You’ve set your intention. You know you have. You’ve heard about it long enough, and at some point or another, you’ve given it a try. Wayne Dyer wrote a book on it. Deepak talks about it. The Secret is all about it.
Maybe you light a few candles, go into a quiet place, meditate a bit, and perhaps you invoke helpful spirits. Then you set about setting your intention. You connect with your purpose. You affirm what it is you want to create. Then you send it out to The Universe and wait.

And wait.

Most likely, the results of your intention-setting have been less than spectacular, and there are three reasons for this we should explore.

First, if you set your intention to something that is purely for your own ego-satisfaction rather than a really deep soul-level purpose, The Universe is less than likely to cooperate. God, or the gods, or the planets, and even your guardian angels, are not really interested in getting you into new Acura. So go deep: Think beyond yourself, for the greater good of your loved ones, your area, all beings.

Second, if you are very specific about what you want, you’re putting extra demands on the cosmic system. Intentions should be broad enough to allow for a variety of possible manifestations. If you’d like a wonderful relationship, that’s great. If you need to have a fireman, over six feet tall, blond with blue eyes, the cosmos is going to roll its eyes at you.

Finally, do something. Setting intentions is great as an internal preparation, but The Universe seems to like it when you meet it half way. Or at least a little part of the way. So, if you’d like a new job, set your intentions, and send out a resume. Sometimes, simply expressing what you are seeking to another person is enough, but some real concrete step in the direction you want to go is invaluable in making it happen. If you’re looking for a new relationship, you might want to get a nice haircut - feeling attractive to yourself is a good way to, well, to attract someone.

Astrology is all about timing, and knowing when to go forward and when to wait is one of the great benefits of using astrology. At another level, though, astrology can be helpful for recognizing what it really is that we need. Sometimes, we get stuck on a particular outcome without realizing the deeper issue. For example, it may be that we think we need more money, when what we really need is more fulfilling work.

Use the new moon to set intentions. Before and during the new moon is a good time to clear out the clutter of the past and focus on what you need to go forward. After the new moon (at least 12 hours after is a good rule of thumb) is a good time to make some symbolic action. Spend a little money or time - make it clear that you are invested in the outcome.

You may need to wait a little to see results, and the larger the goal the more time may be needed. But keep active, drawing your attention more and more in line with your intention. At the full moon, assess where things are and where you need to put more effort. From the last quarter to the new moon, you can back off a bit with new efforts, but follow up on any results you see. At the following new moon, it’s again time to assess, renew the intention, and begin to add more effort.

One final point - fewer intentions yield the best results. The more energy you put into each, the better the outcome usually is, but we each have limited energy so too many goals tend to water down the results.