I love these quotes about imagination!

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere." --Carl Sagan, Astrophysicist, and Author

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." --Albert Einstein

"Imagination is evidence of the divine." --William Blake

When I was growing up, imagination was given a bad rap. I heard over and over, when I stated what felt like the truth to me, "Don't be ridiculous - it's JUST your imagination."

The message, of course, was that if something came from my imagination, it had no validity.

We can imagine from two totally different places…

When I allow my wounded self to imagine, then what I imagine has no validity at all. My wounded self makes things up all the time that have no basis in truth, because the wounded self has no access to truth. The wounded self wants to control everything, and making things up is one way it tries to control.

So, I don't indulge my wounded self – the programmed aspect of my mind - in making things up. I know the minute it does this because I immediately feel anxiety. Then I say to my wounded self, "Please be quiet - we are not going there. You are mistaken," and I turn to my guidance for the truth.

When I turn to my guidance, I'm using my imagination, but in a completely different way than how my wounded self uses it.

The difference is in my intent. When my wounded self imagines, I want to control, but when my loving adult imagines, I want to learn about love and truth. Or I want to open to my authentic creativity. As a loving adult, I use my imagination to raise my frequency so I can tap into the vast amount of information that is available to all of us. I imagine my guidance bringing me the truth I need to know. I don't worry about whether or not I'm making it up, because I've learned through my experience that when my intent is to learn, what comes through is coming from a source of truth. It feels different, too. Instead of anxiety, there is a feeling of calm and also curiosity.

When my intent is to learn about loving myself and others, I imagine a vast and eternal space that is filled with love and truth.

I don't try to populate that space with words and images from my own mind. Instead, I allow the words and images to come through my mind from this vastness. I let go and wait, listening for the subtle voice of spirit that speaks to me through words and images that come into my mind.

When I first started to practice Inner Bonding, I had no trust at all in these words and images. I thought they were in the same category as what I had been making up from my mind. I wasn't experienced in feeling the subtle difference in frequency between the words and images that came FROM my mind and those that came THROUGH my mind. Now, after much practice, I can feel this difference. I also trust my feelings to tell me the difference, as those words and images that come from my mind feel bad while those that come through my mind feel good.

Imagination is a gift from the universe - a tool we have been given that enables us to access the wisdom and love that is God.

I've come to trust my imagination to take me where I need to go. I know that I first have to be able to imagine and feel the joy of something before I can manifest it, so I give my imagination free reign as long as I know that my intent is to learn about what is loving to me and to others.

Learn to connect with your spiritual guidance with Unlocking Your Inner Wisdom, A 30-Day at-home Experience with Dr. Margaret Paul.