May 14, 2023

 I’ve always been slow on the uptake, especially when it comes to the Imaginal. There are certain things that have been present since the beginning of these journeys that I haven’t understood fully and have just written off. Well, now I’m beginning to understand something critical: The transmission of wisdom isn’t one way, it’s reciprocal. I’ve taken the beings that I meet in the Imaginal to be the source of wisdom and it’s true that they are. However, as a human being from the physical world, I bring wisdom with me. 


I believe that traditionally the function of the Imaginal Realm has been to serve as a meeting place for creatures of the physical world like me and beings from the spiritual realms. We meet to share wisdom. There is a reciprocity that enlightens the realms ‘below’ as much as it does the realms ‘above’ - of course, there is no such thing as higher or lower or above or below. I use that language merely for expediency


So, a few days ago when ‘Gabriel’ was showing me excerpts from the ‘King David’s’ life - and when I met King David and he seemed surprised by my pointing out the ever-growing bank of ‘negative karma’ due in part to the split between heaven and hell and good and evil and male and female, etc - part of what I was missing was the importance of the wisdom I bring to the Imaginal. Gabriel wanted to show me why David was so biased against demons and women in the hope that I would understand him better and probably cut him some slack.


This points to something subtle. I’ve been operating under the assumption that the beings in the Imaginal know what’s going on down here on Earth but I don’t think this is true. I think they only learn what’s happening here when they meet someone like me and there are damned few of us these days. In the distant past, this was probably different. I think humans routinely journeyed into the Imaginal and came bearing the gift of their experiences and wisdom. In other words, unlike the humans who make an appearance these days in the Imaginal, these past humans weren’t extractive. They weren’t using the Imaginal to enhance their lives on Earth with wisdom they extort from the beings they encounter.


These days, most humans who visit the Imaginal are tourists - if they are still living - and ghosts, if they are dead. The tourists come to have a good time, experience a mind-blowing adventure and get some goodies that their egos can use to enhance their reputation back on Earth. They are thrill-seekers. Or they are dead and, because they lack the development necessary to participate fully in the Imaginal, pass through on their way probably to being reincarnated. It’s just a Bardo to them and they appear as ghostly forms, blind to everything but their own regrets and torments.


There are shamans, too, and most of these people are doing legitimate work in the Imaginal. As you know if you’ve been reading these entries, I’ve encountered a number of shamans. It’s unclear how aware of me they are and if they even realize that some random white dude from Michigan is helping them. They have more development but also tend to be a little myopic, seeing only what they want to see in order to accomplish their current mission. I put these people on a higher moral ground but they are still mostly using the Imaginal to get something. Maybe they are not trying to enrich their own lives and are serving people for legitimate reasons but they are still trying to make something happen.


I am now, very belatedly, coming to realize that there are just damned few people like me in the Imaginal these days and that’s why the entities (who are no human - living or dead) are generally surprised to see me there. They also tend to be quite curious; they want to know who I am and how I got there. I think they are also surprised that I’m not there to extract something, rather I am there because I’ve been called there to serve. I’m not engaging in some elaborate ritual or placing charms or wards around me or seeking to insert myself where I don’t belong. I come because I’ve been called and then diligently seek to help, even if I can be incredibly thick-headed about figuring out what exactly I’m needed for.


All this implies that maybe time has more bearing in the Imaginal than expected. I don’t understand how time works there but do get that the events in the Imaginal are connected for the most part to events in the physical world and therefore are somewhat time-sensitive. Time isn’t the same there, though, and doesn’t seem to move in the same way. People can get stuck in time there and languish for perhaps centuries before I find them. Still, it doesn’t appear that they know how much time has passed since they went into a state of suspended animation. I doubt I’ll ever understand it fully and maybe it’s not meant to be understood. I think it’s more important to continue to show up when I’m called and serve as best I can while being aware that my presence there is having an impact beyond simply the task at hand.


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