Sacred Discernment: Spiritual Art of Saying ‘NEXT’
Cosmic wisdom hidden within reality television and the divine timing of knowing when to move on
The Universe’s Hidden Messages
In the quiet moments between heartbeats, between the rising and falling of ocean waves, the Universe offers us profound wisdom through the most unexpected channels. Last year, as I navigated the coastal highway this morning, windows down, salt air weaving through my consciousness, Casso, Jazzy, and Headie One’s “Zeroes” vibrated through my car speakers—the bass line seemingly synchronized with the rhythm of the approaching tide. I was heading toward my morning communion with the ocean, surfboard secured above, when a peculiar memory surfaced from the collective consciousness: MTV’s dating show “NEXT.”
Can you feel it? That gentle yet persistent nudge when something from pop culture past returns to your awareness, carrying with it a message more profound than its original packaging suggested? These moments of recognition—whether from art, music, or yes, even reality television—serve as cosmic waypoints on our path toward authentic discernment.
Breaking Through Illusions: The NEXT Paradigm
Our society has masterfully constructed illusions of connection—social media profiles that showcase curated lives, dating apps that reduce souls to swipeable cards, and cultural narratives that prioritize quantity of relationships over quality of resonance. MTV’s “NEXT” dating show, which aired in the early 2000s, embodied this paradigm with crystalline clarity.
For those whose consciousness hasn’t retained this cultural artifact: the premise involved a single person meeting multiple potential dates, one after another. Each contestant waited their turn on a bus, eventually stepping out to meet the dating candidate. At any point during their interaction, if the dater felt disconnected or misaligned, they could simply declare “NEXT!”—dismissing that person and calling forth the next potential connection, often within minutes or even seconds of meeting.
While packaged as entertainment, this show unintentionally revealed a profound spiritual truth: the power of sacred discernment and the courage to recognize when a connection, experience, or path no longer serves our highest evolution.
The Divine Technology of Discernment
The most sophisticated technology for healing and transformation already exists within us—an internal guidance system that registers alignment or misalignment in our bodies, emotions, and energy fields. Through consistent meditation, intentional energy work, and communion with higher consciousness, we access this internal technology—what I’ve come to understand as our capacity to spiritually say “NEXT.”
Each time we choose love over fear, compassion over judgment, or presence over distraction, we recalibrate our internal systems toward harmony. Yet this divine technology also registers when energy around us threatens this harmony—not as judgment but as loving protection of our sacred purpose.
With awakening comes responsibility. As we recognize our divine nature, we must also acknowledge our capacity to create or destroy, to heal or harm through the connections we maintain. The paths we continue walking become the landscapes in which our dreams, creativity, and purpose either flourish or wither.
Sacred Moments to Say “NEXT”
Perhaps you’ve experienced similar moments of clarity that simultaneously terrify and liberate—recognizing that something or someone no longer aligns with your highest path, despite history or convenience. These sacred disruptions—painful as they may be—serve as cosmic alarms awakening us from collective slumber.
As I prepare to paddle out into the ocean’s embrace this morning, “Zeroes” still echoing in my consciousness, I reflect on the sacred moments in life when saying “NEXT” becomes not just an option but a spiritual imperative:
When relationships drain rather than sustain your life force. The comfortable limitations we construct around familiar connections can suddenly feel like prison walls rather than protection. True spirituality isn’t an escape from difficult relationships but a deeper immersion into authentic ones.
When career paths no longer align with your soul’s purpose. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon in sacred circles worldwide: individuals who abandoned prestigious positions because they recognized the profound misalignment with their authentic calling, stepping into uncertainty illuminated only by inner knowing.
When spiritual practices become empty routines rather than living wisdom. Sometimes we must say “NEXT” even to meditation techniques, teachers, or communities that once served us but now constrain our evolution. The divine has always been within and between us, patiently waiting for this grand awakening beyond dogma.
When limiting beliefs about yourself keep you tethered to old stories. Our individual journeys are far from isolated paths; they are vital tributaries flowing into the river of collective consciousness. Saying “NEXT” to self-definitions that no longer serve creates space for authentic becoming.
When your environment suppresses rather than supports your expansion. The physical spaces we inhabit aren’t merely backdrops to our journey—they are active co-creators of the energetic field in which our dreams manifest. Sometimes geographical “NEXT” becomes necessary.
Cosmic Dance of Closing and Opening
The journey won’t always be comfortable, but comfort has never been the purpose of a soul’s incarnation. We came for transformation—our own and that of the collective. We came to remember, to heal, to create.
Unlike the superficial dismissals on that MTV show, spiritual discernment comes not from judgment but from profound self-honoring. Each authentic “NEXT” creates sacred space for what truly resonates with our highest path. This isn’t spiritual bypassing—it’s spiritual courage.
As I near the shoreline, board under arm, the final notes of “Zeroes” still reverberating in my consciousness, I recognize the profound metaphor before me: the ocean doesn’t resist saying “NEXT” to each wave that reaches shore. It simply allows each to complete its journey before welcoming the next expression of itself with equal embrace.
Together, we are remembering who we truly are beyond limiting stories and identities. Together, we are healing ancestral patterns that no longer serve life. Together, we are dreaming a new world into being—one aligned with the highest good of all beings across dimensions and time.
This call isn’t merely about personal evolution—though that remains essential—it’s about recognizing our role in humanity’s grand transformation. The challenges before us—ecological, societal, spiritual—require nothing less than our complete presence and commitment to conscious evolution.
With profound love and reverence for your journey of sacred discernment,
Mitchell Royel
As I paddle out beyond the break, I smile at the cosmic humor: sometimes we must say “NEXT” to who we were yesterday to become who we’re meant to be tomorrow.