Examining Our Intentions

Digging for Gold

“The Buddha identified six intentions that are the motivating force behind our actions:

*Good-will (or kindness)

*Compassion

*Generosity

*Ill-will (or anger)

*Cruelty

*Greed”

Toni Bernhard, J.D. (Turning Straw into Gold; “What Is Karma and Why Should It Matter to Us?” Psychology Today, May 1, 2012)

This article by Toni Bernhard can be found on Psychology Today's website. In it she points out that karma is “the planting of behavioral seeds that turn into lifelong habits.” The intentions listed above are what Carl Jung referred to as polar opposites, or mirror opposites: good-will—ill-will, compassion—cruelty, generosity—greed. They represent the pure form of an intention and most of us, thankfully, fall somewhere in between.

I honestly don't know anyone whose intentions fall entirely at one end or another of those spectrum. They represent the divide between saint and sociopath, and most of us are neither. However, becoming aware of where our intentions fall is worth a look. It's uncomfortable to examine one's own intentions; uncomfortable and difficult. Often they are hidden beneath a pile of defense mechanisms (ways we avoid facing facts, such as repression, regression, and denial). And, in truth, we humans are bonding animals by nature, and matching intentions is one way of bonding. It no doubt comes from our tribal roots, and even older, our mammalian roots, to choose an us-against-them approach to life. We see it everyday in our political divide almost no matter where we live in the world. And often we see in in our families and among our friends.

The whole idea of turning straw into gold, as in the fairy tale story of Rumpelstiltskin, is metaphor for transforming what is dull and weak in us into a state of wholeness. The alchemists were perhaps the best real-world examples—they gathered base elements, and put them through a refining process in an effort to turn them into gold. We can do the same by examining our intentions in any given situation. Is our intention to deepen our bond with another person? Is it to bring harm or dishonor to someone? Is it to make ourselves look/feel better? Do we genuinely want to help? It may be all of the above. It's complicated, and most of us don't want to wade into those weeds, so we just say what we say, do what we do. We, perhaps, feel bad afterward, but never take the time to figure out why. Who wants to dig around in that cold, dark mine! Here's my final thought—advice to myself—remember that it's GOLD you're looking for. (There may be some diamonds in there, too!)

                                                         In the Spirit,

                                                            Jane