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
my book is old brownish but has scratches and bits that seem to glow from within, it makes me feel a sharp feeling in my chest and sternum, i feel longing when I look at the book. When i open it i see a painting - a sun, or a ball of light, or a spot in a bright color. something i always tend to add to my paintings consciously or not, never quite knowing why. I suddenly see it for what it is, it's HOPE. The thing i always add, the thing that always shines within me even when i try to be stoic or realistic about life. The truth is I believe in that light and hold on to it, and it is a reflection of all the other books in the library and the fact I am still here. When I pass to the next page I freely write with a pencil, words flow and turn into drawings with no clear forms but just a sense of freedom and release.
Great work Nana. Sounds like a beautiful and insightful experience. It can be fascinating to see what comes through in our art, subliminally or not. Jung himself recommended art as a form of active imagination. Hope and freedom are two closely related concepts, particularly in symbolism. Light and solar symbolism on the other hand can signify many different things to many people, although they too have common associations. That’s one reason it’s great that you have identified its true meaning in your art, as relating specifically to hope and freedom. Wonderful that you came to see this through active imagination. I share your belief in hope and I think it comes from a place of realism. It includes a need to acknowledge and integrate the dark side of ourselves and of existence in general. This is how true freedom becomes possible and what could be more hopeful than that. It could be interesting to look at your tarot or astrological birth chart and see where and how these symbols appear for you. Keep going with exploring the inner world. There are many more exercises available on this channel. I recommend the shadow exercises, exercises related to your birth chart or the Dream Re-Entry and Exploration as next steps. Hope and Strength to you and thanks for the comment 💪🌟
my library was dusty, and I could barely see anything.lighting wasn't great, and it looked neat at first but then it was a bit messy. Book was covered in dust, and I couldn't see its cover, but when I blew the dust - it is so old that the colour was long gone. Heavy book, causing sharpish pain in my righ hemisphere.I could not see what was written, but I could write with ease. Thank you, this is so powerful and it's so interesting to watch this resistance within...like ie back pain, or itchy skin...how powerful human subconscious is,blows my mind. Is there bottom to it?
Interesting:)… the book was the red autograph/friendship book my mother gave me when I started primary school (I lost it many years ago) but here it was thicker and heavier, very heavy actually. It emanated a feel of indifference and weight and suddenly I felt very sad. I felt a sense of nervousness and tightness in my chest. Back then, I remember, my mother had cited poem on the 1st page of the book, in this book now there was only the last verse of it written which says something like „you can’t crack people like nuts, you only see the vests they wear, but not their hearts“ (it’s a german poem), then the page became a dark hole. A wet and moldy breath came from it and I couldn’t see anything so I reached into it with my right hand. I felt several things, like a broken mousetrap, millipedes and a soft object I couldn’t identify so I picked it up and put in my pocket, without looking at it strangely I felt I shouldn’t. Maybe it was a snake. Then on the next (white) page, it took me a while but suddenly I painted a heart in flames and added a thought sentence „I can see whose heart is burning and whose not“. I felt kind of energized, relieved and had to laugh a bit. The book changed its color to white as I put it back. The room brightened up a bit too, as some golden sunlight came trough a window above me. I see it as an encouragement to learn to trust (both people and my own intuition) again after having experienced betrayal in relationships. Thank you!
Hey Marie, great work. A very rich experience full of symbols and emotion. You certainly have an aptitude for going deep in active imagination and coming back up with insight. The book which your mother gave you brought you right back, possibly to a time when certain beliefs around trust were established. The poem is especially poignant and relevant to the lessons you took from it. It possibly reflects part of the persona-shadow dynamic established when you were very young. Then the mouldy breath (I love that imagery😄) and the objects within seem to continue on that theme. It’s like a realm of dark, dirty and dangerous objects. The snake is a complex symbol which like all has both positive and negative qualities. However, in this case I surmise it contains the wisdom of the shadow and a deep connection to the unconscious and unseen. What happens next is especially powerful. The inspiration to draw a heart in flames and then write the words that follow. I’m curious what it means to you to have a heart in flames. Is this pointing to morality, the will and capability to individuate, a blending of persona and shadow, fire and water, will and emotion, masculine and feminine energies, or something else entirely? How would you say it helps with your discernment? I’m very glad to hear the exercise helped you access some deep wisdom about learning to trust whilst also practicing discernment and seeing clearly. This is vital to shadow work but is rarely mentioned. The emphasis is, rightly so, on the self and coming to better see one’s inner dynamics. But coming to see the world and others clearly (I call it “outer shadow work”) is also vital. In fact, inner work is outer work and outer work is inner work. You’re welcome Marie! Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s an impactful account for anyone reading and a testament to your willingness to go deep and the power of this technique.
My book was a red leather-ish type look/feel book cover. The pages are off white and grainey to the touch. I feel it as pressure in my eyes and also around my eyes as if I'm squinting to see better. The page I open to is blank. It allows me some time to see how the paper is so grainy that I'm already thinking, how can I write on this with a pen? There's no way to keep the flow of the pen..whatever I do will be garbled. I get lost in the little channels around the bumps in the paper. I get lost in that for a minute before I focus again. I flip the page like you said. I was sort of upset (which is silly) because I thought I couldn't write it then you mentioned again there are other ways to put it on the paper. So I used my mind to project onto the paper my belief that I am able. The book stays the same but the room is lighter and I feel lighter. It's so silly how your mind can get hung up on something like writing with a pen. It was representative to me of obstacles getting in my way. On the same hand, the channels around the bumps got me lost because there were so many options. So when you mentioned the other ways to put in on paper, that made me oddly happy. Thanks!
Hey SleepyLee, great work. Your experience here seems to continue on a similar theme to some of your earlier ones. Perhaps relating to mundanity or the fear of becoming robotic. It’s like you felt expected to apply the pen in a particular way, but it wasn’t quite vibing with the page. Life itself is like the page you saw, a canvas of sorts but also with rough spots and limitation. And we’re often expected to show up as the pen. This can appear to work to an extent, and for a while. But it hardly allows us to do our best work, let alone be ourselves. When you heard the instruction to do things your own way, you felt happy. Perhaps you can give yourself permission to do this in your own life, and you don’t need anyone to give it to you. You can ‘write,’ create and express yourself through whatever means you need to. There is no single correct way, even if the world has certain expectations, or if we have come to expect them of ourselves. You get to decide what is the right way towards progress for you and your knowledge of self. There’s a middle way to this of course. Sometimes there is a ‘correct’ way of doing certain things in daily life. But for the most part, especially when it comes to your overall direction and discovering more of yourself, you get to decide. Let me know if this resonates or reflects a pattern in the way I have surmised.
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
my book is old brownish but has scratches and bits that seem to glow from within, it makes me feel a sharp feeling in my chest and sternum, i feel longing when I look at the book. When i open it i see a painting - a sun, or a ball of light, or a spot in a bright color. something i always tend to add to my paintings consciously or not, never quite knowing why. I suddenly see it for what it is, it's HOPE. The thing i always add, the thing that always shines within me even when i try to be stoic or realistic about life. The truth is I believe in that light and hold on to it, and it is a reflection of all the other books in the library and the fact I am still here.
When I pass to the next page I freely write with a pencil, words flow and turn into drawings with no clear forms but just a sense of freedom and release.
Great work Nana. Sounds like a beautiful and insightful experience. It can be fascinating to see what comes through in our art, subliminally or not. Jung himself recommended art as a form of active imagination.
Hope and freedom are two closely related concepts, particularly in symbolism. Light and solar symbolism on the other hand can signify many different things to many people, although they too have common associations. That’s one reason it’s great that you have identified its true meaning in your art, as relating specifically to hope and freedom. Wonderful that you came to see this through active imagination.
I share your belief in hope and I think it comes from a place of realism. It includes a need to acknowledge and integrate the dark side of ourselves and of existence in general. This is how true freedom becomes possible and what could be more hopeful than that.
It could be interesting to look at your tarot or astrological birth chart and see where and how these symbols appear for you.
Keep going with exploring the inner world. There are many more exercises available on this channel. I recommend the shadow exercises, exercises related to your birth chart or the Dream Re-Entry and Exploration as next steps.
Hope and Strength to you and thanks for the comment 💪🌟
my library was dusty, and I could barely see anything.lighting wasn't great, and it looked neat at first but then it was a bit messy. Book was covered in dust, and I couldn't see its cover, but when I blew the dust - it is so old that the colour was long gone. Heavy book, causing sharpish pain in my righ hemisphere.I could not see what was written, but I could write with ease.
Thank you, this is so powerful and it's so interesting to watch this resistance within...like ie back pain, or itchy skin...how powerful human subconscious is,blows my mind. Is there bottom to it?
Interesting:)… the book was the red autograph/friendship book my mother gave me when I started primary school (I lost it many years ago) but here it was thicker and heavier, very heavy actually. It emanated a feel of indifference and weight and suddenly I felt very sad. I felt a sense of nervousness and tightness in my chest. Back then, I remember, my mother had cited poem on the 1st page of the book, in this book now there was only the last verse of it written which says something like „you can’t crack people like nuts, you only see the vests they wear, but not their hearts“ (it’s a german poem), then the page became a dark hole. A wet and moldy breath came from it and I couldn’t see anything so I reached into it with my right hand. I felt several things, like a broken mousetrap, millipedes and a soft object I couldn’t identify so I picked it up and put in my pocket, without looking at it strangely I felt I shouldn’t. Maybe it was a snake. Then on the next (white) page, it took me a while but suddenly I painted a heart in flames and added a thought sentence „I can see whose heart is burning and whose not“. I felt kind of energized, relieved and had to laugh a bit. The book changed its color to white as I put it back. The room brightened up a bit too, as some golden sunlight came trough a window above me. I see it as an encouragement to learn to trust (both people and my own intuition) again after having experienced betrayal in relationships. Thank you!
Hey Marie, great work. A very rich experience full of symbols and emotion. You certainly have an aptitude for going deep in active imagination and coming back up with insight.
The book which your mother gave you brought you right back, possibly to a time when certain beliefs around trust were established. The poem is especially poignant and relevant to the lessons you took from it. It possibly reflects part of the persona-shadow dynamic established when you were very young. Then the mouldy breath (I love that imagery😄) and the objects within seem to continue on that theme. It’s like a realm of dark, dirty and dangerous objects. The snake is a complex symbol which like all has both positive and negative qualities. However, in this case I surmise it contains the wisdom of the shadow and a deep connection to the unconscious and unseen.
What happens next is especially powerful. The inspiration to draw a heart in flames and then write the words that follow. I’m curious what it means to you to have a heart in flames. Is this pointing to morality, the will and capability to individuate, a blending of persona and shadow, fire and water, will and emotion, masculine and feminine energies, or something else entirely? How would you say it helps with your discernment?
I’m very glad to hear the exercise helped you access some deep wisdom about learning to trust whilst also practicing discernment and seeing clearly. This is vital to shadow work but is rarely mentioned. The emphasis is, rightly so, on the self and coming to better see one’s inner dynamics. But coming to see the world and others clearly (I call it “outer shadow work”) is also vital. In fact, inner work is outer work and outer work is inner work.
You’re welcome Marie! Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s an impactful account for anyone reading and a testament to your willingness to go deep and the power of this technique.
My book was a red leather-ish type look/feel book cover. The pages are off white and grainey to the touch. I feel it as pressure in my eyes and also around my eyes as if I'm squinting to see better.
The page I open to is blank. It allows me some time to see how the paper is so grainy that I'm already thinking, how can I write on this with a pen? There's no way to keep the flow of the pen..whatever I do will be garbled. I get lost in the little channels around the bumps in the paper. I get lost in that for a minute before I focus again.
I flip the page like you said. I was sort of upset (which is silly) because I thought I couldn't write it then you mentioned again there are other ways to put it on the paper. So I used my mind to project onto the paper my belief that I am able.
The book stays the same but the room is lighter and I feel lighter.
It's so silly how your mind can get hung up on something like writing with a pen. It was representative to me of obstacles getting in my way. On the same hand, the channels around the bumps got me lost because there were so many options. So when you mentioned the other ways to put in on paper, that made me oddly happy. Thanks!
Hey SleepyLee, great work. Your experience here seems to continue on a similar theme to some of your earlier ones. Perhaps relating to mundanity or the fear of becoming robotic. It’s like you felt expected to apply the pen in a particular way, but it wasn’t quite vibing with the page.
Life itself is like the page you saw, a canvas of sorts but also with rough spots and limitation. And we’re often expected to show up as the pen. This can appear to work to an extent, and for a while. But it hardly allows us to do our best work, let alone be ourselves. When you heard the instruction to do things your own way, you felt happy.
Perhaps you can give yourself permission to do this in your own life, and you don’t need anyone to give it to you. You can ‘write,’ create and express yourself through whatever means you need to. There is no single correct way, even if the world has certain expectations, or if we have come to expect them of ourselves. You get to decide what is the right way towards progress for you and your knowledge of self.
There’s a middle way to this of course. Sometimes there is a ‘correct’ way of doing certain things in daily life. But for the most part, especially when it comes to your overall direction and discovering more of yourself, you get to decide.
Let me know if this resonates or reflects a pattern in the way I have surmised.