We call it "the discernment of spirits." Through time, we have honed the practice of this art, for it is at the core of the spiritual life. Although there are various methods or schools of thought on discernment, Ignatian, Quaker, San Juanist, in general it might be said that discernment is about two things: attentiveness and discrimination.
Discernment is about feeling texture, assessing weight, watching the plumb line, listening for overtones, searching for shards, feeling the quickening, surrendering to love. It is being grasped in the Spirit's arms and led in the rhythms of an unknown dance.
— Wendy M. Wright, Seasons of a Family's Life