Creative Visualization

"Creative visualization is magic in the truest and highest meaning of
the word. It involves understanding and aligning yourself with the natural
principles that govern the workings of our universe, and learning to
use these principles in the most conscious and creative way."
"If you had never seen a gorgeous flower or a spectacular sunset
before, and someone described one to you, you might consider it to be
a miraculous thing (which it truly is!). Once you saw a few yourself,
and began to learn something about the natural laws involved, you
would begin to understand how they are formed and it would seem
natural to you and not particularly mysterious. The same is true of the
process of creative visualization. What at first might seem amazing or
impossible to the very limited type of education our rational minds
have received, becomes perfectly understandable once we learn and
practice with the underlying concepts involved."

There is nothing weird or New Age about creative visualization.
We live out so much of our lives in our imaginations, making pictures
or movies of what we'd like to happen or what we fear will
happen. We visualize all the time, but in an unconscious way. With
creative visualization, you consciously decide and take responsibility
for what you want to manifest as reality in your life.
Practicing creative visualization is about appreciating the join
between imagination and reality, between the unseen laws that govern
the world and its physical reality. Could it be, then, that the failure to
bring about what you have wanted in life may simply be a lack of
knowledge or appreciation of the way the universe operates? This book
will be particularly useful if you are a "go with the flow" person yet
realize that you need to have more control over your future. This is the
paradox that Shakti Gawain appreciated when she sat down to write
the book, so you are not alone.
The technique
Think about things in your life that you want: a new job or to start a
business, a beautiful relationship, a feeling of peace or serenity,
improved mental skills, sporting prowess.
With creative visualization, the key to success is to quieten your mind
so that your brainwaves are at "alpha" level. You will often find this
state just before sleep, first thing in the morning, while meditating, or
perhaps sitting next to a river or in a forest. While your first instinct may
be to dream up nice "things" that you want, the real purpose is to peel
away the layers of your normal reactive self and let thoughts flow that
express the higher you. From this position you are only likely to think
about what is really best for you and what would make you truly happy.
If, for instance, you have been having trouble with someone at
work, instead of your usual feelings of spite and dislike, picture yourself communicating in a relaxed and open way with that person.
Whatever has been said before between you, let it go and mentally
bless the person anyway. The next time you come into contact, the normal
barriers may seem to have evaporated and you may be surprised
how quickly things change for the better.
Gawain notes that the purpose of creative visualization is not to
"control" people with your mind—it doesn't work if used for negative
or manipulative ends—but to "dissolve our internal barriers to natural
harmony."
The science of creative visualization
How can creative visualization work?
? The physical universe is energy. All matter, when you break it down
to smaller and smaller bits, is made up of particles of energy that
when put together in a specific way create the illusion of "solidity."
? Different types of matter have different levels of particle vibration. A
rock, a flower, or a person is energy moving at different vibrations.
Energy of a certain quality or vibration tends to attract that of a
similar vibration. A thought is a form of light, mobile energy that
tends to find physical expression.
? When we creatively visualize or make affirmations of positive outcomes
and states, we are radiating thought energy into the universe.
The universe responds in the form of matter or events. Creative visualization
is literally "sowing the seeds" of the life we want.
Some further points include the following:
? Affirmations. You don't have to actually "see" images to be a creative
visualizer. Some people aren't very good at this and find it more effective
merely to think about what they desire, or turn it into an affirmation
(e.g., "I deserve the best and the best is coming to me now.")
Affirmations, Gawain says, "make firm what you are imaging." They
must be in the present tense and should include verbs. Power also tends
to be added if you invoke God, infinite intelligence, or the universe.
? Accepting your good. You may feel that you are unworthy of getting
all that you'd like in life. Before you visualize, make sure that you
are willing to accept what comes to you. Love yourself first. ? Belief. You don't need to believe in any spiritual or metaphysical
ideas for creative visualization to work; all the power you need to
do it successfully is already in you.
? Health and prosperity. You can heal yourself and others through
visualizing perfect health, and begin to gain an awareness of the true
abundance of the universe through picturing all that is constantly
being created.
Final comments
Creative Visualization is a rather slim volume and you may be disappointed
when first leafing through it, but its principles and many exercises have
changed a lot of lives. Consider that it has sold over three million copies
and been translated into 25 languages, and the term "creative visualization"
has entered the public vocabulary and become its own subject area.
While saying to yourself an affirmation such as "The divine light is
within me and is creating miracles in my life" may seem peculiar at
first, you may find that this, or another affirmation, brings a sense of
peace and confidence. Once an image or an affirmation becomes part of
you, miraculous things can indeed happen. The book has many affirmations
to guide you, so it's worth buying if only for these.
Gawain says that, as you get deeper into it, creative visualization
becomes less of a technique and more a state of consciousness in which
you realize just how much you are the continuous creator of your world.
You can eliminate the need to worry, plan, or manipulate, because it dawns
on you that these things in fact have a lot less power to change than does
the relaxed visualization of outcomes that reflect your higher purpose.
Shakti Gawain
Gawain studied psychology and dance at Reed College and the University
of California, and after graduating traveled for two years in Europe
and Asia studying eastern philosophies, meditation, and yoga. After
returning to America she involved herself in the human potential movement,
reading intensively and working with various teachers.
Other books include Living in the Light: A Guide to Personal and
Planetary Transformation (1986), Return to the Garden (1989), Gawain's
personal story, The Path of Transformation (1993), Creating True Prosperity
(1997), and The Creative Visualization Workbook (1995).