Spiritual Communion and Loneliness, By Rev. Karen Linsley

Lately, I’ve been having some conversations with folks about connectedness and the lack of it, which results in things like loneliness and feelings of isolation.  I’ve long known that loneliness is not about being around people but instead is about a lack of connection.  Have you ever been in a crowded room and still felt lonely?  Connectedness isn’t about physical proximity to people.  And in this time when technology has allowed us to connect in different ways, just not physically, some folks are saying they do not feel connected, even with technology.  They want to return to the way it was.  I do not believe that is possible.  We’ve been called to do things differently, and we’ve been called to embrace technology.  

And yet folks are still feeling disconnected, isolated, and lonely. I believe that is because we are fighting this new way of showing up in the world.  And because we are not embracing the new.  We want the old because it is our comfort zone, even if the old is no longer possible.  People who work in domestic violence see this all the time.  The abused refuses to leave the abuser because the unknown is more frightening than the known, even if the known is unpleasant at best and life-threatening at worst.  We have to be willing to step into the unknown to grow in our lives.  Connectedness helps with this also. 

I’ve always said that loneliness is a spiritual lack, not physical, as is an unwillingness to step into the unknown because of fear.  Connectedness is the panacea for loneliness, isolation, and fear of the unknown.  When we feel connected, loneliness goes away, we feel a part of it, and we can step into unknown ways of being with confidence, enthusiasm, and excitement.  So how does one feel connected, and what on earth are we connecting to?

There is a book that I return to over and over again, it is by Ernest Holmes, and it is called The Art of Life.  In this book, he says this: “Our loneliness, our sense of isolation, our poverty, doubt, and sickness, are results of being disconnected from the fullness of this Divine Self.”  He explains that feeling connected is more about feeling whole, not separate.  Whole within ourselves, not compartmentalized into little sections.  Whole and complete. And we can feel whole and complete when we know that God, or Spirit, is an indwelling part of us, not something separate from us.  Holmes tells us that we all need to take time for inner spiritual communion to feel this wholeness because when we feel whole, we feel connected, and when we feel connected, loneliness disappears.  

And when we feel connected, fear is eliminated from our consciousness, and we live love-based lives rather than fear-based ones. This enables us to embrace the new.  Inner spiritual communion is accomplished in many different ways.  Meditation is one way.  My favorite ways are spiritual study and contemplative meditation. There are many more ways.  The point is to make time each day for inner spiritual communion.  Every day.  Consistently and persistently.  

And so I affirm: Today, I make the time for inner spiritual communion and emerge from the process feeling whole and complete.

 

Rev. Karen became a Practitioner in 2008 and a minister in 2014. Her mission is to teach the practical application of Science of Mind principles to provide a strong and unshakeable inner foundation that facilitates long term successful living. To do this she has a Focus Ministry called Fearlessly Feral CSL, through which she produces a podcast of the same name. She teaches online classes and workshops and also does retreats. She is the author of two books. In addition, she also serves as Interim Minister for Centers for Spiritual Living and is currently serving at Rio Grande CSL in Albuquerque. She lives in Northern Nevada amongst the sagebrush with two horses, two dogs, and two cats.