Universal Education Gathering – May 2025
Since 2018, groups in Spain inspired by Universal Education have come together each year to share experiences, deepen their practice, and build community. These Universal Education gatherings offer a space for reflection, meditation, and dialogue around the 16 Guidelines for Life, in settings that support personal growth and collective connection.
The following is a reflection from Carmen Martínez Oroz, one of the organisers of the 2025 gathering, held in Losar de la Vera, Cáceres.
A Community That Grows and Renews Itself
It all began in 2018, in Bilbao, with the very first Universal Education Gathering in Spain. Since then, the journey has been both profound and transformative. At the end of that initial gathering, our group from Cádiz stepped forward to host the next one and so, in 2019, we met in Vejer de la Frontera.
After the pause brought on by the pandemic, we reignited the flame in Oseling (Granada) in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, we returned to Vejer, as if closing a meaningful circle.
Over the years, the Madrid and Cádiz groups have carried the torch, organising each gathering with dedication and heart.
Our Cádiz group was born in 2011, following a Universal Education workshop led by Marisa Femenía at Oseling (Southern Spain). At the end of the workshop, we were invited to commit to a local project. At the time, I was working in a rural school in Vejer, and I decided to create a working group with parents from the school community. That was the seed.
We started meeting in 2012, inspired by Marisa and the work she was already doing in Madrid. Since then, the group has evolved. I’m now retired, but our group continues, now made up of 18 people: professionals from various backgrounds, some retired, along with parents and grandparents. We meet monthly from September to June, inspired by the 16 Guidelines, which we use as a framework for reflection and action in all areas of life.
The connection with the Madrid group has grown deeper over time. What began as occasional collaboration has become a real bond, one that makes us feel part of something greater.
Losar de la Vera (Cáceres), May 1–4 2025
Nature, Presence, and Belonging
This year’s gathering was held in a place as generous as it was inspiring: the home of Gema and Manuel ( 2 of the participants) in Losar de la Vera, surrounded by the lush beauty of nature. After last year’s gathering, they offered their home as the next meeting place and thanks to their generosity, we spent four incredible days together.
There were 23 participants in total. Eleven stayed in the house, the rest in nearby guesthouses. Sessions took place in a welcoming space adapted within their home, and the days unfolded in a beautiful rhythm of meditation, deep listening, and shared experiences.
Despite the rain, which forced us to change some outdoor plans, we were able to enjoy the stunning surroundings. Gema and Manuel also led nature walks designed for connection and reflection, making the most of the landscape’s beauty.
Friday and Saturday mornings began with three meditation sessions, each separated by short breaks, followed by paired active listening exercises. In the afternoons, we held a group circle to reflect and share our experiences.
This time, we proposed working with the 16 Guidelines through meditation, focusing on Forgiveness on Friday and Delight on Saturday.
We opened on Thursday with a welcome circle, where we introduced ourselves and shared what had brought us there. Sunday’s closing session was full of gratitude and heartfelt farewells.
The Cádiz group responded enthusiastically to this new approach, and both groups expressed the joy of reconnecting, the sense of belonging, and the desire to keep these gatherings alive. Marisa also proposed the idea of a 16 Guidelines retreat, an idea that was warmly received by everyone!
We returned home full of renewed energy and inspiration, ready to keep growing, deepening our intentions and walking together.
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