Embracing Your Aloneness
"Ordinary men hate solitude.
But the Master makes use of it,
embracing his aloneness,
realizing he is one with the whole Universe."
Lao Tzu
Once upon a time (about a month ago), if you had asked people if they had enough time to do everything that needed to be done in their lives, they would have looked at you like you were crazy. Not only was they're not enough time to get everything done, most people were out of their minds trying to fit the hundred things they needed to do into one 24 hour period. And those 'special' projects that we are always telling ourselves we would get to once we have more time? Forget it, those were on the back-burner indefinitely! Funny how things can change so fast, isn't it?
Probably, as you read this, you have been either, temporarily laid off from your job (that's my story), or are working from home because of the CoronaVirus Pandemic sweeping the world. Suddenly there are those of us who find ourselves with more time on our hands than we ever dreamed was possible. What's more, most of us are finding ourselves 'self-isolating' to do our part to mitigate the spread of the virus. This sudden isolation, and the time it now seems to give us, was probably exciting to many people at first, till they actually began to explore just what they were going to do with all of it.
Perhaps we found ourselves watching a bit too much news coverage, or listening to the hundreds of well-meaning video messages from our favorite spiritual (or otherwise) teachers on YouTube. Perhaps we didn't get outside to do the exercise we promised we would do, or maybe we even began to feel a little anxiety or depression, as the mandatory quarantine began to weigh on our minds, and dampen our spirits, leading us to abandon even the meditation we had promised we would do more of, now that we had the time. Instead of feeling that we have wasted the gift of this extra time that has been delivered to us through the pandemic, or falling into further despair or anxiety about what might happen next, we can simply choose - fresh and new- to let go of our fear, while refocusing our Awareness Here and Now.
As Lao Tzu advised us over 2500 years ago; embrace your aloneness and make use of your solitude so that you can discover your Oneness with the whole Universe. To do this, simply put aside the daily distractions of constant news, videos and social media, and give a little more time to being Still and resting in the vast Divine Presence within you, and around you; That which is unfolding your Life right Now, as well as this vast Universal dream. Take time for meditation, breathing, spiritual study and contemplation, all of which will lift your vibratory energy, thereby strengthening your immune system, and giving you the peace of mind that will keep you steady and centered. It will also give you the capacity to bring that Light of higher Awareness to your loved one's, and all those around you who are fearful and frightened right now. Use this precious time you've been given, instead of it using you, so that when all of this blows over (which it will), you'll be able to say, "Now that was quite an adventure, wasn't it?"