Quarantine Had Me Talking to Plants - A Spiritual Journey

Posted: October 1, 2025

By: Iman Mombo

The pandemic didn’t just disrupt routines, it cracked open the Spirit. In the dark and quiet, many found clarity. In the silence, some folks felt swallowed. I wrote this article to explore the difference between solitude and isolation, their spiritual implications, and how COVID-19 forced a collective reckoning with both.

Solitude vs. Isolation: What’s the Difference?

• Solitude is chosen. It’s a sacred pause, a space for reflection, creativity, and communion with self and/or spirit.

• Isolation is imposed. It’s the absence of connection, often marked by loneliness, disorientation, and emotional depletion.

But when solitude is no longer optional, it morphs into isolation, a state that can weaken mental and spiritual health.

Here are some ways that COVID’s lockdown Disrupted Connection

• Lockdowns blurred the line between solitude and isolation.

• Many experienced forced separation from loved ones, spiritual communities, and even nature.

• According to a 2024 Fetzer Institute study, spirituality became a lifeline, prayer, art, and time in nature helped people live through isolation and reclaim meaning.

The Spiritual Shift

• Solitude became sacred for those who leaned into it. Rituals, journaling, meditation, and ancestral remembrance flourished.

• Isolation became a mirror showing us our unhealed wounds, neglected relationships, and the need for deeper spiritual grounding.

• Many reported a heightened sense of spiritual identity, even as traditional religious gatherings were restricted.

Reclaiming Solitude as a Spiritual Practice

• Create intentional space for silence and reflection.

• Reconnect with nature ---> walks, gardening, or simply sitting under the sun.

• Invoke ancestral wisdom —> through storytelling, altars, or cultural rituals.

• Use technology consciously —> digital connection can be sacred if used with intention.

COVID didn’t just isolate us, it invited us to re-imagine solitude as a spiritual tool. In the absence of noise, many heard their Spirit speak (I know I did). The challenge now is to carry that clarity forward, choosing solitude over isolation, and connection over disconnection.