Hi Eric - you raise some really essential points to do with intentional manifesting and I commend all to read and explore the kinds of queries you're having, because I know that inside, many will be having them.

So to paraphrase one of the inquiries, 'if I have no intention, I slip into apathy and inaction'. There's so much to this comment. Firstly is there a negative loading of the sense of inaction? Does inaction become apathy? Because you could say that meditating is inaction. Yet by becoming ever stiller, deeper and deeper in through the layers, we'll get ever closer to the source where natural soul impulse arises from. So it would be useful to explore what apathy means to you. Is the ego owning the concept of meditative inaction and thereby loading it negatively? In which case, it would shut down the flow. So it would be worth exploring deep into the sense of apathy - where did it come from? One possibility is that we've gotten sick and tired of being pushed into other people's agendas that then didn't work out. So I would say an exploration of this would be worthwhile.

Another point that comes up from your sharing is that we need to unpack the word "intention", because to different people it can mean different things and the mainstream intentional manifestors have mainly owned it in a particular way. When people speak of "set your intention", this mostly must be a mind/emotion led idea, that is a strategy to approach and tackle any given situation in a particular way. This is what is so deceptive because it overrides the soul. Hence it's difficult to be authentic and real. You create just another layer of identity. But there comes a point on the journey of complete surrender, when enough of the soul has infused and integrated. At Openhand we call it the Realignment - it's a natural Gateway shift in the journey of the soul. Now at this point, enough soul has integrated to realise that surrender to the flow is the only really worthwhile action to undertake - everything else leads to untruth and blind alleyways. So a natural "intention" can arise to be open to the soul in any given moment. This would be more a "yearning" or an heart felt "orientation". So there's a natural commitment to align oneself with the soul - the distorted aspect of oneself, the ego, is surrendering.

From this orientation to the soul, the inner surrender opens gateways through the inner layers leading back to the source - which can feel (to the ego) like inaction. But we keep exploring, keep delving, keep surrendering because the rest is illusion. From this inner opening out, you start to feel and sense the arising of soul much more clearly and strongly. Now there comes an alignment and commitment to the soul in daily actions - you energise the embodiment and expression of soul by allowing emotion and heart felt 'intent' - impulse - to build around it. I call it "yearning".

Now when this authenticity comes through, it will feel like many things - including joy, because you've truly touched the soul and embodied it.

So to summarise, you could begin with a higher 'intention' just to connect with the soul as much as possible and orientate yourself from there. This will require a deep inner opening out - plenty of stillness. Then commiting to the soul and giving it energy as it comes through - heart felt yearning and impulse. This is entirely different from 'setting your intention' to do 'this' or 'that' in terms of some external goal.

I'd be interested in your feedback on that.

Open