still more quotes on active imagination

"However, beyond that and far more important is that active imagination makes the autonomy of the analysand possible altogether. Indeed Jung referred to acceptance and practice of this form of meditation as the criteria of whether an analysand was willing to take responsibility for himself or would seek to continue forever living as a parasite on his analyst." Marie-Louise von Franz, Psychotherapy

"Active imagination is produced entirely from within and is looked at in the same way, though it has sometimes an outer effect; indeed, one should only do it for one’s own inner sake. Jung has experienced that if it is done with living people, the other person is actually affected, though he could not explain how it works, but that is why it is dangerous, and we try to keep away from it. You can talk to your projection on the living person, but not directly to the living person." Marie-Louise von Franz, Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales

If we are upset about something, a discussion goes on all the time within us, but that is passive imagination and completely different from the difficult art of sitting apart and disidentifying and looking at something objectively. If it is done rightly, one is exhausted after ten minutes, for it is a real effort and not a ‘letting go.’" Marie-Louise von Franz, Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales