NTI opens with some practical advice about following guidance. I am not going to elaborate on that advice. I encourage you to spend time with the simple advice given. Marinate in it until it is absorbed, so you can live from that advice.

That takes me to what I do want to focus on in today’s tip.

The opening chapters of NTI refer to John the Baptist as “the observer, the one who told you sorting of thought is necessary. He is the one that called upon you to pay attention and choose a different way of thought.”

And then NTI goes on to say, “With the Spirit, you shall examine your thoughts. It is your true Spirit that will guide you to choose truly.” The opening chapters also refer to “the Son of God” as the one who will “perform the sorting for you.”

So what is the “observer,” “Spirit,” and the “Son of God”?

The observer is a conscious aspect of wisdom. It is often called the conscience. It is that twinge of knowing that every human is familiar with, whether they listen to it or not. Historically, John the Baptist encouraged people to repent. Our conscience does the same thing. It points out what is bad for us, and it encourages us to drop unwholesome habits and take up better ones. Although many people feel guilt when they do not listen to their conscience, guilt does not come from the conscience. The conscience is non-judgmental wisdom. Any sense of guilt comes from mind’s interpretation of you in relationship to your conscience.

“Spirit” and “Son of God” are synonymous in NTI, and they point to spiritually awake-consciousness, which is beyond the human conscience. “Spirit” or “Holy Spirit” is used in NTI in the context of divine Other, and “Son of God” is used to refer to you. However, ultimately the divine Other and you are the same one, so the terms are synonymous in the end.

It is fair to say that the aspect of wisdom known as Spirit or the Son of God is not conscious in most humans. It becomes conscious gradually when we are called to awaken. As we follow its guidance, it becomes more and more conscious. It is what I often call “spiritual intuition.”

One of our primary goals this year is to bring spiritual intuition more and more into our conscious experience by listening to it. Since it comes from awake-consciousness, it knows how to lead us to our awake-consciousness. Without spiritual intuition, you are left with only your conscience to guide you. Your conscience can help improve the human experience by removing many causes of suffering (if you listen to it), but it cannot take you beyond separation-consciousness (duality) to awake-consciousness (unity).

Here is a story from the Bible that represents the difference between conscience and spiritual intuition:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ …

People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. …

[He said,] “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ~ Matthew 4:1-3, 5-6, 11-17