European Tradition
The theosophy of post-Renaissance Europe embraced imaginal cognition. From Jakob Böhme to Swedenborg, active imagination played a large role in theosophical works. In this tradition, the active imagination serves as an "organ of the soul, thanks to which humanity can establish a cognitive and visionary relationship with an intermediate world"
Coleridge distinguished imagination, expresses realities of an imaginal realm transcending any personal existence, and "fancy", or fantasy, which expresses the creativity of the artistic soul. For him, "imagination is the condition for cognitive participation in a sacramental universe".
C.S. Lewis considered that "reason is the organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning."
Read more about this topic: Active Imagination
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