February 24-B, 2023

Marianne Moore said,
"The cure for loneliness is solitude."

Solitude opens the door to 
an inner mélangerie of helpers,
guides, advisors and invisible friends.

Something is always arising,
appearing,
emerging,
"out of thin air,"
"out of the blue,"
"from nowhere,"
at exactly the right time
in exactly the right way
to lead us into a new field
of exploration/investigation/contemplation/
realization/comprehension/awakening/
enlightenment/etc.

Hermits have their own inner circle
to accompany them along life's way.

Learning to listen,
to tune in,
to be open and accessible
to that which dwells 
in the interface between worlds
is one of the tasks of solitary examination--
leading to the discovery
that the silence is alive
with more than words can say.

In order to balance the relationship
between inner and outer reality,
it helps to be grounded in this world
of concrete and steel
by responsibilities and duties
that require us to "Be here now!"
And to have a few trusted friends/family members
to talk with about what cannot be talked about.

Successful solitaries I have known
had gardens and pets
day jobs
orders of the day
joys and delights
things they loved
and looked forward to,
and were very well-rounded
and extremely interesting to talk with
on levels far beyond average conversation. 

They were busy with their life
and loved being alive,
and they were careful 
to avoid noise/complexity/drama
throughout their day 
every day.

And, they had their own ways of seeing/thinking
about life and living
in the world of ordinary, apparent, reality.

Rather than being disconnected from that world,
their solitude enabled and deepened
their association with it,
so that they became--without intending it--
bridges of life to life,
and were "transparent to transcendence,"
for those who were open and able 
to receive what they had to offer.

Being "a breath of fresh air"
in the deepest sense of the phrase.

–0–