The Path of the Loner/Hermit.

The path of the loner can seem well lonely. When people see someone who doesn't have many friends or doesn't engage with the regular crowd people usually assume or believe that something is wrong with them. Few people ever even consider that maybe that person chose this path. Maybe they want to be alone. Maybe they don't need to be around other people so much. That's a concept that a lot of people cannot grasp on since we are social creatures and most people strive to be the life of the party or hit that high level popularity amongst their fellow human kind. Especially when growing up in school, we always wanted to be the popular person right or hang out with the in crowd, sit at the so-called popular table in the cafeteria.

But then you look at those eccentrics. The people who strived to do great things in this world, immersing themselves with their studies looking to gain knowledge, and invent or create great things they felt would be of benefit to our World and societies. The great minds: the artist, the innovators, and the philosophers. The likes of: Nikola Tesla, DaVinci, Einstein, Carl Jung. Etc. And you noticed that a lot of them had one thing in common. They said they did their greatest thinking or came up with their greatest creations while they were alone. Some like Tesla claimed their ideas weren't even from their minds but came from a more outwardly source or the greater Consciousness, and Carl Jung even included this theory as a major part of his work. The majority of the population do not even know who their true selves are or what that even means. We are all simply a collection of the thoughts and experiences we have garnered since childhood, the experiences and beliefs we have adopted through the course of our lifetime have shaped us to what we all eventually become. This is why Buddhist monks or Hindus pursue a life of solitude or silence, If not for life but at least for a brief period in their lifetime to try and fully grasp the concept of “Self”. To know one’s true self fully and truthfully you have to go within and escape the thoughts and beliefs that have molded you up till now. Like an abstract clay statue which you can’t even define, we try to identify ourselves by labels we’ve learned or the job we do but really if we were born a decade earlier that label probably wouldn’t have even existed. In reality if you think about it you are not really your job, you are not even the person you wake up with in the morning. That person came to be based on whatever you were taught in school, with your family, your circle of friends Etc. To truly know thy self, one must separate from the labels, the beliefs they were told, how to think, etc. And go within to see what really resides in the deeper levels of the mind, body, soul, or more appropriately the Heart.

This is why some people choose to be alone for the better portion of their lives. Most people can't even fathom that idea because of this need to belong to a group or Social Circle. The path of a loner or to put a more positive spin on it “The Hermit” can be a very invigorating and rewarding one. It's the path to figure out how to be of service to this world, what your real goals and ideals are, and simply what you truly desire, without the influences of family, friends, people around you, or the media telling you to pursue more physical desires: more money, that fancy car, that condo suite in a city center. When you become more the hermit and search within you may even find out that you don't even want that fancy car, you don't even want to live in a busy City Centre. You'd rather be alone or with one significant other by a peaceful setting on a lake in a country house, but how would you know any of this unless you go more within and be by yourself.

Another thing to consider is that you are a reflection of the company you keep around you. No matter how much you try to negate it we are social creatures so the people around us have a huge influence on our energy, moods, and thoughts. You may wake up one day and realize that your thoughts aren't your own and your beliefs that you've been brought up with you don't even believe! Try telling that to your family while trying to continue living in that environment with beliefs that conflict the Paradigm around you. This is why great minds like Tesla and Einstein prefer to be on their own and this is why your greatest ideas come to you when you are alone. It's just you, your mind, and the greater consciousness of the universe. No one else is there around you, no one is there to tell you how tough life is, how hard it is to earn a buck, how corrupt the government is, how sick they feel that day, or that’s a stupid idea. Etc.

Another thing to add is that this hermit or reclusive path doesn’t have to last forever. All in all as stated earlier we are social creatures, and we really do benefit from the people and company around us, but that’s the key factor right there. Once you’ve aligned with your higher self, now is the time to go out and connect with people who are more of your vibration, who share the same ideals, goals, and interests as you. People who you can share ideas and knowledge with as you collectively feed of each other’s creative energies and strive to accomplish the goals you’ve all set our for yourselves. At this point you realize it’s more about quality, not quantity, much easier to keep a few good friends in your life who invigorate you.

So give your life the greatest gift of being alone sometimes! Find out what your true desires are, the path you want to take, and how you want to be of service to this world, and what legacy you want to leave behind.