[As we are in the midst of preparations to welcome another batch of participants for the Me-to-We retreat in a few days, we found ourselves remembering some of the powerful moments from our retreat together last month.] 

"Please set it all aside, so I can be taken to a place I've never been; a place I don't yet know exists." 

While joining an online pod recently, a participant shared this quote with us in the opening call. And the fifty of us (thirty-five participants and fifteen volunteers) who we were part of Me-to-We retreat last month in July, 2024 would heartily concur to that sentiment. :) For a group of strangers to come together, and build such a deep sense of connection in a span of 3 days -- is not something we frequently witness.   

And while we think of a place, we typically think of an external location. But as we realized, that the shift was not merely external, but equally internal. What does it mean to tune into that part of our being -- which naturally drops into connection and coherence with others around us? It was a pilgrimage to our own heart. In an era where we rely too much on Aritificial Intelligence (AI), it was an experiment in rekindling our Heart's intelligence (HI). 

While it's hard to describe the experience in words (like one participant said, "thank you" seems so inadequate!), here are some glimpses --   

1. Stories of Me to We - While our lives today are increasingly driven by narrative of  competition and (hyper)individualism, this retreat was an opportunity to pay attention to care and compassion that subtly flows in our hearts. Through-out our time together, we heard phenomenal first-hand stories from everyone, of shifting from me-to-we. It started right with the opening context setting by Meghna, whose story of broken car window window was a highlight for many. 

As Lynne Twist said "what you appreciate, appreciates".  

 

2) Heart Cafe - On day 1 of the retreat, as a way to get introduced to each other (and perhaps to ourselves!) we reflected on fun and deep questions in small groups -- An act of kindness that you'll never forget? An unexpected conversation that left a deep mark on you? A difficult experience in life that you weren't expecting?... And lots more! 

“It gave me answers to questions I didn’t even know I had.”, remarked Shipra. Sandeep later wrote “The Heart Cafe questionnaire was the first impressive activity. I could open up with strangers who didn't feel like strangers.  I believe the 9 questions of Heart Cafe if anyone could answer to themselves, would go through an inner transformation automatically.”

3. Craftroots: We visited Craftroots and Gramshree, organizations which work with several artisans across Gujarat, to not only provide them with sustainable livelihoods, but also to create a space where they have the freedom to express their creative gifts, and belong to each other.  

For many of us, who are soaked in powerpoint and excel files, it was wonderful to reconnect with the simple and profound practice of getting creative with our bare hands. :) Some folks tried pottery, for some it was a first expereince of "block printing", the audacious ones tried their hands at loom. Few of us made heartpins and did embroidery.  Following that, Anar di, Founder of Craftroots, shared her life journey, from first serving several years in various non-profits, and then completing MBA after becoming a mother, and starting a social enterprise where she strives to bring the same principles of community and connection.  

    

4. A pay-it forward restaurant: Often our retreats include a visit to Seva Cafe (or Karma Kitchen globally), a pay-it-forward restaurant where your cheque always reads 0. It’s business model is quite unique, encapsulated in one sentence – "Food+Love=Prasad!"

We trust that if we reach out to people with love, it will create ripples. That's how it sustains. This time, serendipity struck as we had Raju, Ragu and Bhaskar, 3 pillars of seva cafesince its inception, all gather to cook dinner for everyone. But before that, we put them on the spot to share their "secret sauce". :)  They all were born in the slums of Ahmedabad, and were in their youth when they got introduced to the Moved By Love ecosystem and together incubated seva cafe. Ragu and Bhaskar moved on couple years ago to pursue other dreams, but serendipity brought them all together this evening, to cook for the retreat. :) 

5. A Bollywood meme -- During day 2 morning open mic circle, this is what Deepa in her effervescence had to share about her day 1 experience.  

In the retreat, we discover so many moments of deep connection and of stillness and joy -- that after a day, most of us start losing track of time. :) 

5. Four Shifts: During our time together, we also spent lot of time diving into the challenges and practical nuances of cultivating a shift from me-to-we. In an environment where we are exposed to thousands of ads each day subconsciously, how do we shift from a consumption mindset to contribution? When everything today (even nature!) can be bought and sold for a price, how do we shift from transactions to relationships? When so many people live "alone together", how do we look at community not merely as quantity of connections, but how do we deepen the quality of connections? And finally, how do we shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance? It was remarkable to listen to each person's expereinces, insights and questions they're holding in this journey. 

    

6. Muuchho Wali Ma: A participant while sharing a story of her motherhood, asked everyone in the room "who all here are mothers"? And to some people's surprise, Jayesh bhai's hands went up. The speaker improvised to say "Yeah, and fathers too". What she didn't know that so many people who Jayesh bhai has mentored, often fondly refer to him as "Muucho Waali Ma". A karm-yogi with a child-like smile, elder-like wisdom and a mother like gaze. :) Teased by classmates in his childhood as "Baby Toilet", he has spent in life furthering the cause of outer sanitation and inner purification, and has been a volunteer and ladder for MovedByLove retreats. :) On day 2, his stories were a highlight for many. :) While he is a man of "deepcasting" and tries to avoid recording as far as he can, here is a short older video of him in case you were wondering about his story. :) 

7. Surprises: There are so many powerful collective practices across the retreat, from the peace walk, to the silent dinner, to the heartful tags each day, the spiri-ted conversations, the closing practice -- in the interest of not spilling the beans for new-comers, it's best to not say much about it right now. :)

8. Reclaiming our shared humanity: A participant, Harsh, a social entreprenur, shared that he woke up to sound of birds (one-horned cuckoo as he recognized it!) first time post his childhood. And seeing people sharing authentically and listening to  each other was another rare sight. And the biggest surprise was that he didn't feel a compulsive need to check his emails for 2.5 days.

In a society that's far removed from such simple and quintessential joys of being human, it's natural that kindness also may feel like a stretch. But as we come together in a safe space and a conducive environment, with a shared intention to be kind, we realize that kindness is more natural to us than we sometimes realize. We start coming alive in a much deeper way. In other words, your heart just knows that it's a better party! :) 

 

9. Closing Circle – On the last day, we do a circle of sharing where everyone has a chance to reflect on their expereince. One of the volunteers was so moved just listening to that circle, that he told us later on "I volunteered 3 days for this retreat, but what I witnessed was so priceless, that if I had to work hard for a month to support this, I would do it in a heartbeat". Here is one such emblematic sharing by a participant Yashashvi -- 

Everyone's just so beautiful here. I didn't interact one-on-one with a few people, but, like you see someone and you just know that they have that light in them. I see everyone here and there's just some sort of lightness of being that everyone carries. You can't create a space like this if you don't have it in you. So I'm just gonna share a poem that I'd written - 

Is it you I'm writing to?
Or a future version of me I'm yet to meet?  
I can barely tell apart.  

I seem to seek you
in everything I do.
But I don't allow myself
to think about it on most days.

It's there
taking space. 
But I like the thought
where it's making room
for you to own when you arrive. 

There is a vision,
an idea,
an apparition that conjures up. 
That I've tried hard to explain. 

All encompassing
it engulfs my being,
tornadoes my practicality,
and weaves a beautiful dream. 

I'm right here.
And you’re  kind and soulful.
A part of me I denied for so long. 

You can grow up being told you're too sensitive for the world.
That your empathy will not serve you well.
So you hide it,
for as long as you can remember.
Never letting people know. 

But it spills. 
It creates ripples.
You can't hide a feeling as powerful as that. 

And you fight so hard against it.
The resistance wears thin, 
It splatters in efforts.
It pushes through in making time no matter where you are
for the purpose. 

It splatters in efforts.
It appears in safe spaces.
It shows up when you're around animals.
In the fields with the wind. 
It stands up for anything and anyone
that's magnificently themselves.

And now that I've almost arrived, 
I find it for me too.  

The story is this,
While I'm closer becoming me,
you are growing into more you. 

In a trance.
This is a tango. 
You are me
I am you. 
We've always been each other.  

It wasn't a path to find,
but a restful place to meet.

It's not movement,
it's transcendence.
It's refraction, reflection, respite. 

You don't have to fight anymore.
You’re home. 
And the story,
it has just begun.

10. Song of Togetherness - A 27-year old architect Riyansh, who earlier spoke about his experiments of being "nothing", spontaneously recorded a song and shared with us after the retreat… “Pyaar ka matlab bas samajh hi gaya tha, ki tumne milke saara parivaratan kar diya.” 

 

These are just 10 moments, but for all of us who were there, we can perhaps recount a 100 more! And as Vinoba Bhave used to say, may we all rise, like a fountain, and then spread across the goodness wherever we flow. :) 

...

[With gratitude to all the volunteers, who indeed put thousands of hours of invisible effort to make these gatherings possible, purely in the spirit of paying forward their gratitude.]

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