At the Robert Moss BLOG

A scholar of the Imaginal Realm

March 24, 2025

I am a great admirer of the work of Henry Corbin. A lifelong student of the medieval Sufi philosophers – especially Suhrawardi and Ibn ‘Arabi – and of Shi’ite mysticism, Corbin brought the term mundus imaginalis, or Imaginal Realm, into currency in the West. In Arabic, the term is Alam al-Mithal and it refers to the true realm of imagination, an order of reality that is at least as real as the physical world, with cities and schools and palaces where human travelers can interact with master teachers.

Corbin’s great work Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi is a marvelous essay in visionary spirituality that embodies his driving purpose of helping to free the religious imagination from all types of fundamentalism. I remember being seized with excitement when I first read his Avicenna and the Visionary Recital with its account of soul travel to real places beyond this world.

Corbin is not an easy read; he assumes that his readers will be polymaths fluent in at least half a dozen languages, ancient and modern. But his work is indispensable.

One to One with Robert Moss

A recent interview with Jon Wilson for his “Jung and the World” podcast

 

Available Now!

GROWING BIG DREAMS

I am thrilled to announce that my new book GROWING BIG DREAMS will be published by New World Library on September 29. My aim is to help us all use the gateways of dreams and imagination to get through hard times and grow our visions of a larger, more abundant life so strong that they will take root in the world. Surely a book for our times and our condition. It’s available for pre-order now.

Here’s a fun note on the pre-history: A year ago, I had a clear vision in the space between sleep and awake of the manuscript of my new book being delivered to my door in a baby basket.

July 6, 2019: Hypnapompic zone

Baby Basket at My Door

Someone is at the door, making a delivery. I go to the door and look out into a narrow street of whitewashed houses, flooded with sunlight. At my door someone has left a baby basket. Really? I look more closely. Instead of a baby there is a bundle of typed pages, neatly stacked and tied with both pink and blue ribbons. I know this is the next book I will publish. Feelings: happy, excited

At that point I had not decided what my next book would be or made a publishing plan. After I shared my dream and the drawing with my wonderful editor Georgia Ann Hughes we agreed on a plan for the book.  GROWING BIG DREAMS, which contains a chapter on the creative gifts of hanging out in that liminal space between sleep and awake, was officially published on September 29. The audiobook version, narrated by me, is available on Audible.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Dream Teacher Trainings Online
Level 2: June 10-July 22, 2025
Level 3: September 17-October 29, 2025
Mastery: May 7–June 18, 2025


WAY OF THE DREAMER RADIO SHOW with Robert Moss
Listen and call in to Robert LIVE every second Tuesday of the month at 9-10am Pacific Time (Noon-1pm Eastern Time) or listen to recent shows anywhere, anytime at Healthy.net, or download archived radio programs HERE

Next Show: Tuesday, April 8

 

Robert’s online courses for The Shift Network are available as downloadable packages of recordings and transcript at affordable prices. (Completion of one or more courses fulfills a prerequisite for acceptance for Dream Teacher Training.)