Thank you for your kindness. I'm glad you enjoy the meditations.

Hi Andrius. Some listeners prefer more guidance than others, especially on their first go with this rather precise meditation. If the guidance bothers you, you can simply do Active Imagination on your own in the silence of your room. That, after all, is what Carl Jung himself did. Happy meditating!

Hi Louise. Some listeners prefer more guidance than others, especially on their first go with this rather precise meditation. If the guidance bothers you, you can simply do Active Imagination on your own in the silence of your room. That, after all, is what Carl Jung himself did. Happy meditating!

Ok will give it a go!

Thank you so much, Filippo. I appreciate your kindness.

Thank you for your beautiful comment. I'm so glad you found the meditation meaningful.

Glad you enjoyed this meditation. Thanks for your comment.

Lovely! So glad it worked for you, Maya. Thanks for commenting.

No need to force anything. If you haven't meditated before, you might start with a simple, gentle one like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ6VomZnlMqMrJIfeature=shared or this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6WniZl9ecaXj7sfeature=shared. If you do decide to try Active Imagination, imagine a trusted companion by your side, such as a beloved dog or protector. Anytime it feels like too much, you can simply stop. Since everything here occurs inside your own imagination, there is no danger. Trust yourself and don't force anything. Thanks for your comment.

Think about it like a dream. You go to bed every night and dream, same thing but you keep your awareness through out the whole thing so there is nothing to worry about ❤ nevertheless, I understand you. Was hesitating the first couple of times too.

The key is to allow yourself to be in a relaxed alert meditative state. If you are not a practiced meditator or lucid dreamer, this is probably not a good meditation to start with. Try practicing a basic method like mindfulness, vipassana, or shamatha for a few weeks (such as this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ6VomZnlMqMrJIfeature=shared.) Once you get proficient, you might have more luck with Active Imagination. On the other hand, for some people visualzing does not come easily, in which case this may not be the best fit for you. Good luck. I wish you well.

Many people like guidance in coming back up to surface level consciousness, thus the call back after 10 minutes. If you don't need that guidance, simply do the mediation on your own with no recording, which is after all the way Carl Jung did it when he invented this method for himself. Good luck!

Hi Rohan. It's fine if this meditation isn't for you, but if you wanted to give it another try, the most important aspect is to make sure you are deeply relaxed, letting yourself slip into a twilight state between wakefulness and sleep so that your conscious and subconscious minds can freely interact. Once you are in that state, you can ask questions into the dream space, such as "Who is here?" or "Show me what this place looks like" or "What do I most need to see or understand right now?" Active Imagination is not so much a process of what happens to you, but what you subconsciously make happen. A good way to make things happen is by asking questions, and then allowing yourself to be completely surprised by whatever arises in response. I hope that helps. Good luck!

So glad you enjoyed it, JJ. Thanks for your kind comment.

Brightens my heart to hear this. I'm so glad this meditation has been working for you. Thanks for your kindness in commenting. I wish you well.

So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!

Aw, thank you so much, Gustavo! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Hi there @ferocityxfelicity. (Love that name!) I appreciate your feedback. I once did a live version of this meditation in which I invited people to descend into the subconscious in whatever fashion they wished, such as digging, swimming, descending a spiral staircase, etc. Afterwards, one participant told me she felt adrift in the open endedness. She wanted to be brought to a specific landing pad, the way a scene in a good novel evokes your senses and makes you feel vitally present. (Revealing myself now as a novelist!) Some people have sharp visual imaginations and others, like those with aphantasia, can't visualize at all. Based on your comment, I bet on the VVIQ scale (Vividness of Visualization Imagery Questionnaire) you would score high. In this meditation, to accommodate all types of visualizers, I tried to give very specific cues in the beginning, like those you mentioned, for those whose imaginations are less vivid, and to leave ten minutes with no guidance at all, for those whose imaginations need no starter fluid. The sweet spot for every listener is different. In your case, you probably don't need to listen at all. Just do the practice on your own and notice over time if the the characters and setting gain consistency. No doubt your lively inner landscape will further reveal itself. Thank you so much for your useful feedback. It will definitely be in my mind as I make future meditations. I'd rather err on the side of open endedness than be prescriptive. As you say, "receptivity" is the key. Many thanks!

@@TessCallahan Awesome, thank you so much. I'll look into that VVIQ scale. Maybe mine is high, but I've definitely tried without any prompting or guidance and nothing happens either, I'd love to help come up with phrasing and nuance that really targets narrow bands in that spectrum so that people can identify their VVIQ score and save the playlist of guided meditations that's custom fit for them. That's a huge foundation to come up with a lot of content! Thank you again for your reply, I appreciate you and your time Tess!

@@Leonidas_Apollo Fascinating idea. Thanks for your input!

@@TessCallahan Always! We might work together in the next year or two, just a heads up 😂

Hi there, rosedragon. I just did a rerecording of this meditation with professional audio editing that you might enjoy more. You can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ_aoJSHpc1-d5Yfeature=shared. I hope it works better for your. Thanks! ~ Tess

You're welcome, tika. Thanks for your kindness.

Many thanks! Happy you enjoyed it!

So glad you enjoyed it, Thanks for taking the time to comment.

This isn't necessarily a bad sign. Just as in dreams, sometimes the inhospitable characters have jewels to offer us. Try not to take the rudeness personally. See through it. Get curious. Ask why this guide has appeared to you and why they are upset. You might try having a conversation with them on paper, writing both sides of the dialogue. The characters who appeared in Jung's imagination were often rather snarky and difficult at first. He recommended 20 or 30 meditative visits to the same destination, the same characters, to unearth their offerings. On his @CreativeCodex podcast, MJ Dorian has deep dives into the Jung's Red Book which you might really enjoy listening to. Don't be deterred. Happy inner travels! And thanks for commenting.

Glad you enjoyed it, Sharon. Thanks for the hearts!

So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting.

So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the kind comment.

My apologies, Tricia. My channel is not monetized, but it attracts ads that are part of KZbin's algorithm. Very frustrating as these completely ruin the meditations. I'm actually considering taking the whole channel down if I can't resolve this. Meanwhile, if you're interested, you can find ad-free versions of this meditation on Spotify, Apple, and Insight Timer, linked below. I apologize for the interruptions. Thanks for your interest. Apple podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-haven-meditations/id1628432192?i=1000577344408 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2tHDqDkwQabg3VP1MYCgHG?si=H_MuDKCIQ8CPTmjngDlCKg Insight Timer. insig.ht/X8rnYV27QEb?

Hi there. My channel is not monetized. I do not benefit from the ads and unfortunately there's no way for me to remove them. I've checked with KZbin troubleshooting. The ads are part of their algorithm. If you want an ad-free experience on KZbin, they require you to pay for a premium KZbin account. The good news is that you can find ad-free versions on Spotify, Apple, and Insight Timer. I've linked below. I apologize for the interruptions. Thanks for your interest. I wish you well. Warmly, Tess. Apple podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-haven-meditations/id1628432192?i=1000602941293 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3Vrj1NRQ85RCTT98ac1q7Q?si=m4yC1bGjTG2juijuyhOUNw. Insight Timer. insig.ht/zrVAB3u6Rzb

Glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Gorgeous symbols and imagery!

Hi there. My channel is not monetized. I do not benefit from the ads and unfortunately there's no way for me to remove them. I've checked with KZbin troubleshooting. The ads are part of their algorithm. If you want an ad-free experience on KZbin, they require you to pay for a premium KZbin account. The good news is that you can find ad-free versions on Spotify, Apple, and Insight Timer. I've linked below. I apologize for the interruptions. Thanks for your interest. I wish you well. Warmly, Tess. Apple podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-haven-meditations/id1628432192?i=1000602941293 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3Vrj1NRQ85RCTT98ac1q7Q?si=m4yC1bGjTG2juijuyhOUNw. Insight Timer. insig.ht/zrVAB3u6Rzb

I am moved by your kindness. Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment. I'm happy to know the meditation resonates with you. Many thanks, Adam. ~ Tess

I'm so happy to know you find the meditation helpful. How beautiful that you are recovering your natural courage, bravery and love. Your example encourages others. I wish you well on your journey. Many thanks for your kindness in commenting.

Hi there. My channel is not monetized. I do not benefit from the ads and unfortunately there's no way for me to remove them. If I could, I would. They are part of the KZbin algorithm. If you want an ad-free experience on KZbin, they require you to pay for a premium KZbin account. If you're still interested in this meditation, you can find ad-free versions below. I do not charge or earn money from any of my meditations. Warmly, Tess. Apple podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-haven-meditations/id1628432192?i=1000602941293 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3Vrj1NRQ85RCTT98ac1q7Q?si=m4yC1bGjTG2juijuyhOUNw. Insight Timer. insig.ht/zrVAB3u6Rzb

Thanks for sharing your beautiful experience. Maybe the gold was your own soul shining.

Thanks for your kind comment. I've heard my KZbin channel is starting to get infiltrated by external ads. The channel is not monetized so I don't know how this happens or who benefits. If you run into this problem, you can find the same meditations ad-free on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and the Insight Timer app under "Heart Haven Meditations." Links in my banner. Thanks again for your kindness.