Setting intentions is truly a force of nature. I honestly think that people argue and waste energy claiming which method is best and ignore that setting intention comes in a myriad of ways. Not everyone's favorite color is purple, not everyone’s favorite food is pizza, as hard to believe as it is. Setting intention can be portrayed through rituals, spellwork, meditation, making a list, even a prayer in a religious context can be a form of setting intention. Different method, same purpose right? You can use all, you can use one. It will always come down to what you are drawn to and what you see works for you. I also believe that when you choose to use certain herbs, oils, crystals, etc, you are also using a form of setting intentions. The moment you select a herb due to its healing properties, your mind is already making the connection. If you are like me who was 100% percent new, researching alone was making my mind move things around! The only herbs I knew were “te de manzanilla” which sadly took me too long to realize that it was the same as chamomile tea! It was worse with Hibiscus tea! Loved hibiscus tea, but wasn't fond of “agua de jamaica” and then I found it was hibiscus in Spanish! So before I knew about mugwort and dreams, all I knew was Chamomile tea to go to sleep. I noticed that when I opened my mind to more information about dreams, my dreams opened more as well.

Journaling:

Oh journaling! Journaling to my mind is like working out to my body. It strengthens it.  I document my dreams in a two-step method. I honestly cannot wake up in the middle of the night to find pen, paper, good lighting and not lose my sleep. It just doesn't work for me. So I downloaded a notepad app to easily type my dreams in the middle of the night. This also works for any messages and visions I get during meditation or other liminal spaces like waking up. Keeping it on the app also works so well to easily organize it by day. This has helped me sooo much when months have passed by and something comes up that prompts me to go through my notes but all I can remember are certain words. It is so much better to do a quick search than scan pages and pages of written notes. I do manual transcribing from text to paper to one: keep a written copy for backup and two: it helps me when I go back and catch synchronicities and symbolisms. I wish I could tell you a time period for when I write it down but there really is no routine. It really ends up relying on when I have time or just simply feel the need to unwind a little. One thing that I have noticed is that it tends to align perfectly to catch certain things. There have been times that I would dream of certain scenarios that end up happening weeks after I dreamt it. It is just so fascinating! 

Another tip that helps me is keeping separate journals. Maybe it’s the Virgo in me, but I keep one solely for my dreams, another one for messages received and journey entries, and I just bought one for automatic writing. To me journaling is another form of boosting your intentions as it exercises your mind. I notice that dream activity tends to ramp up after I’ve spent time journaling. One warning I would give though, getting caught up in recording dreams is so fulfilling but with time, you will be able to distinguish between regular dreams and dreams that hold some sort of messages or even spiritual visitation. When you cannot remember your dream at all, especially because you are exhausted, do not push yourself to remember. There are times your body requires you to sleep first. Receiving downloads can get very exhausting and it is always important to take care of your balance first and foremost. When you are out of balance due to sleep deprivation, it just becomes a slippery slope that leaves you vulnerable mentally, physically and spiritually. There have been times that I know some dreams come with messages from my ancestors but I deeply apologies when I do not have the energy to even notate my dreams. Your spirit team will know the difference between slacking off and honoring yourself. Their message will eventually make its way to you when you need it. Also, some deities will also test you to see if you are pushing yourself too hard and not keeping boundaries with yourself. 

‍ 🌹08.04.26🌹