This discourse was originally written as a single, longer piece. As it developed, it became clear that it was covering too much ground for one article, especially given the abstract nature of the subject. For that reason, it has been divided into two parts so that each can be taken in more gradually. The second part will explore the power of creation and will be shared next week.
In the Universal Understanding of the God Consciousness, we often use the term “the mind of the soul.” But what does that truly mean? In The Dual Nature of the Human Condition, we explored the soul as our higher, inner self, and the mortal as the lower, outer self. If we go further, we see that the physical body encapsulates the soul, and within the soul lies the Spark of Divinity.
This divine spark exists within each of us. The Spark of Divinity is the source and the power of the soul. It holds infinite intelligence and infinite knowledge. Yet that alone is not why it is called a mind. Knowledge by itself does not define a mind. What makes it a mind is discernment, along with the force and direction it provides: the capacity to perceive clearly, to choose wisely, and to move consciousness in a purposeful way.
To clarify this distinction, it helps to compare the brain and the mind. It is not the brain that directs the soul; it is the mind. The brain functions much like hardware: a computer that processes sensory input, memory, and biological signals. It records, stores, and reacts. Within this understanding, thought is not seen as originating in the brain, but from the mind itself. The mind is like software: intangible and unseen, yet directing the operation of the hardware. The mind provides direction, and the brain carries it out.
If all knowledge were suddenly erased, discernment would still remain the guiding faculty that allows us to reorient and rebuild. Knowledge alone can be misapplied or distorted. Discernment gives direction to knowledge and shapes the quality of our decisions, and it gives us the ability to make wise choices based on how we perceive, what we are aware of, and the perspective we maintain.
In the simplest terms, this can be seen in how we choose to respond to one another and to the circumstances of our lives. Discernment brings together knowledge, intelligence, and past experience to determine the best possible course, and to consciously choose how we will respond and move forward.
Discernment is the mechanism through which the wisdom of the mind of the soul is expressed, and through which its creative power is directed. It is by our choices that the potential of the soul takes form within our lives. The process by which this creative power unfolds and is brought into manifestation will be explored in Part Two of this discourse.
Grow in peace and grow in light.
