The Moral Polarity of Imagination: Preservation vs. Domination – How Intent Shapes What Is Made
Abstract
This essay explores the moral polarity inherent in the creative and imaginal faculties of human consciousness. Drawing from myth, philosophy, depth psychology, and literature, including Tolkien’s Rings of Power, the Gnostic myth of Sophia, and modern psychological understandings of projection and shadow. We argue that imagination is a neutral faculty whose creations are shaped by the maker’s deepest intent. The same power to envision can preserve beauty, heal, and unite or dominate, distort, and enslave. By tracing this polarity through symbolic artifacts and cultural narratives, we reveal how imagination, as a bridge between inner and outer worlds, is the axis upon which both utopias and tyrannies turn. Ultimately, we suggest that the ethical task of the imaginal creator is self-knowledge: to confront the shadow that may otherwise unconsciously guide creation.
Introduction
"We do not see things as they are; we see them as we are."— The Talmud
From mythic smiths forging tools of beauty or weapons of tyranny, to modern media and political narratives shaping collective consciousness, this polarity has shaped human history and psyche alike.
This essay explores:
How imagination functions as a causal power.
How intent, shadow, and projection shape what is created.
Why preservation and domination emerge as the two great moral poles of creative power.
And why self-awareness and ethical reflection are essential for those who dare to imagine.
I. The Neutral Power of the Imaginal
In metaphysical systems such as Sufi cosmology (‘alam al-mithāl), imagination is not merely fantasy but a real, intermediary realm:
It mediates between pure spirit (archetype) and matter (form).
What is envisioned there can shape the material world.
Henry Corbin writes:
“Imagination is the place of manifestation of archetypes… a creative power, not a passive mirror.”
Carl Jung similarly argued that imagination externalises unconscious content, giving it shape and power:
Archetypes emerge not as abstract ideas but as living symbols.
Through symbols, the unconscious speaks to the conscious mind.
II. Preservation vs. Domination: Two Faces of Creative Will
Imagination can manifest as two great polarities:
Preservation:
Driven by love, gratitude, longing to keep what is beautiful from decay.
Examples:
Galadriel’s Ring preserving the timeless beauty of Lothlórien.
The Hindu concept of Vishnu as the preserver.
The act of storytelling that keeps ancestral memory alive.
Domination:
Driven by fear, insecurity, or lust for power.
Examples:
Sauron’s One Ring, forged to control other wills.
The myth of the Golem: a creature created to defend, yet capable of turning on its maker.
Propaganda that twists imagination to manipulate.
The moral polarity emerges not from the imaginal power itself, but from the maker’s inner orientation.
III. The Shadow and the Unconscious in Creation
Jung’s concept of the shadow is crucial to understanding why creation can go awry:
The shadow holds the parts of self we deny, repress, or fear.
When unacknowledged, these elements act unconsciously in our creative work.
A mythic parallel: the Gnostic tale of Sophia, whose act of creation, performed alone without the fullness of the divine, births the flawed demiurge:
A being who shapes the material world, yet whose creation reflects Sophia’s imbalance and hidden fear.
Thus, even acts meant to heal or protect can become instruments of harm if the shadow is unexamined.
IV. Mythic and Cultural Reflections
Across cultures, myths warn that creation without self-knowledge courts disaster:
Prometheus: Steals fire (symbolic of creative power) for humanity, suffering eternal punishment.
The Tower of Babel: Collective imagination aimed not at communion but at self-exaltation leads to collapse.
Faust: Trades his soul for unlimited power and knowledge, discovering too late the price of unmoored desire.
In modern times, similar dynamics appear:
Technology promises to liberate but can centralise control.
Narratives that inspire unity can devolve into exclusionary ideologies.
V. The Ethics of Imaginal Craft
Since imagination shapes reality, the ethical imperative is self-awareness:
Knowing one’s intent.
Recognising and integrating the shadow.
Asking: Does this creation serve life and relationship, or power over others?
The creative act becomes an alchemical process:
The raw lead of unconscious desire is transmuted into the gold of conscious symbol.
VI. Practical Implications
For artists, storytellers, myth-makers, and visionaries:
Creation is never morally neutral.
Symbols and stories shape collective consciousness, often subtly.
Without reflection, imagination may unknowingly replicate the very patterns it seeks to critique.
True creative power comes from integration:
Facing the fear that tempts domination.
Cultivating love that motivates preservation.
Conclusion
Preservation and domination are not external forces but directions set by the heart of the creator.
As Tolkien showed through the Rings of Power:
The same imaginal technology can heal or enslave.
The difference lies in why it was made, and by whom.
The moral task of the imaginal creator, then, is profound:
To know oneself.
To choose consciously.
And to remember: what is shaped in the imaginal realm shapes the world.
“We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.”— Marshall McLuhan
Bibliography / Works Cited:
Primary & philosophical texts:
The Lord of the Rings — J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion — J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit — J.R.R. Tolkien
Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi — Henry Corbin
The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious — Carl Gustav Jung
Man and His Symbols — Carl Gustav Jung
The Hero with a Thousand Faces — Joseph Campbell
The Red Book — Carl Gustav Jung
Memories, Dreams, Reflections — Carl Gustav Jung
The Gnostic Gospels — Elaine Pagels
The Myth of the Eternal Return — Mircea Eliade
Cultural & media studies:
Understanding Media — Marshall McLuhan
The Power of Myth — Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
The Heroine’s Journey — Maureen Murdock
Myth & symbolism:
The Book of Symbols — Taschen (editorial collective)
Myth and Reality — Mircea Eliade
The Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions — Gershom Scholem
Classical references:
Prometheus Bound — Aeschylus
Faust — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Bible — Various authors
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