The Unquantifiable Importance of Solitude

By  Openhand

Contributing Writer  Wake Up World

Right now I’m taking a well earned break away. Not that I feel pressurised by my life, not at all. Even though it is frequently full on, I find it immensely rewarding and yet from time to time, there’s the undeniable heart-felt 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 and the countryside. For me there is nothing more pleasurable than finding some quiet, secluded spot, parking up 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 over estimate 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 wind swept 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?” “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 awesomely ordinary simplicity tends to strike one like a thunderbolt to the third eye. How could I pass such simple beauty by me 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 one 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 famous 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 whose 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 ones own tightness and tension. It’s only then that freedom and liberation unfold their inner wings. As if to confirm, synchronistically my ipod has started playing an old favourite “Free” (which I’ll share with you below). And now, through the cloudy rain filled sky, a rainbow is rising up from the ocean right in front of me. Priceless!

“Okay”  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 the 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 is 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.

Open (Chris Bourne)

(on behalf of Openhand)

Previous articles by Chris Bourne

About the author:

Openhand is the name we give to a highly evolved benevolent consciousness that has been around since the dawning of time. It is that energy which works within the weave of the fabric of life, helping to unravel blockages, rebalance disharmony and bring greater enlightenment to the universe. It works as a synchronistic mirror, revealing what is holding us back and how we can take the next evolutionary step. Openhand Foundation works on behalf of this energy, helping ground its presence in this realm.”


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