What does solitude mean to you? Albert Einstein once said: 'I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.' In his latest book Simon Parke, author of The Beautiful Life and One-Minute Mindfulness describes solitude as the active path to inner silence and takes us on an enthralling journey there. In a world of haste and distraction he commends the way of stillness and withdrawal where we can 'recover the power of alone'. 'It's a journey to our selves and a place we can call our own,' he says. 'It's here, away from the crowd that we reconnect with our inner knowing - so different to our outer knowing.' A capacity for silence is what distinguishes us as humans, yet many of us fear to go there. But there is nothing to fear in solitude and everything to gain. If you want to be still but wonder how, this book is the perfect friend.
Solitude
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About the Author
Simon Parke was a priest in the Church of England for twenty years, before leaving for fresh adventures. He worked for three years in a supermarket, stacking shelves and working on the till. He was also chair of the shop union. He has since left to go free lance and now writes, leads retreats and offers consultancy. He is also director of the mental health project, Pictures of Eden. He has written for The Independent and The Evening Standard and is currently a columnist with the Daily Mail. His weekly supermarket diary, Shelf Life, ran for 15 months in the Mail on Saturday, and he now contributes another weekly column called One-Minute Mystic. The Beautiful Life - re-issued as The Journey Home - was published by Bloomsbury in 2007. Simon has led a number of retreats around this book and speaks about it on his site. The book version of Shelf Life was published by Rider in 2009. The book version of One-Minute Mystic was published by Hay House early in 2010 and One-Minute Mindfulness followed in 2011, which has helped many into an understanding of this life-enhancing practice. Other books by Simon include Forsaking the Family, which is a refreshingly real and rather shocking look at the sacred cow of family life. This book has now been re-issued by White Crow. Simon has been a teacher of the Enneagram for 20 years. The enneagram is an ancient path of self-understanding and Simon's book on the subject, published by Lion, is called Enneagram: a private session with the world's greatest psychologist. Another Bloody Retreat is Simon's desert novel, describing events at the monastery of St James-the-Less set in the sands of Middle Egypt. It follows the fortunes of Abbot Peter and the rest of the community, when the stillness of their sacred setting is rudely and irrevocably shattered. Simon's most recent book is Solitude - Recovering the power of alone is published by White Crow. Simon was born in Sussex but has lived and worked in London for 25 years. He has written comedy and satire for TV - including Spitting Image - and radio, picking up a Sony radio award. He has two grown up children and his hobbies include football, history, the sea and running. For more information or to join his mailing list, visit his website www.simonparke.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By M. Wright
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book begins with the Author wondering 'I write of solitude amid the sounds of breaking glass, roaring flames and angry shouts. Am I wasting my time?'
He is talking of the recent London riots, he goes on to say 'These days will pass but others will come. Personally and nationally, we will again stand frightened and amazed at what we and other people do'
He asks us to consider that our actions come out of our abilty to sit quietly with ourselves and suggests that if we are unable to do this our actions are likely to be reactive and often harmful to ourselves and others.
This book invites one to step into solitude and goes on to guide in ways of doing this.
I found this book simple to understand, yet deeply powerful. It is in the form of 53 short chapters that encourage reflection on themes that would be helpful to anyone who is on a honest journey to get to know themselves better.
It explains what solitude is, why it is helpful and how it can bring healing. It explains how it is possible even to bring moments of solitude into our busy days.
I am now on my fourth reading and am still finding new and rewarding insights.
I enjoyed the conversational form of the text and liked that quotes from different people, centuries and cultures were used, alongside the authors own deep insights. For me things that have been known by others in the past, coming to together in the moment 'now' and still ringing true, always has a powerful effect.
I would reccomend this book as a gift to oneself, Like me, I hope you will find it will keep on giving.
I'll end this review with one last quote from the book 'In solitude we lead our desires back to love, our mind back to stillness and our attention back to the present. In so doing, we find ourselves in balance and harmony with the universe once again'.
He is talking of the recent London riots, he goes on to say 'These days will pass but others will come. Personally and nationally, we will again stand frightened and amazed at what we and other people do'
He asks us to consider that our actions come out of our abilty to sit quietly with ourselves and suggests that if we are unable to do this our actions are likely to be reactive and often harmful to ourselves and others.
This book invites one to step into solitude and goes on to guide in ways of doing this.
I found this book simple to understand, yet deeply powerful. It is in the form of 53 short chapters that encourage reflection on themes that would be helpful to anyone who is on a honest journey to get to know themselves better.
It explains what solitude is, why it is helpful and how it can bring healing. It explains how it is possible even to bring moments of solitude into our busy days.
I am now on my fourth reading and am still finding new and rewarding insights.
I enjoyed the conversational form of the text and liked that quotes from different people, centuries and cultures were used, alongside the authors own deep insights. For me things that have been known by others in the past, coming to together in the moment 'now' and still ringing true, always has a powerful effect.
I would reccomend this book as a gift to oneself, Like me, I hope you will find it will keep on giving.
I'll end this review with one last quote from the book 'In solitude we lead our desires back to love, our mind back to stillness and our attention back to the present. In so doing, we find ourselves in balance and harmony with the universe once again'.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As I am getting older, I find I need solitude in my life more and more and this book is an absolutely fantastic reference book. You can pick it up anywhere, re-read it, etc. I have only just started reading it and I find that it is calming me down and making me aware of the things I need to do in order to gain that solitude. A must have for anyone who is looking for calm in their lives.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
With this beautiful book you can enter in to your world of solitude. It is insightful, poetic and simply written. If you are looking for peace, this is the book for you! There are pauses throughout the book giving you time to think about what has been discussed. There is nothing wrong with being alone, a scarey concept but amazingly neccesary!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The concept of mindfulness has never been so well framed
I didn't find this book, this book found me.
This book is an excellent gateway to a diverse but interconnected set of concepts that are so meaningful that it could... Read more
This book is an excellent gateway to a diverse but interconnected set of concepts that are so meaningful that it could... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Chris Packe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slow Steps to Solitude
Because I don't get a lot of Solitude in my life it has taken me a year to read 'Solitude'. Life events came and went and the book stayed under my bed ready for me to reach out to... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jude
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gem
This book is another little gem from Simon Parke. Easy to read but with lots of depth, I, like another reviewer on here, also found it very calming. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Sue Peters
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant book
i didnt really no what to expect fron this book i read the reviews in the daily mail and being on my own i thought id give it a go. Read more
Published 15 months ago by alibongo
1.0 out of 5 stars
Drivel
I bought this book following a press release in a national paper. I must admit, I found it to be a load of rubbish - its like you're suddenly privvy to someone's else's crazy... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ms Rocket
4.0 out of 5 stars
There's something in here for everyone
In this book, Simon Parke explores solitude as an "active path to inner stillness". Written in the form of a dialogue, it is a rich compendium of ideas, illustrated with... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Karen Daly
5.0 out of 5 stars
The right book at the right time
This is truly an effective, wise and accessible guide to loving ourselves by knowing ourselves as fully human and not as agents of economic expediencies, or victims of media frenzy... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mac
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