From 7 to 9 June 2024, over 30 young adults aged 16 to 28 and 10 CSK volunteers gathered in Cleveland for their second annual retreat, The Seeker’s Evolution – a reflective experience into a seeker’s past, present, and future spiritual journey.
The retreat commenced on Friday, with a formal welcome of the guides, Shri. Vivek and Shri. Shankarji. Shri. Vivek gave his first discourse on systemising, prioritising, and realising self-development. The night concluded with a ‘Bala Bracelets’ making activity, where each seeker made a bracelet containing one word about why they are seeking and what inspires their happiness.
The second day of the retreat began with a discourse by Shri. Shankar regarding consistency and growth mindsets. Next, Dr. Indira Palekar led a workshop focused on maintaining healthy habits for mental health. This was followed by a unique Hot Ones activity, in which participants were engaged in a dialogue about their spiritual
journeys while eating cauliflower wings coated in the official Hot Ones sauces. Seekers and guides continued to bond and reflect throughout the day through a soccer match and guided discussion in groups. The day ended with seekers gathering to watch the movie The Matrix.
The final day of the retreat kicked off with a Running from the Mind workshop, where seekers gathered for an early-morning run. Seekers then heard from representatives of Safety of Society, Mentorship Sanga, and Loving Earth communities. The retreat concluded with a talk by Shri. Shankar about shifting perspective from aggressiveness to quietude, and a beautiful closing ceremony.
