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Michelangelo was once asked how he went about the sculpting process. His answer?
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“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
Tuning into nature is like plugging into a battery charger, or divine power cord. For an experience of Earth’s power and wonderful recharging assistance find someplace in nature – it can be a wilderness area, a neighborhood park, your own backyard, or even just an open window that you can look and feel through.
"What becomes possible in your imagination becomes possible in your experience. You interrupt what you consider reality in favor of a preferred altered reality, and you begin to embody that divine idea. You begin to benefit from the positive emotions stimulated by the creative possibility."
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​Linda Martella-Whitsett & Alicia Whitsett. This Life Is Yours
Below are some ways to access and experience your Power of Imagination in tangible ways.
First, awaken your imagination by accessing time in the Silence.
Charles and Myrtle Fillmore practiced going to the Silence as a foundation of their lives and encouraged us to do likewise in order to harmonize our minds as the Mind of Christ. Unity, along with humanity’s major faith traditions, encourages us to use meditative practices to connect with the truth of the Infinite being and awareness. In the Silence we open to the impetus of Spirit, and we open our imaginations to envision what is ours to do in loving service of each other and our planet.
Second, allow your imagination time to explore and play.
Studies have shown how engaged our imaginations are when we allow our attention to wander, as when we are walking through nature, doing mundane tasks, or just noticing the simple patterns of our days. Times when our minds roam and daydream are an incubation period for the imagination to play and explore. Researcher Brene Brown, in her book Atlas of the Heart, encourages us to turn off our busyness and embrace our unexciting moments as salient opportunities to let our imaginations loose and see what creative impulses arise. Enjoy quiet time in natural landscapes and let Earth inspire the imagination to unfold through us.
Third, create a practice of gratitude.
For the manifest world and the infinite variety of creative expressions, any of which can ignite the power of Imagination. For example, we might view images captured by the James Webb telescope, watch creatures swim in a tidepool, or even sit on our porch and observe the myriad bugs and flying things that visit our gardens. We experience awe, joy, and delight, allowing Life to amaze us, awaken us, and urge us to imagine what else is out there. Notice how we are wired to share such joy and gratitude with others and be spokespersons for the world’s beauty, deepening our relationships with Her.
Forth, visualize the positive outcomes for a climate-changed world.
Engage your imagination by looking at a challenge or problematic situation, exploring resolutions we would like to occur, and feeling excited for the desired results unfolding. For example, we can imagine conversations with others, grounded in love, which raise awareness of human capability to embrace the well-being of our one planet. Or we can imagine our cities with more vibrant green spaces, enhanced climate-friendly transportation systems, and/or expanded community gardens. We nurture our visions and respond in a practical way, until what we imagined is manifested in some concrete way, maybe in a fashion even more wonderful than we first imagined!
Fifth, imagine what a healthy, reciprocal relationship with Earth looks and feels like.
In this view, we not only look at what Earth provides for us, but we imagine how we might live in more gracious service to Her. This involves honoring the physical world (including our own bodies), having gratitude for all we have been given, and attuning to Spirit to understand what is being asked of us. This exercise deepens a healthy human-Earth connection. It changes the relationship from us believing in human domination over the natural world, to a loving and respectful relationship with humans honoring nature as the gracious physical foundation of our incarnation experiences.
Finally, use affirmative prayer combined with imagination to strengthen.
The work of people in various fields of governance, industry, academia, and other fields, seeing them successful in birthing new technologies, solutions, and consumer and economic systems to support the healing, well-being, and transformation of our climate-changed world. We allow Spirit to express the good through us, knowing that what we can imagine can come to light – if not exactly in the ways we first imagined, then in a way even more profound.
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Expanding Our Imaginations - Questions and Actions
Unity principles hold that there is One Power, One Presence, and One Divine Reality active as the Universe and as our lives. This Divine Presence of us is the same Presence of Earth and all beings.
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Attune to this One Power in Silence and meditation and open to this Presence of all.
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How does this meditation move you? ​
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How does it inform you as to the importance of your contribution to the well-being of the planet?
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What specific idea can you imagine and implement?
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Commit to one thing you want to try that is new or novel (have fun with this!), whether alone or in a community, to support a vital planet for humanity and all beings. Such ideas abound, including conserving water, cutting food waste, making sure appliances, lights, and windows are energy efficient, eating less meat, planting trees, voting, and paying attention to our carbon footprint. Each thing we do is important, and it changes the planet as well as our consciousness.
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It’s fun to do things as a community as well. Ride bikes together, volunteer for the protection and well-being of forests, engage in an EarthCare group in the congregation, take a trip to see a beautiful environment and be in awe and gratitude together. When Spirit prompts our imaginations and we follow, excellent adventures await us.
Spend time in nature as a practice.
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Find places close to home that are accessible. They can be wild and majestic, or as simple as a flowering yard. Pay attention to the details. Allow your senses to open, and ready yourself to be curious, amused, soothed, or inspired. How might you imagine bringing the peace and insights of such natural connections into your day-to-day expressions?
Imagine a transformative and positive response to a specific challenge that is related to climate change.
In your mind, imagine a situation you are experiencing (e.g., extreme heat, drought, or worsening storms), and how our response might move from experiencing destruction to our being transformative, or from responding in fear to responding in love. How does seeing it differently inspire you to feel and then act differently? How might you share those new insights?
Life is asking us to be creative and imaginative evolutionaries in consciousness, feeling deeply our reciprocal relationship with our Mother Earth, open to change, and excited by possibilities. How do we see/imagine ourselves showing up to explore novel ideas and live joyously in expectation of the evolving good, and not giving in to any anxiety due to our climate-changing world?
State an affirmative prayer that opens your imagination, energizes you, and creates a sense of joy and anticipation for the good unfolding. To start, try placing the fingertips of one hand on your “third eye” spot just above and between your physical eyes, and put your other hand on your heart. Allow love and energy to energize your imaginings. Power up the prayer!