What does visualization mean? Everyone is talking about it, but the language is so limited that we usually think the definition of visualization is "seeing something in our mind's eye."

In fact, it is as natural as using any other sense . . . seeing, smelling, and feeling what's in front of you. Everyone does it . . . that's the purpose of imagination.

If you have an imagination,  you can visualize.

And in case you doubt you have an imagination, I guarantee you do have one!

You use it . . .

• when you dream,
• when your mind wanders during a boring meeting,
• when you think of what you want for dinner,
• when you try to remember where you parked . . .

We usually think that people who are imaginative are those doing creative arts: painting, decorating, cooking, writing, composing, and so on. And if we don't do those things, we must not be very imaginative.

In fact, imagination is actually how you do many ordinary things.

Did you know that it is your imagination that . . .

• let's you remember things,
• let's you anticipate happy things in the future,
• gives you the ability to worry,
• inspires solutions to problems that arise,
• gives you ideas like a new spice to add to an old recipe, or how to do something more efficiently,
• allows you to tell other people about things that have happened to you,
• and makes you see things, visually? (Your eyes don't actually "picture" anything... it is your mind's imagination that puts together electrical impulses to create an image of what you're looking at.)

Everyone can do this.

The funny thing about it is that everyone does it all the time. Some people are just better at noticing it.

Even with visuals! I'd bet you $10 you can call up pictures on the screen of your mind, at least sometimes.

Want to try it? Close your eyes. Take a deep relaxing breath . . .

Think of where you keep your keys.

Think of the person you love most.

Think about what's in your refrigerator.

That is visualizing. Not so mysterious or impossible after all, is it?

What Visualization Looks Like

We all envision things unconsciously, that is, when we aren't trying. You just don't normally notice these mental pictures, because they go by so quickly.

And because you don't stress about how perfect or imperfect it is.

This is information that is critical to your success, but often overlooked. When you call it "visualize", it's easy to expect too much.

But images in your head just aren't going to be as clear as looking at something with your eyes. Not for the vast majority of people. That's okay. That's normal.

They might look like . . .

    a fleeting image,

    a snapshot,

    a full-color motion picture.

But it's still visualizing.

And if vision isn't your primary sensory mode, it's likely to start out at the first, and grow towards the last. That is, your visualizations may be weak in the visual sense, at first, because they're stronger in other senses, like feelings or sounds.

So you can do it - you always have been able to! Even though you don't realize you're doing it.

With practice, you can successfully envision whatever and whenever you choose.

If you can make it real in your mind/body, then it will manifest in the world.

Consciously or unconsciously, in every moment, you already do create reality, to align with your imagination . . . that is, with your beliefs and your thoughts and your preprogrammed patterns.

T.Lobsang Rampa in his book 'Wisdom of the Ancients' said about imagination:
Imagination is the picturing of one's desires or one's fears, and imagination is the greatest force of all, greater than will-power, in some way it’s  greater than love. It is an old lore of psychologists that in any battle between the will and imagination, the imagination always wins, and if we try to conquer imagination by brute will-power then we cause a neurotic condition. The imagination still wins because the imagination causes a breakdown, so that the imagination must conquer. There cannot be love without imagination. In passing, it needs rather more than just animal passion to keep two people in harmony. If the imagination says that one shall not do such -and-such a thing, than, no matter how strong the will, a person cannot do it. If you want to get results you will have to control your imagination so that it and friend will-power work together in harmony.

If you're reality doesn't line up with the one you think you want to create, this means that you're not taking charge of your imagination. Your imagination is taking charge of you.

Taking Command Of Unconscious Visualization

The thing is, you already visualize. Everyone naturally visualizes. All the time. creative visualization, power, visualize, imagination.

You do it in your dreams every single night. And you do it subconsciously throughout the day, too.

The really scary thing is that subconscious visualization is usually negative visualization.

Negative Visualization

As Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen point out in their book, Dare to Win, negative visualization is when you tell yourself things like . . .

• What would I do if they died? I couldn't go on!
• Now my throat hurts . . . I knew I was going to catch that cold.
• If they find out I screwed up, I'm finished.
• I'll never be able to buy a house.
• I never want to get cancer!
• It's so hard to lose weight.
• She's up to no good; I can feel it.
• Who am I kidding? Nothing ever works out for me.
• I can't do this!

The Power Of Speech

The terrible potency of your self-talk is starkly obvious when you really understand these sage words,

"I have said ye are Gods."

Those words are from Jesus [John 10:34], but most sacred texts say basically the same thing.

You create your world, literally, with the thoughts you empower.

In Wicca, this phenomenon is called . . . As Above, So Below.

Why Visualize?

Creative visualization, then, is using the power of your imagination to experience a new reality.

In this way, you can create changes in your life that are beyond the ability of your brain or body alone.

We do this all the time. We know that As Above, So Below is simply the way the world works. So we learn to harness our imagination through the power of visualization.

Harnessing the awesome power of the imagination is key Co-creating Your Reality.

In other words, say you have been unable to attract the relationship, job, health, wealth, or whatever else that you want. No matter what you try, you can't make it happen.

This suggests that your subconscious is running an automatic program - or belief - that block you from achieving this goal. (See Positive Affirmations for more on this.)

So you can continue to bang your head against a wall that your subconscious mind will not let you through. Or you can change your mind, and walk free.

The Power of Visualization

That's the power of creative visualization . . . It dramatically reorganizes subconscious beliefs, to allow new opportunities to manifest in your life.

Because whatever you believe in your subconscious mind, is exactly what you will experience in waking reality.

This is true to such an extent, that you can know what your subconscious beliefs are just by looking at what's working in your life and what's not.

E. Paul Torrance, an educational psychologist at the University of Georgia, makes it clear when he says “…a person’s image of the future may be a better predictor of future attainment than his past performances.”

In other words . . .

It's not your history that determines your future.

It's your picture of that future.

So if you want something different in your life, you need to change what you believe.

Visualizing With Imagination

Another part of visualization technique is the ability to use your imagination. So developing your imagination is critical to your visualization success - at least in terms of creating your own reality through visualization.

Visualization Exercise

On a blank piece of paper, with a fat black marker, print the first letter of your first name, big and clear. Then hang this on a wall in front of you.

Sit right in front of the letter, at just the distance that you can see it best. Look carefully at the letter. . . study it with full attention.

Then close your eyes. Imagine you're looking at that piece of paper. Imagine seeing the letter in front of you, at the perfect distance for perfect viewing.

Can you see the letter in your mind's eye? It will appear there. But if you're not used to using your imagination, it might flash so quickly at first that you don't notice anything.

Don't strain. When you lose the image, or if you can't really see it yet, simply open your eyes and look at the paper again. Study the image. Then close your eyes and imagine you still see it.

Keep doing this until your mind understands how to visualize the letter with your eyes closed, as well opened.

Of course you won't really see it, not like it is on paper. Not at first, anyway. But over time, it will get clearer and clearer until you realize you can see it perfectly clearly with your eyes closed.

This is the fascinating thing about imagination. It's not so much that you can't see it perfectly right from the start. It's that you don't realize you can see it.

This may not make much sense to you right now, but you will know what it means, after the fact.

Visualizing With Symbols

This is a necessary part of the visualization process, because all visualization is through symbols.

The letter "C" we used above, for example, means nothing. It is simply a curving line. Any meaning we ascribe to it is symbolic. As a road map is symbolic of the actual terrain. As a photo of a loved one holds the meaning, for us, of the actual person. . . it is symbolic of that person.

In fact, anything that has meaning or importance to us is a symbol of something else. Even your loved ones: they are symbols of love, and happiness, and various other ephemeral states.

Any visual - or other sensory - image is symbolic.

And the deeper you go into spirituality, the more importance symbolism gains. Because anything of value in life is a symbol or represented by a symbol.

So without going any deeper into the background, let's practice learning how to work with symbols.

Visualization Exercise

One of the easiest ways to begin to gain awareness of symbolism in your life is to work with your dreams.

The advanced method of dream work is exploring your waking dreams. In other words, what is the symbolism of the events that occur in your life?

In this exercise, you write down events that happen in your life, and then interpret them exactly as you would a dream. You can start with the big things or the small things. A butterfly landing in your path may be every bit as significant as a 12-car pileup on the way to work. Perhaps even more so!

A random thought while brushing your teeth, an interaction with a colleague, the type of work you do today… all of these can be worked with as waking dreams.

One of the best ways to start is to pick a period of time for each day, in which you will be alert for subtle messages. The first hour of work after lunch, or whenever you are walking somewhere, or during phone calls. . . .

Any time will do, because once the Universe knows you're listening at a certain time, it'll be sure to call you up!

When you practice this for a while, you will develop a refined sensitivity for the subtle messages that the Divine is always trying to send you.

And this sensitivity to symbolic messages will improve your visualization technique, especially in the realm of creating your own reality through visualization.

source: http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/