HOW YOUR IMAGINATION IMPACTS YOUR REALITY

When we were children, our imaginations served us well. They took us on wild adventures and helped us spin beautiful stories in which we were the author of our reality.

We played in the trees. Among piles of stones. Nature was our castle. Some days we were queens. Others witches, cooking pots of elixirs made from flowers plucked from nearby fields. Cool waters from the creek. Small fistfuls of dirt sprinkled in. These potions could cure the worst cases of heartache, illness, and even the dreaded curse of adulthood.

As we grew older, that beautiful mechanism of the mind began to deceive us. We learned words like good/bad. Right/wrong. The world began telling us to “get real” and “grow up”.

What was once our greatest ally, even our best friend, becomes a stranger.

We experience self doubt. Anxiety. Fear. We still act out the stories we imagine, but now filtered through a different lense.

And so, we imagine we are not enough. Imagine we are unsafe. Imagine we are insignificant.

Day after day. Week after week, we silently hear the world's stories about us, and imagine them to be true.

Repeat this imagined truth enough times, and it becomes a reality. Because the mind does not know the difference between something that is real and something that has been imagined.

Once the mind believes this self created truth, the body jumps on board. With the body and mind working together, our thoughts and feelings will work to reinforce what we believe to be true.

Becoming aware of the way our imaginations are in command of our actions and beliefs is the first step to regaining control over the reality we WANT to create. But just having the awareness is not enough.

How many of us have been in a situation that seems to repeat itself over and over, despite knowing that it isn’t good for us? Maybe it’s a choice with our diet, perhaps a relationship theme.

These are examples of how knowing the truth is not always enough to carry us to the result we are hoping for. Because the tracks of our repeated beliefs, those years of our imagined realities, are deep grooves in the mind.

So, how then do we break free from the self limiting world we’ve imagined ourselves into? Well, we imagine ourselves out of it of course.

This may sound rather silly, when at first your adult mind receives these words. But I assure you that the frequency with which you are currently and subconsciously using this superpower may also seem silly.

Consider an unreturned phone call, maybe a loved one. The mind begins to write a story, perhaps based on some facts, but we may also include some of our own “ideas” of why they haven’t called. “An accident” the mind reasons. “They’ve changed their minds” you consider. “I’m asking too much” you conclude.

When left unchecked the imagination can write a book, or a lifetime, on what it considers a possible reality.

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So where to begin taking the reins on our wily old BFF?

When searching for imagery inspiration, look no further than your dreams. Every night, when we sleep, we enter into the rich landscape of the mind. And each morning when we emerge from those watery depths, we bring back with us images, stories, and symbols.. for us.. by us.

Dream re-entry can be a powerful tool for gaining clarity and healing. The dreamer is asked to recall a dream, bringing it to life with as many details as possible. This exercise invites the dreamer to use breath, intuition, and imagination to revisit dream scenes. With consistency, this tool can support the dreamer in practicing facing difficulties in their inner world before confronting them in the external world.

Guided meditation is another technique employing the imagination, and offers us the benefits of mystical imagery conjured by an experienced guide. In an overstimulated world, being coaxed into deep states of relaxation while engaging the imagination is a win-win. Find a guide you know and trust, and sink into receiving.

When it comes to practicing and using the imagination with conscious awareness, there are no hard and fast rules. There are, however, some really good guidelines to support your explorations.

1 // Choose imagery which holds an emotional charge for you. In fact, bringing in heightened emotions such as joy, bliss, happiness, and gratitude can amplify results and quickly have a positive impact on not only your beliefs, but also on your biology...ie physical healing.

2 // Bring the images you are working with to life using all of your senses. What does it FEEL like? Is it hot, cold? Is there a color that strikes you? What do you smell? Hear? Is it loud, or quiet? The more details you can bring to life, the more you reinforce the actuality of your experience.

3 // Practice, practice, practice. It took years and years for you to memorize your current beliefs and behaviors. To re-imagine them will take commitment.

4 // Have fun! Play! Dance! Draw! Create for creation’s sake! Moving out of the linear world and into the swirling magical realms of the imagination is an act of self love. It is a remembrance. And it can, and should be done with joy.

Giving ourselves the space to use our imaginations in this way, we are acknowledging just how real our inner worlds are, and how the power of this inner world directly informs the external world we live within.