subject: WHEN TO TRUST YOUR INTUITION: FOUR TESTS [print this page] How do you know whether to trust your intuition?
Voices in the Head
Stories appear regularly in the news about people who have committed questionable acts based on what they say they received from voices in their heads. Humans process what they receive from their intuition through the filter of their own minds and their own view of the world. If there is darkness in that view or distortion in that filter, the message such individuals believe they have received can be similarly distorted.
Discernment
But how can you ever know whether a message you think you have received is genuine? The inner voice literature calls this process of determining whether you can trust any answer you receive, "discernment" or "verification." It has two elements. The first element is: what is the source of the message? Is it from the light within, or is it from society, from the mind, or from some external influence? The second element is: was the message understood as it was intended? Is this what your light within intended for you to comprehend? Or, like experiencing a nightmare in a dream, has your mind misinterpreted what your inner voice was trying to tell you?
Two Tests of the Source of the Message
As to the source of the message, two tests have proven useful over time. First, are you detached from the result? Can you get your thinking to the place where any result will be equally acceptable to you? For example, if your question is, "I can finish this pint of ice cream, right?" you are probably not detached. Second, does the message have an uplifting feel? If the light within spoke to you, wouldn't you feel spiritually uplifted, loving, at one with the universe? If the inner message you receive comes with a feeling of guilt, fear, judgment, demand, or flattery, that message is likely not from your light within.
Two Tests for Understanding the Message as Intended
As to whether you have understood the message that you have heard, there are also two useful tests. First, does the message imply harmlessness to yourself and others? Your light within will not tell you to harm yourself or another. Second, is the message practical? When you evaluate the message after the intuition session is over, is it practical and sensible? All truth is.
Other Steps
If you are still not sure about the message after you have gone through these tests, ask at another time to see if you receive the same answer. And, if you are still not sure, ask that your action be blocked if you have misunderstood the message.
Trusting Intuition
How do you know whether the answer you have received from your intuition should be trusted? Follow these proven discernment steps and you won't go wrong.
