The power of intention comes from the principle that what is visualized will manifest itself in your life. If we keep telling ourselves over and over a judgment, it will likely come true. The automatic thoughts that we ‘are not lovable’ , ‘will never be happy’, or ‘can’t do anything right’ are powerful because they undermine self-esteem and also have an almost magical power to insidiously destroy success and happiness. While negative self talk can sabotage, positive visualizations and mantras, can help us set an intention and empower positive change to occur.
Hindu and Taoist philosophies refer to the third eye as the mind’s eye or the sixth chakra, which could be thought of as where setting an intention originates from. The third eye is the place where creativity and rationalization intersect and the left and right halves of our mind collide. Focusing on the mind’s eye is a form of meditation and the location of the sixth chakra is said to be slightly above and in the middle of our brow line, represented by a passionate indigo blue energy. Several religions and philosophies speculate the third eye brings wisdom, intuition, vision, and insight. Through this center we reach higher consciousness which in more lay terms could be translated ‘telling our minds who’s the boss and squelching anxieties to achieve a centered, content state ‘.
When we are children our sense of imagination and ability to visualize is unhindered but as adulthood sets in the rational part of our minds, especially in our western, capitalistic culture takes hold. The rationality kills vision and we become focused less on positive intention and more on tangible measurements of success such as the balance in the checking account, the children’s grades, the number on the scale, the hours we need to put in at work to get that promotion, whether we are coupled or not; all of which we believe rationally will lead to happiness and well-being. What if we did things differently today and utilized what scribes and ancient teachers have concluded, that vision and intention comes first (from our third eye) and the steps to achieving our goals will follow in line to manifest the intention.
The good news is that the art and power of intention can be taught.
How to set an intention-
An intention could be defined as directing the mind to an aim, purpose, or plan. The biblical proverb states, without vision the people will perish. I agree. In order to set an intention, first you must understand that intentions can be big or small, ie. “I want to be a kinder person”, ” I want peace or happiness”, “I want to be healthier”, “I want to be able to control my temper”, “I want to smile more today”, “I want to be productive today” or “spend more quality time with my family”. Before a meeting, you could intend to participate and be open to ideas or when starting school or work, you can intend to focus and learn by being in the moment and not allowing distractions.
One technique used to come up with an intention, is to free form journal for 10-30 minutes or write a long list of intentions that you want to materialize in your life, then look them over for themes, narrow down and narrow down further. Perhaps spend a short meditation time focusing on this intention and seeing what visions come to you. There are several smart phone/computer applications and downloaded audiio tracks that can lead you through short meditations to explore your intention. Once you have a sense of an intention, then write it down clearly, tell people about it, and take small steps in your day to actualize that aim. Continue to spend daily meditations visualizing what it would look like for you to reach your intention. What steps would it take to get there? What qualities do you see in yourself and in your life if the vision materialized? Start to pick out mantra’s, affirmations, and key words from your meditation time.
When life inevitably gets chaotic and your mind is all over the place with worries, when you feel lost, then bring yourself back to the mantras you created. Repeat them over and over to yourself and push out the negative self talk and pessimism. Use the mantras to sooth yourself when you feel discouraged. Be persistent. Change does not happen overnight, using your mind’s eye is a practice. If you persist, watch how you become empowered to choose your reality and have control to manifest your dreams. So often people have anxiety because there are variables out of their control and that feels uncomfortable. Trying to control every detail in your life or the people around you is exhausting and unfruitful; instead, set an intention and develop a vision to where you want to go, how you want to be, and then reinforce the vision by speaking it in affirmations and mantras to yourself daily, meditate on it and believe it. That is the path to a “higher consciousness”.
Dr. Zipperman
