Practicing Discernment
We are trained in the seen (shadow) world to use our physical senses to process and analyze perceptual data to make choices. Our heart contains a much more powerful and accurate choice maker, often called intuition. Intuition is the ability to know the right choice immediately. It has been defined as “direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension.”[i] Intuition makes the practice of discernment immediate and on point. In my informal polling of people, I have asked, “can you think of a time that your intuition, or what you know in your heart, has led you astray or been inaccurate?” I have yet to have someone relate a story to me of their intuition being wrong.
Practicing discernment requires first tuning out the noise of humanity, for discernment comes from within, not without. Using outside data is only useful later for confirmation or direction in the surrender mode of following your heart. We have created a noisy world, where the quiet voice of our heart is easily drowned out by the chatter all around us. And we have created a habit of listening to the chatter with our mind rather than listening to our Creator with our heart. Everything outside ourselves is chatter and distraction when practicing discernment, whether it be advice from our loved ones, experts, collected knowledge, or the parameters of social mores. Think of your perceptual input as a radio tuner. As you turn the dial, there are all sorts of radio stations vying for your attention. One station that might be your favorite is your best friend or a mentor, another might be your family members, another might be your faith community, another might be the messages put into your head by your upbringing, another might be “experts,” another might be the social circles you frequent or the ones you hope to frequent, and on and on. None of these stations will get you to the place you need to be because none of them come directly from your heart.
The station you need to turn to in order to practice discernment is the station playing the music of the universe, the direct connection to the creative force of the universe, Consciousness. The intuition you are seeking comes from the connectedness of all that exists. The shadow world leads us to believe in discrete parts of the world, but the real world, the unseen world, is all one and is beyond time and space, therefore all wisdom and discernment is available from that realm.
The process of discernment is encapsulated in the Greek word μετάνοια which is transliterated into English as metanoia. It has generally been translated in the New Testament as “repentance.” However, the Greek word contains a prefix and a root noun. The prefix “meta” means above or beyond, as in metamorphosis, to transform into another form. The root noun “noia” is a Greek word for knowledge, so metanoia literally means to move “beyond knowledge.” If knowledge comes from processing our physical senses in our brain, then metanoia means to listen to our higher wisdom, accessing our intuition.
So schedule regular times in your week where you can separate yourself from the noise of living in the shadow world. You may want to start with playing some inspiring music in the background. Start with scheduling 20-30 minutes for you to be in the quiet and inspiring place. At first, your mind will actually try to fill the space with thoughts, processing other experiences or judging the utility of your behavior in this space. As you begin, your mind may tell you this is not safe space, that there is something to fear in doing this. Your mind is simply becoming concerned that it is losing its job, so you can reassure it that it will have plenty to do in the shadow world even after you start accessing your intuition. If you have difficulty quieting your mind and listening to your intuition, you may want to employ some training wheels, tools that help you bridge the gap between your consciousness and Consciousness. A pendulum and inspirational cards are two of my favorite tools. Proper use of a pendulum can build confidence in the wisdom of Consciousness pervading the shadow world. Inspirational cards can provide information from the unseen world that, when acted upon, can guide us into higher functioning in the shadow world, illuminating our path. In this way, discernment is intertwined with connection.
This is part 2 of a 6-part series. I would love your feedback and comments. You can either post comments on my website blog page by clicking here, or email me at tom@thomascapshew.com.
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May your path be filled with health, joy, clarity, and Love! Tom