Discernment
Word Origin and History for discern
late 14c., from Old French discerner (13c.) “distinguish (between), separate” (by sifting), and directly from Latin discernere “to separate, set apart, divide, distribute; distinguish, perceive,” from dis- “off, away” (see dis- ) + cernere “distinguish, separate, sift” (see crisis ). From <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discern>
discern
verb dis·cern di-ˈsərn, -ˈzərn
Definition of DISCERN
a : to detect with the eyes <discerned a figure approaching through the fog>
b : to detect with senses other than vision <discerned a strange odor>
2: to recognize or identify as separate and distinct : discriminate <discern right from wrong>
3: to come to know or recognize mentally <unable to discern his motives>intransitive verb: to see or understand the difference
Origin of DISCERN
Middle English, from Middle French discerner, from Latin discernere to separate, distinguish between, from dis- apart + cernere to sift — more at dis-, certain
First Known Use: 14th century
From <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discern>
Dis: separate/Cernere: by sifting/-ment: the act of
To see all the parts
Which is truer: discernment of the heart or discernment of the mind?
We all know that there are things we just know from the inside out and that they are true. Part and parcel of our innate understanding or discernment of the world. This is your heart speaking to your mind. This is your irrefutable knowingness of what is. This knowledge comes from direct experience between you and the universe.
Then there is the stuff we learn from the world… like 2+2=4. Or the name we have for the color of the sky is blue. Or the name I am called by is Alison. Or, if I touch that hot burner on the stove, it will hurt. Our mind knows these things because we have learned them. We can discern that a picture of a hot burner on a stove is not the same as the real thing… But it is real enough to remind us of that pain we felt when we did touch the real thing. That re-minding brings that fact into the forefront of our mind and we cringe a bit.
In all the information floating around out there in the world and on the internet and its types (dis-info and info: notice the ‘dis’ we now know is separate, not of) we alone can only discern what is true by our hearts and our minds. Sometimes we use both, and go on the ‘hunt for the smell of chocolates’ down the rabbit hole. Sometimes that produces connections to things that ‘ring-true’ in our hearts, and sometimes we just know it’s all bullshit.
Let me just point out ONE THING here: external information (mind) can be twisted, played with, warped and changed to suit whomever and look however they want it to. In the world ‘PROOF” exists in this realm because it can be faked and twisted really well by those who are masters at it. HOWEVER, discernment from the heart is true, unfettered by others and cannot be tampered with.
So as you go down the various rabbit holes and follow all the paths in your fact gathering, just remember to pass it through the ultimate true filter, YOUR HEART. LISTEN CAREFULLY. Then go from there.
In the Mind's Eye 