#activeimagination

Phases of #ActiveImagination:
1. #Preparation. Prepare the mind to enter imaginal space through "expectant quiet."
2. #Evocation or #Intention. Ego invites the unconscious to communicate.
3. #Interaction. Unconscious comes alive in some way– sensation, image, voice, etc.
4. #Reflection. Ego considers what the unconscious has shared, perhaps with therapist, trusted friends, etc.
5. #Integration. If unable or unwilling to practice the gained wisdom in the outer world, the project has failed.

Through the practice of #ActiveImagination, "the image created by the #Unconscious and the #Ego interact, and in this interaction, they create the necessary tension to evoke the #Transcendent function. [...]

The self is the union of opposites, as well as the center of the #psyche. The transcendent function is the means by which these opposites become united, the process by which the #manifest self is brought into being."

–Jeffrey Raff, Jung and the Alchemical Imagination

#ArtAdventCalendar Day 10/ Painting week
For several years, I did a lot of #ProcessPainting. It’s freeing, fun, and (for me) a key to my unconscious, interior life. A kind of #LucidDreaming while awake. #Jung might call it #ActiveImagination. I return to this #intuitive #MindfulnessPractice when I feel stuck, emotionally or creatively. I chose this one to share today because #Caturday & #BlackCats.
“My Wildness”
2017, Tempera on paper (18”x24”)
#painting #ArtistsOnMastodon #art #creativity