‘The Imaginal Heart’ is an in- depth introduction to the theory and practice of active imagination. Below you can read more about the content and structure of the video material and how to engage with it
The imaginal heart is a series of videos introducing you to the theory and practice of active imagination, but perhaps it is first and foremost a story; a story about how we as a (postmodern/Western) culture have lost touch with something tremendously valuable and meaningful, namely “the reality of the soul” – or the mundus imaginalis as Henri Corbin called it.
The videos circulate around the question of how we – individually as well as collectively – can re-establish connection with this “forgotten” realm? And in turn, how such an encounter could alter our way of perceiving – not only ourselves, but also each other, and the more-than-human world around us?
Below you can watch the prologue to this story:
We begin our story in 1913, December 12th to be exact, in Kusnacht, Switzerland, where C.G. Jung is sitting in his dark study room thinking over his fears…
List of Content:
I. The Desert
Active imagination as the heart’s response to a disenchanted world
Theoretical focus
- The “desert” as a symbol of post-modernity: Jung’s (re)discovery of active imagination
- The loss of the mytho-poetic ground of Being in modern society
- Active imagination as a response to nihilism and loss of soul
Practical focus
- Introduction to the principles and stages of active imagination
- Beginning a dream journal and tracking imaginal material
- Gelassenheit — releasement and non-willfulness
II. The Other
Toward a decolonial, and post-heroic, imaginal practice
Theoretical focus
- Jung’s encounter with Mountain Lake and the Aryan bird of prey
- Critiquing and re-imagining Jungian psychology through a de-colonial lens
- The psyche as Other: honoring alterity rather than conquest
Practical focus
- How can we meet imaginal figures without domination or interpretation?
- Dialogue as relationship: listening, responding and the ethics of imaginal encounters
- Developing humility, curiosity, and trust in imaginal encounters
III. The Heart
The heart as an organ of imaginal perception
Theoretical focus
- Henri Corbin and the mundus imaginalis
- James Hillman and the Thought of the Heart
- The heart as a perceiving center distinct from intellect and emotion
Practical focus
- Practices for sensing, listening, and seeing from the heart
- Entering imaginal space through affect, image, and presence
- Guided imaginal journeys and reflections centered on heart-perception
IV. The World
Restoring the soul of the world
Theoretical focus
- Active imagination as a way of being, not just an “inner” technique
- Eco-psychology and the re-animation of the world
- Beauty, soul, and the more-than-human community
Practical focus
- Imaginal practices in relationship with landscape and place
- Ritual, ceremony, and animistic ways of knowing
- In-carnation: Giving shape and body to the imaginal
Free video Content:
Recorded videos are offered freely. Below you’ll find all 4 chapters with video content in the blog posts.
I. The Desert
Active imagination as the heart’s response to a disenchanted world
II. The Other
Toward a decolonial, and post-heroic, imaginal practice
III. The Heart
The heart as an organ of imaginal perception
IV. The World
Restoring the soul of the world