Imagination - The Grand Illusion

Imagination - The Grand Illusion

The system contains many words that are familiar to everyone. But when used in relation to awakening, they take on a specific meaning. When we speak of imagination, we speak about uncontrolled mind activity. Daydreaming, believing people or events could be different than they are, wishful thinking, and so on. We spend most of our lives in this state. In fact, imagination is the natural state of a sleeping machine.

Two fundamental characteristics of imagination are it requires no effort at all and is completely habitual. Due to these traits, imagination is one of the most difficult of our mechanics to overcome. Almost all spiritual teachers counsel those who would pursue awakening to observe and work on this state.

“While my imagination was wandering like this, I came to the point that I no longer knew where I was.” ~ Dante

“Thank God I did not stay veiled in imagination.” ~ Hafiz

Another characteristic of imagination is it satisfies the four lower centers. Why bother to remember oneself when life is so comfy, even when it really isn’t? The most pernicious aspect of imagination is imagining we are awake.

One of the best descriptions of imagination comes from P.D. Ouspensky’s account of his efforts to remember himself. He set out with the aim to remember himself, visited his editor, bought a newspaper and as he was leaving his tobacconist in the afternoon, he realized that he had forgotten his aim completely through the whole day.

The 15th century Dutch painting above captures the state of imagination. The maiden is being led by the blindfolded and fettered donkey. She has her hair covering her eyes, so neither of them can see where they’re going. The infernal wheel with the animals represent the different i’s that the machine produces in sleep, each one ascending and calling itself ‘I’ until the wheel turns and another i ascends.

The good news is that an esoteric school has the tools and techniques to pull one out of this psychological quagmire and into the present moment. First and foremost is the effort to remember oneself. Self-remembering is one of the best, and most readily available solvents for dissolving the unfocussed and opaque state of imagination.

“Imagination lurks as the most powerful foe. It has an irresistible affinity for the absurd. Even cultured individuals are subject to this impulse to a high degree.”

~ Goethe

Charles R

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