The Sacred Promise of Intentions

How many times have you heard someone say, “That wasn’t my intention!”

Intention is the motive behind our actions; it’s why we do what we do. Most of us would claim we have good intentions—meaning we don’t want to cause harm—but there’s a reason we so often hear the aphorism, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Words and actions can have unforeseen impacts. They can hurt rather than help, even if we didn’t intend it.

In a spiritual sense, however, it is possible to choose our intentions consciously, not merely assuming we intend goodwill but as a means of expressing our divine essence.

How to Set an Intention

In Unity and other spiritual circles, you’ll hear the phrase setting intentions. In casual conversation, this might sound like setting goals or making resolutions. But spiritual intentions come from a deeper place within us. They are declarations of how we want to be, how we want to show up.

Intentions may be set for a day or a specific circumstance, or they may reflect our purpose for this lifetime. Either way, by setting intentions we are making a sacred promise to live from divine consciousness.

So we use our most sacred words—I AM, meaning our higher self or divine essence—to form our intentions. Rather than affirming I intend to, we invoke the mystical name of the Divine within us: I AM.

I am joy.
I am love.
I am the presence of harmony.

These intentions may result in our speaking thoughtfully or taking certain actions in our everyday lives, but more profoundly, they state a quality of being. Rather than saying I am loving, we say I am love—meaning I am the presence of love, I bring the qualities of love. Love is my purpose. Love is who I am.

Intentions manifest in myriad ways. A nurse, for example, might be living out an intention to heal or to love or to uplift others. A young person might set an intention to be somebody, to make a difference in the world. An intention for harmony could mean actively making peace or it could mean keeping quiet.

In a spiritual sense, however, it is possible to choose our intentions consciously, not merely assuming we intend goodwill but as a means of expressing our divine essence.

Daily Intentions

Intentions may express our soul’s purpose, and our souls may even have intentions for us that we only dimly perceive. But intentions can also be set for a brief period.

Many people set an intention every morning for how they intend to show up in their day’s activities. This is an exercise children can join. What is their intention for school today? How are they going to be? Setting an intention is a more solemn vow than goals for behavior or performance, although an intention is often reflected in such actions.

Among people who set intentions as a spiritual practice, there’s a running joke to be careful what you intend. Never declare I am patient, they say, because your day will be filled with bad drivers, slow service, crying babies, computer breakdowns—whatever! Maybe you attract opportunities that allow you to carry out your intention for patience, or maybe it just seems that way.

Upholding Others’ Intentions

When we observe others’ actions, we don’t always know the intentions behind them. Someone jumping out of an airplane or riding a roller coaster may be living out an intention for freedom or instead might intend to overcome fear. A tax auditor may be expressing an intention to bring order. A protester may have an intention for justice. A waiter may have a lifetime intention to be of service, which will take different forms over time. Intentions find many vehicles to carry them.

We can support the intentions of others as a heartfelt act of love. We do this when we pray for them—upholding their intentions for healing or strength or prosperity. Sometimes we hold their intention with them from a distance, affirming their highest and best, whatever it needs to be. Sometimes we support them with encouraging words. Or we might directly help them carry out their intentions, like helping a youth apply to colleges or sharing our experience in recovery with those intending to overcome addiction.

If you’re not sure what to choose for your intentions, think briefly about what you don’t want to be—negative, judgmental, fearful—then focus an intention on its opposite—positive, accepting, courageous. Some find it useful to pull a card from an oracle deck or roll the Unity Intention Dice as a prompt for setting specific intentions. Ask in prayer or meditation to know more about your intentions for this lifetime and how you might carry out your purpose.

Setting intentions allows us to think carefully about how we want to express as spiritual beings in our human experience. Try it if only for a day and see whether you can add a little peace, kindness, or gratitude to the world.

This article first appeared in the Unity booklet Today I Am … 30 Days of Living with Intention.