Intention as a Divine Force
Saṅkalpa and the Power of Superconscious Intention
Let's talk about the power of intention: Superconscious Intention, specifically. It gets its name from the way it links our intentions to the part of our consciousness that is in direct contact with Spirit.
Saṅkalpa
Superconscious Intention has a close precedent in the Vedic tradition: saṅkalpa (सङ्कल्प), which refers to a deliberate, heartfelt intention, resolve, vow, or determination formed by the heart and mind.
It is considered a powerful mental force that precedes and shapes action to influence both spiritual and material outcomes.
Like saṅkalpa, Superconscious Intention connects our intention with the intelligence and power of the superconscious mind, known as citta in the Vedas, and as the Psychic Being (connected to Supermind) in Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga.
Saṅkalpa comes from the Sanskrit san, meaning 'a connection with the highest truth,' and kalpa, meaning 'a vow or rule to be followed.' Together, they convey a conscious intention aligned with one's deepest purpose, a solemn, conscious resolve.
This aligns deeply with Superconscious Intention, which uses the phrase 'Please set the intention to' in order to connect our conscious intention with the superconscious aspect of our consciousness. This activation then influences the subconscious mind, the layer in which saṃskāras, or subconscious impressions, are stored.
The result is not only a reordering of the subconscious, but its transformation into conscious awareness, wrought by the alchemical nature of enlightened consciousness.
How the Phrase "Please Set the Intention" Works
“Please” is the quiet language of the heart; it lowers the defenses of the conscious mind, signals respect, and invites connection with the higher self.
'Set' means to place or position something; in this case, intention. But set where, and in what? In the superconscious mind: the higher aspect of your being that is capable of fulfilling it.
William Tiller's work, in which intention was imprinted into simple electrical circuits to influence physical systems, demonstrates that once set, intention is capable of doing physical work entirely on its own, and with remarkable precision.
Sri Aurobindo: The Psychic Being, Supermind and Idea-Force
In Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga, the Psychic or Inmost Being is where our connection to the superconscious mind, or Supermind, begins. It is the evolving soul, the spark of the Divine that has taken up residence in the individual and gathers experience across lifetimes.
The Psychic Being resides behind the heart center, behind the ordinary emotional being, and is the true individual as opposed to the ego. It is naturally oriented toward the Divine.
Supermind is the divine Gnosis, the self-luminous, self-determining Knowledge-Will of the Divine by which the universe is simultaneously known and created. It is the plane where Knowledge and Will are one.
In human consciousness, we first know something and then separately will or act upon it. In Supermind, knowing itself is the creative act; there is no gap between seeing the truth of a thing and the power that manifests it.
For Aurobindo, ideas are forces: dynamic powers capable of acting upon consciousness, matter, and the course of events in the world. Each idea carries within it an intrinsic energy that drives toward its own manifestation.
Consciousness (Chit) and force or energy (Shakti) are inseparable; you cannot have one without the other. The mental plane is an active participant in shaping reality.
Aligning Effort with Dharma and Higher Self
In essence, Superconscious Intention is about aligning our efforts toward any goal with a higher order, with dharma. In doing so, we draw more of our higher nature down into our lived experience, reordering and transforming it from the inside out.
What I'm about to share is a simple yet remarkably efficient and effective method for aligning your efforts with your higher self, one in which not only is your intention fulfilled, but you become more of who you truly are in the very process of manifesting it.
As you may know, Superconscious Intention involves following our intuition to craft transformative intention statements using the preface, 'Please set the intention . . .'
This is our direct pipeline to our higher capacity for awareness and transformation. Then, we want to structure our statement in a way that aligns our efforts on a specific goal or project with the superconscious mind to give it full rein over the manifestation of that goal.
This is not simply about manifesting the goals of the survival-based mind, but about creating a life designed by enlightened consciousness itself, one that aligns with and supports who you truly are as an evolving soul.
