Creating Intentions

WHAT?!! Me teach how to create and manifest intentions? Did I say that???

That was my thought, after I did NOT manifest the home into which I wanted to move, and now it was time to write about that very topic, which I promised to do in my first blog.

Fortunately, my thoughts only lasted a nanosecond, as the song’s refrain continuously ran through my head “ya can’t always get what you wa-ant”.

Our spiritual teachers and masters say that our thoughts create reality. Whatever thoughts we give power to will be our reality, whether it’s the big stories we tell ourselves from our family, culture, traditions, environment, or our everyday thoughts, judgments, or negative feelings. This is true and I have used these teachings to others many times. I know you have experienced your “story” repeating itself and learning those lessons repeatedly, just as I have.

I have also taught that creating intentions a la “The Secret” can be overly exaggerated in our world of material possessions and pursuit of pleasure. The idea of “I want a new house so I’m putting it out to the universe” to get what we want. To follow up on this manifestation process, we may create vision boards or other visualization tools, write best intentions, say prayers or affirmations, place crystals in the right place or on our bodies, perform rituals, think positive thoughts, place ourselves in higher vibrations, etc. etc. etc.

What happens when you do all that work and it doesn’t work??? What if the universe does not have that in mind for you? The expression comes to mind “We make plans, God laughs”.

I certainly won’t dismiss the power to manifest and create our lives. But as Robert Masters writes about in his book Spiritual Bypassing, we should not avoid dealing with painful feelings, unresolved issues, and developmental needs. We must be aware and conscious enough to dive in and ask ourselves those deeper questions, and willing to do the personal work of transformation. Why do I really want this? Does my intention align with my own attributes and values? How will it serve me? What changes will occur and how will I handle them? We cannot be blinded by the Light. Both the psychological and spiritual avenues are to be explored and aligned to live a fully realized, conscious and whole life.

So can I give you tips? Of course! Read Wayne Dyer’s book The Power of Intention, one that I refer to often for co-creating with the universe, especially his “7 Faces of Intentions”. Then in addition to all those manifestation tools mentioned above, here are some good ones I have learned…

~ Be an activist for yourself – you can’t just sit back and have the desire for something without planning the goals and steps.

~ Break the goals and steps into manageable tasks, and DO them. Congratulate yourself each time you do!

~ Check in with your heart, not your head. Ask yourself the important questions each step of the way to see if it’s still working. Trust the answers. Be open to changing it or dropping it.

~ Be prepared for the changes that may come along with the intention; it may not appear as you imagined it. In fact, it probably won’t!

~ Be ready for the laughing part. The universe will conspire with you for what you want but may offer all sorts of synchronicities and signs that will remind you to pay attention to the authentic part of you, the part that lives from your heart and soul, and the lessons you need to learn through the process.

~ Finally, practice acceptance. Surrendering and learning to live with “what is” allows us to transform our thoughts into the present moment. It can relieve stress and anxiety. In the moment, offer yourself compassion, gentleness and love.

~ Be grateful.

Spring, 2017

Welcome to My Blog! 

 Some may know that I wrote a book and published it last year. Once completed (after three years), I put that aside and moved on to other endeavors. But I found that I really miss writing! I have kept a journal for the last twenty years, where I held all my musings and secrets of my own changes and growth, and even that came to a slow pause. Although I do write a monthly e-newsletter as a preview to my events, it is not the same as writing my thoughts as they come to me, with the intention of adding freedom to creativity. I enjoy the process of putting my thoughts on a page and transforming them into hopefully some kind of seamless, or maybe even imperfect, story. I also appreciate others sharing their stories of life’s tidbits and synchronicities as well as deeper transformational narratives, so my hope is that folks feel the same way about my work and are inspired. 

 So, I welcome spring with my first blog. It is the season of birthing, the energy of newness, the smell of moist dirt and the blowing of winds reminding us of changes to come. I consider March the “bridging” month, offering me the space to move from winter to spring, clearing and cleansing all aspects of myself to prepare for planting seeds of new growth and opportunities. My body wakes up and welcomes the chance to walk more and to enjoy watching nature wake up alongside me, as my mental state becomes more awake and alive. 

 I also follow the spring messages from the Ojibwa Medicine Wheel in which I’ve been trained. I love that the names of the Moons during March and April are called Big Winds Moon and Budding Trees Moon, which tell us exactly what is going to happen at that time in nature. These phases remind us to live in harmony with nature, to accept and appreciate what is occurring even when we might not like it. Nature and all its inhabitants have lessons to teach us when we can open our hearts to listen and observe. Each element, animal, tree, plant, rock – everything – is alive with energy and has a spirit. Each of these can contain important messages for us but it is a practice to become quiet and listen to what they can tell you. I can walk by a tree and ask a specific question or just “what do you have to tell me today”, and almost always get an answer. You may believe that this is coming from you, that you are making it up. But I will tell you the answer is usually exactly what I need to hear, even when it’s not something I want to hear. I don’t think I would make that up! 

 The key is in the silence. In our overly busy, noisy world, there is nothing more I crave than silence and it is almost impossible to find. I walk all over the beautiful Lake County forest preserves and challenge the woods to dim the hum of traffic. But with lots of practice, I can block out the noise or distractions and calm my mind to find my inner silence. 

 What does Spring mean for you? Planting and tending a garden, detoxing your body, more exercise, cleaning out your closets or washing windows? (I remember my mom making a big thing of washing windows each spring and now I appreciate that so I can see the beauty of nature clearly through the glass.) Or do you wish for more meaning in your life, more community connection, or something that feeds your soul. Whatever it is, make an intention, write it down, and do it! 

 Next time, I will write about creating intentions and how to manifest them. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.