Loneliness is the absence of the other.  Aloneness is the presence of the Self ~   
                                                                                                                                                 Osho

Loneliness is observed as a strong sense of emptiness & despair.  It is an individual experience ~ a personal timbre of conscious knowledge ~  a psychological tool; emotional resonance to undesired isolation, motivating us to seek social connections ~ a cry from the soul, expressed through the heart.  

When we are lonely, we are overwhelmed by an unbearable feeling of separateness, at a very deep level.  This is a normal life long (negative) emotion.  We start our process of separation at birth.  As awareness dawns, the parallel need to seek relationship begins.  This balancing act between the search for intimacy and an acceptance of isolation continues throughout life on Earth.

There is a difference between aloneness & loneliness.  Solitude is helpful to many sensitive souls, such as artists, writers, philosophers and composers.  While conscious disconnect allows a wonder full, uninhibited, creative flow, loneliness can drive some sensitives to despair.  

Illness, death, divorce, prejudices, retirement, discrimination, disability, mental challenges, unemployment are some reasons in our life that make us feel the heartbreaking pain of isolation; mute, we could grow distant from social contact, and become lonely.  Our busy, extroverted culture, with its emphasis on togetherness, exacerbates these feelings.  Relationships aren't everything in life; hobbies and creative expressions developed over a lifetime, are important sources of stability & contentment as well.

We live in a world with immense inequalities, which separates.  Some of us feel that we don't have a voice, and feel powerless, disregarded and lonely.  

The creative & expressive arts are a salve for the aching soul.  The creative expression for the sheer purpose of creating, not to impress, but for the pilgrimage from pain to pleasure.  While creating, we flow in the unknown, and learn to enjoy the process.  In a live, creative flow, mind no longer bothers us, no clinging to an outcome.  We are often pleasantly surprised at the end of our endeavor.  Here, soul connects to The Source; being a creator our Self, we are at one with it.  This is a positive & bliss full experience. The creative and expressive arts are a bridge to a pure state in the heart.

Meditation, being still on a regular basis, brings the wandering soul to focus at the eye of the intimate storm, one point.  In this quiet, relaxed, calm energy, we find motivation for the journey back to connecting with others.   While being still, we move toward the pure divine light at our center.  In our stillness, we find strength to reach out and connect again, trusting our journey; we are exactly where we need to be in the evolution of our Self.

It is fundamental to understand that life in its very essence, is insecurity. In accepting this, we can drop all defenses and allow life to take possession of us.  This is living vs. survival.  

Both through quietude & through the creative arts, we grow an inner richness; the wound in our heart disappears and becomes the lotus.  We begin to feel bliss, pure truth rising inside, as we familiarize with being in the unknown, unattached to achieve.  

When we are lonely we need to remember that at the core, we are a luminous human being capable of love, Self love foremost.  Although our past influences our future, it is not the source of our loneliness. Our predicament is an absence of trust in our journey; our existence as it is now.  

Being centered and still, leads us back to this trust. When we are still on a regular basis, we begin to hear the messages of our heart more clearly, and are able to respond.  In our hectic world it seems impossible, but with enough dedication to our Self, we create these still moments.  Once we come into our trust, we have tasted bliss.  

Some mental health problems reinforce isolation; someone with agoraphobia, stuck with feelings of panic at the thought of being sociable & meeting new people, is cut off from normal social interaction.  When we are anxious, depressed, or trapped in addictive behaviour, we have low self-esteem, feel worthless, which leads to shun company and cuts us off from society.  Our culture does not receive the sensitive very well, which leads to isolation, which can lead to all sorts of dis-ease.

Loneliness is a side effect of 'the absence of trust in our journey'.

The possibility of evolutionary growth presents itself at these catalyst moments; brimming with possibility for change.  Instead of wallowing, we could be celebrating & honoring our journey, dedicating the rest our life on Earth to our Self ~ Stillness the first step.  Sitting still and centering all energies to a calm state.  This can take a long time.
 
'Soul manifesting into matter'; the soul's journey is being human.  Each moment a fresh opportunity for advancement in our personal evolution.  As we come to trust our journey, we come to know our Self better, and ascend to the highest possible purpose of our existence.  Reaching this point, our spirit will experience pure joy, a natural state of the Soul.  Even when we are surrounded by lovers and friends we can feel the pangs of loneliness.  The absence of trust in our journey is at the root.  

Trusting, we express positive energies, which expand and connect us with like minded people.  Not just anybody, but those with whom we resonate.  This is a positive and joy full experience.

In essence we are monadic, a single note in the music of spheres.  And yet one of the biggest lessons to learn, while here on Earth, is relating to others.  Our soul: clothed in body, given a name, a situation, and all the tools to find the way back to Source, much like a game.  When we are lonely, we become sore losers and as we go deeper into our despair, bathed in heavy negative energies, we sink and find no reason to honor the life we have.  We begin to shun others, out of shame that we are not good enough, or jealousy that they have things together and we don't.  Often we are afraid of rejection, or ridicule.

In the absence of trust, we forget that we too have that capacity to shine.  One place we are all equal, is in being human.  The heart contains all our answers.  Here we not only find the nag of loneliness, but also the courage & motivation to honor Self, trusting the teacher within to guide us.