The Practice of Ally Work: Meeting and Partnering with Your Spirit Guide in the Imaginal World

by Jeffrey Raff

Jeffrey Raff has written about the ally (which has been called many different names in different traditions) in his books Jung and the Alchemical Imagination, Healing the Wounded God, and The Wedding of Sophia. Here, he shares with readers the techniques he has developed and taught in his workshops and lectures for achieving intimate contact with the divine.The ally is a divine being, a face of God, that is unique to every being. It appears in the imaginal realm to partner with a specific person/ but it has to wait for its human partner to seek it. The person has to learn how to enter the imaginal realm to meet and relate with the ally, and to that effect, Raff has designed a progressive series of exercises. Starting with imagination-building practices, he takes you through learning how to identify your ally, learning its name, and obtaining guidance from it. Intermediate and advanced exercises teach you how to deepen your relationship with the ally and bring it into everyday life.A relationship with your ally is a two-way street in that your attention to its existence in the imaginal realm makes it manifest in the material world, while the ally helps you achieve self-realization and gnosis in the literal sense of the word.

Genres: Psychology, Spirituality

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2006

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I practice the active imagination process of Carl Jung so thought this book would be a helpful adjunct. But I found the messages here incredibly repetitive both within and across chapters. And I wasn’t impressed that he made zero reference to Gendlin when he was talking about felt sense, and minimal reference to Jung and active imagination. I appreciate that he was keen to stake his own claim on the material, but feel the contemporary tradition should have been discussed, not just the ancient mystical ones.

[H.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is an intensively practical companion book to Jeffrey Raff and Linda Bonnington Vocatura, Healing the Wounded God: Finding Your Personal Guide to Individuation and Beyond.

It contains numerous graded practices, beginning with basic written dialogues with one's ally ("good angel", divine twin, genius or what-have-you) in the first coniunctio (union, stage).

I've marked the book as "read", but in fact I'm still working my way through the imaginal practices.

[Gabrielle Jarrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good explanation of meeting your psychoidal helpmeet and how to form a relationship which will only aid your life. The writing process of Active Imagination is clear and well done.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what i expected, but books like these never are.

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is mostly a collection of exercises created to help you develop your active imagination. Raff prefers the method of writing for these exercises, but he does suggest that visualizations can work as well. The exercises are meant to be done at least 30 minutes each day.
Drawing on Western religious wisdom, Raff writes compellingly about the role of active imagination in our spiritual lives. The ally is a divine, imaginal figure who wants to partner with an individual, and the best way to connect with the ally is through the imagination. To me, the practice of ally work sounds similar to centering prayer; it requires concentration and a sort of self-emptying to allow divinity to speak.
I haven't committed to doing these exercises each day, but this book has encouraged me to look more at my own inner life. I also enjoyed learning more about active imagination, especially since I've having heard a lot about active imagination through my readings of Jung. It seems more straightforward now.

[Adam Kościuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical guide to jungian active imagination ;)