413: Imagination and the Marvellous Error

A conversation about imagination as essential aliveness—and how treating life as purely literal diminishes our humanity. A great human power lies in choosing which story we live from, recognising that even dead ends become part of a larger narrative of redemption. What would change if we approached each day wondering along which secret aqueduct new life might be flowing toward us?

This week’s conversation is hosted, as always, by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.

Episode Overview
00:00 Embracing Life's Multitudes
02:56 Gathering in Community
05:50 Machado’s Poem Last Night as I Was Sleeping
08:58 Imagining New Possibilities
11:59 Turning Towards Joy and Failure
14:53 The Imaginative Act of Being Human
17:47 Finding Connection in Shared Experiences
20:50 The Invitation to Storytelling
23:45 Practicing Presence and Openness

Here’s our source for this week:

Last night, as I was sleeping 

     Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvellous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?

     Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvellous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

     Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvellous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

     Last night, as I slept,
I dreamt -- marvellous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.

Antonio Machado
English version by Robert Bly
Original Language Spanish

Photo by Vivek Doshi on Unsplash

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Turning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace.  Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.

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Keywords:
marvellous error, secret aqueduct, golden bees, sweet honey, old failures, imaginative capacity, turning towards life, heart opening, sacred aliveness, storytelling power, redemption possibility, fiery warmth, divine presence, new life water, creative interpretation, dream consciousness, life-giving conversation, spiritual recognition, meaning making, transformation language, wonder invitation, possibility thinking, cynicism rejection, literal thinking, narrative choice

People Mentioned:
Antonio Machado (Spanish poet, author of the poem)
Robert Bly (translator of the poem)
Roger Housden (author of "Ten Poems to Change Your Life")
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (podcast host of "Emerging Form")
Christie Aschwanden (podcast host of "Emerging Form")
Emerging Form Episode 146, Maria Kelson on Switching Genres
https://emergingform.substack.com/p/episode-146-maria-kelson-on-switching