Why Imagination Matters
Allowing time each day for your awareness to drift into dreams or imagination is essential. Many of the realities we take for granted, like flying in airplanes, messaging friends on the internet, or talking on a cell phone all started in the realm of imagination and dreams. Yet in our busy lives we rarely allow the time or space to be informed by this inherent and mysterious aspect of our awareness. This creative resource within our brain is not only for artists and mystics. It can serve as a powerful, visionary, and therapeutic tool for each of us if we know how to access it.
A Daily Practice: One of my favorite books over the years is The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. It is more than a book it has become a way of life for me. The book contains exercises to open the creative mind that are proven to be successful for decades among artists of all types. A key component of the program is Morning Pages. It is an exercise in writing from a place of flow… no stopping to think, edit, or use correct grammar. Just tap into flow consciousness and see what emerges. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn this precious skill for opening the creative mind.
Dream Experts: Anthony Colombo has developed a protocol for accessing the inherent power of your dreams each night. He introduces the powerful concept of incubation as a core component of dreamwork to inform and transform your life. Incubation is a process of inviting your dreaming-self to bring you insight and is helpful for recalling dreams while bringing conscious intention to personal dreamwork. He has numerous informative and inspiring blogs about his process here.
“Conscious incubation involves being mindful of what you tell yourself internally and what you expose yourself to in the world. These internally and externally generated experiences help shape or incubate the reality you will create during subsequent dreaming and waking states.” – Anthony Colombo, Dreamspace
A Dialogue with the Subconscious: Opening up and allowing one’s self to be informed by what “emerges” is a process that is important for creative projects and collaboration. It means that you have to allow for the unknown, that you aren’t working from a set script and that you are allowing yourself to be receptive to whatever emerges. It is a journey into an uncharted territory within your own consciousness.
This can be a tough skill to learn since we are so used to setting up expectations and having some degree of control over outcomes. The creative process, dreams, and the realm of imagination often work in non-linear ways so you will need to be prepared for unexpected surprises. This involves a degree of trust in yourself and in “the process”.
Creative Luminaries: Jason Silva has rocked the internet with his video rants that explode with inspiration like fireworks full of color. Jazz musicians do it when they improvise, free-style rappers do it with spoken word, visionary artists do it when they live-paint, there is a flowing river of creativity within our consciousness that all of us have access to… all we have to do is open up to it and let it come through. This takes a little practice but it may hold the keys to unlocking a better future for humanity.
“Recent studies from universities have found that experiences of AWE can be utterly transformative, boosting creativity, compassion and wellbeing, along with physiological anti-inflammatory effects. This means that ecstatic inspiration has real cognitive benefits for our lives.” – Jason Silva, adapted from his writings on Wonderjunkie
Imagination is the Key: Our dreams hold much wisdom for us if we know how to listen. The ability to adapt, to tune in and respond to creative impulses while consciously embracing a state of flow into our lives can have a profoundly transformative effect. Take a moment to step back from your schedule, from your expectations and watch the clouds slowly dance across the sky. Allow some space for the unexpected, the unscripted, and then watch the ways that you learn to flow and adapt with what arises. Ask questions that have impossible answers and visualize yourself manifesting your wildest dreams.
It is clear that we face many issues as a species on planet earth but throughout time we have always found a way to innovate and overcome the hurdles that we face. It may very well be that time again when we can no longer look to what has worked in the past but must instead dream something new that will work for our future. Luckily the possibilities are endless.