With fires blazing and political tumult looming, prioritizing your imagination might seem frivolous or beside the point. But using our imaginations is actually the first step in all our human activity, so the imagination is, really, fundamental to every choice, decision, or undertaking we begin.
And yet, many people don’t consider themselves imaginative or think much about the role their imaginations play in their unfolding of their daily lives. And many more of us relegate the imagination to children at play, or to the arts—imagining a painting, a dance, a song.
On top of that, most of us— even those who don’t think they are imaginative—are great at imagining the worst. (Worrying, for instance, is a common use of the imagination.)
It’s hard not to feel powerless in the face of overwhelming power structures that seem focused only on greed and short-term gain, but really, every one of us is part of the ongoing shaping of our human future. Our beliefs and choices have a rippling impact across the planet, and how we use our sacred imaginations actually does make a difference.
If we want to create a new paradigm for the future that is focused on the well-being of all, it’s crucial that we learn to both embrace and take responsibility for the power of our imaginations. Even taking the first step of genuinely believing that your imagination does matter is a crucial part of making a positive change in the world.
So really, nothing could be more important than our imaginations—and yet, the imagination feels to me like one of the most under-explored arenas of the human experience.
I’m the teaching assistant in a class on the imagination that starts on January 30, and in this video, I interview and converse with my friend Rue Hass, who is the creator and teacher of the class.
In this video, Rue and I discuss the relationship between our imaginations and the overwhelming changes happening in human culture and the planet, the relationships between our imaginations and spirit, and between our imaginations and nature.
Our conversation-interview is about 33 minutes long. After that (at the 33.15 mark), Rue walks us through a wonderful visualization exercise that takes about 20 minutes. You might choose to just watch the conversation-interview part, just listen to the meditation section, or both.
Whatever you decide, I hope you give it a listen.
And if you’re curious about the class itself, you can check it out here.
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