To view this newsletter in the browser, click here                 Issue #166       A newsletter from Creativegarh to help you live a life of passion, purpose and meaning.         True innovation isn't Zero to One. It's One to Shunya.                     Peter Thiel’s Zero to One speaks of creation as moving from nothing to something – from zero to one. It’s about innovation, breakthroughs and making the leap into newness. It’s the heroic act of bringing something into existence that has never been seen before.           But what if true creation works exactly in the opposite direction? What if the greatest act of innovation isn’t going from zero to one, but rather returning from one to zero?           Think of ‘one’ as the formed, the manifested, the known. Think of it as a single idea you hold on to – the name, identity, designation, label, role, the definition of ‘I’ that you cling to. But you were never meant to be boxed into an idea of an identity.           The idea of ‘I’ itself is limited. It’s the ego’s favourite playground – a fixed point in an ever-moving universe. So, when you create from a fixed role, name, or designation, you create only what that name and identity are capable of creating. And fixed identities can only create incremental change. The old creates more of the old.           When you hold tightly to the ‘one’ – the known idea, identity, or structure – your creation is limited. It’s a remix, a repetition, a slightly better version of what already exists.           But to create something truly universal, truly original, you must create from a new knowing and role, a designation if you will – knowing that you are divinity itself.           When you create as divinity, you don’t just innovate to revolutionise physical realms. You churn galaxies, you create heaven on earth, you move entire universes within human beings. But when you surrender the ‘one’, when you return to zero, you enter a field beyond imagination.           Here, there is no past to repeat, no ego to claim ownership. You create not from everything you are, but from nothingness, from your being. Not from the form you inhabit, but from the formless that resides within you. From zero – Shunya – the space of infinite potential.           It is emptiness pregnant with every possibility. It’s the stillness before the Big Bang. From this space of nothingness, everything becomes possible. From this void, something utterly new can arise – not created by you, but through you.           This is why the greatest creators – artists, innovators, mystics – all speak of moments where they disappeared into stillness, where the idea came to them and through them, not from them. They went from one to zero and from there, the universe itself created through their hands.           The universe itself was born this way. From the formless Purusha, the silent, unmanifest source, the witness – in a divine dance with Prakriti, the unfolding of the cosmos happened. The cosmos didn’t arise from ‘one’ multiplying – it arose from Shunya, the zero, where everything existed only as potential.           The modern world celebrates the ‘one’ – the idea, the brand, the product, the identity. But to truly innovate, you must have the courage to unmake, to empty, to let go. When you want the field of infinite possibilities to open to you, you have to empty the mind of what you think you know, empty the heart of fixed desires and fears, empty the ego of the need to own the creation.           The Ahamkara, the ‘I’, is a very powerful part of creation – it’s your youness, the unique spark that makes cosmic creation an individual creation. But the ‘I’, the ‘one’, the dancer, must dissolve into the dance when the dance is over. Only the dance remains.           You return to zero, the formless void – again ready to be the conduit for another creation. From there, the one emerges effortlessly, purely. And then, you let even that dissolve back into zero again.           True creation is a cycle: zero → one → zero → infinity.           And that is why you create – to create the infinite and to become one with the infinite.           Shunya is the womb of creation. When you become nothing, you become a vessel for everything. When you return to ZERO, the universe itself moves through you and what emerges will not just change the world – it will create a new ONE.                       If you can overthink the worst, you can overthink the good.                     Every morning, as you wake up, you get to sit in the auditorium of your life and you also get to choose the movie you want to watch. There may be a little jostle, a raised voice, even a fist fight between the mind and the heart. The mind wants to project the story of you spiralling downwards, but the heart wants to see you spiral upwards.           We have all been experts in overthinking, but only in one direction – towards doom, reactions, desolation, fear, doubt and worst-case scenarios. Our brains are wired for survival, constantly scanning our environment for threats. That’s why worst-case scenarios come so easily to us, a call to protect ourselves. They feel like preparation, but in reality, they are simply fear rehearsals.           We can choose the direction though. With awareness, when we know we are walking into the doors of doom, we can choose to change direction and take the exit route towards hope, joy, responses and worth-case scenarios. Yes, positive overthinking feels unnatural at first because it’s new terrain, an unfamiliar space, a thrival strategy in a world where we are conditioned for survival.           Overthinking isn’t the enemy, direction is. It’s not about stopping your mind, it’s about steering it. We already have the skill to create vivid, detailed, exaggerated stories – you just need to flip the narrative and overthink joy into existence.           Slow down as you learn to catch the spiral. Notice when you are building a story of fear. In that moment, notice where the fear sits within you and feel the energy of it. Have a conversation with it or process it with some free-flowing writing. Once processed, flip the switch. Ask, instead of the worst-case, what’s the best-case scenario here? Exaggerate the positive, if you may. If you can catastrophise, you can also ‘wonder-ise’. Change the narrative of ‘they hate me’ to ‘they are probably impressed and inspired by me’. Reframe the root and change the direction of the spiral.           This isn’t denial of reality but a creation of a new one. Even the downward spiral is a story created by the mind. It’s a belief, not the truth. Let the upward spiral also be a false story then. If both are false, give your energy to the more joyful one. That’s in your control and it's a choice you can make.           What story are you overthinking today? How can you rewrite it into one that brings hope, excitement and possibility instead of fear?             Our upcoming retreats                         Andretta Sold Out 16th to 22nd November     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         Munnar Last 6 Seats Left 7th to 13th December     Sitting amidst lush landscapes and misty mountains, Munnar offers the perfect backdrop for a retreat focused on self-discovery, growth and renewal of life purposes.   More details     Reignite conversation     Kasauli Last 8 Seats Left 4th to 10th January     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     Reignite conversation           This week, let's revisit     Jodhpur August 2023                         Experience a life full of purpose                     The purpose of my life is to heal the world and its beings through love, compassion and expressive arts.   Sapana Bhavsar Kasauli, April 2023         The purpose of my life is to help understand the territory of your mind, reclaim your inner sovereignty and embody your magic as you work.   Ramya Ranganathan Kasauli, April 2023               For a daily dose of Creativegarh and our retreats, follow us here:                           Mantra Gold Coatings & The White Paper Creative         Sunita Somani         Pedal On               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. 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