The Sacred Space of Alone Time
By Kathy Custren
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.” –Joseph Campbell
So–here we are. We find ourselves alone…again. It can be miserable at any time of the year, to be alone, but especially at the holidays…. There is just something to the holiday season that begs for us to be social, giving, and…anything but ‘alone.’ All the gift-giving, carol singing, shopping, and cooking are designed to promote a sense of communal home, and of finding ourselves of cheer and in good company.
Yet, there is a bald honesty to being alone…maybe that is what can make it feel so scary to us. Alone, we are left with our own company…no other distraction to capture our attention…no other person right “there,” from whom we may appreciate any extra information or support. Being alone is a test of not only our resilience, but also our inner friendship and communal peace-and that same measure of both which we hold with the rest of creation. –Are you your own best friend? Let’s take a look.
How else might we realize anything of this world or beyond, without first entering our own sacred space? Whether we consider our sacred space to be a certain type of physical room, an external communion with the natural world, or a more intimate vista within the open expanse of one’s own mind, this sacred space of alone time is our playground of discovery. This area of aloneness is a very real retreat, where we can go even when there is a lot of people and distraction to otherwise take us away.
We never know what we might find until we look, and being alone in our sacred space affords us the opportunity to do just that. We can be indulgent and come to terms with whatever we find, seeking peace. We may choose to seek balance with it, and to maybe also choose to find out more, if our curiosity so leads us.
Of course, we may look at the very real fact that being alone can be painful…and why. If we are fortunate enough to have family and friends with whom we can share, the choice remains to pursue that special family time. If we have no such hold on our heritage, one may choose to participate-to make the mindful effort to join with other–to whatever extent we feel comfortable. In looking at these many options, we might choose to give of ourselves more mindfully and positively.
