Setting Intentions For the Start of Spring
With this beautiful time of spring upon us and having just celebrated Ostara, we can use this time to really channel the energy of rebirth and begin to set some intentions for the months ahead. Intention setting is a key practice of witchcraft, but anybody can learn intentional living to cultivate dreams, live with purpose and manifest with the seasons. It is a simple practice that requires a little bit of thinking, perhaps a paper and pen if you’re feeling fancy, but it’s an accessible practice that you can do while sipping a cup of tea!
Why do you set intentions?
Living without intentions can sometimes feel chaotic and directionless; maybe you will find yourself on auto-pilot through life without knowing what’s happening from day to day. Intention setting is an easy but powerful tool for self-reflection and grounding yourself even while doing daily activities. The Welsh Witch is a huge advocate for authentic living and living with intention and self-awareness is a key aspect to showing up as your authentic self. Not only does intention setting increase our feelings of gratitude, they are less limiting than goals. While goals often lead to short bursts of motivation and offer a direction and purpose, they can lead to disappointment, feelings of failure and continuous pressure to reach them. Intentions on the other hand are a gentle alternative which instead cultivate core principles to live by each day, rather than a destination to reach.
How do you set intentions?
In a nutshell, we want to be as specific about our intentions as possible. The more specific you are, the more effective these intentions will be. It is important when setting intentions that you don’t focus on arbitrary goals or unrealistic ones. Intention setting is more about feelings, values and finding joy in smaller moments. These intentions then ripple throughout other areas of your life.
Now, we make these intentions with faith that they will come to fruition. You can repeat them to yourself every morning, write them in a journal or make a vision board with these intentions. It is important when setting intentions that you state your intention as if you already have it, so we will avoid starting our intentions with ‘I want’ or ‘I need’, but instead use the active state of ‘I am’, followed by your desire. The act of wanting comes from a place of lack, whereas to be abundant and invite abundance into your life, you must come from a place of abundance, hence the ‘I am’.
For example, if you wish to be financially secure and not worry about money, instead of saying “I want to be rich”, instead, try something like “I am in control of my finances and have an abundance of money” – these mindset shifts remove the idea of lacking (and therefore inviting in more lack) and instead focus on the law of attraction and already having the things you desire.
Be specific with timings and details
Manifestation requires a lot of specificity for it to be effective. Instead of being vague, tell the universe exactly what it is you want. Don’t be shy with the details. If you want a new car, don’t say “I want a new car”, say “I will have a new pink Mini Cooper by summer 2024”. Once you begin speaking your intentions regularly, you will start taking steps towards your specific goal and speak it into existence. If you can remain self-aware throughout the process of how you can make these things a reality, that is the most important. Setting your intentions will only work if you also take steps towards achieving those things. “I will win the lottery” is all well and good, but if you don’t buy a ticket, you won’t be getting very far!
Examples of intentions to have a meaningful spring
So, putting together all that we’ve learned about intention setting, let’s come up with some examples that you could incorporate into your spring season as we relish in the delights of colourful blooms and optimism. Here are some examples:
- I am living in alignment with my authentic self.
- I am becoming abundant in all aspects of my life.
- I am honouring my highest self and cultivating my dream life.
- If you’d like some more inspiration, you can check out our Instagram @welshwitch_craftspirits for our monthly affirmations.
When to set intentions
It’s a common misconception that there needs to be a new month, new year or certain event in order to start setting your intentions. This is not the case; you are allowed to set intentions any time, any place, anywhere! There’s no more perfect time than the present, and you don’t need the excuse of a new month or a new week to start setting them out. Give yourself permission to start whenever you need. In fact, some people choose to set their new year’s resolutions in the spring after the winter has come to an end; this is very effective as oftentimes during the winter it is hard to work on specific tasks or goals we may have in mind, especially if they involve being outside or warmer weather. Many witches and pagans like to set intentions during a new sabbat of the Wheel of the Year, but this isn’t strictly necessary, and you can set intentions whenever you are called to do so.
Now you know exactly how to set intentions for more direction, purpose and inner guidance, you can shoot for the moon and manifest your dreamiest desires. You can do so with an intention setting ritual with candles, herbs and spells, or simply write it down or speak it out loud so the energies of the universe know what to help you manifest. These practices help cultivate an authentic and meaningful life while living in harmony with nature, the universe and the magic within ourselves.
Happy manifesting,
Welsh Witch HQ x