Intention Setting
As the New Year fast approaches, that nagging feeling starts to emerge…it’s a new year. Often there’s a feeling of potential, a new chance, or a new chapter. With the end of one year and the beginning of the next, a sort of reset button emerges. And, as we’re in the depths of winter - the season of Yin, the Water element (wisdom, stamina and endurance) and the spirit of Zhi, or one’s will, ambition, purpose and destiny - there’s no better time to reflect on what has been and what could be.
What are your big picture goals for your life? How do you want to feel through the ups and downs of this year? Our aspirations inform our intentions, leading us to the volitional actions which shape our days, weeks, and year. Intentions are more about bringing forward an aim or purpose, so if you want to lose weight, get stronger, or get promoted, it’s key to understand the underlying desire. What do you hope this will bring to you?
When setting an intention, you are laying the foundation for what you’d like to grow in your life. Often, intentions involve the emotions you hope and intend to feel from situations or things in the future and help us keep our compass calibrated to a meaningful life with a sense purpose. Maybe for you it’s one word (mine this year is patience), a simple phrase or idea that you can come back to, whether it’s throughout the day or throughout the year. It can be big or small.
While there are different ways to set intentions, we suggest harnessing the energy of winter first, as the quiet depth to the season allows us to connect to the core of our being and our underlying emotions.
Intention-Setting Ritual
Block off time for connecting with yourself more deeply. Turn off your phone (maybe even put it in a pocket in your jacket in a closet with the door shut). Have a pen and paper handy.
To get in the right head and heart space, create the best setting and mood for you. This could be as simple as lighting a candle and/or sage, taking a bath, listening to soothing music, or walking in nature. You may also want to include special tools such as crystals.
Close your eyes and allow things to slow down. After a bit of time breathing and settling into the moment, reflect on the past year:
What has been working and what has not?
What do you want more or less of in life?
How have you been feeling?
What are you ready to let go of?
Consider these questions in every area of your life: romantic relationships, job, home, family, hobbies. What patterns emerge? Is there an overarching theme of something that you sense you would like to shift? We’ve found it most helpful to identify intentions as a quality that can touch every part of life. Keep this written intention (or intentions) someplace special that you can revisit. You may want to incorporate it into an altar, along with objects that are meaningful to you like photos, quotes or poem, figurines or natural materials. You may also find it helpful to revisit and evaluate your intentions at specific intervals throughout the year, such as during each month’s New Moon, a natural and auspicious time for planting seeds. You can also share your intentions with others; by confiding your goals and ambitions with friends or family, you are creating a sense of accountability.