Solitariness

Solitariness

"It is a good thing to be happy alone. It is better to be happy in company, but it is good to be happy alone." -- Thomas Traherne, "Centuries"

Among tribal and traditional peoples today, few choose to be solitary. Purposeful periods of solitude or seclusion are normally experienced only by young people facing their rites of passage - times during which they are taken from their families to be instructed in tribal lore and adult responsibility. In such rites, each young person generally endures an short period of isolation wherein he encounters the spirits of the tribe in a visionary way. Awareness of the otherworld and the way it impinges upon our own reality is one of the fruits of solitariness.

When we are far from the interaction of society, when the chatter and comment of our minds is stilled, then it is possible to enter into a deeper relationship with the universe that we inhabit. The revelations of solitude are often profoundly moving and though we may share them in conversation with friends afterward, we do not find it easy to reach into the depths that we have inhabited within our solitude nonce we return to company again.

To be content with one's own company is an art that cannot be taught; it is something we each have to learn as our lives unfold. When there is nothing to distract us, we return to the primal ground of our being, where we can begin to learn who we truly are and discover our context within the rest of the universe.

"Whether you are naturally solitary or gregarious, enter the spaciousness of solitude and be aware of your true self and its context."

{From Caitlin Matthews' "The Celtic Spirit"]