Imaginal Journeys in the Underworld

  The Archangel Gabriel was the angel who winked at me yesterday as Jesus departed. He visited me again this morning. He’s a funny angel. Very high energy, buzzing. He reminded me the Greek god, Hermes, the go-between. Always seemingly restless and ready to go. He has a androgynous appearance and speaks quickly with a young voice. Like everything in the Imaginal, he can assume any form, any gender. The fact that he is full of energy and exuberance, though, doesn’t mean that he isn’t deep or capable of being utterly still. This last quality, a quality shared by all of the angels, I think is why he sought me out this morning. He seems to have sought me out to teach me and to help me. At first, he appeared much like yesterday, a divine being of radiant, white light. His mischievous nature, though, was apparent even in this form. He’s also quite flirtatious and curious. In fact, almost as soon as he appeared, he encouraged me to approach him and merge. He immediately was inside me, exp...

  This morning I found myself somewhere very different. It wasn’t different necessarily in terms of appearance but in terms of depth. The message was clear: Do not ever assume you know or understanding everything. The Cosmos is much vaster and deeper and profound than you can comprehend. I feel like this was in answer to my journeys in the Imaginal realms. Perhaps I have become a little too blase or have allowed my ‘ordinary mind’ to take over, killing the mystery somewhat. I could feel a depth of connection beyond anything I’ve experienced before and it left me in awe and wonder. The place appeared like the vast Cosmos spread out before me. I felt like I was suspended in space and was completely alone. Even though I was alone, I didn’t feel lonely and wasn’t particularly concerned. Indeed, I kind of savored the aloneness because it was deeply peaceful, quiet and healing in a way. This was a welcome respite from the cacophony of the day-to-day world. After a while, I realized I was...

  A wasp, a tortoise and a bear. WTF? It’s times like these that I revert back to my old belief that these journeys into the Imaginal are brain farts or flights of fantasy. First, it was the wasp. It was encased in amber like the fossilized wasps and other insects that you see in museums. As I watched, the amber liquified into a honey-like substance and the wasp emerged, methodically cleaning itself until it was free of the substance. And then it flew off. I followed it. It led me out of a cave and onto a rocky hillside. Flying uphill, it led me to the mouth of another cave. We were on the side of a mountain and everything was stained red by the setting sun. On the rocky outcropping in front of the cave was an albino tortoise. It was a beautiful creature, unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s shell was shiny and the leathery skin of its outstretched neck was soft and delicate. The wasp alighted on its back and the tortoise led me inside the cave. A golden glow touched the rocky sides of ...

  This morning was an odd one but, then again, all of these journeys into the Imaginal are odd. I found myself staring into the blue eye of a mare. Well, her appearance was that of a mare but she was, of course, not just a mare. Her coat was grey-black and shiny. At first, I thought I was supposed to ride her and she would take me somewhere but she sighed after I climbed on her back and said something like, “Why do men always think that a horse is meant for their use.” Chagrined, I dismounted.  I’m not sure if the mare was a messenger or if she was the human soul I encountered next because as soon as I dismounted, I was standing in the middle of a great hall. It was nighttime and the moon was shining down through the glass ceiling overhead. The floor was a checkerboard of black and white tiles. Beside me stood a woman in an ornate black gown very much from the Civil War period in the United States. You know the kind: Hoop skirt like Scarlet O’Hara wore in Gone with the Wind ....

  This morning, it was an ogress who found me. We were in a cave and she was immense, both in terms of size and width. She had grey skin and a long neck with shaggy hair. She was also very plump with big breasts and a large rump. It was obvious to me that she was not a threat, though, and had only sought me out for help. Sort of like the man yesterday, she was searching for her soulmate. With the ogress was a tiny, yellow fairy. This fairy seemed familiar and not because “she” reminded of Tinkerbell. (I actually couldn’t tell her gender.) I knew that the fairy was present as the guide for the ogress and she would lead us to the ogress’s soulmate. The fairy led us out of the cave and into a pine forest. It was mountainous but not difficult terrain. We climbed a long, low ridge, gradually rising above the forest. At the top of the ridge was a giant tower that was made of pure obsidian. It was shiny and black and unscalable. At the top, was a woman in black obsidian armor. She appeare...

  Another experience similar to yesterday’s. This time, as I was meditating, a window opened in the center of my chest and, gazing inside, I beheld a hellscape. This is no metaphor - I really was looking into hell, or at least one possible hell. This version of hell looked similar to the traditional Christian view of hell: A fiery inferno of molten rock, noxious vapors and infinite suffering. Many winged demons swooped through the boiling air. It was not pleasant place being, well, being hell. There was a winged ‘demon’ before me who, like yesterday’s gargoyle, looked pretty miserable. He wasn’t a gargoyle, though. He was more slender than the gargoyle and his leathery skin was maroon colored, not grey. The expression in his coal-black eyes was filled with pain and suffering. Even though I didn’t know what he’d done to land in hell, I felt compassion for him and reached out to wrap my arms around him. We hung in the air like that with me hugging and him enfolding me in his arms (an...

  Today, a sad gargoyle appeared before me in the middle of the ghostly wood that surrounded the crossroads. I’ve been here many times before. Even though the ‘weather’ and daylight varies, it’s always the same place. It was immediately obvious why this gargoyle was so sad: He was a human soul who had been transformed into this giant, grey beast with scaly wings and giant, knobby cock between his crouching legs. Tongue in cheek, I tried to console him that he was pretty hot this way but he didn’t seem to appreciate my humor. He was too busy feeling sorry for himself to laugh and he certainly wasn’t horny. (Hey, I gotta find my fun where I can get it, right? These imaginal journeys tend to be soooo serious!) I wanted to know how this guy got transformed into a gargoyle. And–voila!--suddenly I was there with him shortly after the death of his physical body. He was in an open coffin in the middle of a steep sluiceway, running through towering gray cliffs. I took this to river to be th...

"Wisdom Master" This was a very strange and interesting series of encounters in the Imaginal, all of which occurred in the last ten minutes of my meditation. This week, it’s been pretty quiet on the Imaginal front as I integrate the experience of living life without the crutch of support from leaning on my superego. I expected today would be “just” another regular meditation. (Really, though, I’m fine with ‘just’ meditating. I mean, that’s the point, isn’t it? Just meditate.) First, I found myself standing on the broad avenue of a mystical city of yellow and green. Everything was yellow-green: The streets, the sidewalks, the building. Immense and towering buildings rose overhead, all intricately built of the finest stones. It was breathtaking. Around me, I could feel like I was being jostled by thousands of spirits but the streets were empty. I couldn’t see anyone but I could sense their proximity. I stopped and looked up at the buildings, savoring their majesty. Overhead, th...

  I was meditating today when the Green Man appeared. I was deep in a mossy forest dripping with moisture from mists. He stood before, a robust and powerful and mysterious man whose body was made of green wood and leaves. I knew him as a friend and ally as well as possibly a brother. The forest reminded me of my father’s as opposed to my mother’s which is twilit and dark. This forest was somewhat gloomy and foreboding but also familiar and therefore I felt at ease. The Green Man and I regarded each other for a long time. He stared at me with his beautifully expressive, reddish gold eyes. We embraced each other. It was a chaste embrace, not romantic at all. Like two brothers. I was aware that my ‘body’ appeared differently here. I was very tall and smooth-skinned with long, golden hair. I was completely naked and my body lacked any hair except that on my head. I was also very broad, muscular and powerful. I have no idea why I appeared that way but it is what it is. I’ve written in h...