For a long time I struggled with yhe mental images that would pop into my head.
I thought since I had to use my imagination it wasnt necessarily REAL. In the sense that a kid imagines they are Batman but are not.
However, as you will see yhere is merit even in what seemingly looks like self deception on yhe part of the child.
For children are the true masters of their world, they are just subjected to immense will and cirumstances that nearly never allow them to extrapolate their true potential. This comes in the form of societal conditioning, traditions, and language. We are stuffed into a box when we were so used to tginking out side it.
Thus yhe soul longs for this freedom it once expressed.
When you ran free in the grass and fought aliens, played with magick, and talked to imaginary friends.
What is a child doing while they are imagining? Well to put it simply they are image ing. They are prohecting their will and creative force upon their current state. They are accessing the creative forces the same force that gives birth to life, stories, ideas, and time. For psychological time itself is a construction ( many magicians experience time bending as a result).
To devalue the importance of imagining or to stiffle ones own inner creative force in a way is self sabatoge. For even if ones imagination is dark it provides some form of value.
The imagination is the bridge between your subconciouss and the collective unconscious.
For proof of this look across all religions and spiritual practices. For gods, demons, and angels are all imaged in a different dimension, one free of form, they take form in true conciousness, the creative imaginary.