Imaginal practice opens doors to new ways of being and relating that can radically shift how you relate to yourself, experience, other people, and the world. It can fundamentally change how you work, play, relate, understand, and feel, creating richness, flow, aliveness, honesty, and depth.

Imaginal practice is about becoming present to the imaginal realm, which includes the more energetic, emotional and intuitive aspects of experience. It’s quite a mysterious practice. If you are just starting out, you may be looking for the thing that will help it ‘click’ into place and for the imaginal realm to open up to you.

Importantly, the imaginal isn’t something that you add to experience; you’re getting in touch with an underlying realm of experience. The imaginal realm has a psychedelic quality to it, and practicing with it can open up new senses in your experience.

The content here is designed to nudge you towards getting directly, or more deeply, in touch with the imaginal realm in your experience as well as to understand what the imaginal realm is and how it works.

Other meditation practices, such as jhana meditation, heart practices, mindfulness practices, and prayer, can make it easier to access meaningful imaginal practices, but they aren’t a prerequisite. The imaginal realm is accessible to all, and it can also work the other way – imaginal practice will help you deepen into other contemplative and spiritual practices.

You can read more about the imaginal on the Imaginal Realm Project website.

Some imaginal practices that I have been inspired by include Jung’s Active Imagination, Rob Burbea’s Soulmaking Dharma, Tantric Buddhism, Shamanic Journeying, and Cliff Barry’s Shadow Work Therapy.