Aloneness (Part two)
Words from friends.
A·lone′ness n.
An inner sense of place 2. A large internal landscape 3. A place where there is an outworking of our interior dialogue 4. A gentle friendship with oneself 5. The art of inwardness. 6. A tending to the companionship with self 7. ‘The secret place’ 8. A place to commune with Spirit 9. Inner belovedness 10. A rich inner world.
Dear Reader,
This long standing curiosity that has me turning the word ‘aloneness’ inside out to see what it might be made of, paradoxically grew from the ground of the togetherness I’m grateful to belong to.
To behold togetherness and look at in reverse and ask the softer questions, like what material is it made of? and how did such a beautiful thing come to be?
In this on-going exploration when looking at togetherness in reverse I witness a cadence or pattern that suggests that although ‘aloneness’ somewhat sings as a dichotomy to ‘togetherness’, there is a gentle harmony in their contrasts too.
My beautiful friend Holly who you’ll hear more from later within this piece articulates it so soundly— “Being with my own humanity, gently, carves a place for me to hold the humanity of another”.
Reflecting upon my life and the togetherness that has beautifully and imperfectly lasted a life time and the newer and largesse communion that is in its early and unfolding, I see clues within patterns that suggest a strong correlation between the spaciousness and richness felt within the dynamic of togetherness and the quality of ones ability to be a friend of oneself.
I can’t help but come back to this quote by Brennan Manning that speaks into the connection of aloneness + togetherness in a way that paints them as a beautiful camaraderie.
“If I am not in touch with my own belovedness, then I cannot touch the sacredness of others. If I am estranged from myself, I am likewise a stranger to others. Experience has taught me that I connect best with others when I connect with the core of myself”. "Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging" by Brennan Manning
I love how my dear friend Rhianna (whose writing is featured in this instalment) puts it too:
‘Aloneness wants to be your friend but community and connection will always be the weighted blanket for it and when the heart calls for it, do not be afraid to cultivate solitude. Because sometimes you have to turn inward before you can march onward’. — Rhianna Mcgaghey
It is here that I welcome you into (Part two) ‘Aloneness: Words from friends’ a beautiful offering of language and art, an exploration of words from an array of women, each piece expressing a unique friendship with ‘Aloneness’, with the secret place.
If you missed the first instalment ‘Aloneness, Part one’ I encourage you to read it before you move into this instalment to give definition from the place we speak.
Think of this love-letter as an eclectic scrapbook of text, love-notes, messages, screen shots and art dedicated to you! A songbook of offerings singing gently into the places you might find yourself, in your ‘Aloneness’ or ‘Togetherness’.