Mount Ecclesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Ecclesia is a picturesque spot of nature grounds in Oceanside, California (southern California) and the location of the international headquarters of a fraternal and service organization called The Rosicrucian Fellowship. It is also the location of its spiritual healing temple, called "The Ecclesia", situated upon the promontory of a high mesa.
Mount Ecclesia was launched in October 28, 1911, through a ceremony of ground-breaking which consisted in planting a large Cross with the initials C.R.C. — meaning Christian Rose Cross, the Head of the Rosicrucian Order — painted in gilt letters on the three upper ends and with a climbing rose.
The Healing Temple "The Ecclesia" was erected, for the purpose of affording more powerful means for the healing of disease, and dedicated on December 25, 1920. Spiritual Healing meetings are held in this holy place at a regular time each day by the Probationers who have consecrated their lives to this work.
Since its foundation, the Rosicrucian Fellowship faithfully observes the basic condition, set by its founder Max Heindel, that no price, membership dues or fees, should be put on its teachings. Mount Ecclesia's foundation archetype, highest ideal or mission, is to become a Spiritual Center in the world, as an effort "to unite and harmonize each with the others by teaching a religion that is both scientific and artistic, and to gather all churches into one great Christian Brotherhood." (Historical Notes: October 28, 1911 [1])
Contents |
[edit] Landscape equilibrium
Mount Ecclesia landscape, with its 24 man-made structures (23 buildings and the main entrance conic area), the lovely rose gardens and a luxuriant preserved vegetation — in the middle of one of the world's most expensive and intensive real estate development areas, in southern California — has become a paradigm of landscape equilibrium between the development of a built environment and the conservation of the natural environment.
In 1989, the restoration of Mount Ecclesia "old landmarks" and unreinforced masonry buildings was outlined. In order to comply with Oceanside's earthquake secure construction rules, effort is being made, dependent upon donations, to renovate and reinforce the structures.
[edit] Temple's architecture
As in all the solar temples, "The Ecclesia" portal is facing east (the rising sun). In front of the portal stand two palm trees. The portal is constituted by a triangle structure upon two round columns (pilasters), containing in the centre an equilateral triangle with the 'all-seeing-eye'. The columns fuse Greek and Roman styles, each one with a capital crowned by a finial globe. The round 12-sided building architecture is composed by round arches and narrow round inward windows. Its great dome is composed by a cupola crowned by a golden globe with a finial of lights. The inner portal and the Temple's interior is ornamented with alchemical and astrological symbols. It is a solar temple dedicated to the coming Age of Aquarius.
