The Practice of Ally Work

Jeff Raff has written about the ally (which is known by different names in 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 meet and relate with the ally and so 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 incorporate that awareness of your ally 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-realisation and gnosis in the literal sense of the world.