HOW TO IMAGINE FOR APHANTS
Following the recent imaginal exercise, some friends indicated that they were aphants. And how were they to imagine the wish fulfilled in this case when they had no mental imagery?
First and foremost, this post is an answer of How to Imagine for Aphants. Not an analysis of who aphants are, what might be their peculiar condition and so on. Just How may an aphant imagine the wish fulfilled.
An aphant is someone who has a condition called aphantasia. Aphantasia is 'a condition where one does not possess a functioning "mind's eye" and cannot visualize imagery.' (Wikitionary)
So, if you could not bring up imagery in your mind, what could you do and how may you apply the law of assumption?
The recommendations I have here were made possible from a conversation I had with an aphant who was very much willing to share how thinking processes work with them. Grateful to P. P.
Now to the deal, an aphant can imagine a wish fulfilled by the use of Inner Talking.
But yes, aphants do not hear voices in their minds, you may say. True, but aphants are able to KNOW and to understand MEANINGS.
These are functions entirely executed from inner speech, although one may be completely unconscious of them. In fact, we are usually unconscious of our inner talking, that is until we begin to pay attention. And this is all humans, aphants or not. The functions of KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING Meanings are from man's inner conversations. Therefore, where you have both being experienced, you have an imaginal activity being done. Even if it were not obvious or is entirely unconscious.
In Seedtime and Harvest, Neville said the following about meaning:
• At every moment of time, man stands upon the eternal scale of meaning.
• Looking outwardly, you see the book first, but actually, the meaning comes first.
• We should strive constantly to lift ourselves to the higher level of meaning, the meaning that is always invisible and above the physical event. But remember, the meaning or cause of the phenomena of life can be found only within the consciousness of man.
If you understood all that has been said so far, and you have a clear meaning of these ideas, then you are having meanings in your consciousness based on words that you read.
So, how do you imagine using your inner talking?
Here is a simple process. You would be needing a note either electronic or a book.
1. First, define an objective. Name your desire. Write it in your note.
2. Write out a sentence that implies you are or you have that desire already.
3. Now, because you KNOW meanings, you are able to intelligently complete sentences in your mind. You are merely unconscious of it, but you do. Therefore, the third step is to write the sentence from no. 2 again, but incomplete. Replace one or two words there with a dash, which when you read would still give you the complete sense of what you mean as you 'fill in the gap'.
4. Now, read the new incomplete sentence mentally. For this exercise to be imaginal, you must not read the words out loud like an affirmation. Just read it mentally.
In Control Your Inner Conversations, Neville said: "So you read something, and actually inwardly you are repeating the words. Well now, the whole thing is in your imagination."
Once you do this and you are able to KNOW that what you read MEANS you already have the wish, then it is done. You have successfully imagined the wish.
Let us review the steps with an example.
1. Write out what you desire. Suppose the desire is to get a promotion. Then you write out:
◇ I Want a Promotion at work.
2. Construct a sentence which implies the desire is fulfilled. For example, with the desire to be promoted, the sentence could be:
◇ Isn't it wonderful that I gained promotion?
3. Now, remove some words which would still make this statement mean that you are promoted, but when you are reading, you'd be the one to fill in the gaps.
◇ Isn't it wonderful that I __________ promotion?
4. Read it. Read it again. Read it again and keep understanding it to mean you have the wish fulfilled, e.g. that you gained promotion.
This is how you may imagine the wish, any wish, fulfilled as an aphant. And if I may recommend for you, I would say start by using this inner speech technique to assume that you have clear and conscious mental imagery.
Yours royally 👑,
Adelere Adesina 🤴🏿
