Setting An Intention
dedicated as “The Year of Divine Connection.”
of a new year. I’ve already visited and
examined the past year and now I want to look forward. Of course, I don’t know what whims of fate
await me but I’ve stocked the tool box with tons of coping skills so I’m not
going to go forward in fear. I am going
forward in faith and with joyful expectation.
What would you expect from someone who writes about Positive
Affirmations? Last year was a good
year. When I answered the 1st of last
week’s blog questions about the hardest thing I had to do, the answer wasn’t
really all that difficult. It was a lot
better than some years that’s for sure.
After I wrote the answer I actually felt myself smiling at how blessed I
am.
refrigerator sized calendar that had the entire year on one piece of
paper. I loved that calendar. I loved looking at the whole year ahead and
planning our adventures and special occasions.
I still like to look at the year ahead but now it’s all on my
computer. Somehow it doesn’t feel as
satisfying but I’m adjusting.
Taking an intention is a regular
part of a yoga practice. I’ve expanded
that to my “off the mat” practice.
I sometimes take an intention for the day. It’s pretty cool when it
appears in my daily journal. We take an
intention for each of the Pink Ribbon Yoga Retreats. We’ve just begun the planning for this year’s
retreat. I’m very excited to see what
will appear. It usually comes fairly
quickly as the committee discusses on that which they’d like to focus. Last year was the first time I decided to set
a personal intention for the whole year.
I declared 2013 “The Year of Love.”
yellow. I live in a yellow
“submarine.” It makes me feel
happy and yet I still feel grounded when I’m in a yellow room. Not all yellows, however, it’s more buttery
than gold. I’ve usually added other
colors to punch it up, like hot pink or purple.
For the last few months I’ve had an attraction to the color green. I mention this because it’s a new phase. In the past I have avoided green. There wasn’t any green inside my home or in
my wardrobe. Now, I’ve painted my office
apple green. I’ve added a Kelly green print to a couch and then I went crazy
and chose green granite for the renovated kitchen. Nothing I had in the former kitchen went with
the green color but I was irresistibly drawn to it and I just relaxed and let
it happen. Why I wondered was this shift
taking place? I was discussing my
intention for 2013 with a wise yogi and mentioned my new bent towards the green
color. She reminded me about the chakra
colors. Guess what color the heart
chakra is! Yup, it’s green.
dedication to The Year of Love led to more than just an attraction to green and
a new decorating scheme. Personal growth
and internal development is a slow process.
It’s just like most other changes one is attempting. They take time. There are subtle differences that may not
even be perceived for a long time. It’s
like that with our affirmations. We
choose them carefully, write them, read them, perhaps say them to ourselves and
let them slowly permeate our subconscious and eventually our cellular
structure. Then one day we respond to a
situation differently than we had in the past, in a way that affirms us, not
diminishes us and we realize our affirmation has manifested.
trouble deciding on what besides love was important enough to focus on for a
whole year. I thought about choosing
faith as a focus and I considered forgiveness but neither of those felt
right. I do however; want to keep a
focus on forgiveness. One of my
affirmations is, I freely forgive myself and others. And, I do want my faith to grow. I attended a
retreat many years ago with my friend Ann Baucom and her spiritual
director. I was going over those notes
very recently and there was the spiritual direction for which I was
looking. It entreated me to let my
faith
grow not because of a sense of obedience or even a sense of belonging but
because it is rooted in experience.
Faith doesn’t only increase because of our religious experiences
although it is possible but for many, me included, my faith experiences happen
both in and outside of church and that’s exactly what I want. I want to see the moon and the stars, I want
to feel the sun warm my skin, I want to relish holding someone’s hand, I want
to hear the bird’s song and the ocean’s road and I want in that experience to
feel God’s presence. I want to feel
connected to the Divine. I’d like to be
connected at all times but this is a mediation, a practice. In order for me to achieve this relationship,
this intention, I need to pay close attention and focus on my ultimate desire. Yes, that is something I would be willing to
spend a year cultivating, even a lifetime.
I have dedicated 2014 as The Year of Connecting to the Divine.
of year of your life towards? Perhaps,
it’s not one phrase; perhaps you have a list of intentions. I have one of them too. It hasn’t changed from last year. It reminds
me of God’s bounty and of the truth that I cannot fathom the riches that can be
found once we connect to the Divine. My ideal life always includes optimal
health but good health and an ideal life require more than care for the body,
the body will cease to exist one day no matter how well I care for it. I need to focus on the spirit too. As in past January months I carefully
considered what my ideal life would include.
I have carefully crafted ten intentions.
Often
Mindfully
Things
blessings, prosperity and joy. Take some
time and write down your intentions.
Won’t it be wonderful when you do your 2014 review, if you find you’ve
manifested your dreams and aspirations?
