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Looking to calm your mind? 6 places in Ojai to meditate, recharge and find peace

  • Spiritual seekers have flocked to Ojai Valley for more than a century on a quest for truth, wisdom and self-knowledge.
  • In the area’s many meditation centers, esoteric libraries, pilgrimage sites and awe-inspiring natural spaces, modern-day visitors can follow in their footsteps.

There are many reasons to visit the Ojai Valley — the hiking, the vistas, the sweet-smelling orange groves. But for the last 100 years, this small mountain town an hour east of Santa Barbara has also been drawing spiritual seekers to its beautiful environs for meditation, inspiration and the dream of building a new, more peaceful civilization.

Ojai’s modern spiritual roots can be traced back to 1922, when the philosopher and teacher Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya arrived in the rural mountain town with the hope that its warm, dry climate would soothe Nitya’s tuberculosis. The brothers enjoyed their time in the peaceful, scenic valley so much they decided to keep a permanent residence there and Krishnamurti continued to speak and teach in Ojai until his death in 1986 at the age of 90.

Krishnamurti was already a well-known spiritual teacher when he arrived in Ojai and his presence drew early 20th century seekers to the valley to hear attend his lectures. The area’s reputation as a spiritual center received a further boost in 1924 when the Theosophical community Krotona, which was dedicated to “the spiritual awakening of the human family,” left its original home in Hollywood and moved to Ojai as well.

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When Annie Besant, the president of the Theosophical Society, an international organization dedicated to the study of the world’s wisdom traditions, visited Ojai in 1927, she wrote that it would one day become the “cradle of the New Civilization of America.” She promptly raised funds to buy 520 acres in upper Ojai, known today as Happy Valley, where she could establish a school that would educate future members of this new society.

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Over the following decades other spiritual pioneers were drawn to the town. In 1946 Agnes Baron, a devotee of the Indian spiritual leader Meher Baba, founded Meher Mount in his honor on a 170-acre property off Sulphur Mountain Road. One year later, Beatrice Wood, a free-spirited ceramicist and member of the NYC Dada movement, moved down the street from Krishnamurti. In 1968, Florence Gerrigue, the 80-year-old co-founder of the School for Esoteric Studies in New York City, created a mini-oasis called Meditation Mount, where she hoped to sow the seeds of a new, enlightened and compassionate world through creative meditation.

Spend a few days in Ojai and you’ll soon understand why spiritual seekers have been long been drawn to this small town. The landscape is rugged and wild, but there’s also a softness to the area thanks in part to the many oak trees that shade the valley and the famous pink light that reflects off the mountains at sunset. Residents speak of the valley as a nest or a chalice protected by the mountain ranges and say it emits a feminine energy. “The longer I live here, the more held I’ve felt,” one local told me.

Annie Besant thought it could take 700 years for Ojai to birth the new civilization she saw in her vision, but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting now and perhaps sowing your own seeds of spirituality and connection to the divine.

Here are six places where you can ground, meditate and experience Ojai’s rich spiritual history for yourself.

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Ojai, CA - February 23: A view of Krishnamurti's Oak Grove on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 in Ojai, CA. (Lou Mora / For The Times)
(Lou Mora / For The Times)

The Krishnamurti Oak Grove

Ventura County Park
There are no buildings or formal gardens at the Krishnamurti Oak Grove, and nothing much to do but stroll softly across the fenced-in ground, gaze up at the ancient oak trees and perhaps sit and meditate on one of the benches scattered across the two acre property. This is a space for quiet contemplation so picnicking, dogs, drinks and amplified music are not allowed. There are no grand vistas, no dazzling displays of nature, not even that much land to explore. Just the quiet oak trees and a few scattered rocks covered in lichen.

So why go A kiosk at the entrance to the property provides context. For nearly 60 years, from 1928 to 1985, seekers of wisdom including Martha Graham, Aldous Huxley, Jackson Pollock and Bruce Lee flocked to this site to hear philosopher and spiritual teacher Krishnamurti speak beneath these gnarled oaks. In the early years, formally dressed audiences brought mats, cushions, low chairs and stools to listen to his lectures. Later, more casual crowds spread blankets on the ground while Krishnamurti addressed them from a small raised platform under the trees. In 1979 Krishnamurti decided that the land should be protected and preserved as a sacred site asking that a fence be erected around its perimeter that could be seen through and that would last 100 years.

To get to the Oak Grove, you’ll take Besant Rd. off Lomita Ave. and follow signs toward the Ojai Retreat and Inn. The Oak Grove is on your right just past the soccer fields and tennis courts of the Oak Grove School where I found easy parking on the side of the road. Entry is free, but the Krishnamurti Foundation asks that you register ahead of time on its website. All you need to do is share your email and the organization will send you a code to open a lock box. I received a code, but the gate was not locked when I went so you might also just try your luck without registering.

Unless you plan to do some heavy meditating, this will likely be a short but nevertheless meaningful visit to a place of historical and spiritual significance. Think of it as a way to travel back in time and imagine the many generations of people who came to this place searching for understanding of themselves and their world.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
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Ojai, CA - February 22: A view of Meditation Mount on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 in Ojai, CA. (Lou Mora / For The Times)
(Lou Mora / For The Times)

Meditation Mount

Ventura County Meditation Center
Perched in the mountains on the eastern end of Ojai, Meditation Mount encompasses a meditation center, a contemplative garden, a nature trail, awe-inspiring views and one of the largest wind chimes I’ve ever seen.

Founded as the American headquarters of Meditation Groups Inc., an international organization dedicated to promoting an enlightened and compassionate world through” the power of creative meditation,” the property was purchased in 1968 by Florence Gerrigue, co-founder of the School for Esoteric Studies in New York City who felt called to move to Ojai in her 80s. Although she had little money of her own she was able to raise over $2 million to purchase the land that would become Meditation Mount and to hire an architect and landscape designer to transform the grounds. The space opened to the public in 1971 and Gerrigue continued to manage it until two years before her death in 1985 at age 98.

Today, Meditation Mount hosts group meditations, occasional yoga classes, day-long retreats and sound baths on its beautiful property which includes a glass-walled auditorium with stunning mountain vistas, a small gift shop and the original meditation room with redwood doors depicting the signs of the zodiac by mid-century designers Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman.

The highlight of any visit is a walk through the International Garden of Peace, where phrases like “Essential Divinity,” “Spiritual Approach,” “Group Endeavor” and “Right Human Relations” are carved into large boulders. Each one is an invitation to meditate on a principle that the founders of Meditation Groups Inc. identified as essential for building a new, more peaceful society. If you bring your phone and headphones with you, you can listen to a short, guided meditation for each of the principles while making your way through the garden.

A nature path that leads behind the auditorium and bookstore takes you past the Planet432 Heart Totem, installed in 2023, which emits a continual frequency of 432hz — supposedly the same frequency as the heartbeat of the Earth. Hearing its hum while gazing out across the mountain range is a special experience. Further along the path I came across those giant wind chimes and couldn’t resist snapping a quick selfie.

Meditation Mount is only open to visitors on select days and you will need to make a reservation ahead of time. The cost of entry is $12 and there is plenty of free parking beyond the gold-and-navy blue gates.

Hours: Check Meditation Mount’s calendar for details.
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A view of Krishnamurti Library.
(Deborah Netburn/Los Angeles Times)

Krishnamurti Library

Ventura County Library
One could make the case that Ojai’s reputation as a modern center for spirituality began at the pleasant and unassuming cottage which now serves as the Krishnamurti Library. This is where the philosopher and spiritual teacher Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya lived when they first arrived in the valley in 1922 and where Krishnamurti would continue to return until his death in 1986. The original house, located at the end of a stone pathway, was built in 1895. A kitchen and spacious living room with a fireplace were added in 1978.

It was a health crisis that brought the brothers, born in India and educated in England, to Ojai. Nitya suffered from tuberculosis and Ojai‘s warm dry air made it a well-known health resort at the time. A local Theosophist rented them a small house known as Pine Cottage. A few months after their arrival, Krishnamurti experienced a powerful spiritual awakening beneath the pepper tree that still stands in front of the house. A few years later the Theosophist community, then located in Hollywood, moved to Ojai as well.

Nitya died in 1926 and in subsequent decades Krishnamurti spent much of his time traveling and lecturing around the world. Still, he left specific instructions about how his Ojai home should be preserved after his death. “Under no circumstances should the cottage and its addition be made into a shrine,” he wrote in 1978. Instead, he requested that it be used for study and meditation. “The whole place should be kept quiet, beautiful and greatly cared for,” he wrote.

On my first visit there I was surprised by the gleaming white interior. The floors of the kitchen and what is now the library are covered in hand-painted tile from Italy, just as they were in Krishnamurti’s day. The Krishnamurti Foundation hosts weekly discussion groups in the living room, where Krishnamurti’s writings and several biographies of him line the bookshelves. Visitors can also explore Krishnamurti’s bedroom and study, which are set up for quiet meditation. A third room is equipped with a television screen, padded headphones and written instructions on how to watch Krishnamurti’s lectures on YouTube.

Hours: Tue - Fri 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sat & Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry is free, no appointment necessary.
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Ojai, CA - February 24: A view of Krotona Library and grounds on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 in Ojai, CA. (Lou Mora / For The Times)
(Lou Mora / For The Times)

Krotona Institute of Theosophy

Ojai Library
No tour of spiritual Ojai would be complete without a visit to the Krotona Institute of Theosophy, located in the western end of the Ojai Valley. Here you’ll find a stately library dating back to the 1920s filled with metaphysical texts on the world’s great religions and philosophies, beautiful walking paths, mountain views, a performance hall, a modest retreat center, a labyrinth and historic residences where members of the Theosophical community continue to reside today.

Krotona, which takes its name from the ancient Italian city Crotone, where Pythagoreas lived and taught, was initially founded in Hollywood in 1910 as a community and spiritual sanctuary for Theosophists, a group of open-minded spiritual seekers who pursued universal truths in the world’s ancient religious and wisdom traditions. As Los Angeles became more crowded and the movie business more pervasive, the community moved to Ojai in 1924. As part of the Theosophical Society, the Krotona Institute’s mission is to be “an international center inspired by the oneness of all life and dedicated to the spiritual awakening of the human family.”

Visitors are welcome to spend time in the library and enjoy the peaceful grounds, which have become a popular place for bird watchers and locals to walk their dogs. It’s best to start your visit in the library and information center where you will find a rack of short pamphlets that address some of the questions you might have on your arrival. I grabbed a small sampling including “Theosophy: What is it?” “Cults, the Occult, and Theosophy” and “Who am I? What Does It Mean To Be Human?” A daily meditation on weekdays at 9 a.m. is open to the public. You can also check the institute’s website for a list of classes that are offered both in person and online. I met a woman who spent a weekend there learning about the Bhagavad Gita and she loved it.

The institute’s hours are subject to change, so I recommend calling ahead before visiting or attending any scheduled events on the property.

Hours: The Krotona Library is open Wed. to Sat. from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Sun. from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Entry is free and no reservation is needed.
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Ojai, CA - February 25: A view of Beatrice Wood Center on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in Ojai, CA. (Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)

Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts

Ventura County Art Museum
I decided to visit the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts after coming across a photo of the late, gray haired artist standing in a sun-washed field of flowers, arms outstretched, dressed in a dark turquoise sari with thick piles of silver necklaces and bracelets around her neck and arms. The image seemed to represent everything that Ojai stands for in our collective imagination: joy, light, nature, creativity and spiritual independence.

Wood, who served as the inspiration for the modern-day Rose in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” was a ceramicist, a member of the Dada movement and a longtime student of Theosophy. She moved to Ojai in 1947 in part to be close to Krishnamurti, and eventually relocated to a more remote home and studio near the Happy Valley boarding school in 1972. Wood lived there until her death in 1998 at the age of 105. Her home, which displays gorgeous views of the Topatopa mountain range, is now the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts.

The museum is small, but brimming with joy. Wood was an enthusiastic collector of jewelry and folk art from around the world and her collections are displayed along with her own works, many of which are inspired by folk art traditions. She was famous for perfecting a special glazing technique that gave her pieces a metallic-looking finish. However, it was the handcrafted style and sense of humor displayed by her figurative pieces that do not shy away from bare butts that most drew me. “A lot of people think they are perfectly horrible,” she once said. “Maybe they are. I’ve no idea.”

The center also hosts a rotating gallery of pieces from local Ojai artists and, as the unofficial keeper of Happy Valley history, it also offers information on local Theosophical influence. Special attention is payed to Annie Besant, who was a woman’s rights activist, president of the Theosophical Society and one of Wood’s heroes. You can also visit Wood’s studio where ceramicists continue to create today. The center often hosts art workshops on the weekends, including one on images of the Goddess.

The art is terrific, but make sure to also read the signs posted on the walls of the main exhibit. They’re full of some of Wood’s best quotes including this one from when an assistant offered to help her with her jewelry when she was well over 100 years old. “Hell no,” she said. “That’s the best part of my day. Picking out the hardware.”

Hours: Fri. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission: $5 per person Tours: $10 per person.
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A view of Meher Mount.
(Lou Mora / For The Times)

Meher Mount

Ventura County Meditation Center
Meher Mount is the most rugged and naturally spectacular place on this list, with views stretching out past the Channel Islands. It’s also the furthest from town, but don’t let that deter you. It’s well worth the twisting drive into the mountains to see the space that has served as a pilgrimage site for devotees of Meher Baba for nearly 80 years.

Meher Baba’s ties to the land go back to 1946, when a few of his devotees purchased the 173-acre property after he asked them to establish a retreat center one-to-two hours outside a major city. Meher Baba, who lived in India and claimed to be a human incarnation of God, only visited the property once in 1956, and just for a single day. He told his followers that he was relaxed and happy there and that he had been there before. On a walk around the grounds he sat alone beneath a wide oak tree, his eyes shining with joy. The tree, which was burned twice by fires but still continues to sprout leaves, is now known as Baba’s Tree.

Today there is not much to do at Meher Mount, and that’s as it should be — appreciating the grandeur of nature is the point of any visit here. You won’t need to make a reservation and while you are invited to make a donation, entry is free. You will need to sign in at the registration desk when you arrive. There you will likely be greeted by the property’s current caretaker, Ray Johnston, who once managed a lodge in Kenya and who sees his job at Meher Mount as caring for both a place of pilgrimage and a nature sanctuary. When he walked me around the property we were followed by one of his raven friends, who he occasionally chattered at. He noted that these days most visitors to Meher Mount have never heard of Meher Baba, which is fine.

“They come here to feel the spiritual energy and hike,” he said. “Meher Baba taught that we can love God through nature.”

The Indian guru may have been the inspiration for Meher Mount, but credit for it’s continued existence today goes to his fierce and devoted follower Agnes Baron, a former journalist, who helped found Meher Mount back in 1946 and lived on the property, mostly alone, until her death in 1994. Baron could recall every second of Baba’s visit to Meher Mount years after he left and she worked tirelessly to preserve the space for him. “If you want me to take care of Meher Mount, I will keep it for you through hellfire and damnation!” she once wrote to him. And she did.

Hours: Thurs.-Sun. 12 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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