How to Practice Spiritual Discernment

September 10, 2021

How important are truth, integrity, and authenticity to you - even at the cost of feeling comfortable and being affirmed?

Avoid STDs (spiritually transmitted diseases)...

When it comes to spirituality and the journey of awakening to our True Nature, most of us have a pretty good idea of the essential principles to keep in mind.

Qualities like love, peace, kindness, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and gratitude - you know, those stereotypical feel-good qualities - inevitably spring to mind.

But,

how often do you hear about the importance of spiritual discernment...?

Chances are... probably not that much.

Let's face it, even just the words "spiritual discernment" have a dry ring to them. They kind of sound like they've been taken from some heavy leather-bound book that has been collecting dust on the bookshelf for the past 100 years.

I imagine a stern librarian or an 83-year-old Harvard professor of physics when I think about spiritual discernment...

But don't let the lack of feel-good vibes make you discount the importance of being discerning on the spiritual path.

Spiritual discernment is the single most essential 'Sword of Consciousness' you'll need to hack your way through the many overgrown forests of Bullshit out there...

So... What is Spiritual Discernment?

Spiritual discernment is the ability to distinguish between truth and deception on the spiritual path.

That's it. It's quite simple.

In Sanskrit, spiritual discernment is called viveka and is said to be the "crowning wisdom" on the spiritual path, allowing us to discover what is real vs. unreal.

Indian sage Patanjali believed that it was spiritual discernment that helped us to achieve a "luminous state," also known as spiritual illumination or oneness.

In fact, in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the cultivation of spiritual discernment is said to be so powerful that it has the ability to destroy ignorance and address the very root of our suffering...

Why Spiritual Discernment is Non-Negotiable

Many people who begin the spiritual awakening path start off with a sprightly skip in their step, innocently assuming that the world of spirituality is a wondrous playground.

There is a beautiful innocence here that reminds me of the Disney movie called Bambi.

Through the magical forest, Bambi skips... until he reaches a clearing where his mother is brutally and mercilessly killed by a hunter...

There are many spiritual niches, teachers, and communities these days where spiritual discernment is neglected, and it reminds me of this Bambi parable.

"Love and light," "Just go with the flow," "Trust and allow," "All is Love",

...you'll hear this a lot, and certainly, much of it has truth and power.

And yet...

The reality is that the spiritual path is not somehow magically immune to misleading, harmful, or predatory behavior.

The reality is that there are monsters in that magical forest.

The reality is that the spiritual path isn't as blissful as people make it out to be.

The reality is that there are endless ways you can be taken advantage of by so-called spiritual teachers, guides, gurus, and paths.

The reality is that there are deep rabbit holes that you may struggle to get out of.

Hence the need for spiritual discernment:

aka. the Holy Bullshit Detector...

So let's take off our rose-tinted glasses and get real for a moment.

In a world full of sharks, spiritual discernment is the boat that allows us to safely travel through the waters of existence.

But without it, we are left flailing desperately around in the water while those who feed off ignorance and folly come to feast on us.

The Sacred Path of Brutal Honesty

In order to practice spiritual discernment effectively, you have to be brutally honest with yourself...

What do you really want?

How deep are you willing to go?

What are your true motivations?

There is no use pretending to be one thing and behaving in the opposite way.

Eventually, you'll be called out by yourself, others, or Life itself...

Spiritual discernment only works when you are first crystal clear about your own internal drives and desires.

As psychotherapist and yoga teacher Mariana Caplan explains,

To ask this question ourselves - "Am I committed, or am I just involved?" - and give an honest answers helps us to make intelligence choices about which paths and practices are best suited for the spiritual development we seek.

The problem arises when we profess one thing and live out another, because we confuse ourselves and others, and we limit our growth.

If only we could say honestly, and without shame,

"I engage spirituality as a hobby," or "I want a spiritual practice that will give me some inner peace of mind but without any commitment or discipline," or "I'd like to keep spirituality as my mistress but maintain comfort and security as my spouse," or "I want to be seen as a spiritual man or woman because that will make me more sexy."

Or perhaps we could use more simple, straightforward language, such as,

"I'm a serious spiritual aspirant," "I'm a seeker of moderate interest," or "I'm a part-time, casual spiritual tourist."

It is not wrong to have such an approach to spiritual development.

We grow from where we are, and if we pretend to be somewhere we are not and try to move forward, we are likely to travel in a very crooked line and become more confused than necessary.

Figuring out where we stand on the spiritual path is the very beginning of discernment.

13 Dangers of Lacking Spiritual Discernment

Where do I even start?

I realize that it may be an inconvenient truth for many. But the spiritual path can be tremendously perilous when you don't practice spiritual discernment.

Here are some of the MANY traps, pitfalls, and dangers present (and inherent to) this journey, also known as "spiritually transmitted diseases" (STDs) as coined by Mariana Caplan:

The Spiritual ego and spiritual narcissism - aka. using spirituality to strengthen your self-identity

Buying into 'fast-food' spirituality (cheap, low quality, and unhealthy practices)

Corrupt spiritual teachers who use you for money, sex, fame, or power

Faux spirituality (pretending to look, talk, dress, and act like a "spiritual person")

Confused motivations (confusing the desire for belonging, validation, or escapism for seeking authentic spiritual growth)

Ego-attachment to one's spiritual experiences (thinking that you're "extra special" because of a mystical experience or incidence of ego death)

Groupthink or cult-mentality (being in a spiritual community that rejects individuality, questioning, or any type of personal difference outside of the accepted norm)

Spiritual pride/superiority (this happens to seasoned seekers who have attained a certain level of wisdom, but use that as an excuse to shut down further growth)

Spiritual codependence (finding a spiritual guide/teacher who mirrors your own repressed desires, and vice versa, e.g., your desire to be "protected" or "saved" and the teacher's desire to feel special, needed, and loved)

The "Chosen-People Complex" (believing that your group/path/teacher is the best in the world)

Falling for the cult of personality (bolstering your self-worth by associating yourself with a powerful, charismatic, or perhaps enlightened teacher)

The Messiah Complex or believing that "you have arrived" (prematurely claiming to be enlightened and to know everything, which severely limits further growth and harms others)

Spiritual bypassing (avoiding facing reality in favor of escaping into feel-good spiritual fantasies)

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Furthermore, all of the above traps arise from one or all of the following issues:

The inability to distinguish reality from illusion (or truth from lies)

The inability to discern what is ego-based and soul-based

Lack of self-awareness

Lack of psychological growth and maturing

Lack of inner work and exploration of shadow motivations

Lack of honesty and sincerity with oneself

How to Stop Spiritually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and Practice Spiritual Discernment

For a human being who hungers for truth, what is most beautiful is that which is most truthful.

If the road to truth means having to learn what is untrue and to face unconsciousness and obstacles within ourselves, the lover of truth gladly accepts the challenge.

Each time we expose and face that which is untrue, we are that much closer to what is true.
M. Caplan

If our goal on the spiritual path is to be authentic and sincere lovers of truth, we need to practice spiritual discernment.

As Indian master Paramahansa Yogananda once said,

"Truth is not afraid of questions."

If you want to prevent yourself from contracting the many spiritually transmitted diseases (STDs) out there, there are a number of paths you can take:

1. Go soul-searching and study yourself

To study yourself is to know yourself.

Self-study means going on a journey to explore the deepest realms of your mind and heart. Self-study is synonymous with the idea of soul-searching: it involves diving deep into places most people tend to avoid.

Valuable avenues of self-study include,

reading books, studying spiritual and psychological teachings, attending workshops and self-development classes, going to psychotherapy, getting a spiritual mentor or teacher, journaling, practicing meditation, examining your dreams, doing shadow work,

...the list goes on.

There are many forms of self-study.

In fact, simply reading this article is a form of self-study, so kudos if you've read this far!

2. Be brutally honest with yourself

Easier said than done, I know.

But developing spiritual discernment means being willing to face the hard truth and facts about yourself.

If you don't like facing reality, you'll find it close to impossible to be honest with yourself and therefore practice spiritual discernment. Honesty and discernment go hand-in-hand, you cannot have one without the other.

One powerful but simple way of being honest with yourself is asking the question,

"Why am I feeling/doing/saying/thinking this?"

Try your best to dive deep into the core reason.

If you start feeling defensive, uncomfortable or threatened in any way, you have likely found the truth.

If you feel like you want to run, stop questioning or if you get the urge to distract yourself with something else, you have likely stumbled upon the truth.

Being honest with yourself requires sincerity and integrity.

The good news is that you can develop and strengthen these qualities by asking questions such as,

"Why?" and "What is really going on here?"

Other ways of being honest with yourself include, for instance:

Admitting when you make mistakes

Owning your strengths and weaknesses

Being mindful of your thoughts, feelings, desires, impulses, and shadows

Introspecting and reflecting on your habits, decisions, judgments, and motivations

Embracing humility and the willingness to be wrong

Because being honest with yourself can be so confronting, it's essential to cultivate some simple self-compassion.

Make sure that you forgive yourself and treat yourself kindly, otherwise being honest will become more traumatizing than nourishing.

3. See from other's perspectives

Explore alternative viewpoints.

Look into the pros and cons and the for and against of what is in front of you.

To practice spiritual discernment means to go beyond your limited perspective and determine what is real vs. illusion.

What do others say - popular and unpopular, famous and infamous, educated and uneducated, etc. - about the subject at hand?

Be careful of biases.

Seek to expand your understanding as far and wide as possible.

Often the realizations and discoveries of others are the missing pieces of the puzzle that inspire us to connect with a greater understanding.

4. Listen to your primal instincts

Your intuition or gut instincts are a manifestation of unconscious knowing.

When you "feel something is off" it's often because deep down, a part of you (whether on a heart, mind, and/or soul level) calls bullshit.

Pay attention to how your instincts feel in your body.

What sensations spread through you when faced with a tricky decision, an ill-intentioned person, or even a dangerous situation?

For instance,

some people feel butterflies in their stomach, pressure in their head, a lump rise in their throat, a feeling of dread, or like me, tingles up and down the spine.

Learn to tune into your body and how it feels in different situations to understand its unique language. (A regular mindfulness-based meditation practice can help you develop this.)

Connect with that wise and primal part of you and use it as an ally.

5. Seek and be receptive to feedback

Get feedback from trusted friends, peers, teachers, and therapists.

One way to test both yourself and others is to seek out a psychological or spiritual advisor and ask them to help you see where you're going wrong.

A competent and honest psychological/spiritual advisor won't be interested in affirming you at the cost of being truthful. Instead, they will help you to see any spiritual or psychological diseases you may be carrying - and how to remedy them.

The next step is perhaps the hardest:

will you be receptive and listen to the observations?

It can be difficult and confronting for the inflated ego to handle honest feedback as the entire purpose of the ego-self is to protect, pretend, and hide.

So be gentle with yourself but also be open to growing and evolving.

It's okay to feel emotionally reactive, but don't let that prevent you from accepting and integrating the truth.

6. Ask questions (and test your theories)

If you suspect something within yourself or another may be false/disingenuous, get to the root of it and ask questions.

Examples of questions you could ask include:

Is this true?

Am I being genuine?

Are they being genuine?

What is an opposing perspective that might be equally as true?

What is this perspective/belief lacking?

Am I/they spiritually bypassing?

Why does this not feel right?

What is missing here?

Is this intuition or fear speaking?

Are there any hidden motivations here?

There are an endless amount of questions you could pose, but the ones above provide a springboard for you to do some detective work or create your own questions.

The next step is to test your theories.

For example,

If you suspect that a public figure you admire and follow is not being authentic, test your theory.

Go through their work and see if you can find any instances of transparency, humanness, or vulnerability.

If the person is presenting an invulnerable image, something is most likely off.

We are all human after all, and even spiritual gurus aren't exempt from weakness and messiness.

7. Reflect and evaluate

Self-reflection is a vital stage in spiritual discernment.

How else will you discover where you may be going wrong?

The easiest and most widespread way to self-reflect is through learning how to journal.

Journaling is simply the process of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and discoveries in a journal or notebook.

I recommend creating a calm and atmospheric space for this practice.

Light a candle, burn some incense, make yourself a cup of tea, and put on some soothing music if it helps.

Getting yourself into a reflective mindset requires you to be quiet, still, and removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

You don't need to dedicate a lot of time to this activity - just ten minutes a day will do - but obviously the more time you can spare the better.

Find a time of day in which you feel particularly lucid (or mentally clear) and make a habit out of exploring your thoughts, mindsets, feelings, habits, beliefs, and shadows.

Start with one area of life that you would like to evaluate, for example, your relationships, work life, family commitments, personal goals, habits, addictions, patterns, etc.

Next, explore your thoughts and feelings towards this one area of life. You don't need to write a whole book - just a few lines or even words are fine.

After that, go a little deeper. Explore any dark or looming feelings you've been experiencing surrounding this topic such as anger, anxiety, frustration, depression, jealousy, shame, etc.

(Equally so, you may like to explore any overwhelmingly positive feelings you may be having such as joy, ecstasy, immense gratitude, relief, etc.).

Finally, explore why you might be feeling these strong positive or negative emotions.

Answer the following questions:

How are these thoughts/feelings impacting you?

What uncomfortable truth might be buried beneath them?

What might you not be considering?

What might you be bypassing, escaping, or ignoring?

Reflect on your answers...

Although this process can be difficult and challenging at times, you'll find, with time, that it's worth every ounce of effort doing - it leads to a kind of self-illumination.

As Henry Miller wrote in his book Tropic of Capricorn,

Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end.

What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind.

Spiritual Discernment is Like a Sword...

It cuts through all of the deception, traps, and BS.

It truly is one of our greatest tools of protection on the spiritual path.

I hope this article has emphasized just how essential spiritual discernment is on the awakening path.

To close, I'll leave you with a few inspiring quotes on spiritual discernment:

Sound judgment, with discernment, is the best of seers.
Euripides

Discernment is the ability to see things for what they really are and not for what you want them to be.
Unknown

We must learn to practice the art of discernment in making choices without judgment, to monitor carefully what enters our field.
Steve Rother, Spiritual Psychology

Where there is not discernment, the behavior even of the purest souls may in effect amount to coarseness.
Henry David Thoreau

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