3 keys to making the right decisions or how to live with discernment
Before developing this subject, I would like to share with you a little story called "the clothes of the old wise man".
"A Sovereign, having heard of the great wisdom of an old man, invited him to dinner out of curiosity.
But the day before, the wise man came to the palace dressed as a beggar. And no one paid any attention to him. When he entered, he did not even have time to reach the dining room, when the King's guards rushed before him. And so that he should not defile the royal floor any further, they led him to the kitchen where he was offered some leftover food, including rice. The wise old man ate and left the place afterwards, without saying a word.
The next day he returned to the king's house, this time dressed in his best clothes, and they hurried to seat him in the place of honour near the king. But as soon as the servants brought the dishes, the wise man's reaction surprised everyone: he took the food in his hands and put it in his pockets
The King was annoyed, but said nothing. As soon as the last course was brought in, the wise man took a full handful of rice and spread it gently on his beautiful kaftan (tunic on the right), saying to him:
- Here is my kaftan, it's for you!
Astonished, the King called out to him at once:
- But...! Have you gone mad, you who are said to be so wise?
After a brief silence, the old man replied:
- Majesty! Yesterday I came here in my beggar's clothes and they gave me the scraps as if I were a dog... Today, I arrive richly dressed and they honour me! It is therefore my kaftan that is invited... It is therefore normal that it is he who feeds himself...!"
This story is anecdotal but it speaks so much about us, about the world around us where deceptive appearances are so much easier to look at because they are so much more complacent.
It is sometimes difficult to question oneself, it requires efforts, sometimes well beyond what one could accept.
I remember a saying: "the easier it is at the beginning, the more complicated it is afterwards". This is a wise saying that has stayed with me because it is so full of truth and wisdom.
To live with discernment is a necessity
The outside world constantly presents us with situations, images, sounds, emotions, choices, problems to solve, and decisions to make. If we do not master the art of discernment, we can become servants of any forces, worlds, intelligences that are not necessarily welcome and do not lead us to happiness, fulfillment, serenity, the high goal of our soul
The wisdom of living with discernment is an art of living with awareness, being strong enough to see in the subtle the forces, the spirits, the intelligences that are behind a state of mind, an emotion, an image, a reaction, a gesture, a word, a being that comes towards you. It is also the ability to let or not let these influences enter inside oneself, to make the right choices to keep oneself in balance, in inner harmony
The man who knows how to live with discernment is a being equipped, strong, who stands in dignity, a nobility. In all circumstances, he can remain vigilant, be an observer, make his choices consciously, act from his own inner center, from his own aspirations, from what he believes to be just, good and true.
We live in a world where everything pushes us to lose our discernment, so great and powerful are the solicitations of the outside world, so many choices are available and above all, so accustomed have we been to accept everything, to welcome everything, whether it be thoughts, concepts, images, information, music, food, ways of working, the authority of teachers, governments..
It is essential to recover a form of inner authority and nobility, the strength to become free individuals again, acting from our own ray and making the beauty of what animates us appear in pure truth, in the depths of our being. If we really want to walk on the path of the Light, we must be able to regain the dignity of making our own choices, not only with regard to the acts and decisions of our life, but also with regard to the subtle influences, the states of mind, the thoughts, the emotions that we accept, what we want or not to let act through our being
To live with discernment is a necessity, a strength and a protection in order not to be impregnated by undesirable influences, to know how to choose at any moment and to take back the rudder of our life.
The 3 keys to cultivate discernment
1- Look at things as they are.
How to know if a word, if a gesture, if an act is true is right?
It is so easy to be manipulated in today's world. And it is true that some people are masters of illusion, manipulation and lies.
St. Matthew said: " By the fruit of the tree you know it ".
This means that it is in his actions that we know if a man/woman is good or bad. And by focusing only on actions, on reality, we push the door of illusion and the veil of appearances.
And so, instead of focusing on beautiful words, on seemingly beautiful gestures, look at their consequences, look at their fruits. Look at what is really behind it. Not what you want to see, but the things as they really are.
This is a big key.
Because when you are not born with this virtue, and when you don't have the organs inside you to make the right decisions, you have to focus on the facts and nothing else. Just look at whether these facts are good and right, and what they generate.
2- Accept to question yourself
To be able to live with discernment, you must be willing to educate yourself, to accept that you have often let yourself be impregnated unconsciously by beings and worlds, to accept to see them, to recognize that you are not necessarily the master of your life when you think, feel, speak or act
Questioning yourself is often not an easy thing to do. You may be in denial of the truth/reality for several reasons:
- it requires efforts and you are not ready to make them
- it touches too deeply your concepts, your beliefs, your education
- you cling to illusions and ideals
Denial is the attitude of refusal to take into account a part of reality, experienced as unacceptable by the individual. In psychoanalysis it is a defense mechanism, by which the subject refuses to recognize the reality of a perception felt as threatening and/or traumatic.
It constitutes a necessary protection in front of the reality so distressing that it can cause a psychic collapse. It acts like the lid of Pandora's box.
It is in fact an unconscious strategy of emotional management, a protective measure in the face of emotional shock. Like an invisible wall built to protect oneself from danger, denial allows the shock to be absorbed. In these cases, it represents a necessary step to support the psychic pain. It offers a necessary time to prepare oneself to face it.
In the end, the truth only appears to the eyes of the person who wants to see it.
3- Knowing how to say yes and how to say no.
The great freedom of man lies in the fact that he can open or close a door, in the fact that he can say yes or no. In this "yes" or "no", you affirm your identity, your reality, your freedom and you also weave the threads of your future destiny
It is only you who must know when to say "yes" and open the door and when to say "no" and close it. It all depends on the circumstances and you are the only one in charge, the only judge, because only you can say "yes" or "no" for you
The problem with not knowing how to say yes or no in your life is that at some point, if you do not take a stand, someone else will do it for you and decide for you.
Only your own inner light can guide you and tell you when you should or should not close the door, say yes or say no. Because if you rely only on external things and not on your own inner center, how will you be sure that you have made the right choice for you?
So observe and ask yourself internally:
"What doors are open in me that should be closed?
What are the ones that are closed and that I should open?
To conclude
Life will always bring events, circumstances, situations on your path that will test your inner strength, your determination, the direction of your life.Faced with everything that presents itself, all your internal centers are constantly solicited and can be captivated, even captured, by worlds that are not naturally in harmony with your life path
Without being indifferent, you must constantly refocus and be in the right discernment before acting or reacting. For that, you must be able to make certain virtues live within you that will protect you from emotionalism, from reactivity: concentration, awakening, meditation, consciousness, discernment, stability, clarity, lightness, balance, detachment, purity, wisdom..
The main key is to know yourself from the inside and to know how to refocus, to find your balance, your uprightness.
The symbols of sacred geometry are precious tools for that. I have discussed this subject in many articles on our blog. Do not hesitate to go and consult them.
Words, gestures, images, are vibrations.
Look inside yourself to see how they resonate and whether they generate beauty or unhappiness.
Choose the vibrations that you want to welcome within you. Let yourself be guided and let your heart and soul choose what suits you, what touches you, enlightens you, opens a path of transformation, healing and fulfillment
Be active for what you believe to be true.
Don't be passive and unaware but always awake and vigilant to the influences that want to hurt you.
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Sources :
Living with discernment at Essenia Editions