Discernment of Spirits
If it's not Love it's not from God
Zone of No, Don't Go
Discernment of Spirits
Based on St. Ignatius Loyola's Ignatian Discernment of Spirits
According to Freud
The id is one of the three major components of personality postulated by Freud: the id, ego, and superego. The id is the primitive, basic, and unconscious part of personality. It fulfills a person's most basic needs. The ego, is the conscious and realistic part of personality. It acts as a director, managing the needs of id along with desires of the superego and reality. The id operates on the pleasure principle, which demands immediate gratification of needs. Satisfying basic needs for food, drink, and comfort is of the utmost importance. This aspect of personality does not change as people grow older. It continues to be infantile, instinctive, and primal. It isn't in touch with reality or logic or social norms. It strives only to please an individual's most basic urges and needs.
The ego emerges to moderate between the urges of the id and the demands of reality. The superego, is the learned internalized values and morals, emerges to try to push the ego to act in a more virtuous way. The ego must then cope with the competing demands presented by the id, the superego, and reality.
Freud's concept of the id has been criticized as being too simplistic.
Note: Thoughts start by neural processes in the brain. The brain receives signals from the environment and from past memories. This leads to a sequence of firing neurons which result in a thought. The premise of this exercise is to determine the nature of your thoughts and how to react to them.
Discernment of Spirits
Definition: When we become aware of the movements in our hearts. When we understand where these changes and movements come from. Then we are better able to either accept or reject them.
In other words discernment is a cognitive pause to understand the direction of these thoughts.
Discernment directs action. It is not enough to see and understand what is happening in our life, we must choose good and reject what is evil.
In it's most simplistic form, if it's not Love it's not from God.
These 14 rules are to teach us to recognize the Devil’s tactics and overcome them with God’s help. How to fight temptation and become free from spiritual oppression. The Spiritual life is about learning to recognize the voice of the Shepherd and the Serpent.
Follow what the Shepherd says and reject the suggestions of the Serpent! This requires faith in the Shepherd and trusting that He desires nothing but good for us. While understanding the Serpent only wants our destruction. One is always trustworthy and the other is always lying! If we accept this, then knowing who is “speaking” is important! These rules will teach us how to figure out who is “speaking”.
There are two fundamental directions in the spiritual life, moving toward God or moving away from Him. God and the devil work differently in a soul depending on which direction the soul is headed.
We must be aware that there is a war going on for our souls. Spiritual forces can amplify our emotional states or calm them. Remember that God desires our good and Satan desires our destruction.
1: Moving from God
» The evil spirit keeps them pleasured and entertained, helps them to grow in their vices.
» The good spirit stings the conscience with reason so the person feels guilty for their sins.
2: Moving to God
» The evil spirit tries to bite, sadden, and place obstacles in out path. Filling us with lies.
» The good spirit gives us hope, strength, courage, and energy, helps us by removing obstacles.
3: Consolation Definition
» When the soul loves its Creator or sheds tears of redemption out of sorrow for sins, or the passion of Christ. Joy that attracts the salvation of one’s soul, quieting it and giving it peace in God.
4: Desolation Definition
» In darkness of soul illustrated by disturbance, a movement to material things. Disquiet without hope, without love, finding oneself slothful, tepid, and sad. Alone, separated from one’s Creator.
5: During Desolation
» Be strong in resolutions made during time of consolation. Why? Because while in desolation the evil spirit speaks louder and more frequently. Key tip, don't change prior decisions when in desolation.
6: During Desolation
» Endeavor to increase time in prayer, meditation, and self-examination. Then apply suitable penance for any misdeeds or negative actions. Push for redemption with acts of mercy.
7: During Desolation
» Meditate. God is giving us a trial to enable growth. Which is done with God’s help. Even in the absence of feeling like God’s grace is there, it's still there. It's muffled to enable spiritual growth.
8: During Desolation
» Be calm, be patient! Contrary to the vexations of the evil spirit. Sincerely believe your salvation is at hand. Diligently use prayer, meditation, examination, and penance against desolation.
9: During Desolation
» We are tepid, slothful, or negligent in our spiritual exercises. A trial to see how faithful we are without immediate spiritual rewards. Fight against the evil spirit and don’t listen.
10: During Consolation
» Ride the wave, soak it up, enjoy the moment, and listen to the voice of the good spirit! Be strengthened by grace and reflect on a plan of action for the next time of desolation.
11: During Consolation
» Humble yourself and remember how little you can achieve without God’s help. Be thankful for the grace received and realize where it comes from! Remember the power of God’s grace.
12: Actions of the Evil Spirit
» The evil spirit stops tempting a soul who resists mightily, do the opposite of what he suggests. Don't give up in the face of temptation. Resist the Devil and he will take flight.
13: Actions of the Evil Spirit
» The evil spirit seduces souls with temptations and shame . Encouraging them to keep such temptations a secret. If we confess these things to a priest or a wise friend, this plan fails.
14: Actions of the Evil Spirit
» The devil also acts as a general, looking for the weakest spot to attack. He examines our virtues and goes after the weakest one. OK then you too must be a cunning general bolstering your borders by increasing in Faith, Hope, Love, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.
Good decisions in 3 easy steps by St. Ignatius of Loyola
How to Discern:
- Pray for openness to accept either choice you are considering. Prayerfully use reason to list positives and negatives for each choice. (imagine you are advising someone you love who has the same choice to make or you are at the end of your life, which choice would you like to say you made)?
- Choose: if one of the choices is obviously better based on the first step, do it! If there is not a clear choice, choose the one you are inclined to more, trusting in the Holy Spirit.
- Pray for confirmation: Ask God to bless your decision if it is His will for you to do what you have chosen. If you have chosen wrongly, ask God to make the correct path clear for you.
Note: ...need additional information Ignatian Discernment of Spirits, PDF
...there's a war going on. Pro Tip: Know your friends from foes. ...this work is ongoing
