If you follow your heart, you’re going to find that it is often extremely inconvenient.” -Acharya Pema Chödrön
Like most folks of mystical bent, I spend countless hours trying to discern God’s will. It’s becoming second nature, as much a part of my life as walking and talking. I was late in coming to this effort; my youth and adulthood were marked by an avoidance of conflict born of both gender norms and outright necessity. Of the latter, suffice it to say that people-pleasing was a useful strategy to dodge the violence I lived with as a child. As an adult, however, it had the opposite effect, and after being rendered a doormat one too many times, it was suggested that I develop discernment. So I commenced regular meditation practice, hoping, like Elijah, to hear that “Still Small Voice” of Spirit lighting my path.
There was a spiritual honeymoon, when friends were happy to see my efforts, actively encouraging me. But then discernment led me to places I didn’t necessarily want to go, to actions that upset people. What to do when God leads us to boldness? How do we hear the whispers of the Divine over the criticism of others? Maybe it’s practice, maybe it’s following in the footsteps of those who’ve gone before. Continue reading “When Discernment Meets Duress by Diane D’Angelo”
Feminism and Religion 