15. Ibn ʿArabī on Theophanic Imagination & the Creative Heart | khayal (P2) | Ibn Arabi Podcast

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi In this episode of Ibn ʿArabī Podcast, I explain his “theophanic imagination,” the “creative heart,” and the “conjoined & autonomous Imagination,” drawing on Henry Corbin’s seminal study Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ʿArabī. Ibn ʿArabī presents imagination as an ontological faculty through which God discloses His Names and Attributes in symbolic form. This imaginal realm stands between intellect and sensory perception, allowing divine realities to become visible without being reduced to matter and without being identical with these forms. Ibn ʿArabī’s vision offers a spiritual epistemology of the heart. The heart (qalb) is the organ of vision, capable of receiving theophanies when purified. Through “himma,” the concentrated creative intentionality of the heart, the seeker does not merely witness forms but participates in their ongoing manifestation. Guiding questions: How does Ibn ʿArabī’s concept of imagination challenge modern views that reduce imagination to fantasy or psychology? How does the idea of an autonomous imaginal world reshape your understanding of dreams, symbols, and visions? Can “himma” help explain creativity, intention, and transformation beyond purely material explanations?  My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani #IbnArabi #Sufism #IslamicPhilosophy #Metaphysics #Mysticism