Royal Way Spiritual Center is a retreat center located on 900 acres in the high Mojave Desert near Lucerne Valley, California, where people come to meditate, study, explore spiritual teachings, and experience the divine. The retreat center, also commonly referred to as Royal Way Ranch, is an expansive space that comprises sacred gardens and meditation sites that allow individuals the experience of inner silence. The Royal Way spiritual community conducts numerous workshops and retreats throughout the year.

Royal Way retreats are intended for people interested in meditation, spiritual growth, and the experience of the divine. In the Royal Way teachings, there is no delineation between the inner journey and the outer experience of everyday life. Seeking the divine within enhances one’s life in every way. Attendees who are open and sincere come away from a Royal Way retreat with practical teachings that can help them lead rich, meaningful, successful lives.

Michael Gottlieb established Royal Way as “an instrument for bringing modern man and woman to the experience of God—not blind faith, not a philosophical knowing, not a theological knowing, but an experiential knowing.”

According to the tenets of Royal Way, “The main function of a human life is to evolve toward, to reach for, to fulfill one’s greatest potential.” The experience of Royal Way unfolds and evolves as you continue on your spiritual path and grow toward your highest potential.

Retreat attendees must be 18 years or older, but there are no other restrictions or exclusions. We welcome participants from all walks of life. The Royal Way community is inclusive and diverse. We have attendees of many different ages and ethnicities, and from many areas of the world.

Royal Way offers retreats geared to all levels of experience. Beginner-level workshops are geared to new attendees, while members of the Royal Way community attend more advanced retreats. Royal Way also offers a monthly evening workshop at Royal Way West in Los Angeles that is an excellent introduction to the teachings and community of Royal Way.

You may attend a single retreat or workshop or as many as you would like. We do recommend that new attendees attend a beginning level workshop or retreat. There is no required sequence, but attending consistently helps sustain the benefits of the retreats. Note that retreats frequently fill up, so we recommend registering in advance.

To learn more about our workshops and retreats, visit our Contact page. A representative from Royal Way will reach out with information and registration details for upcoming retreats and workshops. Our calendar of events updates continually. Our team will be happy to share the most current information with you.

Simply wear comfortable clothing. We will let you know when you register if the season calls for any specific type of attire.

We do not provide public Wi-Fi at Royal Way Spiritual Center. However, you are permitted to use your mobile device, and cellular service is available. We invite attendees to silence their phones during meditations, and we recommend limiting distractions during retreats in order to have a deeper, more focused experience.

If you have registered for a Royal Way retreat that you are unable to attend, simply notify us in advance. We will issue a refund or a credit toward a future event.

Feedback and comments are welcome. You can reach us through the Contact page or speak directly with a retreat registrar or facilitator.

Royal Way is not affiliated with any organized religious denomination or dogma. The specific and primary purpose of Royal Way is to awaken modern man and woman to the experience of God. The teachings of Michael Menahem Gottlieb, the founder of Royal Way, convey the essence of spirituality minus the trappings of traditional religion. As he wrote, Royal Way is “not blind faith, not a philosophical knowing, not a theological knowing, but an experiential knowing.” In Royal Way, God—or the divine—is experienced through the heart and not the mind.

With our emphasis on freedom and the uniqueness of every individual, Royal Way is the opposite of a cult. Dangerous cults demand conformity and adherence to strict rules.

“It is not possible that we are a cult,” wrote Royal Way founder Michael Gottlieb. “We teach freedom. We teach uniqueness. We teach individuation. It is not possible for these three to exist within a cult. More striking is the fact that we teach dropping the mind and living from the heart. Being inculcated into a cult is possible only through the mind—I repeat, only through the mind. When you live in the heart, only freedom is possible. So the answer is, unequivocally: No, we are not a cult.”

As for transparency and clear understanding, this website conveys a great deal of information about the practices and teachings of Royal Way. You can also learn more by emailing us at info@royalway.org.