It might seem like our imaginations get plenty of practice. We imagine what other people are thinking or feeling. We imagine that we can predict the future. We imagine worst case scenarios and dress rehearse tragedy in our minds. We might even let our imaginations run away with us sometimes. Our imaginations would seem to get lots of practice.
But the spiritual practice of engaging our imagination is more about being intentional with how we direct our imaginative energies. Placing our life-affirming values in the driver’s seat and ensuring that our imaginations are inspiring purposeful action rather than causing us to veer off course. Ensuring that our imaginative power is being used with integrity can take a bit of practice.
Throughout the month of May, we’ll be exploring the practice of imagination as an asset in our spiritual lives. We’ll begin with a service this Sunday, May 4, that invites us to time travel a bit into a piece of our congregation’s past, and to also imagine how that story of our past informs the future we are creating. The Archivists have put a lot of work into this mindful unpacking of a defining moment in Unitarian Universalist history in Cleveland.
On May 11, we’ll revisit Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Ecosystem Map as we consider how our imaginations help us clarify the world we want and our role in creating it. You may remember that we introduced Deepa Iyer’s work in the fall as a part of our Climate Justice Revival. After worship, we’ll have a potluck meal together and share some of our vision and explore possible interconnections.
Rev. Mary Grigolia will share some of her music with us on May 18, as we weave Joanna Macy’s concept of active hope into our commitment to liberating love. Through a special service of song and reflection, our imaginations will guide how we perceive the interdependent web of existence and our place in it.
And we conclude our series on the practice of imagination considering how boundaries that seem useful at some point in our lives can become obstacles or limitations as we grow personally and spiritually. Rosemerry Trommer’s poem “A Prayer for Imagination” will guide us in the sacred work of reimagining the boundaries of our lives.
As we enter into this rich topic, I invite you to consider: Where do you restrict your imaginative power, and how might you invite more curiosity? Where do you give your imagination too much control, and how might you ground or center yourself in your values? And how do you actively direct your imagination in ways that serve to nurture greater wholeness and well-being in your life and the world around you?