The Adventure of Intention

This weekend I sat among a group of vibrant, eclectic and wondrous beings. A diverse mix of performance artists, visual artists, and writers make up our soul stirring, spirited group. We are halfway through our year-long commitment in our artist’s immersion program, in which each of us has declared our intent to create our art and show it throughout this year.

Gathered in the upstairs, spacious attic room with comforting sloping ceilings, the breeze and the light wafting and filtering in through the slim windows, we sat together on the honey hardwood floor; and we set our collective intent.

We have a mid-year Works-in-Progress Showing coming up and, with some enlightened guidance; we came to agreement on a handful of intentions for our showing. The strategy, our mentors wisely noted, were meaningless without the intent.

What is Intention?
What is an intention exactly? A quick google search yields many definitions and hundreds of articles to chew on and digest when it comes to defining this, perhaps, nebulous term. And in our goals, objectives, and task-oriented culture, the subject of intention might take us to new and yet un-traveled terrain.

Let me tell you my perspective on intention.
Intention is vast, bold, broad, and big. It is connected to our heart and thereby to our every physical fiber. Intention burns in our soul, and is infused with life force energies that move our physical forms. Intention arises from the depths of dreams, stirs our soul, and invigorates our senses. Intention revitalizes, ignites purpose, and gives birth to the infinite. Yes, intention is big. And all else stems from it.

For example, intention may guide strategy. Intention may well inspire goals, objectives and tasks. And yet, (and this is the one that most of us have the hardest time with) inherent in our birthing of an intention, we let go of the reins of control.
And we let ourselves be carried on the energy of that driving force of our intention.

How Does Intention Work
When we set intentions, we harness the infinite organizing power of the universe.
For example, people often ask me how I became a firefighter. I tell them, in all honesty, that firefighting found me. On my journey, I had finally become aware of a deep driving force simmering in my soul and flooding my marrow with purpose. My intent was to work in service–of that I was sure. What the details looked like, I did not know. I gave it over to the universe. No one was more surprised than I, when the road to firefighting opened up before me.

Goals and objectives, on the other hand, are intrinsically about the outcome, and how we control the path of getting there. There is certainly a time and place for them, and much has been achieved by many, along this path. Whereas goals and objectives require motivation and perseverance, good qualities to be sure, setting intention requires trust and a willingness to be open to the potential of the infinite. We set our intention and let go. Are you ready for this adventure?

Set Your Intention
But don’t take my word for it. Play with intention. In all areas of your life. Discover the calling of your soul, your dreams, your purpose, the driving force within you that can’t be stopped. The thrill of the universe collaborating with your intentions in ways you would never have imagined is worth trying, in my opinion. You can start small.

• What will you intend, for today, tomorrow, for the week?
• Set your intention from a clear and centered space.
• Release your intention with trust in infinite potential.
• Take a deep breath, and look forward to what the universe places at your doorstep.

At the close of our artists’ gathering, we had not had time to discuss our individual plans and strategies for showing our individual projects. No matter.
I left my artists’ gathering with our collective intentions for our upcoming Showing swirling in my being. And I let those intentions go, with a grateful breath, as I re-entered my world of mom-hood with first-grade homework, dog walks, and dinner to attend to.

The next day, present in the moment, filling bird feeders in the garden, the Universe fed me the download, with a jolt — like lightening in a bottle.
I smiled to myself as the creative ideas–which my mind could never have come up with, toiling over paper with pen in hand–rained upon me like a Midwestern thunderstorm, soaking me to the bone.
You can never go wrong with intention. It will be a good Showing. Stay tuned. You’re all invited.

In the meantime, let’s begin the adventure of setting our intentions.

And enjoy it, as the universe rains upon you.