To meet spiritual friends, be your own best friend first. Attend classes, courses, or retreats that deal with spirituality or spiritual practices. And if you can, travel or move.

One of the paradoxes of life is that we often get what we want when we stop looking for it, and unfortunately friendships and relationships seem to belong to that category.

However, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t actively try to connect with others and meet new people.

It can be difficult for spiritual people to meet like-minded individuals, mainly because the spiritual path isn’t for everyone. Difficult, but not impossible.

And if you are reading this, I assume you are into spirituality as well and are looking for ways to meet spiritual friends.

Why spirituality can make you lonely

The spiritual path can be lonely. It’s obvious in the case of hermits and ascetics, but even the average spiritual person might…

  • Lose friends. This could happen gradually or suddenly. I have written about it in this post. You may reach a point where spirituality literally changes you as a person, in a good way, and you may lose connection with those around you.
  • Be the odd one, the type that likes to question everything and observe the essence of things, which naturally makes it difficult for you to share your thoughts and ideas. At times you may feel left out, misunderstood, or unappreciated.
  • Lose interest in the activities you would previously enjoy. For example, some people who are into spirituality find that they no longer enjoy drinking or big crowds, and that they can’t be themselves in certain environments.
  • Lose interest in friendships that are nothing more than shallow, superficial connections. And discover that many friendships happen as a result of loneliness or fear of not fitting in rather than genuine, spontaneous connections.
  • Need to recharge more often and find that silence and solitude are actually enjoyable, besides being a necessary part of practices like meditation, prayer, and reading.

Who are “spiritual friends”, anyway?

Spirituality can be so vast and so subjective that it’s hard to come up with a definition of the word.

A spiritual friend could simply be a “like-minded” person, or someone who knows what you know.

Yet I feel spirituality is more about a state of mind and being, being able to feel and perceive a different world rather than knowledge itself.

Plus, some people may say they have zero interest in spiritual practices and yet be much more spiritual or “enlightened” than the average person.

Just like someone who has never read anything about psychology and never tried therapy may still be very self-aware.

So I guess the take-home message is that rather than labeling people as spiritual or not spiritual you want to get to know them on a deeper level.

That is, those you feel a connection with. No point in hanging out with those who give off negative vibes.

How to meet spiritual friends

1. Be your own best friend

I get it, your heart tells you to go find new friends, and you are impatient. Yet it’s important to maintain a mindset where you are whole and complete regardless.

The more you need others to feel good about yourself, the less likely you are to find people you can genuinely connect with. And things take time anyway.

It’s a bit like food — the more you crave food and tend to eat compulsively, the more you’ll tend to get nourishment from unhealthy food. Nourishment of the soul is the same.

2. Join a local class

Alright, here’s a much more practical tip — have a look online and see if there are any yoga classes in your area. Or meditation classes, or anything related to mindfulness and wellbeing.

If you haven’t already, you’ll be surprised by how many “spiritual” people actually join those. It could be people who actively practice spirituality or simply live more consciously and intuitively.

Any class or course related to mental and physical health tends to attract those who prioritize their well being, and that itself indicates they are more likely to cultivate spirituality as well.

3. Attend spiritual retreats

If you want to meet people who are at the very least interested in spirituality, this is your best bet. The downside is, actual spiritual retreats are rare and may be expensive.

But really, go for it if you have the chance. Personally I have never been to one yet (it’s on my bucket list) but know people who have, and said it was a pretty cool experience with pretty cool people.

4. Travel or move

The fourth and final tip is to be honest with yourself and understand that where you are right now may not give you the best chances in terms of finding spiritual friends.

Paradoxically, big cities are much better in this regard. Yes, they can be chaotic and impersonal, but you can do pretty much anything and this includes, for example, spiritual classes/courses as mentioned earlier.

So if you’re looking for a change and aren’t afraid to move, consider it. Also, if you can, travel! Places like India and Southeast Asia have amazing vibes and tend to attract those who are into spirituality.