By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
In a hectic world filled with distractions and a constant barrage of information and stimuli, it’s easy to get lost in the flurry of activity.
When it’s time to unwind, for people who need a mental break to release stress and block out all of the unwanted sights and sounds, help is available. To do all of the above and find inner peace, ironically there is a relaxing, hidden retreat in the middle of Los Angeles where tranquility reigns.
It’s the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens, a haven that provides peace in the midst of a storm.
The property, filled with greenery and warmth, was acquired by the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness in 1974, to use for their headquarters and learning center.
In 1990, the building was declared a Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Monument.
In 2002, the labyrinth and gardens were added and Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens was established and opened to the public.
Leading Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens with a watchful eye for the last 33 years, is Paul Kaye, president of the organization. Prior to becoming president, he was the chief financial officer.
Kaye is an easy, seasoned leader. He has a gentle spirit, is focused and knowledgeable, exhibits unpretentiousness, is forever seeking a higher consciousness, strives to be fully present, and most of all, he loves, respects, and supports what the Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens offers.
“We are a place of peace,” said Kaye, a student of spiritual arts, who has studied the ancient art of tai chi for the last 50 years. “We are a place to contact one’s inner resources — one’s true self.”
Kaye, 72, originally from London, said there are a million ways to contact one’s inner resources and one’s true self.
“What it means is…when we’re being loving,” said Kaye, who has been married to his second wife for 20 years. “By that, I don’t mean falling in love, I mean being loving. It’s when we enter into a quality of love — that is accessing our true self and true center.
“We can sometimes get it through singing or just being our heart. You can do it by bringing your energy into your heart center or focusing on your breathing. Meditation is recommended for people — to get to a quiet place. Connecting with something deeper — that isn’t worldly. It’s having gratitude.”
Kaye’s journey has taken him into Yoga, Zen and the spiritual foundations of movement and martial arts.
His interests include the philosophies of Lao Tzu, Rumi and Kabir and the esoteric teachings of Jesus Christ.
Kaye has designed workshops on the practical application of spiritual principles and presented them worldwide.
He and his associates, including his spiritual teacher John-Roger, bought the property in 1974 and created Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens.
“The biggest change happened after the Northridge earthquake,” he said. “ We recalibrated and did a lot of renovations. We built the labyrinth around 2000 and the gardens were done in 2002.”
Asked why there is a need for Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens, Kaye gave a surprising answer.
“There’s no need,” he said. “We have everything inside of us. It’s here because we all need support. We need resources and friends. Sometimes we need to move into a different environment. People don’t need it, but I would say it helps.”
Considered a ‘spiritual oasis in the city,’ the goal of Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens, located in the West Adams area of Los Angeles, is to help its attendees connect, reflect, recharge and renew spiritually in their own way.
Thousands flock to the spiritual center every year to meditate, visit the tiered meditation garden, view the historic villa and partake in the sacredness of walking the quiet path of the marble labyrinth, one of the biggest attractions at the facility.
The labyrinth, an archetypal, geometric design used for walking or tracing, as a tool to assist the consciousness, is designed to be a meditative process for releasing tension and opening the mind to new ways of thinking.
The steady sound of water on the property drowns out the sounds of the city creating a peaceful experience.
Copied from the Chartres Cathedral in France, the meditation garden and stone-carved labyrinth at the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness center were created for the purpose of providing a quiet place for the body to reboot, allowing people to reconnect with themselves.
Stairs to the garden descend to gently terraced paths lined with bamboo, lush ferns and low-lying shrubs. Water rushes from fountains at every turn; benches and chairs in discreet areas welcome the public to sit and be still. The labyrinth requires no talking as slow and deliberate steps are taken on the path.
Also on the property is an Italian Renaissance/Beaux Arts house built between 1910 and 1914 by Italian wine magnate Secondo Guasti. As the story goes, Guasti was homesick and wanted to create a grand Italian villa. He and his wife, patrons of the arts, imported art and invited artisans from Europe to complete the mansion.
In 1937, it became the home of Hollywood director and film choreographer Busby Berkeley. The gardens are located behind the house. In the 1950s, it became a retirement home for physicians, who added residential wings to the building. Tours are available.
Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens offers several programs, workshops, meditations and sound baths, all designed to provoke relaxation, inner peace, and calm.
“We have a course of spiritual study,” Kaye said. “We have courses and workshops. I do meditation online. I’m doing a sound bath and an urban retreat where you give up your cell phone for a day. There is walking, journaling and listening to sound.”
Kaye also hosts Tea & Overtones, where he invites visitors to join him for a cup of tea (and a piece of chocolate) as a prelude to the meditation session Transcendent Self — The Spiritual Sky.
An aspect of the alchemy of tea and chocolate is their seemingly mystical ability to bring participants to places of beauty within their being. The session is described as a time to create space for the blessings that already are to enter and manifest in people’s lives. It’s free of charge and is both in-person and virtual.
“The use of tea is extremely complex,” said Kaye about the 90-minute gathering. “It’s healthy and conducive to coming into quiet. It’s a meditative experience to prepare it. We do it as a kind of meditation and bring mindfulness to the process. We experience smelling and tasting it. It’s about being aware of spaciousness and sacredness.”
Programming includes an online meditation held on Monday and Thursday. Of course, during that session, people make their own tea.
“I play music and ask people how they are doing,” Kaye said. “We are transcending sky meditation. Thursdays, I do coffee talk where I also play music and talk and do spiritual exercises.
What makes Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens so peaceful, Kaye said, is the energy, the labyrinth, light, love and sound.
“People feel it,” he said. “Pre-COVID we had 5,000 visitors per year. Now it’s about 2,500. We just opened again for in-person visits. When people walk in, they say, ‘This is different. I feel like I’m home.’”
Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Garden, 3500 W. Adams Blvd., is open on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. The Meditation Gardens and Labyrinth are available and open for visitors. Admission is $6 for the garden tour. Courses and programming range from $20 to $90. Masks are requested to enter the mansion.
For information, call 323-737-4055 or email registrar@peacelabyrinth.org.
“Spotlight on L.A.” is a feature profiling little known places within the city. To propose a location for “Spotlight on L.A.,” send an email to dwanlass@wavetv.net.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
