Paths of the Divine Service : Visualization and Imagery: Harnessing the Power of the Mind's Eye By Dovber Pinson
Visualization is a key element in our quest for true, lasting change and transformation. Much of the way we experience life is borne of our visual intake. The things we see affect the way we are.
We assume that what we see with our eyes is absolute. Yet, beyond our ability to choose what we see, we have the ability to choose how we see. This directly translates into how we experience life.
In a world saturated with visual imagery, our senses are continuously assaulted with Kelipa / empty / fantasy imagery that we would not necessarily choose. These images can negatively affect our relationship with ourselves, with the world around us, and with the Divine.
This volume sets out to show us how we can alter that which we observe through harnessing the power of our mind's eye, the inner sanctum of our imagination. We thus create a new way to see and experience the world.
This book teaches us how to utilize visualization and imagery as a way to develop our spiritual sensitivity and higher intuition, and ultimately achieve Deveikus, Unity with the Divine.
Through the excavation and restoration of authentic Torah practices and ancient wisdom, Rav Pinson sheds new light onto these historical treasures and brings them into today's modern setting, providing us with real tools to transform our lives and connect with the Creator.
We are not Homo Sapiens. More accurately we are Homo Imaginus.
What makes us human, what distinguishes us as an Adam/Human, is our ability to reimagine our lives, and life in general, differently than the way it appears in the moment.
The opposite of healthy imagination is "idolatry", which occurs when we become stuck on one image. When this happens we mistake a part for the whole and we end up worshiping a frozen and graven image, a single snapshot of reality.
The saddest thing in the world is when we lose touch with our Dimyon/Imagination.
We become stuck in our lives when we do not have the ability or courage to reimagine our circumstances to be different than they are now.
We cling desperately to our status quo, as miserable or as unsatisfying as it may be, because our imagination is in exile. We cannot even imagine an alternative reality for ourselves.
About the Author
In his travels and at home, he has reached and inspired countless people to inner transformation with his uniquely compassionate and wise counsel and continues to serve as a mentor to many across the globe.
The Rav is the Rosh Yeshiva of the IYYUN Kollel and founder and dean of the IYYUN Center in Brownstone Brooklyn.