Active Imagination 2

I get deeper into detail about my experiment using C.J. Jung's technique for accessing the images of the unconscious mind.

The ritual is the same. Sit comfortably. Take two deep breaths. Adopt a posture that is both restful and alert. Once the mind and body have settled in, picture myself entering a workspace, a room where my primary passions and interests can be fully engaged.

I’m in yesterday’s room but the walls have changed to powder blue. The color relaxes me which makes me less susceptible to distraction.

In yesterday’s Active Imagination session, I imagined I was formatting a newsletter layout. Today, I was writing an article for that newsletter.

It took a few tries before I could look directly into my imaginary laptop screen and see anything besides a blinding white light, but eventually I made out what could be the newsletter’s cover image.

Once you get the hang of Active Imagination, the possibilities are exciting. But just like any activity, practice helps. For instance, in the visualizations, I’ve yet to actually read anything as specific or intricate as, say, lines of text from an imagined book. But, I can see how that might be possible after more repetition.

A title banner appeared on screen. I couldn’t read the lumpy, cloud-like lettering, but outlined in black and white, waiting to be filled with bold colors was the face of my project with all the official feeling of the real thing. (I’d clearly been in an unusually playful mood when I created it because it was ornamented with cartoon objects in a way that was fare outside of my normal style.)

The cursor blinking in the body of the newsletter caught my attention. “This must be my first issue,” I thought as I began to make out what looked like the stanzas of a poem. I had half-transcribed this epigraph that I couldn’t read but that I knew was about imitation. The epigraph opened the article.

“What quality does this work best express?” said the voice on the guided recording.

When I heard that, I immediately felt a longing to play with words as I once did in the earliest of my childhood journals. I could feel that part of myself that loves to experiment with language. When I’m in that curious joy I can lose all track of time.

The voice asked another question. “What challenges are you facing as you work?”

I thought about all the projects I’ve abandoned over the last twelve years, plus the schoolwork I half-assed when I tried community college at thirty eight. Fear bubbled up. Would I really have the energy to follow through with a new project? Can I maintain a committed effort until I achieve the quality that I would personally consume?

“How do you see this work fitting into to your larger plans and artistic goals?”

I’m at a life crossroads and if I don’t start sharing my ideas, connecting and being a part of a larger community, I’m going to lose the passion for creativity. I’ve heard there is great value to be had when a person can be vulnerable enough to learn and make mistakes in public. So the newsletter format might be at the junction of my fantasies and the constraints of reality. The fact that Substack allows its members to monetize content means I could fulfill another need.

“Imagine yourself making a final alteration or change to the work.”

I saw myself cut and delete a substantial chunk of text from the article. For me, this symbolized letting go of dead weight; lightening my load to go the distance. And, the moment I tapped the delete key, I heard applause, which made me laugh. I stepped back from the desk and imagined myself falling into Natasha’s (my spouse) proud embrace.

As instructed, I let the image fade. I began to notice the sound of city traffic against the window pane. Parts of my feet had fallen asleep and I noted the tingling pins and needles. After two deep breaths, I open my eyes and reached for my journal.

If you are an artist or creative and you want to try using Jung’s Active Imagination technique to bring out images from your subconscious, here’s the link I’m using. It’s a high-quality guided session that is tailored to exploring creative work. I generally play the audio through headphones while Beaux, 2 y/o, takes her midday nap. Enjoy!