1953 Christian missionaries were expelled from China to eliminate foreign control of religious practices and assert authority of the State - a centuries-old goal. The Benedictine monks left and established the St Andrews Abbey and Retreat House in Valyermo, CA - in the desert at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in LA County. It is a quiet place - hot and dry, also a place apart from the world.

The hills consist of loose rock and and sand with an incongruous amount of vegetation. Joshua trees dot the lower hillsides and flatter elevations with some large, taller, deciduous vegetation. Wide paths make many areas accessible that would be difficult without. There were enough areas that seemed to an oasis from the desert sun. The couple of times I visited I saw less than6 people until midday mass when maybe a dozen showed up, and 4 monks.

It certainly has a genuine aura, with the accouterments of peace, quietude - also other worldly. Despite the heat and rough terrain, it is a place of stillness. It may even be blessed, as the area is in perennial fire country, the Abbey has remained unscathed. Maybe it’s the spirit of ye Hu, the deity of protection and benevolence. Wherever you wander there are whispers that provide a cumulative mood of place. These are a few jinn's I came across, then back to the world!