Stone Four

Discern: It is my responsibility to discern what works for me and what does not, always remembering that what may not resonate with me today may resonate at another time.

When we leave the familiar and branch out into the unknown, we take small steps and test the footing beneath our feet. We might have left a religious organization or been shoved out of it, but regardless of the circumstances, we must learn to walk on our own and find our own way. Unfortunately there are those who would approach us with their claims of knowing the right way and having the roadmap to get us there.

We enter into these new alliances with trepidation. After all, our blind faith might have been responsible for our previous loss of spiritual grounding. The best advice I know to give is for us to learn to listen to the voice of The Divine. By taking one step at a time and checking for solid spiritual ground, we move forward even if it feels as if a one-legged turtle moves faster than we do.

One of the most helpful lines in this step is the reminder that what doesn’t resonate today, might resonate at a later time. We might not be ready for certain changes and areas of growth. Some things might not resonate simply because they are so unfamiliar or because our former religious system taught that certain things were wrong, evil, or of the devil. These denouncements were meant to help, but often the result is closed-minded people who can’t be persuaded of any other point of view except what their former religious leaders tell them is truth. We question, test, discern, and use our Divinely-inspired common sense. We will know what works for us and what does not.