INTRODUCTION TO...
|
Spiritual Gifts of
Discernment
by Rev. Judith A. Baldwin
Excerpted from the forthcoming book,
The Spiritual Gifts of Discernment, by Rev. Judith A. Baldwin
That which is looked upon by
one generation as the apex of human knowledge is often considered an absurdity by the
next, and that which is regarded as a superstition in one century, may form the basis of
science for the following one.
-- Paracelsus
Humankind is spiritually ripe; or at least a growing number of us are. Perhaps it is
the anticipation of apocalyptic events which urges us back to our spiritual roots. Or
perhaps we have grown weary of the limits of the reasoning masculine mind bereft of the
intuitive feminine mind. In any case, isn’t it strange that 20th century humankind
should at once be irrevocably drawn toward spirituality, and yet be ignorant of what
qualities and skills are inherent in a spiritual being?
 With the intention of reclaiming the knowledge of
our inherent spiritual nature, let us look backwards to pre-history, and retrace the
journey our thinking has taken. Once this was a world where spirit and human were
inextricably linked, where every experience was rooted in the rich soil of spiritual
overtones. But we turned away from our spiritual heritage and sought after what was
intentionally spirit-less.
Before the historical period, the human and
non-human species which inhabited this earth, relied upon a sixth sense to sustain
themselves. This visceral knowing, or gut feeling, was present in all of nature long
before we learned to rely solely on what we now call the five senses.
Throughout history, were it not for the
hierarchical pronouncements which declared spirit, mind and body as being different
"stuff," Western science would not have discounted the remote internal sensing
we now call intuition, or non-local mind. In other words, our thinking would not have
veered away from what was natural to life on earth; that is an inner knowing, or
intuition. In time, this prescribed disowning of "aspects" of our spiritual
selves, resulted in the ostracism and even murder of those most intuitively gifted or
spiritually advanced.
Across the millennia the faculty of thinking,
passing from universal mind to individual human, can be recognized in these distinct
stages of human consciousness.
A Glimpse at the History of Thinking
- In the beginning, human and nature were entwined. This human was a being belonging so
entirely to the natural processes of the world that she was without an individuated
consciousness. That is to say, the consciousness of this "natural being" made no
personal response to the impact of nature. Rather nature and she were one. Until this
"natural being" evolved enough to detach from the organic process, and observe
natural events through the eyes of onlooker as opposed to inherent participant,
mythological history could not begin. For history belongs to human beings with
consciousness sufficient to separate enough to view events from some distance, no matter
how slight; and not to natural beings so finely interwoven within the matrix of nature
they could not be differentiated from it.
However, there was a price for humankind’s
extrication from natural beingness. It was the loss of, or the denial of natural
clairvoyance, clairaudience, and the other psychic faculties, intrinsic to natural
being’s experience. Without an individual consciousness, natural being shared
unselfconsciously, or naturally, in thinking which was the purview of higher intelligence,
or greater beings. Natural being was so close to the spiritual world she was more aware of
spirituality than she was of the physical world around her. This was the time of mystical
"history" when humankind intrinsically knew the secrets of the cosmos.
- The epoch of "natural being" came to an end between 4000 and 3000 BC and was
typified by the people of the Middle East who civilized and socialized their existence.
They precipitated a startling transformation of consciousness when through language and
writing they defined themselves, and thus separated themselves from the natural world
around them. Now were they more observer than participant in the greater experience of
Life. At this point, they declared themselves no longer the puppets of the gods or the
spirits, and began to disregard their inner knowing. Thus, with this separation from the
spiritual world, they began to exclude themselves from their natural though unconscious
birthright, the inherent experience of psychic awareness.
- As we cross the bridge of socialization to ancient Greece, we find individual thinking
humanizing universal intelligence through the great myths. Now is humankind weaving her
own thoughts and beliefs, replete with the capacity for human error. Whereas fate once
rested in the hands of the gods, individuals proclaimed themselves masters of their own
destinies. So wanes the ancient faculties which gave birth to mythology; and thus is born
humankind’s own creative powers. In 700 BC at the beginning of the Greco-Roman Age,
we find the first blossoming of Western art, architecture, drama, poetry, oratory and
politics.
Fading is the reliance on intuition or inner
knowing. Thinking now is based on logic as exemplified by Aristotle’s reflections on
perceptual stimulus and response. This kind of thinking was to last more than two thousand
years.
- In 325 AD the Council of Nicea made the disowning of spirit official. The Council ruled
that humankind would no longer consist of spirit, but only of soul and body. Thence
forward the spirit was relegated to an intellectual quality of the soul. Quite literally,
by eradicating the individual human spirit the Council closed the gates of the spiritual
world for the mass of humankind. Only the hidden Orders of Initiates retained the
knowledge of spiritual realms and the capacity for spiritual vision, and the original
gifts of discernment.
The Dark Ages (A.D. 476 to about 1000), inexorably
followed the Council’s ruling. Humankind turned away from the light of spiritual
inspiration from the end of classical civilization until the revival of learning in the
West. The belief that thinking, arising solely from the physical brain, is the way to
reach ultimate truth would last into the Middle Ages.
- The 14th century Renaissance which ushered out the Middle ages, led Western mind to
quickly become familiar with the forces of the physical world in order to harness these
forces for material ends. Now does mind turn fully toward invention, investigation,
technique and the properties of matter. Humankind was at the gateway between handcrafting
and industry. Yet this was not so much a sign of greater mental acuity, but rather the
result of mind moving into a new sphere.
- In the fifteenth century Western thinking is following sense-derived observations. By
the sixteenth century the dawn of the age of science and materialism is well underway. As
with the later Greek mind, ideas are "real," and phenomena, including and most
especially mystical experience, has become insubstantial.
Francis Bacon, the father of modern science,
expresses perfectly the mood of this age: "Reality only presents itself to us when we
look upon the world of the senses. The senses alone provide us with realities, the
realities of empirical knowledge." Thus was the age of inductive reasoning underway,
and the Western mind was now fully separated from its former awareness of spiritual
origin; and alone in a mind devoid "heavenly help." Science is the
"place" to worship, and observation and experiment are "holy."
- Thus did the Western mind completely sever the link to the spiritual mind. By the
beginning of the seventeenth century, consciousness was focused on materialistic
existence. Spiritual faculties were kept alive only within the secret lodges of the
craftmasons who had built Europe’s great cathedrals, and the secret Orders of
Initiates and their Mystery Schools.
- In the present moment, thinking has descended even further from its spiritual
beginnings. It has turned into cold inhuman abstraction; the kind of thinking which
spawned nuclear weaponry, ethnic cleansing, genetic experimentation and manipulation,
environmental devastation of this planet, and the proposed rape of distant planets, all in
the name of scientific advancement. Now have we unleashed powers which our thinking cannot
control. We have arrived at the threshold of our annihilation—and/or our new
beginning. Perhaps our salvation lies in the full reunion of body, soul and psychic
spirit.
But wait, what if all is not lost? Can the mind actually lose some of its inherent
properties? Can the powers that be actually dictate the quality of our
thinking—without our acquiescence, that is? Is it possible for us to actually fall so
far from the original blueprint of consciousness?
Thinking is but the product of the mind, not the
mind itself. Perhaps as our thinking moved farther and farther away from our spiritual
essence, so did the expressions of our souls until what was once inherently spiritual now
is exclusively mental. If that were so, at the deep inherent level of being, or our
natural state, we would not be changed at all. Rather we would be expressing ourselves
differently, though not really changed. Our thinking and beliefs may have wandered far
from the original us, but the original self remains nonetheless, regardless of the
wandering.
That being so, what if history is no more than a
subjective perspective of what has occurred? What if there are parallel histories: one
seen by thinking humankind, and one seen by spiritual humankind? What then would be normal
and what paranormal? What believable and what extraordinary?
It is intriguing that in our Western dictionaries
psychic is defined as extraordinary mental processes; while the ancient Greek defines
psychic as of the soul. Further exploration of the dictionary reveals "psyche"
as "the spirit or soul. The mind [non-local] functioning as the center of thought,
emotion, and behavior."
So another word for soul is psyche, which
also means mind and self. And mind comes from the Greek menos, for remember,
indicating that the psyche has a past. While self comes from the Sanskrit swa,
meaning one’s own, oneself. Then does it follow that psychic skills are the gifts of
the spirit resident in our original mind?
Discernment comes into the equation because these
original gifts were meant to be used to guide we spiritual beings safely through our
earthly adventures. After all, discernment is defined as "the act or process of
exhibiting keen insight and good judgment." Spiritual wisdom admonishes us to be wise
stewards, and so we shall be with spiritual discernment.
Though we have been anesthetized, deadened,
blinded and deafened, we long for our spiritual gifts of discernment, or psychic
faculties, in which is encoded our spiritual certainty, to show us the way to reawaken our
sleeping Self.
In the seventeenth century, the Cartesian dogma of
dualism pronounced the rational mind king, and the felt sense as second rate, unimportant
and unreliable. Perhaps three and a half centuries later it is time for a fresh start.
What if we changed Descartes’ "I think, therefore I am" to "cogito
ergo non sum, I think therefore I am not?" For clearly we now know that it is only
when we stop thinking that we begin to be. And perhaps science would like to join in the
experiences of spiritual being. As Charles Tart so clearly stated in his address to the
Second Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1993: "...we would also
be fools not to let the potential and power of genuine spirituality inspire our scientific
efforts, lest the world expire in that slough of despondency known as scientism."
Even though it would seem that although there is a
conflict between spirituality and the current scientific paradigm, the paradigm is not
science. It’s just the scientific belief system adhered to at this point in history.
Right now science is faced with an unexplainable anomaly: that is it has no explanation
whatsoever for the existence of consciousness. The fact that we humans are, each and every
one, beings that have experiences is undeniable.
Day after day every scientist on earth must face
the fact that they are a conscious being. Yet nowhere within the current scientific
paradigm is there a prediction that life is conscious. Indeed, this is a scientific
anomaly. Itself mystical and nearly ethereal, quantum physics has given scientists the
means of exploring the human experience heretofore unreachable. Because of the quantum
correlations now confirmed as present in nature, one wonders if perhaps the original
sense, that is the intuitive or inner felt sense, is the natural sense, and therefore the
first sense.
Quantum hologram research leads us to this
conclusion and explains virtually all the psychic or intuitive experiences and effects
that humans have reported during historic times.
Further, as science moves into the next paradigm,
the superparadigm, it will see that consciousness is primary; and space, time, matter and
energy emerge out of consciousness.
Spiritual Gifts of Discernment
For every physical sense there is a corresponding spiritual gift, or spiritual
"sense." Humankind is ready at last to resurrect and redevelop these gifts.
Seeing / Clairvoyant: One who sees clearly; seeing beyond what the physical
eyes can see; acute intuitive insight or perceptiveness; visionary; ability to
"see" into the etheric world and other dimensions; ability to see lights,
shapes, colors, geometrical figures, auras, thoughtforms, discarnates, other worldly
beings, etc.; understands the meaning and significance of messages and/or symbols; ability
to reach into another vibrational frequency and ascertain symbolic information; can see at
will or spontaneously; best accomplished in meditative or alpha state.
Subjective clairvoyance is "seeing"
within the mind, or behind the eyes, seeing on back of eyelids or back of forehead.
Objective clairvoyance is perceiving a vision at a
point in outer space, like watching a play or a movie.
One is advised to keep clairvoyant visions under
control, perceiving only when desirable or advisable. Being besieged by or interrupted by
constant visions can rob the seer of her own life. Such continuous psychic intrusion and
distraction can lead to nervous disorders or mental illness.
Hearing / Clairaudient: One who hears clearly; hearing of things beyond the
range of the normal perception of physical ears; hearing the music of the cosmos; inner
hearing of profound words, or hearing important messages from other dimensions;
understands the meaning and significance of messages and symbols; can hear at will or
spontaneously; best accomplished in meditative or alpha state.
Subjective clairaudience is "hearing"
within the head.
Objective clairaudience is "hearing"
words, music, sounds from "out there."
A more rare skill is tuning into the subtle
vibrations and frequencies of nature to hear the sound of grass growing or flowers
opening. One is advised to keep this skill under control at all times. Uncontrolled or
incessant sounds, voices and messages can interfere with tasks at hand, become extremely
distracting, cause accidents, and eventually lead to psychotic breakdown.
Feeling / Clairsentient: One who feels clearly; inner sensing or feeling;
hunchability; inspired feelings and knowings; especially sensitive to "gut
feelings" and whole body sensations like "shivers" or "goose
bumps;" synonymous with intuition; understands the meaning and significance of
feelings; can feel at will or spontaneously.
This kind of psychism is easy to develop but it is
doubted the most. Clairsentience is the least disturbing to the feeler because it comes
within the body at any time and does not take her attention from other things. It is often
disregarded, or when noticed, is quickly put aside.
Knowing / Claircognizant: One who knows without reason for knowing; clear
knowing; meaning and information come into the mind like downloading a computer; knowing
"bottom line" information without benefit of data; appeals to the masculine.
"I don’t know how I know, I just know"; understands the meaning and
significance of information; can know spontaneously or at will.
Sensing / Clairempathy: One who feels or senses the physical, mental,
emotional sensations, impulses or thoughts of another; a form of telepathy; ability to
tune into an area or event and feel the attitudes and feelings of those who were present;
understands meaning and significance of feelings; can sense spontaneously or at will;
often used in police work.
One is not clairempathic unless she can discern
which attitudes, thoughts and emotions are hers and which belong to another.
It is advisable to keep this skill under control
so one is not overridden by symptoms, conditions and reactions which are not one’s
own. Taking on another’s responses can lead to confusion and uncertainty, and
eventually sickness.
Smelling / Clairscent: One who smells clearly; smelling odors, foods,
fragrances not in one’s surroundings; can indicate an omen such as being in the
presence of a high being; e.g. essence of rose indicates presence of a Christed One;
frequently a psychic taste accompanies the smell; understands the meaning and significance
of the smell and/or taste; can smell at will or spontaneously.
Tasting / Clairsavorant: One who tastes without putting anything in the mouth;
clear tasting; frequently a psychic smell accompanies the taste; understands the meaning
and significance of taste and/or smell; can taste at will or spontaneously.
In addition to the spiritual gifts, we are gifted with the spiritual sensitivities and
the spiritual faculties, all of which are part of the original endowment of our spiritual
blueprint. Mostly that endowment has "rusted and atrophied," laying in wait for
us to reclaim it. Such a reclamation asks of us the same kind of commitment and discipline
needed to refine any skill or attribute.
There are prohibitions to the spiritual gifts
built into the beliefs, personalities and behaviors we have adopted. Likewise there are
tools which aid and refine our lifestyle, allowing us a greater expression of the
spiritual gifts; just as there are instructions for expanding the spiritual faculties and
honing the spiritual sensitivities.
It is likely that not all the spiritual gifts,
sensitivities and faculties will be highly developed in all of us. Some may remain
potentially ours, while others may mature. Just as we are not all talented in the same
ways, so we may not all express our spiritual talents to the same degree. Still the
potential is there, and as humankind evolves more abundantly into the full expression of
spiritual giftedness, what seemed exceptional will be the norm. Our spiritual future is
guaranteed. In this we can rejoice. A child of God is a spiritual prodigy whether she
realizes it or not. Even though she may never choose to develop the full allotment of
spiritual giftedness, the gift is nonetheless given. As with any real gift, only she can
say if and when it will be received.
References
- Mitchell, Edgar, Foreword in, Graff, Dale E., Tracks in the Psychic
Wilderness, Element Books Inc., Boston MA, 1998
- Ravenscroft, Trevor & Wallace-Murphy, Tim, The Mark of the Beast,
Samuel Weiser Inc., York Beach Maine, 1997
- The American Heritage College Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston
MA, 1993
- Roll, William G. in Body Mind Spirit, (Charles T. Tart, Ed.) Hampton
Roads Publishing Co. Inc., Charlottesville VA, 1997
- Sagan, Samuel, REGRESSION Past -Life Therapy for Here and Now, Freedom,
Clairvision School Foundation, Sydney Australia, 1996
- Tart, Charles, Second Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago
IL, 1993.
- Russell, Peter, Annual Meeting of International Society for the Study of
Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, June, 1997.
- Bletzer, June G., The Donning International Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary, The
Donning Company, Norfolk VA, 1986
|