Our Imagination...

[Edward]

I see images sometimes when I close my eyes, and I know this is my imagination. Sometimes I see nothing, a black screen. (Sometimes I wonder if it's real or just something my brain cooked up)

(Actually, the brain is only a receptor and recording device, we think in our heart!) but anyway...how about you?

Do you see a blank screen or images? Do you think it's real or...just your imagination...(not real)?

 

[Edward]

I believe that our imagination is very probably a spiritual sense and should be cultivated. Our spiritual eye into the world and one way that the Lord speaks to us through.

I think we can train ourselves to use it, and that we were taught not to use it, since childhood. (Red Flag!)

 

[Edward]

Are we scared to talk about our imagination?

 

[smaller]

Are we scared to talk about our imagination?

It's all fun and games til someone loses an eye.

 

[Edward]

Maybe I wrote too much too soon, lol. OK, how about this...

What is our imagination? How does it work?

 

[smaller]

You'll have to excuse me. I started drinking a tea from China yesterday called Jiaogulan. It's had a distinct effect on my imagination. Yesterday morning it perked me up like a couple cups of coffee even though it has no caffein. And last nite I had a cup shortly before bed and I couldn't keep my eyes open. Weird stuff.

 

[KevinK]

I don't know about this...it sure sounds like psychic. You're describing to a T the ability of clairvoyance, or use of the third eye. All this falls under the general heading of occult practice, and is strictly proscribed in the Bible. Some of the worse torment in Hell is reserved for psychics, clairvoyants, Tarot card readers, fortune tellers, etc. I don't think I'd mess with it much further. This stuff scares me.

 

[Knotical]

Sometimes the images you see are just a residual impression left on your retina after closing your eyes.

 

[smaller]

I just happened to have watched this clip on the third eye a couple days ago. It's extremely interesting:

Don't know if it's true or not, but supposedly the yogi/guru who teaches people how to do this charges people $10,000 and he then "imbues" these individuals (in this case a kid) with this ability. I might suggest the yogi/guru is laying on a familiar spirit on these kids. What a bargain! Have a familiar spirit glom onto your kid for only 10 grand.

 

[Malachi]

What is our imagination? How does it work?

Imagination is the ability to visualize anything. It can be flights of fancy, or something more practical or constructive. Every object that we see around us began in someone's imagination, so it is basically a way of directing our thoughts in a creative channel.

For example, an architect must see a house in his imagination before he puts his drawings down on paper. The same for an artist or anyone engaged in creative work.

 

[Edward]

I don't know about this...it sure sounds like psychic. You're describing to a T the ability of clairvoyance, or use of the third eye. All this falls under the general heading of occult practice, and is strictly proscribed in the Bible. Some of the worse torment in Hell is reserved for psychics, clairvoyants, Tarot card readers, fortune tellers, etc. I don't think I'd mess with it much further. This stuff scares me.

Now that's a good answer. For the record, I'm not messing with this stuff, seeing card readers, or anything of the sort. Just thinking and talking.

So where does imagination fit in? Don't use it or you go to hell? Idk, I don't think I can buy that. Scripture repeatedly tells us to live for the Spirit, be led of the Spirit, and of course the world doesn't want Christians being led by the Spirit of God, so they discourage the practice by labeling it occultic.

Jesus said, test those Spirits, so clearly it can be dangerous... But we are still supposed to be led by the Spirit of God.

How do you reconcile that, or do you simply not seek to be led by the Spirit?

 

[Edward]

For the record, my calling the imagination your spiritual eye is coincidental, and loosely stated. I'm not into anything occult.

But I figure that, since we were created as spiritual beings that we very probably have spiritual senses similar to our natural senses.
Is our imagination one of them?

 

[Edward]

Sometimes the images you see are just a residual impression left on your retina after closing your eyes.

Surrealistic colors or images?

This begs the question, is memory a component of imagination? I *think* it would have to be because, we have no reference to the spiritual...?

 

[Edward]

I just happened to have watched this clip on the third eye a couple days ago. It's extremely interesting:

Don't know if it's true or not, but supposedly the yogi/guru who teaches people how to do this charges people $10,000 and he then "imbues" these individuals (in this case a kid) with this ability. I might suggest the yogi/guru is laying on a familiar spirit on these kids. What a bargain! Have a familiar spirit glom onto your kid for only 10 grand.

That's not at all what I'm talking about.

 

[Edward]

Imagination is the ability to visualize anything. It can be flights of fancy, or something more practical or constructive. Every object that we see around us began in someone's imagination, so it is basically a way of directing our thoughts in a creative channel.

For example, an architect must see a house in his imagination before he puts his drawings down on paper. The same for an artist or anyone engaged in creative work.

I agree with this for the most part, but have to ask...
Are the visualizations ours alone or from without?
Are the visualizations affected by the Kingdom (spiritual) realm, or do they have an effect in the Kingdom realm?
Can you control them?

 

[KevinK]

Just to be clear, imagination and clairvoyance are completely different things. Imagination is creating images in your mind; clairvoyance is seeing spiritual energy in image form through your "third eye". It might be tricky keeping the two distinct, though.

 

[Malachi]

I agree with this for the most part, but have to ask...
Are the visualizations ours alone or from without?
Are the visualizations affected by the Kingdom (spiritual) realm, or do they have an effect in the Kingdom realm?
Can you control them?

Yes we can control what we think and what we visualize. If we allow *the flesh* to dominate us and think evil thoughts we give evil spirits an opportunity you control us. However, if we allow the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts (through the Word) then our thoughts will correspond to those which the apostle Paul puts before us (Phil 4:8,9):

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

In other words, if we visualize the things of the Kingdom of God (God being worshipped, souls being saved and Christians being edified), and those things which will bring blessings and benefits to others, we will be on the right track.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

When I close my eyes, I see blackness,(relatively speaking depending on how much light is outside. And like Knotical said,

Sometimes the images you see are just a residual impression left on your retina after closing your eyes.

Often I see little shapes that are lighter in color then the general blackness. Expecially if there is any really bright light or computer screen I'm looking at before closing my eyes.

I think our imagination is a very creative force. I don't think I play with my imagination visually often except in my dreams, but every other time I think of some thing imaginative it's more on a narrative level instead of a visual level. On paper, I think I can put down more visual imagination down, and in my mind I can think and try to construct pictures and images, but for the most part those images aren't seen like I see the world. It's like the nartitve I "hear" when I think for the most part has no voice or sound. It's not really audible. The images I think about aren't really seen. They are mostly just theory I could put onto paper if I was a better artist or they are looser concepts that I can fill my head with in a kind of a nartitve that tugs on my imagination as well as my emotions, my passions, my hopes, my worries, or my fears.

On a more spiritual side though, I think our dreams are very spiritually orientiated. Not just our imagination, or our brain putting together the things we have on our mind and what we go through in our lives in a mixed matched dream like state. I mean our imagination and our lives and ongoing thoughts seem to very much play a part in dreams, but I just don't think that's all of it. Some dreams I think show us something of ourselves, some teach us something and we apply it or avoid the mistake in real life, and some dreams seem to be nothing more then stories while we sleep that might have revalence if we decode what happened in the dream, or we notice certain patterns in the dream and symbols in the dream. That said, although I think dreams are very spiritual almost in the same way as you described imagination being spiritual, Edward. I'm not confidant to say what was from God, and what wasn't. So I wouldn't want to go beyond that scope and add meaning to what was in a dream. Or find the spiritual symbolism of what's going on in my life. (Correction, I would very much like to contemplate the meanings, but I don't really trust it.)

 

[williamt]

Guess I can contribute to the thread in a different way.This may seem silly to some....

Well, I guess it is through my 18+ years of martial arts training. Spending much time in meditation as a training technique I learned to empty my mind. I tend to think of our view like a camera lens. From around an object our different angles are our perspectives, and through the lens our perception (narration of fact) and the clarity and quality of our vision through the lens or mind's eye our ability to perceive in truthfulness.

Black is the absence of color or "nothing" the absence of all knowledge. It is ironic that the philosophy of belt colors has in traditional or historical arts only been one belt. All new martial artist were to receive only a white belt. The sweat turned it yellow, the sweeping moves and throws would eventually stain the belt with green from the grass orthen brown from the soil or red from blood. Black isn't the last belt in the ranking system, but once black a person has all the necessary skills under his belt. He spends a lifetime returning back to white, from which he has now been well equipped, uncoloring his rank in labor where the belt begins to bleach from age and unfray. The very fabric of identity eventually returns back to white. Literally, in the philosophy of our belt colors dust does return back to dust or from where it came.

One of the mediation techniques I used was to become the first cause before a national competition. Another words, it was I and a competitor in the ring together. I made the first move, whether that be through action or inaction, and the fight would unfold in front of me days before the tournament. It was merely cause and effect, and knowing what the reaction to my action would be. Therefore, my eyes shut I am seeing trough the lens at different perspectives, narrating the facts of what comes into view. The mind is hard at work, that is, through introspection, adapting and adjusting to new and unexpected reactions. Training the mind to not only see truthfully through introspection but narrate the events accordingly.

My mind is very dark when my eyes are closed, and unless I am trying to empty myself, my mind is hard at work meditating on an event or object. I can remember back decades ago, when learning to be the void, I would notice things or as an example a sound rushing in to fill the void, but the sound led me to a feeling such as irritation or pleasure, and then I would explore "why" i feel irritated or pleasure. And that would continue onward until a true unattached or numbness would occur. Then it would be a matter of "allowing" my responses, whether I am allowed to feel irritated or pleasure, negotiating emotions in response to stimuli. Of course the mind creates a delay, if one is thinking about, they are not reacting or doing. Ultimately, physical training should separate the mind from the body and remove the mindful delay from one's reaction.

This was part of my training and helped wonderfully in addressing many "character flaws" that I once exhibited. I was too spontaneous or overly reacted to situation in my youth.... much of what I have learned and the results I have attributed to my eastern martial arts training, and even my Christian worldview which played an effect in narrating through that lens...

God bless,
William

 

[Edward]

Yes we can control what we think and what we visualize. If we allow *the flesh* to dominate us and think evil thoughts we give evil spirits an opportunity you control us. However, if we allow the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts (through the Word) then our thoughts will correspond to those which the apostle Paul puts before us (Phil 4:8,9):

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

In other words, if we visualize the things of the Kingdom of God (God being worshipped, souls being saved and Christians being edified), and those things which will bring blessings and benefits to others, we will be on the right track.

That's awesome, Brother! I do that too. Mostly when I pray. The Word describes many things that can be used as a trigger for our imagination to kick in, so we can visualize our Lord and the Father. There's a couple good descriptions of the throne room.

Hmmm. When we visualize worshipping the Lord before the throne...is this...just our imagination, or, could it be real. Worshipping the Lord in spirit?

There sure was a lot of people in scripture to receive visions. I wonder if some of these were in their head? I've always assumed that the heavens opened up for visions, but now I wonder...