Sourcing Our Oneness series of programmes aspire to nurture a living spirit of unity and harmony among the organisations and individuals, inspired by the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, creating spaces for collective aspiration, collaboration, and inner growth.
The Annual Sourcing Our Oneness (SOO) Camp was held at the quiet and healing campus of Sri Aurobindo Yoga Kendra, in Jantral, Gujarat, from 11th March to 15th March 2026, the place of Champaklal-ji's Samadhi. The camp brought together 20 individuals and representatives mainly from Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, Auroville and Gujarat, in a shared journey of discovery, learning, and inner exploration. When Champaklal-ji visited Jantral in 1982, he has said about this Centre which now enshrines the Relics of Sri Aurobindo, "Jantral will hold a unique, leading place on the map of India."
The theme for the Oneness camp this year was Collaboration in helping the work of realising Sri Aurobindo’s Five Dreams for India, humanity, and the world, through Jantral. For several years, the land functioned as a naturopathy centre and has been used for organic farming. The continuity of this sacred work with renewed spirit and form has been the aspiration. It has been observed through Sourcing Our Oneness that when people come together in sincerity and work towards one aspiration, something shifts quietly and naturally. There is an emergence of Progress.
Through the days, we deepened our understanding of these Five Dreams, with the Mother’s Symbol serving as our centre and anchor. This was explored through experiential activities, collective reflections, and readings from Savitri. The atmosphere of the Dhyan Khand, imbued with silence and concentration, supported an opening and a deeper connection with both oneself and the surrounding presence of the Divine.
In alignment with the theme, the camp invited participants to collectively tune in through Sri Aurobindo’s Vision and the Mother’s symbol—the future work and possibilities for Jantral Centre. Through sharing spaces and insights, the camp served as a reminder of the potential of collective collaboration to bring out the inner possibility of oneself and the communities we nurture.
Participants also spent time in quiet contact with nature, and in moments of offering at Sri Aurobindo’s Relics, Champaklal-ji’s Samadhi, and the Spiritual Map of India. One morning was dedicated to a visit to the Shakti Peeth of Kalika Mata at Pavagadh hills in the collective spirit of aspiration.
The daily schedule included early morning sessions Yoga Asanas taken up by Shweta and with activities like Awareness Through the Body (ATB) by Shaily of Auroville which helped the participants awaken to their body consciousness, a much needed help to go into deeper psychic and spiritual explorations. Every day, before breakfast and after the evening tea, Shramdaan was embraced as an expression of Karma Yoga, taken up wholeheartedly by the participants in a spirit of collaboration and as a joyful offering to the Mother. Each morning began with Mantra chanting and a musical offering led by Priti, Shweta and Shaily, setting a positive and uplifting tone for the rest of the day.
DAY 1
Welcome and Introduction
We began with a warm welcome to the beautiful space of Jantral, as Jaya, Shivakumar and Priti familiarised participants with the origin and larger aspiration of the Oneness camp. This was followed by an introduction to Smita-ben, the steward of Jantral, who shared about Jantral’s role in India and the life of Champaklal, lovingly known as the Mother’s lion, whose life of service continues to fuel the aspiration of this place. After this, with Jaya’s help, the participants did an activity for coming up with the “impact” that they want Jantral to have in the coming years.
Self-Introduction through Deeper Aspiration – by Priti
From Aspiration to being, participants identified their personal aspirations and chose one of the Mother’s qualities corresponding to it. Through group reflection and sharing facilitated by Priti, we shared about our deeper aspiration and what receiving The Mother’s quality and message opened for each one of us. The session emphasised that transformation is not linear but guided and nurtured inwardly. The collective atmosphere supported a movement from understanding to lived experience.
Daily Rhythm
The first day concluded with settling into the rhythm of morning and evening shramdaan connecting with and working on the land. We closed the day by a collective reading from Savitri, Book 3 (The Book of the Divine Mother), Canto 2: Adoration of the Divine Mother, helping to anchor into the collective aspiration of the camp.
DAY 2
Five Dreams of Sri Aurobindo – by Shivakumar
After the early morning Yogasanas led by Shweta and the Awareness through the Body activities by Shaily, the day began with an introduction to Sri Aurobindo’s Five Dreams by Shivakumar through the A New Dawn film, inviting participants not just to understand, but to inwardly receive and later reflect on the message in silence. Through Sri Aurobindo’s words, the significance of 15th August emerged as more than India’s independence—it marked the possibility of a new age for humanity and the need for India to enter into a “national yoga”. We reflected on how this deeper transformation has already begun, unfolding through spaces like the Ashram, Auroville, and individual inner work. Echoing this, The Mother emphasized India’s role in rediscovering and manifesting its soul.
The session concluded with a spark of lived experience for the participants that although the outer manifestation of oneness is to be realised, it would be much more accelerated as we become conscious of its within us and then express it. In this light, the Five Dreams are not distant ideals, but invitations to participate in a collective movement toward unity and transformation.
Deepening with the 12 Qualities – by Jaya
First we visualized the possibility of a New Birth of Jantral by opening to the higher inspiration to connect with the soul of the place. Then, we were facilitated into a structured collective design process through the 12 qualities of the Mother to bring alive its vision and role in India and the world. We were divided into small groups with the Mother’s Flower cards and significances. In mini-groups we collectively reflected on the vision emerging and what practical conditions would be needed to make it real, each contributing short insights that were then shared and organized together to reveal patterns and a common understanding anchored in the Mother’s qualities to connect our inner consciousness with outer design.
DAY 3
Four Aspects of the Mother – by Priti
Early morning, again, was spent in energising ourselves through Shaily’s Awareness activities and yogasanas led by Shweta. The later morning unfolded as a shared exploration of the Mother’s symbol, with Priti gently opening the inner door to the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Participants were invited to relate to the symbol as something alive and powerful, gradually sensing its depth beyond form. Through collective reflection, questions like “Who is the Mother?” and “Why are we here?” opened an inner inquiry, bringing attention to one’s own scattered parts and the possibility of moving toward a deeper inner oneness. The symbol became a mirror revealing both our aspiration and our fragmentation.
As the exploration deepened, participants began to recognize different movements within themselves—clarity (wisdom), strength, harmony, and attention to detail (perfection) as expressions of the Mother’s four aspects. This shifted the space from intellectual understanding to self-observation and inner contact. The session gently guided everyone to move from thinking to feeling, to sense the presence of these forces within, and to become more conscious of what they are aligning with in their daily movements. It became less about decoding the symbol, and more about beginning to live it. Led by Shweta, Jaya, Shivakumar and Priti, participants were then divided into four groups to go deeper into each aspect of the Powers of the Mother. Each group created an offering for the collective, expressing the embodied experience of that particular aspect.
The day concluded with shramadan and concentrated Savitri reading, followed by packing lovingly made theplas for the next morning’s climb!
Day 4
Ascending in Consciousness, at Pavagadh Hills!
The day began with the group ready to leave by 5:30 am to embark on a collective climb up 2400 steps up to the sacred Shakti Peeth of Kalika Ma Temple in the Pavagadh hills, holding the inner aspiration to connect with the Mother’s Force within. The experience fostered a harmonious sense of joy, togetherness, devotion, and perseverance.
Further Exploring the Mother’s Symbol – by Shivakumar & Priti
Upon returning, the exploration of the Mother’s symbol deepened as participants were guided to experience it as a living Presence and Force. Revisiting the twelve qualities and the four powers, the focus shifted toward the Divine Conscious Force at the center of the symbol as the “sweet little Mother” within, known as the psychic being. Participants were introduced to this inner presence as the deepest truth of their being and the foundation of the path, with emphasis on three movements: discovering it, learning to live from it, and allowing it to guide one’s life.
A key insight emerged in distinguishing the psychic from emotions and mental activity, pointing instead towards quiet aspiration and inner detachment as the way to it. The session opened the possibility that, through this discovery, hidden capacities and a deeper truth of being can unfold. It concluded by inviting a simple, experiential approach of connecting with the psychic through sincere opening, including the subtle and direct path of relating to flowers as expressions of the soul. The session continued with a collective aspiration through the reading of Savitri, deepening the connection with the land and the inner journey.
The day concluded with a joyful traditional Garba dance offering to the Mother, bringing a celebratory and dynamic collective spirit into the camp.
Day 5
Invitation to Collective Participation – by Jaya
The final day unfolded with Shaily taking all to a deeper awareness and Shweta exploring the yogic exercises. After breakfast, participants were guided into an activity with the flower cards carrying the Mother’s significance, as carriers of meaning and guidance allowing participants to connect inwardly through a subtle and quiet opening. Listening to music generated from trees at the Auroville Banyan Tree created a shared field of concentration and receptivity, preparing the ground for a silent process of receiving and sharing flower and quality cards. This revealed a collective inner map reflecting strong foundations already present in Jantral, while gently bringing attention to areas of progress.
As the exploration unfolded, the experience shifted from individual insight to collective responsibility. It emphasized that true transformation lies in lived practice of creating conditions of belonging, usefulness, and conscious action in everyday life to turn to inner guidance. Flowers, which began as a supporting element in earlier sessions, had now taken their rightful place at the heart of the process, mirroring the quiet, receptive atmosphere of Jantral.
The day concluded with a collective gathering at Champaklalji’s samadhi, holding a shared aspiration for Jantral and its unfolding, and offering our aspirations in the form of lighted lamps, at the Relics of Sri Aurobindo. In a space of reflection and offering, participants expressed heartfelt experiences, many sharing a tangible sense of the Presence of Sri Aurobindo and the mother, and the inner movements awakened through the days spent together. The camp closed in a spirit of gratitude, inner quietude, and a renewed aspiration to carry this consciousness forward. On this concluding day, a few other devotees from Vadodara and Vallabh Vidya Nagar joined us in the collective aspiration.
