When asked to share my experiences about a retreat I attended in Switzerland, I wrote out my reflections in the form of a letter to my 2 year old daughter. 




Beloved Reva
Deep gratitude to your mother for holding the space, deep gratitude to every being which made my coming here possible and deep gratitude to our family and community with whom I am able to grow.

As I was coming to Switzerland for this retreat, I wasn't completely
sure what it was, I was not too excited nor was I anxious, there was
infact certain silence and stillness of this unknown. A calling, that
I must go.

As I reached here and saw the majestic mountains and beautiful trees, I somehow felt I have been here, and then someone in the group here said that its these mountains that have called us for not what we do but what we can all be. I felt deep gratitude and immensely humbled to be invited here, there are total of 33 friends from more than 14 countries. Everyone is deeply rooted in personal transformation and in process of expressing their themselves through love. No body felt a stranger here, everybody would look deeply into each other's eyes as if saying 'I see you'. keeping our personal identities out, or washing our flags as the expression would say, we entered a sacred space of our shared common
humanity.

We meet  deeply in silence when we mediate together, we rediscover ourselves in heart groups, and come together as a collective voice in bright room. everyday we have most deliciously food prepared with immense love and sanctity.

In the woods, We offered the soil from our lands into collective whole and celebrated our unity in diversity in presence of the sacred fire. We shared our unique gifts through an expression and deeply connected with our soul as we performed the 5 elements ritual.

 I feel my heart opening tremendously. I realize we are not alone in
our journey towards love, and more and more I am affirmed of our
collective purpose in life. I used to always wonder what kind of world we are going to leave behind, and I found hope as we shared the charter for a new civilization based in prior unity.

When I first heard it I felt my heart expanding and contracting at the
same time. Mind tried to understand what heart already seemed to know. Was this is what I have been searching for? And now I find a language
to express it. What is prior unity, a space, a feeling or an
expression ? How do we arrive there  ?
We then put this question out in the group - how can this charter
inspire and inform the new civilization in you and through you in this
world ?

Blessed as this group is, the collective wisdom emerged as these were
the following insights and questions-

Charter is like a bell that calls people who resonates with it and
like a star it guides us till we are already living in it.
How do we act consciously for the benefit of the whole ?  With
humility and grounded in state of being, aligned with action for the
service of the whole.And whole being as a relationship with our selves and our shared common humanity.

What would structures to enable everyone at once to become reality
would look like? Where they can dream, connect, create and share with a feeling of abundance, nurturing and support. What will be the forms and processes that will be required to express this charter in tangible way? Like this retreat, creating spaces of silence and stillness, places that can bring healing. But really expressing the charter through our way of life and being.Also the question came how do we not allow erosion of this fundamental truth? How do we hold in not knowing but only which we can intuitively know? What should be the language of charter, should there be inclusion of
different language words, or does these words contains some shadow elements? But then there's danger in words having duality.
Can there be other expressions through stories, art and poetry.
Can we hold the words lightly so that the charter can become hearter.

Although there were many thoughts, suggestions and questions yet our bright room shined with each individual light, asif everybody was
dancing their own dance, and yet in one unison, everybody embodying their full potential, expressed their highest truth with love.

As if everybody saying this ancient prayer together -
We offer you peace
We offer you love
We offer you friendship
We see your beauty
We hear your need
We feel your feelings
Our wisdom flows from the Highest source
And we salute that source in you
Let us work together for love and prior unity.

Now I truly believe my little one that one day you will say "I am
happy for the choices you all made." With infinite love for what you already are and what you can be Your father in behalf of whole.

Posted by Madhusudan Agarwal on Jul 17, 2013 | permalink