A place of silence and rest
A house in Alloza, Teruel, open to the world. Six-day retreats: silence by day and mindful conversation at dusk, by the fire. Always free of charge.
Next retreat: —
Who we are
Casa Cuchara is a non-profit association that has bought a house in Alloza, Teruel. There we hold free retreats, accompanied by experienced people who have found inner peace and wish to share it, also free of charge.
We offer a six-day gathering every month, to get in touch with the truth of oneself, of others and of nature. Being free of charge is the cornerstone of this association and our reason for being.
What we offer
Six days to enjoy the extraordinary experience of shared silence and of having nothing to do. Our retreats are not for personal work, but for personal rest.
At dusk we come out of the silence and gather by the fire to share freely what we feel, what we are discovering, what worries us. Each month that gathering revolves around a different theme. There are no pre-set group dynamics: everything that happens is spontaneous and alive, just as the moment inspires it.
Mobile phones stay in a sacred cupboard that we do not lock, and which can be opened in case of need or emergency.
Every day is spent in silence, from the moment we arrive on Tuesday afternoon. In the evening we do share: by the fire we can talk, with mindful words.
We like Saint Benedict’s “ora et labora”, and we find it deeply restful that during those six days we do things like: peeling potatoes, going out for a walk to pick flowers and make the house beautiful, counting the clouds sailing across the sky, cleaning the bathrooms, walking up to the chapel, reading poetry, being spellbound by the landscape, singing along to the guitar you will have brought, sleeping. And once we have the olive grove, going out to pick the olives and curing them in jars that we will keep in our cellar.
The retreat is free. On arrival day we only collect the money to buy food for the whole week: we estimate it at €40 per person for the full six days, not per day. You may also make a voluntary offering, which we will use for the house’s running costs: electricity, water, firewood, gas and sundry supplies.
The community
That is where we announce the retreats, last-minute changes and the places still available.
It is a group for staying informed, not for chatting: there is no conversation and no questions are asked there. Joining commits you to nothing and you can just watch for as long as you like. For talking there is the group Isa opens for each retreat, with the people going to that one: that is where questions are asked, car sharing is arranged and everything gets organised.
Share it with anyone you think might like to hear about our activities. Our Telegram group and this website are the only places where we will announce our retreats. We will not be on social media.
Calendar
They all begin on Tuesday afternoon and end on Sunday after lunch.
Can you only come for a few days? That is possible too, with priority for those who come for the whole week.
| Month | Dates | Accompanied by | Theme |
|---|
Signing up
If one or more of our retreats interest you, write to Isa Solana on Telegram, whether with questions or to sign up.
Isa will open a Telegram group for each gathering, where we will organise everything beforehand: what we want to eat, who wants to cook, who would rather sweep. That way, once we arrive there will be no need to talk.
As the retreats are free there is no deposit, so we will trust your word if you confirm you are coming.
You can indeed come for just a few days. Priority goes to those coming for the full six days; if places remain, we will be delighted to welcome those arriving during the week.
Other gatherings
We offer this beautiful house to groups for whom it is essential that it be free of charge.
We will look at each request to see whether it fits the spirit of this place. For information, contact Miguel: grupos@casacuchara.org.
What we ask
The first phase was buying it: the founding members bought it with non-refundable contributions. It’s ours! The second phase is to fix it up and make it beautiful, simply and austerely, and for that we need donations and volunteer help.
We reckon about €16,000 is needed to get the house ready. It is coming together little by little, with contributions of any size: these are the three ways to help.
On this crowdfunding platform you can give any amount and, if you file taxes in Spain, deduct it on your income tax return: 80% of the first €250 and 40% of the rest. The platform charges a 5% fee. How the tax deduction works.
DonateIf you cannot claim the tax deduction, we save the 5% fee if you donate directly to the association’s account at Ibercaja.
ES22 2085 8290 9503 3030 0740
Account holder: Asociación Casa Cuchara · Ibercaja
A monthly contribution of any amount helps a great deal, both now and for the unexpected expenses that will come up. You can set it up yourself with your bank, or let us handle it.
Set up a monthly contributionIf you file income tax in Spain, the tax office refunds you part of what you donate, on the following year’s tax return. For donations to non-profit entities the refund is generous: 80% of the first €250 you give in the year and 40% of anything above that. So a €100 donation really costs you €20.
All you need to do is donate through the platform, which issues the certificate and reports it to the tax office: the amount already shows up in your draft return. If you have donated the same amount or more to the same entity for three years running, the 40% rises to 45%.
Indicative figures for people who file income tax in Spain. The deduction is capped at 10% of your taxable base.
Hands are needed too: painting, cleaning, repairing, planting. Albert keeps the volunteer calendar for this house that belongs to everyone.
Where we are
In the Bajo Aragón, among olive groves and hills, in the district of Andorra-Sierra de Arcos, in north-eastern Spain.
Casa Cuchara · calle el Carmen 11, Alloza (Teruel)
By car, approximate distances and driving times from the nearest provincial capitals:
We arrange car sharing in the Telegram group of each retreat.
By bus: Alloza has a stop on the Alcañiz – Andorra – Alloza – Ariño line run by HIFE, which operates Monday to Friday, three times a day in each direction. From Zaragoza and from Barcelona the same company runs buses to Alcañiz, where you connect with that line. Timetables change: check them at hife.es.
In the making
This website will grow slowly. These sections are on their way:
How Casa Cuchara came to be, and where this way of holding retreats comes from.
The association’s accounts: what comes in, what it is spent on and how that is decided.
Those who have made this house possible, with their money, their hands or their time.
What we believe and what we are committed to.
A non-profit association devoted to the care and schooling of the children of Varanasi, in India. What binds us to them and what we do together.
nuevavidavaranasi.com