Article by Angie Webster
Intention is very important in energy healing, and in life. Everything we do starts with the vibrational energy of intention. From that intention come the thoughts, words and actions that become our life. These thoughts, words and actions draw the situations and people into our life that we encounter. It is all connected, and it all starts with intention.
The intention that we set is the vibrational state that we are operating from. It sets the tone for how we will behave, how our lives will be, and even how we will feel. It becomes who we are and how others perceive us. It is the “vibe” or energy we radiate. So even before we have thought, said or done anything, our intention for how we want to be in the world and the effect we want to have on the Earth is important. It is important to our healing work, as it sets the tone for what sort of energy we are putting into our work.
There is a frequent misconception about intention, however. When you set an intention, it is not the same as making a wish and waiting for the wish to be granted. When you set an intention you are acknowledging the flow from that intention, through you and into the world. You acknowledge that you are setting your energy to a state where your thoughts, words and actions will now begin to shift and follow through to the fulfillment of that intention, even if you don’t know how that will happen.
Often we don’t know how the end result of our intention will come to be. It may seem so big or so far away from where we are now that we can’t imagine it clearly, or don’t know the steps to get there. By setting the intention, we set the course for our energy to begin to shift in the ways it needs to for the intention to come to be, to the extent that we are ready and open to it. This brings change to our minds, hearts and lives. It changes our energy.
There is always change when you set an intention. We all set intentions every day, though we aren’t always aware of them. Consciously setting an intention is different. It is a way of accepting responsibility for your life and for the power you have over it. If you set intentions for something to come to you or for a change to happen in your life, but you are unwilling to do or change anything in yourself or your life to allow that to happen, then you are blocking the intentions you set.
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Both allowing and action are important to creative change. The only one in charge of your energy and your life is you. By being open to allowing change and to taking action to bring your intentions into being, you take full responsibility and control of your life. That can be a little frightening at first, but it is a great feeling when you step into it.
To use intention to expand your heart and your awareness, especially in service to others is a wonderful thing, and will serve you in the end. This is very much what we do when we set an intention for healing at the beginning of a healing session. We intend to be present for the client in a loving way, with an open heart, and allow healing energy to flow through. The intention is that the session be for their greatest and highest good, though we don’t know what that may be or what the outcome will look like. We don’t know the path the healing will take, either in the short term or in the long term. In order for the healing to be most effective, both the healer and the client must be open to change, expansion and possible action.
Having a clear understanding about intention can lead to more ease in reaching your goals and less frustration. Be open to the path that may arise for you when you set an intention and be prepared to walk it. Pay attention to the signs, even if they are unexpected. Listen to the energy within your own body and heart. Take the steps and opportunities that your mind opens to. Most of all, allow your heart and mind to open. That’s what setting an intention is all about—changing the energy of your heart and mind.
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Angie Webster
Angie Webster made a significant contribution to the Reiki community, with a particular focus on Animal Reiki, which she had a deep affection for. As a knowledgeable Reiki Master Teacher and Author, she conducted online courses on energy healing, herbalism, flower essences, and personal growth.
She is the author of “Animal Reiki: How it Heals, Teaches & Reconnects Us with Nature” and “Reiki from A to Z”. Currently, Angie has decided to retire from her professional life to devote more time to her health, family, and the little joys of life.
A beautiful and much needed article! Loved it.
So spot in
Thanks Shwetha and Beverly. I’m glad you enjoyed the article and found it timely.
loved your article,helpful!
Thanks, Lisa! Glad you found it helpful. Blessings.
The most important changes in my life have happened when I followed this natural law…Thanks for this reminder!Much love,Serena.❤️
Your’re welcome, Serena! Many Blessings.
Totally loved this article. Much needed indeed.
Thank you, Vedant!
Thank you for inspirational and crucial one,it’s needed.
You’re welcome, Mahadev! Blessings to you.
powerful article …timely, TY
Amazing
Open and allow the changes in your heart and mind, if the energy
level increased in our heart and mind who and what will against us?
really a great eye opener.
So glad you enjoyed the article!
Thank you so much. I’m going to convey this to my BodyFlow class. It is a lovely message. Appreciate you.
Namaste
You’re welcome, Glenn! Glad you enjoyed and found it useful. Many blessings.
Amazing article !Angie…Thanks
Thanks for your kind words! Glad you found it helpful.
Love this article and it’s beautifully written.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Many Blessings!
Loved this ❤thank you
Glad you liked it, Teri!
Thanks once again for articulating basic fundamentals and dynamic of Intention. You are great and always helping me at right time to enjoys multi dimensions of Healer’s life.
You’re welcome, Hiren! I’m happy to help. Glad it came to you at just the right time for you. I will be opening registration for an online class on working with intention in everyday life later this summer. Keep an eye on my Facebook page or website for more on that, if you’re interested. Blessings to you.
I have question related to intentions and sensations… I want to ask that does sensation vary according to the intention completion or how, what does it indicates when you feel very strong flow in the starting days of the intention and after few days you notice that the flow is some times feeble and strong alternately. How should I perceive this sensation as in the favor of completion of intention or non completion of the intention? This happens every time I do intention but m unable to distinguish the difference.. Please guide me..reiki blessings to you…
Hi Visika,
I think the best thing to do when setting specific intentions is to set them and then let them go. What I mean by that is to be very clear and open in the beginning when we set the intention, making sure our hearts and emotions are sending out the signal of the energy we are dialing in to. Then we have to let go, or we will start to let our minds think about how the intention is supposed to manifest, which limits the paths we are open to seeing and receiving. Overall, the best goal is to work toward keeping your energy as clear and open as possible so that the energy you send out the the Universe is the energy you wish to receive back. You can best do that by doing self-Reiki, meditation, and making a point to center yourself each morning simply on the types of energy you wish to harmonize with in your life. Not specific situations, but energies, such as joy, peace, clarity, connection, or any other energy states that you choose to align with. Come back to these at least once a day, and more often if you feel down or off balance. Doing this will help you to manifest whatever intentions you set and release more easily because your energy will be clear of static and more open to receive and harmonize with your Highest Good.
Thank you so much for your guidance mam.. Can I sum it up like this that visulaze your intention once a day and then forget it till you come across it next day for daily visualisation??
Visika,
It is much more important that you come back to the overall qualities you want to have in your life, or that you want to be. Come back to those each day, rather than the specific details of an intention.
Okay mam, thank you very much for your guidance.. Reiki blessings to you.. 🙂
Thanks Angie, This tells me so much about one of my great questions… so clearly and so beautifully explained.
Happy it helped you!
Beautiful article. Thankyou so much for sharing this.
OMG as if I got the answer to all my questions after reading this article .God bless us.thank you
Love and Light. I want to celebrate Life and to ‘give’ Reiki to people. I’m attending for the II level
THanks Angie as always for another write up that informs more abt how Reiki works best ! I had been setting intention towards a life situation around 1.5 yrs ago and i was putting a lot of ” what i wanted the end result to be like ” into it , not only wld i feel depleted post each such session but also it just wasnot working , nothing moved at all!
Recently i started Sending Reiki and setting intention to the same matter and told out loud not just to the Universe but also to my self ” i let it GO , do as You Will ” ” i am Free” !
AND!
Within 12-15 days , energy moved , things to help that situation moved!
Its an awesome amazing miracalous experience to work with Reiki and intention in this manner !
I now know and have learnt , Reiki and intention work only when we ” Let it Go and leave all to Divine Will”
Thanks Angie!
Loves and respect always
Thank you for sharing your experience, Rajni. Letting go of specific expectations allows us to open to all the Universe has to offer us, including what we can’t see or expect–just as you discovered.
Thanks for explaining the difference between making a wish and setting intentions. I still find it to be a confusing concept. In some cases, the intentions we set don’t come true because they’re not intended for our highest good. In a recent forum, we had a discussion between expectations vs. intentions. And in all honesty, people seemed to be unsure of how to separate the two. A lot of it is in the phrasing of the intention. But I don’t think it’s clear cut. For example, I have been sending myself Reiki and intending that I enjoy myself on my trip to Europe. That seems pretty neutral. However I enjoy myself is how I enjoy myself. However, in a previous situation where I did this, the trip feel through. It was devastating. I guess it wasn’t meant to happen, but people’s explanations about why, when I posed it to the group, were quite superficial. I was planning a trip to Vegas. A place I’ve been many times before and always enjoy myself immensely. Most people responded with how Vegas was a horrible place with negative energy. And yet, for me, the place had positive energy. I was disappointed that the group couldn’t come up with a better explanation than the sharing of their own stories where they had gone to Vegas, or knew others who had, and that everyone had a terrible time because of the cost, the bad energy, etc. What’s bad energy to one person isn’t necessarily bad energy to another. So while I appreciate your article, I still think there needs to be a better explanation of how to separate intent vs. expectation. Because as the group somewhat agreed, there is some expectation that goes along with intent. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Hi AJ,
Using your example of your trips and your wish to enjoy yourself, I will explain a little more deeply. When you make a wish to enjoy yourself on your trip, you are asking for something pretty specific to happen, even though you are open to how the enjoyment might occur. There is nothing wrong with wishing for enjoyment on a trip at all, nor is there anything wrong with choosing the destination you desire. However, it is important to realize that neither wish making nor intention setting mean that you will get what you desire. The Universe is always supporting us, even when we don’t get our wishes met. Intention setting is simply the combination of a thought with emotional energy.
We all make intentions all day long, every day, even without knowing it or being aware in many cases. When you want to consciously set an intention, it is helpful to let go of any attachment at all to the outcome or the path to the intention. In other words, be open to only your highest good, however that may come to you. Let the Larger Energy of the Universe (however you see that) move the energy to bring your highest good, knowing you can’t see the full picture or control all of its aspects. In the case of your trip, you might set the intention that you are open to receive whatever is in your greatest good in relation to the trip and its outcome. Or you could set the intention that you be supported and guided in whatever way is best for you at this time.
Hi Angie. Thank you so much for your reply. I respect your approach and appreciate your explanation. I really like the idea of letting the larger energy of the Universe move the energy to bring about my highest good, knowing that I can’t see the full picture or control all of its aspects. I guess that makes me wonder about the decision to plan a trip to begin with. I believe that the aspects of the decision are the result of both conscious and subconscious intentions. If the larger energy of the universe was flowing towards me and working for my highest good, then I believe this is definitely a factor in why I chose to go on a trip, and in where I chose to go.
I agree that it’s important to let go of any attachment to the outcome or path of the intention. However, in some cases, such as planning a trip, there must be an element of control. Perhaps you would explain this differently, but the control as I see it lies in the choice to save money, book the plane fare and hotel accommodations, and so on. This could also be described as setting an intention or being proactive. I think there are many ways to frame things and each way comes with a different charge, or energy flow, for the person making the decision. I think what I have realized is that invoking Reiki in all situations isn’t necessarily in my best interest. I believe that if Reiki works for our highest good, than our highest self also knows when Reiki won’t work for our highest good. I’ve been reading a lot about visualization, EFT, and the Law of Attraction. While I always hope each method will complement the other, some of the approaches resonate with me more strongly than others, depending on the situation. Thank you very much and have a wonderful day.
Namaste, I am glad I read your article.
What is an intention please? Is it like a plan???
It is a bit different from a plan, although a series of intentions often lead to plans and goals. An intention is a thought of action, movement, or maintaining something in it’s current state. It is usually accompanied by a desire or an emotion that is coupled with the thought. We have lots of them throughout the day and most we don’t notice. For example, you can have the intention to be open-hearted to a friend as she talks to you. Or the intention to rest. Or the intention to walk across the room.
To consciously set an intention, you think about what you want to feel like as your intention unfolds and comes to be. What will that be like for you? How will it look and feel? What will your life be like? Let yourself feel that in your mind, emotions, imagination and in your physical sensations? Then there will be actions you will need to take (or stop taking) in order for that to unfold. Pay attention to how these courses of change or action present themselves to your mind and life and be prepared to follow them. That is how an intention unfolds into a plan–with lots of smaller intentions. But it starts with one intention, such as the intention to feel better or be more loving.
Thanks for the guidance. Your words gave me the solutions
I want my son who is in 11std to study well but all the time he is on mobile. Please help how to give reiki to him to so that he concentrates on study as i want him to join ARMY OR AIRFORCE.
Hi Prati,
Reiki doesn’t work to make other people do what we want or live the lives we dream for them. If your son wants to receive Reiki, and only if he wants to receive it, give him Reiki. But not for a specific outcome. Instead, allow Reiki to work for his balance and good, whatever that may be for him and his path. Also give Reiki to yourself so that you also find balance and peace. This will help you in truly guiding and supporting your son as he finds his own life path, which may not look the way you picture right now.
Could you help me?
When I go to work in the hospital
I feel like the
Energy is going to knock me down
Why?