To find yourself, you must be willing to be by yourself. You must embrace solitude as you would embrace a lover. Solitude is life’s greatest teacher, yet so many of us dread it.
Most of us have experienced the dread of solitude, but that experience is not enlightening at all. We all know what it is like to be alone, feel lonely, and yearn for someone to join our journey. That experience is NOT the path to personal growth.
It is the Love of solitude that allows us to increase awareness of the world around us. It is the Love and Worship and Embrace of solitude that allows us to experience the universe, nature, and all its gifts.
I am often contacted by people seeking guidance in finding themselves. When I inquire about their solitude, I receive combative responses about how solitude is Not what they are after. Instead, they are seeking peace, serenity, love, bonding, safety, security and forever. What they are telling me is that their solitude was an unpleasant experience. What I am encouraging is to find the beauty in solitude. There is no growth at all, until we can shut off the world around us, and revel in its stillness.
You see, there is a different kind of solitude than the one society tells us to be afraid of. There is such a thing as a powerful, meaningful, beautiful solitude, that opens our eyes and ears, balances our energies, and flings our hearts wide open. It lights us up like shining beacons, and once we see the beauty in its mystery, there is no going back to the life of a mortal.
We have all heard the saying “God helps those, who help themselves”. What does that mean? Admittedly, I am not fan of organized religion nor its doctrines, but there are many shreds of truth buried between the lines. The saying means that you must take your life, your spirituality, your growth into your own hands, and become solely responsible for it. Only then can you see the light.
Demanding that others teach you, guide you, support you, be there for you, hold your hand through the difficult process, is the furthest thing from the path. It guarantees that you will not find it.
Spiritual growth is a path of divine solitude. It is a path that is open to everyone, but only some have the courage to embark upon in, and do the work. Those few are the ones who are truly deserving of the gifts, the magic, the light, the guidance, the knowledge, and all its blessings. The work is your own, and if you want to receive, you must help yourself.
The Goddess Principles 