Tucker and Upali will be teaching a retreat at EarthSpirit Centre near Glastonbury, England. Students will arrive at 6PM on Sunday, 9 June, and we’ll depart after lunch (circa 13:30) on Tuesday, 18 June. We love this retreat center, and they weren’t able to offer us two weekends, which is why we’re doing Sunday – Tuesday.
Well great! What can you tell me about it?
The retreat will be in Noble Silence, meaning we won’t use any communication devices, and with a few exceptions, we won’t speak for the duration. Most of the day will be devoted to sitting and walking meditation. There will be talks every evening, and you’ll have lots of opportunities to meet with the teachers each day. We teach student-centered dharma, meaning that you can explore whatever practice you like; not all students will be practicing the same style of meditation.
There’s A Sauna, Right?
Definitely. And a hot tub.
Can I Get A Private Room?
Maybe. If there’s space available, the centre allows people to pay an extra fee of £128.70 for a private room. If you’d want to do this, please let us know on the registration form, and we’ll let you know if we’ve got enough space to fulfill your request a few weeks before the retreat (and we’d ask for the extra fee at that time). Otherwise, most people will have just one roommate, though a few folks will be in the dorm.
Well I’m in! How Do I Sign Up?
There are TWO steps: You’ll need to fill out the registration form, and then you’ll need to pay. Please do both steps together, as it creates some admin headaches for us if the two lists don’t match. Info on how to pay is over here. During Christmas week, the payment system will be closed.
OK Cool, So How Much Does It Cost?
There are three room options: en suite (private bathroom for you + a roommate), standard (shared bathroom), and camping. There is this strange feature of the centre, where there are 3 pricing categories, but multiple types of rooms. So there are 2 en suite rooms that share a bathroom (so 4 to a bathroom), and the dorm is the same cost as the standard room, so once all standard rooms are filled, folks registering at that price will be in the dorm (up to 7 people). There are also caravans (“trailers” in American-speak) that cost the same as standard rooms. All prices are in British pounds.
En suite: £915
Standard: £820
Camping: £740
This does not include any payments to the teachers. Payment to the teachers is traditionally made by donation after the retreat. While there is no suggested amount, our suggestion is to think of what’s sustainable. As in, if students each pay us £10, we won’t be able to teach retreats very often, and if students give us £10,000, they won’t be able to attend retreats very often! Whatever number feels sustainable both for you and generous to the teacher is the perfect amount. And since this is paid after the retreat, please don’t include this in the registration fee.
Of course transportation to the center is not included. It was apx £70 by taxi from Bristol Airport and £35 for a taxi from Castle Cary station, which connects to London Paddington. We’ll organize a spreadsheet when it gets closer to help folks who want to share taxis.
The centre also charges small fees to folks with dietary restrictions. These are included in the registration form.
I’d Love To Come, But I Can’t Afford To
EarthSpirit Centre publishes new prices annually based on inflation, which was of course high from 2023-2024 in the UK. If you can’t afford to come but would like to, please apply ASAP for a scholarship to the Open Dharma Foundation. The earlier you apply, the more opportunities you’ll have to reapply if you don’t get funded the first time. There are quarterly deadlines for applications, unless you’re requesting less than USD300, in which case you can apply anytime.
These Prices Are Easy For Me To Afford. Can I Help Someone Else Go?
For sure! You can donate a scholarship directly by contacting Tucker, or you can donate to the Open Dharma Foundation (which provides need-based scholarships to meditation retreats, not just this retreat).
What Should I Do If I Have Questions?
For questions about the retreat, use the contact button on this page. For questions about the centre, please contact office@earthspirit-centre.co.uk.
Well Now That I’ve Finished Reading, Can I Get The Links To The Two Steps One More Time?