It is the imagination that lights the slow fuse of the possible.
— Emily Dickinson
When was the last time you let your imagination run away with you?
I’ve always been very creative, so the answer for me is: just about every day!
Right now, I’m imagining hundreds of people coming to this website every week and being touched by the gift of SoulCollage®.
Yesterday I imagined everything I needed to do today to get ready for our summer vacation.
And I’m continually imagining what my next art project will be.
Examples of Imagination in Action
Remember the Rogers and Hammerstein movie, Cinderella? Near the beginning, she sings:
In my own little corner, in my own little chair
I can be whatever I want to be.
On the wings of my fancy I can fly anywhere,
and the world will open its arms to me.
I adored that song when I was little, immediately resonating with its deeper message- that the imagination is a powerful, friendly presence in all of our lives. It can be used for good, for change, for peace, and for the healing of unhappy situations.
This John Lennon song asserts the same message. Listen and remember:
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger,
a brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one.
I hope some day you’ll join us
and the world will live as one.
John Lennon strongly believed that if everyone simply imagined world peace, we could achieve it.
Thus is the power of imagination.
Caren, my yoga teacher, often encourages me to “just imagine your body in this position” if it’s not something I’m quite ready for.
There’s a lot of truth to this practice.
The first time she led my class in the Tree Posture, which involves a good deal of balance, I simply couldn’t do it without falling over.
So I heeded her advice and imagined myself in the position instead of beating myself up because I couldn’t do it.
Eventually it became easier and easier.
Sometimes I still lose my balance when I attempt this pose, but if I slow my mind down enough to imagine it, I can usually do it.
What is Imagination?
The dictionary defines imagination as:
the formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses; the ability to confront and deal with reality creatively; an unrealistic idea or notion, a fancy.
Ahhhh…now it makes sense. When we imagine something, we are seeing something in our mind’s eye that really isn’t there. This can be a very useful skill, as in the second definition, when we use our imagination to confront and deal creatively with reality.
So….. when was the last time you used your imagination? I’ll bet it was not as long ago as you think!
Imagination and SoulCollage®
It doesn’t take much to realize what imagination has to do with SoulCollage®, or any kind of collage for that matter.
It is a key factor in the creation of any card in your deck; it is the key factor in any kind of creation.
Its foundation is the ever-present what-if that leads us onwards as we collect images and piece together our cards.
We also have to use our imagination to enter an image and do the I Am The One Who…exercise with a card, as well as imagining what a certain card would tell us in response to a question.
Using Visualization with Your SoulCollage® Cards
- Choose one of your cards. If you don’t have any cards yet, use one of the ones that you see on this page. Hold the image reverently and study it for a while. Breathe its energy deeply. Then close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting on a park bench with the central image on your card. Just sit there for a while, using all your senses to take in what you see and hear. If you want to go deeper, begin a dialogue with the image. Or allow the image to speak to you first. Sometimes just sitting in silence with it is enough. Sometimes it is not. You can do this several times over a few weeks, or for one long extended visualization time. There are no limits… just see what happens.
-
Future Me Make a card entitled “The Woman (Person, Man, Adult…) I Am Becoming” You could also call it “My Future Self.” This card will take some conscious planning and gathering of images. You can see my card for this topic here. It has been sitting on my desk ever since, a constant reminder to me that I am continually changing, and that I am the author of my own future. All I need to do is close my eyes and imagine my future self, and I am with her! I am her! I am becoming her, moment by moment, and the card is a key factor in this process.
- When you draw more than one card in a reading, and you can’t quite seem to “get” what message is meant for you, do a visualization in your imagination where all of the energies on the card are together with you in one room. Make them real, 3-dimensional, not just pictures on a mat board. Listen to them talking with each other. Eavesdrop, if you will, before you step in!
- Listen to this recording of one of our live tele-classes. In this one, you’ll be guided on two very special Magical Inner Journeys that will help you connect with the SoulCollage® Process in an exciting new way! If you’re new to SoulCollage®, this recording could be
just the jumpstart you need to make your first card. If you’ve already made some cards, you’ll find your fires of creativity totally stoked!
Recommended Resources:
Recommended Reading
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