Imagination

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” ~~~Albert Einstein

I spent this weekend submitting my romantic suspense novel to publishing houses that take unagented work and also sent queries out to agents who might represent my book. As I did so, I imagined the physical book in my hands, sending out a vision of success to the universe on the new moon. I’m very aligned with the moon cycles and this new moon in Taurus has that practical, grounded energy that I need to bring what begins in my imagination down to earth.

Do you remember the movie, Field of Dreams, that came out in 1989? It was widely panned by critics but has stayed and resonated through generations. One female movie critic wrote at the time that she had never seen so many grown men cry. It’s easy to understand why. The movie was about many things, but at its core it was about a father and son and the imagined opportunity to heal the past. When Kevin Costner introduced a special Major League Baseball game a few years ago, he opened with the words, “Our imaginations are infinite.”

I have always relied on my imagination. It was an escape in childhood. I could disappear into adventures in my mind when the chaos unfolding around me became too much. I have friends who tell me that they lack imagination, but that is not possible. It is inherent to human nature to imagine and create - to find the spark behind what is visible. All progress throughout history came about because someone imagined new ways of doing things. The same can be said of all regression. Someone imagined a better life in a previous time.

I think how I use my imagination matters. It is immutably bound to creativity. I use my imagination when I envision my personal story and that of the world around me. What I choose to imagine has a direct impact on my state of being, my interactions with others, and my experience of the world.

I pay attention to my imagination because one form of imagination is worry. When I share that observation in conversation, it immediately sparks a discussion - a new way of understanding what may be viewed as a habitual habit of the mind.

“The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.“ ~~Deepak Chopra

I view imagination as a superpower available to everyone. For me, it is important I use it in ways that empower me and that support my desire to live a life peaceful in mind and heart. So, I am cognizant of what I take in. It is all too easy to internalize the news, the behavior of others and events in the natural world and turn them into worry and fatalism.

Instead, I use my imagination to envision the life I am building for myself. I use my imagination to envision the world I want to create rather than worrying about the one I see on the news. And I take action when guided by my intuition and my eternal connection to Divine Love.

Recently I talked with my nephew who asked me why people (like me) write when the chance of becoming famous and making a lot of money is so slim. I told him the reason is universal. It is shared by artists who paint, by singers and song-writers, by inventors, composers, designers, knitters and all who use their creative impulse to express themselves. In those moments of creative presence, time ceases to exist, age disappears, and something akin to pure essence emerges. And there is joy in the doing, and isn’t that reason enough?

With love,

Cathleen