Find your self
Penniless and uneducated, Italian-born Secundo Guasti immigrated to Los Angeles in 1878. He managed to save enough money working in restaurants to buy a piece of desert land in Cucamonga, convinced a vineyard would grow. His gamble paid off. By the early 20th century, his was the largest vineyard in the state of California. On his property he built a church, a school, a post office, and homes for all his laborers. He named his “town” Guasti. With his riches, he also commissioned a grand mansion in Los Angeles. The stunning colonial home and its grounds are now owned by the Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens (PALG).
The labyrinth at PALG is designed after the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, built in about 1220. Made of travertine marble, it’s approximately 40 feet across. The path you walk (in and out), totals about a third of a mile. Unlike mazes, which contain impasses and disorienting switchbacks to fool your senses, labyrinths consist of one delineated but serpentine path, leading to a single destination, intended to offer clarity or relief to your mind and spirit.
Info
Address 3500 W Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90018, +1 323.737.4055, www.peacelabyrinth.org, registrar@peacelabyrinth.org | Getting there Free on-site lot | Hours Call for an appointment to visit the labyrinth.| Tip Follow the yellow brick road to dine at the Culver Hotel (9400 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232), where the actors who played munchkins in The Wizard of Oz stayed while shooting the classic film.
There are myriad ways to experience the moving meditation. You can simply focus on your breath, or use the path to let go of worry or a burden. If a question is weighing on you, try walking the labyrinth in contemplation of an answer – maybe it will come to you immediately, or in a few days or weeks. Whatever your purpose, it’s a sweet time to be alone with yourself.
Labyrinths, both ancient and modern, are considered sacred places where walkers can experience an infinite number of reactions. (No reaction is a fair reaction too.) The one at the PALG is meant to uplift and nourish. The only way out is to retrace your steps, ending at the beginning or beginning at the end – that’s for you to decide.
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