Getting Imaginal

The word imaginal was coined by the French philosopher and theologian Henry Corbin last century. It continues to find currency in Jungian as well as poetic circles.  While the implications of the world view that admit an imaginal are wide ranging, for the individual it always comes down to the issue of encounter.  How do we get in touch with the imaginal?

The biggest impediment seems to be living from a perspective that discredits the existence of the imaginal. Indeed, the current educational system has done a pretty good job removing the imaginal from our world view. While we exercise the faculty of imagination, it remains solely a tool of the ego to posit possibilities.

Encountering the Imaginal

The encounter with the imaginal on the other hand is like stepping into a mythic landscape, walking into a dream, stepping across a spiritual threshold.  It relates to the experience of the shaman, each taste fulfilling a deep longing in the human soul for the “Other.”

A wonderful text, both because it’s easy to comprehend and it’s full of useful suggestions is Robert Johnson’s Inner Work: Using dreams and active imagination for personal growth.  In it Johnson writes:

“The unconscious is a marvelous universe of unseen energies, forces, forms of intelligence – even distinct personalities – that live within us. It is a much larger realm than most of us realize,one that has a complete life of its own running parallel to the ordinary life we live day to day. The unconscious is the secret source of much of our thought, feeling and behavior. It influences us in ways that are all the more powerful because unexpected.” Robert Johnson, Inner Work, pg. 3