#4 Imaging the unknown
Consciousness is the gate to everything new. Our imagination is a powerful tool if we are free to use it fully. So freedom is the key. But what kind of freedom do we talk about?
Welcome! This is the fourth part of the introductory series on unfamiliar ground. We talked about consciousness (#1, #2), we talked about the trap we are in (#3). Now it’s time to talk about the new that wants to come into being and about our role in enabling this. If we understand this, we understand how to act in these times. But first of all, we talk about freedom, as this is the basis.
Now, how does the new, the unknown, unfold?
Everything that wants to be realized needs a consciousness as a gate. Nothing that humans have created happened without it, without someone who had the idea, the imagination, and persistence to bring the idea into the world. Its quality, whether it leads to nourishment and regeneration or destruction, depends on the quality of the consciousness that gave birth to it.
That’s why we have to talk about freedom: The power and clarity of our consciousness, our ability to open up to the greater one, to the new that wants to unfold, is directly connected to our inner freedom.
I’m free to do what I am supposed to do.
It’s not the freedom to do whatever we want to do. This works as long as we see ourselves as independent from everything else. But we are embedded in something far bigger than ourselves; we are interdependent, so the well-being of the whole and ourselves rests on our ability to align with the greater intelligence. Then, the freedom we seek changes into: I’m free to do what I am supposed to do. I can equally bind myself to the greater one, my inner potential, and nature. Each of them and us is an expression of the greater one.
Everyone has a set of abilities, a certain physical constitution, and is born into a certain setting. It is what is given to us. If we try to force something upon ourselves that’s not part of our abilities, we might achieve what we want to achieve, but it comes at a great cost. If we use what we are given properly and accordingly, we might exceed what we think we can do effortlessly. We will tap into our potential.
To be able to do this, we need to shape our consciousness deliberately. Everyone can connect to the greater one. Spirituality is the ability to open up and go beyond our small ego. We gain this ability by constantly examining our lives and the dynamic between our inner and outer worlds. We earn it by having a space to reflect and a practice to support this, a practice that helps us deal with the ordinary and not draw back from the worldly. Giving ourselves space to examine and reflect allows us to let go of all those things that don’t belong to us. We empty ourselves, gaining a clear mind, calmness, and a great inner space. And the unknown needs this space in order to unfold.
We have a powerful tool at hand: our imagination. She helps us see a different world from the one we live in. By imagining something, we can bring it into the world. Using imagination properly is one of the gates to the greater one, a way to open up to what wants to be realized.
Imagination doesn’t mean painting a picture; it means waiting for the picture to arise by itself. It’s a state of not doing, a space free of any projections, even free of the ego and the biases of the one holding that space. The unknown is like a shy deer: We have to wait for it without forcing it. Three aspects can guide us.
If we don’t care, everything we know and think of is already determining what will come. What we see depends on where we are looking and what we are expecting. Our experience and knowledge define our perspective and expectations. We can overcome those biases and open up to what is unknown only if we know them. That’s the first aspect of the inner work we have to do.
The second means dealing directly with tension. Whenever there’s tension, we seek to ease it, try to act, and are busy bringing things forth and working on the realization. By this, we close the space and cut back what could be to that we already know and have. Tension is essential. It’s the genuine place where we learn, grow, and stretch. It teaches us who is responsible for the realization. It’s not us. The unknown realizes itself by its power through us.
This ability to open a space, be patient, and deal with tension doesn’t come naturally; we need to cultivate it, and cultivate calmness and patience to endure tension.
For this, we have to start with what is, with our limitations and biases, with our perceptions and understandings, knowing that they are faulty. That’s the third aspect. They are a great gate. Don’t forget, consciousness is only possible with a body. Only by accepting and acknowledging our limits and experiences are we able to overcome them and go beyond what we think we can do. And then we can act.
That’s something we’ll talk about next time.
If you have something in mind that could be important, or if you are pondering a question, feel free to contact me. I would appreciate our conversation: on unfamiliar ground is something we all shape together.
Thank you for your precious being.
Warmly,
Gabriel