Being Alone

The serious spiritual seeker of today will often find himself or herself alone in the world. Not necessarily literally so as in the case of a recluse or hermit, but in terms of companionship or finding something in common with associates and even family then, yes, alone.

This is for various reasons. To begin with, there just aren't that many people who really are serious about spiritual things so the pool to draw upon is not large. Note that I am not talking about people who are merely religious in an external sense or even those who might be interested in spiritual things but still lead a normal life which actually reflects more of what they are. In this context, I am referring to people who understand that this world is not the true home of man, and who seek to deepen that awareness. This is the most important thing, if not the only important thing, in their lives. These people know themselves to be something more than the earthbound personality here below and that knowledge rules their life. This very fact separates them from others for whom, even if religious or spiritually inclined, the personality, the familiar self of name and form, is who they identify themselves with. Its aims, fears, likes and dislikes are what motivates them. For the true disciple, these are secondary to the burning desire to know God.

Those whose inner awareness is awakening to the higher worlds tend to isolate themselves on that very account. Or rather it is the fact of their awareness that isolates them from others who are not so awakened. Obviously, their awareness separates them from materialists and atheists with whom it is difficult to find common ground but, as we have just seen, so it does from religious and spiritual people who still see their being in terms of how it is conceived to be by the conventions of this world. If someone identifies himself with his natural self, that is, with the self as it appears to be in this world, it is difficult for someone else who is beginning to realise that he is the spiritual soul, and not merely the threefold lower self, to form a relationship with that person. This is not a question of pride or superiority. It is simply an inevitable result of awakening to higher consciousness. It can turn to pride, of course, because we may be awakening to the higher state but are still immersed in the material self but, if it does, that is because we are reacting to the higher state from within the mentality of the lower one.

So, we separate ourselves from the mass of humanity by virtue of the fact that we perceive reality differently. Our goals and aspirations are different in that they are not focused on this world. But very often we are also separated from our fellow men and women by God as he seeks to bring us nearer to himself. For it is a fact that we can only really begin to know God when our hearts are fixed on nothing in this world. Sometimes we detach ourselves, at others we are detached. We might be isolated for the purposes of our own spiritual development because it can be hard to grow spiritually when surrounded by the distractions of this world. Being alone can also constitute a test of one's seriousness and spiritual integrity and, by forcing oneself back on one's own resources, it helps one to become spiritually self-reliant which is the aim for all disciples, especially in this modern age.

Loneliness can be a hard burden to bear but it is often the precursor to initiation of some kind. Not in the sense of dramatic expansions of consciousness but in that of moving on to a deeper understanding of life and a more mature spiritual outlook. If it comes to you, think of it as a gift. It means you are starting to rise above this world and being prepared for entry to the higher ones. It is a betwixt and between condition representing the passage from one state of being and knowing to another and thus, as uncomfortable as it may be while it lasts, it should be seen as something temporary that is the preparation for fuller knowledge of spiritual life.