A conversation about imagination as essential aliveness—and how treating life as purely literal diminishes our humanity. A great human power lies in choosing which story we live from, recognising that even dead ends become part of a larger narrative of redemption. What would change if we approached each day wondering along which secret aqueduct new life might be flowing toward us?



This week’s conversation is hosted, as always, by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.



Episode Overview

00:00 Embracing Life's Multitudes

02:56 Gathering in Community

05:50 Machado’s Poem Last Night as I Was Sleeping

08:58 Imagining New Possibilities

11:59 Turning Towards Joy and Failure

14:53 The Imaginative Act of Being Human

17:47 Finding Connection in Shared Experiences

20:50 The Invitation to Storytelling

23:45 Practicing Presence and Openness



Here’s our source for this week:



Last night, as I was sleeping 



     Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt -- marvellous error!—

that a spring was breaking

out in my heart.

I said: Along which secret aqueduct,

Oh water, are you coming to me,

water of a new life

that I have never drunk?



     Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt -- marvellous error!—

that I had a beehive

here inside my heart.

And the golden bees

were making white combs

and sweet honey

from my old failures.



     Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt -- marvellous error!—

that a fiery sun was giving

light inside my heart.

It was fiery because I felt

warmth as from a hearth,

and sun because it gave light

and brought tears to my eyes.



     Last night, as I slept,

I dreamt -- marvellous error!—

that it was God I had

here inside my heart.



Antonio Machado

English version by Robert Bly

Original Language Spanish



Photo by Vivek Doshi on Unsplash



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Join Us Live in 2025



Turning Towards Life Live Season 1, from 10 September 2025

Our Turning Towards Life live programme of community, learning and reflection runs in six month seasons from September. It's going to be in person on Zoom once a month. We're very excited about it. A chance to expand beyond the bounds of a podcast into forming a community of learning and practice.

You can find out more and join us here: www.turningtowards.life/live



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About Turning Towards Life

Turning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace.  Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.



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Keywords:

marvellous error, secret aqueduct, golden bees, sweet honey, old failures, imaginative capacity, turning towards life, heart opening, sacred aliveness, storytelling power, redemption possibility, fiery warmth, divine presence, new life water, creative interpretation, dream consciousness, life-giving conversation, spiritual recognition, meaning making, transformation language, wonder invitation, possibility thinking, cynicism rejection, literal thinking, narrative choice



People Mentioned:

Antonio Machado (Spanish poet, author of the poem)

Robert Bly (translator of the poem)

Roger Housden (author of "Ten Poems to Change Your Life")

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (podcast host of "Emerging Form")

Christie Aschwanden (podcast host of "Emerging Form")

Emerging Form Episode 146, Maria Kelson on Switching Genres

https://emergingform.substack.com/p/episode-146-maria-kelson-on-switching