Thieves & Beggars; The Needful Soul
October 26th - November 4th, 2025
Fireflies Intercultural Centre, Bengaluru
“…as with the body, when the heart, the soul is hungry and thirsts, we become beggars and thieves. In that desperation we retreat to the shadows and the shadows welcome us, stealing our hope and soliciting our longing. We beg for any glimmer of light, stealing any spark which arises….”
Lost in the false dream of the first man Fear, our wandering souls hunger for some distant sustenance, some morsel of a feast which lingers and tantalises on the edge of our dreams, a yearning memory just out of reach. And yet in that soul is a burning desire to satisfy that need, and even though we distract ourselves with the trappings of life, somewhere that longing, that seductive whisper, that despair of a hungry child, wraps itself around us like the cowl of a desperate thief, prowling on the edge of the shadows, and that starving beggar, hands outstretched, ready to steal and grovel for the slightest glimpse of that morsel which might satisfy this desperate poverty of soul and heart. And perhaps there are always the shadows which seem to satisfy that hunger, however temporary and at any cost.
Beggars & Thieves was an opportunity to come to a table of invitations to seek and find those possibilities to embrace our hungry souls, and discover the childlike gifts of wonder, joy, and expression, to set our souls and hearts aflame once again to sing the song of their presence. Thus perhaps enriching the beggar and redeeming the thief, which we have all been trapped in.
This was a ten-day residential Retreat in cool green of Fireflies at Dinnepalya, Karnataka (just outside Bangalore) with ceremonies, prayers, healing, singing and dancing, which come to us from our Sagh’ic animist tradition.
All the days, with their ceremonies, rituals and teaching were concerned with celebration and releasing, in which we, our ancestors, living or dead, and our descendants no longer have to be beggars or thieves.
Drum-Making and The Arrows Healing Workshop were offered as stand-alone events that could be attended separately or as add-ons to the Retreat.
As part of our commitment to the community and in accordance with our founding mandates, a portion of participant fees went towards supporting the Pipal Tree Organisation.