What does discernment mean to you? What does judgement mean to you? Which one has the energy that serves the greatest good of all? Of your and my highest expression of self in this lifetime? How can discernment be more fully embodied?
I have been exploring this for many years. It first came into my awareness when I was studying with one of my teachers in 2010. I didn’t have the bandwidth then to really explore the differences of the energy of the two words then, but I knew it was important. I FELT the difference of the energy in the words. Feel these two words and the effects in your body with each:…. discernment ……..judgement.
Do you feel the difference when you say these words, individually, to yourself or out loud? For me, discernment has an energy of softness and strength. It invites me, to consciously engage with the energies around me and choose boundaries if needed. Discernment is a word that carries an energy that is infused with love. Judgement has an energy with a sharp cutting effect to it, a ripping apart. A black/white, right/wrong edge to it.
Judgement was my knee jerk reaction back then, and it was an unconscious happening. Even today, when I am off center or experiencing a wobbly point internally, I see it. It’s so quick to pop up, whether it’s judging myself or others . And it has been valuable for me to see and feel that that is my “go to” knee jerk reaction when feeling triggered or in an inflammatory state of being. AND, now, I am conscious of the quick reaction of judgement. Truthfully, I may not see it in the moment, but once my triggered feeling begins to soften, my vision clears. I see it. I feel I am being given an opportunity actively shift, unlearn or refine that knee jerk reaction of judgement to allow discernment to grow. And it’s through Awareness.
And how about you? Do you see a pattern you have carried with judgement? If so, would you being willing to shift more towards discernment?
The invitation is to notice when you react in judgement mode, to yourself or others. Once you notice your reaction is judgement, just name it: “oh, that is judgement.” It’s more of a mental attack on yourself or others. It shows up as a “right or wrong” type of thinking. You know what I am talking about. Just having that awareness, can allow a shift to occur. Try this experiment for two weeks and see what shifts in you.
In a world that can feel so divided at times, it takes a village to shift old patterned energies. Those shifts start with awareness, one person at a time. You. Me. Thank you.
