Intention is a word that comes up often. It’s said that if you want to manifest successfully, you must first set an intention. We might agree that intentionality is a mindset you need to achieve something in life. But does this sound simply like goal setting? Powerful and sensible, perhaps, but not especially mystical, or affecting the deeper layers of consciousness where the real magic happens.
Can intention be something more profound than mental goal-setting, or can it become a spiritual force, rooted in nature, a way of aligning with the divine?
The Power and Purpose of Intention
Intentional living is not just about pursuing outcomes, but it’s about cultivating the very landscape of your inner world. Of course, not all of us are goal orientated, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be magically potent.
The Ancient Greek philosophers thought about the mind and emotions not as separate from nature, but as part of nature, and they thought of nature as imbued with many kinds of spirits. A kind of spirit is the Daimon, who is not mortal or immortal, but is intermediate between the divine and mortal.
Socrates describes the daimonic realm, as the bridge between the divine and mortal worlds. These spirits have the power to carry prayers upward and divine insight downward. Through them, love becomes a spiritual force of ascent: from beauty of form to beauty of soul.
“… and this power spans the chasm which divides them, and in this all is bound together, and through this the arts of the prophet and the priest, their sacrifices and mysteries and charms and all prophecy and incantation find their way. For God mingles not with man; and through this power all the intercourse and speech of God with man, whether awake or asleep, is carried on.” Plato, The Symposium.
The Eden of Your Mind
If we imagine the mind as a garden, it becomes a neutral space where seeds are planted, where we intentionally cultivate the plants that we want to blossom and bear fruit.
Then think of these plants as virtues, like love, compassion and wisdom, and so on, and then think of the virtues as spirits (daimons), who may inhabit and transform us from the inside out, and connect us with the divine. This way, intention becomes more about the cultivation of the self, and less about setting goals to chase desires.
Unlike desire, which grasps, intention nurtures. It prepares the soil, plants the seed, and trusts the process. It is less about control and more about communion.
So, how does this look as part of a magical practice? The mind, like a garden, does not grow wild in harmony unless it’s attended to. Without intention, it may become overgrown with weeds. These are the delusions, distractions, negative thought patterns we must all confront. With care, however, the mind has the potential to yield flowers (fertility and creativity), medicinal herbs (healing and strength), and abundant fruits (manifestation).
Magic and ritual are how we care for our mind gardens; the thoughtful work we carry out around the year, as we respond to the spiritual virtues of the seasons and celestial cycles.
In spring, the garden is fecund with possibility. New seeds (ideas, inspirations) are sown. These seeds require both sunlight (attention, awareness) and water (love, devotion) to grow. Just as a gardener does not expect immediate blooms but nurtures the soil and trusts in the natural rhythm, so too must we trust the seasons of our minds.
By summer, the herbs are flourishing, symbolising the vigour of life, healing and inner strength. These plants are tall with strong and deep roots, benefitting from firm foundations. Yet, this is also the time when weeds, our false beliefs, deceptions of the ego, bad habits, must be carefully removed, or at least cut back, so they do not choke the garden. But it’s not always easy to spot the noxious weeds from the healing herbs. This is where the wisdom and intuition you cultivate becomes useful. Experience may also tell us that no garden can be entirely free of weeds, and some poisons can be beneficial when used intentionally, and with knowledge and skill.
Autumn brings the fruition of long labours. The fruits, once small and fragile blossoms, have now grown into something nourishing and replenishing for the body (gratitude). And then, of course, comes winter, a period of rest and reflection (wisdom). In winter’s stillness, when the garden sleeps, gnosis arises, not as a thunderclap, but as a deep knowing seeded over many seasons.
When you align your intentions and attune your awareness with spiritual virtues of the seasons, the garden of the mind becomes not just a metaphor but a living practice. We are not separate from nature's cycles; your mind and spirit are moving in concert, always renewing you from the inside out.
What are you planting this spring? What virtues are ready to bloom in the garden of your mind?