"SOLITUDE. The experience of oneness with God that comes of taking the time and effort to be available to the One who is closer than our breathing, closer than our imagining. Solitude helps us find the answers to our own mystery and to the mystery of the God by whom we were created. Although both monastery and monk stem from the same Greek word, monachos, meaning 'alone' or 'single,' it is not necessary to be alone to encounter solitude or to be in a definite place. Paradoxically, solitude actually enables us to connect to others in a far deeper way than does mere attachment to others. Solitude is a oneness of mind and heart.
"True solitude cannot be entered without an attitude of abandonment or surrender — surrender of the ego and the affectations of the false self. We have entered into solitude when we no longer perceive God as judging parent but as friend. The essence of solitude is to hear the voice of Christ, not only in mystical moments but also in and through the voice of every human — to see Christ's face in every human face. One who has received a oneness of mind and heart through solitude is a person through whom others experience peace — not only a peacemaker but also a peace-giver.
"Solitude has been a major theme for spiritual writers from the desert fathers and mothers to Carlo Carretto. Recent writers exploring their own experience of solitude include Catherine de Hueck Doherty in Poustinia and Elizabeth J. Canham in Heart Whispers. (Russel M. Hart)"
