The imagination is never governed, it is always the ruling and divine power.
- John Ruskin
The imagination is your most powerful manifesting tool. Learning how to harness it is the secret to unlocking the real power of intention and intuition. Before you learn how to command its unbounded energy-forming power, you need to understand some basics. In this chapter, you will learn about its role and active and passive polarities.
The role of imagination is to act as the gateway between individual and Universal Mind. The gateway allows intelligence to flow between the finite and the infinite, the local and nonlocal.
THE MASTER TRANSLATOREarlier we established that you have access to two minds, an individualized mind and Universal Mind. The individual mind is logical, rational and sequential whilst the Universal Mind is intuitive, holistic and simultaneous. Because of this, they both speak entirely different languages. The role of imagination is to act individual mind and as the intermediary between the
Universal Mind. Therefore, it must translate the language used to communicate between partness and wholeness. It does this with mental imagery, specifically symbolic imagery.
SYMBOLIC IMAGERYHave you ever heard the expression „a picture speaks a thousand words? This is true; however, this is only half the story. That is because „a symbol speaks a thousand pictures!
Throughout the ages, we have used symbols to express ideas and relationships that escape the grasp of words. Symbols capture the subjective essence or quality of something free from the constraints of language.
When you see a symbol, it is up to you to contextualize and interpret it. This occurs within your own framework of associations. You will learn more about this in Part III, but for now, it is enough to know that the imagination translates the intelligence of the Universal into symbols.
THE POLARITY OF IMAGINATIONMental energy flows constantly between your mind and the Universal Mind. You can shape and form this energy with your imagination. The direction that this energy is flowing determines which polarity of imagination you are using. The flow from:
² Individual to Universal is active imagination. ² Universal to individual is passive imagination.ACTIVE IMAGINATION
You engage the active imagination through visualization. Visualization involves deliberately projecting mental imagery upon the screen of your mind. The active imagination is the tool you use to shape „formless substance, which is another term for pure creative potential. You have the power to mould „formless substance with your active imagination. Whatever is properly impressed upon „formless substance sets the cast for expression into form. You will learn how to do this in step two of the manifesting method, called impression.
PASSIVE IMAGINATIONYou engage the passive imagination through visioning. Visioning involves interpreting imagery that flows passively onto the screen of your mind. In the passive state of imagination, you are not consciously directing the mental imagery. The passive imagination is the tool you use to receive inspiration and guidance from the Universal. You experience passive imagination every time you dream or fantasize. The images flow effortlessly without any of your own conscious involvement. In the most receptive state of mind, you allow whatever comes into your imagination.
The passive imagination is so ingenious that it will generate symbolic imagery designed especially for you. If you are passionate about chemistry, the imagery might come through your passive imagination as chemicals interacting in a meaningful way. If mathematics is your thing, equations and operators might flash to mind. The point is that symbols are contextual and personalized just for you. They will not mean the same thing to someone else because they have a different set of associations. Let us look at a famous example of the passive imagination in action.
EXAMPLE OF PASSIVE IMAGINATIONIn 1864 German chemist, Friedrich Kekule discovered the chemical structure of Benzene. Prior to his discovery, scientists thought that the structure of molecules was linear. However, a linear structure did not explain many of the properties of Benzene. So how did he come to revolutionize the field of organic chemistry? Read his account of the event below:
"...I was sitting writing on my textbook, but the work did not progress; my thoughts were elsewhere. I turned my chair to the fire and dozed. Again, the atoms were gambolling before my eyes. This time the smaller groups kept modestly in the background. My mental eye, rendered more acute by the repeated visions of the kind, could now distinguish larger structures of manifold conformation; long rows sometimes more closely fitted together all twining and twisting in snake-like motion. But look! What was that? One of the snakes had seized hold of its own tail, and the form whirled mockingly before my eyes. As if by a flash of lightning I awoke; and this time also I spent the rest of the night in working out the consequences of the hypothesis." 1
1 Royston M. Roberts, Serendipity, Accidental Discoveries in Science, John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY,1989, pp. 75-81.This imagery of the snake biting its tail and whirling mockingly at him made him realize that the structure of Benzene was ring-like. Thanks to the power of passive imagination, the rest is history!
ACTIVE-PASSIVE IMAGINATIONUsing both the active and passive phases of imagination together is very powerful application of the Law of Polarity. This technique is termed „active visioning and it enables you to access the intelligence of the Universal Mind very effectively. In active visioning, you consciously form the initial imagery, but then release it to your passive imagination to mould and shape it in response to a question. You will learn a powerful technique to harness this special use of imagination in Part III.