Manifesting Protocol Step 2: Intention

Essential Art of Manifesting

6-Step Protocol

Intention is the second step in the Essential Art of Manifesting 6-Step Protocol. While these Steps are not limited to linear use, but more like steps in a dance that can take us backward, forward, side to side and even around in circles and spirals, it can be helpful to learn them in order. This gives us a chance to slow down and create room for the energies arising within and around us, rather than endlessly rushing to do things and accomplish goals.

Intention and Vision vs. goals and tasks

Start with Vision

First, we open to a greater Vision for our lives, a project, our practice. Then we bring that vast potential into focus with Intentions that are more specific, yet still hold room to grow.

Landscape to path

If Vision is the landscape where we will travel, Intention is the path we take to get there. Notice that Vision is not the destination, not exactly. There is much to explore in this realm! If we’re just ticking off boxes on a checklist, or taking one step after another on a well-known route, that’s not the full practice of Manifesting so much as simply doing tasks or even accomplishing goals. Intentions take us on a deeper, richer adventure.

Co-creating the map

Our Manifesting Practice is the map we create along the way and return to and update again and again. Intention differs from goals, tasks and activities by holding sacred space for the unknown, the transformation we will experience. Even the best-mapped route may hold surprises like unexpected weather conditions, fellow travelers, obstacles in the road, detours, enticing roadside attractions, shortcuts, rest stops and more. This is the joy and challenge of Manifesting Intentions. We don’t know exactly what will happen when we begin because we are co-creating the journey as we travel.

Clarity

Intentions can be unclear

Our Intentions may not be completely clear at first. They are alive and so they can also change along the way, as we respond to what we encounter on the journey and as we learn and grow. Intending to become more clear on your Intentions is a wonderful Intention in itself!

Crystal clarity

Sometimes Intentions are crystal clear. There can be a deep knowing beyond logic and observation, where understanding blends intellect and intuition. Sometimes we really do get a glimpse of the future, and it can come true just as we picture it, yet I still encourage you to hold it gently and allow room for growth.

Committing

Shift closer to Action

Vision can involve a lot of exploration and vagueness, much deeper than we can describe in every detail, a vast sea of potential that flows from our desire and destiny, the needs of the world and our lives. Setting Intentions indicates a profound shift from the powerful yet dreamy state of Visioning to a more concrete step closer to Action and actually Manifesting that Vision.

Choosing

When we commit to an Intention, we set our course. The more we can bring a sense of devotion and dedication to consciously choosing our Intentions, the more intensity they will hold and the more powerfully, clearly and quickly they may Manifest, like a battery we charge, then draw upon to move forward or a spring coiled and ready to launch us toward success.

Card for focus

When I commit to a project, I intuitively draw a 13 Moon Oracle card* for it. This helps me contemplate and understand the project more deeply, energies I can work with, how I can grow and change, what I can learn from it, and what challenges to look out for. The card helps me to stay focused, remember the energy I started out with, and gauge my progress. It takes my awareness beyond the task list and to-dos when I might get caught up in busy-ness, to the deeper meaning of what I’m doing and why.

No need to commit to Vision

It’s wonderful to hold Visions to which we’re not ready to commit. Not every Vision needs to make it to the Intention stage to be enjoyable and helpful to our growth and fulfillment. We are by nature created to imagine many more ideas than we could ever Manifest in this lifetime.

Winnowing

Learning to let go of some Visions or to hold them in that nebulous state is part of the Manifesting process as well. We can’t do it all and we need to learn to live with that, even if it means grieving some ideas whose time has passed or which we simply don’t choose to bring to fruition. That discernment and winnowing also helps us fully commit to what we do choose to energize and catalyze with our chosen Intentions.

Feelings

Feelings hold power

Vision and Intention are anchored by our emotions. They can be described in words, represented by symbols, experienced with our senses, yet it’s in the feelings that we find the true power of our purpose, our reason for choosing this journey, our inspiration.

Feelings keep us going

It’s also those feelings that will keep us going when we meet roadblocks or distractions. When we pause to remember why we’re doing this, what truly moved us to make this decision to move forward, that helps us overcome challenges, hesitations, fatigue and general ennui or even external resistance and opposition from others.

Subconscious to conscious

This whole Manifesting process is designed to bring our focus, motivation and expression from subconscious reaction to conscious engagement. When we’re clear enough about our Vision and Intentions to be able to feel them intensely, when we come back to this focus regularly, we create new habits, neural pathways and centering touchpoints as well as new connections and relationships, effects and results, systems and foundations that help us gain momentum in the direction of our success.

Manifesting consciously

If we’re not feeling it deeply, it’s probably just another task or to-do list. These are important, but let’s not let them rule our lives! This is the difference between just being busy doing things and Manifesting consciously. We are here to create a beautiful, meaningful and fulfilling life for ourselves and co-create a wonderful world with others.

Resistance

Half-hearted Intention

A half-hearted Intention holds the frustrating energy of having one foot on the gas and the other foot on the brake, or worse yet, one foot on the train and the other on the platform, one in the stirrup and one on the ground, the ship and the shore - choose your preferred transportation metaphor, but you get the idea!

Where resistance comes from

Resistance that arises when we consider choosing an Intention may be feeling we don’t deserve to have what we want. It may be cultural or family conditioning that warns against our desire, perhaps for some outdated reason or it’s not right for someone else. It can also be natural instinct to fear the unknown, because on this journey of Manifesting we will surely encounter the unexpected, no matter how clear our Vision and Intentions. That’s okay, we can be more prepared for what’s coming by anchoring our focus and our Calm Intelligent Sensing System (aka nervous system) in the wonderful feelings of our Vision and Intentions.

Attachment

Attachment can limit our Manifesting ability when we resist the natural development of our Intentions. If we decide our Intention must Manifest in a specific form and we’re not willing to stay open to allowing it to grow and evolve, we risk losing the opportunity to grow with it and reap the success that is reaching toward us. Remember, if the energy feels like making something specific happen in a certain way, it’s probably a task or goal, so check to see if it’s serving a deeper Intention.

Cycles

Cycles help create practice

In creating a Manifesting Practice that will not only continue but gain momentum, it takes more than just remembering to come back to it again and again. Natural and invented cycles can help us stay focused and engaged while offering guidance from ancient wisdom combined with our own observations.

Cycles to work with

Here are some cycles you can use to guide, shape and anchor Intentions in your Manifesting Practice. Pick one or two, or whatever works for you without feeling overwhelmed. Be patient and experiment as you may not know what works until you try something.

Calendar year

Season

Calendar month

Lunar month or Moonth

Week

Day

Tracking

You might use a special journal like We’Moon 2026 to record your Intentions, insights and progress on your Manifesting journey, or the Notes app on your phone, a spreadsheet, sketchbook or whatever works for you. It’s empowering to see results and to look back on challenges and how you survived them.

There is no failure

Essence will Manifest

Once we commit to an Intention, it cannot fail to Manifest unless we give up or change our minds. If we’re truly committed to the Essence, more than the limited form of that Vision and Intention, then we will eventually succeed. Specific opportunities may arise and then pass us by, but there will be others if we renew our commitment and continue Manifesting practice.

Practice

Intention is only the second Step in the Essential Art of Manifesting Protocol, so don’t worry if you don’t feel like you’re Manifesting like a wizard quite yet. It’s a practice, not a test and not a performance. Find the feeling of your Vision as you start each day and return to it as often as you need to stay focused and motivated, but also give yourself a break. Manifesting isn’t about forcing things to happen, but nurturing them to unfold in their own Divine timing.

Invitation

Moonthly Manifesting Step Focus

Every Moonth, or lunar month, in the Essential Arts community we focus on one Step of the 6-Step manifesting Protocol, woven into Reiki Practice Circle, Manifesting Moondays, ~ Flourishes ~ newsletter, classes, coaching and special offerings.

Bonus fun ~ word play!

Etymology

The earliest history of the word “intention” holds the sense of stretching, reaching forth, toward something, in a particular direction.

Word nesting**

Can you feel the tension of stretching in the word Intention? I invite you to shelter in the tent within in-tention.

Related words

Related words are tendency, detention and detente, tension, tense, portend, attend, contend, tender, even tantra (related to the Sanskrit word for loom), pretend, extend, hypotenuse and so many more!

Conscious capitalization

I capitalize Manifesting, Intention and the other Steps in the Manifesting protocol to show that they are specific to this practice and not the general terms.

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*My affiliate link for purchases from Ariel Spilsbury’s 13 Moon Mystery School

**A fun word game I learned from my dear friend Ellen Urman