Step 2 - Creative Imagination
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This discussion on the creative imagination is based on quotes from the book The Law and the Promise by Neville Goddard.
A World of Imagination
"The world in which we live is a world of imagination, and every human being—through [the power of] his imaginal activities—creates the reality and circumstances of life; this he does either knowingly or unknowingly.
People pay too little attention to this priceless gift—the Human Imagination [i.e., the creative power of their own consciousness]. And a gift is practically nonexistent unless there is a conscious possession of it and a readiness to use it. All people possess the power to create reality but this power sleeps as though dead when not consciously exercised. Human beings live in the very heart of creation—which is the Human Imagination—yet are no wiser for what takes place therein. The future will not be fundamentally different from one’s own imaginal activities; therefore, the individual who can summon, at will, whatever imaginal activity [or state of consciousness] he pleases and to whom the visions of his imagination are as real as the [physical] forms of nature is master of his fate." (The Law, p. 3)
"What makes a present sense impression so objectively real is the individual’s imagination functioning in it and thinking from it; whereas in a memory image or a wish the individual’s imagination is not functioning in it, and thinking from it, but is functioning out of it and thinking of [or about] it.
If you would enter into the image in your imagination [fully embracing it as real] then you would know what it is to be creatively transformative; then would you realize your wish; then you would be happy. Every image can be embodied but unless you, yourself, enter the image, and think from it, it is incapable of birth. Therefore, it is the height of folly to expect the wish to be realized by the mere passage of time. That which requires imaginative occupancy to produce its effect, cannot be affected without such occupancy.
"Imagination" is spiritual sensation. Enter the image of the wish fulfilled; then give it sensory vividness and tones of reality by mentally acting as you would act were it a physical fact." (The Law, p. 5)
"The reader will find it worthwhile to follow these clues—imaginal construction of scenes implying the wish fulfilled; and imaginative participation in these scenes until tones of reality are reached. We are dealing with the secret of imagining, in which man is seen awakening into a world completely subject to his imaginative power." (The Law, p. 28)
Discussion
Spirit creates this universe by becoming it. There is always a total surrender, or self-abandonment, in order for creation to take place. Without this self-abandonment, without the full "occupancy," (where nothing of itself is held back) creation cannot take place. The creative act of Spirit is singular, undivided, certain, and without any counter-current (or secondary creations) of doubt or disbelief. Likewise, a human being, through the creative power of his own consciousness, cannot create anything without entering it, without fully occupying his creation; he cannot consciously direct creation so long as he remains separate from his creation, so long as his consciousness is confused and divided (and undermined by subconscious creations which run contrary to that which he intends to create).
We, therefore, must bear in mind the difference between “normal” human consciousness—which is full of flux, doubt, hesitancy, and undermined by fear, lack of direction, and limiting concepts (of what is possible)—from the state of single-minded certainty. Both states are available to us as human beings. The creative act requires a state of certainty. It requires clear direction, intention, and full occupancy (of that which is created) by the creator. The “normal” human state, which most of us occupy, lacks power and creative potency (and is more often than not moved by subconscious, rather than conscious, direction); the state we are aspiring to is one of singularity, harmony (where our conscious and subconscious mind are not divided against each other) in likeness with Spirit, wherein true co-creation can take place.
Our own consciousness is the creative power; thus, our sense of “I Am,” or “Me” must be present in our imaginative creation in order for our imagined creation to manifest, in order for it to have life. We cannot truly create when the very source of our creative power (which is us) is not present in our creation; we cannot have our sense of “I Am,” be somewhere outside of our creation and then expect it to "come to life" and manifest. This is what is meant by “imaginal occupancy”—we, our consciousness, must fully occupy and be present in what we imagine in order for it to manifest. (Therefore, as a rule, in terms of life (and creating the kind of conditions you want), always occupy the imaginal states that you want to enliven and have more of; never occupy a state or condition (or embrace a thought or concept) that you don’t want to manifest).
Self-Abandonment
"Self-abandonment! That is the secret. You must abandon yourself mentally to your wish fulfilled—in your love for that state—and in so doing live in the new state (and no more in the old state). You can’t commit yourself to what you do not love; so the secret of self-commission [entering one’s imaginal reality in such as way that it takes on the tone and feeling of reality] is faith plus love. Faith is to believe in [and be sure of] what is unbelievable [or not realized by the senses]. Commit yourself to the feeling of the wish fulfilled, and in faith this act of self-commission will become a reality." (The Law, p. 4)
Discussion
Most human beings are already living in, and through, an imagined version of themselves—they are presently occupying a conditioned and limited self-image; they are continually affirming this self-image as their reality, and they are imaginatively living their life through that imagined version of themselves. (What this means, basically, is that most people view themselves from an imagines position outside themselves rather than fully being themselves, as they were as children; by a static misuse of their own self-reflexive consciousness, they have come to always “see” themselves from an imagined outer perspective, as if being seen by some imaginary other. Thus, they are always imagining what they look like, and what they feel like, from a perspective outside themselves, even when alone.) Most people are not really living their life right now—they are imagining it. And they do this by wholeheartedly believing in this mental version of self which they have created (through many years of parental and societal conditioning). They have been conditioned into believing in, and occupying, this imagined version of self; they fully believe that they are this person, with this body and mind, who lives in this place, does this kind of thing, has this kind of ability, etc. That story, that imagined version of self, is who they believe themselves to be—and it is the single-pointed, doubtless belief in this version of themselves which imparts it with a seeming reality. We, as human beings, through our unlimited creative consciousness are continually creating, and living our lives through, a limited version of self—and, we are experiencing the pain and suffering of this creation. This is the truest and most fundamental of all addictions—the addiction to our imagined version of ourselves. So, we don’t want to keep on doing this; we don’t want to keep on imagining ourselves—we want to be ourselves, we want to feel the fullness of our true, one-with-Spirit nature—or do we?
We are prisoners of our own limited imagination; through our own creative power we are unwittingly creating bondage and limitation for ourselves—and we are feeling the pain of this misdirected creation. Now, the two ways out of this unfortunate, but temporarily necessary suffering, is a) to direct our creative power in a true and beneficial way and creatively imagine, and occupy, a truer and more expanded version of our selves, or b) to simply be ourselves, without imagining ourselves as being this or that. The first approach involves the teachings which are generally known as “New Thought”; this relates to various teachings on creative imagination, affirmations, “power of mind,” “law of attraction,” etc. The second approach involves getting beyond the mind altogether, reaching a state of pure presence or being though meditation. In this state we don’t seek after anything, we don’t strive to create anything new or better for ourselves, because the aliveness, joy, and fullness of our own nature—a nature in oneness with the nature of Infinite Spirit—contains the wholeness of everything that we, as human beings, seek. Nothing is lacking in this one-with-Spirit state. "We must BE the state to experience the state." (The Law, p.66)
Question and Answer
A lot of “power of mind” teachers say that we should completely ignore conditions and occupy a state of mind which represents what we want, not what is physically present. Isn’t that a denial of reality? And besides, experiencing life, as it is around us, is more fun than simply living in an ideal imagined state.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If your life is as you want it to be then continue to enjoy your present reality; if it is not create something better for yourself. Even if things are good, they can always be better; when co-creating with Spirit, we always get more than we could possibly imagine for ourselves.
Now what about our present conditions? The state we are now occupying is the state corresponding to our past imagination. It is real—but do we want to continue in this state? We need not deny the state, but simply look at is as a state we created, a state which reflects our past imaginings, and move on to something better. Certainly we don’t want to react to the state—because this imparts it with a reality, to our subconscious mind, and thereby serves to perpetuate the state and its “realness.” If, however, we simply dwell in our present state, and accept conditions—and do nothing—then we send a clear message to our subconscious mind to give us more of the same. We don’t want to occupy or realize (make real) our present state if it is not what we want. Even if our state is miserable, by accepting it, by occupying it, we send an “I want more” message to our subconscious mind. Now, we don’t want to do that. This approach is much different from the idea of total surrender and acceptance of “What is.” What we want to accept is our feeling about what is and not the outer conditions of “what is.” Thus, when we accept our feeling (that we don’t like or enjoy what is showing up) then we can act to create something better; if we accept our feeling (that we like what is showing up) then we live in that reality and impel our subconscious mind to bring us more of the same—and perhaps even something better. All the things that show up in our life are not to be blindly accepted as “God’s Will,” they are to be used as means to keep moving us toward something better.
All the World's a Stage
"My mystical experiences have brought me to accept literally, the saying that all the world's a stage. And to believe that God plays all the parts. The purpose of the play? To transform man, the created, into God, the creator." (The Law, p. 114)
Discussion
So, we need not reject our outer conditions, just ignore them (when they are not in alignment with our present ideals). See them as something brought to you by your past creations; say “OK,” but do not feel obligated to occupy the state offered by the conditions “because they are real.” If the conditions are really good then occupy them and enjoy them. If they are not really good, then why occupy them? Why get involved with them? If the conditions are not enjoyable, occupy a condition that is enjoyable. If you are surrounded by poverty—and you don’t want more of the same of that—occupy the imaginitive state of abundance. You have that power, you know. You have that choice.
From "As They Are" to "As They Aught to Be"
"This ability to move [one’s consciousness] from things as they are [or appear to be] to things as they ought to be [as one wants them to be] is one of the most important discoveries that a person can make. It reveals the individual as a center of imagining, with powers of intervention [and causal creation] which enables him to alter the course of observed events, moving from success to success, through a series of mental transformation of nature, of others, and of himself." (The Law, p. 9)
"By mentally overriding the facts of life, a person moves from passive reaction to active creation." (The Law, p. 22)]
"Life is a romantic adventure. To live creatively, imagining novel solutions for ever more complex problems is far nobler than to restrain or kill out desires [or merely react to the conditions of life]. All that is desired can be imagined into existence." (The Law, p. 22)
Question and Answer
Some teachers talk about how we have to imagine what we want, and that we can only get what we consciously create—but where is the room for fun and surprise in that? Where does the newness of Spirit enter in this individual creation?
When we creatively imagine the highest good for ourselves—meaning, when we imagine something in a way where we occupy, and live from, what we imagine—which leads to the physical manifestation of what we create—then (in that creative act, which is in alignment with Spirit and its all-Life nature) we open the way for the unimaginable goodness of Spirit to enter our life and our conscious creation. This means there is room for receiving something greater than what we can imagine for ourselves. I think the saying which reflects this is: “We have great plans for ourselves, but God plans for us are always greater than we can imagine.” So, your task is to imagine, and creatively occupy, the highest reality you can for yourself. Don’t worry about there not being enough, or that you are taking too much for yourself—that is all “old thought.” When talking about Infinite Spirit, there is no limit to what you can create and what is rightfully yours. So, don’t let this false idea of limitation further limit you.
I don’t really feel like doing all this creative imagination stuff—I just want to live and let things fall as they may.
OK—and let me know how things turn out, how they fall. When talking about karma we may state it as this: in your past, you have imagined a certain kind of existence for yourself and that is what you are experiencing now. The old notion that you have to “go through” or experience your karma is not quite correct: you have to keep experiencing it (i.e., your past imaginal creation) until you take steps to change it—and the way you can change your present conditions, your present karma, is by no longer accepting it as real, by not reacting to it, and by creating something new for yourself, now. But, even this inclination that you want to do nothing, just experience life, might be seen as karma. Maybe you have to go through certain experiences before you are in a position to make a conscious choice. That’s OK too. But your application, in the present moment, is the only thing that can effect a change for you.
What we created in the past is what we are experience now—and we will keep on experiencing, and recreating, those past states so long as refuse to change them, so long as we refuse to create something new for ourselves. And creating something new is not always easy—but neither is it difficult. It is certainly the easiest and most enjoyable way out of these negative karmic conditions, to the extent that we are able. Meditation, and abidance in our true and natural state, is the other way out—that, however, is less of a way out and more of a way in. It is beyond our conditioned imaginings—both good and bad.
I don't want to consciously create anything--I just want to allow things to be as they are.
The problem is that we are always creating—if not consciously than subconsciously. So, by just laying back and doing nothing, we keep perpetuating our past creations. Again, if you like all that, if you like what is showing up in your life (which means, that you like what you, yourself, have created) then "go with it." If you don't like what you created (in the past) then create something new. There is room for conscious creation and also for allowing--and what we want to allow is the influx of Infinite Spirit into our lives and into our creations We don't want to allow conditions ot have power over us.
We can talk about three different modes of creation and or being. At present, we are imagining ourselves (and, thus, everything around us) in a mistaken and false way; we are seeing the world (and creating our world) through a mind-made and imagined version of ourselves. We are imagining ourselves to be this limited person, in accordance with the way we have been thus far been conditioned to imagine ourselves. We have a very limited view of what is possible for us, as a human being. For example, in our current imagined version of self (and the current "standard" in which our consciousness is operating) we do not realize our true creative power; we feel that conditions have power over us and not that we have power over conditions. So (by virtue of our infinite creative power) we are imagining a limited and conditioned version of ourselves. Beyond this, in a "higher" mode of being, we can imagine a greater and truer version of ourselves; a version of self with more love, joy, aliveness, and freedom. In this state we realize our creative power and use it to create what we want. But, still, we are in the realm of imagination—which means we can only get for ourselves that which we are capable of imagining for ourselves, but nothing beyond that. So, as part of this creative process, we must open to Spirit, and allow Spirit to enter our lives, our creations, in a way that is beyond what we can imaginable to us. However, we are still in the realm of creative consciousness—yet our true self, who we rally are, in uncreated. In the third mode, we want to move beyond creation altogether into being; we just want be. (This means, that we must stop creating and imagining versions of ourselves—, and Being one with Infinite Spirit, we are already complete; nothing can be added unto us. So, we want to be who we are, in our one-with-Spirit beingness.
Reaction to Conditions
"In the world of sense we see what we have to see; in the world of Imagination we see what we want to see; and seeing it, we create it for the world of sense to see. We see the outer world automatically. Seeing what we want to see demands voluntary and conscious imaginative effort." (The Law, p. 63)
"Satan, Blake writes, is a “Reactor.” He never acts; he only reacts. And if our attitude to the happenings of the day is “reactionary,” are we not playing Satan’s part? Man is only reacting in his natural or “Satan” state; he never acts or creates, he only re-acts or re-creates. One real creative moment, one real feeling of the wish fulfilled, is worth more than the whole natural life of re-action. In such a moment, God’s work is done." (The Law, p. 107)
Discussion
What most of us do, then, is automatically react to the conditions of life; we enter a state or mood by default, through reaction, rather than through our creative power or choice. We do this like automaton, in accord with out past conditioning. In this kind of living, we mistakenly elevate conditions to the status of cause and relegate our own consciousness to mere effect—and nothing good comes about when the natural order of things is reversed. This reversal (of cause and effect) leads toward weakness as opposed to true appropriation of our creative power; it perpetuates the past and never leads toward a more expanded and enjoyable, future; it misaligns us with the true evolutionary movement of Spirit and our own true nature.
Revision
"A human being and his/her past are one continuous structure. This structure contains all of the facts which have been conserved and still operate below the threshold of his surface mind. For him it is merely history. For him it seems unalterable—a dead and firmly fixed past. But for itself, it is living; it is part of the living age. A person cannot leave behind the mistakes of the past, for nothing disappears. Everything that has been is still in existence. The past still exists, and it gives—and still gives—its results. We must go back in memory, seek for and destroy the causes of suffering, however far back they lie. This going back into the past and replaying a scene of the past in the imagination, as it ought to have been played the first time, is what I call “revision”—and revision results in repeal [and a chance in our present and future conditions].
Changing your life means changing your past; the causes of any present suffering [or limitation] are the unrevised scenes of the past. The past and present carry the whole structure of a human being; they carry all of their contents with it. Any alteration of content will result in an alteration of the present and future." (The Law, p. 6)
"To revise the past is to re-construct it with new content. Man should daily relive the day as he wished he had lived it, revising the scenes to make them conform to his ideals." (The Law, p. 20)
Discussion
The practice here is to imaginatively recast an earlier event as you would like it to be—and not as you previously experienced it. It appeared as a physical manifestation in the past, and you experienced it, but it has absolutely no power in the present—unless you give it power, unless you impart it with the realizing power of your own consciousness. If you view it as real, and continue reacting to it (and thinking about it) then you continue to give it power over you, and you continue to reap the effects of the event. Your continued acceptance of the event as being real, and as having happened to you, is what perpetuates its negative effect. The practice, then, is to recall the previous event, re-enter it with absolute vividness and reality, and in that state of “present occupancy,” re-imagine the event as you want it to be; have your present re-imagination of the event be exactly as you want it to be with the same tones of reality as the original event. Neville recommends this as a daily practice: each night before going to bed, recall the events of your day (which can be seen as “first drafts,” or “past-based drafts”) and revise them, in your imagination so they have the form and the outcome you want. Keep re-imagining the event until it becomes real, until you can “taste” it, until the imagined event (with your ideal outcome) has the same immediacy and feeling as the original event. Realize, or make real, the new scene; react to the new scene with the same import as you would had the original event been exactly as you imagine it now. Imagine reality into your imagined scene by fully entering it; and imagine the reality out of the original scene by refusing to enter it or accept is as real
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This discussion on the creative imagination is based on quotes from the book The Law and the Promise by Neville Goddard.
A World of Imagination
"The world in which we live is a world of imagination, and every human being—through [the power of] his imaginal activities—creates the reality and circumstances of life; this he does either knowingly or unknowingly.
People pay too little attention to this priceless gift—the Human Imagination [i.e., the creative power of their own consciousness]. And a gift is practically nonexistent unless there is a conscious possession of it and a readiness to use it. All people possess the power to create reality but this power sleeps as though dead when not consciously exercised. Human beings live in the very heart of creation—which is the Human Imagination—yet are no wiser for what takes place therein. The future will not be fundamentally different from one’s own imaginal activities; therefore, the individual who can summon, at will, whatever imaginal activity [or state of consciousness] he pleases and to whom the visions of his imagination are as real as the [physical] forms of nature is master of his fate." (The Law, p. 3)
"What makes a present sense impression so objectively real is the individual’s imagination functioning in it and thinking from it; whereas in a memory image or a wish the individual’s imagination is not functioning in it, and thinking from it, but is functioning out of it and thinking of [or about] it.
If you would enter into the image in your imagination [fully embracing it as real] then you would know what it is to be creatively transformative; then would you realize your wish; then you would be happy. Every image can be embodied but unless you, yourself, enter the image, and think from it, it is incapable of birth. Therefore, it is the height of folly to expect the wish to be realized by the mere passage of time. That which requires imaginative occupancy to produce its effect, cannot be affected without such occupancy.
"Imagination" is spiritual sensation. Enter the image of the wish fulfilled; then give it sensory vividness and tones of reality by mentally acting as you would act were it a physical fact." (The Law, p. 5)
"The reader will find it worthwhile to follow these clues—imaginal construction of scenes implying the wish fulfilled; and imaginative participation in these scenes until tones of reality are reached. We are dealing with the secret of imagining, in which man is seen awakening into a world completely subject to his imaginative power." (The Law, p. 28)
Discussion
Spirit creates this universe by becoming it. There is always a total surrender, or self-abandonment, in order for creation to take place. Without this self-abandonment, without the full "occupancy," (where nothing of itself is held back) creation cannot take place. The creative act of Spirit is singular, undivided, certain, and without any counter-current (or secondary creations) of doubt or disbelief. Likewise, a human being, through the creative power of his own consciousness, cannot create anything without entering it, without fully occupying his creation; he cannot consciously direct creation so long as he remains separate from his creation, so long as his consciousness is confused and divided (and undermined by subconscious creations which run contrary to that which he intends to create).
We, therefore, must bear in mind the difference between “normal” human consciousness—which is full of flux, doubt, hesitancy, and undermined by fear, lack of direction, and limiting concepts (of what is possible)—from the state of single-minded certainty. Both states are available to us as human beings. The creative act requires a state of certainty. It requires clear direction, intention, and full occupancy (of that which is created) by the creator. The “normal” human state, which most of us occupy, lacks power and creative potency (and is more often than not moved by subconscious, rather than conscious, direction); the state we are aspiring to is one of singularity, harmony (where our conscious and subconscious mind are not divided against each other) in likeness with Spirit, wherein true co-creation can take place.
Our own consciousness is the creative power; thus, our sense of “I Am,” or “Me” must be present in our imaginative creation in order for our imagined creation to manifest, in order for it to have life. We cannot truly create when the very source of our creative power (which is us) is not present in our creation; we cannot have our sense of “I Am,” be somewhere outside of our creation and then expect it to "come to life" and manifest. This is what is meant by “imaginal occupancy”—we, our consciousness, must fully occupy and be present in what we imagine in order for it to manifest. (Therefore, as a rule, in terms of life (and creating the kind of conditions you want), always occupy the imaginal states that you want to enliven and have more of; never occupy a state or condition (or embrace a thought or concept) that you don’t want to manifest).
Self-Abandonment
"Self-abandonment! That is the secret. You must abandon yourself mentally to your wish fulfilled—in your love for that state—and in so doing live in the new state (and no more in the old state). You can’t commit yourself to what you do not love; so the secret of self-commission [entering one’s imaginal reality in such as way that it takes on the tone and feeling of reality] is faith plus love. Faith is to believe in [and be sure of] what is unbelievable [or not realized by the senses]. Commit yourself to the feeling of the wish fulfilled, and in faith this act of self-commission will become a reality." (The Law, p. 4)
Discussion
Most human beings are already living in, and through, an imagined version of themselves—they are presently occupying a conditioned and limited self-image; they are continually affirming this self-image as their reality, and they are imaginatively living their life through that imagined version of themselves. (What this means, basically, is that most people view themselves from an imagines position outside themselves rather than fully being themselves, as they were as children; by a static misuse of their own self-reflexive consciousness, they have come to always “see” themselves from an imagined outer perspective, as if being seen by some imaginary other. Thus, they are always imagining what they look like, and what they feel like, from a perspective outside themselves, even when alone.) Most people are not really living their life right now—they are imagining it. And they do this by wholeheartedly believing in this mental version of self which they have created (through many years of parental and societal conditioning). They have been conditioned into believing in, and occupying, this imagined version of self; they fully believe that they are this person, with this body and mind, who lives in this place, does this kind of thing, has this kind of ability, etc. That story, that imagined version of self, is who they believe themselves to be—and it is the single-pointed, doubtless belief in this version of themselves which imparts it with a seeming reality. We, as human beings, through our unlimited creative consciousness are continually creating, and living our lives through, a limited version of self—and, we are experiencing the pain and suffering of this creation. This is the truest and most fundamental of all addictions—the addiction to our imagined version of ourselves. So, we don’t want to keep on doing this; we don’t want to keep on imagining ourselves—we want to be ourselves, we want to feel the fullness of our true, one-with-Spirit nature—or do we?
We are prisoners of our own limited imagination; through our own creative power we are unwittingly creating bondage and limitation for ourselves—and we are feeling the pain of this misdirected creation. Now, the two ways out of this unfortunate, but temporarily necessary suffering, is a) to direct our creative power in a true and beneficial way and creatively imagine, and occupy, a truer and more expanded version of our selves, or b) to simply be ourselves, without imagining ourselves as being this or that. The first approach involves the teachings which are generally known as “New Thought”; this relates to various teachings on creative imagination, affirmations, “power of mind,” “law of attraction,” etc. The second approach involves getting beyond the mind altogether, reaching a state of pure presence or being though meditation. In this state we don’t seek after anything, we don’t strive to create anything new or better for ourselves, because the aliveness, joy, and fullness of our own nature—a nature in oneness with the nature of Infinite Spirit—contains the wholeness of everything that we, as human beings, seek. Nothing is lacking in this one-with-Spirit state. "We must BE the state to experience the state." (The Law, p.66)
Question and Answer
A lot of “power of mind” teachers say that we should completely ignore conditions and occupy a state of mind which represents what we want, not what is physically present. Isn’t that a denial of reality? And besides, experiencing life, as it is around us, is more fun than simply living in an ideal imagined state.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If your life is as you want it to be then continue to enjoy your present reality; if it is not create something better for yourself. Even if things are good, they can always be better; when co-creating with Spirit, we always get more than we could possibly imagine for ourselves.
Now what about our present conditions? The state we are now occupying is the state corresponding to our past imagination. It is real—but do we want to continue in this state? We need not deny the state, but simply look at is as a state we created, a state which reflects our past imaginings, and move on to something better. Certainly we don’t want to react to the state—because this imparts it with a reality, to our subconscious mind, and thereby serves to perpetuate the state and its “realness.” If, however, we simply dwell in our present state, and accept conditions—and do nothing—then we send a clear message to our subconscious mind to give us more of the same. We don’t want to occupy or realize (make real) our present state if it is not what we want. Even if our state is miserable, by accepting it, by occupying it, we send an “I want more” message to our subconscious mind. Now, we don’t want to do that. This approach is much different from the idea of total surrender and acceptance of “What is.” What we want to accept is our feeling about what is and not the outer conditions of “what is.” Thus, when we accept our feeling (that we don’t like or enjoy what is showing up) then we can act to create something better; if we accept our feeling (that we like what is showing up) then we live in that reality and impel our subconscious mind to bring us more of the same—and perhaps even something better. All the things that show up in our life are not to be blindly accepted as “God’s Will,” they are to be used as means to keep moving us toward something better.
All the World's a Stage
"My mystical experiences have brought me to accept literally, the saying that all the world's a stage. And to believe that God plays all the parts. The purpose of the play? To transform man, the created, into God, the creator." (The Law, p. 114)
Discussion
So, we need not reject our outer conditions, just ignore them (when they are not in alignment with our present ideals). See them as something brought to you by your past creations; say “OK,” but do not feel obligated to occupy the state offered by the conditions “because they are real.” If the conditions are really good then occupy them and enjoy them. If they are not really good, then why occupy them? Why get involved with them? If the conditions are not enjoyable, occupy a condition that is enjoyable. If you are surrounded by poverty—and you don’t want more of the same of that—occupy the imaginitive state of abundance. You have that power, you know. You have that choice.
From "As They Are" to "As They Aught to Be"
"This ability to move [one’s consciousness] from things as they are [or appear to be] to things as they ought to be [as one wants them to be] is one of the most important discoveries that a person can make. It reveals the individual as a center of imagining, with powers of intervention [and causal creation] which enables him to alter the course of observed events, moving from success to success, through a series of mental transformation of nature, of others, and of himself." (The Law, p. 9)
"By mentally overriding the facts of life, a person moves from passive reaction to active creation." (The Law, p. 22)]
"Life is a romantic adventure. To live creatively, imagining novel solutions for ever more complex problems is far nobler than to restrain or kill out desires [or merely react to the conditions of life]. All that is desired can be imagined into existence." (The Law, p. 22)
Question and Answer
Some teachers talk about how we have to imagine what we want, and that we can only get what we consciously create—but where is the room for fun and surprise in that? Where does the newness of Spirit enter in this individual creation?
When we creatively imagine the highest good for ourselves—meaning, when we imagine something in a way where we occupy, and live from, what we imagine—which leads to the physical manifestation of what we create—then (in that creative act, which is in alignment with Spirit and its all-Life nature) we open the way for the unimaginable goodness of Spirit to enter our life and our conscious creation. This means there is room for receiving something greater than what we can imagine for ourselves. I think the saying which reflects this is: “We have great plans for ourselves, but God plans for us are always greater than we can imagine.” So, your task is to imagine, and creatively occupy, the highest reality you can for yourself. Don’t worry about there not being enough, or that you are taking too much for yourself—that is all “old thought.” When talking about Infinite Spirit, there is no limit to what you can create and what is rightfully yours. So, don’t let this false idea of limitation further limit you.
I don’t really feel like doing all this creative imagination stuff—I just want to live and let things fall as they may.
OK—and let me know how things turn out, how they fall. When talking about karma we may state it as this: in your past, you have imagined a certain kind of existence for yourself and that is what you are experiencing now. The old notion that you have to “go through” or experience your karma is not quite correct: you have to keep experiencing it (i.e., your past imaginal creation) until you take steps to change it—and the way you can change your present conditions, your present karma, is by no longer accepting it as real, by not reacting to it, and by creating something new for yourself, now. But, even this inclination that you want to do nothing, just experience life, might be seen as karma. Maybe you have to go through certain experiences before you are in a position to make a conscious choice. That’s OK too. But your application, in the present moment, is the only thing that can effect a change for you.
What we created in the past is what we are experience now—and we will keep on experiencing, and recreating, those past states so long as refuse to change them, so long as we refuse to create something new for ourselves. And creating something new is not always easy—but neither is it difficult. It is certainly the easiest and most enjoyable way out of these negative karmic conditions, to the extent that we are able. Meditation, and abidance in our true and natural state, is the other way out—that, however, is less of a way out and more of a way in. It is beyond our conditioned imaginings—both good and bad.
I don't want to consciously create anything--I just want to allow things to be as they are.
The problem is that we are always creating—if not consciously than subconsciously. So, by just laying back and doing nothing, we keep perpetuating our past creations. Again, if you like all that, if you like what is showing up in your life (which means, that you like what you, yourself, have created) then "go with it." If you don't like what you created (in the past) then create something new. There is room for conscious creation and also for allowing--and what we want to allow is the influx of Infinite Spirit into our lives and into our creations We don't want to allow conditions ot have power over us.
We can talk about three different modes of creation and or being. At present, we are imagining ourselves (and, thus, everything around us) in a mistaken and false way; we are seeing the world (and creating our world) through a mind-made and imagined version of ourselves. We are imagining ourselves to be this limited person, in accordance with the way we have been thus far been conditioned to imagine ourselves. We have a very limited view of what is possible for us, as a human being. For example, in our current imagined version of self (and the current "standard" in which our consciousness is operating) we do not realize our true creative power; we feel that conditions have power over us and not that we have power over conditions. So (by virtue of our infinite creative power) we are imagining a limited and conditioned version of ourselves. Beyond this, in a "higher" mode of being, we can imagine a greater and truer version of ourselves; a version of self with more love, joy, aliveness, and freedom. In this state we realize our creative power and use it to create what we want. But, still, we are in the realm of imagination—which means we can only get for ourselves that which we are capable of imagining for ourselves, but nothing beyond that. So, as part of this creative process, we must open to Spirit, and allow Spirit to enter our lives, our creations, in a way that is beyond what we can imaginable to us. However, we are still in the realm of creative consciousness—yet our true self, who we rally are, in uncreated. In the third mode, we want to move beyond creation altogether into being; we just want be. (This means, that we must stop creating and imagining versions of ourselves—, and Being one with Infinite Spirit, we are already complete; nothing can be added unto us. So, we want to be who we are, in our one-with-Spirit beingness.
Reaction to Conditions
"In the world of sense we see what we have to see; in the world of Imagination we see what we want to see; and seeing it, we create it for the world of sense to see. We see the outer world automatically. Seeing what we want to see demands voluntary and conscious imaginative effort." (The Law, p. 63)
"Satan, Blake writes, is a “Reactor.” He never acts; he only reacts. And if our attitude to the happenings of the day is “reactionary,” are we not playing Satan’s part? Man is only reacting in his natural or “Satan” state; he never acts or creates, he only re-acts or re-creates. One real creative moment, one real feeling of the wish fulfilled, is worth more than the whole natural life of re-action. In such a moment, God’s work is done." (The Law, p. 107)
Discussion
What most of us do, then, is automatically react to the conditions of life; we enter a state or mood by default, through reaction, rather than through our creative power or choice. We do this like automaton, in accord with out past conditioning. In this kind of living, we mistakenly elevate conditions to the status of cause and relegate our own consciousness to mere effect—and nothing good comes about when the natural order of things is reversed. This reversal (of cause and effect) leads toward weakness as opposed to true appropriation of our creative power; it perpetuates the past and never leads toward a more expanded and enjoyable, future; it misaligns us with the true evolutionary movement of Spirit and our own true nature.
Revision
"A human being and his/her past are one continuous structure. This structure contains all of the facts which have been conserved and still operate below the threshold of his surface mind. For him it is merely history. For him it seems unalterable—a dead and firmly fixed past. But for itself, it is living; it is part of the living age. A person cannot leave behind the mistakes of the past, for nothing disappears. Everything that has been is still in existence. The past still exists, and it gives—and still gives—its results. We must go back in memory, seek for and destroy the causes of suffering, however far back they lie. This going back into the past and replaying a scene of the past in the imagination, as it ought to have been played the first time, is what I call “revision”—and revision results in repeal [and a chance in our present and future conditions].
Changing your life means changing your past; the causes of any present suffering [or limitation] are the unrevised scenes of the past. The past and present carry the whole structure of a human being; they carry all of their contents with it. Any alteration of content will result in an alteration of the present and future." (The Law, p. 6)
"To revise the past is to re-construct it with new content. Man should daily relive the day as he wished he had lived it, revising the scenes to make them conform to his ideals." (The Law, p. 20)
Discussion
The practice here is to imaginatively recast an earlier event as you would like it to be—and not as you previously experienced it. It appeared as a physical manifestation in the past, and you experienced it, but it has absolutely no power in the present—unless you give it power, unless you impart it with the realizing power of your own consciousness. If you view it as real, and continue reacting to it (and thinking about it) then you continue to give it power over you, and you continue to reap the effects of the event. Your continued acceptance of the event as being real, and as having happened to you, is what perpetuates its negative effect. The practice, then, is to recall the previous event, re-enter it with absolute vividness and reality, and in that state of “present occupancy,” re-imagine the event as you want it to be; have your present re-imagination of the event be exactly as you want it to be with the same tones of reality as the original event. Neville recommends this as a daily practice: each night before going to bed, recall the events of your day (which can be seen as “first drafts,” or “past-based drafts”) and revise them, in your imagination so they have the form and the outcome you want. Keep re-imagining the event until it becomes real, until you can “taste” it, until the imagined event (with your ideal outcome) has the same immediacy and feeling as the original event. Realize, or make real, the new scene; react to the new scene with the same import as you would had the original event been exactly as you imagine it now. Imagine reality into your imagined scene by fully entering it; and imagine the reality out of the original scene by refusing to enter it or accept is as real
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