“Learn to harness the power of intention, and you can create anything that you desire.” – Deepak Chopra

Fifteen years ago Deepak Chopra wrote his now famous book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. More recently it became a movie. If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, I strongly recommend that you do so. Post haste! And once you have, I even more strongly recommend that you intend to live these laws. This is the path to Heaven on Earth.

Here is a short primer. The whole universe consists of energy and information. This includes everything in the universe, including you. Also, everything is connected with everything else. Nothing is separate from anything, including you. Humans are capable of experiencing this energetic field subjectively through awareness via the nervous system. Moreover we are also capable of consciously changing our own bodies, our environment, and the world. This is known as manifestation.

Manifestation is brought about by attention and intention. “Attention energizes, and intention transforms.” (D. Chopra) Attention acts like a magnifying glass, or an eraser (depending upon whether you do or do not focus upon something). Intention triggers transformation of energy and information. It organizes its own fulfillment. In Chopra’s words, “The quality of intention on the object of attention will orchestrate an infinity of space-time events to bring about the outcome intended, provided one follows the other spiritual laws of success.” (What a teaser! Yup, read the book!)

Oh, one more important thing about intention. It must be combined with detachment. “Intention is the real power behind desire. Intent is desire with strict adherence to all the other laws, but particularly the Law of Detachment, which is the Sixth Spiritual Law of Success. Your intent is for the future, but your attention is in the present. As long as your attention is in the present, then your intent for the future will manifest, because the future is created in the present. You must accept the present as is. Accept the present and intend the future….never struggle against the present.” (D. Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, p.75).

This is the tricky part — to achieve detached awareness and one-pointed, focused intention simultaneously. (Kind of like patting your head and rubbing your tummy!) Most of us have a major hang-up — it’s called “the past”. The past is an illusion of memory. Your past is actually what you make up today about yesterday. There is no fixed past “reality”, only the version of the moment (the memory du jour!) So why not set yourself free? Let go of the past, relax into this moment, and focus on your heart’s desire — intend your life into being, and remember to have fun in the process!