An intention is your reason, your purpose, or your plan. It is important to have an idea of what you want to do and where you want to go before you get started. Even a goal of spending the day doing nothing or driving where the road takes you is an intention.
Some other simple examples of intention setting that you may already do regularly are:
- setting a wake-up alarm
- list making
- menu planning
- sending out resumes
The intentions are:
- waking up on time
- getting things done
- eating well
- getting a job
Intentions relate to your plan for yourself. Your intention is what will guide your future actions.
Sometimes setting an intention feels bigger. Sometimes setting an intention is communicating your desire in the form of a request to the Universe/your higher power/your higher self for something bigger, something more.
Create your container
To craft your intention with care, set aside some time for this purpose.
If your focus is best when you are alone or you prefer to be alone when you engage in this kind of activity, you may choose a time when you won’t be disturbed by anyone else. This affords you the opportunity to listen to your inner voice and your guides.
You may also choose to craft your intention in community. The space created in a circle, or just in the company of like-minded people can give you the opportunity for input and the support of others.
Know that you can choose both paths, or you can mix it up.
Do what feels right for you.
Be fully present
Before you begin take some time to firmly settle into your body and the space that you inhabit. A body scan meditation can be useful to center you. You may also choose to connect with nature or your Higher Power/higher self in a way that fits your belief system.
Once you feel fully present, make a list of the things, situations, habits, and beliefs affecting your life that you would change if you could, then select the one thing that you would most like to see change.
Consider all the outcomes if you choose to change this thing. Make a list of the positive and negative results of this choice. Decide if you could live with these possibilities. If so, then you are ready to craft your intention. If not, choose another thing from your list and try again.
This intention setting exercise can support you through the process.
When you feel ready, write down your intention in the form of an invitation. If you are specific in your request, consider adding a phrase like or something better. This opens the door to opportunities that you may not yet have considered.
Speak your intention out loud. Get a book in which to record your intentions to reflect on later.
You may also choose to release a written representation of your intention in some way.
When to set your bigger intentions
Working with the phases of the Moon can support your intention setting process, offer you a time frame that supports the type of intention that you are setting, and you can benefit from the natural order of things.
Calling it in
The dark phase of the Moon, or the New Moon, is the time to invite what you desire. Think about things that you appreciate and want to see more of in your life, things that you are open to receiving.
Some examples could be:
- love
- abundance
- recognition
You might ask for these things or specific examples of them. In your New Moon intention setting exercise you will consider the pros and cons of each thing that you may want to invite.
This is important because as your intentions begin to manifest, they may push out things that already exist in your life. For example, recognition in your workplace may result in more responsibility. This could have an impact on your free time and/or personal relationships. Getting clear on how you feel about those possibilities before they happen allows you to know if it is for you.
Using the process above, craft your intention, record it, and, if you choose, release it. For a New Moon intention, you may choose to use seed paper and bury in in the Earth to support it taking root, or some other representation of the support that you wish to give your intention.
This feels like a good time to note that your intentions manifesting may change the way that people in your life interact with you. The intention setting exercise can stimulate conversations if this feels like it is possible for you. You also cannot always predict how others will respond to your fortune changing.
Letting it go
The bright Moon phase, or the Full Moon, is the time to let go of the things that are not part of the life that you are creating. These things may be the opposite of what you invited during the New Moon and are being pushed out. Think about things that your may have once invited or need and now feel like they have served their purpose, things that supported you through a challenge that no longer exists, or things that belonged to a previous version of yourself.
Some examples could be:
- unsupportive internal self-talk
- self-limiting beliefs
- tangible representations of a previous you
In your Full Moon intention setting exercise you will consider the pros and cons of each thing that you may want to release.
For example, releasing self-limiting beliefs may create a desire to change the way that you spend your time or the work that you choose to pursue. As previously noted, this could have an impact on your free time, finances, and/or social activities. Getting clear on how you feel about those possibilities before they happen allows you to know if it is for you.
Even though they no longer serve you, you may have invited or benefited from what you wish to release. Gratitude for these things can support releasing them in a positive and beneficial way. Incorporate expressing this gratitude in your intention as well as your desire to let them go.
Using the process above, craft your intention, state it, record it, and, if you choose, release it. For a Full Moon intention, you may choose to place the paper on which it is written into a fire releasing your intention to the Heavens, or some other representation of the support that you wish to give your intention.
Making it happen
Now that you have set your intention, it is time to make it happen.
Just as you set your morning alarm to manifest your intention to wake up on time, your actions ensure the manifestations of your other intentions.
Partnering with the Moon means that you can use the energy to guide your actions. For example, if you are releasing things that no longer fit your life the action of the Waning Moon supports the intention. This is the time between the Full Moon and New Moon as it appears to get smaller in the sky. Conversely, the Waxing Moon, when it appears to get larger, or brighter, is the time to work on bringing things in.
The seasons also correspond with the Moon phases.
- Winter Solstice = New Moon
- Spring/Vernal Equinox = Waxing Moon/First Quarter
- Summer Solstice = Full Moon
- Fall/Autumnal Equinox = Waning Moon/Last Quarter
Use the energy of these Moon phases, and the seasons, to implement actions that bring your intentions to life.
If your intention is to make a career change it may not happen overnight. Harnessing the energy of the Winter Solstice to set your intention and the Spring season to bring it into being is one way to make this manifest.
Revisit your intention and examine your actions at each New and Full Moon. Ask yourself what you can implement during the Waxing phase to bring in the best new position for you. This may include networking, updating social media profiles to attract employers, and exploring new areas where jobs are posted. At the Full Moon, move toward releasing things that may be holding you back. You may want to remove things from your wardrobe that do not support where you want to go or examine the beliefs that are guiding how you are pursuing your job search.
Your efforts are supported
Notice the things that occur and the people that come and go in your life around manifesting an intention.
Examining your intentions and what happens once you state them gives you the opportunity to distill them down.
Using the career change example from above, if you are open to possibilities they may look different that what you expected. You may learn that your actual intention was more about a shift in your focus, releasing a challenge, or growth. For example, a new opportunity where you already are could open, a challenging co-worker may leave and change your desire to leave, or you may have the opportunity to further your education before you look ahead.
Also, pay attention to where you encounter resistance. You may feel the push to leave faster or shift your attention to a different intention. Remember, you are always supported in your efforts even if it doesn’t look like you expected.
Overview
Intention setting is part of your daily life. You manifest small intentions every day and can manifest the life of your dreams.
The Universe/Your Higher Power/Your Higher Self always supports your efforts. Partnering with the Moon, and the seasons, can support your efforts. People may not support your efforts.
You need to be an active participant in manifesting your intentions.
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