Make it Conscious - Inner Work Exercises
In this podcast, Max Chegwyn offers guided exercises for inner work, focusing on active imagination and other techniques rooted in Jungian psychology. Episodes include shadow work, meditation, and emotional integration practices designed for personal exploration. It is a companion to the main Make it Conscious show.
Episodes
Empathy: A Willingness to Feel | Active Imagination | Core Practice Series
Empathy is one of the most fundamental and vital qualities to cultivate in inner work.🌿 This work begins with understanding your own psychological blueprint. Take the free Personality Dynamics Assessment: https://makeitconscious.com/pda/🔔 To work with Max directly, book a free Perspectives call — https://makeitconscious.com/coaching/We might think of empathy as feeling what others feel, coupled wi
Meeting the Persona: The Face We Show the World | Active Imagination | Core Practice Series
The persona reveals a very limited aspect of ourselves, whilst concealing a great deal more.🌿 This work begins with understanding your own psychological blueprint. Take the free Personality Dynamics Assessment: https://makeitconscious.com/pda/🔔 To work with Max directly, book a free Perspectives call — https://makeitconscious.com/coaching/This is a very important subject in depth psychology, Jungi
Beyond Words: How the Unconscious Communicates | Active Imagination | Core Practice Series
The unconscious can communicate with us in all kinds of ways: not only in words, but in its movements, in its demeanour, or maybe just a feeling.🌿 This work begins with understanding your own psychological blueprint. Take the free Personality Dynamics Assessment: https://makeitconscious.com/pda/🔔 To work with Max directly, book a free Perspectives call — https://makeitconscious.com/coaching/One of
Skilful Communication: Active Imagination Exercise | Core Series
Skilful communication is a vital part of adult development. It's the first place where understanding and intention meet the world - how we share our ideas. That applies not only with others, but to ourselves. Skilful communication is truthful, purposeful and empathic. In this exercise you'll practise these three points as you speak to the various aspects of the psyche.🌿 This work begins with under
What You Loved Doing as a Child: Active Imagination Exercise | Carl Jung's Method
In this episode we bring you back to something you enjoyed doing as a child. There are often many things we were naturally drawn to as children but have since forgotten, or never fully explored. There is always something useful in them, always some reason we were attracted to them — though that is not to say it is as simple as going back to those things, doing them the same way, or trying to make
Resistance at Work: Core Practice Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Method
In this episode we turn attention to the world of work and what it is you do day to day, and specifically to the resistance you have to it. This might come up when you find yourself doing a task or your day job — something you feel you should be doing, or have decided you should be doing, but which you nonetheless struggle to get your full self on board with.🌿 This work begins with understanding y
Inner Work as Contribution: Core Practice Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Method
As much as we do active imagination for ourselves, it is not only us that benefits, if we are not being driven as much by our complexes, shadow and our unchecked needs and desires. This practice is certainly a gift to ourselves, but it is not a waste of time and not a frivolous activity. It is very purposeful, and in some ways a generous thing to be doing — not only for ourselves, but also for oth
Am I Doing it Right?: Active Imagination Exercise | Core Series
One of the most common questions asked by active imagination practitioners is: "am I doing it right?" And "how do I know?"It's not uncommon to hear of people having profound experiences, vivid images, and fluid conversations with what they encounter. That's all possible — but it might be tempting to think that if it doesn't happen for you, you've done something wrong.Whether you're doing this prac
Working with Archetypes: Active Imagination Exercise | Core Series
One of the applications of active imagination is to engage proactively with the archetypes of the collective unconscious. While it's not possible to integrate any particular archetype in its entirety, it is important to build and deepen a relationship with them. If you reject or repress any archetype, it tends to return in a darker, more disruptive form. And by meeting archetypal material in symbo
Working with Emotion: Active Imagination Exercise | Carl Jung's Method
Welcome back to this core active imagination series. Today we're going to be working with emotion, in a proactive way — meaning you get to decide from the outset which emotion you want to work with. You can work with any kind, pleasant or unpleasant, something you're experiencing now or experienced recently. The fact that it is an emotion means it has some kind of charge for you, that it is connec
Working with Dreams: Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series
Working with dreams is one of the primary methods Jung practised and recommended to his patients. A dream is unconscious content coming alive at night, when the ego is quiet, so anything that felt unfinished still has something in it for you. If nothing particular comes to mind, that's fine — you can work with whatever your mind shows you as the exercise proceeds.🌿 This work begins with understand
Bare Attention | Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series
This exercise introduces a technique I call simply bare attention: directing your attention to the direct and raw experience of what you are actually feeling or sensing. Bare attention avoids two extremes that limit this work. The first is not noticing a feeling entirely; the second is getting involved in narrative about the feeling. To work with unconscious content, we need the layer where the fu
Turning the Mind Back on Itself: Core Active Imagination Exercise | Carl Jung's Method
One of the main features of this work is the ability to turn the mind back on itself. At each step of this technique there's an element of doing exactly this — becoming aware of the mind itself. As far as we know, this is a uniquely human ability, something that defines us: the ability to self-reflect. Some might call it mindfulness, which captures part of it, though that word doesn't really expla
Producing Insight | Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series
One of the key purposes of active imagination is producing insight — into ourselves, into why we do what we do, into what caused our situation, and how what we're doing now might affect our lives in the future. This is a vital part of any inner work or adult development process. But there's a challenge, because producing insight is a contradiction in terms. How can you produce insight into yoursel
Connect with the Unconscious: Active Imagination Exercise | Three-Step Method | Core Practice Series
Today I'm going to be sharing more with you about the basic framework of this technique — this three-step approach to active imagination practice that you can use on a daily or regular basis, today the third step: bringing content into the imagination and connecting with it.🌿 This work begins with understanding your own psychological blueprint. Take the free Personality Dynamics Assessment: https:
Thought, Feeling, or Image? Noting What Appears | Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series
Continuing through the three-step basic technique for active imagination that you can do on a regular, even daily basis — watch your mind, note what appears, and connect with it in the imagination. This exercise focuses on that second step, noting.🔔 Work with Max: Book a free Perspectives call — https://makeitconscious.com/coaching/🌿 Not ready to book a call? Take the free Personality Dynamics Ass
Watch Your Mind: The Three-Step Method | Carl Jung | Core Active Imagination Series
In this exercise we focus on the first of three steps in this active imagination technique — watching the mind. Using the breath as a canvas, we turn the mind back on itself rather than remaining lost in the natural flow of discursive thought. This is the foundation of the practice: simple, repeatable, and available no matter what's going on for you.This exercise uses active imagination, a techniq
An Introduction to Active Imagination: The Three-Step Method | Carl Jung's Method | Core Series
Active imagination is a technique developed by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, who described the conscious mind — the ego — as like a cork in an ocean, to illustrate the vastness of the unconscious relative to what we're aware of. In this exercise, we engage with the unconscious directly using a simple three-step method you can use on a daily basis. The unconscious mind is a vital part of who we
Shadow Through Others' Words | Guided Active Imagination Exercise | Carl Jung's Method
In this exercise, we're going to be working with the shadow. The shadow is everything we don't like about ourselves that we also hide from conscious awareness, and it exists for good reason. We have to take a stance in life, and any time we do that, something else must be left out. But if there's anywhere that our shadow gets revealed, it's often in our relationships with other people. Some of the
Working with Anger | Guided Active Imagination Exercise | Shadow Work Exercise
In this exercise we're going to be working with anger. Anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions across virtually every tradition — religious, therapeutic, cultural. This is quite simply because most do not differentiate between conscious and unconscious anger, or at least having a conscious relationship to anger or not. As Alan Watts once said, "The idea that there are no wrong feelings is
Transforming Conflict: Guided Active Imagination | Shadow Work Exercise
In this exercise, we're working with conflict — interpersonal conflict. This is a good exercise to do if you've had a conflict recently, especially one with an emotional charge that lingered and where you know there's something more to uncover about yourself and the situation.Interpersonal conflict is one of the best windows into understanding ourselves and our own minds. But whatever self-knowled
The Shadow: Through Others' Eyes | Guided Active Imagination Exercise
In this guided active imagination exercise, we're going to be working with the shadow. The shadow is everything that we don't like about ourselves and that we keep out of conscious awareness. Any time we take a stance in life, something else gets left out, and this creates a number of challenges. What gets left out must find expression somehow, and is a vital and necessary part of our personality
The House: Symbolic Investigation Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Shadow Work Method
The house is a symbol that immediately incites something in all of us. The psyche of its own accord very regularly produces the symbol of a home or a house to communicate the self. There is so much in the symbol that relates to the structure of our minds - houses have multiple floors, multiple rooms, high parts and low parts, underground sections. They contain various objects and various different
What Are You Feeling? | Emotional Integration | Shadow Work Exercise
This exercise is designed to be used on a regular basis for working with and becoming aware of feeling. Feelings are how the body communicates its needs. Whatever you're doing in life, whatever you're working towards, in whatever way you're growing, it's necessary that every action you take resists something else. So we have many needs, but not all of them can be addressed or met at the same time.
The Mirror: Symbolic Investigation Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Shadow Work Method
In ancient Egypt, the word for mirror and the hieroglyph for life shared the same root - "Ankh." From the very beginning, the mirror was understood as offering more than a surface appearance. It was a place where something essential about a person becomes visible. Before polished metal, people saw themselves only in water, and across cultures the mirror appears not as a passive surface but as some
The Inner Critic | Guided Active Imagination Exercise | Carl Jung's Shadow Work Method
The inner critic—a figure most of us can relate to on some level—is often assumed to be on our side, pushing us to improve, to achieve, to become who we're supposed to be. And that's not entirely wrong—it does produce movement, it does compel us to take action. Often entire careers or lifestyles are built around meeting the demands of the inner critic. But often that movement, while it feels like
The Moon: Symbolic Investigation Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Method
<p>For most of human history, the moon was the only source of light after dark, reflecting back the sun's light. It gave humans a sense of time — the word "month" comes directly from the same root as "moon" — and there is evidence to suggest that humans have been tracking its cycles for at least 30,000 years. The moon is probably the most universal symbol of the femin
Working with Fear | Guided Active Imagination Exercise | Carl Jung's Method
In this exercise, we're going to be working with fear. As Carl Jung famously said, "where the fear, there is your task!" Working with fear is a very important part of the individuation journey, and in adult development more generally. There is little growth without confronting fear at some point or another.Often what makes fear so challenging is more about how our mind is relating to it than the f
What is Coming Alive in You? | Jungian Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series
In this exercise, there's no need to decide ahead of time what you'd like to work with. It's appropriate for when you aren't sure quite how you're feeling, or you know there's something that is bothering you but you can't quite get a handle on it. Instead, we ask the question 'what is coming alive in me that is calling for my attention,' and let the unconscious present the seed for the active imag
Honouring the Unconscious | Guided Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series
In this active imagination exercise, there's a particular focus on how to engage with the unconscious effectively. In active imagination practice, one of two things can happen. Either there's a tendency to try and control the experience a bit too much — the ego gets too involved and the unconscious takes a back seat, producing what it already wants to create, and you come away having not really le
The Mountain: Symbolic Investigation Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Method
In almost every tradition, the gods are placed on the mountains - Olympus, Sinai, Fuji. The mountain is where heaven meets earth. In alchemy, the mountain is considered the source of prima materia, containing the raw materials needed for transformation. The ascent of a mountain gives you perspective, expansion, maybe a fleeting peak experience - it literally involves rising up above the earth, but
The Cave: Symbolic Investigation | Guided Active Imagination Exercise
In today's exercise, we're going to be investigating the symbol of the cave. Caves form a profound part of our collective psyche. Long before we had temples or structures of our own, humans were entering caves. The oldest known art on Earth was made deep inside caves. To enter a cave is literally to go inwards, to go beneath the surface — making it a very useful symbol to work with as a way to fac
The Ocean: Symbolic Investigation Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Method
In this active imagination exercise, we investigate the symbol of the ocean. Oceans are possibly the most potent natural symbol of the unconscious mind available to us. Water, when it shows up in visions and dreams, very often represents the unconscious. Some liken the ocean and the psyche to visible and invisible forms of the same reality. We came from the ocean biologically and ancestrally, and
The Forest: Symbolic Investigation Active Imagination | Carl Jung's Method
In this active imagination exercise, we investigate the symbol of the forest. Forests continue to play a vital role in our lives. Much of Europe was once dominated by forest. Today, the Amazon Rainforest is believed to contain around 10% of all the world's species. Forests are often associated with the unconscious itself - they contain many unknown elements, and you never quite know what you're go
ISTJ Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the ISTJ personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Stalwart (introverted sensing), the Commander (extraverted thinking), the Lover (introverted feeling), and the Explorer (extraverted intuition) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you ar
ISFP Personality Type | Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the ISFP personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Lover (introverted feeling), the Tactician (extraverted sensing), the Seer (introverted intuition), and the Commander (extraverted thinking) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you are a
ENTP Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the ENTP personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Explorer (extraverted intuition), the Sage (introverted thinking), the Caregiver (extraverted feeling), and the Stalwart (introverted sensing) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you are
ENFP Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the ENFP personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Explorer (extraverted intuition), the Lover (introverted feeling), the Commander (extraverted thinking), and the Stalwart (introverted sensing) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you ar
ISFJ Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the ISFJ personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Stalwart (introverted sensing), the Caregiver (extraverted feeling), the Sage (introverted thinking), and the Explorer (extraverted intuition) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you are
INTJ Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the INTJ personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Seer (introverted intuition), the Commander (extraverted thinking), the Lover (introverted feeling), and the Tactician (extraverted sensing) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you are a
INFP Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the INFP personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Lover (introverted feeling), the Explorer (extraverted intuition), the Stalwart (introverted sensing), and the Commander (extraverted thinking) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you ar
INTP Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the INTP personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Sage (introverted thinking), the Explorer (extraverted intuition), the Stalwart (introverted sensing), and the Caregiver (extraverted feeling) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.You can do this exercise whether you are
INFJ Active Imagination Exercise | Personality Alchemy
In this exercise, you'll engage with the four main functions of the INFJ personality type through active imagination. You'll meet the Seer (introverted intuition), the Caregiver (extraverted feeling), the Sage (introverted thinking), and the Tactician (extraverted sensing) in symbolic form, allowing for direct dialogue with different aspects of your mind.This exercise uses active imagination, a te
Bare Attention: Working with Feeling | Active Imagination & Meditation Exercise
In any kind of inner work, working with feeling is of utmost importance. This involves first being aware of feeling and then being willing to confront the tension that it brings into your conscious awareness. This guided exercise focuses on a technique called bare attention—directing your awareness to the direct and raw experience of what you are actually experiencing. It combines traditional medi
Core Practice: Daily Active Imagination for Psychological Transformation
In this active imagination exercise, you'll perform what I call simply Core Practice - a foundational technique you can use on a regular, if not daily basis. The idea here is that this is a very basic technique without deciding ahead of time which seed you're going to work with today. Instead, you're going to be simply listening to your mind, to your body and letting it give you a steer and workin
What Needs Attention? Guided Active Imagination Exercise | Core Practice Series | Carl Jung's Method
In this exercise, we're using a technique I call core practice. This is a basic, stripped down active imagination exercise you can use on a daily basis. The idea is that you don't need to decide ahead of time what you're going to be working with. Instead, you're going to listen and respond to your mind, because it usually has a way of telling us what needs to be worked on. It communicates with us
Meeting the Shadow: Active Imagination Exercise for Working with Difficult Parts of Yourself
In this exercise, you'll work directly with the shadow - a key concept in Jungian psychology. As James Hollis defines it, the shadow is "that which is difficult to confront in ourselves." This includes any parts of our minds that we don't like, deny, or push away - behaviours, traits, and clusters of psychic content we'd rather not face.Using a recent situation where you felt indignant or experien
Core Practice: Guided Active Imagination Exercise for Daily Inner Work | Carl Jung's Method
Active imagination is a cornerstone of Jungian psychology. Carl Jung himself said it was "the vital second part of any analysis." Marie-Louise von Franz said it is "the most powerful tool in Jung's psychology for achieving wholeness - far more efficient than dream interpretation alone."In this Core Practice exercise, we'll be bringing it right back to basics, working with either an image or a feel
Beyond the Limen - Part 7 - Your Onward Journey - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
Welcome to Beyond the Limen, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method of self-knowledge. Experience the prof
Beyond the Limen - Part 6 - A Bustling Agora - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
Welcome to Beyond the Limen, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method of self-knowledge. Experience the profound
Beyond the Limen - Part 5 - Facing Fears - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
Welcome to Beyond the Limen, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method of self-knowledge. Experience the profound
Beyond the Limen - Part 4 - Finding Freedom - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
Welcome to Beyond the Limen, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method of self-knowledge. Experience the profound
Beyond The Limen - Part 3 - Planting a Seed - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
Welcome to Beyond the Limen, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method of self-knowledge. Experience the profound
Beyond the Limen - Part 2 - Asking Good Questions - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
<p><strong>Welcome to Beyond the Limen</strong>, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method
Beyond the Limen - Part 1 - Greeting Your Soul - Introduction to Active Imagination Series
Welcome to Beyond the Limen, a seven-part guided introduction to the transformative Jungian practice of active imagination, brought to you by Make it Conscious. Whether you're new to this technique or have prior experience, this series is designed to guide you just below the threshold of conscious awareness, leading to the rediscovery of a timeless method of self-knowledge. Experience the profound
The Fool - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Walking the Path
The Fool, as both the first and last card in the major arcana, represents the spiritual journey from inception to realisation. It hints to the reality that a path exists at all, along with an opportunity to increase in freedom and consciousness, should we so choose. As card number 22, it signifies an ending, of returning home and knowing the place for the first time, whilst the sigil of zero sugge
The World - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Completion and Integration
The World card marks the culmination of the spiritual journey, signifying a moment of profound completion and unity. It represents the successful conclusion of all phases and cycles, where spirit has traversed through the myriad experiences of life, integrating the four modalities of consciousness: will, emotion, intellect, and sensation. This card embodies the wholeness of being that comes from h
Judgement - Tarot Card Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - A Call to Reconciliation and Renewal
The Judgement card, also known as Aeon in the Thoth deck, symbolises crucial moments of clarity, awakening, and the purging of old ways. It stands for the fire of renewal, where past experiences and actions are reviewed, leading to significant insights and transformations. This card encourages us to face our truths, embrace renewal, and step into a new phase of life with a clear understanding of o
The Sun Card - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Stepping into Light
The Sun card is a vibrant symbol of positivity, representing joy, success, and clarity. It signifies a state of illumination and invigoration, stepping into the light after darkness, celebrating newfound freedom and achievement. However, it also warns us of the potential dangers this can bring, such as grandiosity and hubris. In this active imagination exercise, we will explore these themes of The
Dream Re-Entry & Exploration - Revised & Extended - Active Imagination Exercise
Working with dreams often forms a primary part of Jungian analysis and can play a pivotal role in anyone's investigation into themselves. Dreams often form a compensatory role to our conscious attitude, and can provide great insights into the nature of our minds and the direction of our lives, where we might be going off track, and where we might be having conflict with ourselves and the world
Ten of Cups - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Cultivating Fulfilment and Shared Joy
The Ten of Cups signifies reaching a point of emotional fulfilment and stable relationships. It represents a state where efforts have led to success and satisfaction in personal connections. Highlighting periods rich in contentment within family and community life, it underlines the importance of mutual support and understanding. In this active imagination exercise, we'll explore these themes,
The Moon - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Explore your Relationship to the Mystical
The Moon card is associated with mysticism, the occult, and the oceanic expanse of the unconscious mind. Despite its name, it is actually ruled by Neptune, and is the card of Pisces. While all tarot cards relate to the mind and the unconscious in some way, The Moon in particular can be linked to the practice of active imagination and the interface with the unconscious that it facilitates. Carl Jun
Nine of Cups - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Appreciating Life's Pleasures
The Nine of Cups symbolises the attainment of satisfaction and the fulfilment of personal desires. It highlights the importance of acknowledging our achievements and the value of generosity. While it can suggest periods of contentment and gratitude, it also cautions against complacency and indulgence. In this active imagination exercise, we'll navigate these themes, aiming to balance our appre
The Energy of Pisces - Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - The Great Ocean
The Pisces zodiac sign, represented by the Fish, represents intuition, empathy, and the vast unconscious. This sign is distinguished by its deep emotional sensitivity, creative imagination, and a profound connection to all that is unseen. Pisceans excel in blending outer reality with the mystical, seamlessly navigating between the physical and the boundless worlds of their own making. In this acti
Eight of Cups - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Seeking Deeper Emotional Fulfilment
The Eight of Cups prompts a reassessment of what truly fulfils us, encouraging a shift away from stagnant or unfulfilling scenarios towards a path of genuine emotional growth. This card brings to light the necessity of honouring our own needs and aspirations, pushing us to seek environments and connections that offer true engagement and satisfaction. In this active imagination exercise, we will de
The Star - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation Exercise - Looking Forward with Hope
The Star tarot card symbolises hope, inspiration, and renewal, serving as a guiding light through challenging times towards a brighter future. It represents the moment of calm and clarity that emerges after turmoil, promising healing and a renewed sense of purpose. It encourages us to trust our inner guidance system, highlighting the potential for growth and spiritual replenishment. In this active
Seven of Swords - Tarot Active Imagination - Embracing Idiosyncrasies
The Seven of Swords challenges us to confront the aspects of evasion, strategy, and even deceit within ourselves and in our dealings with the world. It invites us to consider the value of novelty and idiosyncrasy, as well as the consequences of acting on half-truths or engaging in avoidance. This card reflects on the need for individuality and the courage to stand apart, but it also warns against
Walking with the Animus - Guided Active Imagination Exercise - Jungian Shadow Work
The Animus is a personification of the masculine principle that exists in the psyche of every individual. The Animus is an important archetype that can provide insights into our assertive, rational, and goal-oriented selves. In this exercise, we will use active imagination to help you connect with your Animus and gain insights into your inner world.
Active Imagination is a technique developed by
Six of Swords - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Moving on to Hope
The Six of Swords symbolises moving forward from difficult situations into a clearer, more hopeful state. This card highlights the importance of open communication, learning, and the harnessing of skills and expertise. While it suggests advancement and intellectual growth, it also cautions against detachment and intellectual arrogance. In this active imagination exercise, we'll navigate these them
The Energy of Aquarius - Active Imagination Meditation - Exploring Freedom
The Aquarius zodiac sign, symbolised by the Water Bearer, represents innovation, individuality, and humanitarianism. This sign is known for its forward-thinking vision, its desire for progress, and its focus on the collective good. Aquarians are often seen as unconventional, valuing freedom and independence. In this active imagination exercise, we will connect with the energy of Aquarius, explorin
Five of Swords - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Resolving Conflict
The Five of Swords represents the challenges of conflict and disagreement in our lives. It often points to situations of stress, misunderstandings, and broken relationships. This card brings to light the complexities of human interactions, such as grudges, deceit, and judgmental attitudes. In this active imagination exercise, we'll explore these themes of conflict, aiming to understand their impac
The Tower - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Resilience Amidst Change
The Tower symbolises sudden upheaval, revelation, and the dismantling of established structures. It often represents a necessary but dramatic change, shaking the foundations of our beliefs, perceptions, or ways of life. This card challenges us to confront the instability and unpredictability of life, urging us to find strength and resilience in the face of dramatic, unexpected changes. In this act
Four of Disks - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Build Material Security
The Four of Disks invites us to examine our approach to stability, particularly in the realms of work and finances. It encourages us to consider how we build and maintain our material foundations, balancing the need for security with the potential for growth. This card prompts us to reflect on our handling of physical resources, encouraging us not to become too rigid or guarded in our quest for st
The Devil - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Build Discipline and Determination
The Devil in tarot, not to be confused with the devil of religion, represents a complex array of meanings tied to the material world and our experiences within it. It symbolises the notions of seniority, expertise, manifestation, and the challenges of material and societal constraints. Associated with Capricorn and ruled by Saturn, this card delves into the themes of discipline, determination, and
Three of Disks - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Master Your Craft
The Three of Disks or Pentacles represents dedication to artistic and vocational work. It emphasises labor, discipline, and the development of practical competence and skills. This card is associated with immersion in work, whether it involves crafting art, designing, fashion, architecture, or mastering a professional skill. It stresses the importance of precision, attention to detail, and the rec
The Energy of Capricorn - Active Imagination Meditation - Harness Ambition and Discipline
Capricorn, symbolised by the mountain goat, is associated with structure, ambition, and discipline. As the cardinal Earth sign, it embodies the qualities of practicality, reliability, and a focused approach to achieving goals. This sign is known for its ability to build enduring structures, both metaphorically and literally, through careful planning and unwavering determination. In this active ima
Two of Disks - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Make Prudent Financial Decisions
The Two of Disks often deals with the balancing act in financial and business matters. It represents the early, often unstable stages of financial ventures, the challenges of managing multiple income streams, and the wisdom needed in investment and resource allocation. This card embodies the dual nature of risk and reward in financial decisions. In this exercise, you will explore your ability to n
The Rebel Archetype - Active Imagination Meditation - Break Free From Conventional Norms
The Rebel archetype embodies the spirit of defiance, innovation, and breaking free from conventional norms. It represents the courage to challenge the status quo and the willingness to forge new paths. Engaging with the Rebel archetype can empower us to question existing paradigms and discover our authentic selves, often leading to significant personal and societal transformations. In this active
Ten of Wands - Tarot Active Imagination Meditation - Achievement and Completion
The Ten of Wands captures the essence of achievement coupled with the weight of the responsibilities it entails. It symbolises the journey towards completion, often laden with the burden of expectations and duties. This card prompts us to evaluate our commitments and understand their impact on our lives. In this exercise, you'll embark on a metaphorical ascent up a mountain, carrying a pack that r
Shadow Child - Guided Active Imagination - Advanced Shadow Work Exercise
This is an advanced shadow work exercise for those who are sincere about confronting uncomfortable aspects of themselves and experienced in voluntarily working with feeling. If you are new to shadow work, it is recommended to first perform some of the fundamental exercises from the Active Imagination Playlist, for example The Wall, Journey into the Depths and The Shadow Room, before progressing to
