January Intention Setting

January is my month to be still, listen within, discern my next steps, and set intentions for the year; to get my ducks in a row!

I've already chosen a theme for the year - Being Rooted:

Roots are our connection to the deeper places in our souls, to the past, and to the land we live on. Being rooted gives one a secure sense of who you are and where you belong; you are firmly planted, sunk in, feet on the ground and the earth is steady. 

To be rooted means I belong here: Strong and grounded in Love, Truth, and Creation, solidly living in the Now, connected to the Divine Whole, and radiant in peace, in health and resilience. It means I belong in my home, my family, and in my community; I'm integrated and whole. 

My next steps today are to review my core values, set some intentions that capture the possibility of daily right action, and plan ways to build intention into my daily routine.

Agenda:

1. Read It's a Meaningful Life

2. Define my values

3. Identify Essential Intentions

4. Set intentions for my priorities

5. Create an intentions ritual

1. Read It's a Meaningful Life:

I've been re-reading "It's a Meaningful Life; It Just Takes Practice," by Bo Lozoff (2000). Chapter two is Spirituality is Not Optional. 

Bo sets aside religion, and focuses on spiritual awareness. "Religion is created by man. But life itself -- creation, the universe, whatever you want to call it - is spiritual. ... The Divine is not an idea or a metaphor. It is a direct perception when we reach awareness."

He goes on to say that if we wish to be in tune with the order and Divine Nature of the universe, we need  to develop our spiritual awareness. "...without proper awareness, love can easily become neediness, obedience can become oppression, devotion can become obsession, and faith can become superstition. So we begin by developing clearer and more honest awareness".

Next he talks about the benefits of meditation (in any tradition), and freeing the mind of thoughts, in order to become aware of the Loving Truth. "...the final proof of spiritual life is our moment-by-moment awareness. The degree to which we are able to see honestly who we are, what we need to do, and how we relate to the world is the degree to which our minds are noisy or quiet".

Except for Quaker worship, I'm not a fan of sitting meditation; my favorite ways of stilling the mind are more active - walking, art, and gardening. But I could give it a try again?

2. Define my core values:

My list of core values and principles includes big concepts like love and simplicity. The question I ask today is,"What exactly do these values mean to me, and what do they lead me to do and to be? What right action or good deeds do I intend each day, or how do I intend to live, to support and demonstrate my values?"

Values by themselves lack commitment. I might value honesty, but never define what that means to me, or fully commit to leading an honest life. Values such as honesty are complex, and mean subtly different things to different people.

When I turn my values into intentions, they become a pledge for action in the moment - they remind me of my deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for leading a valuable life. It's vital for me to define my values and principles in a way that touches me at my core, and hone each one down to a phrase that will be useful, day in and day out.

 
I've written intentions for some but not all of my values, so today I will review those I've written and write a few more. 

The first step is to have a definition that speaks to me. I start by looking in a dictionary, and then read what other writers say, and dig around until I eventually begin to recognize what these principles mean to me. Here's a few of the definitions I've come up with:

1. Love: Practice habits of listening, generosity, patience, care, and kindness with my community, my family, and the earth.

2. Integrity: Be honest and whole, and choose actions and words that align me with my highest self, with that of God within me, and with who I truly am at my core.

3. Community / Unity: Commit to moving forward together, with Light and Love, not letting our differences prevent cooperation.

4. Unity with Nature: Remember that the Earth and every part of Creation is a living, spiritual being, and live in accordance.

5. Peace and Equanimity: Stay calm and patient with people and problems, not obsessed with any thought, and not acting with aggression or anger.

6. Witness: Speak truth through my words and actions, and lead by example.

3. Identify Essential Intentions:

Once I have a definition, I can consider why these core values are so important to me. This is harder than it seems - you might find yourself feeling like it's self-explanatory, but if you try to put it into words, and try to find the words that grab you at the deepest level, it is very satisfying. (Don't be afraid to be dramatic!) Example: 

"I want to have equanimity because I want to be ruled by my heart and soul, not my impulses, and my equanimity in times of stress will heal the world."

When you have a succinct definition of what a core value means to you, and a gripping explanation of why it's so important, you can easily turn it into an essential intention that captures the possibility of daily right action and will be useful in any situation that arises in daily life.

 
I write my intentions in present tense, using the action + definition + deepest reason model:

-I intend to have equanimity and stay calm, not agitated or impatient with people or problems, or obsessed with any thought, because I am ruled by my heart and soul, not my impulses, and my equanimity in times of stress will heal the world.

 

4. Set intentions for my priorities:

The other part of getting my ducks in a row is to know my priorities - those activities, responsibilities, people, disciplines, and whatever else seems most important and feels most meaningful, day in and day out.

Priorities are more fluid than values. They change over time and with the seasons, and expand or decrease with my energy, so I keep a close eye on them. My priorities give my day focus: I only have so much time each day, and so knowing my current priorities gives me self-confidence and peace of mind, and makes it so much easier to say, "No - that is not a priority for me right now."

One way I get a handle on intentions for my priorities is to map out all the connections to my values: Today I started with my Family, Friends, Community priority. I had a little chat with myself in my journal, and made a list of the values that lead me to action for this one priority:

Family, Friends, Community:

1. Love
2. Integrity
3. Community / Unity
4. Peace and Equanimity
5. Witness

Then I can write an intention, or a series of intentions, for this one priority, that speaks to my core values, and reminds me of my deepest, most essential, most passionate reasons for living.

-I intend to live with love and have equanimity with my family, friends and community, practicing love habits and staying calm, because my equanimity and love in times of stress will heal the world, and love is our connection with God, and the only thing that will save us. 

-I intend to live in unity with my family and community, committing to move forward together, with Light and Love, not letting our differences prevent cooperation, because everyone deserves that basic respect, and because that is how I can help to strengthen my family and our whole community. 

-I intend to have integrity with my family, friends and community, being honest and whole, and choosing actions and words that align me with my highest self, with that of God within me, and with who I truly am at my core, because holding myself to high standards is how I honor the Light of Truth and Love, and witness to self-transcendence. 

-I intend to be a witness to my family, friends and community, by speaking truth through my words and actions, and leading by example, because my main mission in life is to be a creative force for change.

 

5. Create an intentions ritual:

Now I just need to remember my intentions! I need a little ritual or habit to remind me, every day, of what my intentions are - what it is I want to do and my deepest reasons why. 

I like to review my intentions in the morning; that's when my head is clear and I am most creative. I have a little ceremony that is a soothing routine, first thing every morning:

I make my morning coffee, sit in my favorite chair, and I look at my priorities chart for the week (yes, I have a chart!), and choose tasks for each of my priorities that fit best into my day. For example, today my chart says:

Sanctuary		Earth Unity / Garden		Celebration	Creativity	Family, Friends, Community		Income
Houseplants	Zen clearing	Plastics work	Plant plan	Meeting for Worship	Root sign	Write thank you's	Call Mom	HK work=

It takes me about 10-minutes to reaffirm which of my priorities I plan to do, and check over my schedule to make sure it's reasonable. I also might make a note on my schedule of what I need in order to start and complete each task - do I have supplies to gather? calls to make?

Then I light a candle or two or three, and take just a few minutes to picture each of today's priority tasks - the moment I will start each one, and how I will feel when I complete it - and remember the REASON why each is a priority. Then I commit to act on each task with vigor, and blow out the candle.