By: The Little Sage
With another year drawing to a close and Christmas just around the corner, we inevitably and subtly shift our presence from our hearts and reside more commonly in our head space; thinking about all of the Christmas parties to host and attend, stressing over how to finish our workload before the Christmas holidays, wondering what to do with the children over the break, mulling over what presents to purchase for family, relatives, friends, work colleagues and charities. Due to the constant thinking, planning and doing at this time of the year, we are no longer present in the moment. We lose the intention behind our actions and just do for the sake of it. We are no longer in our heart space and when we’re not operating from our heart, our spiritual home, we block ourselves from receiving in and sending out Universal energy and divine guidance.
For so many, Christmas is synonymous with giving; the emphasis of this occasion is so focused on giving and receiving presents that we often overlook the intention behind the giving. So often we give gifts because it’s the right thing to do, because we know we’ll be gifted something, because we feel obliged and because that’s what you do at Christmas. But in these instances, we overlook the most important opportunity of giving with intention. For if we just give without intention behind it, we miss the opportunity to give loved ones what they really need and importantly, by giving without intention we miss the opportunity to raise our vibration and therefore attract more of the same energy.
Not only is the intention behind giving so important, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity for us to drop back into our heart space and feel into what the recipient needs to receive into their lives, rather than purchasing for the sake of it. Instead of blindly thinking of a gift for someone, try instead feeling into what you believe they need to receive. For example, you might feel someone needs more love in their lives, providing you with a meaningful opportunity to thoughtfully gift them love; you could gift them pink flowers infused with love or rose quartz crystals with aventurine for opening their heart chakra. You could intuitively write a note for them outlining your intention for them or you could simply send them love and light.
Giving with intention is not only about the recipient, but it’s also a powerful tool in learning about you. Use this time of year as the perfect opportunity to understand your current intentions behind gift giving:
- Do you gift presents because you feel you have to? Use this as an opportunity to journal around why you feel you need to give. Ask yourself ‘do I give in order to receive?’ and muse around what blockages may arise.
- Do you gift presents because someone has been good? Although so important to reward and encourage positive behaviour, we each are children of the Universe and therefore don’t need to do anything in order to receive love and acceptance.
- Do you gift presents because you feel like you’ll receive one and therefore it’s good manners to return the favour? Meditate around the idea that in order for you to receive, you must give in return. Do you allow abundance to flow freely to you or do you believe you must give something to manifest abundance?
- Do you gift presents to make someone else feel good? Although this is a wonderful and selfless activity, it is important to remember individually we hold the key to our own happiness. Journal around how you can provide the intention of happiness for that person, whether it be sending happiness and light, or infusing your gift with happiness and light.
The idea of gifting with intention this Christmas is not to suggest we shouldn’t give any gifts this year or that this is wrong to do so, but instead it reminds us to remain present, in our heart space and really aware of what we are gifting to benefit both parties involved.
There are many ways you can gift with intention:
- To have an honest conversation with the recipient and find out what they want to feel like. This will provide you with a theme to help you choose the perfect gift.
- To practice your intuition and feel into what your recipient most needs. Is it love? Strength? Happiness? Guidance? How can you gift these feelings? Could you gift oracle cards or tarot cards for heightened guidance? Could you have an experience with your recipient that will bring them great happiness?
- To use your creativity and construct the perfect present. Is it you meditating or healing on behalf of the recipient, writing a heartfelt letter, making a crystal pack, cooking a healthful meal, painting a picture of your favourite memory together or simply sending pure energy someone’s way?
- To infuse energy into your current gift for someone. Of course it is still perfect to gift as usual, but rather to ensure the act of giving is working at it’s highest potential, hold the present and imagine it covered in white light. Then set an intention for the recipient that in using this gift they will embody your intention.
So what exactly is intention?
Intention is the first point of creation; of a plan, aim or outcome. It is awareness around being or doing – if you intend on something, then you have plans or dreams to carry it out; therefore you have set the intention to be or do. Spiritually speaking, by holding an intention, you hold the energy to be or do something. Setting your intentions has a lot to do with focusing your energy – with your thoughts, beliefs and actions which will, with repetition, become your future state; or when you set an intention for someone else, becomes their future state.
And when we look at a higher level, intention is deeply rooted in the Law of Attraction. When we set a pure intention, we hold pure and heightened energy and we begin to manifest much of the same energy. Like attracts like. When you infuse your intention into a gift for your recipient, you allow them to embody that intention or energy.
In applying intention in gift giving this Christmas, think simply, I wish to give Sarah the gift of support this year. You can then either infuse this energy into a physical gift, trusting they will embody your intention of support, send a spiritual gift of energy or light to provide support, provide emotional support by simply listening and sharing with your recipient or provide mental support by looking after your recipient’s children for the afternoon while they have some time outdoors.
There’s also the opportunity for us to practice intentional shopping this Christmas. With the busyness at this time of the year, it is so easy to shop blindly or hurriedly and just buy anything. Take a moment, drop into your heart space, focus on the recipient and pay attention to what you feel, see, hear. Allow this to dictate your present choice. It is also a great way to practice intentional shopping by exchanging with businesses you trust. Businesses with good energy. Businesses who give back, who take the time to respond thoughtfully and kindly. Who care about their product and customers. By shopping local and supporting small businesses.
In our The Little Sage shop, we offer a number of intentional items, which can help you gift your recipient guidance, love, peace of mind, abundance, clarity and foresight. All of our products are hand cleared and cleansed of energy, bathed in white light and set with a personal intention from us to you, that the perfect custodian will receive the gift in order for them to raise their vibration and receive divine guidance, just as they require.
Wishing you a beautiful Christmas, filled with love, light, laughter and most importantly, intention.
