Stillness 11-23. One of the attributes of the great explorers, scientists, and creatives is not so much the successful outcomes of their experiments but their tremendous imaginative power. They imagined an invention, a beautiful painting, or a heroic adventure across the sea. Those splendid thinkers and innovators did not simply observe and describe—they actively impacted their work, whether it was social justice or a momentous work of art or a new discovery.
We all have this extraordinary human capacity for imagination. We use it to imagine what we need to do today, we picture ourselves walking down the aisle in the supermarket, or meeting someone, or writing. We imagine what other people are thinking or feeling, picturing their enthralling insides like a great story-book of illustrated tales and legends. We are all artists in our daily lives, co-creating the minutes and hours with whatever thrilled, annoyed, or sad brush of the pen we wish to hold.
Now, more than ever, are we being called to use our imaginations to create holidays and gatherings and daily life in ways that are unprecedented. We have nothing in our ancestry or history that compares to a season like this. The despair, frustration, and rage is palpable around the world. Not being able to be with those we love feels—to many—like a disaster. The advice not to travel or gather in large groups has many people either angrily rejecting that advice or sorrowfully accepting it.
But there is a third way. Not a middle way, not a compromise, but a delightful, mind-expanding, heart-opening opportunity.
Use your imagination. Try something you’ve never done before. Do it differently.
The Taoist teaching of ‘going with the flow’ is supremely wise—but combine that with what Carl Jung called your “active imagination” and you’ll find you can be in the calm flow of loving what is and creating wonder in your life. We tend to be so fond of tradition that when tradition is unavailable to us we find it heartbreaking. But who knows what new traditions might unfold when the old ones are temporarily relaxed? Here in the United States we might even discover new ways of cooking a Thanksgiving meal. Do we have to slaughter millions of turkeys every year for the sake of “tradition” … do we really have to? Could we put our imagination to work and decide to create a dish that we’ve longed to learn how but never had the time or courage? Or how about gathering for a hike outside at a place you’ve never been? To play “dress-up” if that’s your thing, even if you’re alone or with someone who chooses to wear sweatpants all day. Let them. Wear a dream outfit you haven’t worn in decades–just for fun. If you have kids, play dress-up all together–create a party they’ll remember always. Get colorful beeswax and make gifts–tree ornaments, for example. Start a new tradition! If you’re in partnership, use this as an opportunity to be creative and do something the other one always resisted. Or vice versa. Who says everyone should behave the same way, have the same expectations, do the same thing? Be open and flexible. Don’t try to mimic a decades-old plan—create a new one. Don’t try to read a faded map from centuries ago—create your own map. From volunteering at food pantries, to spending an afternoon hand writing holiday cards, to internet festivities … you’re imagination is your friend.
In the work of Jungian psychoanalysis or metaphysical healing, we use active imagination as a form of wakeful dreaming. Try it for yourself. Get into a super-comfortable state, and dream into the situation (rather than analyzing, planning, or preparing for it with your mental brain). Don’t fantasize a pre-conceived longing, instead be actively passive. Listen as much as you participate. During this relaxed, meditative state, engage gently and curiously with whatever it is you’re wrestling with or wondering about. Let your imagination be your guide.
And for those of you who ask me what is the difference between fantasy and imagination, it’s very simple: Fantasizing about what you want emerges from your past. It’s woven from the stuff you already know.
Imagination is woven from the future—your vast limitless potential. You recognize it because when you engage with it, you find yourself in clear, calm landscapes that reveal possibilities you hardly knew existed. Create those landscapes in ways that make you feel at home and thoroughly delighted too.