The Law of Cause and Effect
Cause and effect are ever-present. It is a law of the universe that we cannot escape. Every action creates a reaction, every cause has an effect. Every choice we make has consequences, and as such, we are creators of our lives.
If we perceive that we are attacked and mindlessly react, we are throwing into the universe what we don’t want, reinforcing more of the same.
On the other hand, when we allow ourselves to feel without restraint, we are automatically learning and adapting. We are maturing mentally and evolving as conscious beings.
“May experience unjudged be your master supreme” – Estas Tonne
Our thoughts might trick us hither and dither, but emotions don’t lie. If you feel guilt, fine, do not suppress it or brush it over. Be with what is. Allow the emotions to run through you and be fully felt. In this way, our system is receiving all the information necessary to calibrate. Our natural intelligence works for us when we are available and cooperate with it.
Likewise, if you feel happiness, joy, or even ecstasy, don’t be ashamed; permit yourself to feel. Learn what you like, what gives you joy, and learn to sense the bittersweetness of when it is enough. In short, Know Thyself.
This is a permission from ourselves to come in contact with, accept, and forgive parts of our experience that we have been taught to suppress. Only by including everything can we be whole.
Allow yourself a moment of pause, take a conscious breath, and reread the last sentence in the previous paragraph; feel the truth of it.
We may ignore the hole in the boat, but the water will keep entering until we address it.
The Way to Walking is a Crawl
And don’t worry if you feel that you fail, because you are not. You are learning. Falling down and getting back up is part of learning to walk. You do not judge the crawling baby, and in the same way, please do not punish yourself.
We need to do things wrong to discern what works for us. We need to walk left in order to know what is right. This is the duality and material reality in which we live.
The point is to learn from the negative experience and not get stuck in the mud. It is not about avoiding negativity but being there with a positive mindset so that we can learn from the messages embedded in the experience.
In the darkness, the light shines brighter. In sickness, we value our health. After being cold, we appreciate the warmth. And after living without purpose, a life with meaning is the only thing that makes sense.
So again, don’t blame yourself for walking astray; instead, recognize that it is part of the process and calmly return to the sacred middle.
This is the practice of alignment. This is how we learn to discern: through daily practice and by paying attention.
And how your personal practice looks, and what you should pay attention to, depends on YOU — and it all comes from intention.
Yes, the fruit might be sweet, but when we are able to discern the bitterness of the bite, we know when it is enough, and we can stop – BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Discernment of Thought in the Spiritual Context
In spiritual contexts, discernment is also the practice of receiving guidance from higher wisdom and connecting to our intuition.
Throughout our days, we have more thoughts than we can count. Which thoughts are guidance from our higher selves and spiritual guides? And which impulses are merely our primordial brain seeking superficial reward without considering the underlying costs?
From the spiritual aspect, we ask ourselves:
- What serves the greater good of the all?
- Does this serve the totality of who and what I am?
With this in mind, we consider not only immediate pleasure but also future effects — the totality of our experience. For we are not only here today but also tomorrow — at least, that is the aim.
Moreso, from this view, we are conscious of our role in the greater whole. Our personal well-being serves not only us but everything around. When we are healthy, wealthy, and vital, our capacity to serve, add value, and fulfil our role in this divine orchestration increases.
With this higher connection and broader perspective, we ask ourselves what thoughts, words, and actions truly benefit our state of being, knowing that it will affect our family and beyond.
As we learn to live in accordance with our soul’s path and life’s purpose, living in alignment with our unfolding potential becomes natural.
Through intention, attention, and devotion, we reform patterns, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that do not serve us — and therefore neither the world we live in, nor the divine field of Spirit.
Love Heals – With Love We Transform
This is not a fight against the old. We are simply letting go of what we now realize does not serve us by turning our attention to what does.
This simple switch in awareness guides us to nourish what brings us joy and peace, a healthy body, and a wealthy mind.
We are not running away from the past. Rather, it is a silent recognition that its time has passed.
What has been has been, and it doesn’t make sense to cling to things that are over. That only strains our muscles to no avail. Instead, by appreciating what is, we are left in peace.
When we hold on to things too tightly, we suffocate them. When we are open to life, we are allowing things to come and go as they please. There is no force. There is no fight. It is love.
Love allows all things to be free — you and me included — by honoring each period, cycle, and season in its proper time.
You are not running around picking dead leaves from the ground, painting them green, and striving to put them back onto the trees. Or are you?
In the same way, nature advises us to live our lives. And when we do, we align with the circle of life.
So, do not worry about what you do not have; instead, be grateful for what you do have and practice appreciation in each and every moment.
For yes, it is a practice, and we are constantly learning. So do not beat yourself up for forgetting. Don’t waste your time on that; instead, focus your attention on what matters, what you want to see materialize: learn to return to appreciation.
Perhaps it is the sun on your face?
Your ability to hear the song of the birds?
Is it the legs that carry you or the bed you have to rest in?
Family who loves you, food on your table?
Or even the challenging period that taught you what truly matters to you?
Commitment and Practice: Discernment in Action
Discernment of choice requires commitment, as it is a practice of listening that spans numerous layers.
What serves me and what does not?
The question is a beginning, and it derives from intention. By being curious, we also become aware of where our intention lacks structure. What do we actually mean when we ask that question? What are our values, aims, and preferences? Because if we are not clear, the question lacks punch and doesn’t add its full potential.
What serves you and what does not?
An action might feel good in the moment, but what is the totality of the effect? Will we be better or worse off after the fact? How does it affect our future and personal experience of reality?
Discernment of thought is a skill — a muscle we can build. It is the art of listening that leads us into beneficial habits.
Discernment is cultivated through deliberate practice and derived from our intention to live, be, and honor our lives.
In order to learn, we must allow, accept, feel, and let go.
This is a continuation from Discernment of Thought: Listening to Intuition. In the following article, we will deepen into the practice of listening as it relates to intuition and discernment of thoughts.
