Entry No. 31 — the Monterey file — filed under: new-thought
Monterey Center for Spiritual Living
Founded in 1952 by first senior minister Dr. Carleton Whitehead, this Religious Science congregation still opens Sundays with a 10am 'Visioning Circle' before its 10:30am Celebration service, teaching from Ernest Holmes' New Thought Declaration of Principles — universal mind, spiritual healing, personal power — a few blocks from the aquarium tour buses that never stop here.
The story
While tourist buses choke Cannery Row fighting over parking spots, head inland toward Soledad Drive for something far older in spirit and considerably stranger. In 1952, Dr. Carleton Whitehead gathered a handful of locals to launch a Monterey chapter of Religious Science—a New Thought movement codified by metaphysician Ernest Holmes that treats mind as the fundamental substance of reality and spiritual healing as an actionable skill.
Instead of fire, brimstone, or original sin, Whitehead’s congregation anchored itself in Holmes’ thirteen Declaration of Principles: core tenets asserting that a universal mind runs through everything, personal thoughts dictate physical outcomes, and individual power is a matter of internal alignment rather than divine favor. Seven decades later, while Monterey transformed into a slick resort town, this center quietly stayed put, running its mind-over-matter tradition just blocks away from the waterfront crowd.
What it's like
Show up around 9:45 AM on a Sunday to slip into the 10:00 AM Visioning Circle, a quiet guided meditation before the 10:30 AM Celebration service. The atmosphere is unpretentious and distinctly local—don't be surprised to see a dog sitting quietly in a pew, as the center maintains an explicitly welcoming pet policy for four-legged attendees. You'll get acoustic music, open discussions of universal consciousness, and zero high-pressure recruitment.
The move: Sit in on the 10am Visioning Circle together, stay for the 10:30 Celebration, then debate over lunch whether you buy into 'universal mind' and spiritual healing as taught in Holmes' thirteen principles.
- 📍 Monterey
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 52 Soledad Drive, Monterey, CA 93940
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo (Royal Presidio Chapel) — Compare California’s oldest traditional stone Catholic chapel with Monterey’s 1950s metaphysical sanctuary just a mile away.
- Stokes Adobe Restaurant & Bar (formerly Restaurant 1833) — Follow a Sunday morning debate on universal mind with lunch or drinks inside an 1830s adobe wrapped in dark local history.
- Pearl Hour — Debrief Ernest Holmes’ thirteen principles over craft cocktails at this low-lit Steinbeck-inspired bar on Lighthouse Avenue.
Good to know
What is the Sunday morning schedule?
Services start at 10:00 AM with a 30-minute Visioning Circle meditation, followed immediately by the 10:30 AM Celebration service.
What core philosophy does the center teach?
It teaches Religious Science (part of the New Thought movement), based on Ernest Holmes' Declaration of Principles focused on universal mind, spiritual healing, and personal power.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, the Monterey Center for Spiritual Living has an established pet policy allowing well-behaved pets to attend services.
Where is the center located?
It sits at 52 Soledad Drive in Monterey, California.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-07-20