Will Vs. Imagination – Paul Twitchell
September 1967
Dear Friends:
One of the most interesting aspects of spiritual law is that concerning Will Power versus Imagination. These two faculties in man are always in battle because they represent the two opposite poles of the universe of God. Will power is that of the lower powers and imagination belongs to the higher.
As stated there is always a fight between these two facets of the inner powers. The Will is of the objective or mental part of man, while Imagination is that of the subjective or the spiritual realm in man. The two cannot work separately but must be integrated if we are working with material and objective events and things. But will power is the lower element and cannot work beyond the mind of the individual. So it is only concerned with material objects and forms.
On the other hand the imaginative power is the higher form of creativity and will be that which works more swiftly in the upper planes, especially that which is concerned with the affairs of Soul. This means that Imagination is the forming power and Will is the holding force. This is why the two must be integrated in this world, or we will lose out on the benefits of life. It is the very reason why so many fail to reach their goals, whether it be the spiritual or the material ambitions which are to be fulfilled.
In his search for truth, the intellectual side of man is fastened upon power and will use truth as a means to his ends. However, the spiritual seeker has put his imagination to work forgetting will power and is attentive only to truth. He knows that God works through the imaginative faculty of man, and will lead him into the higher realms. He is aware also that the molds of form and events in this physical world are not true, but are illusionary, and that the truth of God will pour through his imaginary faculty original patterns that break the old and re-establish his spiritual and material life.
Plato was aware of these standards of truth. Because he developed the imaginative faculties within himself, he was able to bring forth the archetypes of new philosophy and politics which are still recognized in our world today, after twenty-five hundred years of changes in our global history. Every man who has had a taste of God finds the same in his experience with the spiritual illumination, or what we call God-Realization. We grow in individuality and our experience with the imaginative, or what is better known as the creative faculty, gives us greater vision into the inner worlds. With this come original ideas and archetypes of life on the other planes.
For some reason religionists and metaphysicians do not teach that we must learn to expand the creative faculty within ourselves. Some of the modern teachers emphasize that drugs and hypnotism will give this expansion, but these are limited and dangerous to health. One gets to leaning on them and will live only in a dream world without being able to take care of his responsibilities in this world. The purpose of the development of the creative faculty is to give one greater abilities of living in this world, and to be able to do Soul Travel with greater ease at his own volition. It is also tied in with karma and reincarnation.
The two elements are not only separate from and potentially intertwined with each other, they are also hostile to each other. Imagination threatens the Will, and the Will threatens the creative power. Will power of the senses, in order to be effective, must appear as something other than what it actually is. Deception – deception of others and self – is inseparable from the exercise of will. John Adams once said, "Will power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all His laws. Our passions, ambitions, avarice, love and resentment, etc., possess so much metaphysical subtlety and so much overpowering eloquence that they insinuate themselves into the understanding and conscience and convert both the will and the power of the senses."
During a workshop of Eckankar, I was approached by a young woman who stated that it was easy for her to get out of the body, but had problems in returning. She hovered over the body, trying to make the entry but the task was extremely difficult. I pointed out that she was trying to force the Soul Body back into the physical, that in the world it was especially true that will power, or force by the senses, never had much success. It was the imaginative faculty that will gain more for us than any use of the Will. I said that she should use her imaginative force during the moment she arrived back at the body to re-enter, but having nothing to do with the will power. She would imagine herself being within the body. A few days later she said that this method worked splendidly for her. Since, she has used it constantly and for other things in the invisible worlds.
One does not need to establish a goal in his imaginative faculty and hold to it. All he needs to do is to put the picture or image into the spiritual eye, see it clearly and release it. He doesn't even need to make recalls on his matrix, but leave it alone so it has time to work out in the ethers and return to him. If an outline of what he wants is made, there is a less likely chance to get his desire. Spirit is the instrument that he uses and being an independent agent which is far wiser than ourselves will bring the need into our lives in ITS own way. We may not even get whatever is desired, nor in the form expected. This is why we must always be aware following the mockup of any picture in the spirit eye, or what we call the Tisra Til. Nor should we ever want anything other than God in our lives. This is the way in which we work to have the Master come and take us into the other worlds for a spiritual journey. It is a sure method of having the Master in one's life, for he will respond in his subtle body to any call made through the Tisra Til (spiritual eye).
Will Power is separated from the sphere of Imagination. The creator of his own world can tell the powers of the intellect what Archimedes told the Roman soldier, "Disturb not my circle." Leonardo da Vinci said something similar when reproached for his indifference to the fate of Florence, "The study of beauty occupies my whole heart." It is not retreating to an ivory tower but finding reality via the inner faculty of Spirit. That which Spirit responds to so readily will not respond to Will Power.
All who know God have found Him by first starting with the use of the imaginative faculty in the Tisra Til. This is the way that we go through our consciousness to the sublime realm of God.
I am always with you.
Affectionately,
Paul Twitchell
