Learn the Art of Science of Self-Knowledge - Sign up to the Know Yourself Programme: How to Talk to Yourself - the Active Imagination Course - knowyourself.makeitconscious.com/course/activeimagination The MiC Philosophy Course (only $7) - knowyourself.makeitconscious.com/course/micphilosophy
Good Evening Max. It was tricky in a practical sense to do this meditation as the couple directly above me were having an argument! I decided to watch again but I still managed to enter the space of my unconscious and it was very revealing. I entered into a fairly low and short grey stone corridor in a church, very cleanly cut thick stone with four large stained glass windows going from floor to ceiling on my right hand side. I had the feeling that a small church was behind me but I looked at one of the windows and could only see them extremely close up when I tried. The imagery was very old like the sort of images from the Bordeaux tapestry except there was also an image of Jal’aluddin Rumi I’ve seen before. At the far end of this corridor was a narrow, warmly lit room forming an L shape with the corridor which was lit by a fire in a large fireplace and had bookshelves and a luxurious looking red carpet. I entered the room and saw an old priest sitting relaxed behind a long highly polished wooden desk smoking a cigarette. I asked him if he was the sage and he said he was and said you must be Christopher. I asked him his name and he replied “it’s not very exciting but my name is John, most of us priests are named after someone from the bible” which took me by surprise but made me feel at ease. I asked him if he knew the Hierophant (whom I’d met in the tarot meditation previously) and he told me he did know him, they were friends and that he lived very close by and also that I should consult either the Hierophant or himself for further spiritual guidance when needed. He told me I was being grandiose by intellectualisation of spiritual texts! He said he had read them all and that the messages in all the texts are clear of what I need to do to lead a spiritual life but the reading and knowledge is good nevertheless. But be watchful of my motives for seeking spiritual knowledge for knowledge’s sake, that I could be looking but not seeing, learning but not doing. My feeling was one of teacher/pupil and John was calm, wise and relaxed but also honest. It wasn’t what I expected as I have little to no connection with Catholic or Protestant clergy although I like the architecture.
Hey Chris, good work completing the exercise, especially since the environment presented extra challenges. I tend to think there is no insignificant experience when it comes to developing self knowledge. The neighbours arguing probably has some meaning relating to your own shadow dynamic and relationship with the unconscious. Your account of the experience is rich and seems to flow smoothly with a great coherence. Churches often symbolise the Self, and the reference to four windows are the “quaternity” or the four modalities of consciousness of will, emotion, intellect and sensation. Christian symbolism itself draws on universal symbolism that has existed for far longer. It seems your mind used the Christian flavour as the most immediate corollary to represent some deeper material. It’s interesting that one of the windows seems a bit unclear when you looked through it and that there was a second church outside. I think this is alluding to the shadow work process and alchemy, that by confronting the least developed function you can realise the whole self, an ingredient hinted at here by an outer, smaller church. The sage seems very down to earth, smoking and named John, but also naturally a bit other-worldly. I’d be tempted to take his advice at face value. Except for when he says you should consult him or the Hierophant for spiritual guidance. This too seems to reflect a kind of grandiosity now apparently external. It seems more symbolic than literal. It will no doubt be helpful to consult the sage but is by no means mandatory nor a permanent fixture. Remembering that the sage is fundamentally a part of you too and, whatever you do with the sage’s advice, it can only be on your authority ultimately. His guidance about not pursuing knowledge for knowledge’s sake is particularly astute. After all, how can “you” “know” what “you” “need to know”? But that said any pursuit will lead to self knowledge in the end. Which reminds me of the arguing neighbours. How would you say the arguing impinged upon your own mind? Don’t feel you have to leave an answer to that here, although you can if you like. But there’s surely something significant in it. Great work… sounds like your efforts in active imagination are really serving to deepen your relationship with the unconscious 🌟🔥
Hey there, you're very welcome! It's wonderful to hear that this video helped facilitate an experience of active imagination for you. Part 4 of this series went live today and the remaining three parts will follow each week after. Great job diving deep. Feel free to share your experiences and any questions as you go.
I was walking into the woods. I met the Sage. He was an old man with a long beard and wearing a blue tunic and a blue pointed hat . To help him walking through the woods, he was using a stick, very similar to the one my grandparents were using when they were alive. I greeted giving him a purple/pink little flower. He took it and ate it. Than I asked him 'what is my Shadow?'. He answered by saying ' The Hunger of everything. Not acceptance.' I asked 'Acceptance of what?' - 'of just Being' he replied. He laughed with a sincere laughter, not moking me or anything like that. It was like a laughter of someone who has been through this before and knows. We walked togheter for a few steps, the Sage pointing at the Nature around with his stick not saying anything. I ultimately say 'I don't know what to do'. He said 'Breath / Walk' (this part I don't remember very well).
Hey, great work. Another rich connection with the unconscious material. Blue was often worn by adepts in ancient times, indicating knowledge. The old man is certainly a Sage figure, also with magician and trickster-ish energies. The shadow and trickster are often closely related for obvious reasons. I can also very much relate to wanting to ask the question - "what is my shadow?" It's important to understand your shadow as well as to face it, feel it and interact with it. Getting precise about the shadow can be very valuable and lead to more meaningful interaction with it. Your experience, of both conscious and unconscious aspects, clearly suggests an invitation and willingness to engage the shadow. There's an overt theme of opening up to nature / the unknown. The instruction to breath or to walk, whichever way implies this duality. Both breathing and walking involve an oscillation, in/out, right/left, eros/thanatos. Engaging the shadow means filling in the other side of the equation of who you are. As is often the way, the real lesson is obscure and unexpected. But a clue possibly comes at the end in your question of what to do. What is it like not knowing what to do? What would it be like to have no one around to give you a meaningful answer? Great effort and a real leap into the unknown. Keep diving in and it will inevitably become clearer and clearer over time...
wow .. my brother is gandalf, i am too severely attached ,, so much turmoil but peace is in letting go .. and so many more realizations. Max this blew me away! thank u so much
Great work Abbas. You're delving deep and putting the effort in which is highly commendable. I'm glad to hear the exercises have helped you find peace, work through turmoil and come to more realisations. Your mind is an amazing thing :). You're very welcome sir and feel free to keep sharing your experiences 🌟🔥
@@makeitconscious ive been trying to figure out symbols. Its a new concept for me. in this session i saw my sage point me to a path lit by lanterns. they looked beautiful, but i didnt think much of it. then yesterday while i was cleaning my room, i found my sons toy lantern under my bed. ive been searching for what the symbol could mean and it brought me to the hermit. i have to pause before i go deeper in it, but this is amazing. thank you.
That's an awesome synchronicity Abbas. The sage seems to be pointing you to venture further into the darkness of the unconscious, guided by your own light. The fact you found a lantern under your son's bed as well might suggest that an innocent or "Fool"-like approach is needed. Certainly I recommend doing The Hermit card exercise. However I might even prioritise doing the Shadow Room, using the symbol of the lantern to explore in the darkness and see what you find. Both of these could be useful as well as, when you have time, The Fool. The Shadow Room - th-cam.com/video/sTh776BUbZk/w-d-xo.html The Hermit - th-cam.com/video/fmRdjzPAWFM/w-d-xo.html The Fool - th-cam.com/video/aiFaHJuH6y8/w-d-xo.html Great work Abbas and I'd be interested to hear how you get on.
Thank you, I'm glad you're benefitting from the series. That's very kind of you to offer financial support. I don't currently have a Patreon or anything like that, perhaps I should look into it. However later this month I will be releasing the Active Imagination course - How to Talk to Yourself, which will follow on from this series and is designed to equip you to do unguided active imagination practice. Look out for announcements or sign up to the mailing list to be notified when that goes live. In the meantime you might be interested in coaching or ordering a Tarot Birth Chart report. Information on both is available at makeitconscious.com. Your Likes, engagement and simply doing the practice itself are already great support, so thank you for that 🌟🔥
I find this so difficult to see things. I realize my mind starts feeling “under pressure “ to find the perfect picture. When I’m not TRYING I feel blank (almost like I’m zoned out). Then I feel sad. I did get a picture and a feeling by the time it was done. No words though.
Well done Mishel for taking steps for engaging with the unconscious mind. This is good that you're aware of how you feel and what the mind is doing during these exercises. Persevere and you will find the middle way that allows for a symbol to form and take on an autonomous existence without the need to make it perfect. It can be a tricky balance to strike but I am sure you will get there. What you have experienced so far is already very useful and your awareness of your own states will continue to serve you very well. There is no such thing as a failed active imagination session since it can all lead to insight. The feeling of sadness is also salient and it is recommended to continue working with feelings that come up in future active imagination sessions and emotional integration work. In addition to the Beyond the Limen series, you can work with the feeling you identified in Emotional Integration Meditation. This is less visual, emphasising more the feeling itself. Here is a link to an exercise you can use for this: th-cam.com/video/61SE-FBlxOY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=9Zb7fL5FjWOr8mRZ Strength to you Mishel. Well done and thank you for the comment 🌟🔥
I guess I am realizing, in thinking back, how much I've been gathering what unfolds during active imagination then using the archetype to embody it. I've tried unguided active imagination before. I do agree it has it's benefits. A lot actually. It's a little bewildering because I have nothing to embody it with. Just myself. And I know, that's probably most of the battle right there. Anyways, thanks for the video!
Wonderful as always! Thank you so much! Not at all what I was expecting - it never is! -yet so fulfilling regardless. Your advice on staying with the experience more than focusing on documenting the experience as it occurred will be a personal challenge for me! Especially since this subject had been one I’ve been ruminating over for months… There’s often a sense that if it’s not captured as faithfully as possible, it’s almost a disservice to the experience - risking overlooking important elements. It’ll definitely be a challenge to slow down and “live in the moment” rather than rush to capture and analysis - but I think I see the value in it as well… As I said, however, it’ll be a challenge! I had a fun little coincidence within my experience here, where my Sage figure was in a garden, surrounded by flowers to the point that they were growing on her as well. I happened to look up the name she gave me later, simply because I tend to have a general interest in etymology and names. It turned out that her name was a variation on the name of a particularly fragrant flower (whose name I hadn’t been aware of at all). It’s not a stretch to say that her name “sounded pretty enough to be a flower,” but I did have a pleasant surprise to find out that that was more on the nose than I might’ve thought!
Great work for going unguided. It does generally require more focus and energy but also potentially allows for a deeper, freer interaction. In the next episode of Beyond the Limen I will be discussing how to use a 'seed' for your active imagination. This might help with remaining connected with the material by acting as the inspiration and a point of reference. The seed can be many things including archetypes but also feelings, desires and other imaginary material such as from dreams. We will be practicing how to engage with many kinds of seed and maintain a two way interaction with it. The upcoming course How to Talk to Yourself will go into further detail about how to practice unguided, freeform active imagination using various seeds.
@21cormorants That’s awesome! Great work and you’re very welcome. I hear you completely on it feeling like a disservice to the experience to not capture it. It’s natural to want to capture any profound and special experience. But in doing so it also creates a kind of distance between us and the experience. Once we capture it, it’s no longer the same thing as it was but a representation. The key is to allow yourself to immerse fully, being with it, and prepared to let it go just as it came. In this way you can deepen your connection and engagement with the unconscious material. Your synchronicity with the sage and the flower is a beautiful example of the symbolic depth and autonomous intelligence of the unconscious mind. The name connection is a powerful reminder that our unconscious often communicates in ways that are more profound than we realise. It sounds like this experience might even connect with broader, collective themes. I am reminded of The Empress card in the tarot. Thanks for sharing your experiences and well done for going deep🌟🔥
Primordial images are what Jung often referred to as "archetypes." These are universal, fundamental images or patterns that exist in the collective unconscious, shared by all of humanity across cultures and historical periods. Examples include the Mother, the Father, the Anima, the Animus, the Self, and the Shadow. In active imagination, you may encounter symbols that relate to both the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious, particularly archetypes.
Learn the Art of Science of Self-Knowledge - Sign up to the Know Yourself Programme:
How to Talk to Yourself - the Active Imagination Course - knowyourself.makeitconscious.com/course/activeimagination
The MiC Philosophy Course (only $7) - knowyourself.makeitconscious.com/course/micphilosophy
Good Evening Max. It was tricky in a practical sense to do this meditation as the couple directly above me were having an argument! I decided to watch again but I still managed to enter the space of my unconscious and it was very revealing. I entered into a fairly low and short grey stone corridor in a church, very cleanly cut thick stone with four large stained glass windows going from floor to ceiling on my right hand side. I had the feeling that a small church was behind me but I looked at one of the windows and could only see them extremely close up when I tried. The imagery was very old like the sort of images from the Bordeaux tapestry except there was also an image of Jal’aluddin Rumi I’ve seen before. At the far end of this corridor was a narrow, warmly lit room forming an L shape with the corridor which was lit by a fire in a large fireplace and had bookshelves and a luxurious looking red carpet. I entered the room and saw an old priest sitting relaxed behind a long highly polished wooden desk smoking a cigarette. I asked him if he was the sage and he said he was and said you must be Christopher. I asked him his name and he replied “it’s not very exciting but my name is John, most of us priests are named after someone from the bible” which took me by surprise but made me feel at ease. I asked him if he knew the Hierophant (whom I’d met in the tarot meditation previously) and he told me he did know him, they were friends and that he lived very close by and also that I should consult either the Hierophant or himself for further spiritual guidance when needed. He told me I was being grandiose by intellectualisation of spiritual texts!
He said he had read them all and that the messages in all the texts are clear of what I need to do to lead a spiritual life but the reading and knowledge is good nevertheless. But be watchful of my motives for seeking spiritual knowledge for knowledge’s sake, that I could be looking but not seeing, learning but not doing. My feeling was one of teacher/pupil and John was calm, wise and relaxed but also honest. It wasn’t what I expected as I have little to no connection with Catholic or Protestant clergy although I like the architecture.
Hey Chris, good work completing the exercise, especially since the environment presented extra challenges. I tend to think there is no insignificant experience when it comes to developing self knowledge. The neighbours arguing probably has some meaning relating to your own shadow dynamic and relationship with the unconscious.
Your account of the experience is rich and seems to flow smoothly with a great coherence. Churches often symbolise the Self, and the reference to four windows are the “quaternity” or the four modalities of consciousness of will, emotion, intellect and sensation. Christian symbolism itself draws on universal symbolism that has existed for far longer. It seems your mind used the Christian flavour as the most immediate corollary to represent some deeper material.
It’s interesting that one of the windows seems a bit unclear when you looked through it and that there was a second church outside. I think this is alluding to the shadow work process and alchemy, that by confronting the least developed function you can realise the whole self, an ingredient hinted at here by an outer, smaller church.
The sage seems very down to earth, smoking and named John, but also naturally a bit other-worldly. I’d be tempted to take his advice at face value. Except for when he says you should consult him or the Hierophant for spiritual guidance. This too seems to reflect a kind of grandiosity now apparently external. It seems more symbolic than literal. It will no doubt be helpful to consult the sage but is by no means mandatory nor a permanent fixture. Remembering that the sage is fundamentally a part of you too and, whatever you do with the sage’s advice, it can only be on your authority ultimately.
His guidance about not pursuing knowledge for knowledge’s sake is particularly astute. After all, how can “you” “know” what “you” “need to know”? But that said any pursuit will lead to self knowledge in the end.
Which reminds me of the arguing neighbours. How would you say the arguing impinged upon your own mind? Don’t feel you have to leave an answer to that here, although you can if you like. But there’s surely something significant in it.
Great work… sounds like your efforts in active imagination are really serving to deepen your relationship with the unconscious 🌟🔥
Thank you very much. This really helped me to actually experience what active imagination can be. I look forward to improving myself with it
Hey there, you're very welcome! It's wonderful to hear that this video helped facilitate an experience of active imagination for you. Part 4 of this series went live today and the remaining three parts will follow each week after. Great job diving deep. Feel free to share your experiences and any questions as you go.
I was walking into the woods. I met the Sage. He was an old man with a long beard and wearing a blue tunic and a blue pointed hat . To help him walking through the woods, he was using a stick, very similar to the one my grandparents were using when they were alive. I greeted giving him a purple/pink little flower. He took it and ate it. Than I asked him 'what is my Shadow?'. He answered by saying ' The Hunger of everything. Not acceptance.' I asked 'Acceptance of what?' - 'of just Being' he replied. He laughed with a sincere laughter, not moking me or anything like that. It was like a laughter of someone who has been through this before and knows. We walked togheter for a few steps, the Sage pointing at the Nature around with his stick not saying anything.
I ultimately say 'I don't know what to do'. He said 'Breath / Walk' (this part I don't remember very well).
Hey, great work. Another rich connection with the unconscious material. Blue was often worn by adepts in ancient times, indicating knowledge. The old man is certainly a Sage figure, also with magician and trickster-ish energies. The shadow and trickster are often closely related for obvious reasons. I can also very much relate to wanting to ask the question - "what is my shadow?" It's important to understand your shadow as well as to face it, feel it and interact with it. Getting precise about the shadow can be very valuable and lead to more meaningful interaction with it.
Your experience, of both conscious and unconscious aspects, clearly suggests an invitation and willingness to engage the shadow. There's an overt theme of opening up to nature / the unknown. The instruction to breath or to walk, whichever way implies this duality. Both breathing and walking involve an oscillation, in/out, right/left, eros/thanatos. Engaging the shadow means filling in the other side of the equation of who you are.
As is often the way, the real lesson is obscure and unexpected. But a clue possibly comes at the end in your question of what to do. What is it like not knowing what to do? What would it be like to have no one around to give you a meaningful answer?
Great effort and a real leap into the unknown. Keep diving in and it will inevitably become clearer and clearer over time...
wow .. my brother is gandalf, i am too severely attached ,, so much turmoil but peace is in letting go .. and so many more realizations. Max this blew me away! thank u so much
Great work Abbas. You're delving deep and putting the effort in which is highly commendable. I'm glad to hear the exercises have helped you find peace, work through turmoil and come to more realisations. Your mind is an amazing thing :). You're very welcome sir and feel free to keep sharing your experiences 🌟🔥
@@makeitconscious ive been trying to figure out symbols. Its a new concept for me. in this session i saw my sage point me to a path lit by lanterns. they looked beautiful, but i didnt think much of it. then yesterday while i was cleaning my room, i found my sons toy lantern under my bed. ive been searching for what the symbol could mean and it brought me to the hermit. i have to pause before i go deeper in it, but this is amazing. thank you.
That's an awesome synchronicity Abbas. The sage seems to be pointing you to venture further into the darkness of the unconscious, guided by your own light. The fact you found a lantern under your son's bed as well might suggest that an innocent or "Fool"-like approach is needed. Certainly I recommend doing The Hermit card exercise. However I might even prioritise doing the Shadow Room, using the symbol of the lantern to explore in the darkness and see what you find. Both of these could be useful as well as, when you have time, The Fool.
The Shadow Room - th-cam.com/video/sTh776BUbZk/w-d-xo.html
The Hermit - th-cam.com/video/fmRdjzPAWFM/w-d-xo.html
The Fool - th-cam.com/video/aiFaHJuH6y8/w-d-xo.html
Great work Abbas and I'd be interested to hear how you get on.
Thank you
You're welcome sir!
These are amazing please don’t stop. Can I support you somehow financially?
Thank you, I'm glad you're benefitting from the series. That's very kind of you to offer financial support. I don't currently have a Patreon or anything like that, perhaps I should look into it.
However later this month I will be releasing the Active Imagination course - How to Talk to Yourself, which will follow on from this series and is designed to equip you to do unguided active imagination practice. Look out for announcements or sign up to the mailing list to be notified when that goes live.
In the meantime you might be interested in coaching or ordering a Tarot Birth Chart report. Information on both is available at makeitconscious.com.
Your Likes, engagement and simply doing the practice itself are already great support, so thank you for that 🌟🔥
I find this so difficult to see things. I realize my mind starts feeling “under pressure “ to find the perfect picture. When I’m not TRYING I feel blank (almost like I’m zoned out). Then I feel sad. I did get a picture and a feeling by the time it was done. No words though.
Well done Mishel for taking steps for engaging with the unconscious mind. This is good that you're aware of how you feel and what the mind is doing during these exercises. Persevere and you will find the middle way that allows for a symbol to form and take on an autonomous existence without the need to make it perfect. It can be a tricky balance to strike but I am sure you will get there.
What you have experienced so far is already very useful and your awareness of your own states will continue to serve you very well. There is no such thing as a failed active imagination session since it can all lead to insight. The feeling of sadness is also salient and it is recommended to continue working with feelings that come up in future active imagination sessions and emotional integration work.
In addition to the Beyond the Limen series, you can work with the feeling you identified in Emotional Integration Meditation. This is less visual, emphasising more the feeling itself. Here is a link to an exercise you can use for this:
th-cam.com/video/61SE-FBlxOY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=9Zb7fL5FjWOr8mRZ
Strength to you Mishel. Well done and thank you for the comment 🌟🔥
I guess I am realizing, in thinking back, how much I've been gathering what unfolds during active imagination then using the archetype to embody it. I've tried unguided active imagination before. I do agree it has it's benefits. A lot actually. It's a little bewildering because I have nothing to embody it with. Just myself. And I know, that's probably most of the battle right there. Anyways, thanks for the video!
Wonderful as always! Thank you so much! Not at all what I was expecting - it never is! -yet so fulfilling regardless.
Your advice on staying with the experience more than focusing on documenting the experience as it occurred will be a personal challenge for me! Especially since this subject had been one I’ve been ruminating over for months… There’s often a sense that if it’s not captured as faithfully as possible, it’s almost a disservice to the experience - risking overlooking important elements. It’ll definitely be a challenge to slow down and “live in the moment” rather than rush to capture and analysis - but I think I see the value in it as well… As I said, however, it’ll be a challenge!
I had a fun little coincidence within my experience here, where my Sage figure was in a garden, surrounded by flowers to the point that they were growing on her as well. I happened to look up the name she gave me later, simply because I tend to have a general interest in etymology and names. It turned out that her name was a variation on the name of a particularly fragrant flower (whose name I hadn’t been aware of at all). It’s not a stretch to say that her name “sounded pretty enough to be a flower,” but I did have a pleasant surprise to find out that that was more on the nose than I might’ve thought!
Great work for going unguided. It does generally require more focus and energy but also potentially allows for a deeper, freer interaction. In the next episode of Beyond the Limen I will be discussing how to use a 'seed' for your active imagination. This might help with remaining connected with the material by acting as the inspiration and a point of reference.
The seed can be many things including archetypes but also feelings, desires and other imaginary material such as from dreams. We will be practicing how to engage with many kinds of seed and maintain a two way interaction with it. The upcoming course How to Talk to Yourself will go into further detail about how to practice unguided, freeform active imagination using various seeds.
@21cormorants That’s awesome! Great work and you’re very welcome.
I hear you completely on it feeling like a disservice to the experience to not capture it. It’s natural to want to capture any profound and special experience. But in doing so it also creates a kind of distance between us and the experience. Once we capture it, it’s no longer the same thing as it was but a representation. The key is to allow yourself to immerse fully, being with it, and prepared to let it go just as it came. In this way you can deepen your connection and engagement with the unconscious material.
Your synchronicity with the sage and the flower is a beautiful example of the symbolic depth and autonomous intelligence of the unconscious mind. The name connection is a powerful reminder that our unconscious often communicates in ways that are more profound than we realise. It sounds like this experience might even connect with broader, collective themes. I am reminded of The Empress card in the tarot.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and well done for going deep🌟🔥
What’s a primordial image?
Primordial images are what Jung often referred to as "archetypes." These are universal, fundamental images or patterns that exist in the collective unconscious, shared by all of humanity across cultures and historical periods. Examples include the Mother, the Father, the Anima, the Animus, the Self, and the Shadow. In active imagination, you may encounter symbols that relate to both the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious, particularly archetypes.