The Practice of Spiritual Solitude

Solitude, in simple terms, basically means taking time off from the chaos of the world and the chaotic energy that negatively impacts you. It means taking time and taking care of yourself. I would say solitude is a practice but it is also a "calling" if you will. I think that we grow up and are expected to be "social" and expected to get our there and experience. Solitude isn't a step back but a step out of our comfort zone. It's a step into silence. It's a calling in that you feel as though you need to distance yourself and it's a feeling that you can no longer force yourself to deal with stressful situations and stressful people. Solitude is being alone and being away from the distractions in life. These distractions include negative people, materialistic things like money and belongings, as well as the construct of time. Since my shaman journey, I feel like I've been in solitude; that I've been away from people, parties, get togethers, and I've spent my time just honestly trying to understand myself as a whole, as a txiv neeb, and as in individual. The practice of being in solitude is learning to be comfortable being alone and tackling issues on your own. Listen to what people are saying and separate yourself from what you know and the expectations of society. There truly comes a point when you are not on the same wavelength as a lot of people. Your expectations are different, the way you look at life and understand it, the way you process information and how you see everyone; it truly does change a full 360 degrees.

A lot of times people avoid solitude or time being alone. Time spent alone doesn't mean ditching your family or your children and partner. It means distancing yourself from societal expectations, from money, from materials, and spending that time constructing your answers for your personal struggles. It sometimes can mean putting yourself first so that when you are 100%, you and your family can also be at 100%. Sure, no one can be 100% all the time. But it means to be prepared for when life gets hard and to have the strength to overcome. People avoid solitude because it forces them to face internal issues they avoid facing. Solitude is important in that it gives us the discipline to focus clearly on our life, reflect, and spend time introspecting.

Solitude involves taking your time to arrive. What does it mean to arrive? First, it means take your time to get there. We can't be in solitude right away, so take your time to land. We live in such a busy world filled with stress and chaos, we can't be in solitude over night. Also, take in your surroundings and be aware of them. Solitude is a time to really listen to your surroundings and pay attention to the small things you never noticed. Solitude is about being alone, but it is also about noticing small signs and small things. In the process, become comfortable with silence. Silence is an opportunity to listen to the universe, to hear the crickets and the birds and the motion of the waves move. Allow your spirit to sing along to the quiet noises. Settle your heart down and listen.

There's a saying that says if you sit quietly by yourself, do nothing; you'll see the grass turn green and the leaves grow back. You'll see birds migrate back home and nests filled with eggs. That's exactly what being in solitude is about. Be silent, be alone, and notice everything around you. Be present and notice things as they occur. Notice yourself and your changing perspective just by being alone. This is great training of your mind for when things come and go, you won't be disturbed by them. Being in solitude involves being present, being here, and allowing it to pass quietly.

In my journey, I've notice that sitting still and doing completely nothing isn't solitude. Solitude, for me, isn't sitting down, head down, and doing nothing but stare at the wall. For me, it was spending time alone outdoors, even if it's just a walk or a hike. Deepen the quality of your understanding by doing activities alone. Cook alone, watch a movie alone, read in quiet room, etc. This is a time when you can be yourself. no judgement, no time, no money; allowing nothing to control you but you and the universe. As you practice solitude, notice how your thoughts come and go. Notice how people will come and go too. Notice how things that use to piss you off, no longer piss you off. It simply is not on the same wavelength as you and that's what practicing solitude is all about.