The World Could Be Otherwise – Norman Fischer
(Selections from “Imagination” pp. 1-25)
- The imagination is powerful. It is essential for our humanness. The Bible and other religious texts, folktales, myths, rhymes, poems, plays, novels, anecdotes, music, ritual, pictures, dreams – all imaginative productions rise up from the unconscious to expand the soul, to help us feel who we really are and what the world really is. They help us move beyond the habitual one-dimensional perspective of our outer perceptions and fearful emotions. Imagination isn’t an escape from reality. Imagination deepens and enriches reality, adding texture, depth, dimension, feeling, and possibility.
- The imagination doesn’t measure, devise or instrumentalize. It doesn’t define or manipulate. Instead, its nature is to open, to mystify, to delight, shock, inspire. It extends without limit. It leaps from the known to the unknown, leaping beyond facts to visions and intensities. It lightens up the heavy circumscribed world we think we live in. It plays in the deep end, where heart and love hold sway.
- What we feel inside – the currents of meaning and meaninglessness, of love and loneliness, of possibility and impossibility – is almost measureless. How can we ever understand who we really are and what makes us do what we do, feel what we feel? Only the imagination is deep and wide enough to open us to the profound healing in which we feel in ourselves the feeling of others.
The Place of All Possibility – Adina Allen (pp. 63-64)
We all want the world to be a better place – more just, more sustainable, more peaceful, more kind – But our stated values and aspirations often don’t perfectly line up with our actions in the world. Rather than something to be ashamed of, this slippage between what we desire and what we actually do is a fertile place to explore. The creative process is uniquely suited for this task. When we access that place of creativity in ourselves, we know that we are held by and connected to a force larger than ourselves. From this place of connection, we are humbled and whole, and this can help us realign our internal experience with our external selves that are active in the world. In our creative practice our defenses come down and the place of all possibility opens to us.
R Nahman of Breslav – Tik’u Tokheha
Likutei Moharan 2:7-9 (selections)
(א) ...וְעַל־יְדֵי הִתְפַּשְׁטוּת הַנְּבוּאָה עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְבָּרֵר וְנִתְתַּקֵּן בְּחִינַת כֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, בִּבְחִינַת (הושע י״ב:י״א): וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּה; כִּי עִקָּר תִּקּוּן וּבֵרוּר הַמְדַמֶּה הוּא כְּשֶׁהוּא בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִים, וּכְשֶׁנִּתְתַּקֵּן הַמְדַמֶּה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְתַּקֵּן הָאֱמוּנָה הָאֲמִתִּיוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה, וְנִתְבַּטֵּל אֱמוּנוֹת כָּזְבִּיּוֹת. (ב) כִּי עִקָּר הָאֱמוּנָה תְּלוּיָה בְּכֹחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, כִּי בַּמֶּה שֶׁהַשֵּׂכֶל מֵבִין אֵין שַׁיָּךְ אֱמוּנָה, וְעִקָּר אֱמוּנָה הִיא רַק בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁהַשֵּׂכֶל נִפְסָק וְאֵינוֹ מֵבִין הַדָּבָר בְּשִׂכְלוֹ, שָׁם צְרִיכִין אֱמוּנָה, וּכְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מֵבִין הַדָּבָר בְּשִׂכְלוֹ, אֲזַי נִשְׁאָר רַק בִּבְחִינַת כֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, וְשָׁם צְרִיכִין אֱמוּנָה. נִמְצָא שֶׁעִקָּר הָאֱמוּנָה הִיא בִּבְחִינַת הַמְדַמֶּה, וְעַל־כֵּן עַל־יְדֵי הִתְפַּשְׁטוּת הַנְּבוּאָה שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְבָּרֵר וְנִתְתַּקֵּן הַמְדַמֶּה, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְתַּקֵּן הָאֱמוּנָה הָאֲמִתִּיוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה כַּנַּ"ל....
When prophecy proliferates
The power of imagination is refined and established.
Thus: “I am imagined by the prophets”, (Hosea 12:11) because imagination is refined and established when it is in the hands of the prophets.
The establishment of imagination facilitates the establishment of trust in what is true and holy, as opposed to relying on falsehoods.
At its core, trust depends on imagination.
Trust does not apply to matters that you can comprehend intellectually.
Trust is needed when the intellect reaches its limits. It is when intellect is inadequate that you need trust.
When you can no longer encompass a matter with your intellect, all that is left to you is imagination, and that is where you need trust.
The essence of trust is imagination.
That is why the proliferation of prophecy, which involves the refinement and establishment of the faculty of imagination, establishes trust in what is true and holy.
(ד) ...אֲבָל בְּלֹא בְּחִינַת נְבוּאָה אֵין הַמְדַמֶּה בָּרוּר וּמְתֻקָּן, וַאֲזַי הַמְדַמֶּה מְעָרֵב וּמְבַלְבֵּל אֶת הָאָדָם בֶּאֱמוּנוֹת כָּזְבִּיּוֹת. (ה) וְזֶה בְּחִינַת זֻהֲמַת הַנָּחָשׁ. כִּי עֵרוּב וּבִלְבּוּל הַמְדַמֶּה, שֶׁמְּעָרֵב וּמְבַלְבֵּל בֶּאֱמוּנוֹת כָּזְבִּיּוֹת, זֶה בְּחִינַת זֻהֲמַת הַנָּחָשׁ. כִּי כָל הַמְנַחֲשִׁים וְהַקּוֹסְמִים כֻּלָּם הֵם עַל־יְדֵי כֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְבֹרָר וּמְתֻקָּן, שֶׁמְּעָרֵב וּמְבַלְבֵּל אוֹתָם בֶּאֱמוּנוֹת כָּזְבִּיּוֹת שֶׁל שְׁטוּת וָשֶׁקֶר שֶׁהֵם זֻהֲמַת הַנָּחָשׁ. (ו) וְעַל־כֵּן יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁעָמְדוּ עַל הַר סִינַי, פָּסְקָה זֻהֲמָתָן (שבת קמו), כִּי שָׁם זָכוּ כֻּלָּם לִנְבוּאָה, עַל־יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, רַבָּן שֶׁל כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים, שֶׁהָיָה מַנְהִיג הָאֲמִתִּי שֶׁלָּהֶם. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְבָּרֵר וְנִתְתַּקֵּן הַמְדַמֶּה אֶצְלָם, וְזָכוּ לֶאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה בַּה'. וְעַל־כֵּן פָּסְקָה זֻהֲמָתָן, זֻהֲמַת הַנָּחָשׁ, שֶׁהוּא אֱמוּנוֹת כָּזְבִּיּוֹת, כִּי זָכוּ לִשְׁלֵמוּת אֱמוּנָה הַיְשָׁרָה דִּקְדֻשָּׁה עַל־יְדֵי בֵּרוּר הַמְדַמֶּה, שֶׁזָּכוּ עַל־יְדֵי רוּחַ־נְבוּאָה כַּנַּ"ל....
But without prophecy, imagination is not refined and established, and it can rather confuse you with misplaced, trust in falsehoods.
This is symbolized by “the snake’s filth”. The confused and mixed-up imagination which confuses and combines truth with false beliefs and misplaced trust is “the snake’s filth”.
Sorcerers and soothsayers work with an unrefined and unsettled imagination which confuses and misleads them into putting trust in lies and absurdities. This is “the snake’s filth”.
That is the meaning of – “when Israel stood at Sinai, they were cleansed of their filth”.
At Sinai they all experienced prophecy, thanks to our teacher Moshe, the master of all prophets, who was their leader in truth.
Through that relationship, they refined and restored their imagination and achieved full trust in God.
“They were cleansed of their filth” means the filth of the Snake, their trust in falsehoods. They achieved a straight-forward holy trust by means of refining the imagination which they were able to do through their interaction with the spirit of prophecy.
(ח) כִּי עִקָּר חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם, דְּהַיְנוּ לֵידַע שֶׁהָעוֹלָם מְחֻדָּשׁ וְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בָּרָא אֶת הָעוֹלָם בִּרְצוֹנוֹ, הוּא תָּלוּי בֶּאֱמוּנָה, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי שֵׂכֶל אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהָבִין חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם, וְעַל־כֵּן הָאֶפִּיקוֹרְסִים כּוֹפְרִים בָּזֶה, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהָבִין זֹאת בַּשֵּׂכֶל. כִּי עִקָּר חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם הוּא רַק עַל־יְדֵי אֱמוּנָה, כִּי אָנוּ מַאֲמִינִים בַּה' שֶׁהוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ בָּרָא אֶת הָעוֹלָם מֵחָדָשׁ. כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם הָיָה עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינַת אֱמוּנָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהילים ל״ג:ד׳): וְכָל מַעֲשֵׂהוּ בֶּאֱמוּנָה. נִמְצָא שֶׁעִקָּר חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם תָּלוּי בֶּאֱמוּנָה.
The renewal of the world, the capacity to live in consciousness that the world is new, created through God’s desire, is dependent on trust. The creation of a new world cannot be comprehended intellectually, which is why the heretics reject this idea. Consciousness of a renewed world depends on trust – we trust the blessed One who created the world anew. Indeed, the creation of a new world came about through trust, as it says: “All God’s actions are through trust [lit. trustworthy]” … Trust is crucial to the renewal of the world.
(א) ט וְעַל־יְדֵי אֱמוּנָה יִהְיֶה חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם לֶעָתִיד. (ב) כִּי הִתְקַבְּצוּת הַחֲסָדִים, שֶׁעַל־יָדָם יִהְיֶה חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם, בִּבְחִינוֹת (תהלים פט): כִּי אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה, הוּא עַל־יְדֵי אֱמוּנָה, בִּבְחִינַת (שם צב): לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדְּךָ וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת. אֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת – זֶה בְּחִינַת הָאֱמוּנָה, שֶׁהִיא תְּלוּיָה בְּכֹחַ הַמְדַמֶּה, שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת לַיְלָה, בְּחִינַת חֲלוֹם לַיְלָה, שֶׁבָּא עַל־יְדֵי הַמְדַמֶּה. וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה: לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ, הַיְנוּ בְּחִינַת חֶסֶד הַנַּ"ל, שֶׁעַל־יָדוֹ יִהְיֶה חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם לֶעָתִיד כַּנַּ"ל....
The future renewal of the world will come about through trust.
The world will be renewed through the accumulation of acts of love, as it says: “the world will be established on love”.
This will happen through trust, as it says: “to tell of Your love in the morning, and of Your trustworthiness at night”.
“Trustworthiness at night” refers to trust, which depends on imagination, which is associated with night, as in “a dream of the night” that comes into being through imagination.
This (trust in imagination) will lead to: “Tell(ing) of Your love in the morning”, referring to the acts of love which will renew the world in the future, as we said.