solitude in nature - aloneness

ALONENESS: The unquantifiable importance of solitude

Last updated: January 26th, 2019

Right now I’m taking a well earned break. Not that I feel pressurized by my life, not at all. Even though it’s frequently full on, I find it immensely rewarding and yet from time to time, there’s the undeniable heartfelt pull to spend time alone. I’m blessed to have a little old 4×4 camper van, so as the flow allows, I find myself taking off into nature. For me there’s nothing more pleasurable than finding some quiet, secluded spot and simply being. In fact I’m writing this now from an isolated cliff top on the craggy North Cornwall coast.

I couldn’t begin to overestimate the importance of solitude in my life as a catalyst for accelerating the path and clearing unwanted inner debris. When I do get the time to take off, I find the first few hours can be a touch demanding. If you don’t fill the space with “entertainment,” I find the mind needs a little time for “detox cold turkey.” Even if there’s no longer the ego to contend with, there’s still the need to clear the inner landscape and expand into the emptiness. When that happens, I find I can sit for hours simply watching life unfold before me. Right now the seagulls are performing for me a merry windswept soliloquy. One thing is for sure, they certainly don’t know the meaning of boredom.

Amazing things happen when you spend time on your own. First there’s all the mental chatter to deal with: “I should be doing this,” “why aren’t I doing that?” or “how can I waste my time like this?” There’s the nagging pull that maybe you’re missing out on something or that you really ought to be doing something more responsible and productive. But once you drop through these layers and peel them away, the profoundness of ordinary simplicity tends to strike like a thunderbolt to the third eye. How could I pass such simple beauty every day and pay so little attention?

The deeper we drop into this sense of pure presence, the more connected with life we truly feel. From this place of the empty void, the flow arises more strongly and we can be completely overwhelmed by the simplest of things. Last evening it rained the whole night through and strong winds buffeted my camper backwards and forwards. How wonderful! Rocked like a baby, I was enthralled for hours.

Today as I awoke, it was the turn of the crows to be the aerial acrobats. It seems one had mastered hovering on the breeze like the incredible kestrel. At first I thought it could have been one, until that is a kestrel flew up in front of it and hovered right in front of my camper. Wow, what a spectacle. Anyone who’s seen our Gateway 2 film in 5GATEWAYS will know the significance.

It’s these apparently simple things that become more prominent and speak so loudly when the mind and consciousness are still. To me, the crow always represents inner distortions. The aerial display was clearly revealing that the path to truth is by continually watching one’s own tightness and tension. It’s only then that freedom and liberation unfold their inner wings. As if to confirm, synchronously my iPod started playing an old favourite “Free.” And now, through the cloudy rain-filled sky, a rainbow is rising up from the ocean right in front of me. Priceless!

“OK” you might say, “it’s alright for you Chris, but I have a family to look after and a busy job, I don’t have the freedom to get away like that.” Sorry to burst your bubble, but these are just excuses! Mostly because we’re afraid of exactly what might happen in the void of stillness: “Will I have to look deeply at my own reflection? What will I see?” Even if it’s just for a few hours, there’s nothing more penetrating and cleansing than isolation and absolute stillness.

Speaking of which, the crows are calling to me once more. They’re clearly saying I’ve spent enough time finger tapping and it’s time to fly. It’s felt good sharing this emptiness with you. I trust it inspires and encourages you to push the boundaries on the lone space a little more. When you do, me and the kestrel will catch up with you, hovering, hanging on the breeze in the space between the spaces. Till soon.

[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]By Chris Bourne. At the age of 40 Chris was involved in a life-threatening car crash in which he thought he would certainly die. This precipitated total inner surrender and a rapid reconnection with the conscious life force through all things. He found himself suddenly able to experience and contemplate through multiple dimensions of reality to see the deeper purpose of life itself. He began to remember his true reason for being here.

Chris and Trinity Bourne have a wonderful site on ascension. They do amazing work and courses, so please take time to visit their site. http://www.openhandweb.org/

Reposted with kind permission of Wake Up World.

image: solitude via Shutterstock