojai Valley, visitors take part in a sound meditation

ESSENTIAL DIVINITY

The acknowledgment and honoring of the Divine Presence in every person and in all life.

When Meditation Mount opened, the site was basically dirt strewn with rocks; landscaping was installed slowly. Over the years, the physical structures have stayed the same, including a meditation room, auditorium and residences, but what has changed dramatically is the landscaping, including trails and the Mount’s International Garden of Peace. Artwork has been installed, including the portal gate at the entrance to the garden, made from recycled Douglas fi r timbers. The mountain views, Ziegler said, have always been part of the garden, incorporated into the landscape as “borrowed scenery.” Timothy Hall lived on site and served as Meditation Mount’s “land steward” for 10 years. At a sacred place like the Mount, he said, “that involves more than just gardening — you’re taking care of something you are going to pass on better than you found it. It’s critical to learn from the plants, minerals and animals — how they respond to crisis, to human care, and to abuse.”

During the Thomas fire, Hall helped save the Mount from total destruction. Now living in Goleta, he still visits the Mount, and described its most unique geological feature: “You have this promontory out front with valleys on both sides. When you walk down the path, the land goes away, and you feel yourself being elevated.” When Meditation Mount’s landscaping was originally installed, he said, the goal was beauty, without much thought given to water conservation. Later, more drought-tolerant vegetation was planted. The diverse fl ora includes cactus; agave; a rose garden; and oak, orange, pepper, avocado, apricot, persimmon and eucalyptus trees. After the fi re, Hall said, “it’s amazing how Mother Nature started to renew everything. I think the ash that fell was like magic dust, and helped all the plants regenerate.”

RIGHT HUMAN RELATIONS

The inclusive practice of loving understanding that treats all beings with respect and dignity.

The Thomas fire in December 2017 was a pivotal moment for the Mount. The fi re destroyed one residential building and around 70 percent of the vegetation.

But Lindfield said the board members eventually realized the fi re was a “blessing.” After the burned detritus had been removed, they realized they were standing in “this heart, this bowl, a natural amphitheater and gathering place.” As they regrouped, they talked about creating a community amphitheater where people could come together “for the muses gather” to sing or recite poetry. It’s still just an idea — building such a structure would likely cost about $600,000.

Sound and music have become a more integral part of the Mount experience. “Music touches people’s hearts, and we believe the arts are like the carrier wave of the renaissance,” Lindfi eld said. “One of my dreams is to have a Meditation Mount choir.”

Meditation Mount has started o ering music and sound experiences for a fee ($25), including Sunset Sound Meditation by Trinity of Sound on Fridays at sunset, and Sunday Morning Sound Meditation with musical artist Suburbanoid.

Meditation Mount has also been working with the Ojai Music Festival. A promotional video for the festival was fi lmed at the Mount, and festival events have taken place on site.

The Mount hosted a post-fi re grand reopening in February 2020 before it had to shut down again in March 2020 due to the pandemic. The spiritual activities didn’t cease, however. Like the rest of the world, Meditation Mount pivoted to online programming, offering live meditations and talks via Zoom.

To “bring even more beauty to the Mount,” stay focused on repairing, restoring and cleaning the site, indoors and out.

Before the fire, Meditation Mount’s physical site functioned more like a public park where people could visit throughout the day.

“Now we’re seeking to implement more intentionality,” Ziegler said, which means guests need to register and schedule a time to visit, and are asked to pay a $10 fee. “It’s an opportunity to have a more focused impact, to provide more structure,” Ziegler said. That doesn’t mean visitors have to follow a rigid schedule. When someone signs up for a self-guided meditation, it’s up to them how to participate — they can meditate, walk, appreciate nature or enjoy the view. Some visitors are not happy about the $10 fee, but operating costs just to keep Meditation Mount open cost about $500,000 per year, Lindfield said.

Before the recent long-term closure, he said, on a typical day about 100 visitors showed up “and most of them didn’t donate anything. We didn’t ask for an entrance fee, but it was rare to get more than $25.” Fundraising is a constant struggle. “I would love a $10 million endowment for the Mount so we could get on just providing services without having to generate funds,” he said. The board has considered renting out the Mount’s facilities, but “it can be tempting to rent out to people who are not doing what is mission-centric for us,” Lindfield said. Weddings are allowed, but only a limited number each year. Traditional fundraising and charging for activities like live streaming “doesn’t feel right either,” he said. A viable business model is “a point of contention, and we’ve got to fi gure it out.”

The Mount offers many dramatic and unforgettable vistas over the Ojai valley GROUP ENDEAVOR

GROUP ENDEAVOR

The group-conscious, collaborative energy that moves us to think and act purposefully together on behalf of the whole.

Everything Meditation Mount does, Lindfield said, needs to meet the needs of the moment while still honoring the spirit of the six principles:

One of two new glass skylights, recently installed in the auditorium and meditation rooms

“The future will be whatever is needed to be of service, to be of help. And it won’t just be us.” He hopes that means Meditation Mount will work more closely with the local community. Lindfield said such collaboration hasn’t happened in the past, perhaps because in its early days the organization was misunderstood.

“When we were sending out booklets, we were not so much serving the local people,” he said. “It wasn’t intended as a place for gatherings. But as we started to have more people visit,” connections to the community have deepened. Ziegler said he sees the campus as part of the Ojai Valley’s spiritual community, with principles connected to the ideas of J. Krishnamurti, Beatrice Wood, the Krotona Institute, theosophists, and others.

He’d like to see more people from the Ojai community at Meditation Mount. better job of communicating we are functioning again,” Ziegler said. Meditation Mount is also open to collaborating with any local organizations or individuals who share the same vision, including artists, schools, businesses, and speakers. “The beauty of being in Ojai,” Lindfield said, “is the abundance of aware people and spiritual centers. Ojai has already declared it wants to create something that is more than the average city.”

UNANIMITY

The recognition of the fact of “one humanity” and the importance of each individual as a unique expression of the One Life.

Lindfield said the board decided that “to be of help in the world at the moment, we could focus on two things: healing and hope, because there’s so much intolerance and separation rampant in the world, and so many people are wounded to some degree.” Healing, he said, means creating “a new state of wholeness, a deeper sense of belonging and meaning in life. That’s just a necessary change as old systems break down before the new ones emerge.” Meditation Mount can help foster healing, he said, by simply opening itself up as a sacred space and sanctuary. Hope is also part of the online presentations the Mount has done over the past year, by interviewing people who are doing positive things in the world and making a difference. During the 50th anniversary celebration, Lindfield opened with a meditation. He started out by saying: “We’re here in Ojai, Southern California. We’re on the same planet. And in our hearts, we’re on the same wavelength.” Watching — and someday joining — the same dance. For information about Meditation Mount, go to www.meditationmount.org.

By Karen Lindell