%% #💡 #🟠 %% # rules for basic discernment Ignatius wrote a set of 14 rules for basic [[discernment]]. **Basic ideas of discernment** 1. For someone moving away from God, evil will seem good and good will seem unpleasant. 2. For someone moving toward God, evil will create feelings of anxiety, sadness, and doubts, while good will give us feelings of peace, assurance, and joy. 3. [[consolation|Consolation]] is any felt increase in faith, hope, or love and all interior joy that leads to a holy peace. 4. Where spiritual consolation makes it easier to have faith, hope, and love, spiritual [[desolation]] tends to involve a decrease in these same virtues. **What to do when in desolution:** 5. Don't make any changes or important decisions when in desolation. 6. When in desolation, don't be passive. Take action and do whatever it takes to get your mind off yourself. 7. God is always with us, even in desolation. 8. Be patient; desolation will pass. 9. We can learn something important by examining the cause of desolation. **What to do during consolation:** 10. Enjoy consolation while it lasts. 11. Be humble and remember that all gifts come from God. **Elaborating on previous rules:** 12. Stand up to and resist evil spirits. 13. Share your problems and fears with someone you trust. 14. Know your weaknesses and work to strengthen them. ## Sources [[What's Your Decision - J. Michael Sparough, Jim Manney, Tim Hipskind]] ## Tags --- <small>*Created on:* 2022-06-25</small> <small>*Last modified on:* 2022-06-25</small>