travelers of a forgotten dimension

Hosted By: Ida Covi, MA is an ecopsychologist and the CEO of iRewild Institute. She is the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence from Pacifica Graduate Institute, CA.

16 minutes

TRANSCRIPT

When was the last time you used your imagination to see the different aspects and dimensions of reality? The different components that govern the universe, the fundamental forces of nature, and the soul of the world.

 Philosopher, Gary Lachman states, “ . . . We need imagination to grasp reality — that part of reality immediately before us and its wider horizons, that exceed the reach of our physical senses.”

 Let’s explore this forgotten ability of the imagination and see the role it plays in discovering the creative mysteries of our world.

Throughout history, many philosophers, scholars, and indigenous healers have told us that our imagination is a tool, an interceding power, and a facilitator, for interacting with reality. Imagination, together with the world of the senses and the abstract world of our intellect, is a faculty for the expansion of knowledge that can show us aspects of reality that we overlook. While daydreaming, fantasizing, and escaping from reality allow us to use our imagination, our imagination’s more serious work is to step in, engage, and collaborate with the world around us. This is called perceptive imagination. Perceptive imagination allows us to see and sense things and possibilities that are not visible to the recognized bodily senses or intellect. 

Perceptive imagination gives us the capability to see into and beyond the essences, the instances, of our inner world, and the natural world surrounding us. It enables us to initially experience what we perceive, and then discover within it, far greater meaning than normal reality would provide.

These images don’t originate in the mind; they belong to nature, to the soul, to the cosmos itself. They are the divine, the sacred substances of the created universe appearing temporarily, showing themselves for an instance, in the human imagination. Our imagination is a bridge that leads us to encountering the mysteries of creation.

 Perceptive imagination is a go-between, linking consciousness and the understanding of all beings, and when we direct our consciousness toward imaginal vision, we are actually connecting to this collective, unifying force of creation.

We all seek the truth, but often our reality and the way we see the world is stuck behind the clouds and fog of our biases and past experiences. Occasionally, an opportunity comes along that awakens our perception with moments that guide us to experience the hidden unity and deeper aspects of our universe. Our imagination is the interface between the outside and inside worlds of reality. 

It is the cognitive function of the imagination, the way in which the imagination’s mental processes acquire information and understanding, that allows the imagination access to subtle knowledge from the soul of the world, the inner reality that resides in things, bypassing our reasoning minds, bypassing our self-centered, ego-centric narratives of ‘needs and wants’. We enrich and deepen our understanding of self, thereby catalyzing our growth toward wholeness, meaning in life, and connection to all of life. 

The creative forces of the world are not visible in our world in the same manner that we perceive material things. Our imaginative sight is like a sensory function of the soul that seeks what is undetectable to the senses, yet rooted in the heart of all that exists. Perceptive imagination is the heart’s way of experiencing the world. 

Perceptive vision involves going within, moving beyond the lens of duality through which we see nature as something separate from humanity and outside of society, until the point is reached when the observer becomes the observed. Our imaginative awareness becomes heightened and fluid, and there is no longer a differentiation between self and ‘other’, between mind and physical matter, or between humans and nature. In imagination, we unite in consciousness.

Chaos thrives in what appears to be the empty, transitional space between an-other and us. The space between the observer and the observed is filled with conflict, indifference, judgment, ingrained opinions, habitual cynicism, uncertainty, and quite often, minimal empathetic understanding.

This lens of reality, this way of participating in life, is limiting. We are only seeing the world from our own perspectives, our feelings, and our knowledge of the world. We rob ourselves from perceiving the actual qualities of life or returning value, soul-value, to the things that we experience.

Adding heart-energy to perceptive imagination gives us the type of empathy, empathetic capacity, and imaginative consciousness to connect directly with another. We forget about our own agendas and begin to see the world and its creative forces, we begin to see the divine nature of all life more clearly. Being heart-centered, together with perceptive imagination, allows our inner knowing to emerge. 

We begin to see a situation from within the wholeness of the world, encompassing every process and relationship that forms reality. It’s a place from which creation emerges, from which future possibilities spring forth. Imaginal vision evokes a certain way of seeing and awareness that lead to self-inquiry, universal truths, and imaginative potential.

At the end of this podcast, let’s practice a guided imaginal journey together, so we can learn this skill. 

Imagination, as a method of perception, has the potential to give us penetrating insights into unseen realities, the precious, life-giving, divine nature of all life; it presents us with a world in its most holistic state of being. It presents you with pure awareness. This is transcendence — a sense of the sacred in all things.

When that happens, you literally dive into deeper levels of pure consciousness. This is a mind-blowing, amazing, inspirational, thought-provoking experience!

Before us, just barely beyond the visible fabric of our reality, is a world of sacred, creative energy and light from which all life and material forms emerge. When you explore your imagination’s potential, you’ll find doorways to this world of creative life-giving energy, a doorway to your soul, a doorway to evidence of the sacred, and to the soul of the world. Let’s reclaim this forgotten ability, this forgotten knowledge of the imagination, and fall in love with the creative mysteries of our world!

So I ask you: In what ways, does your thinking affect how you perceive the landscape surrounding you as conscious, alive, aware, intelligent, and capable of expressing itself?  

IMAGINAL JOURNEY

 At this time, let’s get ready to journey to the imaginal realm. Be open to engaging and co-creating with your loving, intelligent, heart energy, and your imaginative capabilities.

Find a quiet space, preferably in nature, to sit or lie down undisturbed. Being outside within nature is ideal, but this exercise can be done anywhere. Set your intention to travel into the imaginal realm to meet with whatever or whomever you choose. As an example, today, we’ll meet with a bird. 

Close your eyes and allow yourself to focus on the present moment. Breathe deeply, slowly. Feel a fresh breeze flow effortlessly through every cell in your being, taking all your worries, all your thoughts with it. Relax within this deep inner silence. Next, rest your attention on your heart energy. Bring elevated emotions such as gratitude, joy, compassion, and unconditional love to your heart center. Imagine your heart energy stretching several feet beyond your body, lighting everything it touches.  

Stay with your experience. This web of light is pure, creative life force. It connects you with all life forms, it unites with everything material and physical. Sense, feel the tingle throughout your body as this web of light energy combines with your surroundings, glowing brighter with each object it touches. Feel the loving intention and interconnectedness that this light offers you.  

Breathe. Simply be with the light. Now, imagine, direct your consciousness and imaginative vision to a bird flying across the sky. It’s the same bird that comes to visit your home everyday. You see him land near you. Look at this bird as if you were a child seeing it for the first time.  

Feel your heart center opening to the beauty of nature and the earth below your feet. Introduce yourself — and ask this beautiful creature if you can merge with his life energy. Whisper to him that you come from a place of love, of heart, and about your love for all life and the Earth.  

Sense the bird’s enthusiastic invitation to connect. Feel your heart energy and light energy unite with the bird’s creative life force. Feel your love and gratitude grow as you touch each other. Stay with your vivid images, step into the vision, see yourself living in it, participating in it; use your inner senses to see every detail, study the way the bird’s feet touch lightly on the ground or the tree branch; observe how he neatly folds his wings along his side; see the clear brightness and intelligence in his eyes; appreciate the numerous multicolored feathers that sparkle in the sunlight like jewels; — brush your hand across his back and feel the soft, silky feathers; enjoy his beautiful voice as he sings his song; watch the musical notes as they are carried with the wind along the web of light; bury your nose in his feathers and smell his deep honey-like scent. Imagine his life-blood flowing through his body. 

What’s exciting to keep in mind is that, as you watch the bird, he is also watching and touching you back. 

Take a deep breath of the clean fresh air that nature graciously gives to you. Listen to all the sounds of nature that come from this loving state of being — other birds singing, flowing waters, the wind rushing through the trees. Smile. Experience yourself filling with joy and receiving the bird’s love in return. Step further into the vision fully. 

Allow your imaginal inner world to birth, to create the vision, don’t force it or try to direct the events. See the energy, the love that fuels creation. Experience the powerful energy of unconditional love. Hear the bird’s voice call to you, inviting you into relationship. Stay aware of any inner feelings and images. The language of the soul is often symbolic, it can also express itself in our bodies as feelings, whispers, or through sensations that are invoked. 

Silently communicate with the bird, listen deeply, listen to all the dimensions of an-other: What are they saying? — What are they implying? — What are they feeling? — What are they longing for that they can’t put into words? — Listen to all aspects of them — In your heart-center empathize with them — open up all your senses. Let them feel that you are fully present in their reality; that you are here with them.

 In this world of unity, of creation’s wholeness, where all things come into being, what do you notice? Ask the bird if there is anything that you can do to help the land that surrounds you. Trust your images, your inner senses. You may be surprised by what calls to you or appears. Remember to keep your heart center open, your light energy connected.

 When you feel ready, give thanks to the bird, all of nature, and the Earth itself.  Using the power of intention, disconnect your web of energy from the bird. Return with a new sense of interconnection to all life on Earth. Take some time to make a gentle transition back to ordinary time and space. 

 As you come back, make sure to reflect on the experience. Writing down your thoughts will help you to raise and expand your consciousness. Ask yourself: Was there a task that the bird asked you to complete? Describe the image and feel of this wondrous light. What in the vision caught your attention? What sensations arose in your body? Why do you think this imaginal experience came into your life at this time?

Continue to use this exercise, as an example, to connect with plants, animals, dream images, and so on. I invite you to join your heart and imagination with the unseen world, with all of life, as often as you can. Explore your imagination’s potential.

iRewild would like to acknowledge the contributions of other writers, philosophers, and scientists for their inspiration, words, and research used in our podcasts. For a complete list of sources, please see our eBook, Rewilding The Senses: Bringing The Human Soul Back Into A Conscious Relationship With Nature.