The Radical Wisdom of Discernment

I have been thinking a lot lately about “fake news” and what that really means.

With so much information available to us, from so many sources, it is easy to be confused about what is fact and what is fiction and to be sure that we haven’t, intentionally or not, narrowed our sources to those that confirm our inherent biases and beliefs.

I am drawn to the idea of discernment (“viveka” in Sanskrit). Paraphrasing, the yoga sutras say “the means to liberation is discriminative discernment.” To me, this means that there are good ways and not-so-good ways to make decisions and knowing the difference is important.

So, although it may not be possible to be certain that you can completely trust the information you receive (and some information may change so quickly it is hard to keep up), it helps to feel some peace of mind regarding your information sources and equanimity regarding your thoughts about a topic or a choice you have made.

Discernment is a process that is ideally ultimately grounded in intentionality and wisdom. You may look to sacred texts and wise counsel, look within through meditation or quiet contemplation to examine personal preferences and whether you need to let go of a need to be right, and seek a variety of informative sources, keeping in mind that almost all have their own biases and agendas.

It is also important to be able to withstand the discomfort of another person differing from you in their choice or conclusion about something. Being comfortable with your own decision-making process is a step in that direction.

Join us this Thursday in our monthly Women’s Wisdom Circle as we explore how discernment can be part of developing “radical wisdom.” We can’t wait to welcome you!

With love and light,

Denise