From: nagasiva <tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com>
Subject: Discerning the Will of God/True Will (LONG; Was Discernment...Spirits)
To: fiatlvx@cmns.think.com (Christian Magick Elist)
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 16:38:08 -0800 (PST)

kaliyuga
49960101 [original text 290; this file 350]

|			 Discernment of Spirits
|			 ======================
|			by Fr. Andrew Miles, OSB

[much excerpted]

My commentary on same wrt discerning the Will of God/True Will in
preparation for what I like to think is Christian magick (a personal,
social and cosmological tranformation).  Caution is urged to the
conservative reader as I interpret traditional teachings in manners
likely not conventional.


|Is there any way to sort through all of these conflicting voices? 

There are many methods of coming to hear the One Voice, yes.


|...has God provided us with ways to know his truth?

That is debatable.  Some maintain that God does not have a hand within
this world of objects and matter and gross material corpulescence.  Some
equate God with Inspired Man, and acknowledge the divine source of all
scripture.  Needless to say, opinions vary.


|...God has revealed his truth in Jesus, who is for us God's "Way and 
|Truth" (see John 14:6). 

Our job thereafter, as Biblical Christians, is to determine the location
and character of the Christ so that we may effect this Way and come
to know His Holy Father.
 

|Through Jesus he has also given us his Holy Spirit who is the "Spirit 
|of truth" (John 16:13) to guide us by his inspirations and by his 
|gifts of wisdom and discernment.

Some call this Holy Spirit 'She' and presume this to be the Motherly
aspect of the divine within Christian tradition (notably feminists,
but other esotericists as well).  Some associate the HS with the 
Holy Guardian Angel of Hebrew and Hermetic philosophies.


|Jesus, his Spirit, and his message are received and handed on to us in
|the community of believers, the Church, which Paul says, is "the pillar
|and bulwark of truth" (I Tim. 3:15). The Church does this especially
|through the Scriptures which are God's inspired word, and through her
|many other expressions of life and teaching.

Our job thereafter, as Biblical Christians, is to determine the location
and character of the Church and the Scriptures.  Some maintain that
these are available on the exoteric -- they manifest within the old and
reliable institution of the Roman Catholic or other Christian structures.
Others, likely more heretical and disposed of dangerous views, indicate
or imply that these identities are different for each person and have
no consistent or definable physical place.


|GOD'S GIFT OF DISCERNMENT

|The gift of discernment is simply God's Spirit within us giving us the
|ability to recognize what is from God and therefore good and true, and
|what is not of God and therefore untrue and harmful to us. 

These be subtle words some would interpret in very limited fashion.
I tend to enjoy most renditions.  Very lovely.
 

|The Bible indicates three principal areas where this gift is most needed:
|    (1) to distinguish truth from falsehood (see I John 4:6);

From my _Blue Denim Bible_:

	I John 4:6 -- But we belong to God.  Whoever knows God
	              listens to us; whoever does not belong to
 		      to God does not listen to us.  This is
 		      the way, then, that we can tell the
 		      difference between the Spirit of truth
 		      and the spirit of error.
Comment:
	This is not a means of discerning literal truth from falsity,
	but a means of hesitant intuition in coming to evaluate
 	spiritual authority; a way of first arriving at the
 	best sources regarding matters that concern our immortal souls:
 	watch for people who offer silence, reflection, who can really 
 	hear what we are saying, who have a depth of peace and silence 
 	and listen with more, even, than just their ears.  

This reminds me greatly of a bit of text concerning inquiries about
the tao contained within the 'Cosmo-Opticon' (a work of revelation 
given unto me in reverie):

	Ask first from those who speak of Tao,
	They shall not answer.

In essence it relates not to a simple dead-end, but a redirection.
The best spiritual teachers do not answer the eternal questions for
us, but instead direct us to a more profound source of instruction
(some would say 'ourselves', others 'God', some don't essentially
distinguish between these two).


|    (2) to know God's will (see Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 5:17); and

Again from the Blue Denim (yes, it is bound in blue denim! :>):

	Romans 12:2 -- Do not conform outwardly to the standards
		       of this world, but let God transform you
 		       inwardly by a complete change of your mind.
	 	       Then you will be able to know the will of
		       God -- what is good, and is pleasing to him,
		       and is perfect.

	Ephesians 5:17 -- Don't be fools, then, but try to find out
			  what the Lord wants you to do.

Comment:
	This, in tangent, does lend some support for the notion of
	'outlandishness', especially as it conforms to an inward
	process of spiritual transformation and repentance.  As
	Mr. Ward wrote, the objective is not a display of egotistic
	self-importance, but a linking of oneself to what is in
	Islam be called the 'inner whisperings of the heart'
	('heart' == 'qalb'); that quiet voice of the Holy Spirit 
 	within our lives.  Looking to the Lord, Our Savior, we shall 
	not be led astray by the flash and intensity of the worldly, 
 	but may reside therein, fluctuating as Hir image in a 
 	continual and magical Creation.


|    (3) to know what is morally good and pleasing to God (see Ephesians 5:10 
|        and Philippians 1:9-10).

	Ephesians 5:10 -- Try to learn what pleases the Lord.

	Philippians 1:9-10 -- This is my prayer for you: I pray that
			      your love will keep on growing more and
			      more, together with true knowledge and
			      perfect judgement, so that you will be
			      free from all impurity and blame on the
			      Day of Christ.
Comment:
	There is the process, and there is the result.  Discernment of
	the Will of God is aided through a deep knowledge of what
	likely repercussions can be expected in following out that
	which we have been shown by the Almighty in Hir compassion.
 	Should these results not be forthcoming given sufficient
	exploration, then we are best advised to reconsider the path
	upon which we have set our feet. 

	Some of these qualities are here enumerated by the Apostle
	Paul, including the emergence of greater and greater
	capacity for love and related emotions (what I call the
	development of compassion); the resilient and humble  
	comprehension of rational analysis and its limitations in
	the ascertainment of truth (what I'd characterize as the
	emergence of wisdom -- language is a fallible measure, at times,
	in assessing this); and an ability to discern the quality and
	relation of an activity, scripture or individual with respect
	to oneself and one's Salvation.
	

|OBSTACLES TO DISCERNMENT

|...habits of sin and infidelity to God ...

Thus the value of repentence and reliance upon the Bible, the teachings
of the Lord, and the reflection of these within the Church.
 

|...the complexity of our human nature. As Jeremiah recognized long
|ago: "More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy;

Indeed, it is said within some Muslim circles that it is through the
very qalb by which we may hear God's Word that Satan whispers His
insidious and confusing deception.  Whether Satan is working on the
behalf of God (tempering/testing) is of course widely debated.
 

|OVERCOMING THESE OBSTACLES

|...a deep and sincere conversion to God - which means making your life 
|God-centered instead of self-centered, accepting the Lordship of Jesus 
|over every area of your life, and desiring in all things to be led and 
|guided by his Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately this is a description of a result more than a method.
That is, it is an indicator of the Way by which we shall come to
know the Lord and accept Him in our lives, but it is not a specific
prescription in detail that we may apply without interpretation.

Specifically, determining what and where God *is* in our lives so as to
perfect such a conversion, determining of what this conversion consists
within the context of our individual life, whether and where the
difference between the self and God lies, what is meant by 'accepting
the Lordship of Jesus' (we presume this is not simply an intellectual
effectation), and coming to know the qualities and character of the
Holy Spirit.  All these are precursors to an attempt at conversion 
in a Christian sense as I know it.

For this we needs follow the previous numerical suggestions (esp. 2,
in relation to God's Will), or, as many prefer, placing faith in the
exoteric Church as a guide and proceeding from there.
 

|...a humble mistrust of our own judgments, and a desire to be taught 
|by God. 

Certainty is the death of the spirit as I know it.


|...a willingness and even a desire to receive correction from others. 

Thus the value of finding sources of reflection who may truly hear us.
Those who project upon us or mouth words they have learned from their
own sources in response to us may send us away from Salvation.


|Following upon conversion and humility is the importance of prayer.

I interpret prayer as indicated here to be comparable to what is called
'mindfulness' within Buddhist teachings: diligent and unrelenting
attention to myself in bodily, mental and spiritual facets.  Knowing
the Way of God and retaining uncertainty does not mean that I have
perfected the rigors of self-observation necessary to retain my hold
upon the Way of Salvation.
 

|...begin to nourish your mind and heart with God's word. 

This, as I have been taught, is central to the path of the Hermetic
as it manifests within what is called the 'Oath of the Abyss'.  As 
represented by Crowley and others, this oath consists of treating
all phenomena within one's perceptions as the dealings of the Almighty
with one's self in a direct 'Conversation'.  I tend, also, to draw a
direct parallel here with the Hermetic dictum 'as above, so below' --
an identity relation of mystical purportions between oneself and the
divine.  In this way I am not so inclined to express my support of the
Word as revealed to me as the 'Absolute Truth', since there are many
possible evaluations of the relationship (e.g. God is all in my mind, 
I am God, etc.), let alone the potentially faulty quality of my
interpretation.


|CRITERIA OF DISCERNMENT

|...not to trust every spirit ...  "put the spirits to a test
|to see if they belong to God" (I John 4:1), 

This is parallelled in Buddhism by the emphasis that the teachings
within the exoteric are not to be blithely accepted without question
by the sincere monk.  They are to be tested within the arena of one's 
experience, using what I would characterize as scientific scrutiny.

Some interpret these words of John in a very literal sense, attempting
to utilize symbolic associations to the name of the spirit so as to
be sure of its identity and motives (often 'verifying' the result with
gematric evaluation).  I would advise first a connection to God by 
whatever criteria before dealing with spirits of any sort, since in 
this way we may make use of Hir divine wisdom as a sort of barometer
and prevent catastrophe.


|1. Holiness of Life

|...walking in the light (1:6-7), 

See mindfulness above, as well as expressions of many mystics as to 
the character and enthusiasm (spirit-fulfillment) of their lives.


|keeping the commandments (2:3A), 

Exoteric Christians (and many Jews apparently) accept those to be found
within the book _The Bible_.  Some are given alternatives to or discover 
initiated meanings of those given within the Old Testament.  Some even
associate the term 'commandments' with 'natural principles' (cf the
Wiccan notions of the Three-fold Law of Return, according to which we
ought act if we are Christian Wiccans).


|keeping God's word (2:5), 

Acting in accordance to the expression of God as revealed within my 
perception.


|living as Jesus lived (2:5-6), 

Simply, humbly, being the Messenger for the Gospel within our world;
not necessarily through preaching but especially through witness or
example, and ultimately (this is the magical part) becoming the Logos
and spreading this Word to every corner of the land (see Crowley's
examination of the various Magi of his understanding, as well as their
Words, within his wonderful book, _Liber Aleph_).


|and acting in holiness (2:29; 3:7). 

I'd compare this to centering and grounding which precedes many arcane
rites, and think of it as a sacred space which may permeate the entirety
of my life should I cleave to the Lord as I'm able.


|..."You can tell a tree by its fruit" (Mt. 7:20).

Precisely, and this advice can be used to discern the relevance of
anther's teachings after first assessing them for silence and listening.


|...When we no longer listen to or care what the Spirit is saying to 
|the churches (see Rev. 2:7), we open ourselves to deception.

And this is the danger of the path of the solitary, since she has no
trek with the orthodox and revealed wisdom of the ages.  However, with
modern printing presses and academics of religion this is less of a
problem.  Finding my *own* Church (in the mystical sense, my kin) has 
been more of an emphasis in my life and my avoidance of deceit.


|...operate (a) in a spirit of openness and of listening to others, (b) 
|with a sense of accountability of how my actions might affect others, 
|and (c) in a spirit of submission to those in authority within the 
|Church (see Web. 13:17 and I Thess. 5:12).

This need not only speak to the exoteric.  'Authority' within the
esoteric is perhaps more subtle and determined subjectively, with
a keen and practiced ear.  New Agers and Hippies speak of 'vibes'
and 'resonance' here, and books by Mercedes Lackey describe a
comparable 'authority' of an artistic sense (I'm reading _Magic's 
Promise_ right now) as the *power* a Bard has to have hir listeners 
*live* the experience of hir songs.


|This is especially important when it comes to our attitudes toward our
|bodies, our sexuality, our emotions, our social life, our political
|involvements and all that is authentically human. In short, we accept
|ourselves and our world as good even as we recognize its need for
|healing and liberation from sin. (Read 1 Timothy 4:1-5 and
|Romans 8:19-21.)

I felt this needed emphasis.  Too often I've heard Christians portray
these things as 'worldly' and 'evil' when instead it is our relationship
*with* them which can become problematic and counterproductive to
the health of our spirit.


Thank you, Mr. Ward, for contributing this wonderful essay to the elist.
And thank you all for your time.

tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com
nagasiva