Intentions
What it is
The practice of consciously naming what one is bringing to a process, a relationship, a stretch of life, or even a single conversation — distinct from what one is taking from it or wanting to get out of it.
Intentions are the broadest level of the unknown. They can be set without any sense of how they could possibly manifest, or what shape they might take. They are an act of orientation, not a plan.
A working frame the curriculum quotes: “Humans supply the intention, nature supplies the raw materials.” (Maechelle Small Wright, Perelandra.)
A second working frame: if you tune into your intentions you can see that you are already creating them. The practice is becoming aware enough to recognize what is already in motion.
The move
- Go internal. Tune into the body before writing or speaking. The intention comes from underneath the busy mind, not from the surface.
- Visualize. Let the intention have a felt shape before naming it.
- Write in the present and the positive. Two rules, both
important:
- Present tense. “I bring openness to my partner.” — not “I will bring.” Future-tense intentions stay future.
- Positive form. “I bring patience.” — not “I don’t get irritated.” The brain does not register don’t and not well (think don’t think of a pink elephant). As you describe what is, you are already beginning to experience it.
- Speak intentions out loud — together when possible. The shared container of speaking intentions in a group both anchors them and transmits them.
- Keep an intentions book. The curriculum suggests holding intentions over time. The unfolding of an intention is often surprising, and only visible across months and years.
How intentions differ from commitments
- Intentions name what I am bringing — energy, orientation, presence. They are upstream of action, often upstream of any specific plan. They can be held for the broadest possible scope.
- Commitments name how I am organizing my energies toward a specific direction. They live closer to action and to integrity. (See commitments.)
The curriculum names intentions as step 1 of creating a manifesto — me made manifest. (See manifesto.) Intentions become the seed of the manifesto’s larger named direction.
Why this matters
Most life is run on unconscious intentions — what the practitioner has been carrying without naming. Conscious intentions are the practitioner’s act of taking the wheel: not by controlling outcomes, but by orienting deliberately to what is being brought.
A practitioner who is in their full intention is already creating that intention; the rest is being available to how it shows up.
Facets served
- facet-aligning-with-essence — intentions are how essence shows up as orientation in time.
- facet-living-big-life — the broadest intentions are what give the big life its shape.
Related principles
- principle-2, principle-3 — go internal (the body) first; intention from SEW is intention from essence.
Related tools
- commitments — the next-step practice, closer to action.
- manifesto — intentions, commitments, and named direction consolidated into one piece.
- determining-purpose — purpose is the broadest container; intentions are how purpose moves into time.
Source and attribution
Primary source: raw/2025 ILC Version AT Master Curriculum.docx.md,
Week 1 (Welcome / Get Started). The curriculum references an
Intentions worksheet — needs-export as a separate asset when the
team is ready.
Lineage: Maechelle Small Wright (Perelandra) for the intention/manifestation framing quoted by the curriculum.
Status notes
canonical — promoted from needs-export 2026-05-24 from the ILC
master curriculum (Week 1).