When I think of ‘discernment’ within ‘discernment’, I also think ‘judgment’ within ‘judgment’, I can’t help thinking I’m crossing the line toward being judgmental. It’s such a loaded word, but I’ve been wondering about the fine line between being a careful judge–a judge of character, for example–or the Judges in Tanach–where the word implies a kind of wisdom and thoughtfulness. When did applying that kind of thoughtful decisionmaking get to imply intolerance or guilt-tripping or negativity? Today, constraint/boundaries/strength/judgment turns in on itself. I think of that mathematical construction called a “Kline bottle”, which is a three dimensional Moebius strip–the surfaces on the ‘inside’ become the surfaces on the ‘outside’ and continue to exchange in relationship with each other. (I’m sure there’s a better explanation–any math folks out there?). Anyway, discerning boundaries is a continuum rather than a differentiator, then we can begin to recognize the interconnectedness of everything–that discernment is rather arbitrary if all is really One. Perhaps discernment within discernment is an exercise in recognizing that differentiating is an intellectual exercise, that spiritual discernment is about recognizing/discerning that boundaries blend, in the final analysis. Ein Sof, after all, is about the total lack of boundary!