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General Discussion / Active Imagination
« on: August 31, 2015, 06:36:20 PM »
Hi All
I recently have started in with Active Imagination. I have put things together piece-meal from various books, websites (including this one), but still really had a very hard time understanding the actual procedure. The concept makes a lot of sense, but when it comes to the actual application, I found that a lot of sources really lacked.
From what I have gathered, it is necessary to empty to conscious (ego) mind as in a meditation. Once one gets into this state, you can go into a couple of directions as hypnagogic images will start to arise. This is usually when I will begin to start a visualization going into an inner house from here which is located (in the minds eye) on a seafront.
When the images come up is when I start to have issues. I have read that it is necessary to go with the images, but in others, it is necessary to discard things that may not necessarily mesh with the purpose of the meditation. So I carried on until images would start to be similar to the landscape/setting that I was actually in. Which is the correct way? I suppose that the answer is probably be that it depends on what it is that I want to do.
The next issue would be if I try to engage the images with the conscious mind, it will pull me out of the hypnagogia completely and then I would need to relax back in again. If I were to let the images overwhelm, I probably would sleep. Are there methods which I am missing in this regard or is this indeed the way to practice Active Imagination?
Many thanks
Keith
I recently have started in with Active Imagination. I have put things together piece-meal from various books, websites (including this one), but still really had a very hard time understanding the actual procedure. The concept makes a lot of sense, but when it comes to the actual application, I found that a lot of sources really lacked.
From what I have gathered, it is necessary to empty to conscious (ego) mind as in a meditation. Once one gets into this state, you can go into a couple of directions as hypnagogic images will start to arise. This is usually when I will begin to start a visualization going into an inner house from here which is located (in the minds eye) on a seafront.
When the images come up is when I start to have issues. I have read that it is necessary to go with the images, but in others, it is necessary to discard things that may not necessarily mesh with the purpose of the meditation. So I carried on until images would start to be similar to the landscape/setting that I was actually in. Which is the correct way? I suppose that the answer is probably be that it depends on what it is that I want to do.
The next issue would be if I try to engage the images with the conscious mind, it will pull me out of the hypnagogia completely and then I would need to relax back in again. If I were to let the images overwhelm, I probably would sleep. Are there methods which I am missing in this regard or is this indeed the way to practice Active Imagination?
Many thanks
Keith