Image of the Day: Valentine tissue paper scrunched into art
Token of the Day: third pair of sports socks
(this token repeated 3 times has been an essential part of my discernment process. I am now much clearer about my future direction which is away from teaching exercise and towards mind-body-spirit integration. Before i had even opened it Gail had discerned this and had squirreled away alternative tokens to offer! I picked out earrings which match the necklace i received on 7th March [faith])
Discernment - a process, a practice, a gift, a skill, a tool.
It requires focus, tuning in, heightened awareness, being present in the moment. I can develop it through learning, practice, experience. Intuition is connected, faith and love are tied in. I can be fooled/distracted by my own "stuff" so i need to test that which i am discerning. But i also need to listen - to my educated heart and to the voice of the Divine within.
Etymology of discern: Middle English discernen, from Old French discerner, from Latin discernere, to separate : dis-, apart; see dis– + cernere, to perceive.]
So there is that requirement within discernment to separate, perhaps at times tear apart the issue, the concern in order to discover the right/best way forward.
I experienced an Ignatian Retreat in Daily Life many years ago whilst at St Andrews and i am looking forward to participating in another one next month. For St Ignatius of Loyola, the discernment of spirits is part of everyone's spiritual journey. Working with a spiritual director one is assisted in examining the motives, desires, consolations, and desolations in one's life. Ignatius wrote and taught at length about examining one's conscience. Objectively, one can know what is right from looking at the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins in a thorough examination of conscience. But the broader picture of one's life is often not so clear. According to Ignatius, we need to share everything with our spiritual director who can see things objectively, without being swayed by the emotions or passion. Discerning whether the good spirit (the influence of God, the Church, one's soul) or the bad spirit (the influence of "Satan", the world, the flesh) is at work requires calm, rational reflection. The good spirit brings us to peaceful, joyful decisions. The bad spirit often brings us to make quick, emotional, conflicted decisions. A spiritual director can assist both by personal experience, listening with care, and giving an objective analysis.
I am fascinated by how i am drawn back to a method through various means so that, even when i am not consciously switched on the spirit discerns what i need and puts things and people on my path to assist. Moving to our current home my friend in the States encouraged me to make contact with a good friend of hers who lives across the road and who i had met a number of years ago. I did so, not remembering what her line of work was. No surprise that she is a spiritual director and co-ordinates a local Ignatian group offering retreats and direction! An author was referred to in a sermon and i was led to her books only to discover that she, Margaret Silf, is writing about Ignatian spirituality. I visit St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral and pick up a leaflet about retreats in daily life. And one other element ensures that i get the message - one of the spiritual exercises is going for a walk using all the senses to experience God. Well, walking is what i preach on through my work and is something i'm passionate about! Ever felt like an angel is holding you, shaking you gently and saying "Look! Just look! It's there, all around you. Now simply get on with it!"
So, discernment is sometimes an angelic prod...
The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines one meaning of discernment as - the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure - something i often find difficult, it's a term that's come into my personal vocabulaty over the past few years since hearing Kerri Messner use it during an MCC Edinburgh Service. Thanks Kerri.
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