What do we mean by Intention?

   This week I learnt that there are a number of different ways that the word “intention” is being used in modern times.
    Numerology has taught me that the very construction of a word carries meaning and power; ensuring that in dialogue all parties are comprehending the vocabulary in compatible ways is vital, and examining different definitions of the word “intention” has granted me the chance to explore what it means to me, and to name the overlaps and exclusions as they surface in my work.
      Some practitioners work with Energy Shields. They say they ‘set intentions’ when they create energy-bubbles and energy-boxes to contain and protect physical things. I know people whose work is calculated to cloak homes or cars so that burglars will not see them. I have known others who created bubbles of good health or pain-relief for individuals and families. This week I have been meeting people who call this work “setting an intention”.
      In many ways this seems to be a new interpretation of the prayer rituals with which I grew up in a Christian household. We said bedtime prayers to invoke divine protection while we slept, and we recited prayers of thanksgiving for food at every meal. The objective of these rites was certainly to draw Spiritual energy into our presence, as well as to remind us of our connexion with that energy.
     In other areas, discussion reveals that “setting an intention” is a one-time event, never to be repeated.
     “Intention”, it appears, can be regarded as an order submitted to the Source of All Things. After making the request the individual is asked to hold faith and expect results. The entreaty is not to be repeated. Just as it would be rude to harass a waiter after your meal order is with the chef, so it is wrong to harass Spirit about that which is on its way.
     The concept of making an appeal to the Cosmos is similar to the one I call Visioning. When I sit with my vision-board, created as a focus for my visioning work, it is a short-cut for my slow-moving physical brain to re-connect with the unseen energies that I wish to draw into my field.   
     When it comes to the power of the single bid, however, I am reminded of the scene in the movie The Secret, where someone fleetingly believes that it would be fun to own an elephant. When a massive pachyderm promptly manifests in his living room the movie narrator assures viewers that stray thoughts will not bring about instantaneous results, and I share that belief. Visioning is an ongoing work, keeping the connexion between the physical and spiritual realms open and flowing.
     When I use the word Intention I am talking about the direction of my life journey.
     I believe that in that place outside of linear time I made mutual contracts with people, agreeing that we would support and sustain each other’s Earth experience. We intended to be together at certain times for certain reasons, and on the Spiritual plane those connexions remain.
     As a practice within life, ‘setting an intention’ is about manifesting specific conditions and life-circumstances which will serve the evolution of our Souls.
     For example, if I am driving my car road that has been constructed East-West, and I have an intention to reach a place north of the here and now, I need to remain connected to my intention at all times.
     I must be vigilant and engaged and aware of all possibilities. Some exits may appear to lead north, and then circle south. Slip-roads may branch off to the north-west, and might offer an unanticipated route to my intended destination. Others might take me to the north-east and create a detour that would delay my arrival and possibly enhance my journey in unanticipated ways.     
     As I drive, I need to remain conscious of my intended objective, while staying engaged at all times with the conditions around me.
     If I have an intention to educate people about Spirit, I am not served by insisting there is a single route to that end. While I am awake and active in the world, there will be opportunities present to allow me to express that work. I need to be open to them. I need to be willing to adapt to the reality of any given moment, any encounter or conversation. To remain connected to Spirit, I must be profoundly present in physical reality. Intention, for me, is the label for this paradox, and the effort that I must make to progress.

     Jo Leath has been supporting clients through change and growth since the 1980s, and intends to continue.
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