Shared Imagination

Using imagination in meditation can connect people to the Divine and to each other and can deepen the spiritual experiences of daily life. Shared Imagination delves into that notion, offering a creative and experiential channel to the Divine and describing the surprising ways this process can blossom in people’s lives. The work centers on personal stories of spiritual encounters as told, with permission, by the women and men who have entered the world of prayerful imagining. These encounters, or “shared imaginations,” arose in a variety of settings: individual and group meditation meetings, recounted dreams, shared spiritual experiences, imaginative conversations with God, letters written to holy people of the past, and some mystical traveling conversations. The stories illustrate the interlacing of an individual’s imagination with that of the Divine. Instructions on how to form and facilitate an imaginative meditation group are interspersed between the stories and detailed in three appendices. Arising from author Mary Ann Archer’s experiences as a professional musician and spiritual director, this collection of personal spiritual narratives presents an exploration of the use of imagination in meditation for a clearer connection with the Divine.