Quinta dos Milagres, is an organic farm and newly-established workshop/retreat centre. We need volunteers to help in all aspects of the farm, including pruning, planting, clearing and nursery in addition to building various ‘organic’ buildings and structures, plus water systems/bodies and refurbishing existing buildings, as well as domestic duties and assistance for workshops.
A small healing centre is also based at the Quinta where volunteers are also able to get some help with their aches and niggles.
Volunteer accommodation varies depending on availability between shared accommodation, single room or tent. You will get three meals with the rest of us, usually about eight persons, at set times every day and often a piece of cake with a cup of tea in the afternoon. We expect four and half hours of work a day in the morning for five of seven days. Children are more than welcome however dogs and other large pets are not. We are six kilometres from Lagos and the beach and close to a bus stop. The Quinta is a smoking and drug-free environment, so we ask that volunteers not smoke or do any drugs while they stay with us, except for the occasional beer or glass of wine in the evening if desired. You have the use of the swimming pool, sweat lodge, library and other shared spaces most of the time, depending on workshop use.
ALDEIA-Bio is a not-for-profit association formed to inspire and support individuals and groups who seek a more integrated sustainable lifestyle, learn new skills and discover innate abilities, or who are just enthusiastic about organic or biodynamic agriculture, permaculture, or even homatherapy. ALDEIA-Bio is an acronym for ‘Actividades Ligadas ao Despertar, Educação, Inspiração e Agricultura - Biológica‘ or in English; ‘Activities related to awakening, education, inspiration and organic agriculture’.
We are starting up at Quinta dos Milagres, a 12ha certified Organic Farm growing mainly avocados (7 varieties, 500 trees), Oranges (2 varieties, 500 trees) as well as other citrus varieties, olive, almond, custard apple, guava and fig trees. The farm has not been professionally managed for the last ten years. However, already being certified Organic, we are now designing and developing it as a permaculture farm which will also be using Homatherapy by principally using the ashes from the daily morning yagna in which anybody is welcome to participate.
In the running of this centre we integrate principles from many ‘inclusive’ philosophies, and spiritual orientations and even siddha traditions, basically using a non-duality, all-is-one, principle, working consciously and directly with many unseen or forgotten aspects of the life force.
Friends of ALDEIA-Bio staying with us for shorter or longer periods of time include writers, musicians, artists, filmmakers, swamis, shamans, earth workers, teachers, healers, therapists, engineers, doctors, computer geeks, council workers, etc. This creates a healthy variety of ideas and inspiration around the table at meal time.
Meals are all vegetarian, borderline vegan, sometimes raw and always tasty as all food is prepared with love and a couple of us have also been chefs. We endeavour to have a free and joyous approach to life in our work and play.