From Dream to Reality… to Keep Actdreaming
I still remember walking through the streets of my village in January 2023, feeling awe and falling in love with a special place. I remember the last two years of family planning, dreaming up designs for a space to welcome more people into our home, just as we’ve always loved to do.
I still carry with me the profound inspiration and love I felt during Gandhi 3.0 in January 2024. It was a time of reflection and connection, deeply resonating with my long-held vision for a life project with my family. I recall conversations with some participants and volunteers where we spoke about a shared dream — the dream of creating a space where each moment offers an opportunity to reconnect with service, nature, and community. We envisioned it as a “Life Laboratory,” a place for experimenting with ways to engage heart, mind, and hands through trust and unconditional love. It was something we already aimed to live at home, but now we wanted to invite more people into this everyday reality.
A place where transformation begins at home, where each conversation, working together in the garden, hikes to the protective mountains, visits to a nearby waterfall, strolls to the beach, cooking, singing, and dancing together — these moments make every instant meaningful. Here, we can work on our dreams and projects, meditate, hold silent circles, pray, practice spirituality, and share our knowledge and challenges in our “seed talks.” Every moment feels like an invitation to simply be.
The questions we asked ourselves at the beginning of the dream were:
How can we elevate people’s consciousness in everyday life to humanize the world?
How can we break the barrier of indifference and nurture the next generation of change-makers?
How can we address the poverty of the soul?
We can answer that it is possible, thanks to embracing diversity, caring for balance, being gentle with nature, and living the spirit of community.
And now, I’m thrilled to share that this dream has become a reality. PAS Rural Coliving is a space along the Pas River, nestled in the Pasiego Valleys of Cantabria, northern Spain, where these ideas are coming to life. In just two months since opening, we have welcomed over 100 people — pilgrims, entrepreneurs, innovators, individuals undergoing transformation, remote workers, social leaders, and volunteers. Each has believed in this dream from the very beginning and, in truth, they’re the ones making it all possible.
The journey has just begun, and step by step, we’re transforming this small corner of the world. Those who have experienced their “PAS” here find their dreams becoming reality, connect with themselves, heal, find peace, learn about different forms of capital, flow, plant, harvest, breathe, and take in life’s beauty. They find meaning and inspiration to work for a purpose that excites both heart and mind, serving the greater good with their hands and talents.
These lines simply aim to express the immense gratitude we wake up with each day. Gratitude for life, for God, and for each and every person who has been part of this dream — from those who inspired us and connected us to the possibility of making it real, to those who are part of it now, and to all who continue to be and create in everything we imagine might happen here.
Some snapshots of our recent gatherings over these two months:
- Our very first colivers — our dear “guinea pigs” who we will always remember fondly. A million thanks for your testimonials, your commitment as ambassadors of the dream. You will always have a home in Cantabria.
Photos by Eukene con K.
- The Social Circle Summit — Head, Hearts, and Hands Together. We were able to connect deeply over three days, sharing our truest selves. Infinite thanks for believing in this community and keeping it alive and vibrant.
Photos by Eukene con K.
- SID Encounter — Entrepreneurship training, thanks to the Yunus Centre of the University of Cantabria. It was a privilege to host a space for training and connection among social entrepreneurs. Thank you for caring for this space and finding in it a place to plant connections.
- More colivers, Awakin circles, the garden, the mountains, the moon. Our day-to-day life here has been possible thanks to everyone who has said “yes” to living and growing in this space. We continue designing new experiments for creating more acts of kindness from this Laboratory of Life at PAS Rural Coliving.