Interesting thread. I’m going to break with a common piece of advice offered, which is, all women are different, we’re all human, etc., which, while true, is not only unhelpful but can be misleading.
A common source of misunderstanding between men and women (I would say the most common) is assuming that the other sex’s instinctual reactions, desire and needs are the same as yours. Allison Armstrong has a great phrase when she says that when a woman looks at a man she sees a hairy, uncouth woman, and when a man looks at a woman he sees an emotionally indulgent man. This causes problems because the normal use of empathy to predict and understand behavior (“If it were me I would feel/want to do x”) is stunningly ineffective. This also relates to the OP’s main question, since usually when a man complains about not being able to understand women, he’s often really complaining about how women aren’t acting like men. Well, why should they act like something they’re not?
Anyway, the first thing to do is to be aware of this tendency to assume your responses are universal, and drop that idea. Then you can start studying women like they’re a completely different species, at which point I think you’ll find that they are not particularly mysterious, once you get out of your own way. Learning about women is like learning a foreign language - there will always be more to learn, but you can attain a basic fluency fairly quickly with the right mindset. Then you can work on the advanced level, which is to be able to anticipate how a given woman is likely to misinterpret your actions and words. If you do choose to be in a long-term relationship with a member of the opposite sex (may the heavens and hells protect you), this will be incredibly handy in defusing arguments that otherwise would keep escalating to domestic war.
Now, on to the question of loneliness. I’m a bit different here as well. The basic point I want to express is that there is no one in the world capable of making you happy. No one. If you’re thinking, “If only I had a girlfriend (or whatever), I could be happy”, you will always be disappointed. Always. Happiness comes from within, and no external force or being can provide it for you. Also, and relevant for magicians, this attitude of needing someone, or, worse, a particular someone (“That slut better leave my man alone!”), is an abdication of power to another person. Try not to do that. The ideal attitude, I think, starts with being able to truthfully say, “Even if I never have a partner or have sex ever again, my life will still be perfectly good.” Rough, but once you get there you will have taken your power back from women and will be in control of your life again. Now you’re ready to deal with them from a position of strength, not weakness. Just remember, you are a living god, and so the potential to be happy lies completely in your power.
Third point. Women are a luxury. You should not even be thinking about anything more than a roll in the hay until your financial house is well in order. Don’t be deceived by all the “my love don’t cost a thing” bs. A romantic relationship will be a drain on your finances, so be prepared. While you’re getting to that point, practice ejaculation control combined with either the Microscopic Orbit (Taoist), Kundalini Yoga (Hindu), or the Middle Pillar or Rousing of the Citadels (Western) to circulate your sexual energy to a form you can use to empower your health and magics. Exercise helps, too. That way you are refocusing the energy of your desire to building up a life that will help attract and sustain a high-quality relationship. If you’re unfamiliar with ejaculation control techniques, I highly recommend Mantak Chia’s The Multi-Orgasmic Man, available on Kindle for a couple bucks.
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