“Intent matters in all matters of import. When intent is assumed, magic is spoiled. When intent is attuned, magic is unlocked.” – A Witch Named Z
Intent is in my opinion the most important aspect of magic, of life even, it’s even more important than the elements. If you’ve read through other sections of my site you’ve likely noticed that intent is a very personal topic for me and I would stand by the quote above any day, written long long ago before I found my white magic, it was the first, most important magical lesson I really learned.
So what is intent? Remember back to when I said you’re responsible for the state of the energy when it returns to the cycle from you? Intent is how you achieve that. Intent is the desire that captivates the entirety of your mind as you reach into the divine for the manifestations you seek.
Or less mystically, it’s not just what you want your spell or ritual to do, it’s the WHY behind why you want to do it in the first place, and that distinction is crucial. Intent is the motivation of our actions, and so it’s incredibly important to always be attuned to your intent when casting, and absolutely never under any circumstances assume the intent of others.
Think about a time with a stranger, a coworker or even a family member where you made an assumption about their intent, you probably felt frustrated with them, incredulous even, you could not understand how someone could think and act that way. But when you found out your assumption was wrong, when you learned their true intent, how foolish did you feel? Did your assumption impact your relationship? Did it burn a bridge? Did you say something you regret?
It’s why I often say to check your intent. When working with the powerful magical energy around us it is too easy to cause more harm than good even if you mean well if you have not established and set your intent first.
If your mind and spirit are attuned to the goal all things are possible: seeking the power to heal, to soothe, to aid, to uplift, to remove shadows and to purify the soul. The power to change the world, to change a life, to create anything.
Whatever you set your spirit to do, when your mind’s intent rings true, you’ll find the magic will flow through you.
But how to set intent?
How to set intent is an incredibly personal question. There really isn’t a right or wrong way if you are achieving your goals.
I’ll cover a couple of the most basic techniques as well as share my personal practices, as there are many ways to establish intent, and what is most important is finding what works for you! I encourage you to explore and experiment!!
Whether you think, speak or write your intent, it is very important to establish, acknowledge and respect it when casting. An easy way to get started is to simply think of two things:
What do I want (be honest) and when do I want it (be realistic).
From here you have many paths forth, some like to meditate on these two items until all other things fall away and the senses become numb. Some like to write a story or poem along the theme of the intent and see where that leads, others like to simply write and refine until they find the right words. What are the right words? They’re the ones that let you manifest the reality you desire.
Writing, talking or thinking it out, consider you are looking to cast a spell to soothe your social anxiety. You may start at a place of “I want to not be so socially anxious and I want it NOW“. While honest, reflecting and casting from this place would not be productive. However if you take your time to think about phrasing, you may come to something more like “I want to feel calmer and more grounded in public from this day forward” your intent is more likely to ring true. As you hone in on the right words, let everything else you sense or feel fall away, and you’ll feel the magic envelop you.
Visualization is another very popular method, think about the thing you want, and then try to think about every detail, flesh it out, make it real in the mind, see it, experience it, let the event play out and when you find the right moment-cast from that strong intention and make it yours.
Say you are hoping for a new romantic relationship. You’ve had a lot of casual flings but it feels like it’s been ages sense you’ve been in love, so you set out with the intent of attracting love. You visualize your first date with a new partner, the second, then a trip to the movies. Everything has gone so wonderfully so far, as you’re saying goodnight after the movie, your eyes connect, you both feel the call, they reach out, and in a magical moment, they brush a lock of hair behind your ear then pull you in for a kiss (swap the roles in this scenario if you wish). Wait to have that magical moment in your visualization, casting with the hugs after date 1 or 2, or while cuddling at the movies might bring a new relationship, but casting from the kiss might bring you love. Really explore what your future looks like when you achieve your dreams, you’ll KNOW when you feel the magic and your intent is set.
Z’s not so secret method
“What you think, you become, what you feel, you attract, and what you imagine, you create” — Buddha
Yeah I know, I use that quote a lot. But my personal intention ritual is exactly this.
First, I prepare the space by burning sage or incense, then I make sure I am sitting, standing, lying down or whatever comfortable position is calling to me. I close my eyes and begin thinking about what I seek.
As I think, I think of what I desire, what I yearn for, what I wish to make real and become. As I think, I begin to feel.
As I feel, I feel the pull of the magic to tear apart what I offered as a desire, to find what I need, to begin the attraction of that inspiration.
As I imagine, wrapped within inspiration’s intoxicating embrace, I let my mind see glimpses of all the things that could be, and once I see the thing I want-I grab it.
I open my eyes and turn to my journal, I describe what I saw in the greatest detail I can, and then I begin finding the words to state my intent and begin casting to make that visualization manifest.
Intent is a crucial part of witchcraft, and learning to master shaping and controlling the intent, and being numb to the intents of those outside your circle, is how you can really start manifesting the change you seek. Feel free to use or modify any aspect of my personal method, if you have questions or need help establishing intent reach out!
Z's Grimoire 
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