Imagination is sometimes looked at as fanciful, perhaps suitable for children playing, but what does it have to offer us in the real adult world? However, the use of imagination may actually be a valid spiritual path when pursued in the right ways.

Much has been made recently about the value of positive mental imagery, from sports performance to health. This has opened up the collective consciousness to the realization of some of the incredible powers that we have over our lives.

Using these same techniques we can also apply the use of imagination to spiritual development. One simple way is to just imagine being a person who is spiritually attuned, harmonious, caring, or any positive quality you might want to embody. Imagine being this now, how you feel, how you interact with others, create little story lines if you like. Increase the realism by in your minds eye by feeling the positive emotions, seeing the beautiful surroundings, hearing the peaceful sounds, whatever makes this a vivid experience for you. When I do this, Im immediately taken into a much better frame of mind. With practice, you will start becoming more attuned to what we are visualizing. Its important to visualize being in this positive state now.

Another approach to this is by using the imagination to understand the objects around us. For example, suppose we take a plant, a tree, or even a rock. Focus on the object and let your imagination begin to play. What is the object, how do you sense it in your minds eye. What images come to you? You might even try to imagine what it would like to be the object. Let your imagination move creatively and allow any images or feelings that come to you. Observe them without judging them.

Doing this exercise can not only help to attune us to the world around us and the objects we select, but actually help us move deeper within ourselves. As we work with this exercise, we are taken out of our ordinary consciousness and ego, starting to enter into the life of an outer object. We enter into the life of the other with some depth and respect which helps develop the quality of true interconnection so that we can move deeper within ourselves as well.