Active Imagination: theory and practice

by

John J Costello

1 The Transcendent Function in Jung's psychology

Anyone interested in modern dynamic psychology at some stage has to address

themselves to the question of the role of the imagination in the development of the
personality. They become very aware of the ability of ego consciousness, together
with the imagination, to form images that are both useful from a creative and
therapeutic point of view. The imaginative faculty, i.e., the capacity to form psychic
images lies in an area beneath consciousness which we call the unconscious. Such a
relationship with the imagination is both contained and stable. It forms but one of the
many possible relationships and in the role I have just described the imagination is
seen both in the service of and submissive to ego consciousness.

Something entirely different happens with the person who is psychotic. The images
coming from the imagination entirely rule over the ego consciousness. These images
are no longer submissive to the control of the ego consciousness. The deeper the
image coming from the imagination the more powerful it is and hence it requires a
much stronger ego to contain and control it. What most people do not realize is the
power and seduction of these images. But very few people realize that the
imaginative faculty is all the time creating images even when we are asleep: we call
this form of image making dreams. However, this image making goes on all the time
whether the individual is awake or not. It is like saying that every time I have a
thought there is an appropriate corresponding image being made by my imagination.
What type of image it is I do not know until I allow it into consciousness. Ideally that
image would be a direct counterpart of the thought, very often it may not be the case.
This is where thinking and imagination differ; in fact we could say it is where thinking
and feeling differ for imagination is but the image version of the feeling. The reasons
that the image can be very different from the thought are very many and one of the
many functions of depth psychology is to give explanations on why such images
emerge. Such explanations are very interesting but they may not have the effect of
restoring psychological stability to the individual who is in conflict and crisis.

It is for this reason that I wish to point out another yet another quality of these
images. They carry very powerful affects that can influence and subtly change our
conscious decisions, deliberations and judgements. I he big question arising is
whether we can control or influence them in some way so that we may not feel driven
by them. One solution is to got to know as much as possible about them, how they
constellate and operate. With that knowledge we may be able to adapt to the
situation. This helps but it never resolves conflict because as long as a split remains
between conscious and unconscious there will be a need for ongoing analysis and
ongoing adaptation. This approach at least carries the recognition that the underlying
images carry powerful affects with them. It is these images which remain although the
historical event may have passed on and may no longer be relevant. Indeed in some
cases it may no longer be possible to remember even if the historical event took place.
What is highly significant is the fact that these images are there and sometimes they
group into a fantasy telling a psychological story with a very powerful affect and moral
or story. in a slightly different language what I am saying is that an individual's inner
psychic reality can have a very powerful influence over that individual's reactions and
responses. Therap- eutically, at this point what matters most is how the individual
responds to the affects. If it is allowed to come into consciousness and can have an
effect on the individual, then some sort of a response may be possible from that
individual in a way that has not emerged previously. In other words I can say that
somewhere in their feelings a change takes place that somehow holds together the
clash and opposition between intellect and feelings, heart and head. In terms of
imagery it is as if a third image arises which is neither black (say first image in the
unconscious) nor white (say second image in consciousness) and yet contains both
black and white. The emergence of such an image brings peace and stability to the
ego and that is what people seek. his is not an uncommon experience and yet it is not
that often emphasized by depth psychology. Jung has dealt with it extensively and this
psychological process he has called the transcendent function.

Perhaps, I should briefly recount Jung's description of what he calls the transcendent
function because out of it arises a technique pioneered by Jung, namely, active
imagination as one of the means for facilitating this process. His method of active
imagination is a technique to get at the unconscious contents which lies below the
threshold of consciousness waiting to be brought into consciousness. By allowing
consciousness and unconscious to come together there lies a possibility of some
compromise imago emerging that is acceptable both to consciousness and
unconscious, This is not something arrived at by the conscious ego. Rather the ego
acts as a type of facilitator and something else happens.

Jung points to the fact that the tendencies of the conscious and unconscious seldom
agree, and in fact they act more in a compensatory or complementary manner towards
each other. This is important because this statement can be understood both ways:
(a) the unconscious compensates in a complementary manner towards consciousness
and lb) consciousness compensates in a complementary manner towards the
unconscious. Jung says that this opposition between conscious and unconscious exits
for a variety of reasons. Firstly, not all psychological contents possess a sufficient
intensity to remain in consciousness and so they reside in the unconscious. Then
certain contents are incompatible to consciousness and so it exercises an inhibition on
the material leaving it with no choice but to reside in the unconscious. Also not only
does consciousness have to cope with forgotten events of the individual's own past, but
the inherited dispositions residing in what Jung calls the collective unconscious. Finally,
the unconscious is the place where fantasy is still in the making and only when it
reaches a certain level of intensity and development will it become suitable for entering
the light of consciousness.

The contemporary conscious mind possesses two great qualities of definiteness and
directedness. And these have been very predominant in contributing to the
development of contemporary civilization. However, Jung does point to the fact that it
has been achieved at a very heavy price, namely, an alienation from the unconscious
directed processes of necessity lead to a one-sidedness and get further entrenched by
being described as reasonable and rational. Such descriptions are based on a
particular standpoint taken by consciousness and the outcome may be different if
looked at from a different viewpoint. Directedness and one-sidedness go hand in hand
and a counter-position is created automatically in the unconscious. Jung does not say
this is wrong, he merely points to the fact that if the counter-position in the
unconscious takes on a high energy value it could become difficult and dangerous to
consciousness.

Analysis has become one of the means towards resolving the one-sidedness. And as
long as it remains then analysis becomes the prime means towards keeping the
balance. So analysis deals with the past and the present but what of the future? Can
the adaptation once achieved continue? It may but very often it will need to be
updated and worked upon, hence we speak of the need to be working continuously on
our attitudes Jung suggests that we try and get rid of the separation between
conscious and unconscious. He suggests this can be best done not by getting rid of the
contents of the unconscious but by recognizing the significance of the compensation
and taking that significance into account. This is what he says, "The tendencies of the
conscious and unconscious are the two factors that together make up the transcendent
function It is called transcendent because it makes the transition from one attitude to
another organically possible, without loss of the unconscious." What this means is that
we all have within us the capacity to develop a psychological function which can give a
common ground or space to the place of tendencies of consciousness and unconscious
in the personality. Jung says: "Constructive treatment of the unconscious, that is, the
question of meaning and purpose, paves the way for the patient's insight into that
process which I call the transcendent function." I can only suggest at this stage that a
further study of Jung's essay on The Transcendent Function in The Collected Works vol
8.

In order to develop the transcendent function the most important requirement is

unconscious material. Surprisingly Jung regards dreams as somewhat unsatisfactory
towards developing the function because they are difficult to understand and make too
many demands on the dreamer. He considers the other possibilities. These are (a)
Emergence of unconscious complexes into the waking state, e.g., slips of the tongue
and lapses of memory (b) Spontaneous fantasies. This is achieved by eliminating all
critical attention and creating a vacuum in consciousness. Then those fantasies which
have a high energy charge are most likely to emerge. (c) Active imagination or the
free play of fantasy. In order to do this the individual has to become conscious of the
emotional mood and noting down all the fantasies and associations that come to mind.
This method Jung found helpful in getting to know the affect better and help in
bringing it closer to consciousness. He refers to this method as "the beginning of the
transcendent function." (d) Drawing the mood by means of a picture. Included in this
category are the audio-verbal types. (e) Expressing the mood through sculpture or
painting and like methods. (f) Expressing the mood through bodily movement. (f)
Word association test. This helps to get at the hidden complexes lying beneath the
threshold of consciousness and it can be very helpful when all else fails.

All of these means bring unconscious material to the surface of consciousness. The
important question is what to do with it. For Jung there arc two options. The first leads
to creativity and the whole area of aesthetic motifs. However, he is much more
interested in the understanding and meaning of these contents for the individual
person. Both approaches need to be kept in mind as they complement each other.
Consciousness has to be open to the contents emerging from the unconscious although
those contents may be very sparse and not very meaningful. The bottom line in all
this type of exploration is how the individual is affected by the contents emerging from
the unconscious.

It may not surprise some of you if I say that what I have been describing in general
terms is what Jung calls active imagination. So perhaps I can conclude with this
summary.

1 The transcendent function is a psychological quality of the personality that manages

to hold together the conscious and unconscious. Jung calls it transcendent because it
facilitates a transition from one attitude. to another. Its purpose is to help the
individual to experience their own totality or the Self.

2 Active imagination is the method best suited to this process and it is the one
described by Jung. He says he prefers to use the word imagination instead of fantasy.
His particular use of the words active imagination need to be understood very
carefully. They also need to be differentiated from the meaning other authors have
ascribed to the imagination.

3 The method of active imagination is best suited for bringing together aspects of the
inner world and so can be seen to be an introverted quality. It seems less suitable for
bringing together the more extroverted dimensions of the personality, namely, ones
relationship with the external world

The values of active imagination are as follows:

1 There is less dependency on the person of the analyst.

2 Also there is less dependency on the meaning of dreams as the active imagination
can got there more readily.

3 There is a widening of consciousness.

4 By following the path of active imagination one can expect to find the shadow, the

anima/animus and ultimately the Self or the experience of wholeness of oneself.

2 Active Imagination: a description of the technique

So far I have been trying to describe the context of active imagination, and it may
seem as if it is quite easy to do. Unfortunately, it is not and it varies enormously from
person to person. Some people are quite unable to engage in any form of active
imagination, others can manage it only periodically. Why this is so nobody seems to
know: it is a fact. It is not an exercise lightly to be engaged in and most writers on the
subject suggest that it could be dangerous if handled incorrectly. The real danger is
being carried away by the high valued affects that can emerge with the images,
coming from the unconscious. What this really points to is a sufficiently strong ego to
engage with these images. Perhaps you will see how this is safeguarded as much as
possible in my elaboration of the technique.

So what does one do. It is not just like turning on a tap and out pours the water.
Strictly speaking you cannot make it happen. But what you can do is create the
conditions in which it may happen. These are the stages identified by Jung. I will
briefly give the main points and then I will comment in detail on each stage.

1 Clearing the mind of all intrusive feelings, images and thoughts.

2 Allow a free flow of emotions, feelings and images to emerge. A slight modification
of this stage is to take a dream image and allow it to expand through further free
flowing or dialogue.

3 Confront these images and engage in dialogue. It is important to keep a written

account of the encounter.

4 In the light of what emerges from the dialogues, conclusions have to be drawn. In
other words real consideration has to be given to those unknown parts of oneself and
to what they say.
 Let me now return to each stage of this technique. The first stage involves clearing
the mind. This sounds easy to do but in practice it is very difficult to achieve. It very
much reminds me of the old dictum which says "Be still and know that I am God." But
how does one become still and calm within. The ego can command and demand
silence. Initially it will get it but the moment it lets go everything starts into action
once more. It is very easy at this stage to disturb the silence and stability of the ego.
So it is important to find a quiet place that is conducive to stillness. It may be
necessary to absorb and let in the stillness from outside in order to grasp it. It will be
necessary to be able to recognize the sound of the car in the street but also to
experience that sound as outside oneself. It is also important that the observing ego is
able to find a position with itself so that it can move in and out of a range of affect so
that at one time it can be affected by the noise of the car and at other times, especially
if the noise is becoming too great, it can move away from or shut off the interference
of the noise coming from the car. Most people can recognize what I am speaking about
and they know how difficult it is to achieve. However, they can experience a different
type of interference and that is from within. This is the one I really want to explain.
We need only to sit still for a very brief period of time to realize that our minds begin to
fill with thoughts, memories, fantasies and the like. In fact it can surprise us how
much is there. We either have them well pushed out of the way or we are deeply
engrossed in them but not very conscious of doing it. How often do people catch
themselves deeply engrossed in their thoughts or feelings and they not quite knowing
it. This is a rather common experience. But what happens in active imagination is you
leave the thoughts or images proceed on and stand back from them at the same time.
All these types of approaches and techniques are not anything now. They are well
known to people who meditate. Jung was not unaware of the fact as he referred active
imagination at one stage as meditative fantasy. Really it is developing the capacity to
reflect or turn back from whatever the feeling or image is without actually repressing
or becoming over identified with the material. At this stage it is an observing ego
from a position of strength, getting to know that strength and how it operates.

Let me describe an example from this stage. After the mind was stilled just suppose a
large snake emerged. The first and more normal reaction would be to recoil in fear and
that is probably what would happen. The purpose of the reaction would be to get a
safe distance from the snake. However, in this case the exercise is not to keep running
for to do so would be like escaping from a part of yourself. The problem is: how are
you going to stay with a part of yourself? You can turn back and check if the snake is
pursuing you. If it is you may have to keep running until you get to a safe distance. If
it is not then you can look at it and decide how close you may safely come towards it.
Also you may have to decide on what defensive tactics you can use should you need to
defend yourself in a hurry. You will have to try and get a better feel on the snake. No
matter how friendly you may decide the snake is, you will still have to remember that
snakes are dangerous and harmful. To achieve this stage meant engaging in a lot of
activity and yet the end result is one of passivity on the part of the ego towards the
snake.

Fortunately, this is not the end of the exercise as proposed by Jung. He says we need
to watch our reactions and how we connect with the snake. It is important to register,
from the position of strength, how I react to the snake and what effect it has on me. I
must not let it intimidate me and yet on the other hand I must not evoke fear or
whatever in the snake itself. The chances are that if I keep looking at the snake,
something else may emerge as well and let us say, for example, that it is the master
of the snake. I may not be able to make direct contact with the snake but I may be
able to do so through the master. To do this I will have to establish contact and start a
conversation with the master. Again this may sound easy but in practice it can be very
difficult. It is at this stage that very many people fail in the exercise because they do
not know what to do. To establish this contact the issue cannot be forced and
demanded. Putting the words into the mouth of the master has little or no effect, and it
is easy to know if you are doing it. One good way of establishing if that is just what
you are doing is to drop into silence and if the master drops into silence and says
nothing also then there is a very strong presumption that you are either putting or in
some way willing the words into the mouth of the master. Equality and mutual self
respect are important factors in the dialogue, but it can still be hellishly difficult getting
the dialogue under way.

Virtually at every moment in this part of the exercise it is vital to remind oneself in
mind, body and soul that one is engaging with another and as yet unknown part of
oneself, It has to be remembered that while at this stage it may be experienced as a
part extraneous to oneself nevertheless it is really a part of oneself. In fact it is as real
a part of oneself as the experience of one's more usual self. This can be very
frightening and awesome because it is like meeting parts of oneself for the very first
time. All this type of attitude and new way of thinking can be very difficult and can
take some time getting comfortable psychologically with the changes. It may be
necessary to cut through a lot of prejudice which tends to arise out of fear and
ignorance. What one is left with is the ability to trust one's own experience and to
judiciously follow it. I say judiciously because it is vitally important to establish in
following ones' own experience that you are not putting yourself out on a limb where
no one has ever been before. Everyone needs to know of kindred spirits who are
sensible and who have survived the course of this type of inner encounter; individuals
who also have made meaning and sense of what they have met in themselves. Such
individuals are those who can humbly and truly say: I have met myself.

What the technique of active imagination seems to achieve is a synthesis between

conscious and unconscious contents. And as late as 1947 Jung wrote: "This is the very
best means I know to reduce the inordinate production of the unconscious." In this
letter he points to the fact that the individual had come to a stage in their own
development where it was becoming necessary to rely more on "the unconscious
guide that dwells in yourself." In other words he saw the emergence of this inner
guide as the result of the more direct contact with the contents of the unconscious
without the intermediary of the analyst. In this letter he went so far as to say that it
was about time that this individual took a more mature approach to himself and to
trust himself more. This differs quite a lot from the more infantile positions individuals
find themselves in after a long and arduous analysis.

It has to be remembered that in all I have said that the individual who engages in
active imagination needs to take a mature attitude towards themselves. If you feel
you cannot do that then it is quite dangerous to engage in active imagination. It may
be possible to do some active imagination under the supervision of an analyst and
have some objective assessment on your level of maturity in this area. In practice and
in most cases this is what happens as active imagination is most likely to take place
during the course of analysis.

It may be useful to say a few words about closing down active imagination. It is
important to disengage correctly with the unconscious. A very conscious and deliberate
declaration needs to be made about closing down. It may need to be gentle and
considerate depending on the closeness with the material in the unconscious. It is like
begging leave to depart and not just issuing an edict from on high. The ego needs to
return to its original stability and tranquillity. Once this is achieved then one can regard
the exercise as completed. Then the written record can be made or completed.

A few words need to be said about the manner in which active imagination differs from
other techniques for using the imagination. Guided fantasy is quite different because
the images are presented to the imagination from an outside source and so have not
come from within the unconscious of the individual engaged in the active imagination.
Most forms of meditation do not qualify as a form of active imagination as they tend to
place, an image from outside the individual, Most forms of Christian meditation fall into
this category. This does not make that particular form of meditation invalid. In fact
most people would point to their value and I would most certainly support this point of
view. However what gets forgotten in Christian meditation is that in the course of time
it gives way to contemplation. What is not known nor generally recognized is that
these states of contemplation are in fact similar psychological states to those described
by Jung in his technique of the active imagination. A lot more comparison needs to be
made between the psychological states brought about by meditation and by active
imagination. What is important to remember is that both techniques point to the
dangers. The tradition of Christian meditation is most emphatic that the individual
does not move on too quickly from one stage of meditation to another and ultimately
contemplation. It looks to the help of the spiritual director who can act as a type of
objective assessor on the psychological/spiritual state of the individual.

Basically, Jung is interested in letting "the soul speak for itself' ( Tertullian). It is not
the task of everyone to engage in this exercise.

3 An example of Active Imagination

In the final stage of these seminars I want to present an example of active

imagination and to make some commentary on it. I hope to be able to point out
aspects of what I have been presenting more on a theoretical level in the last few
seminars.

Perhaps I ought to give the context for the piece of active imagination to be
presented. The woman dreamed about a man she had know some thirty years earlier.
In the dream he appeared to be always sad, and she wanted to know why he should
appear now and why he should still be so sad, She made a small clay model to help her
with this fantasy.

There was once a man who was so sad he, used to weep many tears. No one, ever
knew why he was sad and he was never able to tell anyone, for it seemed he could not
express it. However since no one could ever understand, they all went off and left him
with his sorrow . He sat down and cried so much and for so long that his tears grew
into a great lake which surrounded him.

There he sat in the centre, of this great lake, weeping and weeping. The trees grew up
about the lake. The cattle came by but they could not drink of the salt water, though
they liked the tangy grass which sprang up along its banks.

The birds came down and lilted in and out of the, water and fish began to swim in its
depths.

Then one day a little mermaid who had come out of the saltiness of the lake noticed
the old

man sitting in the centre crying. She went over and touched his eyes and opened
them.

"Why are you so sad? " she asked.

 The man replied "I have always had to suffer and to weep. There is no one with me. I
am all

alone ".

"But" said the mermaid, "you are not alone. All of us live in your tears. If you had not
suffered and cried, neither the fish nor I would have had a home.

"Then maybe I should not be sad, he said. If you are all so happy maybe I have
something to be happy about." He commenced to rise up and the mermaid said:

"No please do not go. If you should stop crying there would be no lake and we would
not have a home. We would have a home in the sun.

'You mean I must not enjoy myself?

"If you leave you are responsible, then when you saw us all dead, that would make
you unhappy all over again.

"You are right. It means I have to go suffering because of my guilt. Do not fear I will
suffer that you may live. If I left I would start weeping again and that would be more
bitter suffering because of my guilt. Do not fear, I will suffer that you may live but
living please understand why I suffer.

With this resolution he closed his eyes and the tears poured forth, and the mermaid
felt sad. She swam back to the depths and as she passed the fish she was deep in
thought. This man had to suffer and because she had to come face to face with him,
and had been forced to beg him to continue she would always be herself aware of
suffering. And she, knew that there, would now be suffering within her own heart too.

Here we see a continuation of a dream image, something or some aspect of the

dreamer that has long been held in the depths of that person. She knew about it but
never quite knew the full extent of the problem. In deciding to engage in active
imagination she had decided to let the story emerge without prejudice or any critical
assessment. You will notice as well that in this particular example she did not engage
in direct contact with the inner image of the sad man. Rather what happened was that
the man engaged with this other inner image, namely, the mermaid. What emerged
was very much the full extent of the sad mood now being told in a very graphic and
pictorial set of images, and they were all loaded with the affect of sadness. The man
was sad, the mermaid was sad as well because she knew that in order to live she was
the source of sadness to the man. However, he may have been a bit more composed
about the situation as he had to make a very conscious decision about accepting his
particular state of sadness.

Lot us turn more specifically to the man. In the model created by the woman he
appeared as if he was veiled. This is very reminiscent of the motif of the hidden or
veiled God who is seen in the centre of his tears. As yet the cattle, creatures of the
earth could not drink the salt water but the birds were beginning to dip down into the
water while the fish were beginning to move in the deep. So there were slight
movements in the unconscious. Sitting in the middle of the lake of tears symbolizes on
the one hand the danger of being swamped out by the waters or on the other hand the
potential of being surrounded by an unconscious which could help if it could be made
real in consciousness. But what is the sadness about? Again we find that it is non
specific, that is, not connected with any event, person or situation. It is like a longing
for something or for something to be born. The gods get lonely and sad when there is
nothing for them to do. Their energy is stagnant and derived of its purpose, namely,
doing something. Having withdrawn and being imprisoned in the unconscious it is sad.

The emergence of the mermaid brings some sort of movement. She represents some
new movement or development towards consciousness. She probably represents the
very first stirring of consciousness in this problem that the woman had with this very
sad man. By looking at the inner images and allowing them to develop was in fact
allowing some movement, and the possibility of even further movement.

In the mermaid's emerging awareness lies her realization that she was yet another
being and now that she too had discovered sadness her original happiness of being in
the unconscious was destroyed. She begged the man to give her the right to live
despite the fact he had to remain in misery. Nonetheless he was given a purpose in
the process of the exercise, a state better than his original state. And she, the
mermaid, was no longer in the state of her original unconsciousness.

How the story developed through the course of active imagination is not a matter that
can be described here. But with the little we have gleaned we can see that by giving
attention to the inner images, the inner attitude, the inner situation there is nearly
always a hope for something to happen. Just recall how long that sad man had sat
within that woman: thirty years. He had been waiting to be heard, to be listened to
and taken seriously. Part of that listening to did not even involve the ego for it really
meant that it was a more feminine part needed to emerge at that particular stage and
it did not get the opportunity to do so. So it had to wait some thirty years and then
only got through initially on the level of the dream This in turn was taken up in active
imagination and so the story was brought further and led to some movement and
development within.

In these seminars I have tried to give a brief account of active imagination and a
psychological context for it, namely, the transcendent function. On paper the technique
seems easy to do, but in practice it is very difficult, and for some it is just impossible.
What seems very important is that people give recognition to the fact that it can bring
one into the deeper realms of the unconscious where the reality of the psyche and its
energies have to be treated seriously and with great respect. It has to be seen in both
a bright and dark light, has danger and potential. Those who treat it sensibly and with
respect will come to experience themselves and their own totality. This work in virtually
all cases needs to be done under the guidance of a competent supervisor.

It differs a lot from guided fantasy and similar type creative working with collective
images and religious images. It does not exclude them but they are only used and
amplified when they arise out of the unconscious of the particular individual. This is
where Jung's active imagination differs from all the other psychologies and in this way
can be seen to make an important contribution.

FURTHER READING

FRANZ, MARIE-LOUISE VON. Alchemical Active Imagination. Spring Publications

HANNAH, B. Encounters with the Soul . Sigo Press, Boston 1981.

JUNG, C G, "The Transcendent Function" in Collected Works vol 8.

SPEIGELMAN, J MARVIN. "Potential of Active Imagination" in The Nymphomaniac.

Falcon Press, Phoenix, Arizona 1985.

SPRING 1971. Various articles.

WEAVER, R. The Old Wise Woman. Stuart and Watkins, London 1964 [reprinted
1991].