'As if'! - Rambam's Imagination

In every generation, one must see/show themselves as if they personally had come out from the slavery of Egypt; as it is stated: "And He took us out from there, etc." And regarding this, the Holy One commanded in the Torah: "Remember that you were a slave" - meaning to say, as if you yourself had been a slave, came out to freedom, and were redeemed.

It is, therefore, necessary for every man to see himself throughout the whole year as if evenly balanced between innocence and guilt, and look upon the entire world as if evenly balanced between innocence and guilt; thus, if he commit one sin, he will overbalance himself and the whole world to the side of guilt, and be a cause of its destruction; but if he perform one duty, behold, he will overbalance himself and the whole world to the side of virtue, and bring about his own and their salvation and escape.

Ever should man see himself as if he is close to death, lest he die during the interval, as a consequence whereof he will be outstanding in his sin; he should, therefore not tarry but repent presently.

When mourning for the dead, during the first three days you should see yourself as if a sword is touching your throat; between the third and seventh day, as if a sword is lying in the corner of the room; afterwards, as if it is flying before you as you walk in the market - all this is to prepare you, and to return you and wake you up from your sleep.

A judge should ever see themselves as if a sword were placed upon their neck, with Gehinnom gaping under them.

For everyone who says the blessing for the new moon at the appointed time is regarded as if he had received the Divine Presence.

Correct posture. When standing in prayer, the feet should be in line; the eyes lowered as if one were looking towards the ground; while the heart should be uplifted as if one were in heaven; the hands should be placed over the heart, close together, the right over the left. The worshipper should stand, like a servant in his master's presence, in awe, fear and dread. He should not place his hands on his hips.

What is to be understood by kavannah? The mind should be freed from all thoughts and the one who prays should see themselves as if standing before the Divine Presence.

The imagination is that faculty which retains impressions of things perceptible to the mind, after they have ceased to affect directly, the senses which conceived them. This faculty, combining some of these impressions and separating others from one another, thus constructs out of originally perceived ideas some of which it has never received any impression, and which it could not possibly have perceived. For instance, one may imagine an iron ship floating in the air, or a man whose head reaches the heaven and whose feet rest on the earth, or an animal with a thousand eyes, and many other similar impossibilities which the imagination may construct and endow with an existence that is fanciful.

You know, too, the actions of the imaginative faculty that are in its nature, such as retaining things perceived by the senses, combining these things, and imitating them. And you know that its greatest and noblest action takes place only when the senses rest and do not perform their actions. It is then that a certain overflow overflows to this faculty according to its disposition, and it is the cause of the veridical dreams. This same overflow is the cause of the prophecy….

No there is no doubt that [in the perfected person,] his imaginative faculty, which is as perfect as possible, acts and receives from the Intellect an overflow corresponding to his speculative perfection, this individual will only apprehend divine and most extraordinary matters, will see only God and His angels, and will only be aware and achieve knowledge of matters that constitute true opinions and general directives for the well-being of men in their relations with one another.