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SanghaSeva | Meditation in Action: A Work that Reconnects Retreat

at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales
28 May - 3 June, 2023


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Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the ‘Work that Reconnects’ retreat at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT)! This will be our eighth time offering this retreat at CAT, and we’re very much looking forward to it!
On this page there is some more practical and background information to help you get a feel for the retreat. We have tried to keep it brief, and details such as how to get there will be sent to you on booking.
If you feel like joining us please fill out the registration by following the link at the bottom of the page.

Our intentions for the retreat

Our intention is to nourish, resource and inspire our collective and personal responses to the ecological challenges of our times, in service to ‘the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible’.

This retreat offers an integrated way to help us reconnect with ourselves, land, community, and our motivation to act in service of the earth whilst volunteering for the Centre for Alternative technology which has been at the forefront of advocating sustainable solutions to our energy and climate needs since the 1970s. We will work and play together to create a small inclusive temporary community with days framed by regular daily meditation practice and periods of silent reflection, volunteering with physical work in the growing fields, gardens and woodland at C.A.T., and nurturing our deepening connection to act in service to the web of life through workshop activities drawn from the ‘Work that Reconnects’, created by Joanna Macy and other Spiritual Activist luminaries.

Accommodation and Timetable

We will stay in CAT’s two eco-cabins, which provide basic but comfortable accommodation. The accommodation is 1-2 people per room in bunk beds (with 2 bunk beds per room).

We typically start each day with a period of meditation and a shared group-made breakfast, before working in the gardens or woodland for around 5 hours a day. The work will be arranged so it is suitable for a range of abilities and includes regular breaks.

We finish work mid-afternoon with a period of free time to explore the site or rest. We gather in the evening for meditation, followed by dinner in the restaurant. After dinner there is an evening programme, which introduces themes from Joanna Macy’s “Work that Reconnects” (more information on the “Work that Reconnects” is below).

The spirit of the week is one of co-creating community, and there are daily opportunities to feedback and reflect together on how we mutually hold the programme according to our needs.

We are also offered a tour of the CAT site and may have the opportunity to hear about CAT’s flagship ‘Zero-Carbon Britain’ project.

Inclusivity statement

Whilst a basic level of physical fitness is required to walk around the site and engage with the volunteer work, we actively welcome people from diverse backgrounds including ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, economic and class, age and physical health backgrounds. If you are unsure about whether we can accommodate your needs, please do get in touch and we are happy to discuss this with you further.

Retreat Cost and Payment

The cost of the retreat is £290. The retreat fee covers shared accommodation in the Eco Cabins at CAT, all food from Sunday evening (when the retreat starts) to Saturday lunchtime (when it finishes).

We also have a supporters rate of £330 which will offer assistance to our bursary scheme.

Our facilitators offer their time and energy freely and do not receive payment for what they do as part of ‘Dana practice’ *. In gratitude for their work there will be the opportunity to support them with a donation at the end of the retreat.

Please note, if you can’t afford the full cost of the retreat it may be possible for Meditation in Action to offer a bursary. If you would like to join the retreat but require financial assistance, please do contact us. If you are touched by this project but cannot join us, you could also help by sponsoring someone else to go, please contact us for further information on how to do this.

What happens next?

Fill out the registration of interest form below and you will be forwarded to our information letter page with more information, such as how to get there, and how to pay the retreat costs. If nothing happens, or if you have any questions, please contact us immediately.

Some people don't see a form here: if you are experiencing that absence please go to: this page to see the form

For further information and inspiration about CAT and the Work that Reconnects, visit their websites:
cat.org.uk
workthatreconnects.org

* This practice of ‘Dana’ (meaning ‘generosity’ in the old Indian Pali language) is inspired by the beautiful Buddhist tradition that has, for more than 2,600 years, enabled the creation and maintenance of retreat centres, monasteries and a whole range of social and peace practices and projects, as well as the transmission of the teachings through the ages.