Image: Alessio Albi

 

“All great and precious things are lonely.”

John Steinbeck

When talking to fellow Left Hand Path practitioners, and any Mystic or Witch really, the reoccurring theme is the immense amount of loss that we all experience.

Whether it comes in the form of trauma, loss of relationships (familial/social/professional), or simply losing our old Self so that we may be born anew—there is a tremendous amount of destruction and metaphorical death on this path that we walk.

It usually starts out with the death of our old Self; obviously this is something that never really stops once it starts because self-evolution is eternal, but this death is the first catalyst.

This is the time that we begin to wake up to the illusions of this world, start to question what we have been told, and seek out the truth with a veracious appetite.

We begin to feel more and more out of place, and the Soul calling for something, some place beyond this one becomes louder, and louder.

This is where the descent down the rabbit hole begins.

Slowly we start to have less, and less in common with people who we may have otherwise considered friends, or people we had common interests with; it’s usually the casual relationships that go first, they seem easiest to cut when our frequency begins to change.

After this, the destructive power of truth begins to hit closer and closer to home, and our immediate relationships are affected.

You will notice that your loved ones start commenting on how different you are or how distant you are; ideally, they will be accepting of your awakening but often times this simply isn’t the case.

It’s hard to describe to people who don’t crave truth what it tastes like.

It’s hard to describe to people that find it easy to conform what it means to rebel.

The majority would prefer to go on living in their false sense of comfort than dare step into the unknown and THAT is why we are so misunderstood, so feared, so envied, even: we are willing to step into the darkness to become the light.

This path is about self-discovery and that means a lot of solitude, and yes, loneliness; a word and emotion people fear so much but there are so many amazing lessons to be found in this place of desolation.

To be confident alone we must drudge through the vulnerability of our loneliness and find the root causes of that loneliness; humans may be social creatures but we should be able to enjoy our own company without needing anyone.

When we enjoy ourselves, love ourselves, understand ourselves, we are more equipped to enjoy, love and understand others. I do not mean love ourselves unconditionally, either, because that is simply not realistic.

The biggest test for us is when we must put our truth into action and our words into motion with someone we love. We can’t talk this big talk about living and burning in our truth if we refuse to speak our truth when the time arises.

Recently I caught a friend lying, and plagiarizing work, so that decision was almost made for me.

But, there was another situation that arose and it was less clear on how I was to handle it.

I know full well that my truth is my own, and it’s not for anyone else but I also must honor my truth.

Even though I have been walking this path for many, many years now I am still cutting and losing people from my life. And, yes, I have lost a few friends in recent weeks; although their absence is felt, their presence is missed and I will always hold a place in my heart for them, there is simply no longer room in my life.

If a relationship is not feeding your Higher Self, if it is not stimulating your Soul, then let it go.

Life is too short to hold onto mediocre people who put in minimal effort, and expect maximum result.

You do not need to apologize for being true to yourself, your morals, your ethics, and your convictions because at the end of the day, all you have is yourself.

At the end of the day, it is only your reflection that will keep you company.