The Importance of Solitude For Spiritual and Emotional Health

Being alone is important.
Solitude is necessary.
Find it.
Make it happen.

My most fruitful times are outside at night, any time of year. These are the times I feel the expansiveness of the universe and the All that fills it.

I read a book recently about the plight of women in the world, and she claims, like many others do and as the research shows, that most women in the world do not have their own room, their own space, their own privacy. 

They're never alone. The claim is that to have your own room means you have money. So... if you can find the time and place to be alone, you are actually enjoying a luxury. 

I often think of Jesus in the gospels who went out into the wilderness to be alone. Of course, it was the desert and no one wanted to be out there. But his solitude was important to him.

I'm fortunate to live in a part of the world that is mostly wilderness. I'm surrounded by lakes, rivers, the ocean, and forests. It's easy for me to find the place to be alone in nature which is huge part of my creative process.

This watercolor painting, I Am Here Now, is one of many inspired by the area I live in. It's a reflection of how small our existence feels amid the vastness of nature. I painted it as a reminder that you are here and present and, no matter how big the universe feels, you matter.

It's less easy to find the time to be alone.

And sometimes it's even less easy to find the motivation to get ready and go out into nature to be alone.  It doesn't just have to be in nature. It can be in your car or a library or anywhere. Even finding a nearby monastery that abounds in silence and solitude can be very fruitful.

It does tons for your spiritual health.

Try it!