As a result of a discussion over at The Shaman's Rattle entitled Living Through Changes, it occurred to me that perhaps a discussion of how Intent actually exists and manifests would be an interesting topic.

What I'm discovering is that even warriors who have been on the path for many years may be tending to view Intent as a wish or a desire  - i..e, more of an "intangible" vision, or even an object of creative visualization, but while those things may be part of Intent, they really only touch the surface of what this force actually is.

My own experience has shown that "Intent is the rearrangement of energy at a molecular level" - a statement which reinforces itself through gnosis time and time again.  In other words, Intent is actually a moving force of energy. In the beginning, perhaps it is the thought or vision of something we need or desire, but as the advanced warrior begins "pushing" her unbending Intent against the infrastructure of the universe, what I am shown through gnosis is a process rather like silly putty being pressed against a comic strip to pick up the image.  In other words - a transference of thought into substance which we tend to think of as "magic" or "the power of prayer" or may even dismiss as "a convenient coincidence".

But the reality of Intent is that it does not work directly in accordance with our humanform "desires" - and so it may even seem at times that the path to getting what we want/need out of life may negatively impact others along the way.  Well... that's the nature of energy, life and reality.  It isn't always sweetness and light despite what a lot of new age books on the subject of "manifesting your desires" might have you believe.  The reality of Intent is that it is perhaps the most powerful force in the universe, because it appears to function at the level of pure energy.  Just words.  Something Mr. Spock might have said.  But the actuality of it carries a lot of heavy gravity, and only when the warrior truly begins to grok the nature of Intent does the warrior truly become enabled to engage with Power.

I realize I am only skirting the edges of this topic with a veil of words.  Trying to really define Intent is rather like trying to hold the wind in one's hand.  The thing is this:  Intent is neither good nor evil, it simply exists as energy and power.  And, in fact, I might go so far as to say that even the warrior cannot intentionally direct Intent to be "good" or "evil".  Power chooses the most energy-efficient path to bring itself into manifestation.  So, for example, even if I were to envision my business competitor driving his truck off a cliff and plunging to his death, the energy itself which might manifest that vision is neither good nor evil.  It is simply energy.  And, the reality of it, of course, is that the energy itself would choose its own manifestation because that is its nature. We can choose the goal, but we can seldom select the method.  And, for the record, I never wish ill on others, with Intent or otherwise, because my experience has shown that their own dark deeds usually lead them to a confrontation with power all by themselves.  But that's another story for another day.  If my Intent was simply to be free of my competitor, it will usually manifest in such a way that he finds a better job, for example; or I move into another field of endeavor quite naturally & by choice.  That is the path of energy efficiency.

With regard to Intent and how it manifests, Orlando once told me very sternly, "Get out of your own way.  You're trying to control, trying to pick and choose, and in doing so you are limiting your own vision."  What he was referring to was the fact that even advanced warriors may have a tendency to try to "direct" the play, when what they really need to do is simply scribble a brief outline on the fabric of the space-time continuum, and then let it go.  Only when it is released does it have power.  I used to have a tendency to try to "select" certain aspects of how I wanted my Intent to manifest, for example.  When I was into ritual many years ago, I was working a manifestation wherein I wanted my teacher to come to me in a dream.  He was to have black hair, dark eyes, be of a certain height and stature... and so on.  My thinking was that this was how I would recognize him.  But as Orlando pointed out - I was limiting the vision.  What if the teacher showed up with grey hair and was a dwarf?  Would I ignore him altogether because he wasn't what I had asked for?  So I had to get out of my own way - sound advice.

In the big picture, the warrior also has to learn not to limit the scope of her Intent.  Where unbending Intent is concerned, what we are after is the goal - but where we have to come to grips with reality is in Knowing that the path Intent takes may not always be in accordance with our visions.  Our teachers may come as coyotes or hummingbirds rather than tall, handsome strangers.  And from time to time, it may appear that our Intent manifests in such a way as to bring misfortune to ourselves or others - thus the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for." 

As a child, and particularly as I got into my mid-teens, I began Intending that my tyrant father would "leave me alone forever."  His control was so fierce that he had threatened to hunt me down and kill me if I dated before I was 21.  That's no exaggeration, and is only the tip of the iceberg, not taking into account the physical abuses & mental controls he was constantly imposing. 

Well... my Intent was simply to live in a world where I would be free of him.  My personal "vision" was the typical knight in shining armor, or running away with gypsies, or simply hopping on a passing semi and getting out of his path.  All I knew was that I wanted my freedom from this man, and eventually it manifested.  On a morning of no special significance in 1973, he was found dead - seemingly a suicide.  Now - obviously - this was not my Intent.  But in hindsight, I can see that the energy of my Intent may have served to open a pathway through which the goal of the Intent manifested in the most energy efficient manner it could.  If that sounds cold, I don't really mean it to, but energy and intent don't play by the rules of human "good and evil".  Energy just "is".  I didn't intend my father dead, but that was how my goal of freedom manifested - and in hindsight, it is perhaps the only way it could have manifested.

Perhaps one of the deepest programs imbedded into us is the idea that the things we do must "harm none".  And while that is certainly a beneficial idea and in accordance with "the right way to live", it's important for the warrior working with Intent to realize that every living thing lives and survives at the expense of something else.  Yes, even vegans.  The seeds and berries are, after all, the living essence of a new plant, and so even the most gentle-minded thrive on life at some level.  It cannot be avoided, and is simply part of the nature of the cycle of life.

I mention this because it's at this stage of the game that I begin to see a lot of warriors cringe in fear of their own power, their own Intent.  I once had an apprentice say to me, "If I have to survive by harming something else, then I'm not sure I want to survive at all."  Those are the eagle's words and nothing more. 

That isn't to say, of course, that we would choose to go out and pillage and plunder for our own gain - because for the warrior who examines her own heart, clearly that is not in accordance with "the right way to live".  So somewhere in the middle of it all lies a balance - and this, again, relates directly back to Intent, even though some of what I am going to say may appear to have "dark" connotations at times.

What we have to know and accept about Intent is what I seem to keep repeating:  it does not always manifest in accordance with our ideas because Intent is a force of energy that is going to usually choose the path of least resistance.  In the case of my father, that path of least resistance resulted in his death - for even though that was not my direct Intent, in hindsight, it can be seen that any other manifestation would probably not have worked in the long run.   Energy moves, and Intent rearranges reality at a molecular level.  The most energy-efficient path usually results in the creation of alternate pathways.

Intent is a small word, but carries with it an extremely powerful gravitational field which the warrior really must come to terms with at some point.  While it is certainly possible and even desirable to have "positive thoughts" when working with Intent, it's equally as important to realize that Intent can be directed, but it cannot be directly controlled anymore than a rushing river can really be controlled except through damming it up and stopping its flow. 

This is why it is important to have a better understanding of the nature of Intent and how it manifests.  When I have the Unbending Intent "to reach freedom and conjoin with Orlando as a singularity of consciousness beyond the eagle", I know what is envisioned and hoped for in that statement, but I have had to accept that the path my Intent takes to achieve that goal is never going to be predictable, and often may not even appear to make sense except in hindsight.  But one thing I do know from experience is that when the Intent is truly unbending, there is no stopping it in the big picture.  Even if I cannot put my Intent clearly into words, it is the force behind that Intent which rearranges reality at a molecular level and creates the pathways through which the vision slowly becomes manifested.

The sorcerer's trick in this case is learning to hold our Intent in our mind/body/spirit, and release it at the same time - breathe in/breathe out.  And, finally, the sorcerer's trick is getting out of her own way and really coming to terms with the fact that our Intent will never fail us, but will seldom if ever manifest in the ways we might have originally imagined.

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