Thoughts in Solitude

​There are deer all over Michigan, and that includes our backyard.  There were over 611,000 deer licenses sold to hunters in our State in 2020.  That is pretty amazing when you consider that there are less than 480,000 active duty men and women in our U.S. Army.  I don't hunt, but I've family and friends who do.  In fact, one read my book while sitting in his deer blind last year.

Solitude is one thing that binds hunters and non-hunters together.  I've heard it over and over again. "It is the one time a year I get to go and just sit in the woods."

Yes, there are rituals and companions that go along with "deer camp."  There are also rituals and companions that go along with a retreat to the Hermitage, St. Gregory's Abbey, and GilChrist retreat centers down around Three Rivers, MI. I've spent a bunch of time in solitude at each, especially the Hermitage.

Henri J. M. Nouwen said that the first of three spiritual movements is from Loneliness to Solitude. Thomas Merton was a convincing advocate for contemplation. He spent decades at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY, another place I've visited.  I have read his book, Thoughts in Solitude. 

In solitude we connect with what IS, with Being Itself, with the energy that is Christ within and between one and all.  Moving from loneliness to solitude is a challenge. It takes time and practice, but once you have some substantial experience of the enormous richness provided by solitude, you will long for it. In solitude you know you are not alone.

Enter into solitude and realize your Oneness with all that is. Sit in nature with Mother Earth, and you will come to love her more, and more, and more.

Find my book, LOVING MOTHER EARTH: Integrating Environmentalism and Spirituality on Amazon.