To view this newsletter in the browser, click here                 Issue #129       A newsletter from Creativegarh to help you live a life of passion, purpose and meaning.         Don't be fast and furious. Be slow and curious.                     Make sabr—patience—and sthirtha—stillness—a way of being. For it’s only in silence that you hear the acorn teach you a lesson or two about faith; about knowing that whatever the odds, it understands it will become a towering oak—it’s just a matter of time. In the process of becoming an oak, it surrenders fully to the elements, allowing itself to be nurtured, not striving to be the richest, most powerful, most beautiful, or the strongest oak of them all.           In the silence you choose to embrace, even for just a few hours—reading no book, watching no series, scrolling through no entertainment, engaging in no gossip, and being completely in a state of being rather than doing—you will find the antidote for life’s wounds and suffering.           The inner work done in silence echoes through everything you do in life. Silence creates not only a safe space for you to listen to your soul but also provides the wind that carries the whispers of the soul to every cell of your being.           Silence allows you to shift from being a doer to being an observer, from someone who believes to someone who notices. Miracles, magic, enchantment, wonder, marvels, and phenomena are not things to believe in but to notice all around us—in everything. From the shape of an ice crystal to the migration of the monarch butterfly; from the relentless functioning of the heart to the blooming of an orchid only once in a dozen years; from new ideas dropping into your consciousness to old books falling from shelves demanding to be read; from how stomachs growl to how minds churn; from the song of the bulbul to the call of the peacock.           Love is best felt in silence. Real love does not shout or demand, scream or whimper; it speaks in nothing but the sounds of breath, the touch of fingertips, the aliveness of being, and the beats of the heart.           Slow down. Step out of the rat race of life to see things from the perspective of a snail. You’ll see nothing but a blur of fear seeking love. But sit with yourself, and you’ll realise that the only way to win the race of life is to slow down. There is always a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven. Choose the latter.           It starts with a desperate need to be loved. It ends with mad love for oneself.                     It starts with a desperate need to be loved, wanted, heard and to belong. You sit down and create a powerful strategy to find, buy and retain love. You make people-pleasing the most powerful weapon in your armoury.           It works. It really, really works. And you find yourself as part of an inner circle that gives you everything that you desire. You feel loved, wanted, protected, and heard. You choose being nice over being kind. You push your luck and your own boundaries.           From just getting coffee for someone to living on black coffee as you serve them during late nights. From friendship bands to expensive gifts to jump into their inner circle of friends. From seeking their approval on everything to being their yes-man and approving of everything they say or do. From going out of your way to avoid conflict to apologising a hundred times—way out of your own comfort zone. From changing your own opinions so as not to upset them to overcommitting beyond your own capabilities, which upsets your own apple cart. From maximising their needs to minimising your own feelings.           You go out of your way, but your ‘love’ is not reciprocated. For it was never unconditional in the first place. It was a transaction, and you get ripped off brutally. You get hurt. Again and again. But you keep at the game because you don't know any better. You use the same strategy; it's just the people who change. Your people-pleasing does not. People take advantage of you as your love is not responded to with the same intensity and fervour.           Resentment sets in. A deep-seated hatred for everyone for ‘using’ you. You decide to protect yourself by building boundaries, and you start by building walls around your heart so as not to be hurt again. You decide to not be empathetic, not be sensitive, not be vulnerable, not have friends, and not feel any emotions.           You deploy a new strategy. You become selfish because being the so-called ‘selfless’ one doesn't work anymore. Then you blame the world. ‘Toxic’ becomes your most-used and favoured word in your vocabulary. You realise that this new strategy also doesn't work. It leads to pain and isolation, suffering and separateness, distress and loneliness.           You begin to question what love actually is. You realise that the only way out is in. And then, at that moment, instead of looking for that love outside of you, you turn your attention inward and drop all blame and judgement. You forgive others and yourself. You break down the walls you had built around you and allow the light to find its way through the cracks and shine through your heart.       Our upcoming retreats                         Kasauli Full 20th to 26th April     The stunning vistas and holistic experiences at Kasauli create the perfect space for self-discovery, and ensure this retreat is a transformative and unforgettable experience!   More details         Mandi Registrations Open 25th to 31st May     Mandi’s tranquil environment serves as the perfect backdrop for personal metamorphosis, ensuring you return home with a revitalized spirit and fresh perspective of life!   More details     Reignite conversation     Andretta Registrations Open 22nd to 28th June     To reconnect to your inner child at a beautiful hillside retreat with 14+ soulful individuals will make this a life-transforming experience. See you at Andretta!   More details     Reignite conversation           This week, let's revisit     Kasauli January 2025                         Experience a life full of purpose                     The purpose of my life is to create art for abundance and serenity that brings peace, fulfilment and joy to the world.   Arti Machama Kasauli, September 2022         My purpose is to create powerful narratives through visuals to enlighten the world to be more humane.   Sujoy Kar Tirthan Valley, December 2022               For a daily dose of Creativegarh and our retreats, follow us here:                           Nirali Manchanda         Kausar Sultana         Advaita Dubey               View Our Collabs for Joy                   creativegarh.com             You are receiving this newsletter because either you have subscribed to it through our website, interacted with us by filling an invite form or because you have asked us to put you on the database. If you would not like to receive any more newsletters from us, please click here to unsubscribe.