Honing Spiritual Discernment Through Inward Self-Observation
TL;DR
- Spiritual discernment is an intuitive knowing, a sixth sense, or divine connection that is innate and crafted by life experiences, not merely biological instincts or psychological survival mechanisms.
- The "inward turn" involves an obsession with one's own felt experience and reactions, requiring self-observation of physical and emotional responses to understand underlying triggers and messages.
- Emotions are not indicators of discernment; true discernment requires moving beyond emotional reactions to understand their root causes through shadow work and self-analysis.
- Trusting discernment, even when it means turning down desired opportunities or making inconvenient changes, leads to better outcomes and reinforces self-trust, proving its validity over time.
- Prioritizing internal guidance over external validation is crucial for staying aligned with one's soul, enabling decisive action without concern for others' opinions or judgment.
- Past trauma, particularly experiences of manipulation, gaslighting, and unwarranted punishment, can manifest as an "impending sense of doom" that logic cannot resolve, signaling a need for inward exploration and emotional narrative rewriting.
Deep Dive
The core argument is that discernment, a spiritual "gift," is an innate intuitive knowing that can be honed through an "inward turn"--an obsessive focus on one's own felt experience and reactions. This inward focus, particularly when external trust has been broken due to manipulation or gaslighting, allows individuals to distinguish between genuine intuition and mere emotional responses. The second-order implication is that developing this capacity for discernment leads to a more aligned, divinely guided life, marked by greater self-trust, peace, and the ability to make decisions that serve one's highest good, even when inconvenient or counter to external expectations.
The inward turn, as described, involves a profound self-observation, paying meticulous attention to physical sensations, emotional states, and thought patterns without immediate judgment or the need to change them. This process is distinct from simply reacting emotionally; it requires understanding the "why" behind feelings, often necessitating deep introspection and "shadow work" to unravel past traumas and ingrained triggers. The consequence of this diligent self-inquiry is the heightened ability to recognize misalignment--when one is acting against their true inner guidance. This discernment acts as a protective mechanism, preventing individuals from making choices based on external pressures or false motives, as demonstrated in the examples of apartment hunting and car purchasing where trusting an initial "off" feeling, despite logical appeal or external pressure, ultimately led to better outcomes and avoided significant financial or emotional repercussions.
Furthermore, the cultivation of discernment has profound implications for emotional healing and self-worth. By revisiting past traumas and re-framing them through the lens of self-compassion and empowered defense, individuals can rewrite negative emotional narratives. This process directly counteracts the lingering effects of gaslighting and manipulation, which erode self-trust and create a sense of worthlessness. The ability to trust one's own inner knowing, regardless of external validation or logical inconsistencies, becomes the primary source of self-worth and resilience. This leads to a downstream effect of greater confidence in making difficult decisions, such as walking away from potentially lucrative but misaligned opportunities or cutting ties with toxic relationships. The ultimate outcome is a life lived in alignment with one's soul, characterized by peace, joy, and a deep trust that decisions made from this inner knowing will always lead to a better, more fulfilling path.
Action Items
- Audit personal emotional triggers: Identify 3-5 recurring emotional responses and document their root causes (ref: inward turn).
- Track 5-10 daily sensations: Observe physical and emotional reactions to external stimuli to build self-awareness (ref: inward turn).
- Create a personal "gut feeling" log: Record 3-5 instances where intuition provided guidance, noting the outcome.
- Practice non-reactive observation: For 1 week, observe 2-3 social interactions without immediate judgment or response.
- Evaluate 3 past decisions: Analyze choices where logic and intuition conflicted, noting which was followed and the result.
Key Quotes
"I didn't realize I was wasting $415 a month until I downloaded Rocket Money. I thought I had my finances under control until the app laid out all my spending and categorized it for me. Takeout, shopping, and unused subscriptions were quietly draining my account, and as a result, my savings took a backseat."
This quote highlights the speaker's realization of significant financial leakage due to unmonitored spending. The speaker explains that the app revealed hidden costs from takeout, shopping, and subscriptions, which negatively impacted their savings.
"My soul wants to talk about the gift of discernment. I have to show you something first, though. This is so cool. I finally got the gold YouTube plaque. That means we hit a million subscribers. There's a million of you who fuck with me. I love you really bad. Oh my god, it literally got delivered right before I sat down to film this, and I'm really happy I didn't quit as many times as I wanted to just say, "Yeah, I'm over it. I'm done with the podcast crap." As much turmoil as I've been through with the deals and the management of this and that, I'm glad I didn't stop."
The speaker connects the achievement of a YouTube plaque for one million subscribers to their personal journey of not quitting, which they link to the concept of discernment. This quote shows the speaker's gratitude for their audience and their relief at persevering through difficulties in their creative endeavors.
"The spiritual discernment is the one that I now have a year of firsthand experience with, and I now see it was my whole life. But when I say everybody's born with it, everybody's born with it."
The speaker distinguishes between biological instincts and spiritual discernment, asserting that everyone possesses the latter from birth. This quote emphasizes the speaker's personal journey and newfound understanding of spiritual discernment, which they believe is an innate human trait.
"When I say inward turn, it's like an obsession with your own felt experience and the way that you emotionally, physically, and spiritually react to things. When you can't trust anything outside of you, when no mirror is accurate in your external reality, you have to turn inward."
The speaker defines the "inward turn" as a deep focus on one's internal reactions and experiences, particularly when external validation or reality feels unreliable. This quote explains that this inward focus is a necessary step when external circumstances do not provide accurate reflections of oneself.
"When I talk about emotions, emotions are not the indicator of discernment at all, and that's where it gets very tricky when you try to use your intuition and listen to it. It's not your emotions, and when you don't know how to get above your emotions to observe, you get caught in your emotions thinking that you're being guided, and you're not."
The speaker clarifies that emotions should not be mistaken for spiritual discernment or intuition, warning that mistaking one for the other can lead to misguidance. This quote emphasizes the importance of observing emotions from a detached perspective rather than being consumed by them to access true discernment.
"So my thought is, imagine I get into the unit. He's saying I can rent it for a year, and then I'll have first dibs on if I want to renew it for two, three years, because I would have had to furnish the entire place. That was one of my concerns. I don't want to have to furnish the entire thing and then him kick me out. How do I now know that you're going to trust that you would honor that?"
The speaker recounts a situation involving a potential apartment rental where they express concern about the landlord's trustworthiness regarding future lease renewals after significant personal investment. This quote illustrates the speaker's discernment process, where they prioritize safety and integrity over convenience or potential financial gain when dealing with potential deception.
"But my intuition was pinging off the wall. I did not care that I got the apartment. "Oh, I got the good news. Okay, now they're willing to take your offer even though it was lower than the other guy's. Other guy fell out too." Now you're sitting here like an idiot with your dick in your hand. You ain't got no tenants who want to rent from you, you lying little rat."
The speaker describes a moment where their intuition strongly signaled against accepting an apartment offer, even after the deal seemed to fall through and then miraculously became available again. This quote shows the speaker's reliance on their intuition, which alerted them to dishonesty and potential manipulation, leading them to reject the offer despite its apparent advantages.
"The other thing with this that I feel like I need to say is when you follow your soul, you can't care what anyone thinks. That inward turn has to be inward, because I don't make no qualms about any change I want to make whenever I want to make it."
The speaker asserts that true alignment with one's soul requires an inward focus, free from the concern of external opinions or judgments. This quote explains that this internal focus allows for decisive action and change without being swayed by what others might think.
Resources
External Resources
Tools & Software
- Rocket Money - Mentioned for its ability to track spending, identify unwanted subscriptions, and negotiate bill rates to save users money.
Websites & Online Resources
- rocketmoney.com/cancel - Provided as the URL to get started with Rocket Money.
- ondeck.com - Provided as the URL to apply for Ondeck's small business line of credit.
Other Resources
- Ondeck's small business line of credit - Mentioned as a financial tool providing immediate access to funds up to $200,000 for businesses.
- YouTube plaque - Mentioned as a symbol of reaching one million subscribers.