Is It a Sign? Exploring Spiritual Discernment

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey everyone, on this week's episode of Whispers from the Mist: Conversations from the Spiritual Byway, we are exploring spiritual discernment and talking about how we make sense of the moments that make us pause and wonder. We're going to share recent personal stories and then discuss ideas of repetition, patterns, timing, and frequency, and how those things shape the way we interpret the world around us. Because while we may not believe much happens by coincidence, we also believe not everything is spiritual. Discernment helps us stay grounded while remaining open. So with that, let's continue this conversation along the spiritual byway. Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of Whispers from the Mists, Conversations from the Spiritual Byway. I'm Michelle and I'm here with Stacy. Hi, Stacy. Hi. What are we talking about today? Well, we're going to be talking about spiritual discernment. But before we start, I had an experience the other day that I just kind of wanted to break down for a minute because it's one of those where I did have to use a little bit of spiritual discernment, but not really because it came in, it came in as a feeling. But I was in my room and it was nighttime. I was trying to sleep. And all of a sudden I'm like, there is an energy or something in this room. And then I felt like something near my ear. I thought I saw something across the room. My husband gets up in the middle of the night and usually wanders around. So he was in the other room. And so when I woke up and got a chance to see him, we had gone for a walk and I asked him, like, this is gonna sound so crazy, but there was something in the house last night. And he goes, You think? And I go, Well, what happened? And he said, He was out in the other room sitting on a couch, and like this breeze just shifted and went by him, like somebody was walking by him. Oh interesting. Isn't it though? And I guess I'm sharing this because I love when an experience can be validated by someone else in the house. And it's not just me sitting there thinking, oh, I think there's something here. Oh yeah, it's messing with my ear.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Oh yeah, I'm being watched. It allows you to step into a little bit more of that. I don't even want to say like confirmation, but you feel validated in those moments too. And, you know, because we're talking about spiritual discernment today, we can tie it right in because sometimes you think, okay, did I experience this? Or is it my imagination that this that this happened?

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Right? Exactly. Or is this really a sign and is this really happening? Or am I giving something too much credit right now?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

And and the fact that your husband had, you know, an experience of his own when you also had an experience just gives you that. Again, I'm I'm gonna use the word validation, but it allows you to go, okay, okay. So I was I was spot on, and that's pretty neat, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:20

It feels really good when you can say, Oh yeah, I was spot on. So it doesn't always happen. You don't always get that validation from other people.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

You don't, and and there must be something in the air because I actually too have an experience if you'd like to hear it. Oh, do tell. So yesterday I was at work at my part-time job, and I got up to go and clean out my water bottle. I just have a regular blender bottle, it, but it's metal, so it's heavy. And I'm rinsing it out, emptying it out, and I set it on the sink next to where I was working, but far enough away that it was on a flat surface and was solid. And all of a sudden, loud crash, bang, whatever. And I look over, and my cup, my metal cup is on the floor. And I went, huh, that's interesting. And there were other people in the kitchen where I was with me. And she went, How did one of the other young ladies that I was with was like, How did that even happen? And I said, You know what? I don't know. I have no idea. But it was almost like someone walked up and just went and knocked it off the countertop. And so she and I walked out of the kitchen kind of chatting about it together, and she goes, Must have been George, because that's what they refer to, the spirit that, you know, they've all kind of encountered in the building as George. George just saying, Hi Stacy, I'm here.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Yeah. Wow. What an incredible experience. Again, because you weren't the only one there. And in those moments, spiritual discernment seems to be dissipated. I don't know how to say it, but spiritual discernment, I mean, other people are having the experience, so you don't have to question it as to where it's coming from. But I guess we should share what spiritual discernment is. It is the energetic feel behind an experience. And it's all about being able to tune into your inner voice and determine if the information coming through to you is something like a spiritual nudge or just a neutral life event. It's just happening because it happens. Right. Which to me, you know, that kind of steps into coincidence. I don't believe there are any coincidences, but I don't believe everything's spiritual either.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Right. So it's a conundrum. It is. And I feel like spiritual discernment kind of also steps into is this my imagination or is this intuition? Because you can kind of step into that feeling of what is the difference? If I'm if I'm discerning something spiritual is happening, how does that feel different than this might just be a coincidence or a human experience?

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Exactly. And I know I would love everything to be that spiritual nudge, but also I want to take myself seriously and I want to learn to listen to my intuition and to understand how it speaks to me. And so I always go through that discernment. What else could it be? Like the other day, I sat my phone on the edge of the couch, and nobody was moving, but that phone fell onto the ground. And I'm like, hmm, nobody moved, but maybe it's the slope, maybe it's this, maybe it's that. So I tried to move the phone around, and sure enough, it wasn't anything spiritual. It was just the curve of the couch. And I've done it like a dozen times since then. Um so I'm like, okay, I can rule that out. But it's important to not get so caught up and so just assuming everything's spiritual and to really see when those signs are coming through and how to differentiate them.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

It, it, it really is. And it's interesting because I feel like a lot of um people in my life recently have been talking to me a little bit about different spiritual experiences that they've had that they've questioned. And yesterday, a friend of mine was telling me that she was out trail running. And she said, There is an area on a particular trail that she does not enjoy going through. And she said, There's nothing wrong with it. But there's something about one of the trees that's next to the trail that just puts her on edge. So she goes, I'm running on the trail yesterday and I hadn't even thought anything of it. But I get past this point and she goes, I trip I end up tripping. And she's like, I take two steps, I catch myself, I'm fine. But then it feels like someone came up and pushed me between my shoulder blades, and I ended up like she showed me she cut her knees, she cut her hands because she was like, I was shoved. And so she was like, I kept going because she was training for a race. And she goes, when I came back through, because it, of course, you know, you don't just get to run through this one area just once. She goes, I was looking at the ground, I'm looking around to see like what would have caused this. And she goes, I started just talking out loud, like, hey, I'm here, I'm coming through. Like, let me pass in in peace, let me pass safely. And she's like, maybe I just need to talk to whatever this presence or whatever this is out there. And it was such a cool, discerning moment where she's like, No, I definitely had this experience. This definitely happened, but I don't know what to do with it. And I don't want to believe it's real because it's a little scary. Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

And that is a huge theme when it comes to spiritual things. Sometimes people just can't handle the information. So they make up other reasons for it to happen. But I love how she, you know, as she went back through that space, she's looking around. Is there anything that I tripped on? Is there anything that could have caused the fall? Did I bump into a tree? What else could it have been? And I think that's important to do because that does again offer two validation and it helps you feel more settled, I think, also with the possibility of.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

Yeah. Yeah. I think the next couple of sentences was would you come there with me and check out this area? And I was like, absolutely. I I would be happy to go to this trail and see this space that you're having these experiences in. So are you doing that soon? Hopefully. Okay. When I have a free moment.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

That's kind of crazy right now. Well, I know for me, when things come in spiritually, and it's not all the time, but it just has a different, and I want to use the word glow around it, but it's not really a glow. I don't know how else to explain it. It just something is put in front of me, and if I need it for later, there's absolutely this feeling of hold on to this, even though it seems so random, even though it's just like, oh, someone's name was said in a movie or something, even though it's so random at the moment, it's like file it away.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

I love how you're using the word glow, because when you say glow, my brain processes it as like a feel, a different feeling, a different aura. Because whenever, whenever we meet people and we are introduced to someone's energy or someone's an energetic field at any capacity, they have a glow around them that we are essentially stepping into. So when you're using that term glow, I immediately go, okay, but it it has a feel to it, it has a specific feel that you're stepping into going, this it feels different. It feels like pay attention, like a neon sign going, pay attention to me. And so glow is just it's it's a beautiful word to use for it.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

And I love the words that you use there. You used aura, things like that. And that's really what it feels like. It feels like there's just more to it. So thank you for putting more definition to it.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Well, well, I loved, I loved the term glow because you have me thinking about when I am trying to discern the difference between a spiritual experience or a coincidence or, you know, something that's just human that that maybe I I'm not paying attention to, I immediately know it's it's an intuitive hit because of that feel. It feels different than, you know, I put my phone too close to the edge and it fell. It feels just like it, it just feels a little different.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

And I will say I had another experience the other day, and I went through this whole discernment process. I had been upstairs, I had to go down to the garage to get the food for the dog. And when I open the door, the garage opener light up top was on. But that only turns on if you push the open button or after you close it, it stays on for like five minutes. And neither of those things happen. So I walk into the space that should be dark, no reason for the light to be on. And I'm like, why is this light on? Is this spiritual? Is this a message? Well, I did go upstairs, I let the dog out, and I heard this really weird sound in my left ear. And I'm like, no, I think this is spiritual. It's just that energy reaching out. But you go through all these different stages and try to say, well, maybe like there was, God forbid, a mouse that ran across or a snake that slided across the garage. Right. Um, I don't think it was that. And both my husband and I were upstairs. We hadn't been outside. So maybe it was a malfunction electricity-wise, but it's never happened before.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

Well, and that's where you just kind of note it and and you put it in this file for later of like, okay, this happened. Maybe it was perhaps I'm gonna have um the lights turning on moment where something just occurs to me that that I've been waiting to figure out. And it's interesting that we're talking about discernment right now because I had I I feel like now that you're sharing your moments, I'm like, oh yeah, I did have one of those where I was like, huh, that's interesting. Huh, that did happen. I was in an older building one day last week, and it was we were kind of in the basement, and there was, you know, bathrooms, obviously. That's that's a thing that big buildings have. And I went into the the women's room, and there were two individual stalls, and there was motion sensor hand towel thing. Yeah. And I was the only one in the bathroom, and I was in my stall, and all of a sudden, you hear brrrrrr, and the towel comes down. And I was like, Okay, okay. So I walk out and I look around and I'm like, it it really is motion activated. You have to wave your hand directly in front of it. And I was like, all right, whoever's in here with me. Like, it was that moment of uh questioning my own sanity. Did this really happen? Did I hear this? And then walking up going, nope, the towel is down, nobody else is in the in the room with me.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Cool. It doesn't really matter how long we've been walking our journey where we've been open to these experiences, they still take us by surprise. And we still have that reaction, like, am I going crazy or did this actually just happen?

SPEAKER_00 15:13

Yeah, and and it doesn't matter. Like, you know, you can have this black and white example of being in a room by yourself and all of a sudden the hand towel comes down and it's only motion activated. Nobody else is in there going, all right, that was interesting. Like, cool. Like, I'm at least I'm not peeing alone now, I guess. Like, you know, but there's no the conversation's not great. I just I appreciate that you have the towel ready for me. But it it always too, and I'm I'm sure you can also speak to this or or agree, it gives you this feeling of sometimes a gentle like, you're not alone. You're not alone.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

You're not alone, or you're on the right track, or just like a thumbs up from the universe, or something like that. I do, though, think being discerning and having the capability to step into something that you find different, it's a very valuable tool to have. So again, you don't just get sucked down this road as everything's a sign, because as much as I wish everything was a sign, not everything is. You watch these ghost hunting shows, and that's what debunking is. It's bringing in discernment and saying, what else could have caused this?

SPEAKER_00 16:34

And it is so important.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

It is, it really is. And I've found, because I've sat with this for a while, that there are really different ways when you're looking and trying to discern a situation. There's different things you can do. One of them is like a frequency check. When something happens, you can pause for a moment and sit with that feeling and decide: does that feel light? Does it feel meant for me? Is it neutral? Is it supportive? Like what is the feeling of this? Or is this making me feel very anxious and like those lower vibrational energies? So kind of check the frequency of where things are in the moment. Right. And then the second one when you're walking through that feeling trying to discern something, is the repetition check. Does this thing keep showing up? Is it getting more intense? Is it less subtle? Is it in different contexts? Like when is it showing up?

SPEAKER_00 17:45

I love that. And I also think I would add to that particular question, what does it feel like? Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Yeah. How how is it making you feel? I will say, and this does jump into the repetition, and that's why I'll share it here. But a few years ago, I went to a haunted location with three other friends, and on that trip, we had a situation with a seatbelt, a car alarm dinging because it said someone was sitting in a seat where nobody was. I remember this. And in that particular moment, that one just felt very spiritual because of where we were going, because we had called in our angels, our guides for help. That one felt very spiritual. And I remembered holding on to that feeling.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

You know what's interesting is even though I've heard the story before, you share it with me, and I get my confirmation chills every time you share that story. So I'm sitting here listening to it, knowing the entire situation, going, woo, it definitely was spiritual.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Yes, and it was just so it wasn't unexpected. I mean, we were there to have experiences, but when it starts before you get into the house, I mean, you just have to say, that's kind of cool. So that happened when we went to the Sally house. A couple years later, going to the Velisca house, I started having car issues on the way to the airport or actually direction issues. I knew how to get from my hotel to the airport, but I still put it into maps just to make sure. And it kept trying to reroute me away from the airport, which I'm like, this is very interesting. And then when we landed, got the car, immediately the tire alert started going off and dinging. So I'm like, there's something here about cars. Well, you know, fast forward then last year when I went to Seattle, I was driving in from Arizona to Las Vegas to fly out, and my car got a flat. So every single time, and it's the only time things really happen where dinging of bells are going off or issues with cars are happening, is when I'm going on something spiritual. So I'm seeing a pattern there. It's repeating. And so for those, I don't really have to wonder because I know I'm getting redirected or there's some something coming.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Yeah, something's making you pause. And it's so interesting because again, like you and I have known each other throughout these experiences. And while I wasn't present like physically for them, every time you're reshare, even when you're resharing with the the the tire and the beeping, I just keep getting the full body chills. So one of the things that I will, I guess, step into a little bit for a moment is the feeling of like for me, intuitive hits. When I have an intuitive hit, I tend to get full body chills or like goosebumps that that that like goose flesh happens. And I know it's spiritual because I can feel it. It like it's almost innate energetically in me, going, yep, that's real. Like that's that's really happening, versus when something is really not, and I go, okay, that was nothing. You know, uh sharing the story about the paper towel thing in in the bathroom, full body chills. So I knew, but I still walked out and I'm looking around, going, what else could do this? You know.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

That's so funny as you're talking about full body chills. I'm just gonna piggyback off the story I was telling about the light in the garage. I came up, went to the the back door, opened it, heard a ringing in my ear, and I'm like, nothing has ever rang or dinged in here and turning around to walk out of that room and getting the body chills. I'm like, okay, I I forgot about those till you meant you mentioned them because they're so not often that they happen, but they do for me also happen in confirmation.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Yeah, and and that's I I don't like to call them confirmation chills, but for me it's this there's something spiritual occurring around this. And it may, it may or may not be a message either. And this is also, I think, a big piece of discernment is sometimes there is a spiritual present that's just there and just a spiritual presence. You know, I walked out of the bathroom, got my paper towel, dried my hands, and left the bathroom, and that was it. It didn't feel like anything more was connected to it other than like a slight nod going, hey, you're not alone. You know, I didn't really feel like, oh my gosh, I need to sit in meditation. There's a message in this for me. Thank you for waving in front of the motion and you know, giving me paper towels. It felt more like, dad, you're not alone. You can move on with your day. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_01 22:41

It does. And that really does step into another one of those things you can do in a situation when you're trying to discern something. If it resonates with you, if you have the experience and you're still thinking about it later, chances are it was a spiritual experience. Yes. Because it does stay with you. It lingers. You keep going back to it. You can't let it go. I know for me, a lot of times when really important information is coming through, it becomes cyclical. Like it won't let go of my mind. It just keeps going back and back and back to it. And it drives me a little bit baddie, but I know it's important. So I make note of it.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

And and to that point, you know, we can have spiritual experiences. And even if like we're sharing our stories right now, and I I think I had just said, like, now that you're sharing your experience, I actually did have one because I stepped away from that experience. And it's not that I forgot about it. It was that it was a spirit uh an experience in the moment and I walked away from it and it didn't, it didn't come back around. Does that make sense? So I not coming back around to me is just a, yep, that happened. We can move forward.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Yes, and definitely sometimes that can happen. But other times when you're questioning it, it keeps coming back. Yeah. Resonating. And I hope you put it down in your little journal about your spiritual experiences. But I think it's one of those things that happen and they're just at this point. So I don't want to say common because there's nothing common about them, but like we just know it's a nod or a wink. So we don't always put everything down into our little journal. I try to, but honestly, like we were talking about the whole time warp and like time slowing down. And I said I have nothing in my journal. It's just when it happens, I don't think about I should write it down.

unknown 24:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:37

Yeah. And and that's, I think for me, you you're asking me if I wrote it down in my journal. And I can't even remember the last time I wrote anything down in my journal. I will be so honest with you. And it's because I think these moments come and go often enough that maybe I'm not putting enough stock into them. And that could be, it could be that I'm just fully invested in human experience right now, which is the other thing that we can talk about around discernment for a moment, is even when we have spiritual experiences, if we are too human or we are so in our human experience and involved in what we have been walking through that during the day to day, that we may not, it's not that we ignore them, but we may not put the stock into it that we normally would spiritually. And, you know, one of the conversations that I know you and I have had, because you have been beautifully patient with me and trying to track me down to schedule this session with me. And you also know that I've been so ingrained in being human that it's been a challenge to find a good time for both of us. And that is a big piece, an important piece, I think, of spirituality as well is to understand that it's a wave, it's not a straight line.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

No, it's an ebb and flow. And I get so frustrated. I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but I will. I have fallen out of my regular meditation practice and trying to step back into it right now. And it is all about the ebb and flow in life. It's not that I'm not talking to my guides, it's not that I'm not taking those moments, but I need that meditation to help ground me and to anchor me into the spiritual part of me during my human experience. I'm gonna be honest here too. I get a little ticked off with the world around me when I'm not getting the signs that I want to be getting. So when I get those nods, I'm always very happy. And, you know, my guides are probably sitting here going, Oh, get over yourself, Michelle.

SPEAKER_00 26:53

Or they're saying, Michelle, we're we give you signs like every other minute and you're not listening to us. So what do you want us to do? Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 27:01

And while we're talking about this, I had a really cool sign the other day when I was walking. I got out of my car. I was about to enter into a park, and I'm like, oh, I'd love to see a little yellow bird because maybe it, you know, my grandma and I had this yellow bird thing in my mind. And so I got out and immediately saw a yellow bird. I'm like, oh, that's so cool. And then I saw like 20 yellow birds. And I'm like, that's really weird. There are not yellow birds here. I'm like, I automatically step into discernment. Like, do birds change their coloring like in a day? I what what else could it be? So the next day when I got out of the car to do the walk, I'm like, okay, we'll see if these yellow birds are here again. I saw the first one, which I felt like a nod from my grandma, and then I didn't see another one, and I haven't seen one since. Interesting. So I mean, I'm just stepping into the discernment then. Even though I asked to see the yellow bird, I did, and then they were everywhere. And then nothing. Nothing. That's just an example of discernment and how you know you step into it and start looking for explanations about it. So we talked about already, you know, doing the frequency check, kind of like how does it feel to you? We talked about a repetition check, when's it showing up? How's it showing up? Is it sticking with you? And the last one I wanted to talk about too is a timing check. Like is a moment showing up to you right after you answered a question? Or does it come after you've had a conversation with someone? Or does it come when you're asking for a sign? Like, what is the timing of whatever happens? Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Right. And that I think is is important because if you're getting repetitious signs, paying attention to the time that they're occurring can can be a big piece of discerning if this is a message or not.

SPEAKER_01 29:02

I think just spiritual discernment is so important to help keep us grounded, to help keep us true. I only take them experiences or share experiences with them that I've already questioned myself. And so that's why for me, spiritual discernment is so important because I want to trust myself. And the only way I'm going to do that is to be honest with myself and say, was that really from the universe, or was that just you tripped over a rock?

SPEAKER_00 29:35

You you you just stumbled a little bit and it's a little flimsy, so it does happen. Yeah. Do you have questions today for our our I almost said viewers?

SPEAKER_01 29:48

No, we may move this to the visual platform soon. So just something about it to look forward to. It means I'll have to dress a little nicer and do my hair, but like I can do that.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

Your hair looks amazing today.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

That's fine. Thank you. The first question I have for our listeners is Have you ever had a moment where your intuition felt strong? But later you questioned whether it was guidance, fear, or wishful thinking? If so, how did you tell the difference? Question number two, what personal signs or feelings help you practice discernment when something feels spiritually significant? And question number three, do you believe discernment is something we're born with or something we strengthen through experience? I have an answer for that one, but I want to hear it. I think you know, we all have a natural level of discernment that it really comes with practice too and learning to trust yourself. That's my thought, but I'm not thinking for everybody else.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Everyone else No, I I would love to hear these answers, and I'm actually in agreement with you. I and I thought that answer was beautiful, but I want to hear other people's thoughts on it.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

Yeah, so reach out to us on our socials or send us an email at connect at whispersfronthemist.com. That's our email address. So send us a message.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Yeah, reach out. We love hearing from everybody.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

Yeah, and I'd love hearing stories of discernment, how you came across something and how you got to the other side of it, whether it was just something that happened or if it was a spiritual memory.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

You want to close out this episode? Absolutely stay curious. Trust what you know. And we will meet you along the spiritual byway. Until next time. Bye. Bye, everybody. Thank you so much for listening to the space. Conversation of the spiritual by the show. Conversation. We don't know what we are enjoying this podcast. We truly appreciate it. Or to share the show with someone who might need it. Your support helps this podcast reach others who are searching for the same sense of understanding and community. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here with us and for walking the stretch of the spiritual pilot. Wherever you are on your journey right now, just know you're not alone. We're here for you, and we're all in this together.