I first tasted Stone Soup in 2013 on a rainy evening in Mumbai, India. It left a delicious and lasting impression on me and my then 2-year-old. We were addicted.

Never had I experienced something communal, nourishing, exciting, and joyful in such a unique way. It was especially amazing because becoming a mother, I had found myself excluded from most of the social experiences I loved. I couldn't take my nursing child to a concert or to watch a play, to a dance class or a yoga class and honestly, there are only that many music and movement toddler classes I can handle. The sense of belonging I had once felt and enjoyed, seemed to have been stripped away by the act of becoming a mother. And it didn't feel good.

When I heard of Stone Soup, it seemed exactly what I needed. I reached out to Leslie and Mayuree, the founders to ask if I could bring my little girl along. "We've never had kids before," they said "and we wouldn't want a child making noise and disturbing the silence or feeling confined because they couldn't be themselves." "What if I bring her and see what it's like? If she makes a noise, I'll leave quietly" I said. They agreed.

I told my little girl we were going to a "Shh party". Everyone would be playing in a way they wanted without talking. I encouraged her to pick blocks and books and colouring stuff she wanted to take. When we got there, I felt both excitement and tension. We had braved Bombay traffic to get here and I would like to stay.

My initial hesitation gave way to an eagerness, a sense of safety, and thriving in an energy of support. Little S seemed at ease with silence. We coloured together. She looked around sometimes, rested, and stared at the fan sometimes. When the storytelling began, she was enraptured. We sang a rhyme when it was our turn to share and then I broke down in tears. I shared how wonderful it was for me to experience community again, to contribute like I love to, to listen and learn and share. I felt welcome for the first time in my new identity as a mamma. After the very moving and inspiring sharing circle, there was a yummy potluck, and then the musicians brought out their instruments and there was a jam session of singing, dancing, and lots of laughter.

Late that evening, I carried my sleeping child into an auto (tuk-tuk)and felt so happy, so high in the city that never sleeps and never stops honking.

Stone Soup became a regular thing for us. She asked for it. My husband joined when he could. We made new friends. More kids started to join. People in the alternative space and corporate space who had a heart for community, giving, expressing, and feeling came. Visiting social workers and musicians from countries around the world, authors, and alternative economists. It was amazing!

In 2016, I moved to the Cayman Islands. I missed Stone Soup dearly.

I asked my daughter's school principal Josie Hoar if there was a place I could have Stone Soup here. Curious, she asked me about it. Her eyes brightened and widened as she replied "No, but I would love some Stone Soup. Would you consider offering some here? I would come and invite my friends."

Thus began Stone Soup in Cayman. It had a steady and enjoyable run, growing for a few years until it took a pause. Post Covid, my BIRY client Nikita began offering Stone Soup Gatherings. More recently, my friend Avril reached out to me to experience and co-create community offerings, a conscious Friday evening Happy Hour at her space The Light Room. The intention and space are perfect for Stone Soup.

That made me think about blogging about Stone Soup. Started by my dear friends Mayuree and Leslie, Stone Soup Adda's (hangouts) are heartfully organized everywhere in the world. You can organize one wherever in the world you are, in person or virtually. I thought I'd share the format here, since it's so easy, so enriching and so much fun!

How to Stone Soup?

Stone Soup tells the story of a person who felt a longing for a deeper connection and began a journey of making a soup out of a stone with strangers. That changed his life and that of many others.

Stone Soup gatherings were first started in Mumbai, India, by Mayuree and Leslie Nazareth and have made their way around the world. A group of people desirous of deeper connection meet in a space, enjoying silence together and then connecting in conscious conversation.

The flow is simple

• 45 minutes of silent time during which you may absorb great energy, and have time to read, write, journal, nap, or meditate without being distracted by your phone

• 10 minutes of silent candle gazing or meditating with eyes closed. 

• amazing story performance of the Stone Soup Story. See the resources at the end for the downloadable story.

• sharing circle where you introduce yourself, share your thoughts, reflections, and anything you'd like, or simply introduce yourself and pass the stone around. (This is a listening circle where no advice is given). There are 2 rounds of the sharing circle.

• potluck or catered food, music, dancing, or whatever people want to offer. It's quite organic and spontaneous.

If you have been seeking a like-hearted community, don't miss the opportunity to come to Stone Soup in Cayman or to host a Stone Soup Adda where you are.

Tips for hosting your own Stone Soup Gathering

If hosting at home, don't share on social media, share via email for friends to invite friends, so your address and privacy are maintained. Some people choose to share the general area of their home but share the exact address an hour before. RSVP and sign-ups can be done simply via online programs. Set a designated area for people to place their food when they arrive, so there's no noise or distraction. Each person washes and dries their cutlery and crockery.

You can even do a Stone Soup session adding a clean stone to a pot of boiling water. Each person who arrives brings an ingredient to add to the soup. The Soup brews while the circle is on and is ready to eat when the sharing is over. I've done this twice and it was a super hit. Something about the mystery and intrigue. ;)

Stone Soup Special @ The Light Room, Cayman: You are invited!

Seeking deeper connection, conscious conversation, new like-hearted friends, a space to chill and down-regulate, catch up on reading, or a nap? Stone Soup is it!

This special edition will be at The Light Room, a quantum technology energy field center.  It houses a 16-unit EESystem, which emits multi-bio frequencies, creating a pristine environment, conducive to self-healing. Immersion in these fields charges the millivolts of the cells, energizing them to function at optimal levels, which begins holistic rejuvenation/healing, while at the same time inducing deep relaxation.

KYD 120 for 2 hours includes the Light Room EE session, Stone Soup Event, and kombucha and nibbles.