I had the privilege of teaching an intensive course on Intention this summer. It was an amazing experience to spend three hours a day, four days a week for three weeks focusing solely on intention with a diverse group of young adults. I have wanted to teach intention directly for quite a while, and being able to lead this seminar was a blessing for several reasons. I was able to focus on organizing my understanding of intention which has added quite a bit of clarity to my knowledge. I was also able to delve down into some of the beliefs that are seemingly contradictory to the idea of intention, such as destiny and death. In addition, I noticed some glaring evidence of some of my blind spots when attempting to live in accord with my intention. For example, my ever increasing sensitivity to my own resistance is helping to show me when I have fallen into a practiced response of being offended. To top it all off, I got to talk about one of my favorite subjects in the world for a long time. I also realized some things anew while leading this seminar, not the least of which was the benefit of community when living the intentional life.
I noticed that even though I was frankly unsure of my ability to lead a seminar on intention and felt a bit overwhelmed before classes, I was walking out of each seminar feeling almost radiant. It was like I was glowing with gratitude and perhaps even love. Some days that feeling was clearer than others, but it was always there. This has been a hot summer here and going to and from class has not been the most comfortable experience. Half of the classes started at nine in the morning, and I do not like nine o’clock classes. I walked into the seminar room feeling almost grouchy more than once. I noticed my irritation when a particular student started whining about how hot the room was at the beginning of class. During our time together, I’d catch students paying more attention to their phones than to what we were focusing on as a group, and I’d notice irritation and a feeling of offense rising from the pit. Still, at the end of our three hours, I was radiant. I found myself recycling an old cliché in class. After each seminar, I felt like I was in my groove. I was in my flow.
I asked myself why I was feeling so good. Was I feeling pride for being able to teach a class I’ve wanted to teach for a long time? Was I relieved that the class was over for the day? I admit that I had had to fortify my confidence in my ability to teach this class on a daily basis. Or could it have been that I was enjoying walking around and getting to know a new campus? The university that invited me to teach is huge. However, I knew the feeling was not due to any of these reasons. The feeling was much more piquant than pride, relief, or even curiosity. I was feeling good. Things seemed to flow for me. I found myself making better choices when things didn’t seem to flow in the direction I wanted. In other words, I was able to course correct much more easily. I’ve come to the conclusion that it was having the opportunity to focus on intention with a community of people that was doing the trick. Of course, I think and focus on intention quite a bit when I am alone, and that feels good too. This heightened feeling was more easily achievable because I was able to share and co-create a collective focus on, discussion about, and collective opening to the power of intention, and that is what had elevated me so consistently.
In many ways living an intentional life is counter-cultural. All of the post-industrialized societies that I have had encounters with have been very similar in one respect. Societies of trained rational minds tend to focus so much on logic and reason that they become hypermaterial-reductionist. That is to say that the popular culture tends to revolve around reason and fact and as such becomes almost fearful of opposites such as misinformation and irrationality. Material goods such as clothes, cars, and food are sometimes seen as equally valuable as education and experience. Plans, processes, and predictability are what are sought. This is not to say that these are not valuable things to think about and ways of organizing life, but postindustrial societies tend to relegate religion and, even more so, spirituality to the areas of private life and interest; they are generally not to be spoken of in public. When people gather into groups of friends, family, and acquaintances, they tend to talk about sports, fashion, entertainment, relationships, careers and perhaps even politics rather than spirituality and ways of experiencing life as a non-physical being in a body..
In modern society, as more and more of our sisters and brothers have wanted to break the perceived bonds of religious institutions, many of us do not feel like we have a community to support us on our individual spiritual paths. Even those of us who have remained within a religious tradition can feel a lack of spiritual upliftment. And while it is wonderful and even admirable to have very strong beliefs and knowledge of the non-material or metaphysical things such as the Divine Creator or God, soul or spirit, and even intention on one’s own, it is so much easier to remain open to and recognize the presence of such intangible life forces when you have a community to share with. I’m sure that is the power that also helped to sustain and grow the small Christian communities in the first century of the Common Era and that got the Buddhist communities their momentum in the fourth century Before the Common Era. It is what strengthens religious communities of all kinds gathered in sharing and love. Other Christian groups that come to mind are the Beguines and Beghards in late medieval northern Europe. They were communities of women and then men who formed lay communities of work and prayer. They were a powerful lay movement that lasted for hundreds of years. Having a group of people to share your experience of the spiritual and your journey of development and even to discuss ideas and ways of understanding with are all of great benefit for each member of the group. I found strong evidence of that while leading an intensive seminar on living the intentional life this summer.
I feel blessed for having had this experience and look forward to getting another opportunity to gather groups to converse about intention and our experiences of it. This is also my main reason for creating this website. I want to offer myself to you as a partner on this journey of discovery and creation, and I hope you feel both inspired and stirred to engage with me. I know that we humans as well as all elements of this physical universe that we experience are here to co-create with each other for our collective expansion and delight. And as such, I am here to revel in you as an intentional being of Love, Joy, Wellbeing, and Awareness.