WB-06

The Power of Intention
by Jay Whitham

Intention. It is derived from the word “intent”, meaning “having the mind or attention firmly directed or fixed”. The very word is alive with power. In the context of Universal Law, it aligns with a power as great as the Universe itself and is the moving creative force that precedes conscious thought. This means that all meaningful focus, priority, and productive effort must come forth from clear intention.

Intention is an individualized experience that is part of the One Mind. As human beings, we have a choice between “unconscious intention” and “conscious intention”. Intention has the same source of power whether it is clear and conscious or vague and unconscious. The difference is in the results. Ernest Holmes says “Ignorance of [Universal Law] excuses no one from its effects, for we are dealing with Law and not with whimsical fancy.” The key to using the power of mind to create for us the life and experience that we choose lies in understanding “conscious” intention. Conscious intention is about the expression of a state of Being, not about form. Conscious intention relates to your feeling about a desired experience, not the form it takes. Conscious intention is the place where we have our experience of oneness with the Universal Mind, the Source, the Creator, by whatever name you choose.

Intention results in thought, which leads to action. First one’s intention must be as clear as possible. Secondly, one must understand, and accept the responsibility for, the content of one’s intention. Free will allows that anyone can choose to align their intention with God’s plan, and with their Higher Self, or not. Either way the Universe still responds to the intention. The difference is that in aligning with God’s plan the potential is without limit. It is only by declaring one’s intention, in absolute faith and honesty, that one can move to the next step with clarity, that of seeking what to do and how to do it.

A continuum leads from the unlimited, formless, creative energy of the Source to a result, form, or condition that we seek in our life. Let us consider that Universal creative energy and potential is like a power plant that generates electricity. The power and potential is there, but until it is accessed and applied it remains in its state of being “potential”. Intention is like the wiring grid that connects to the power supply and creates a channel or path for the power to flow through, making it accessible.

Like a computer, a power saw, or other tool that “plugs in” to the power grid to enable it to perform its tasks, our thoughts serve as “power tools”. It is with these tools that we can create a plan or model that represents our desired creation, endowing it with all the creativity that is inherent in the potential on which it draws. These tools also work directly on our ability to act and manifest our mental image in physical form, allowing us to do the things that are needed to achieve the result. Thoughts are ever changing, growing, responding to the conditions of the moment and the raw material to which they are applied. Conscious intention, declared with clarity and purpose, is unchanging, firmly directed, and immutable until it is changed or superceded by another conscious intention.

Thus, we have the continuum from Source to Intention to Thought to Action to Form. When conscious intention is declared it is immediately recognized by the Universe. This conscious declaration of intention inspires and supports the discipline of mind that serves it and releases that which does not. From this disciplined space, thoughts begin to unfold in perfect sequence, supported by the Universe, leading to expression of the intention as worldly manifestation.

When two or more come together in conscious intention the power is “magnified” by unlimited exponent. When individuals join in a common conscious intention the creative methods and dynamics are the same, but the power is infinitely greater and the manifested results are “magnificent”. As we make our clear and powerful declaration to the Universe of what we choose to be, the Universe responds. What is created is the true manifestation of our Divinity expressed as who we are. This declaration becomes more than mere words. It is a statement of our conscious intention, drawing on the unlimited power of Creation to make it a force for good in our world.

It is in this shared conscious commitment that we, as human beings, begin to experience the reality that we are truly one with each other, and all are one with the Source of All That Is. As individuals, families, communities, nations, and beyond, our power to create a world of perfect peace, fulfillment, and self-realization, lies in the power of intention. And so it is.