I was on a group call recently, where the theme was responding to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The call was sponsored by a group called theshiftnetwork.com.  Thousands of people listened as spiritual teachers and others offered suggestions as to how we might respond most constructively to the crisis.  Among them was Lynne McTaggart, author of The Intention Experiment.  She guided us through a meditation on intention and I'd like to share some of the elements of that experience with you, as they focus on what's possible rather than on what's not.

She began her presentation by reminding all of us how much we depend on crude oil in our current lives, whether or not we drive, whether or not we do our best to live a green life.  For example, she reminded us that the computers we use, our contact lenses, makeup and many other elements of our daily lives contain products derived from crude oil.  Rather than focusing on our anger and feelings of helplessness, she asked us to focus on imagining the people at BP actually solving the problem, stopping the oil leak, and creating new solutions to make drilling safer.  Then, she asked everyone to imagine as much detail as possible related to BP's creative efforts that end up resolving the problem.

After that, she asked us to imagine the oceans healed and whole, all the life forms that live in the water healthy and thriving, the fisher people of the Gulf back at work, and the beaches free of oil.  She again invited everyone to imagine as much detail as possible, to set this intention firmly in place.  This was a beautiful example of the spiritual principle that to fight something actually gives it energy, so a focus on solutions moves the energy in that direction.  Imagining healthy outcomes, and then releasing what you've imagined into the larger context of our collective consciousness, becomes a contribution to us all and doesn't add energy to the distress that already is so evident in our human community.

For this week's experiment, I invite you to work with intention in the ways described by Lynne McTaggart.  My description of what she offered is pale in comparison with the detail and clarity with which she teaches people to work with intention, so you might want to get her book, or look her up on the web, to learn more.  At this point, allow yourself to explore your relationship with intention either around the oil spill, which would be a contribution to the healing of us all, or some other area where you would like to see things resolve themselves in positive and healthy ways.  The key thing is to engage your vision of the healing outcome with all your senses and bring it alive in your inner experience.

As with all these experiments, this one invites you into a dynamic relationship between the quality and focus of your conscious awareness and the quality of your life.  Notice what you experience as you focus on healing outcomes, as you set the intention that healing will happen.  Especially notice the quality of your inner experience and how you move through the day when you make the conscious choice to engage intention as part of your daily experience.

Remember to bring curiosity along as your constant companion and to pat any judgments on the head as they arise and move on through.