It’s Just Your Imagination

In childhood, I learned that imagination is not real, but rather that the physical world perceived through our senses is real. I remember hearing the phrase, "that's just your imagination". I was taught that reality is reliable, and imagination is secondary in value.

Now, I am sitting in a chair at my desk, with other objects in the room -- using my senses, I see and feel these real objects. However, on further reflection, I see that all of these objects originated from the imagination of someone. They appeared first as dreamlike images, floating through the mind.

The imaginary object held in the mind of the designer precedes the physical object. The imaginary is the genesis, just as the physical object is the creation of the imagination. Imagination precedes and gives life to the physical objects of this world. Our physical world is a mere reflection or illusion -- a manifestation of the inner world. This concept is so compelling when explored to its depth, that Henry Corbin had to introduce a new word into the English-language, "imaginal." The imaginal is the road to your rich inner life.

-Aaron Gaul

Photo Credit: Benjamin Pop