Solitude means spending time in your own company – with nobody else present. This is time when your focus is on you alone. It could be spent in self-reflection – as if you were seeing your own image in a quiet lake, taking time to check in with yourself. Or you could spend time doing fulfilling things that bring you into closer contact with your inner self.
Connecting with others is wonderful, and relationships do demand time and attention. However, it is just as important to give time and attention to yourself. The card SOLITUDE reminds you that part of healthy relating is moving gracefully between being together with a partner – and being alone with yourself. If you drew the card SOLITUDE, it may mean this is a good time to respect your need – or your partner’s need – to spend some time alone.
Spending time alone is crucial for personal growth – and offers us many things. It is an act of self-love and self-esteem. You get to know yourself better. You create the space to open your heart to yourself and explore what you really want, need, or feel about things. Spending time alone helps you maintain healthy personal boundaries and assists you in developing your individuality. It lets you reflect on who you are, what you are doing, and where you are going in your life.
You are deeply nurtured by taking time out to do certain things by yourself – to meditate, read a book, walk in nature, or work on an interesting project. By spending time alone, you can discover your true capacity for self-enjoyment, peace, and inner love.
SOLITUDE may show up if you aren’t spending enough time in your own company. This card might also appear if you are reacting to your partner’s need to spend a little time apart. One partner wanting to be alone may bring up insecurities in the other. It is important to remember that taking time out to be alone is a necessary and healthy part of relating – not a sign that something is “wrong” with a relationship. We all need to spend some time alone.
Some people confuse the natural need to be alone with the mistaken idea that wanting to be alone means that something must be wrong. More likely something is wrong if one never spends any time alone. Being alone make some people nervous, so they pack their days as full as possible with various people and activities.
If you have had a tendency to avoid it, perhaps being alone is just what you need. It could be that something important is brewing within you, beneath the surface. Pulling the card SOLITUDE could be a message telling you to get in touch with your inner self – to open your heart and begin to take care of whatever is going on deep inside of you. This may be a time for self-healing and rejuvenation.
The ancient wisdom of “Know thyself” is as vital as ever. It could be restated as “Take time to simply be with yourself.” Make a practice of centering within – to get in touch with and know who you are – and you will directly benefit your relationship. Far from taking anything away from your partner, you will bring a sense of greater wholeness, peace, and a fuller heart when the two of you come back together.
By John Grey, PhD