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LA CASA
DE MARIA
I
didn’t realize it at the time, but my
inward journey began the moment
I turned on El Bosque Road from
East Valley in Montecito, leaving behind the
bustle of downtown Santa Barbara and even
the more peaceful patter of the upper village,
half a mile or so back down the hill. Serenity
and calm seeped in subtly, even before I
reached the top of the road and eased my car
into La Casa de Maria.
One can visit the sprawling 26-acre
site for a personal retreat, a full weekend
immersion seminar, a workshop, a prayer
session, meditation, and other events. Or,
like I did on that late summer day a couple
of months ago, just show up on a whim.
I’d waited 22 years before venturing up the
mountain, a trek which was probably a lot
more figurative than literal. But now I was
here to explore, to satisfy the curiosity about
this place I’d heard about for years, if only
peripherally.
The questions loomed even larger once
I drove in, worked my way around to the
parking lot in back, and noticed there were
few other cars. I’d passed a man quietly
walking on a path, but otherwise it seemed
almost deserted. Was it closed today?
SANCTUARY
BY STEVEN LIBOWITZ
PHOTOS BY KELLY MAHAN
winter
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