A suggestion to raise your own intuition and discernment

[Keldan]

Reading through the forum, you’ll see a lot of different waves of information, and it’s hard to know what’s up if you’re not experienced with the subject. That’s why it’s better to strengthen your own intuition and discernment. So you can take in what’s coming from real lived experience and set aside what’s just theory.

Intuition and discernment are two very different things. Intuition is an inner knowing that helps you notice something before you can explain it. The sharper your intuition, the clearer that “knowing” becomes, and sometimes it shows up as sudden discomfort, a sense of calm certainty, or a strong feeling that something is off, etc. Discernment on the other hand is the skill of evaluating what you receive. Whether it’s true, misleading, deceptive, or simply not relevant, etc. It’s a skill you can practice and strengthen over time.

If I’m being quite honest, nobody is going to hold your hand and tell you what’s what in the metaphysical, especially what I’m currently saying. And if you cling to the wrong information, it can slow down or even hinder your spiritual path. I was lucky early on because I already had strong discernment, even though I went into this blind. That skill kept me from getting misinformed, and it helped me progress in my magickal practice much faster.

Your intuition and discernment also give you some much needed grounding, so you’re not stuck in the mindset of “everything is a sign.” They help you avoid manipulation from untrustworthy sources, like people who say things like “only I can save you,” or “pay more or else.” And they help you tell the difference between genuine insight and your own internal noise, so you don’t mistake the noise for revelation.

Go ahead and do your rituals and practice whatever resonates with you, but don’t forget to keep strengthening your own intuition and discernment along the way too.

 

[Drakaina1313]

I love this post, and is interestingly relevant to a discussion I had elsewhere recently.

I consistently tell students a few things:
Mundane before magical
What does your intuition tell you (instead of me just telling them an answer)?
It depends (the answer to several questions I get asked, haha)
Please do your own further research on this (whenever I answer a question).
I am human, I will make mistakes.

I do that because I do want them to develop their own discernment (and intuition) instead of relying on others for it.

 

[Cartae]

Any tips or exercises (ideally in the form of a game) to help develop intuition? Lately, I’ve been trying to guess playing cards by drawing one at random, with varying degrees of success (mostly not very successful). Interestingly, through a variation of this exercise, I sometimes manage to guess the card I haven’t drawn yet; by shuffling the deck after deciding on a card, I sometimes (rarely) guess the card that will come out of the pack. There’s no doubt that luck plays a part in this exercise, but it’s impressive enough for me to believe that listening to my intuition is indeed the right thing to do.


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

[Keldan]

Lately, I’ve been trying to guess playing cards by drawing one at random, with varying degrees of success (mostly not very successful). Interestingly, through a variation of this exercise, I sometimes manage to guess the card I haven’t drawn yet; by shuffling the deck after deciding on a card, I sometimes (rarely) guess the card that will come out of the pack. There’s no doubt that luck plays a part in this exercise, but it’s impressive enough for me to believe that listening to my intuition is indeed the right thing to do.

Instead of trying to force an exact hit, use the exercise to learn how your intuition communicates. The point is not “did I guess the card?” So your goal is not to become right more often. Your goal is to learn the difference between intuition and guessing.