The Power of Intention [Paperback]

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Dr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2005

Intention is generally viewed as a pit-bull kind of determination propelling one to succeed at all costs by never giving up on an inner picture. In this view, an attitude that combines hard work with an indefatigable drive toward excellence is the way to succeed. However, intention is viewed very differently in this book. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has researched intention as a force in the universe that allows the act of creation to take place. This book explores intention—not as something you do—but as an energy you’re a part of. We’re all intended here through the invisible power of intention. This is the first book to look at intention as a field of energy that you can access to begin co-creating your life with the power of intention.

 

Part I deals with the principles of intention, offering true stories and examples on ways to make the connection. Dr. Dyer identifies the attributes of the all-creating universal mind of intention as creative, kind, loving, beautiful, expanding, endlessly abundant, and receptive, explaining the importance of emulating this source of creativity. In Part II, Dr. Dyer offers an intention guide with specific ways to apply the co-creating principles in daily life. Part III is an exhilarating description of Dr. Dyer’s vision of a world in harmony with the universal mind of intention.

 

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After years of spiritual study and reflection, inspirational speaker and bestselling author Wayne Dyer has emerged a highly esteemed teacher. His current message about tapping into the power of intention may sound like good old positive thinking: just stay focused on what you want, rather than focusing on the lack of having what you want. But the teaching here goes deeper than just controlling thoughts (although he does acknowledge that thought control is a surprisingly challenging and significant endeavor). This book might help readers land a better job, but it's more relevant for those who are ready to detach from an ego-driven life filled with quick fixes of happiness and step into a more authentic, joyful, and spiritually fulfilling life. His core teachings speak to tapping into a universal source of energy that can also be called the "power of intention." He calls people who are consciously co-creating with this energy source "connectors" and describes them as "individuals who have made themselves available for success...They don't say With my luck things won't work out. Instead, you’re more likely to hear something like, I intend to create this and I know it will work out." Connectors are also committed to Dyer's "seven faces of intention"--creativity, kindness, love, beauty, expansion, abundance and receptivity, which he speaks to throughout the book. Each chapter concludes with five suggestions for becoming stronger connectors, such as how to monitor one's inner speech or shift out of low-energy beliefs. Some criticize Dyer for not giving credit to other teachers who offer this same message, especially Jerry and Esther Hicks (A New Beginning I) and even Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's impossible to know whether this was a deliberate omission, but it is obvious that Dyer has tapped into a growing conversation about co-creating with "source." Other leading-edge voices in this conversation include Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now), Shakti Gawain (Creative Visualization ) and Lynn Grabhorn (Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting). --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

For this very popular speaker and bestselling author of the classic Your Erroneous Zones, intention is not dogged determination, but an inner awareness "that exists in the universe as an invisible force of energy." This conviction, gleaned from Dyer's professional experiences, metaphysical studies and contacts with personal mentors, has allowed him to link to the force of intention and use it to enhance his life and work. For Dyer, there are seven faces, or energy fields, of intention: creativity, kindness, love, beauty, expansion, abundance and receptivity. Drawing on a variety of spiritual traditions and gurus, Dyer first describes how to surmount the barriers that may get in the way of connecting to this power, such as negative thinking, relying on the opinion of others or retaining a controlling ego. Although Dyer's message is deeply sympathetic, his conception of the fields of insight reads like a familiar mixture of Eastern and Western philosophies wrapped up in a new theoretical package. In a chapter on living a stress-free life, for example, he recommends silently repeating the words "I want to feel good"-i.e., practicing a form of meditation-and elsewhere advises practicing detachment, a cornerstone of Buddhism. Another tactic, using forgiveness as a means to achieve peaceful relations with difficult family members, has recently found a wealth of expression. But whatever his sources, Dyer's soothing voice and gentle prescriptions for happiness remain uniquely his own, as fans will recognize.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hay House; 1 edition (December 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401902162
• ISBN-13: 978-1401902162
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (415 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wayne W. Dyer, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. He's the author of 30 books, has created many audio programs and videos, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows.

His books Manifest Your Destiny, Wisdom of the Ages, There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, and the New York Times bestsellers 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, The Power of Intention, and Inspiration and now Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life have all been featured as National Public Television specials.

Dyer holds a doctorate in educational counseling from Wayne State University and was an associate professor at St. John's University in New York.

Dr. Wayne Dyer is affectionately called the "father of motivation" by his fans. Despite his childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, Dr. Dyer has overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today he spends much of his time showing others how to do the same.

When he's not traveling the globe delivering his uplifting message, Wayne is writing from his home in Maui.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#23 in Books > Self-Help

#47 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#23 in Books > Self-Help

#47 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

665 of 722 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A RECOMMENDATION WITH RESERVATIONS March 2, 2005

By Jack Rosenblum

Format:Hardcover

I'm going to end up recommending this book with one major and two minor reservations. If you can get past the reservations (which I will explain), I believe there is something here that might make a difference in your life and mine. You'll notice that the majority of reviews give the book 5 stars, but a significant minority give it 1 star. I'm guessing that the wide disparity of reactions is based on how surmountable or insurmountable the reservations were to each reviewer. My purpose is to help you decide whether for you it would be worthwhile shelling out the $18-$25 price of the book

Here's the major reservation: in Calvinism, you could tell who was saved and going to heaven by how successful and prosperous they were. In Social Darwinism, successful people were evidence of survival of the fittest. In the Power of Intention, people create the lives they want based on being "aligned with Intention". The implication is that if they are poor, diseased, homeless, or victimized, they are not aligned with Intention. They may not be sinners (Calvinism) or unfit (Social Darwinism), but they are unenlightened and somehow responsible for their unhappy fate. I wonder what advice Dyer would have had for the victims of the recent tsunami.

If Dyer's theories are correct and universal, should we be translating his book and dropping it into distressed areas like Darfur in the Sudan or perhaps in the Sunni triangle? Personal responsibility is a powerful and often overlooked factor in the human condition, but Dyer seems oblivious to the possibility that there might be other factors at work, as well. His five words "I want to feel good" would be a tough sell for the sole survivor of a family that has just been murdered....

The first minor reservation is, pardon the big word, epistomological: how does Dyer know what he says he knows? For example, how does he know that there are precisely seven "Faces of Intention"? Why not six or eight or ten? Is he the Chosen Receiver of Spiritual Truth with his own private Mount Sinai, or more likely, is he simply inventing a systematic break-down of Intention or figuring out what Intention should include? The system and the seven faces are plausible and useful, but where and how did he get them?

The second minor reservation is that Dyer does not really share with us how alignment with Intention has made a difference in his life. For example, how did it help him overcome addiction to cocaine or alcohol? How did it help make his second marriage better than his first? These stories would help him connect his theories with his life and help the reader do the same.

All that said, I still think Dyer is onto something. I have a vague awareness of the power of Intention in my own life, and after reading the book, I now intend to pursue it in a conscious way and see what turns up. The possible benefits of this experiment far exceed any conceivable costs. And this is why I end up recommending the book to you, IF you can get past the reservations. Read more ›

264 of 296 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Connect to the energy and then detach. Great Book! March 8, 2004

By Jay Reese

Format:Hardcover

A lot of important information is given in this book that will help you connect to the field of energy that you are connected to whether you may realize it or not, and then detach from what you are trying to manifest in order to allow the manifestation process to bring you what you desire.
This is a comprehensive book that will help to elevate your life in all areas. It will help you turn you negative thinking around, which is the by-product of turning your life around. This is one of the few books that has impacted my life, and has helped me to `feel good' which is why it is highly recommended.

223 of 250 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Become A Connector To Manifest ANYTHING February 27, 2004

By Barbara Rose VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is a wonderful book that will teach you how to align intention and focus, along with your energy to manifest what you desire to create in your life. By using the tools in this book, you WILL receive that which you place your focus on.

This book will teach you how to become A 'Connector' by working in harmony with those around you. It gives you examples to raise your energy above the negativity of 'competition' and shows you how to align yourself in harmony no matter what your outer conditions are. When you are attuned to this field of alignment, you will radiate and attract to you exactly what is within the field of energy you are in harmony with.

Connecting to the filed of intention is a conscious, daily, moment by moment inner experience to connect you to the highest that exists within you. As a result you WILL bring about EXACTLY what you harmonize with on all levels. This book is a wonderful tool to help you consciously bring about the best in your life from the inside out.

Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of If God Was Like Man, Stop Being the String Along, and Know Yourself

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book June 23, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I have never written a review on Amazon because, quite frankly, I have never cared enough to take the time. However, this book has changed my life and I want to tell other potential readers that this book will change theirs, too.

This may sound outrageous, but Dyer's words have healed me. I cried through so many passages because I knew that blocks in my life were finally being lifted from me. I got it. And I got it in a big way.

I was about to go to see a psychiatrist about a chronic mental issue. I was convinced that I absolutely needed medication to help me. I read this book and my problems have decreased in such a dramatic way... problems have been replaced by peace. It is not an easy fix-- I still struggle, but then I remember how to access intention. The difference is that before I would have struggled all night long. Now, I have the tools to go back to peace and calm immediately. I take it moment to moment and that sure beats being addicted to medication.

I read some of the reviews below; while most were positive, there were surprisingly some negative ones. Some questioned Dyer's motives and claimed that he does not offer concrete ways to access intention. I cannot disagree more. I feel that his motives are pure and genuine... and why shouldn't abundance rain on a man who has helped so many? If he did not offer concrete ways to access intention, I would not feel so energized and healed.

Buy the book, borrow it from a friend. Whatever you can do to get your hands on this book, do it. It will change your life.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that I'll want to revisit often; you will too! April 13, 2004

By Blaine Greenfield

Format:Hardcover

Loved THE POWER OF INTENTION by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer . . . I'm
not sure how he does it, but every time that Dr. Dyer
comes out with a new work, he gets me to look at life
differently . . . and I come away with countless idea that I
want to not only implement personally, but
to share with others.

The book's subtitle perhaps says it all: Learning to Co-create
Your World Your Way . . . I actually feel that I'm starting to
do just this, and I've only gone through one reading . . . methinks
that I'll be revisiting POWER OF INTENTION many times in
the future . . . it is both that good and useful.

According to Dr. Dyer, "Intention is a force in the universe, and
everything and everyone is connected to this invisible force" . . . he
drives this point home repeatedly with true stories and examples . . . I
particularly liked his suggestions for implementing the ideas that
are found at the end of each chapter.

For example, here's one after the first chapter (dealing with
"Viewing intention from a new perspective"):

Act as if anything you desire is already here. Believe that all that
you seek you've already received, that it exists in spirit, and know
you shall have your desires filled. One of my ten secrets for success
and inner peace is to treat yourself as if you already are what
you'd like to become.

There were many other memorable passages; among them:
Five magic words: I want to feel good! In an earlier chapter, I
described how your emotions are a guidance system informing you
of whether or not you're creating resistance to your intentions. Feeling
bad lets you know that you're not connected to the power of intention....
Your intention here is to be tranquil and stress free. When you
feel good, you're connected to your intentions, regardless of what
goes on around you or what others expect you to feel. If there's a
war going on, still have the option to feel good. If the economy goes
further into the toilet, you have the option to feel good. In the event
of any catastrophe, you can still feel good. Feeling good isn't an
indication that you're callous, indifferent, or cruel-it's a choice you
make. Say it out loud: I want to feel good! Then convert it to: I intend
to feel good. Feel the stress, and then send it the love and respect
of the seven faces of intention. The seven faces smile and say hello
to what you label as feeling bad. It's that feeling that wants to feel
good. You must be to your feelings as your Source is to you, in order
to counteract the desires of your ego.

Spend some time observing babies, and vow to emulate their joy. You
didn't come forth into this world to suffer, to be anxious, fearful, stressful,
or depressed. You came from the God-consciousness of joy. Just watch
little babies. They've done nothing to be so happy about. They don't
work; they poop in their pants; and they have no goals other than to
expand, grow, and explore this amazing world. They love everyone,
they're completely entertained by a plastic bottle or goofy faces, and
they're in a constant state of love-yet they have no teeth, no hair,
and they're pudgy and flatulent. How could they possible be so
joyful and easily pleased? Because they're still in harmony with the
Source that intended them here; they have no resistance to being
joyful. Be like that baby you once were in terms of being joyful. You
don't need a reason to be happy . . . your desire to be so is sufficient.

I suggest that you do a quick review, and note all of the people who've
shown up as characters in this play called your life. It has all been
perfect. Your ex-spouse showed up at just the right time-when you
needed to create those children you love so much. The father who
walked out on you so that you could learn self-reliance left right on
time. The lover who abandoned you was a part of this perfection. The
lover who stayed with you was also taking his or her cues from Source.
The good times, the struggles, the tears, the abuse-all of it involved
people coming into your life and then leaving. And all of your tears
will not and cannot wash out one word of it.

Stay immersed in a state of gratitude. Be grateful for every breath
you take . . . for all of your internal organs that work together in
harmony . . . for the wholeness that is your body . . . for the blood
streaming through your veins . . . for your brain that allows you to
process these words and the eyes that allow you to read them.
Look in the mirror at least once every day and give thanks for that
heart that continues to beat and the invisible force on which those
heartbeats depend. Stay in gratitude. This is the surest way to keep
the connecting link to perfect health clean and pure. Read more ›