july intention
monthly theme: [process]
Asking what’s more important--intention or impact--is like asking what came first, the chicken or the egg. Of course “impact,” has physical repercussions and we can’t build a world off of intentions alone, but even when what we meant to share never comes to fruition, the motive doesn’t simply disappear ~energy is neither created nor destroyed and all that. And that leaves us to solve the mystery of where does the original intention go? What does it become?
The directions to look are endless, but more simply and less overwhelmingly, it’s either inward or outward ~as above, so below if you will. An intention’s effect only continues into convolution when it never actualizes; spiraling into ripples and rippling into spirals, we find (yet again) interconnectedness between us and the other, between thought and action. So much space is crossed in the single breath after we formulate our promises into sound waves.
So how does “intention” factor into our “processes”?
Through the solitude of the pandemic, I was able to notice my own wheels turning even when they were just spinning out in the mud. And intentions help me set my direction, acting as a guide for how I assess the gap between where I am and where I want to be. They not only keep me on track, but also tether me into the present moment--intentions keep us mindful of our energy, actions, and the space between the two.
“Intention” is one of those spiritual buzz-words the internet is currently having a field day with, throwing out personal definitions as if they’re universal truths. Part of my intention behind this essay is to reassure you that intentions--and every step of your healing process--is personal, carved out specifically for and by you. Which I don’t say as some catchall that condones toxicity in such processes, but as a reminder that the internet has given us wonderful jumping-off points, and that the work itself does not happen on-screen. In fact, the higher my screen-time, often the less intentional I’ve been about what’s happening in my life. Or, rather, the more intentional I’ve been about avoiding my subconscious feelings as they bubble to the surface.
An intention is a choice. It is a good way to stay aligned with what you want out of life. In the healing process, an intention can be to have more self-compassion or to sit with your fears just a little longer. Intentions don’t have to be anything other than what you need them to be, and if you bite off more than you can chew, there’s always room to boil them down into simpler parts. Many of my life’s cycles have shown me the u-turns I needed to take with my intentions and what motives are the most fulfilling and sustainable for me and my journey.
We can process our intentions and set intentions for our processes. It’s about tuning into what’s in front of us and gauging the effectiveness of our reactions. Most of us weren’t given a moment to be intentional during the pandemic--it’s hard to slow down and cultivate healthy processes when everything we’ve known is falling apart. Survival often takes precedence over mindfulness, but if we’re able to slow down (and sometimes we aren’t), an intentional approach gives us the space and faith for alchemy--for radical change.
Clarity is a foundational principle of intentions--if you’re unsure of what you want/need, intentions cannot be set and survival becomes a chaotic grab at stability. Again, this is most easily accomplished when our basic needs are met and we have the time, energy, and other practical resources to move beyond survival mode and assess our survival tactics. This isn’t always accessible to everyone. But if it’s accessible to you, utilizing this space to stay present and plugged-in, affords others the same grace, patience, and compassion that naturally occurs when we move from an intentional space.
My intention for this month is for us to look at our coping and reactionary processes. To approach the theme as both a noun and a verb. What patterns are already in place for us? What do we naturally do when our expectations are thwarted? And do we even agree with these go-to responses or have they just been around for as long as we can remember?
If you could go back and set an intention at the beginning of the pandemic, what would you have chosen to embody? How do you wish you could have reacted? Don’t look back on your pandemic-coping in shame because you did your best during a terrifying time when institutions we trusted to have the answers did not. But with this new intention you can recontextualize your understanding of 2020 and fully process the effect that such an experience has had on you and your community. You don’t have to make some trauma-trophy meaning out of it (because I believe that’s just another defense mechanism to avoid sitting with grief), but allow yourself to be changed by the experience and moved by the collective pain we felt/are feeling.
