The Grotto is the location of a Servite monastery and chapel. The Grotto itself is a shrine carved out of the rock cliff. Outdoor mass is held there weekly throughout the summer. An elevator takes you to the top, where there is a lovely garden dotted with religious sculpture. Pictured above is the Peace Pole. The inscription is repeated in three other languages on the other sides of the pole, and it guards the entrance to the Peace Garden. I wandered the gardens while the Sunday crowd attended mass at the chapel at the foot of the cliff. I stopped in the meditation chapel to read familiar words from the Tao Te Ching: words I've been repeating like a mantra lately, "things arise and she lets them come, things disappear and she lets them go." The monastery is here, secluded, at the top of the cliff; and I can imagine the peace and solitude the garden must offer at sunrise and dusk, when it is closed to the public. I thought about staying to attend mass, but the spirit of the garden had already filled my soul, and I didn't want to chance spoiling it.
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Rose
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1 comment:
Hi Rose, This post reminded me of the mantra I say when something makes me nervous; "Be Still and Know, I AM GOD.
Just started here and am finding friends. You really do work out here.
sue
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