Ian Somerhalder Foundation Book Club discussion

Kim Falconer

Intention
Discuss what it is and why it’s important

The properties of intention – from Path of the Stray

Janis was in the habit of achieving whatever she set out to do. Her background in the occult, as well as quantum physics and medical science, gave her an edge. The manipulation of reality by conscious intention was a well practised part of her life — deliberate creation, she called it. When she wanted a thing — a particular experience or outcome — she focused her thoughts on it, feeling what it would be like if she had it right in that moment, and before she knew it, she did. (Janis Richter on intention, page 46)

* * *

Her mind reached for the highest possible outcome. She was imagining it, expecting it, knowing it would be . . . (Janis seeks the JARROD consciousness, Page 66)

* * *

JARROD: The possibilities are so vast that if I started listing them today, you’d be an old woman before I was halfway through.’

JANIS: ‘Pot luck then.’

JARROD: ‘Or a powerfully focused intention. I suggest the
latter.’ (On the infinite organizing power of intention, Page 98)

* * *

Because I say so. Janis to Luka (now that’s intention! pg 92)

* * *

And, note that humans aren’t the only ones with intentions.

‘There comes a time, Ruby, when letting go is all that’s left to do. Corsair has his own intention — had it all along — and I’m officially giving in to it. He wins. He’ll not be saddled again.’ (Ruby remembering Janis the last time she rode Corsair, page 606)
What's An Intention?
An intention is simply the mental/verbal statement we make about an action, result or event. We have in mind want we want and then say it like it’s already a done deal. Think: I decide what happens next!
Example: This meeting is going to work out perfectly. I know they are going to appreciate everything I have to offer.
Without intention, we don’t have a focus or direction and things just seem to happen, or not, without our participation.
With an unconscious negative intention, we might be ‘intending’ for things to go in ways we don’t really want.
Example: This doesn’t have a chance in hell. We know it’s never going to work.
Negative or unconscious intentions can have a powerful effect on outcome. Becoming more aware can make a difference in how we say our life will be.

How you set intentions?

1) How do you think about your day when you wake up?

2) Do you ‘see’ things as ‘going to be difficult/tricky/bad?’

3) Are there people/jobs/activities you think are challenging?

4) Are there people jobs/activities you think are fun?

5) Do you notice how your body feels when you start something new?

6) Do you KNOW how someone is going to react before they do?




Awareness and open mind

1) Start your day with appreciation
2) Set intentions to experience the day without judgments
3) Use positive self-talk when starting something new
4) Focus on what’s going right
5) Remember you have instant access to infinite possibilities
6) Tune in to the messages from your body. Habit or instinct?
7) Loosen up your ideas about how people may respond. Give them a chance to grow.

Suggested Discussion Topics


Learn how to do Segment intending

‘Pray Rain’ philosophy – how it works

Ritual magic - intention with props

Acting ‘as if’ (it is going the way you want)

Astrology for authenticity and inspiration

It was a discussion on 'Intentions' that got Kim Klingler and I so excited about the possibility of my books in a book club so I thought it would be fitting to bring this topic up right away. I know most haven't had a chance to read POTS yet, but you'll find, be they techno-witches, Lupins or temple priestesses, plenty of characters in the story know how powerful intentions are.

So much so, I'd like to set mine.

I intend for us to form a community were together we gain a deeper awareness and reverence for ourselves, each other and all things of the Earth. I also intend that we have ridiculous amounts of fun in the process!

Anyone else care to set an intention? Love to hear it!

Most people in the modern world don't understand my intentions. I have never & continue to refuse to pump gas. I think it is very dirty & am physically repulsed by the thought (while I'm here mucking out pens with a pitchfork & wheelbarrow all day, different kind of dirt;) I have never gotten my driver's license though I am 32yrs, which is very challenging living rural w/hit & miss bus scheduling or carpooling. I do drive to my neigh-boer's house sometimes when I do chores for him in the winter, I just think that cars on public roads go Way too Fast. When I came out of the forest for the first time in 11 months, we were hitch-hiking & had been walking for 20 miles until we got picked up by a fellow forest defender. It felt like somebody suddenly hit the Fast-forward button on reality. Like a roller coaster even though it was only 30 mph. I prefer the pace of an equine or my own two feet, ideally running through the woods rather than the concrete.

I have worked for a man, Michael Muir who has MS, there are people who can not walk & he has horse wagons with a wheel chair lift. Access Adventure Anywhere Wild! They bring handicap people out into Wilderness areas in the horse wagons. At that pace you can absorb your surroundings. Pulls them out of depression & into a world of possibilities. A lot of the wagon drivers are in wheelchairs! It changes people's reality, it really does!

People come to my place to get out of town. To hug baby goats & catch chickens. Kids love it! I have a pony kids learn to ride & drive. They are memories people will never forget, especially if they take pictures. =)

My intentions are to live simply. The computer, yeah, it is distracting, but it has been how I've been able to sell my livestock the last few years & make connections. It allows me to keep in touch with my family scattered around the states & friends around the world. ISF makes me so happy to be a part of something big, where we really are able to make a positive difference & bring about awareness. Nature needs this!

intentions:
a. purpose or attitude toward the effect of one's actions or conduct

I have been pondering "intentions". It is something I do everyday and in my opinion is the most important part of this book. I wholeheartedly believe that if every person understands the very real power of setting an intention then we could make a powerful change in the world.

Yes. I love Matt Davis' Ernesto's Starship entry today:

"#RampageGratitude is an Idea brought to us by Abraham-Hicks, and best described in their own words:

This Rampage of Appreciation game can be played anywhere and at any time because it is a game that is easily played simply by directing pleasant thoughts in your mind. If you were to write your thoughts on paper, it would enhance this process, but it is not necessary.
Begin by looking around your immediate environment and gently noticing something that pleases you. Try to hold your attention on this pleasing object as you consider how wonderful, beautiful, or useful it is. And as you focus upon it longer, your positive feelings about it will increase.
Now, notice your improved feeling, and be appreciative of the way you feel. Then, once your good feeling is noticeably stronger than when you began, look around your environment and choose another pleasing object for your positive attention.
Abraham-Hicks, Ask and It Is Given – pg. 143

Every time you appreciate something, every time you praise something, every time you feel good about something, you are telling the Universe: “More of this, please.” You need never make another verbal statement of this intent, and if you are mostly in a state of appreciation, all good things will flow to you.
We are often asked, Isn‘t love a better word than appreciation? Isn‘t love more descriptive of the Non- Physical Energy? And we say that love and appreciation are really the same vibration. Some use the word gratitude, or a feeling of thankfulness, but all of these words are descriptive of Well-Being.
A desire to appreciate is a very good first step, and then as you find more things that you would like to say “Thank you” about, it quickly gains momentum. And as you want to feel appreciation, you attract something to appreciate. And as you appreciate it, then you attract something else to appreciate, until, in time, you are experiencing a Rampage of Appreciation.
Abraham-Hicks, Ask and It Is Given – p. 146

Let your dominant intent be to feel good which means be playful, have fun, laugh often, look for reasons to appreciate and practice the art of appreciation. And as you practice it, the Universe, who has been watching you practice, will give you constant opportunities to express it. So that your life just gets better and better and better.
Excerpted from a workshop in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, September 13th, 1997

Milk every moment for all the pleasure you can get from it. When you say, “It is my dominant intent to look for things that feel good today. No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing, no matter who I’m doing it with, it is my dominant intent to look for what I’m wanting to see, to look for things that feel good,” and the more you develop the habit of that kind of vibration — the more the Universe understands that that’s who you are! And so, the more you have access only to those kinds of things! "

Thank you @ErnestoRiley for that, it is very beautiful!

Kim wrote: "... I intend for us to form a community were together we gain a deeper awareness and reverence for ourselves, each other and all things of the Earth. I also intend that we have ridiculous amounts of fun in the process!"

Such a lovely intention! and it is clearly becoming reality!

I fully believe that Intention has a powerful effect on the outcome. It is a technique that can be practiced, developed, and can eventually become habit. This process of self-discovery can be startling as we reveal how often we have sabotaged ourselves 'unintentionally'. [slightly off topic: This is one of the peeves I have with many stories involving magic, where waving a hand or saying a word is all that is needed. If you do not know what you intend to have happen you shall surely be surprised - and not pleasantly.]

Living intentionally, I believe, also requires living in the now, or immenance [immediacy]. The exercise suggested demomstrates aspects of immenance. I have had great experiences with this, especially as it not only affected me, but those around me. I step out of a store, immediately aware of an unusual quality to the light, I move into the open to view the sky - one of those surreal sunset skyscapes! Unwilling to look away, I'm standing in a parking spot, head back, a smile of wonder on my face. Some people manage to walk by without a glance, but some look questioningly at me and at least notice the beautiful sky. Soon I'm aware that I'm not alone in my sky gazing! :)

Item number seven above touches on the relationship between what we expect [intention] from a person and what we get from them [result]. Its a strange concept to consider that how a person treats us may have much to do with how we expect them to treat us. We get to know a person; we develop lists of traits, attributes, habits etc that sum up that person and lists of how to respond to them. In fact you might even say we have contracts with people that govern our relationships. Fred is the comic relief so we joke with him. Tom is the smart, serious one so we bring him our problems.
What if we broke those contracts - tore them right up? Its entirely possible that the people we relate to like 'one-dimentional charactors' are suddenly multifacited personalities offering inspired adventures!

There is a self-help book by Karla McLaren called "Your Aura & Your Chakras: The Owner's Manual" that I highly recommend. She explores many ideas and presents visualisations designed to reclaim our energy and heal ourselves and our relationships. She also takes a different approach to Auras: rather than reading and interpreting, she suggests creating, shaping and using our auras. In other words, she applies Intentionality to Auras.

Peace, Hope and Immenance!

Kim wrote: "It was a discussion on 'Intentions' that got Kim Klingler and I so excited about the possibility of my books in a book club so I thought it would be fitting to bring this topic up right away. I kno..."

Beautifully said Kim. My intentions are to live each day to the fullest with an emphasis on responsibility for how my actions effect the world around me. I strive to be the difference I want to see in the world.


Heather McCorkle

I am very excited to be here and to be a part of this group! I am already amazed because @Barnyard was talking about working for a man who has MS, as I am also an MS patient. While MS hasn't taken my ability to walk, it has limited me in ways that I struggle to overcome every day. Being able to be a part of a group where positive energy is flowing is such an amazing encouragement! I am looking forward to reading POTS and joining the conversations! :)

I completely agree with @Heather when she said, "My intentions are to live each day to the fullest with an emphasis on responsibility for how my actions effect the world around me. I strive to be the difference i want to see in the world."

What a powerful and amazing intention! Would you mind sharing it with me? :)

Brandy wrote: "I am very excited to be here and to be a part of this group! I am already amazed because @Barnyard was talking about working for a man who has MS, as I am also an MS patient. While MS hasn't taken ..."

I wouldn't mind at all Brandy! Power to you, I'm happy to share the energy with you. :)

Today I picked up 6 sheep (8 sheep total) from an older lady who has been deaf all of her life and now has been loosing her eye sight and walks with two canes. I knew her a few years ago (I hadn't thought of her as an old lady) and my, how she has aged since then. Her property is up on the market, and she is moving to Oregon to be closer to her son. She has been calling me and emailing incessantly, so I figured we'd better go there and pick up what we can. I went there for a ram, and ended up bringing home the whole lot. I gave her $100 and she looked at it as her eyes grew big, and she mumbled, Wow. She didn't want to see the sheep go, but knew it was the next step before she had to leave the property completely. I gave her a hug after we were finished loading and she held onto me as if she were drowning. She began crying silently. She is a tall skinny woman, but she held on tightly for over a minute. I don't know the last time she had been hugged. She lives alone, deep in the woods on a long dirt road. Isolated physically, emotionally, and socially. It pains me that this beautiful country is more concerned on making money for the CEOs and as corporations continue to outsource labor, as we fund a never ending war; our own Elders are left down in the dumps to rot as they slowly fade away. Out of sight out of mind, but they are still in their own mind. There must be an answer long term to help our own people in need. My friend who was helping me with the sheep said, "If this was a village, we would be taking care of her. She would be part of a family, and we would know when she needs help. She would be provided for." Surviving is one thing, but truly living as part of a community that actually cares that they are still alive is something to try to achieve & change into existence.

Barnyard wrote: "Today I picked up 6 sheep (8 sheep total) from an older lady who has been deaf all of her life and now has been loosing her eye sight and walks with two canes. I knew her a few years ago (I hadn't ..."
Such a sad story! You are an angel to take care of her animals.

Barnyard wrote: "Today I picked up 6 sheep (8 sheep total) from an older lady who has been deaf all of her life and now has been loosing her eye sight and walks with two canes. I knew her a few years ago (I hadn't ..."

oh my gosh! That is sad. Do you keep in touch with her??

Jawaria wrote: "oh my gosh! That is sad. Do you keep in touch with her?? ..."

She is still emailing me, giving me information about the bloodlines on the sheep and trying to figure out picking up some feeders as she has to have everything cleared off of the property soon. Second farm liquidation I have taken in a week. Pretty sad.

There is a local Dairy Farmer who is down the road from a pasture I rent. He said he is selling all of his cows (he usually milks 85) says he'll just be milking the 200 goats now. His youngest son moved away after high school and the Farmer and his wife keep getting older. He said they can only do what they can do. Worker's comp & the price of Insurance makes it nearly impossible for family farms to be able to hire outside workers. Times keep changing, but I'm not sure what the general populace's goal of that change is. Renting a pasture and taking care of a horse is way cheaper than driving a car (I pay $50/month/horse) I wish things could stay more local. With Dairy fields opening up, that would be a lot of horse transportation space available if it were something people thought about, and if there were hitching rails at the grocery stores. =)

Barnyard wrote: "Jawaria wrote: "oh my gosh! That is sad. Do you keep in touch with her?? ..."

She is still emailing me, giving me information about the bloodlines on the sheep and trying to figure out picking up ..."

Wow you are a wonderful person.

Barnyard wrote: "Today I picked up 6 sheep (8 sheep total) from an older lady who has been deaf all of her life and now has been loosing her eye sight and walks with two canes. I knew her a few years ago (I hadn't ..."

This is such a touching story and I agree with Debby, and Jawaria. You are an angle in the lives of animals and there people. A gift.