The Power of Solitude
Being alone has a power that very few people can handle.
I have spent the past two years in solitude, leaving my network of friends and family, as well as the abundant distractions and constant hustle of downtown New York, and moving to a city I’d never been to, where I knew no one. As my outer life grew smaller, my inner world grew bigger, richer, more abundant. I focused my energy inward, discovering parts of myself I had never known, learning about the mysteries of my mind, of life, of God. It is through this process that I have collected the energy I spent so freely, calling it back to myself in wholeness.
I have come back into my body, into union with myself. I have stayed with myself, observing the ways I have perpetuated cycles of self-abandonment in false partnerships and entertainment, and getting drunk. The more you starve your demons, the more power they will have. Many of us are afraid of being alone. This is a big indication that we still have work to do with integration, with loving ourselves and our demons, our shadows, with living in our wholeness. If we are afraid of being alone, then we are never fully whole because we will always be running from parts of ourselves.
Today, I revel in being alone, in solitude, and in stillness with myself, not in distraction or numbing, as with social media or streaming videos, but through writing, dancing, meditation, and going inward to connect with myself. I still have work to do, like us all, but I’m finding this a crucial practice in staying in my power. Do your work.
This piece was originally featured in a May 30, 2019 post on Instagram.
