Wisdom Circle - Feb 2026

Madhusudan

Feb 17

3 min read

Updated: Sep 24

"There is a story told in the villages —

that long before temples were built in stone,

a small earthen lamp was lit here.

Inside the lamp was a flame that did not burn upward alone, it spread sideways, as if searching for other hearts.

It is said the flame carried a vow:

“When humans forget their wholeness,this land will remember for them.”

Seasons passed. Forests thickened. Fields opened.Cattle grazed.Children played.

But beneath all activity the land held a subtle pulse —waiting."

In the sacred grove of Madhuca trees, reverently worshipped by the tribals of central India, a group of very diverse people came together with an intention to explore our inherent wholeness.

We had the opportunity to welcome Barbara Bulc to Shreepoorna Oneness Center—a social alchemist, systems thinker, and contemplative practitioner, bridging science, spirituality, and culture for deep societal transformation. More

Shreepoorna Oneness Center is situated in central India, near the 2,000-year-old ancient town of Sirpur. The ruins and remains of this ancient town remind us of the confluence of wisdom lineages that once flourished here. Beneath its soil, it is said, lie the remains of one of the largest Buddhist monasteries, along with Hindu and Jain temples.

As of now, our center is simply an open field with beautiful, sacred Madhuca trees. Gently, by listening to the forest and the land, we are working to make this a living laboratory—a space to connect with ourselves, with each other, and with divine nature.

In the group that came together, we had an activist working for women’s empowerment in the villages, a social worker, the founder/director of a school, theatre artists, storytellers, a farmer, chartered accountants and a financial analyst, an archaeologist, and two bright, shining children—an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old.

The gathering started with a visit to a Peace Pole at the centre, made from an old, naturally fallen tree, with the inscription: “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Together, we prayed and took a walk of gratitude around the sacred trees.

This was followed by a heart circle, where we shared what had brought us here. We then invited Barbara to share about her journey and about her living experiment, ‘The Field’.

We are deeply grateful to Barbara. Through her embodied presence and lifetime of experience, she beautifully wove together the wisdom of the East and the West, and gently guided us through an exploration of The Field—the living field of relationships, presence and interconnectedness, and our own inherent wholeness within it.

Few key questions Barbara Shared with us were :

How does coherence emerge in contemporary communities living under ecological and economic pressure?

How are power, stewardship, and decision-making shared in everyday life? (power sharing)

How is spirituality lived as an ecological and social practice — cultivating presence through daily rhythms rather than belief systems? (cultivating presence)

How do communities remember the past — through land, ritual, ancestry, and collective memory — and how does this shape present choices? (remembering the past)

How are possible futures imagined and rehearsed through practice, not plans? (imagining futures)

How are stories told otherwise — through work, relationship, and land — rather than through representation or narrative alone? (storytelling otherwise)