Consolation 
       Desolation

Need to Pray
    for Spiritual Freedom
 

Incipient 
         Desolation

  water on sponge
 

1st Time Election
 

water on stone

Temptation Under 
Guise Of Light

Consolation 
       Desolation

Need to Pray
    for Spiritual Freedom

Temptation Under 
Guise Of Light

Consolation 
       Desolation

  Water on sponge

Water on stone

Step 1 "Walking Around" The Question

      Recognize the precise question or problem or issue calling you to make a decision. Clarify and understand the issues involved: Why do you need to make a decision?  what?  why?  how?  where?  when?  so what?  Separate presenting issue from the real issue that needs to be addressed. Separate the key issue(s) from the lesser issues.
 
 

Step 2   Check Assumptions And/Or Determine The 
              Criteria

      Make explicit, as best you can, the appropriate "givens" (or non-negotiable, `ordered' attachments) that need to be present in the discerning process. Remember that behind your determination of what is (are) the key issue(s) are assumptions which you take for granted. These are implicit criteria which determine whether you look at this particular data rather than other data.
 
 

Step 3   Focusing 

      Focusing includes all those activities that help to delineate the viable solutions or options: 

1. Brainstorm the various possible solutions.
2. Prioritize these possibilities.
3. State the solution clearly as a positive statement followed by its contrary. For example:  I will accept the move to Montreal; I will not accept       the  move  to Montreal.   If there are several key issues,  this kind of double statement is done for each solution in order of priority.
4. Set up the Four Columns for each double    statement. The Four Columns belong to the        Supplementary Techniques of Decision-Making,    but here they can be a helpful way of focusing.
5. Work through the Four Columns. 

Step 4   Pray And Wait For The Choice To Emerge Or To
              Be Given

      With all the data in your heart, return to Gospel Contemplation and ask the Spirit to help surface the Unconfirmed Decision. 
  (If such a decision does not surface, use one of the Supplementary Decision-Making Techniques -- Three Scenarios Method [184]-[188], Offering-Of-Dishes Method, Four-Column Method [178]-[183], etc.)
 Once the preliminary choice or Unconfirmed Decision has surfaced, move to Step 5. 
 
 
 
 

Step 5 Seek And Pray For Confirmation 

      After making the I-am-quite-sure-this-is -what-I-ought-to-do choice, offer it to God and ask for Confirmation. If Confirmation is not received, repeat the relevant part(s) of the decision-making process. 
  In addition to this subjective and experiential Confirmation, you may need to seek the objective Confirmation from your spouse, if you are married; from your community, if you are living as part of a community; etc.