In developing your intuition, meditation can be very important. Many teachers and authors, such as Carlos Castaneda, stress the importance of quieting the inner mind, and then tapping into your intuition through meditation. Then you will be more freely able to access the inner wisdom and power of your intuition. At first you may need to find simple ways to activate your imagination, to begin fostering growth in your intuition. To develop your imagination, you must become intimate with your thoughts. Psychologist CG Jung called this your Active Imagination.
The object of active imagination is to give a voice to sides of the personality that are normally not heard, thereby establishing a line of communication between consciousness and the unconscious. Even when the end products-drawing, painting, writing, sculpture, dance, music, etc.-are not interpreted, something goes on between creator and creation that contributes to a transformation of consciousness.
The most direct way of explaining what Active Imagination is this: Active Imagination places us at the threshold between our everyday sort of awareness and the dream world. If we can bring a degree of alertness and openness to the threshold, the dream world will reach out to meet us. The dream world provides us with its unique view on the world and we bring our questions, our capacity for learning, and our ability to be surprised. This marriage of inner world and outer world can provide our lives with much needed insight, energy, passion, and meaning.
Working with our dreams & active imagination can integrate our conscious & unconscious selves, leading us to wholeness & a more satisfied life. By making inner work a personal project, you can begin the journey toward the integration of the total self & gain insights into the emotional conflicts & desires that motivate your life.
C.G. Jung in Civilization in Transition
The first stage of active imagination is like dreaming with open eyes. It can take place spontaneously or be artificially induced.
In the latter case you choose a dream, or some other fantasy-image, and concentrate on it by simply catching hold of it and looking at it. You can also use a bad mood as a starting-point, and then try to find out what sort of fantasy-image it will produce, or what image expresses this mood. You then fix this image in the mind by concentrating your attention. Usually it will alter, as the mere fact of contemplating it animates it. The alterations must be carefully noted down all the time, for they reflect the psychic processes in the unconscious background, which appear in the form of images consisting of conscious memory material. In this way conscious and unconscious are united, just as a waterfall connects above and below.
The second stage, beyond simply observing the images, involves a conscious participation in them, the honest evaluation of what they mean about oneself, and a morally and intellectually binding commitment to act on the insights. This is a transition from a merely perceptive or aesthetic attitude to one of judgment.
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The Authentic Movement Institute offers an innovative curriculum, experiential and theoretical, exploring the inter-weaving of the creative, psychological and sacred through the unique body-based process of Authentic Movement. In this work, one develops body (or kinesthetic) awareness, gaining access and giving creative expression to the inner life through an approach in which "movement is the personality made visible."
She focuses on the importance of working with and maintaining a rich inner life and active imagination. Many of her books work with intuition, imagination and myth to help the reader learn more about his life and finding ways to step forward.
